Whew!

The week before last was such a busy week that I took a week hiatus! Four exams (including a three hour midterm), Valentines Day drinks, Karaoke (twice!), cooking class, Odaiba, Ueno, and Kawaguchi! It was a good week! Last week, I took it easy, came straight home from school, and studied hard (I had three exams last week too!). Last weekend we (American students) had culture class. It was incredibly beneficial... definitely a lot to take in. But I'll have to share that info later as I am a week behind :-(

I guess I'll start with my realization the week before last: that going to bars isn't a bad thing. That probably sounds stupid but I really didn't think well of them. I thought that most people go to bars to get loud, drunk or laid. You know, pick up chicks, eat peanuts, drink their worries away (temporarily). That or to get wings! (that last one was me...Landmark anyone?). And I knew before coming out here that Japanese people drink a lot. But I was told that because work is so stressful, they get drunk at night to feel better. Or they go out with their bosses and get drunk together, because they can only be themselves when they're drunk...whaaaat? (Side note...as crazy as I may have made that sound, it's true. Many Japanese workers, especially the younger ones don't stop working until midnight. They spend the entire day trying to please their boss - who is most likely unpleasant - and they do go to bars after work to calm down. It's also true that Japanese bodies are less capable of handling alcohol than say, American bodies. I forget why. It was explained to me in elaborate scientific detail but y'all know how I am with science...right over my head. So they get red...and drunk very fast. But it is NOT true that most Japanese or people in general go to bars solely to get drunk, probably half and half - which is what I'm getting at). But I've found, thanks to my buddy Tracey, that a bar can actually be a quiet, relaxing place to enjoy a little conversation and a tasty beverage. There's this small, I would even say elegant bar in downtown Ikebukuro, where they play (Japanese) jazz and serve signature cocktails. I bought sweet...something. It was delicious! They even have a pianist who plays sometimes. And it's owned by this...older man who wears a suit with a little bow tie! He makes signature snacks too, and he'll do magic tricks for you! He taught us one, it was pretty good. So yeah, I enjoyed the ambiance and the drinks, but it's definitely not something I would make a habit of - totemo takai desu! It's really expensive! 

Tracey also introduced me to a bistro in downtown Ikebukuro. It's below street level and so charming! If you don't want to sit and eat in the restaurant they have a bakery by the entrance where you can grab some bread and leave. We bought bread - it was delicious! I promise not to go into another tangent about how good the bread is! But I will say (while hoping I didn't already) that another thing I love about Japan is how many small businesses there are out here. Tokyo is a big city, but it's filled with many shops. Even the chains aren't over baring, they fit right in to the neighborhood. There are small sukiyas, ramen shops, udon shops, curry shops (oh they love curry out here, and now I do too!), and so forth, along with small clothing boutiques, beauty shops, etc. It just makes every area - no matter how big and bright - feel homey :-)

That Friday, I was also introduced to gyouza (Chinese dumpling - basically meat, gyouza skin, ginger, seasoning, and leek). We made it in cooking class, and it is delicious! Also fun and easy to make. I'm thinking of doing a mini cooking session with my friends when I come back. I also made this tofu dish, Mado Dofu. Now I haven't had tofu in years, and I always think I'm not going to like it, but it was great, almost tasted like noodles, which was appropriate for the kind of sauce it was in. We were split up and then paired with Japanese students from Waseda University. It was cool. Sylvia and I tried to speak Japanese and they tried speaking enlgish, I think it went well. They gave us suggestions of cool places to visit and told me how to get my nails done for less (basically with coupons lol). I was really happy at the end of the night. Now when I go to the suupaa I have something else I can buy to eat!

My cooking team :-)

I learned Japanese table setting!

The whole class!