It's been nearly two weeks since I arrived in Japan...and the transition has gone remarkably well. Few, if any real complaints and aside from brief but sharp bouts of homesickness...I feel very comfortable here, like I wouldn't mind living here. The people are super nice, the city is cool and I love sushi and getting around without a car. Of course, there is more to eat here than sushi, and most of it is quite healthy. The small portions, while initially disappointing, are fine and I always think that this is the way things should be if you have any regard for your health and weight (which I do, even though it may be hard to tell...). In spite of all the positives, there are some significant drawbacks. First, there is the unease that comes with being unable to read a large amount of the menus and the great majority of the labels in the supermarket. It doesn't help that a fair amount of this food is completely unrecognizable. What is most saddening is when I can either (a) read the label or (b) discern the product...and THENＩsee the price. I'd been warned before coming about just how expensive everything was...but as a true food lover...seeing the actual prices made my heart hurt. This weekend, I went to the countryside with some co-workers...we went to Fruits Park and bought grapes and wine. Delicious..and almost a steal...a small bunch for 500 Yen= $5!! This is merely one of many such examples, but when I explained my feelings to my co-workers, they tried to soothe my anxiety by reminding me how much less we were paying for these grapes than we would in the grocery story...what a relief!!
1 comment:
This reminds me of reports I read about Hawaii and how it is very expensive to eat there. They said that it because of the distance from the source of so many staples of the American diet. Simple things like cereal and milk cost almost $10 there. Do you even see any of the same brand names over there as you have in grocery stores there???
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