Day 9.

So yeah... here i am, sitting in the bathroom, writing my blog, spoiling my itching feet with some green tea. I got allergy from weeding and it's killing me. Since i don't have any medicine for allergies, that's basically the best what i can do. The water tap is pretty much killing me as well, because i have to sit here for at least another 15 minutes and that dripping water really annoys me! But i'm too lazy to go there and do something to make it stop... And then again, today was a pretty stressful day full of ups and downs, so i guess everything and everyone can annoy me at the moment.

Today we did some serious weeding and were working straight from the morning. We were baking bread as always and doing some other chores. One of the best tasks was picking blueberries! I kinda enjoyed it, even though we

couldn't eat them of course. But of course, oooh

of

course, we did a little bit. Even though it was stressful from the beginning it kinda slowed

down around afternoon.

We girls, helped with cooking a little bit and then washed the dishes, but afterwards we basically were just sitting here and there, drinking some chilled tea, we even got some sweets from the host which was quite a surprise. Then she offered us to bake something sweet and we went for cinnamon butter cookies, which turned out not quite like we expected (the first tray melted and became a cookie pizza rather than separate cookies), but it sure was delicious! That task really cheered me up, because i like baking sweets, even though i'm not good at it. But then again, we sucked at the task and couldn't finish it without being scolded. We couldn't find her and the micro-oven (oven looking like a microwave) wasn't working like we wanted or hoped, so we just tried something and unfortunately we took the wrong plate for it, so she was pissed at us for that. It was a little bit (a little bit??) unusual to see Kazuko (our host) in sucha good mood through out the whole day, so that kinda put everything back to its place. And still i was pretty much thrilled about today. And the evening was sure promising. Was. Promising...

However, our promising evening didn't go well.

We had boys cook today and i was totally enjoying it! Everyone was in a perfect mood before eating, we were chatting, laughing, started eating and noticed that there's not quite enough left for Tomoko when she comes over (she always does) and there's basically nothing for her spoiled child Mahiro, so we took bits from ourselves, so Tomoko has enough and the host-dad told us, that Mahiro doesn't eat curry rice, because it's too spicy, so we didn't leave anything for her except rice and salads, but well.. if she doesn't eat curry then what's the use of having another portion of it when it's not gonna be used??? So anyway, we also had two types of rice - the yellow ones and the white ones. We first used completely the white rice and then went with the yellow ones for the rest, but when we were done with distributing that one, we just left the yellow rice for other people who might come over later. We were already eating, still in totally good spirit and then she came... our host-mama, or should i say our host-(bitch)witch and made sucha drama out of the fact that we don't have white rice anymore. I mean, we didn't even know that there's sucha big difference between the rice. For god's sake, it's still rice! What does it matter if you're eating this or that? But anyway, she totally shouted at us and appeal to "family" subject, by saying: we are one big family, you have to think about everyone. But actually we did think about everyone, there was one portion left for Tomoko and since Mahiro doesn't eat curry according to our host-dad, we left just some more salads and rice for the small one. And you know, if you don't have enough rice, then just cook it, what's the big deal?

Anyway, she totally killed the mood. And it was sad, because some of the guys are leaving on sunday and monday and i wanna have as much as possible nice moments with them. After this spectacle we just went back to our rooms, but me and my roommate left the host house soon and went to the rest of us. But they went to party to the other city, so yeah...

Another disappointment was even later, when we came back and i found a plate with white rice, yellow rice and that portion of curry UNTOUCHED and even with foil on it and ready to be pushed into the fridge. So we actually gave food from our portions, so Tomoko could eat as well and in the end - no one even tasted it. Pretty unfair, huh?

I guess it's not gonna be an easy day tomorrow, because she's gonna take it out on us. But then again - somewhere deep inside of me, i hope i'm wrong for our own sake.

Day 8.

できた！

My first full wwoofing working day is over. I have to say: impressions are mixed and really controversial. I probably wouldn't like to come back to this place, but somehow it is nice at the end of the day. I didn't sleep too well though and it affects me, because i value good quality sleep a lot.

