this and that

My foreigner card's expiration date is coming up, so last Friday, we went to get it renewed before we left for Kyoto.

We appreciated that we didn't need to wait in the long queue that was was snaking around out in front of the building, but what a mess it was inside!

No signage as to what needed to be done (probably more so because of the pandemic)...thankfully though we were in and out rather "quickly" (30 minutes give or take)...

These days whenever we go to Kyoto, we always pick up some doughnuts from Kamo Donuts.

They are kitty corner to where MIL lives, so we just run across the street and get our fix.

Since I was cleaning all day with SIL, I totally forgot to wear a mask when I went to get these (though I probably should have worn one with all that dust)...luckily the guy working there let me just cover my mouth with my hand and point at the showcase.

Another thing we eat whenever we are in Kansai is 551...

Since BIL had bought pizza for our lunch on Monday, Satoshi picked up an assortment of items from 551 for our lunch on Tuesday.

I was impressed that Satoshi remembered that MIL loved these anpan from Kokoroniamai Anpanya and picked some up for her.

We placed some on MIL's altar and we also enjoyed some too.

SIL said she has always wanted to try these but was never willing to line up for them, I'm glad she got to try them.

I thought I was pretty good at purging, but my SIL has proved that she is the queen of purging, so I brought back a few dishes from MIL's stash as they may not be there the next time we go to Kyoto for MIL's 49 day service in April...

Itami Airport got a face lift just as we moved to Tokyo in 2018, it was our first time seeing all the changes and we loved how spacious (and new) everything looked.

Tokyo's numbers seem to have plateaued in the 300 case range. 

When we went to Kyoto/Kansai by plane, I was shocked that it was a full flight.

Even if we all wore masks during the funeral and cremation, we did have meals with family (which was totally out of my pandemic comfort zone), so hopefully we all will be okay.

Have a safe weekend.

semi-funny

Semi-funny thing happened to me yesterday.

I was standing on the platform, waiting for the train to come.

There was a caucasian man standing in front of me.

As we were waiting for the train, his caucasian woman friend, came by and said "hi".

They then proceeded to chat as they waited for the train to come.

The man turns slightly around looking at me and "whispers" to his friend loud enough for me to hear...."slowly sneak in front of me"...

In actuality, letting his friend cut in front of him (and me!)

I smiled at him and said, "you can let her cut in".

This shocked him...

An Asian that spoke English...

He then turns to me and says, "Are you really "Japanese"?"

And while a few years back I probably would've been insulted by this, I found it a bit hilarious...

He then said, "where did you originally come from?"

I said, "From Hawaii".

His face relaxed and said, "ah okay, now it makes sense. I thought your pronunciation was a bit too perfect."

I said, "shh...I'm undercover"

Since moving here, I have gotten used to being seen as a Japanese national who speaks perfect English, instead of as a foreigner.

Most Japanese who meet me for the first time, often are disappointed because I do not look "foreign" enough (meaning I do not have the blonde hair and blue eyes they associate with foreigners).

I have often heard from other foreigners how they are gawked at on the trains by Japanese because they look "foreign".

But have also seen Japanese treat them more hospitably, because they do look "foreign".

I remember when we called the police to have them check on an apartment on another floor of our building because their door was ajar...the policeman asked for my name and when I said, "Kathy"...he looked puzzled and said, "is that your real name?"

Satoshi had to then explain that I was a "foreigner"...sigh.

But anyway, I digress...the train arrived and we all boarded while having a nice chuckle.

registered alien

Today I had to go to pick up my gaikokujintoroku (foreigner's card) or as they have it on the top of the card, "certificate of alien registration" (do we call foreigners in America, aliens too?). I was kind of excited to get a new card, because it meant a new photo. The first time I applied for this card was 5 years ago. I took the photo on my own, by going into a box which takes photos for various applications (passports, college applications, resumes. Can you believe you have to put your picture on your resume?). This time, I went to a photo shop in the shotengai (shopping arcade) where we live, the thing is you aren't allowed to smile. I don't know why...so, now I'm stuck with a mad looking photo for the next 5 years...oh, well, at least I have the card, right?

On my way to the city office, I looked forward to going to my favorite bake shop, Abientot. They had all kinds of breads. I bought a croque-monsieur. It is a ham sandwich which is grilled, it had a bechamel sauce, ham and broccoli on top. Also, an eggplant, bacon pizza. And strawberry brioche & strawberry ganache. The brioche and ganache had custard cream inside and strawberries and fruits on top. Everything was very good!

Another thing I looked forward to was roaming the aisles of the gourmet supermarket. It is on the way from the city office to the train station. I found some interesting food things. I remembered on Bea's blog that she talked about Lorina drinks. This sparkling drink is from France. I bought the Sparkling Natural Limonade. Valrhona's Manjari, also from France. A dark chocolate with orange peel. And Venchi, an Italian Dark Chocolate.

So now I'm a registered alien with lots of good food.