The Wine Bus

A sight to behold as you walk to the drugstore...a school bus parked on the sidewalk.
(which by the way, the drugstore is named HAC.  No periods in between.  No meaning behind the letters.  Just HAC.)  I find it quite funny!

SO...
What is seemingly a school bus, mind you - a short school bus - but a school bus none-the-less.  As you come to the corner, you wonder what is a school bus doing parked on the main sidewalk, right beside the drugstore.  Right beside a restaurant. Right across from a convenience store. On the same block as KFC & McDonald's.  Right in the main area of the this bustling little town.
Well, with a little more investigation I have found that it is something that Tennessee could use.  Actually this would probably fit very well over in East Nashville!
It is A WINE BUS!!!!!  No kidding.  No jokes.

This bus serves wine out the front and fresh vegetables out the back!
WHAT A CONCEPT! 
I mean - who wouldn't eat more veggies if you could get a glass of wine to sip while you're perusing the daily selection???  I know I would!


The back door gets opened and the little sun tent put out.  Fresh veggies abound!  This is where the little farmer's market takes place.  The front door (that on a normal school bus allows children to enter) - is the service bar for the wine!  The prices are written on the window and the wine selection is clearly laid out for you to see...in the windshield area!

A glass of wine is usually 300-500 YEN ($3-5 USD).  I have not figured out yet if you can purchase the whole bottle at once.  THAT is another day to be had at the veggie stand!

I have thought this over and someone needs to try this in the States!  It is BRILLIANT.  Think how many vegetables you could sell.  How many more people would eat healthy.  I mean really, the wine has grapes in it...that counts too, right?

I figure the only problem with doing this in the States is that some "group" would have a freak out and say that it is promoting drinking to school kids and that it is 'immoral' - - maybe so.
But The Wine Bus is a good idea!

Kudos Japan!
No wonder everyone on my block is always in a good mood!

Bottoms Up & Cheers~
Dee Dee

Trying to understand the Japanese

After living here for almost four months now...I still do not fully understand the Japanese culture, nor do I think I ever will.  They are a fascinating people and sometimes frustrating, but all in all - very nice and polite IF you can actually get one of them to speak to you!

I have gathered some things, observations mostly, along with some tips from others Expats who have been here much longer than me.  These have helped immensely in understanding why no one will help you if you fall down or have a problem in public.  Why no one will look you in the eye.  The shyness, drab colored clothing, no talking on the buses or trains, side glances at us Americans (ALWAYS), and the general calm, quiet demeanor of the Japanese people in general...

The Japanese all work very hard at "being average" or futsuu.  No bright colored clothing, no standing out in a crowd or anything that will make them different.  This philosophy comes from a society where 'the nail that sticks up - gets nailed down'. Only when they know someone better will the let a little of their individualism shine through.  The most important thing for them is to not be the annoying nail that sticks up!

Eye Contact is a major issue here.The Japanese think it is impolite to maintain eye contact for long periods of time.  Many avoid eye contact COMPLETELY when they speak to someone new.  Also, you DO NOT make eye contact with strangers!  
I was informed that eye contact between male strangers that lasts longer than five seconds, is like a staring contest between two fighters at the start of a match.

**I was told over the 4th of July holiday by a co-worker of my husband's - who just happens to be on the "buff" side - that he was in a bar recently and a Japanese guy (who was also on the "buff" side) kept watching him every time he went to the restroom.  Well, typical American male, the co-worker finally just turned and walked up to the Japanese gent and asked if there was a problem...
the Japanese man stated that no, there was no problem...he was just wondering if he would like to ARM WRESTLE!!!!!!  Yes, arm wrestle.
So they arm wrestled, in the bar, for the rest of the evening!  My friend said it was about 40 times and finally the Japanese guy gave up - as he never won a match.  Or is it a "bout"?
So point of the story - if there is eye contact being made...something is up!

The Japanese have a very big tolerance for drunken misbehavior.  Now I don't mean drinking and driving - they have a very strict NO TOLERANCE policy here on that.  I am talking about drunken behavior in general.  A lot of Japanese people think that the more stressed you are from overwork, the more drunken misbehavior you are likely to get into.  Hence the photo in one of my albums of the guy laying spread out, completely passed out, in front of a very nice store.  I haven't seen much of that - but it does happen.
I have also heard stories of people going to work in the mornings having to travel through Roppongi (the night club, drinking area close to Yokohama) and many drunks just stumbling out of the bars going home.  Not that I haven't done this in my day - but it seems to be a little more obvious and looked over here.
As I stated before - I have many friends, past and present, that would fit in well here!


