Shopping and Food

Today I went shopping. (After doing some Japanese homework) Not the kind you are thinking about right now. No, I *still* need to get things like a pillow, cleaning rags, shampoo ... So no clothes yet.

But it was still fun...

Snacktime:

To be honest, I didn't enjoy this one much. I didn't like the sauce on the salmon and some avocado pieces were a bit too brown for my taste.
Also, the rice-to-other ingredients ratio wasn't sufficient, I'd say. I got this on a menu for 1045 Yen. I felt full, so it was fine.

Back to the shopping!

I did pretty well! I found most of what I was looking for, and even got a new Gi!

It was quite expensive, to be honest. But I think it was worth it. The cheap one from Amazon is terrible. I also really appreciated the experience with the shopkeeper. He was so NICE and spoke English, thank god. He had exactly what I was looking for and then taught me how to properly fold it into a small package. Then he let me try to do it myself. Afterward, he packaged it in a traditional Japanese bag.

A cloth:

It really felt great to know that technique and to have such a package☺️☺️☺️

He asked for my name afterward, and I told him about how Martin recommended the shop to me, and he remembered him! (Martin was last in Japan in 2024)

I don't know, I just felt really welcome and relaxed. He also told me to use it a lot too☺️

Ueno Station

Well, after that, I went to Ueno Station to meet up with Tessa (hi Tessa!) to get some food.

After searching for a while, we decided on Hotpot. 20 minutes later, we decided in front of that restaurant that it was too expensive. We went to the next best Sushi place, which was closed :|

Next was tempura, where we sat down.

Until we realized it was really expensive and didn't even look that good (the cheapest was 6000 Yen), so in an awkward moment, we left. But it was less awkward than expected, honestly. Oh well, I am getting less self-conscious.

Finally, we found a place. We only checked that the prices weren't too bad and:

It was really good! It was basically Japanese Tapas. You get a lot of different items, share them, and can try them all:D
Here is what we got:

The Tofu really surprised us! It was packed with flavor and the broth was fantastic! Now that I think of it... Probably one of the best tofus I have ever eaten. Wow.

Afterward, we talked a lot, and I realized how different our experiences here have been so far. You know mine, but Tessa works here as a Post-Doc. She faces many more language barriers than I do.

Because even when Japanese people can speak English, in front of other Japanese people, they often don’t. That was also my experience with my host lab. However, as I am not doing research here and won't attend meetings, it doesn’t bother me.

I really enjoyed going out and talking with you, Tessa, let's do it again sometime🥰

Have a good day!