The Waiting Game

I'm not a patient person.

I could go as far as to say that I'm an IMpatient person. Suffice to say, I don't like waiting. The toe-tapping drives me crazy. All I want is to GET THERE. However, I have spent a great deal of time (and yes, I'm aware of the irony) getting to the point where I can tolerate stagnate points in my life like a normal person. For example, I wait for buses and trains every day. This may seem like a miniscule obstacle for most, but for waiting for transportation feels like wasted years of my life.

At this point in time, I'm playing the waiting game.

I've got three weeks until I move to one of the MOST INTERESTING PLACES ON THE PLANET: read Shinjuku, Tokyo. And I'm like a kid before summer camp. But please, don't let that deter from the fact that Utsunomiya is great- because it is. I just really need to leave- please don't take it personally, guys :)

Just look at the stats:
Utsunomiya- 900,000 people; Tokyo- 23 Million.

I don't know what it is exactly, but that much kinetic energy from that many people makes my skin tingle. Also, it's nice to be able to get breakfast at any time of day I damn well choose. Utsunomiya just doesn't have the monumental craziness that Tokyo exudes. For example, I was waiting for a train at about 2 in the afternoon in Tokyo the other day and I saw two TOTALLY SEPARATE incidences of crazy. They stood out from the crowd because they were both men with prominent mustaches. Who just so happened to be dressed fully in drag. With 8-inch heels. CRAZY.  Yet awesome.

 

It's that kind of "WTF" (the french call it the 'je ne sais quoi') that makes you smile in the morning. Et j'adore le place. 

But aside from all the crazy (... kidding), here are some pictures;

Possibly the best pizza in Japan, considering that I'm (somewhat) violently allergic to tomatoes. The pesto, smoked salmon, and olives combo may as well have been made especially for me. <3

A friend after just a little too much Italian food... Also, I don't think he approved of me taking his picture. 

Ah, the glorious Asian Driver stereotype. How phenomenally true you are. I used to think that it was just a myth- that Japanese people were just as good as the rest of us at driving, until I lived here. I can't tell you how many times I've almost been KILLED by someone who forgot which peddle was the brake. And then there's the parking jobs. Now, I'm no skilled driver- I've failed the parallel parking test with flying colours. But anyone with the brain of a 5-year-old can tell you that this is not a parking space. This guy's basically trying to fit a circle in a square hole. A fantastic example of truth. 

The other day it finally snowed. I mean- REALLY SNOWED.  Big, fat, edible snowflakes covered Utsunomiya. Over 2 feet in 6 hours. It would have been beautiful... if I wasn't supposed to ride my bike to work that day...

Luckily, I'm  Canadian. I know how to deal with this stuff. I can't say the same for the rest of the country. It seemed like everyone just simply forgot their brains at home that day. Back home, this would have been considered a snow day, but the Japanese work ethic prevails...
Also, it melted within 12 hours. So much for winter in Japan.

The creepiest snow man ever.

The amusing Japanese-cartoon equivalent.

These days a lot of my students seem to be training for medicine- and this one had just graduated from a 6 year program in one of the most prestigious universities in the country. To celebrate, he went to Europe and bought me PRESENTS. But not just any presents- he bought me a gold teaspoon and a terrifying gadget that supposedly removes the insides from strawberries. 

The before and after shot of the CLEANSING that this thing supposedly does. I think it might be related to that tool from the matrix that looks like this. Amazingly creepy.

And finally- sushi cake. Because your stereotypical Japanese experience is not complete without something totally foreign like CAKE made from SUSHI.  It's just simply amazing. This was created by the chefs (?) at the local grocery store near my school for 'girls day.' Which is something like women's day. And it's just like women's day back home, where nothing significant really happens. It's just some guy in a grocery store getting really over-creative with rice. Note the added touch of hot dogs. Classy.

Goodnight- おやすみ!