The working itself is a little bit stressful because of the host's character. She's always requesting something, but never explaining anything, so you do it the way you think would be good, but mostly it's bad. You cannot basically know how to do something, because you're not in your own house, so you just try. Also, the way she talks and says things, is really unpleasant. Don't know if it's because she's not english native speaker, or because she's just that kinda type. Throughout the day you always make something wrong and she points it out really badly, so you have this feeling that you cannot do anything proper. Or when something's not the way she wants, she has to find the one who's guilty! Like: "Who touched this?" or "Who did that?".

Leaving those features of hers, today was kinda ok. Except one task: we had to do gardening while it was raining!!! So it's pretty wicked... But in the morning we took the dog for a walk, then started baking bread, but there was no flour, so we just waited for a while, almost until

the break. We did some cleaning in the house, but wasn't too much. Then we prepared lunch, went back, did gardening in the rain, which was just dreadful like i've already mentioned, but then it started getting better... We went for shopping and prepared dinner for the rest of the evening. We made some salad and lithuanian potato pancakes, so it brought memories for me!

The dinner itself was also really nice. We had some nice conversations, but i would like to spend more time with other wwoofers actually. They live in different house, eat breakfast there as well and straight after dinner go back to their place, so it's difficult. They're leaving on sunday, so i have to catch them before and definitely get to know them better. It would be nice if we had some time for that.

I cannot say i hate this place, but it really isn't my dream place. It also might be influence by other wwoofers, because they tell me all that nasty stuff and when something like that happens i notice it better. But it is true, it has a long list of negative features. I like cooking though, so the second half of the day kinda fixed all things. I don't have much to write about today, even though many things happen. Probably i have to digest them a little bit more... Also, it was raining almost all the day, so i feel a little bit tuned. The whole day was so slow. I'm wishing for better weather for the coming days, so i can make lots of pictures and - really important - get tanned on weekend. My sunburn by the way is already better. The redness is fading out a little bit, but it still hurts pretty much.

This evening i didn't stay for long to play with Mahiro (one of the children) and chat with hosts, because we're going to watch a movie with Katharina (my roommate). It's a pretty freaky movie called Human Centipede and it's about some crazy german scientist who's doing experiments on people. You can watch the trailer here. Wish us fun!

Yours.

Day 7.

Today was a big day. (After already 6 big days...)

I again had pretty bad dreams. Probably because of my sunburn (which is actually getting worse and worse every day) i dreamt that my friends are burning to death, which wasn't that pleasant to remember in the morning. And my alarm went on exactly at that moment, when someone wanted to tell me how to stop the burning process and save my friends. I also went to sleep pretty late, because i was writing my blog (this keeps me from sleeping :<), but i have to say that i rested pretty good. Natsuko left in the morning for her job, but her parents brought me to the station and we said our goodbyes. I am visiting them again in September and i'm already waiting for that! Her mom asked me really much, to not just meet with Natsuko in Yokohama, but also visit her at home, which i'm gonna do without any doubts. (And not just because i left some things behind...)

That family is really amazing, they're sucha warm people! I really felt like at home and still cannot believe i had to leave. Natsuko's mother told me that maybe they are gonna visit Germany next year, which would be really exciting. I already mention that in my other post, that i come to find similarities between japanese and true lithuanian people, which surprises me. But then again, usually a true lithuanian is a really kind person, helps all the time when you're in trouble, shares his last piece of bread - that's what i've seen when i was growing up and i'm happy that i didn't grow up in Vilnius (our capital city), where everyone's sucha snob, or Kaunas (another big city), where everyone barely has values and drinks, smokes and fights (of course, not every single person, but you get my point). Nowadays, those kinda species are becoming extinct, but i'm happy that i can still find people like that.

I left Yokohama in the morning and moved to Hino, where i started my first wwoof'ing day. It is pretty interesting here. The place is really nice and spacious, they have nice garden and the house is filled with small thingies, which is sooo like me! There are many other wwoofers: 2 girls from Austria, 1 guy from U.S., 1 british guy and, surprise, surprise - 1 guy from Leipzig (!!), a city where i live in Germany. And he's even living in the same district like me! That's just unbelievable. So maybe we will be able to meet each other back in Leipzig when we go back. Anyhow, right now i'm trying to speak as much as possible japanese and i spent the whole evening playing with small children and talking every once in a while with the host family in japanese. German speakers tend to form one group and speak german all the time... even at the table, where also some english speakers are present, they tend to speak in their native tongue. I cannot say it's just bad, nor can i judge it, because i'm sure it's amazing to be able to speak in your own native tongue, but i'm here for practicing japanese, so i'm not gonna stick to them all the time.

