I Could Get Used To This

Week 3 over and I'm starting to feeling a little more settled. I was a few weeks behind my classmates as many of them had already arrived in Japan some weeks prior to starting the class but in my case, I'd had thrown myself in at the deep end and was finally figuring out how to stay afloat.

As I mentioned before my apartment was really conveniently located for all the necessities. I think grocery shopping is a great way to engage with a new country as there are always new and interesting foods to explore and you can learn about what's seasonal. Sometimes promotions will also tell you more about different festivals as you can see what is typically eaten at different times!

I've found so many wonderful and mysterious items at my local supermarkets, some I've tried so far and some I haven't... here's a few of them:

Nom nom nom...

I actually tried these and they were scrummy! Like mince meat filled mochi cakes...

The smallest can of beer ever! For when you just want a little tipple...

Don't say it... don't even think it...

The slightly out of focus tubs are coffee jelly. I'm developing a taste for this now. They even come with little servings of cream syrup!

Using the metro is also easy as the nearest station is just ten mins from my apartment. However, I can also technically walk to Shibuya in 20 mins so probably need to just get into the habit of doing that. Luckily being in the afternoon class, I avoid the worst of the rush hour although I can sometimes get caught in it if I go out after class. As in London though, the evening rush hours are never as bad as the morning so I'm counting my blessings! Another bonus is the all the trains are air conditioned which in the heat is a godsend. Even with a full train, you can stand it as long as there's air con, right?

I use a Pasmo card which I picked up last year when I was on holiday. The fares are much more reasonable than London and I have the option to get a commuter pass as well which could save me quite a lot. In fact, I must get around to sorting this out...

Even with the delights at the supermarket, sometimes you can't help but want to eat out and especially here in Tokyo it's so easy to find delicious places to eat everywhere. You may think 'oh but that would be so expensive' and I'm meant to be on a budget however, knowing the cheaper places to eat out means you can often eat out cheaper than eating at home! After school on Fridays, my classmates and I often go to the Uobei Sushi in Shibuya. The sushi is reasonable and at only 108円 for most plates, it's easy to grab dinner for about 500円 (which is under £3!).

Likewise a hearty bowl of gyudon or other combinations of meat and rice can be attained at Yoshinoya for around the same price. I hope to find more of these as I continue to hunt for cheap eats so will update you when I do!

Aside from generally eating out, the school also has some events for us. On Friday night, there was an izakaya (japanese bar) party where we basically had all you could drink and some food too inclusive. There was a karaoke machine too which was well used! I was a little dismayed though that the first song I was handed the microphone was Celine Dion's 'My Heart Will Go On' which is pretty horrendous but I made it through and soon repaired the damage with One OK Rock's 'The Beginning' which is my favourite cover to do back home :)

At the start of the night - Class 1A-2

This inspired some dangerous thinking after the party and after a short trip to the local Hub Bar (a chain of British inspired pubs that can be found most anywhere) we proceeded to the nearest Karaoke joint for my first taster of 'Free Time'. This is a concept where you can enter the karaoke off peak (usually after 11pm) and stay as long as you like until 5am. Needless to say, we stayed the full length which resulted in me having no voice at all yesterday. We were planning to do it all over again on Tuesday too...