The life of a villager…

So I arrived into the town on the Wednesday.  Thursday, I think was spent setting up my bank account, going to the dollar store (hyaku-en store) for house supplies, and doing some more grocery shopping.  Of course, I couldn’t do much grocery shopping, as I felt rushed by having someone else there with me.  I was pretty much buying for one or two meals at a time. 

Friday was pear and peach picking day.  I figured I’d try something new because there was nothing better to do.  It was tough work.  It was hot and humid.  The peaches weren’t so bad to pick, although the rotten ones were gross to touch.  The pear trees grow kind of low and they had this fencing almost like a ceiling to keep the branches from drooping too far.  For the Japanese, they had no trouble navigating under this fence.  But for someone over 4-foot-9, it was hard.  I had to walk around everywhere in like a squat position (good practice for the toilets I guess) and I was warned that the pears fall off very easily if you touch them.  Apparently they take a year to grow and knocking off a pear is like taking a year of work from them.  In the end I was rewarded with 4 free pears.  Plus the workers (who are students of the school) got to eat the peaches and pears that were not good enough to sell to the stores (ie. the ugly ones on the brink of rottenness).  The picture of the green conveyer belt thing shows their sorting system where the fruits are sorted by weight. 

That afternoon I was taken to do more shopping. 

For Thursday and Friday dinners I think I made rice one day and noodles the other day and ate it with pre-fried meat they sold at the store.  The first few days were not healthy ones. 

Also, as I was watching TV the first week, I noticed a very strange program.  (I get about 9 “free to air” channels that are basically free, but if the NHK man comes and finds out you have a TV or are able to use the cable, you have to pay.)  One day I remember seeing chemical compounds, and this day I saw the cycle for mitosis.  Very strange. 

Next up… the weekend!