yesterday i was back on the train heading to work- it was such a treat having last tuesday off, it's hard to go back to work after a much needed vaca! on my walk to the train station i realized i had left both my book and ipod at the house with no time to go back for them. the dark rain clouds were literally, and figuratively overhead, about to burst with tiny little droplets bound to soak me... it was a sign of what was to come, but i tried to look through and find the silver lining: i had remembered my notebook, which i never leave home without anymore, and i had a precious few hours of train riding to write! woohoo! all is well...
to set the mood. it just began to drizzle as i made my way into the station, through the herd trying to figure out times, and to my favorite velvet-covered seat on the train. it's muggy as usual, and i am met with the unending stares of my fellow riders; the elderly and students; and they make no attempt to hide their prying eyes. love them. i have come fully equipped with my bright red tote full of books for teaching, my favorite sigg bottle (it's deep purple and says 'rise above plastic'), a starbucks milano espresso, my handy dandy blue notebook and my new green pen. i've had a thing for colored ink in my journal lately- and this particular pen had a hidden surprise i wasn't expecting- you can erase it!! WOW. i was entirely too excited about this, given my age, and the appropriate behavior expected of someone who is the aforementioned age! i guess you can say the little things are what truly make you smile in this life!
speaking of smiling, a friend of mine recently told me that she hopes i can find some things that really make me happy during my last month here in japan. i thought i'd find a few things that bring a smile to my face and are uniquely japanese for the final 31 days... not that i'm counting, or anything...
one of things that most makes me smile here is the oh-so-japan fashion that people sport. it's amazingly bizarre and oddly enjoyable for me... here's a few reasons why. the first reason it is shocking to you is because japan has this 'face' of being prim-and-proper and wildly modest... they are LYING! a few people are this way, but they are a very quickly dying breed here.
i'll start with the boys... and there are three broad categories i break the boys down into (bear with me here; i'm not trying to stereotype, i'm just giving you a visual of what i see...) the categories *drumroll, please* you have the uber nerds and for these guys you should recall what urkel looked like in the early 90's and run with it... then there are the jocks; all track suits and baseball uniforms all the time... and finally, my favorite: the glam boys. for this one i would encourage you to think of glam rockers and cross them with some super skinny men who carry purses that are cuter than mine! they pretty much make me feel like i JUST crawled out of bed compared to their way-too-put-together look. i enjoy picking apart their 'look' partly because they always make my husband laugh, and partly because i believe any man who puts this much effort into his look DESERVES to be blogged about! their hair is teased, and sometimes orange (black hair is super hard to get blonde streaks into...) the clothes are tight, and laced with glitter, and are neon colors. they are supermodel skinny, and i'm sure their favorite color is PINK (my hubby says they think it's sushi colored and that's why it's ok for men...) their man-bags are designer, and WAY sexier than mine... their shoes are alligator in a myriad of colors, or white, or shiny, or nike neon dunks. the engrish on their clothes is a given, and it always makes me smile. i wish i could explain to them that it's not OK to have the word 'f@#king' emblazoned in metallics across your chest, but it's worth the giggling that ensues after not to... oh well.
the girls... they are like japanese barbie dolls crossed with bratz dolls! they are oh-so-thin, and their glasses are so huge they make them look even thinner. shorts are shorter than daisy duke's and are accented with thigh highs or leggings with stirrups (which i intend to learn how to wear)... bags are leather or hello kitty and adorned with keychains and bows, and they are always genuinely bigger than they are... their hair is teased and likely aqua-netted and doesn't move even in the strongest winds. they wear sparkles, gold, neon and bows in their hair. their shorts with boots are hot; minis and stiletto heels are hotter. spandex is an absolute must. i really pondered dressing up as a glamgal for halloween, but i don't think it would be nearly as fun here because it's so common... stay tuned for next year's costume!
a note on the photos; some genie pants modeled by lacy... a fanny pack/side pouch rabbit... a cross-dressing cart puller? no words... dunks... plaid heels with a scrunchie??? wow... hair bows and knee highs, how old is she?!... more plaid, in every shape and size... goth girl, what you can't see is that her friend had a bow-tie on!... tennis-shoe heels, she was sightseeing with those on- really?!... crazy leather man booties... and i couldn't resist the star pants and white platforms on a man... a big thanks to everyone pictured... even though you don't even know it! :)
so there you have it... two minor things that make me smile- and it's only the first day of october! yahoo! happy october to you all.
