It's another beautiful sunny day here! It was requested that I get more pictures, so the other day I took my camera along to the grocery store. I got some funny looks when I took these pictures, but oh, well--I should get used to it living in a foreign country! (In case I forgot to say this before--you can click on the pictures and they will get larger.)
I am blessed to have several grocery stores nearby, but my favorite one is Ito Yokado--probably some distant Ito relative owns it! I ride my bike about 10 minutes uphill--thankful that it is that way instead of the other way around. I just speed down when my bike basket is full! It has 3 floors and sells clothes and household goods too.
The shopping carts are kinda cute--they are basically wire frames on wheels that hold a basket (the baskets are similar to those we would see in American grocery stores). One basket on top, one on bottom--if you need that much! Most people shop every day or every other day--now I see why! You have to haul it on your bicycle, store it in your small refrigerator, and fit it in your grocery cart! (By the way, even though the shopping carts are smaller, I still manage to run into people--"Sumimasen!" (excuse me!))
Japanese fruits and vegetables are excellent and you pay for that excellence--a large apple can be 150 yen which is about $1.40! There are uniformed workers bustling about calling "Welcome, Welcome" whenever they see a customer. The fish salesman is also proclaiming his bargains loudly. Some days there are sample stations with other callers. I try to figure out the sale items--usually there is a sign that looks different--I guess that is a sale!
Most of the grocery stores have a point card which works up to some money off eventually, but I will have to have Akihiro help with that one! I'm doing good to get the cashier paid! I think we both (the cashier and myself) hope that the other one doesn't say too much because we aren't sure we can understand eachother!
Once I've successfully purchased my goods, the next task is to bag it up--I've learned to use the tape provided to tape my bags closed. When you are gliding down the hill with a full bike basket of groceries, it is not good if your eggs start to slide out of the bag--especially if you try to maneuver around some pedestrians with one hand on the handles and one hand fumbling with the eggs! It has gotten some better since I got some bungee cord straps, but as you can see, my basket is pretty precarious! Today I will buy a rear basket for my bike--hopefully that will help too!
Also pictured is my balcony full of laundry. I do laundry almost every day when we are home. They have these neat hangers that you can clip lots of laundry on--also helps if it starts raining--just grab it and bring it inside! I'm glad for the sunny and dry days that are good for laundry!
