Yippppeeeeee

Today is the first day of 2011 where the roads are clear enough to ride bicycles. I was so excited this morning I was literally hopping around my tatami room like a crazy person. My poor mamachari has been gathering dust in storage but thankfully this is no longer! 

Before I came to Japan I could barely ride a bike and wibble wobbled all over the show, much to the amusement of pedestrians and motorists. As the months progressed I slowly became better and now I am a bonafide mamachari enthusiast. My fire engine red two wheeled wonder is the apple of my eye.

  Throughout the snowy days there has been the odd madman (and women) who has braved icy snowy streets on their bicycles but generally people look on in horror and wonder. The ice is so slippery it's really not a good idea. Now the snow has all melted, the blossoms are around the corner and the mamacharis are out! Yay!

I am alone but it's okay

I found this video on you can make it easy and found it so incredibly comforting. I am now living in Japan and last night was my first alone in my apartment. Suddenly no one was with me. I shut the door and burst into tears. Home seemed a million miles away and I felt like I had no one to talk to. I stood in the kitchen surrounded by suitcases and bawled like a giant baby. After some tearful skyping  I calmed down and got some sleep. Today I went out and bought a beautiful red mamachari and have spent the evening cruising the streets against a backdrop of a bright red sky and sweltering 32 degrees. I realised I can be alone. It is okay. It's just going to take a bit of practice. I can eat in a restaurant by myself and no one will know me. I can explore the city, take photos, talk to strangers and buy whatever I want for dinner. Last night I wandered through the giant neon lanes of the supermarket dumbfounded with all the new products. I purchased highly impractical things like fancy conditioner, a bunch of flowers and rosehip tea. For dinner I sat watching a japanese gameshow while eating a banana, karaage chicken and a can of Asahi. I'll be up with more posts (and photos!!!) soon as I get settled into this wonderful land that is Japan.

xoxox