I'll kick this off with a Preschool Kouto update. It actually hasn't been that exciting, but a few interesting things have happened. First, as it's the rainy season here in Japan, I'll show you what it looks like every day.
There's actually a little blue in that picture, which is unusual. It's dreary. It doesn't rain every day, but it always looks like it's going to. I'm not entirely against it. It would be even better, though, if it wasn't dreary and 80 degrees or more. And crazy humid. Gross.
A troupe of puppeteers came to the school to put on a show for the kids. That was fun. They even called me up to judge which side of the room sang the frog song louder. Also, all of the kids at the school like to collect bugs. They love it, in fact. It's kinda' weird to see four year-old girls running around picking up snails and beetles to add to their collection. But I dig it.
I think that I've mentioned the giant spiders that live around here. Regardless, here's a quick refresher. They are huge, they live in your house, and they don't make webs. They rely on their incredible speed to catch roaches. The good news is that they don't harm people. Now, I had never seen one of these things in person. Until a few days ago. I lifted a bag off of the floor near my desk, and was greeted by this sight:
I'm not exaggerating when I tell you that this thing was as big as my open hand, including my fingers. Ridiculous. Then I proceeded to try and catch it. It was, by far, the fastest spider I'd ever witnessed. Took me ten minutes of running around to finally get it outside. I don't know what else to say about it. It was incredible.
A while ago I met a dude in Himeji named Shintaro. It was a chance meeting. I was a little intoxicated and happened by the Starbucks. Sitting outside was a guy wearing a Chelsea track jacket. I mentioned while passing that Chelsea was my favorite team. He offered me a seat, and we had a long talk about soccer. We exchanged numbers and I left for home. Well, last weekend I met up with him in Himeji again. We decided to go out for a drink. That's when I got to see the underside of Himeji. Not really the underside, I guess, because it's still safe and fairly clean. But the red light district. I have pictures of it in the daylight, so some of the drama is lost. It's definitely a sight to see at night. Like a mini Tokyo. The street was literally bumper to bumper with taxis.
That's about all I've got for now. Here's today's drink of the day (double team):
Drink makers in Japan are always trying to innovate. They have to keep an edge in a market that is more diverse and dynamic than any other. The big two from the US are no different. They try this kind of thing all the time, often with poor results. Here's the latest from both.
First up, Matcha Coca-Cola. This is Coke with green tea. I tasted this, and was instantly sure that I never wanted to taste it again. It's like drinking Diet Caffeine-Free Coke with a green tea aftertaste. Not good.
Pepsi's response? Shiso Pepsi. Shiso is an herb that has a taste somewhere between mint and anise. Shiso Pepsi has a taste somewhere between gross and disgusting. It's basically Pepsi with a hint of mint, and an aftertaste of ground up plant matter. Also not good.
Next time you're in Japan, avoid these. I will from now on.
Surprise, surprise. It's raining again...
