Today (Monday) was still the semester break so we didn't have class. I was originally planning on bussing downtown or going to daiso, but mostly ended up sleeping, getting things organized, and doing a whole lot of nothing. As fun as the Sapporo trip was, I think it made me even more tired than I was when the semester break started, so it was nice to have a day to just stay home.
Breakfast:
My host mom was super sweet and left me breakfast on the table and lunch in the refrigerator. The note says that this is breakfast, that is should warm up the miso (that was on the stove) and have some and that there is also rice.
More natto from yesterday:
Pins from Hakodate and Sapporo:
Also, the bunny again:
Here are the nylons and some socks I got in Sapporo:
The socks were $10 for one pair, or $10 for three pairs, so I picked out two more of the same type and now have a set of heart socks.
I brought back a marimo omiyage for my host family:
The books from Book Off:
Four shirts, two pairs of pants, and some bows/etc. from Sapporo. They were having some really great summer sales and each pair of pants was only $6.
I never took a picture of the pencil caps I got with the gummy erasers and pencil sharpener, so here they are:
Lunch:
(With onigiri #25 and #26)
My host mon's mom picked up たっくん from school and gave us some dried bread with caramely stuff on it. It was yummy.
Tuna-mayo bread from the convenience store and the other soda (melon flavored) from Daiso for breakfast:
Also Onigiri #22 (this one had beef in it):
I also got a convenience store taiyaki because I'd been wanting to try it but hadn't found any taiyaki shops yet. Taiyaki is a cream filled waffley fish. The fish is a Tai (sea bream) which is where the name comes from.
After breakfast, I went to the station with Rett and Qingya to go shopping for a little bit before heading back to Hakodate.
We went to UniQlo first (which I've heard described as a Japanese GAP). I liked the hats on these mannequins.
I finally got some shirts!
We went to a few other stores too. These dangling jean legs were one of the highlights:
As well as the English on this makeup:
Smoking is still pretty common in Japan. Most restaurants/parks/airports/etc. have smoking sections, and there are signs all over telling you where you can and cannot smoke. I couldn't figure out what these were at first. They are colorful portable ashtrays:
Walking through a small section of one of the electronic sections on one floor of one building. I just can't get over how crazy the shopping centers are here:
A salty lychee drink:
Also, actual taiyaki from a taiyaki booth below the station. This one is peach flavored. It was fresh, warm, and way better than the one from FamilyMart.
Onigiri #23 and #24 (chicken-mayo and tuna):
Scenery on the bus ride back:
The area actually reminds me a lot of the Pacific Northwest, just with a few different species of plants.
Someone informed me that it was Natto Day, so I got some natto for the bus ride. Also combini cream puffs.
Farmland:
Creepy tower in the foggy distance:
Lemony, limy drink with lots of vitamin C:
More farmland and scenery:
Natto:
Scenery:
Really yummy umeboshi (pickled plum) caramels. At first, they were a little too sour, but these things are like the gateway drug of umeboshi candy. I love almost anything umeboshi flavored now.
Dinner (at my host dad's parent's house):
(Note: I listened to music for about half of the bus ride back and for weeks after this was kind of obsessed with the (two, very different) songs きゃりーぱみゅぱみゅ - にんじゃりばんばん ("Ninja Re Bang Bang" by Kyary Pamyu Pamyu) and "Could Have Been" Me by The Struts.)