Japan itself is a very safe place.  Especially where we live.  My husband told me before we moved that he was seeing little kids, 4,5,6,7 - walking to school by themselves.  And I'm not talking two blocks away.  I'm talking a pretty good distance.  Taking the trains and buses - by themselves!
Now I am all for freedom and teaching your kid to be independent - but this seemed to be pushing it a little to me.
But low and behold, when we got here, and every morning since, I see little kids walking to school by themselves.  Taking the trains and buses, by themselves.  It is actually quite impressive - but no way in hell would I let my little one do that.
But this is all possible because there is hardly any crime here.  Granted there is crime - but not like I would have thought.
We leave our bikes out at night, strollers, etc.  I can walk to the store at any hour of the night and not worry.  Not that it would matter - I am taller than most of the guys here!
For the longest time - the guys would never lock the door when we left the house.  (I finally got my key and started locking it when we leave)  But all in all it is VERY safe.
This, from what I understand, is because the Japanese people are not used to doing what they want to do when they are in public. Example : if someone dropped their wallet - an American (or Gaijin...meaning foreigner) would not hesitate to pick it up.  Either stealing it or taking it to the station head.  But the AVERAGE Japanese person would never touch it.  Much less look at it twice.  Because they are so self-conscious in the 'public eye'.  That is why you can leave your purse, umbrella, back-pack, shopping bags, etc., and most likely it will be there when you realize you've left it and go back!
That is a great thing - especially if any of those contain your money!

I was also told that if you passed out on the sidewalk (I know, sounds strange, but we all know someone who's done it) - that this is when they might be apt to help you...getting your wallet, getting your address, hailing a cab and giving him money (out of YOUR wallet) and sending you on your way. (where was this in my 12th & Porter days??? - we'd have all been set!!!)

The not looking twice is a bad thing - when something bad happens:
My mom falling down in the park, couldn't get up - thought she had broken her leg, my son continuing to run across the street and no one would help mom get up!  A Japanese man walked RIGHT BY HER, literally, and never even looked at her!
A friend was walking with her two children through a busy cross-walk and a boy ran into and OVER her little boy with his bike - in the middle of the street/crosswalk.  Her son is screaming (to the point she thought he'd broken something) and the light is changing, she has her younger daughter in tow and not one of the 25 people walking across the street, in the same direction, helped her!
A neighbor informed me that she was in Homes (the equivalent to a Home Depot here) and her little boy wandered off.  She finally went into a panic and started yelling whatever the words are for son and missing - and no one really even looked at her - much less helped her find her son.
At home there would have been an all points Amber Alert in the store...which is GOOD.

So basically you can do whatever you want - no one will look at you twice.
And while it is very safe - it can also be very scary.  No one really understands you, no one is going to help you and on the off chance they do - - - you thank your lucky stars!

a little disclaimer here:
we have had a few Japanese ask if we needed help finding our train and we had one lovely lady walk us all the way to where we needed to go in one of the larger train stations. But all in all - they keep to themselves, I THINK out of kindness and for your privacy (and theirs).


I just wonder what happens if I ever need an ambulance or need to go to the hospital???

Have a drink on me

My bar experience has been limited whilst here.  I know...amazing!
But, having a 3 year-old does hamper what you do.  Especially when you don't have a babysitter and the only option so far (since mom has left) has been a strangely friendly Japanese woman who stopped me on our street one day to tell me, in VERY broken English, that she "babysits American kids" while pointing to Landon...Uh, yeah.  NO THANKS.

Anyway, I have been to three bars thus far: (in order of visitation)
Bar #1
The HUB Pub.  An English pub type bar located in the middle of Yokohama.  Conveniently right near the train station. It is small, has an open air patio option, very small tables and booths, and Western style bathrooms (meaning - there isn't just a hole in the floor to randomly aim at).  The music is loud - usually something American is playing - well, Beatles and then something American, and there is futbol (soccer) on all the televisions.  The bartenders and waiters all wear black pants and black & white referee jerseys.  They are all Japanese.
The bar has American and English bar foods (which I have not yet tried):  Fish & chips, burgers, onion rings and some sort of  'popper' type dish.  They also have bar nuts...which you have to BUY.  What is THAT all about.  Bar nuts are never good anyway so why would you BUY them??
They also let you reserve tables.  On one hand this is good - but it isn't really a 'restaurant' per say - so reserving tables takes the bar atmosphere (first come, first serve drunky) completely out of the equation.
And you can smoke.