I didn't work too much today, because i arrived just before the lunch break, so i had just one half of the working day. It seems it's gonna be pretty hard work, but when it comes to working hours it's really convenient for us, workers: we start at 10 oclock in the

morning, have our tea break at 12 oclock, our lunch break at 15 oclock and finish at 18 oclock in the evening. All breaks are

around 1 hour long, so it's not too bad... Today we prepared bread and did some weeding, which actually a little bit shocked me. Trimming here consists of basically cutting down all those beautiful trees and plants and it was sad to watch how much we cut. Then, we had to weed the flowers, but it was sucha mess there, that we could barely make the distinction between flowers and weeds, so, to be honest, we didn't overdo and took it rather easy. I liked baking bread more, although that chore has also some distinguishing marks. We do that outside, so you really don't wanna know about the hygiene there. Of course, we wash the dishes and utensils, but it is fucking outside! So with every gust of wind dust and everything else just comes floating in the air. Japan is really highly developed country in so many ways, but you still can see many things that are so primitive and so shocking! If you had a bakery like that in Germany or Lithuania, you would be closed in twenty seven seconds and get a fine on top of that. Also utensils and tools they use, those kinda things you might see just in the museum in Europe. I will make some pictures during my stay here, so you can take a closer look and understand what i mean. Japan is just a country of huge differences. I never quite realized, that in Japan a toilet needs electricity!!! And instruction how to use it... I mean, i've always seen it but it kinda didn't get to a realization point, because it's just sooo wicked! But yeah, that's Japan, huh?

The house of the hosts itself is also, well, interesting. I'm also gonna make lots of pictures so you can at least see it by yourself. They have lots of books, which i actually like, so i'm gonna ask them if i can read some of them. The household is not big: a married couple, the oldest son (still not married) and yesterday we also had daughter in law with two children of hers. There is also a dog! He is by the way really cute, but pretty fat even though he's just 2 years old. When i arrived i immediately got two surprises: first of all, out of the blue i heard german language and at the same second i felt wet dog's nose sniffing around my face.

Somehow i feel that this summer is gonna be the best in my 20 years of life! Which makes the whole year one of the best years, despite all that shit i had this year... I already have many good memories from the whole year, but this summer is gonna be the top! I guess i'm gonna meet many more people which makes me happy. My bread for my soul is communication and when i lack that, i start withering, but lately i've been shining brighter and brighter every day. The fact makes me happy again, and then i start shining even more so it's like chain reaction. People tend to forget about communication and managing healthy relationship because of all this hectic around us. It's a pity, that relationship suffers and not something else. But that's the way it is - being a human starts being a luxury.

Today i had a brief chat with my special one... We still have some issues in our relationship. For me the biggest issue is that our relationship doesn't feel like a relationship anymore and that hurts. It doesn't weigh on me as badly as it could get, because i'm enjoying Japan, being pretty busy, exposing myself to different things and, to be honest, trying to block all kinda negative vibes coming from all those issues, arguments, misunderstandings. But it is still somewhere there in my head and sometimes it gets out and makes my lips get tighter, so i cannot smile, it makes my heart beat slower and my mood go down. It is difficult, because we're confronted now with many different problems, which makes everything even more complicated. Sometimes my faith starts fading away, sometimes it's felt really strong, but mostly it feels just strange.

For me, i'm still in relationship and i behave myself as occupied. But if a right person would enter my life, what would i do..? That's the question that's bothering me lately.

Engrish.

Day 6.

Today is the day when my true self came out - i'm the most stupid person in this world. Really, i'm not kidding. Even though it is really funny... The story is rather simple. So there i was, going to Zushi beach today, which is by the way really nice and not far from Yokohama. I wanted to get tanned a little bit, because during this trip i got tanned unequally because of different t-shirts, so i'm lying in the sun for an hour or so on my back, then i went to swim and came back with the plan to sunbathe some more, because my back still hasn't gotten any sun. And you know what?? I started packing and went home!!!! I FORGOT to turn around, so my back gets tanned. So right now, my front side is completely red and my back side is completely white. That's what i get for an equal tan, huh? I'm pretty much pissed at myself, because from tomorrow i'm working, so i don't know when (if at all) i get the chance to lie down in the sun. I really hope i can get my day off soon, so i can go to any park and just lie down and i won't care this time about being considerate towards japanese culture. Normally, they wouldn't lie down in parks just in bikini, but i don't have any other choice!!!

