Well, to be honest, I haven`t explored too much of Matsuyama yet. This is partially due to the heat and partially due to the fact that I`m enjoying this unlimited internet access too much. To be fair, even once I have internet access at home, I won`t have nearly so much free time during the week to use it, so I feel somewhat justified in indulging various email, Skype and blogging whims. However, I have not been idle, either!
I've trekked up to Matsuyama Castle (above) a few times just for exercise, as the walkway is so steep that they offer a chairlift for 500 yen roundtrip. Once you get up to the top plateau the views of the city are absolutely beautiful, culminating in the sea and the mountains in the distance. On Thursday I actually went in the castle, where many artifacts of the Matsudaira family, the feudal lords who ruled there during the Tokugawa era, are displayed. I thought the armor was the coolest part, but they also have swords and spears, poetry and random documents, architectural pieces, etc. They also have copious English signs, which are highly imformative, but suspiciously shorter than the Japanese ones :-) I was able to muddle through some of them, but mostly I was content with the English information.
I spend a decent amount of time each day walking through the two shotengai, shopping arcades, which are sort of the center of town. These are basically pedestrian streets lined with shops and restaurants which are usually covered so that you don't need to keep your umbrella up while dashing from shop to shop, though sometimes you'll need it when you cross one of the bisecting streets. You'll find shopping arcades in small towns as well (including Shikokuchuo!) but they're not quite as glorious. However, I walk through the Okaido and the Gintengai at least once a day in order to find food, meet up with friends, or visit the 100yen shop. Since I've been trying to be frugal until receiving my first paycheck, I have to say that the 100yen shop is almost the only non-food shopping I've done so far, but 100yen shops are nothing like dollar stores in the US. 100yen stores tend to have good quality stuff and they have tons of household items, some of which are just packaged smaller than you'd find in a normal grocery store or hardware store. I got a pair of chopsticks and a chopstick case so that I don't have to use disposable chopsticks all the time. Are any of you surprised? Probably not!
Yet there's no longer quite the same need to refrain from buying stuff, as I was paid yesterday! My wonderful supervisor, Mori-san, sent me a text explaining the paycheck, the deductions, and what I would ultimately find in my bank account. I haven't yet had the need to delve into this new bounty, as I'm still rather flush with cash, but I do think it's time to allow a few purchases over 1000yen/$10, wouldn't you say? Any recommendations? I'd like to get a few nice shirts with Japanese details, and there's a cat-themed store just down the block from me, where I could certainly find something to my liking. I was also eyeing a Japanese cookbook game for my Nintendo DS, which you can laugh about, but it's pretty cool stuff, and I want to learn how to make Japanese food!
Last night I grabbed dinner with Safiyya, Nichelle, Jess and her boyfriend Tristan, who is newly come from Canada on a working holiday visa to join Jess for the year. We went to Fuji Grand, a popular department store here (even my town has one), and picked out whatever prepared food caught our eyes at the grocery store, which is a nice cheap way to eat. I went for gyoza (dumplings, pork), okra tempura (never had that before!), edamame, and Gokuri, a slightly sweet carbonated grapefruit juice drink I absolutely adore. After walking around, hanging out, and fumbling through the beauty and body products for a while, Safiyya, Nichelle and I went back to Safiyya's place. We chatted, looked at Safiyya's pictures of her family, Durban and Cape Town, and ate some of the pricy yet delicious grapes Safiyya was so kind to share. Fruit is very expensive in Japan! Finally, we watched Robin Hood: Men In Tights. While I'll admit I may have mentioned the movie first, the two girls were game to watch it, and I think we all really enjoyed it!
A brief note: I've changed the English version of my address slightly, because for some reason it was lacking some of the numbers present in the Japanese address. If you plan to send me anything (hint!) please take a look at the address post again. And if you'd like to receive mail from me, do make sure I have your address!
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