Behind the scenes

 

We thought we’d offer you a brief “behind the scenes” look at our time here in Japan’s Ichikawa Prefecture. Not particularly profound, but it offers a bit of our experience outside of the work. First off, we introduce you to the local Lawson konbini (convenience store). Most of our meals have been purchased here. We’ve no complaints, the food is rather good and not expensive. Katsu (breaded deep fried pork) appears to be the favorite, except for yours truly, who tends toward anything involving noodles, especially soba (buckwheat noodles). That’s a partial pic of the deli case. Note the variety of musubi (rice balls) which are a clear favorite.

Nonetheless, we did indulge slightly. We found an okonomiyaki (Japanese omlette) restaurant, clearly a Mom & Pop operation. It was really good! Including dessert, the total tab for the three of us was about $25. And there’s no tipping in Japan.

When we stayed here last year, the house was mostly empty and primarily used for housing. A few months ago, the Noto Help ministry moved all of their operations (and supplies) into the house we’re staying at. It’s a bit snug, but it works. We’ve air conditioning, a refrigerator, and a washing machine. We’ve everything we need.

Our drive now is not as long as it was last year, but it can still involve a commute of 90 minutes one way. The reason we’re housed so far away from the actual disaster site is after the earthquake, there was no running water available in the Noto Peninsula. Eventually operations will move closer to the disaster site, but not quite yet. On our drive we pass a lot of rice fields and forests which dominates this region of Japan.

The Japanese call it mushi atsuii. We call it “thank goodness for air conditioning!” or more accurately translated as “hot and humid.” The weather can be a challenge, particularly since we’ve been doing our share of physical labor. That being said, the staff is very good about giving us necessary break times and providing us with refreshment.

It’s worth noting Shohei is everywhere, advertising everything from bottled green tea to rice balls to sunscreen / skin care products.

“Pocari Sweat” is an unusual name from an English-speaking perspective, but this beverage is very satisfying in the aforementioned hot and humid weather.

In addition to the convenience stores, we’ll also pick up lunch whenever we find something en route. On our way to Animizu, we stopped at a local store run by the local community. Everything available in the deli was tezukuri (hand made), so of course we had to buy some goodies.

We’d mentioned during our weekend break that we visited with family in nearby Fukui Prefecture. These two are my cousin’s grandkids. Yes, they’re happily wearing Dodger gear.

We’ve limited access to cars, so we do a lot of walking. We’ll look for landmarks to help guide us back to where we’re staying. Hopefully whoever works here is amused.

OK, one more food pic. My cold noodles with a side of sushi cost me a total of just under $3. And it was good!

Everywhere you turn, there’s a campaign poster. What peaked my curiosity with this poster is the cow in the background. Do bovine vote in Japan?

There are other pics unique to where we’re at and what we’ve seen, maybe we’ll share them later. We’re going back to work and will provide another update very soon, please stay tuned.