What service at the car dealership!

   We went to get an oil change and check on our Toyota leased car on Saturday and were pleasantly surprised at the service we got.  They escort us in to sit down and look at a drink menu.  We ordered iced coffees and it came immediately with cookies and candy to enjoy.
   The next one was a first- where a lady asked me if I would like a free hand massage.  She was trying to get clients to come to her POLA shop for facials and massages.  It was a nice treat because in Japan you aren't expected to tip for massages, nails or at restaurants.

Still the Best Ramen Ever!

Nothing like some good ramen. Luckily this place is within walking distance.

Kit Kat New flavor

   The Kit Kat flavors vary from Tree Tea (Matcha) to Chestnut to Strawberry.  You never know what you will see in the store.  I hate to buy a whole bag and not like the flavor so I try to look for single Kit Kats but they like to sell them in a bag here in Japan.  Last night, I say a new Autumn flavor of cranberry and almond.  I have to say I didn't buy it because most of the flavors I don't like...just stick to the regular flavor of Kit Kats for goodness sake!!!

How Much?!?!

Okay, so we were grocery shopping and we came across some nice looking grapes that were only $3 so we were excited to buy them for such a cheap price.

After we purchased them, we later realized that the $3 price must have been for price/weight? Maybe. Well we unintentionally payed about $16 for the whole container. Time to start looking more carefully at things here however most of the time we can't read what it says anyway.

A Dead Animal in Our House?!?!

Actually no, this is not a dead animal. It is in fact...my hair. Yes, I shave my own head but when I shave it, I always think there will be a lot more than this pathetic little amount. I know I've been losing my hair over the years but this is sad. 😢

Japanese Respect

I had to snap this photo on the way to school and this is an everyday occurrence. The bicyclists, mostly students on the way to school, have to stop at the stoplight. Notice the line which separates the bicyclists on the left from the pedestrians on the right. I am always amazed that they line up single file and don't crowd the crosswalk. This is so typical of the Japanese lifestyle which I love and hope they never lose it.

Glee songs

   I don't know why I always liked the GLEE Cast songs and still will listen to them sometimes...  especially Thong Song!  I think I watched the show for the songs and would fast forward to just the songs, especially when showing them to Alex. (Matthew Morrison was awesome!)  The program quality was kind of smutty and never thought it was appropriate for him at his age.
   Now I listen to MTV Top 50 on Saturdays but apparently the songs are "old" and listen to Apple Music Radio stations...

Yakitori

So you think you've had Yakitori?!?! I don't think so!!! Here in Numazu we have the best Yakitori place ever! It was here 20 years ago when we were here and the Master Chef is still cooking! You don't know what Yakitori is until you've been here!

 Of course..the appetizers!

 The best tomato you've ever had!

 How do you describe Potato? It is like mashed potatoes mixed with meat loaf.

 Beef tongue and ... the fattiest most delicious skewers ever!

 Yakitori! The best you've ever had!

Pickled veggies. Not salty but just right! 

The ladies working hard. The Master Chef is on the far left!

Happy Birthday Alex!

It is amazing that is was 21 years ago today that Alex was born in Mishima, Japan. We are so proud of him!

Gel Nails in Japan

Getting my nails done here is a treat and it lasts much longer than the gel nails in the U.S.  The designs are rather funky though and many of the colors are of shades of beige or pink.  My nail girl told me that people that work in hospitals or in food service are not allowed to have gel nails.  Some jobs that require typing on keyboards the women are not allowed to have painted or long nails.  Of course, I go for the bold purple or blue colors.  There is only one shade of red offered.  Strange, right?

Mt. Fuji?

We've walked by this building dozens of times and we think it is some sort of a prefectural building. We noticed the shrubbery out front and wondered if it has been shaped like Mt. Fuji. You decide.

Holy Stuffed Animals!

Now that is somebody who loves a certain type of stuffed animal. This car is in the parking lot of the high school so it must be a teacher or administrator's car. Our students love looking at it whenever we are walking to club on Tuesday afternoons.

Onion Rings!!!

Ha! Luckily we can read some Japanese (and it says in English too) that they are not onion rings. In fact, they are squid rings! The ole calamari. We took a pass on them but just think if they WERE onion rings. I bet they would be the bomb! We don't get a lot of onion rings in Japan.

Impromptu Sushi Dinner

It was time to go shopping and the topic of dinner came up. Why not sushi? The revolving sushi bar is quite cheap and the fish isn't always the best but...it's a ten minute walk away so why not? We can either take it off the conveyor belt or order it from the touchscreen menu that can be switched to English.

 The meat sushi. We just crack up every time we see it. As it revolves around it looks so bad.

Our yellowtail approaches. 

Typhoon ( never came?)

   It fortunately didn't hit us very hard...maybe in the middle of the night but I didn't hear anything.  So I questioned reading at the library (only about 10 kids and parents came out) and walking the Relay for Life (thinking it would be cancelled).  So we had a relaxing weekend staying inside but it was much needed after a busy week at school.  Enjoyed our Indian food and had a pastry from our local cake shop.  This is a fig on a cream puff. It was delicious!
 

Curry and Nan

We are lucky because we have a really good Indian restaurant close by. The typhoon was about to hit so we thought...how about some curry? I'm glad we did!