Despite my huge fail, i have to say, that i enjoyed Zushi beach except that huge wind. Because of the wind, i really had to leave earlier than i planned (maybe that's why i forgot to turn around) - it brought sand really everywhere: my hair even my ears were full of sand, not very nice. But the sea was really cozy if i may use this word, water was salty just as it has to be in the real sea, really warm and welcoming. It's a pity i was alone, so i couldn't just relax - i had to observe my things all the time. I really suggest this beach for everyone who's in Yokohama/Kamakura area. It was strange though, for a foreigner, to pass the Kamakura station and go to the beach, but since i've been to Kamakura already, i decided it's ok not to visit it this time. The whole Zushi city is a real seaside city - almost everyone's tanned, you can see people in beach outfit, with inflatable balls and so on. It has a nice shopping street, where you also can eat out - sucha big variety! So it is recommended by me, yes.

In the afternoon i just had dinner and fell asleep... This night i had really unpleasant dreams (killing people, seeing people killed and stuff), so i didn't rest too well. So that nap was just about what i needed. For dinner i had nattou. It's probably like a curse for most of the foreigners because of its smell, structure and taste. For me it's not as bad, but i have to admit - it's not my thing. I can eat it, but there's no pleasure. It's a shame though... Because i've tried it once back in Europe and i kinda like it, but that one was slightly different than this one i had in Japan today. And i wanna believe that this nattou is more original, than the one i had. For me the smell is ok and i like the structure, but the taste was a little bit to intense. But then again - maybe there are different sorts of nattou.

Today i also met Kenjiro in the evening... It's been a long time since i've seen him! Last summer was the last time... We went to eat unagi (eel), which i actually like very much. I have eaten that before already couple of times, but today again i got upset stomach. I always do, so probably i should make some conclusions. Well, when i'm eating it it's really delicious, but afterwards i get upset belly and this sweetness taste in my throat all the time, so i think i should stop eating it. Maybe it's just too rich for me... It's a shame though, because it's tasty.

Today was a strange day. And it's my last day before i start working... I got my last host in Kansai, Sasayama ind Hyogo prefecture and i'm really happy about that! I was worried, i might not get a place for August, but now it's all ok. Also, i'm gonna meet Natsuko's brother, because i'm staying at his place for night in Kyoto. I'm sure it's gonna be just splendid! I also bought the tickets today from Tokyo to Osaka and from Kyoto to Shizuoka, so right now it's really just the last thing's left - start going there and here. The first week was full of experience and good memories, i hope it's not gonna be ruined.

I would like to work next year in Japan a normal paid job, but for that i need good japanese, so maybe i'm setting my goals to that one. It's always easier to learn or do something when you have clear goals... Who know's how it's gonna go in the future. Today i a strange day as i mentioned before, i feel somehow gloomy, upset, confused... I cannot say i feel bad, i wouldn't even dare saying that i'm being treated wrong, because i feel like at home here! Even better, they're all taking a good care of me... So it's not the cause of my mood, but something's ruining it a little bit. I've noticed that i'm becoming pissed and annoyed really fast the whole day, i feel a little bit empty. Maybe it's just pms, coming on me again, but it kinda feels different than normally. Anyway, right now it's time to sleep and not sit at the computer, so i'm saying a warm good night to everyone...

Day 5.

Today we took a quiet walk in Sankeien - a beautiful park in Yokohama. It's indeed a gorgeous place, so if you're in Yokohama, go visit that one (get off at Negishi Station and take a bus to Honmoku or Sakuramichi). You want to take at least 2-3 hours for a walk, but you might spend as well more time... We were a little bit in a rush today, so we couldn't stay as long as we wanted, but that was not as bad as i thought, since on our way back home we met bride and broom in traditional japanese outfits, so i took a picture of them too!