Bar #2
Benny's.  This bar is located near Motomachi (the Rodeo Drive of Yokohama).  It is upstairs and if you don't know its there...you will never find it. Benny is a retired Navy guy and he has carved himself a little niche.  The bar is small, upstairs, has 5-7 tables, 3 electric dart boards (not the REAL dart boards - to the disappointment of some UK friends) and the bar is an S shape.  Well, HALF an S-shape. ( I guess that would be a U-shape, huh? Well, it has the makings of the next 'curve' in the S - so it still looks S-ish to me)  - it couldn't have been the alcohol! nooo.
The waitresses are Japanese and one of them (whom I have seen each time I've been there) speaks better English than most people I know.  The bartender (s) are, well, have been British...the accent is lovely, and in a loud smoky bar - they all sound the same.  So apologies if they are from Ireland, or Australia, etc...after a few toddies - it all sounds the same!
The food here is EXCELLENT.  They have a standard American menu...
burger, fries, grilled BBQ chicken and RIBS!  These ribs are as good as any I have had in the States.
They have loved seeing us coming through the door...husband 6'4", two stepsons each 6'2" - and all order the ribs!  A lunch can cost us upwards of Y20,000 = $200 USD.
You can also smoke in this bar.

Bar #3
D'Erlanger
This has been my favorite so far!  We ended up here on recommendation after a night with some new found friends from the first bar (The HUB)!
This bar is quite small (smaller than the rest) and none of them are big.  It has swinging front doors akin to an old-west saloon.  The bar is in the shape of what I remember being a triangle. Three or four SMALL tables in the back on the way to the restrooms and that's it. And you can smoke.
(if you haven't guessed it yet - you can smoke ANYWHERE here.  They have the no-smoking section, but until now - I have never realized how useless this really is). - and no, I don't smoke, anymore.
They also have cigarette machines on every corner!  And if you're lucky - a beer machine too!

When we ventured into this bar - there was only the bartender (a girl) and a Japanese gentleman wearing an American baseball cap.  Since there were 7 of us (all Americans, even though 3 live here in Japan and have for YEARS now) we got the 'eyebrow' look.
But after a few drinks (and me teaching the bartender how to make a lemon-drop shooter), and more loud music - I was shown why the one friend has been calling it "Vinyl" Bar all night...

Yes, they have all vinyl records and they are all in English!!!!!  I hit the mecca!


The bartender, luckily, took requests and after a little time and a few more drinks - me and the single Japanese gentleman at the end of the bar were singing at the top of our lungs together (across the bar mind you) and both playing air-guitar!  I know, lovely visual! Obviously I somehow bonded with the Japanese guy.

It was funny though - that Japanese guy didn't speak very good English in conversation - but I'll be damned if he didn't know EVERY SINGLE WORD to AC/DC's Back in Black!

So the night went on and we drank more and more,  we sang more and more and the vinyl kept burning up the record player.
My new friends decided I was a little crazy and that it had been way too long for me not to have heard any good ole American Rock-n-Roll.
My husband, I am sure, is still wondering why he married me!!!!

One more thing I have under my belt....singing at the top of my lungs to strangers in a bar in a foreign country!
You gotta love it!

Strange Things...

I was sitting here a little bummed today, for no particular reason I have decided - and I got to thinking about money and how expensive things are here in Japan.  So I decided to make a list of all the things and prices that I could think of - - - just for comparison sake.
Don't get me wrong - EVERYTHING is expensive here but some things make you scratch your head and wonder...
(this is only a rough guide...everything is relative)

Let's start with the most important thing - alcohol!
Good liquor is cheap - Bad liquor is expensive...well, everyone's taste is different, but according to what's "good" in the States by price!
= Vodka:      Absolut $15.  Skyy $10. Smirnoff $20. (Finlandia, and all the other brands I have forgotten - are pretty cheap too)
= Whiskey:    Jack Daniels $26.  Crown Royal $17. (at home this size bottle of Crown would be $36)
=Wine:          Mondavi $9.  Clos Du Bois $13 (both small bottles)  Woodbridge $12 (for a mag).  There are all sorts of knock off wines here that we've never heard of, and you can get those at the "spontaneous buy section" right at the check-out isle where the gum and candy are in the States, for about $3.50 a bottle.
=Beer:  The most expensive thing here.  Usually you can only get Budweiser or something familiar at Costco and it's expensive.  Depending on the brand and the purchase place - a SIX PACK can run you $12 - $20.
A single beer out at a restaurant or bar is AT LEAST $7-8.  Irish/British beer (Guinness, etc.) $11-13.  And $7- $8 for a smaller 'draft beer' US brand (if they have it).
You can get Sake and such everywhere - but not much for that, so don't recall the prices.
Luckily for my wallet - I don't drink beer anymore.


