Sunny Side Up

Breakfast

I ate spaghetti for breakfast. And what came on top of my spaghetti? A sunny side up.

The night before, after drinking for several hours, I stumbled home in a not-drunk-at-all stupor of jet lag induced fatigue. Seriously, am I a robot? Why didn't I get drunk off of what was probably 6+ drinks? Anyway, I stopped at a convenience store and bought OJ and food. "Food" like heat-and-eat spaghetti.

Meander

I wandered around the areas surrounding my apartment today for many many many hours. It's a nice town with lots of vegetation. There's even a large park area by the river. However, it's still Tokyo, so high rise is the name of the game.

In my quaint little town there lies a quaint little mall: 2 buildings, 11 stories, 3 skywalks, 400+ stores/restaurants, and rooftop gardens.

I needed a bath towel, but the cheapest one I could find was still over $30. Yes, this city is known for it's affluent populace.

The top of the mall had a spectacular view, so I took some photos. Photos like my photo of the day. The restaurants up there look amazing, but are wayyyyyy out of my price range; a meal started at 3000 Yen ($30)... one restaurant had prices over $300 a meal... gotta find me's a suga mommas...

Dinner

Since I skipped lunch to meander, I was deliriously hungry. Hopefully my low caloric intake will prolong my lifespan, as suggested by many research studies.

I stumbled upon a place called "Draft King," which had reasonable prices on food and a nice drink menu.

I ordered the Cajun Chicken Jambalaya and a "400ml glass" of Heineken. The beer cost 600 Yen, which is just over $6. The food was 950 Yen, which is close to $10.

The food was really good. I justified my second beer by the realization that I hadn't eaten lunch, and thus had extra "food money" to spend on dinner.

An American walked into the restaurant and sat down in the table in front of me. I gave him a silent nod, as if because we were both foreigners in Japan, we should somehow stick up for eachother.

Five minutes after his awkward nod back, another American male joined him. The first guy ordered a cosmo... and then another cosmo... and then a beer. Gay? Probably. Does it really matter? No.

But, the whole thing got me thinking...
There's definitely two types of foreigners in Japan: those who are friendly with other foreigners and are down to go out for a drink, and those who are so obsessed with "being Japanese" that they scoff at other foreigners. It's true.

As I walked home with a mild buzz (which didn't make sense given last night's events), I began to contemplate a story I recently read. A close friend of mine had wrote it and submitted it to be entered in the Norton Anthologies. Her story was accepted, which is a big deal.

Anyway, as I walked home, I started a Yes/No conversation with myself. Do you ever do that? It goes like this:

Am I cold? Yes.
Do I wish I brought a jacket? Yes.
Is it a big deal? No.
Am I lost? Maybe.
Am I worried? No.
Do I feel "unsafe" walking home at night? No.
Are other foreigners the people I most "fear" in Japan? Yes.
Is it because they are the most likely to do something rash/stupid? Yes.
etc...

My schizo self convo lasted the whole 20 minutes home.

Guess what came on top of my Cajun Chicken Jambalaya? Yep... a sunny side up.