The park is really spacious, so you can just relax and enjoy the view. It has a huge lotus and water lily pond, but water lilies weren't blooming yet. Also, it has some events through out the year, but you should take a look at their time-table.

You also shouldn't be lazy and climb up the mountain, where you find an observation station and three story pagoda, brought all the way from Kyoto.

You have quite a few guides there (volunteering ones, so their services don't cost anything), however they all speak just japanese, so foreigners should explore the park on their own.

After the park we went to planetarium. Well, it's actually a pretty big science museum with the planetarium as one of the facilities. We were surrounded by kids all the time, but we still enjoyed it. Planetarium was really nice, it was really different from planetariums i've seen as a child in Lithuania, so i was impressed. It was a pleasure to watch everything above our heads... It was not just stars and planets on the "screen", but a beautiful movie with all kind of beauties. I was totally tired and it got so quiet, chilly and dark, and the music was so nice, so i fell asleep and skipped 10 minutes. I was upset a little bit, but maybe next year i'm going to the same planetarium once more!

We also visited Natsuko's grandparents today. They are already old, but really kind people. Her grandfather is learning german, so i had to talk to him a little bit, but he grabbed his japanese all the time and, to be honest, i wasn't upset with that, since i had to improve my japanese skills as well. Natsuko's grandmother kept on giving me gifts and i started feeling i couldn't accept that much, but i was told, that giving gifts is almost her hobby, so i just accepted everything. She is a little bit similar to lithuanian old ladies, though, because they are also all so kind and like giving things. Sometimes i feel that lithuanian culture has so many similarities to japanese!!!

It was an overall quiet day, but i think i needed it, because i feel somehow tired. I'm wondering if i got a delayed jet-lag, but it wouldn't make much sense to get that after 5 days. I'm enjoying my vacation right now, because from the 28th day i'm gonna work until 25th of August, then have 5 more vacation days and work for another 3 weeks. I already know that i won't wanna leave Japan, just like the last time, so it's gonna be again painful to land in Germany and again, i'm gonna crave for Japan so badly and again i'm gonna dream about it in the night, but that's the way it is. Maybe one day i'll fly to Europe just for visiting and "go back home" will refer to going to Japan.

Typical.

Something that's so typical Japanese... Sometimes still surprises me. And i still don't understand why they do that.

Day 4.

Today i had a day, when everything made me happy, or i happened to find things that could make me happy. Either way, it's really nice.

The beginning of the day was rather clumsy. I slept really long, so when i woke up i had to do everything really fast: eat, take shower, get ready for the day and go go go go go! We still had to take care of some things before we went to the train, so we really had to be quick.

Together with Natsuko we met Mihoko today. She had her birthday, so it was nice to have dinner together and do some catching-up, since i haven't seen Mihoko for a year. (Maybe i should come more frequently to Japan?) We didn't congratulate her when we met, because we wanted to keep that as a surprise for longer.

So first, we went to the ferry wheel of Yokohama, which was quite interesting and gave me a good idea for working in Japan. They had some kinda photographer at the entrance, who takes pictures of the customers if they want to and then they can get the picture. It's nothing serious, but it would be a good starting point. I guess i would do just about anything in Japan, because it's so hard to find any job at all as a foreigner, so you have to be happy if you get some place. But working plans are gonna wait until at least next year, because right now i have neither time, nor any chances to get a job.

After the ferry wheel, we went to Sweets Paradise Buffet to grab dinner. Well, it wasn't a regular dinner, since we mostly ate just sweets, but they had some pasta and curry rice, so we did

eat some proper food as well. But besides the normal food, we stuffed ourselves with cakes, ice

cream and jelly.

We managed to grab Mihoko from the table, well, Natsuko managed to do that, and i stayed, because i had to put the candles on the "b-day cake". Since we didn't have any cakes by then, i

used the croissant Mihoko took and simply like that, a regular croissant became a b-day croissant! Later on, she told us, that it's gonna be a memory she will keep for the rest of her life. I really hope so!!! I'm happy she liked it.

Even though we didn't do that much today, i still feel a little bit tired. So i'm happy the evening brought us some wind. That heat really has the ability to tire you... Besides, every day we're doing something after all, so it's a lot to handle if you compare that to some lazy summer days, when you're just lying on the couch, reading a book or watching television the whole day. But this is so much better!

