Grocery Shopping

We went grocery shopping today one ku over--in Minato-Ku.  The store is National Azabu--it caters to those of us who need our peanut butter and crackers. But, we found that American food (and American-like food) comes at a price.  We paid $11 for some applesauce to put in the kids' lunches, $30 for Tide, and I don't even want to tell you what I paid for a guilty pleasure (a little package of Pepperidge Farms Sausalito cookies).  I should also mention I paid $8 for 2 cups of kraft shredded cheese.  :( Soon we will have to eat like Japanese people or be broke.  koi-so (sad). 

The Big Azabu was very crowded.  And, I found the Americans to be less polite than the Japanese we meet everyday.  But, the store delivered and that was a plus. When our groceries came there was dry ice in with the frozen food to keep it fresh.  We made witch's brew in the sink. Sam loved that.  I made pasta with tomato sauce and peas for dinner. The peas were terrible.  Really terrible. The are some strange British brand and the stove buttons are all in Japanese so I had to guess at temperature so they turned out very mushy--more like gruel than vegetable. 

We saw a very nice Japanese grocery store that I hope to return to. It looked very clean and much less crowded.

The boys are driving me crazy and I am more than ready for school to start. Except that without Graham I can't really find my way around.  But, I am ready for a little time to myself.  You don't get much of that in 850 square feet crowded with an old lady's fur coats and empty boxes! Graham starts school tomorrow. Sam has one more week off.

Did I mention the fridge already?  It has three sections. We aren't sure what the bottom one is for or if it is cool or frozen.  We also can't figure out the trash system--everything has to be divided up just so--so I made Graham eat all the peas tonight because I was not sure where leftover food should go. Our trash is piling up because the landlady only speaks Japanese and we don't know where to take the trash or how to divide it. :(  It sits out in our hot, steamy laundry drying room. Yes, that's right. In Japan the apartments have washing machines, but not dryers.  You hang your clothes around the house, on the porch, and in a hot, steamy room that provides a view of hanging undies most days.

Tomorrow my new pillow cases and toothbrush holders will arrive along with sheets for the boys and a coffee maker for Sid.  We can't wait.  Someone emailed asking me if Japan is really that different from the US.  Hmmm.  I never felt this excited about McDonald's back home.  Hard to say if that is because Japan is so different or because I have become a fast food junkie on this trip. :)