Costco is the same as in America

UFO Machine
Originally uploaded by pointybunny.

We slept in as usual, but had a funny night trying to sleep, first Taka took all the covers and I was freezing so I ended up sleeping in my sweater, next he kicked me in the back and right off the bed. I so slept on the floor with Cat Bus plushie as my companion. When we were finally officially up, Kristin and I went downstairs and ate a few candy bars.... yes, the diet is going good. When Takas mom came home, she made me eat a banana so I think it was a good healthy day. Kristin needed yen so we headed into downtown Tokyo to find her a Cirrus ATM.

One really long drive later, we found the ATM, I played guard dog duty while they went in and got cash. Driving around here to me is like a video game, all the cars are small and fast and coming at me the wrong way, I doubt I would ever want to drive here. We stopped at a Lawson convenience store so Kristin could pick up some cigarettes, she made me laugh when she looked at a cigarette vending machine outside and cried out "My money doesnt fit in here, its too big!" with a very sad look on her face.

Taka picked me out some tea, it tasted like grass, but I liked it more than the peanut tea of the previous convenience store run. Convenience stores here are very different from back home, all the clerks wear matching nice uniforms and they all call out a sing song greeting when you come in, everything is brightly lit and feels like a scene from Xanadu and all product is nicely displayed. I like it.

Next stop, Costco, its just like our Costco back home! Only there is a really neat escalator you can take your cart down, almost fifth elementy. The Costco is set up the same and looks exactly like at home. I saw some crackers with "jelly like consistency" I dont know about you, but I dont look for a Jelly like consistency with my crackers.

The biggest difference between Japanese Costco and US Costco is the noise level. JP Costco is so quiet! Just so you know, they dont sell tampons there. Kristin was on a mission to buy some kind of seaweed snacks: individually wrapped and seasoned was her pitch on those. We did buy a giant package of pads, vinegar plums -individually wrapped, and some kind of juice drink.

After Costco, we went to the arcade! Even in Japan its my favorite place, though lack of money as usual robs me of a little enjoyment. Taka did give me a lot of change to play the UFO machines though. UFO machines are a million times better than the crane machines in America, first off the prizes are great actually things you would want to have and you can have an arcade attendant come and rearrange the items so you have a better chance at getting what you want. In an unexpected reversal of fortunes, I couldnt win anything to save my life. Then there was the monkey factor that I didn't consider half the machines I was playing was the equivalent of $2.00 a pop. Taka spent nearly twenty dollars trying to win me a Hello Kitty purse, which he eventually did, and a stuffed raccoon named Rascal and a Kamen Rider key chain. He got a model truck, Winnie the Pooh tea set, cell phone strap, stuffed Toy Story character, and candy for himself. See what I mean about the prizes?

After the arcade we went to a big drug store to find tampons and we found Kristins seaweed candy. We looked at hair dye and all the packages had anime style people on them, they actually had the color gray.

Back at home, Kristin made me eat a seaweed snack and I almost died it was very unpleasant. Takas mom made us dinner so we had some kind of big bowl of something, pickled daikon, sashimi, cold boiled potatoes, and rice. We watched a game show where there are 10 models and they get ranked on their desirability. Afterwards we all went for a walk around his old neighborhood and looked at a sea of vending machines with all kinds of drinks, alcohol and cigarettes in them. Kristin bought chocolate cigarettes.