So today, during our small B-day gathering, i found three places in Yokohama, where i definitely wanna come back!

1. チチカカ店 - Titikaka Shop.

This is on top of my list. It's a shop filled with goodies in South & Central American style, and it's all handmade! They have clothes, shoes, accessories, bags, carpets, lamps, beddings - basically, everything. And it is a shop, which matches my style - i dare to say that - completely. The prices are not low, but i think it's ok for goods like that. The quality seems to be really good, they're really original and beautiful and the whole shop feels so cozy! I couldn't make pictures of the shop itself, because it's forbidden to photograph in the whole building, that's a pity, but maybe i could go there again and ask them really nicely!

I bought a nice big bag, because i was looking for one for a while and wristband. For the bag i payed over 30 Euros and for the wristband - around 3 Euros. The bag wasn't cheap, i know, but i think it's just adorable! It's gonna definitely be something that reminds me of that shop for a while...

You can find the shop in World Porters in Yokohama. If i remember correctly it's in the first floor. World Porters Mall is just next to the ferry wheel of Yokohama, close to Minato Mirai. If you like original handmade goods, this shop is a MUST for you! You can find more diverse shops in that mall and i guess, it might be one of the best shopping malls ever.

You can visit the internet page of Titicaca Shop here: http://www.titicaca.jp/.

2. 洋光台の１００円ショップ - 100 Yen Shop in Youkoudai.

Don't laugh at me, i know what you're thinking. There are 100 Yen Shops like e-ve-ry-wheeeaaa, and indeed you are right. But, oh my dear reader, 100 Yen Shops like this one are not everywhere! This one you can find just right next to the Youkoudai Station in Yokohama. Go out of the station and turn right, it's in the second floor of Peacock supermarket. It is really big and it has really nice things, not just some colorless crap. It has huge household section,

where i just melt and also fair accessories department. I bought handmade foot bracelet made in Bali, India; bear ears as hair pins (those are just too adorable!!!), an incense holder and soy sauce dispenser. I am gonna buy some bowls and more kitchen utensils later on, because today i was in a rush.

Coming back to this shop when i'm in Japan would be tricky if i'm not in Yokohama, because if i'm in Tokyo, it would be quite expensive to come down to Youkoudai. So i have to use the chance now! But if you're living, visiting or staying in Yokohama, you really want to go to this 100 Yen shop, believe me.

3.ｓｗｅｅｔｓ　ｐａｒａｄｉｓｅブッフェ - Sweets Paradise Buffet (All-you-can-eat restaurant).

This is a great place if you like sweets and you want to enjoy them with or without occasion. You are paying fixed price which is 1480 Yen and you're allowed to stuff yourself as much as possible. You have some savory things like 4 types of spaghetti, salads, miso soup, rice and curry sauce, you can drink anything you want from, i think, 6 or 7 types beverages, also you

can choose different sorts of tea. And then the best part: you can eat cakes as much as you want!! Really! They have maybe 20-30 sorts of cakes, then you can also find some of japanese

sweets, jellies, fruits and waffles. Now, sit down and read this: they have a chocolate fountain!!!!!!! That's just totally amazing! You can dip marshmallows, crackers or waffles there. You can also enjoy soft ice cream in 3 different tastes. The bad part is, that you can stay just for 70 minutes if it's crowded. But my strategy kinda worked: i didn't eat in the morning too much, so i could have some space for all those yummies.

You can find it in the new high building just next to the Sakuragichou Station in Yokohama. Just go up to the 6th floor and enjoy the sweets! If you get a table near the window, you will be able to enjoy this beautiful view:

Even though Yokohama differs from Tokyo rather greatly, i really come to like it. I found many small places i would like to go back, and next time i'm in Japan, i'm 100% going to Titikaka shop! In Tokyo you have the quantity, but not all the time the quality, which sometimes isn't that nice, if you're looking for something special. Although, that Soys Cafe in Azabu-Juuban is just amazing! I guess, a little bit more of time in Japan and i will make a list of places i love visiting not as in sight-seeing, but as in buying souvenirs or clothes, getting a cup of tea or a nice snack, eating out or just visiting with friends.

