Getting Settled

For the sake of my personal time and reader interest, I've decided to condense a few mediocre post into one. For the most part it's been a period of minor adjustment and boredom, followed by anxiety and worry once classes started getter closer.

The apartment is now fully furnished with even a few things I wish I hadn't received, mostly miscellaneous bit of unneeded furniture, but as far as it all goes, I'm probably better off than a lot of ALTs just starting out. I have all the little things you need to take for granted until you don't have them. Heaters, Dishes, pots and pans, a washing machine that actually kinda sucks, and a real bed. I didn't have to buy a whole lot to round it all out. So far, Marumori has been a fairly inexpensive post. On the downside, there's just not a whole lot here. I am able to walk to any of the three grocery stores in town and driving to any only takes me a few minutes. For everything else, there's Kakuda.

Kakuda is the little city a few minutes drive away from me that seems like will act as my lifeline of convenience. While a lot of the good stuff is further away in Shiroishi, Kakuda contains the essentials as well as a nerd Mecca of sorts. On the practical side they have a 100yen store, basically a dollar store except a lot cooler. You can pick up a lot of essentials there for mere dollars. Maybe I just appreciate the concept more that I actually have to buy all the little day-to-day nick-knacks, but the place is still pretty cool. Next to it is a department store of sorts. Not a whole lot there, actually, but as far as the things you can't pick up for dollars, you can still find it fairly cheap here. And the most important part and the biggest drain on my cash flow thus far, the Mecca. A Game slash DVD slash Music slash books slash otaku trinkets store. My first visit, I picked up a cheap DVD player and a copy of Snatch. Since them I've grabbed a few more $6 DVDs (X-men 2, Harry Potter, and Fight Club) and in compliance to my own otaku inner demon, a few little Gundam model kits from the newer series.

Driving in a foreign country is a fairly interesting experience. Add many factors such as driving on the opposite side of the road, speeds judged in kilometers, and an unfamiliar vehicle make it a rather tense experience at times. However, after my first few white-knuckled adventures, I generally got used to it. every now and then, though, my brain reverts back to the original driving instincts and potential un-pleasantries arise. The Japanese road system leaves a lot to be desired. Roads are narrow, specifically in towns, and ill-kept after, especially everywhere else. Many of my schools lie on winding mountain passes with sections that can only fit one vehicle at a time. When winter rolls around, it makes it many times more dangerous.

The food is decent, as long as you like Asian cuisine and seafood, which I do. However, unless you vary your diet by purchasing either unfamiliar or more expensive things, it tends to feel like eating out at the Manchu Wok every meal of the week. I figured I'd be pretty well off but have already started to develop cravings for certain western comfort foods like burgers and fries. At some point in the future, I'd probably commit a felony for some freaking buffalo wings.

Overall, it's been an interesting and mostly fun experience. When classes start up I'll be able to get into a normal routine that doesn't involve me hidden away in my apartment for days on end only venturing out to get food or entertainment. Until then...