The Dancing Boy of Momoishi-Machi

So last night, I went to (surprise!) the mall. However, this time, my goals were somewhat more complex than walking around aimlessly and/or eating an ice cream cone. I met Charlie and Alexis at the food court, intending for Charlie to help me navigate the complexities of the Japanese cell phone contract.

Well, I found out that the mall food court is a far more interesting place than I had ever imagined. Although I was initially turned off by the presence of McDonalds, I found that the court still held its share of secrets. For example, Pepper Lunch, where I chose to eat yesterday. Basically, they way this place works is that you walk up to a machine, insert your money and select a meal from the list (I chose this, which was basically like a pepper steak with a fried egg and some vegetables). The machine then spits out a ticket, which you hand to the person at the counter. They, in turn, hand you a little buzzer device (not unlike those handed out at the Olive Garden and other similar establishments when one is waiting for a table, except smaller and with a screen) that starts beeping when your food is ready. Well, upon returning to the counter, you're greeted by a tray with a super hot platter on it which you then take back to your table and cook your food with. It's basically like a fast-foodized version of Korean barbecue and it was so good.

Well, it so turns out that although the electronics store is open until 10:00 pm, they can only process applications until 8:00 pm, so I had to leave empty handed. Afterwards I wandered around Jusco where Alexis and Charlie discussed the merits of various types of garbage cans and soup stock. I think I'm going back again tonight to try to get a phone and I will most certainly eat in the food court again.

Beau (my predecessor) called today and talked to each one of us for quite some time. He has apparently found gainful post-JET employment at a pet store in Florida. While on the phone with him, Kondoh-San asked him if he knew Izu No Odoriko (known in English as The Dancing Girl of Izu by Kawabata Yasunari, one of the most revered modern Japanese novelists) and then proceeded to compare me to the dancing girl of Izu. What could he possibly mean by that? That I'm a pre-pubecent girl who entertains travelers by dancing for money and then falls in love with a young student but is ultimately incapable of expressing that love due to societal expectations? Hopefully, that's exactly what he meant.