I have just couple of days more in Yokohama and then i'm leaving to Hino to work... This week was definitely nice vacation for me. I still haven't found a host in Kansai and that worries me a little bit, but i'm not loosing my faith. In the worst scenario, i'm gonna stay at Natsuko's and help out her mom, just like she said. It's not that i wouldn't like doing that, because i would, but i hope i could find a host in Kansai, because i want to visit Kansai so badly! I'll keep you updated in any case... Good night!

Day 3.

Today we went to Nogeyama Zoo, which i highly recommend to the visitors of Yokohama. I cannot say that it's the best zoo i've ever seen, or that it's really good (because of its lack of space for most of the animals), but if you ignore that, then it's lots of fun there. First of all, it's for free, so you could just come whenever you want, second of all, it's not too big and has lots of benches, so you could just walk around like in some kinda park and sit down and just enjoy the greenery around you (which you cannot do in most of the places in big cities...). It also has an adorable mirror in the toilet, well, at least girls' toilet. It has a small snout and ears, so when you bend down a little bit for washing your hands, you become a cute animal. Nice idea, isn't it?

When it comes to me, there are two things that got stuck in my mind. Those made me totally happy and those are the reason, why i would come again.

Just at the beginning of the zoo you have Red Pandas without any fences!!! It was really hot, so they mostly were inside though, resting from the sun and heat, but every once in a while one of them came outside, walked around a little bit and made me happy with its fluffiness! Red pandas are one of my favorite animals, so i'm always happy to at least glance at them. Perhaps it's mean to say, but i have to admit, i would gladly become an owner of one of those cuties. I guess it's really difficult to fulfill all the requirements to be able to have these animals as pets at home, but when you try, there's nothing impossible. Maybe one day, maybe...

The second thing who impressed me, was almost at the very ending of the zoo. They had a facility for small pets like guinea pigs, rats and chickens. And you can play with all of them!!!

The guinea pigs were pretty lazy and fat, or maybe i didn't know that they supposed to be that big, but they were so soft!!! You could broom them and stroke them and carry around a little bit, that's just so nice! It was pretty odd for us to play with those small animals, because we were surrounded all the time by small children which kinda let us understand that we're way out of the age limits here, but i just didn't care too much. I've never had a guinea pig, but now i definitely would like to keep one! Although the rats brought more memories, since i had one in the past... I was so much enjoying them, that i will consider again the possibility of keeping them as pets at home.

In that facility there were maybe 50 rats or so... And they were extremely friendly. It's enough for you to put down your finger at the side of their cage and they would just crawl all over you and tickle in the process. My mom would just freak out in a place like this, cause she just hates rats! But i was happy like a kid to be able to play with those small fluffs!

The bad thing in the zoo was, that they had really high fences all over, so i couldn't take pictures of most of the animals, nor could i see them properly. Animals, like zebras, giraffes, bears, lions and so on were kept behind those fences.

The sad part also is the space. For example, they have a lion couple and probably 10 square meters for them, so it was a little bit painful to see them there, suffering from the heat and not being able to walk around or go into water, because they didn't have any pool or something. Or, that beautiful turtle which was living in aquarium like i had at home for fishes!!! Well, maybe that aquarium was slightly bigger, but still... It was too small for a turtle. Well, you get my point. But i guess space in Japan is a difficult topic...

After visiting Nogeyama Zoo we went for a brief walk around that part of Yokohama and visited Naritasan shrine (it's also called Iseyama shrine). It was a pretty big shrine, but what struck me most was the location. It was literally in-between all the buildings. For example, if you lived in that block house right next to it, you could almost touch it through the window, so it was really weird. But then again, we come back to the topic "space in Japan". They are saving up every single inch on the ground, so it shouldn't surprise me too much. I remember one temple in Tokyo, which was really squeezed between the buildings. The first time i was looking for it, i didn't even notice it. My brain probably couldn't believe it's possible, but then during one festival, we had to go to that shrine and just then i forced myself to believe it's a temple there.

Today i tried something that i've never eaten before and it was SO DELICIOUS! In english it's called Lady's fingers and it's originally coming from Egypt and Ethiopia. It's like a small fluffy long peppers, but it's not spicy. We had them in miso soup and i had to go for additional bowl of soup, because it was so damn delicious, i just couldn't resist it! It's a pity that i've never seen them in Germany... Anyway, if you happen to see them, buy them and cook something. You won't regret that!