Cost of food
Coke, soda, tea:  $4-$5 EACH in a restaurant.  No refills here baby.
There are some - but very few - places with drink "bars". You pay one price and go back as many times as you want for refills.  The glasses are about the size of a kids cup.
We did find a 'all you can drink' alcohol special at a restaurant here close to the house...$12 - all you can drink for 2 hours, while eating dinner!  For that price - I know some people that would put this place out of business!  Mind it is 'house' swill...still a good deal though!


Pizza Hut - $25-$38  for ONE pizza about the size of our medium pizzas in the States.
Real quick - just thought I'd throw some of the "types" of pizza you can get - and I quote:
Cheese & Cheese, Ebipuru Egg, Mayo-Q (BBQ with mayo), Seafood Mix, Dijon Mustard Sausage, Pote Mayo Gratin, Carbonara, Tuna Mild, and Super Korean Purukogi!  Sounds yummy huh? ugh.

There are a few places to get American food (i.e., cheeseburgers, pasta) but they are very expensive and sometimes you are lucky and they are true to taste.  I had lunch with a friend a few weeks ago and a cheeseburger, fries, coke was $22.  It was an OKAY burger - but not a $22 burger.
A milkshake (not that I was ever a milkshake drinker) will cost you $10-$12.  Amazing how you never really craved something until it was not readily available for $2 at your local drive-thru!!  I have yet to have the milkshake.


There is no tipping - ANYWHERE. You can tell there is no tipping because the service is not very good.  I completely understand too.  Hell, it was hard enough to get us waiters to come to your table when we were making good money - I can't imagine what it must be like to not get a tip...and still have to go be nice!  No fun.
Most restaurants - the chain restaurants - have a button on the table.  No one comes to your table until you push the button. They want you to be ready to order when they get there and you order everything at once.  No drinks, then appetizer, then meal ordering...its everything at once.
and I almost forgot ~ the piece-de-resistance...they always serve the "man of the house" first.  He always gets his food first!  My stepsons have argued that Landon gets his food first (he's 3) - but 9 times out of 10 - my husband ALWAYS gets his food first.  And you can't really sit and wait for the other dishes to come out...they NEVER all come at the same time.  It is not something they do here in Japan. When its ready - it comes out.  No being polite and waiting for everyone to get their food. If you don't want to eat cold food - you eat when it comes!

There are very few mani-pedi places either.  I was really shocked.  I was looking forward to weekly, well maybe monthly, foot rubs and pedicures - but alas, there are very few places (at least in our area) that do these services.
I did a little research and found a place in Tokyo that would do a pedicure for $126.  I don't know what all that included (better be something good and extra like the male massage parlors in Nashville???) - but that is way too far for me to travel (2 hours) and way too much to spend.  Even though - with all the walking my feet could REALLY use it! I am sure there is somewhere close to have this service done...but not like at home where there is a shop at every Kroger or Publix corner.  I miss that.


A Cab $7.10 - just to get in the cab. They don't charge for extra people like in NY. The doors open automatically. They get real upset if you try to touch the door to open or close it. I have been scolded several times!  Old habits die hard, ya know.

And something that has bothered me, and will bother me until I leave...the toilet paper.  I am weirdo about two things:   toilet paper and paper towels.
Every type toilet paper here is like gas station toilet paper.  Very thin, no two-ply, just gas station-cheap toilet paper.
The thickest thing I have found (and I have looked everywhere) - is something equivalent of a generic Kroger brand.  Not great, well - not even good - but you take what you can get.  I have decided the reason for this terrible deficiency in TP - absolutely MUST BE the water/sewer regulations.  There is no other answer. And I am VERY disappointed.

And by the way - a roll of Bounty paper towels is $5-6 dollars.  FOR ONE ROLL.
So I ration.
And the 1/4 sheet of  "ShamWow" that I jokingly got from my friend Jill before I left that States...is a life-saver!  
Who knew?!

DD