The Weekend Review - American Hotdogs

Friday was another low-key night. Both Tu, my neighbor from New Zealand, and I were planning to keep it simple, so we combined efforts and decided to eat snacks and watch episodes of the L-Word at my place. I think pretty much everyone else went out for karaoke, but it was fun keeping it simple and just enjoying a few beers.

On Saturday, I got up early and headed to my discussion group with the ladies. As usual, it was a lot of great baking (I swear one lady makes two cakes every time) and good conversation. One woman wrote her essay about an old man in our area that waters the flowers on the side of the road everyday. I love learning more about my community through the ladies.

After class, I bolted home and changed quickly. I met Kelly at the train station and we headed to the Porto Bazaar Outlet Mall at Tarumi, near Akashi. I found a really great deal on some cute Asics (even though I asked the group to restrict me from buying more shoes!) and got a running jacket for when it gets cold. The highlight of the shopping experience, however, was the next stop: COSTCO.

I know there is a Costco in Chiba Prefecture, but the one near us is in Amagasaki, a few stops before Osaka on the JR line. It was amazing; the Japanese Costco is exactly the same as the American ones or a Sam's Club. Kelly and I got a membership,and they will deliver a huge box to your door for only $5 (within the prefecture) so I know I'll be back. One downside was that I felt like an IDIOT for lugging so many American 'comfort' foods back with me when I realizing the array of foreign goods available at the store. The other highlight of this little trip to the bulk-goods retailer was the cafeteria, also very American. You can get a huge hotdog and a jumbo drink (with refills) for $2.50 or a giant slice of American-style pizza for even less. It might seem trivial to be excited about that, but just ask a Japanese person living in mainland America about onigiri and I bet you will get a similar response. It' just a littel slice of home (no pun intended). I think I am set for a while, but I want to go back and get the granola bars and sandwich meat I didn't have time to grab someday. While I don't have room to store food in massive quantities, it does pay to go with Kelly and split packages. Furthermore, I have finally found the perfect haven I need if I ever get homesick... this could be dangerous info, tho!

We had met our friend James at Costco, so Kelly and said goodbye to him and Lena in Sannomiya and went to Trinity, a small club near the station (popular with expats) to ask about hosting another Charity event next month (all you can drink special with a % going to charity). I also asked them about their Halloween party next weekend, and the first thing the manager asked me was if I was coming to their event or the one in Akashi. I was a little taken aback, but it was funny to explain that I am co-hosting the event in Akashi... it made me wonder if we might get a better turn-out than expected. It is for a good cause!

On Sunday, I stayed home in the morning and waited for two packages to be delivered before going running. Kelly and I biked to Akashi Shimizu High School (where Lena works) to meet up with some friends for a softball game in the afternoon, and I went to the festival at my local shrine with people from Harimacho at night. The festival was a lot busier than I expected it to be, but I was impressed with all of the stands (had sobayaki for dinner - yum!) and enjoyed seeing Futami's three moving-shrines lit up with Christmas lights.


Here's a few pics from the festival:

So that was the weekend! I know it sounds like I have been busy, but I really feel like I haven't seen people in a while. I've been running after work and consumed by applications (due next week). Next weekend is busy with Halloween stuff so I am sure this week will go by quickly. It truly is crazy how fast time is flying.