Enjoy some more pictures of Nogeyama-Zoo:

Kiwis.

Growing kiwis in Japan seems rather easy... How cool!!!

Day 2.

Today was a hot day. WAS A HOT DAY. I even had to turn on air conditioner in my bedroom, so i could cool off a little bit, because it was a torture already. We went to Tokyo today and it was even worse, since it's just concrete everywhere and the place where the embassy is, is pretty far from the sea, so it's bad... But i survived!

We didn't do anything special today, but visiting Tokyo sure was a nice experience for me. It brought so many memories back and it made me think of so many things! I got the chance to talk to people, that i've seen one year back and it was really nice! We also came at the right time (well maybe not the time, but definitely the right day), because they were having a small event at the embassy. 4 short documentary movies about Lithuania were shown, so we helped out a little bit with the reception and drinks. Just like old days...

We had some free time between our visit and the event, so we went for a walk in Azabu-Juuban and it was just like i've never left Japan!!! I felt so natural and normal there... The soy cafe, which opened last year, when i was working, was still there, so we had lunch and were just chatting for couple of hours. I still knew the streets and the shops, luckily not much has changed, so i really felt at home. I bought a nice dress at one shop, where i bought one dress last year, so it's something like my tradition already. That means, i just have to come back to Tokyo next year and the year

after and every year for the rest of my life and at this point i kinda think, it would be easier if i just lived here. There are many many things that i don't understand and cannot understand in Japanese culture, there are many things that i don't agree to, but despite all the negative stuff, there's so much of positive and appealing things and i feel really well being here.

The embassy was really so nice! Even though Gabija's perfume were choking me and that brought lots of bad memories, which kinda spoiled the whole fun, but it's a long story. Anyway, i try concentrating on positive things, right? I was just shining at the embassy! I was just helping out and acting as if i would still work there and it kinda gave me the feeling, that i have places were i belong and feel welcomed. That's a nice feeling - it gives u confidence and security.

I contacted one of friends in Tokyo as well, because i want to meet them in September, when i'm staying in Tokyo for couple of days, and his message totally warmed me up, i was smiling the whole evening because of that and i felt really touched. He didn't say welcome to Japan (ようこそ) or have a nice visit or anything like that, instead he said: welcome BACK (おかえり), it's rather an expression you use when someone comes back to one's own place, like for example, when somebody comes back home, you also greet them by saying: okaeri. That made me really overjoyed... But also a little bit confused. Because i started thinking, what is so wrong with the country i was born in, that i never get the feeling i wanna go back, or when i go back, i never feel welcomed and nice, i always feel like a stranger and never like i'm at home!

On our way back to Yokohama, i experienced japanese rudeness for the first time. We were talking to Natsuko in english in the subway and then some japanese man told in pretty rough english: BE QUIET. 5 times. Wasn't very polite, taking in consideration the fact, that there were other people all around us, who were talking in japanese just as loud as we were talking in english, but i guess english offended him a little bit, or the fact, that we're having fun and laughing - i don't know why we got that kinda reaction, but we did. And even as we kept on whispering, he repeated 2 more times "be quiet". Natsuko apologized and went silent for a while, and i really don't wanna cause her any trouble, but as i told her as well, i like treating all people equally, so i like being treated equally as well. If he would have told that to everyone who was talking, it wouldn't have been a problem for me, but the way he did that and the fact that he told that just for us, offended me a little bit. I think he was rude... But maybe he was drunk, who knows. It would have been interesting to ask him, why he did that. But it's too late now.

The days pass by and with every day i start speaking japanese more and more, today i even did the unbelievable - i talked in japanese with Natsuko a tiny bit, although normally i always use english with her. But i speak japanese to her mom a little bit and i had to speak some japanese in the embassy, of course it's not much and i should do way more, but it's just second day, so i'm not pushing myself to hard. Besides, when i start working from next week, there's not gonna be anyone who can speak english around me, so i'll just HAVE to switch to japanese completely (which is good). I'm still looking for a Wwoof host in Kansai area, so i hope i could find someone quick.