Loooong commute

Living in Gotanda spoiled me. I’m used to the 15 minute jaunt it took to get home from work on a not entirely packed train. So while the 45 minute commute to work isn’t bad, the 45-1hr commute back in packed trains AND dealing with Shinjuku Station... makes me realize why they had me sign 2 Year contract. The scariest part is that it was at 7 and not even at the peak of rush hour. Albeit I managed to catch the uberfast “Commuter Rapid” from Shinjuku to Ogikubo, but still!

I learned an important lesson about checking which exit you go out of in Ogikubo. I think I ended up somewhere on the North end in an area I’m not familiar with (probably the ONE exit Nabe and I didn’t manage to go through yesterday. Of all the luck) and ended up taking an hour to make my way back to familiar territory. I did get to check out the Seiyu grocery store. For the life of me, I combed the entire place and the only produce like product I could find (read veges and fruit) was a bunch of bananas in a bin. I know people where carrying broccoli, lettuce, etc, but I can’t for the life of me figure out where the hell they found them. Also, if anyone wants to trade Japanese snacks for sending me a bag of honest-to-god cool ranch doritos, I’d be more than down. Just let me know what you want.

OH! Finally broke down and tried Ramune Kit-Kats. Ramune, for the uninitiated, is a vaguely bubblegum flavored soda over here. It has a marble for a stopper, and so opening it and having it blow up is actually more fun than drinking the actual soda (FOOM! No Mentos Needed)...right. So they are essentially like EATING ramune, complete with sickly sweet flavor. All in all, I think I’ll stick to chocolate.
Other random KitKat flavors I’ve encountered but not had the guts to try: Orange (Kanda Daily yamazaki), Apple Vinegar (According to Diana), Ramune (Tried. Found in AM/PM), Sports Drink (Have this in my room... not sure if I want to try it), Fruits and Veggies (Seiyu Market... for those kids who hate their veges), Mango Flan (Do Not Eat. Ever), Melon (found in Mitsuwa Torrance), Green Tea (found in Mitsuwa Torrance).... The Japanese have weird taste.

So I have been reading “The Art of Racing in the Rain” by Garth Stein and I highly recommend it to those who haven’t read it yet. Occassionally dry, occassionally sad, and at times with a wit that rivals that of Douglas Adams. An excerpt:
“I’ll give you a theory: Man’s closest relative is not the chimpanzee, as the TV people believe, but is, in fact, the dog.
Witness my logic:
...Case-in-point #2: The Werewolf
The full moon rises.The fog clings to the lowest branches of the spruce trees. The man steps out of the darkest corners of the forest and finds himself transformed into...
A monkey?
I think not.”