Some Things About America That I Anticipate That I Will Miss Very Much

So I'm extremely happy and excited to be moving to Japan in just a month. I'm overwhelmed with all the amazingly awesome things that I'm going to be able to do in Tokyo!

But at the same time, I'm going to miss some things. Okay, a lot of things. Mostly, those "things" are people. That one will sting the most. But there are some things we have in America that just aren't part of an average household in Japan. Take a look at some of the things I will be doing without this November and onward.

1) Goodbye Bakery Dreams

Yes, I am SO not even kidding. The average apartment in Japan DOES NOT COME EQUIPPED WITH AN OVEN. Holy cow, I wanted to cry when I heard. I can't even imagine culinary life without such a thing. About half of my recipes are now useless and voided. How will I get my homemade cookie fix, or make baked zitti, or PIZZA???!?!?!

To clarify a bit, Japan is a first-world country, and ovens DO exist. But unless you are fortunate enough to be a homeowner (a homeowner of a NICE home at that), it's not there waiting for you invitingly on move-in day. You can buy one, it just looks like this:

Look like a microwave? It basically is. It has dual microwave/oven action. The upside is it's very space efficient. The downside is that it is the size of a microwave. Anything that you need to make in an American 9x13" pan won't fit - and I'm not entirely convinced an 8x8" will either. So...think small, little baked joys.

Oh, and also a device like this is like 60,000 yen ($600.00). We intend to get one, but it will take some time...

I won't be cooking all the fixin's for Thanksgiving this year, that's for sure.

2) I Have to Use the STOVE to Heat My Leftovers??

Yes...it's true. I sort of alluded to it in the last bullet point, but the epitome of American time and dish saving innovations, the master of my kitchen, does not come equipped in a standard Japanese household.

I am still trying to wrap my mind around what exactly this means. I need to melt two tablespoons of butter? Can't just toss it in the 'wave for 10 seconds. Gotta get out a pan. How will I reheat pizza? ...Is there even a way?

Again, it's not like Japan doesn't HAVE them, they're just not included in the kitchen provided. I'll have to save up $600.00 before I can reheat my leftover pizza.

That's some steep pizza, there...

3) Scrub-a-dub-dub

No dishwasher. You don't even really have the option of installing one at all, at least in an apartment.

You can get a counter-top one, but the kitchen's small enough as it is, so you likely won't have room for it. Plus you have to hook it up to water somehow. I'm told there's quite the hose issue involved. It also is very expensive to run, and that never makes anyone happy.

But look how cuuute and widdle it is!! *chuuu~~*

Below is a link for a very interesting article about how the dishwasher just doesn't fit culturally. I guess in the end dishwashers just don't jive there the way they do here.

http://blog.japantimes.co.jp/yen-for-living/automatic-dishwashers-the-square-peg-in-the-round-hole-of-japanese-kitchens/

So my best friends are going to be suds. I really hope I learn to fall madly in love with hand-washing dishes very soon, because right now it's my least favorite chore.

4) Airing My Dirty Laundry (OK, so freshly cleaned, but still, that's my underwear out there)

So I honestly don't know if dryers don't exist in Japanese homes, or if they just don't fit culturally (same story as the dishwasher??), but either way, the only place I have seen a dryer is a laundromat. In homes, you do it the old fashioned way.

Yup.

This one I really don't mind! It really is so much better for your clothes, and I actually kind of enjoy putting the laundry up! My husband and I brought back a Japanese clothesline last time we went and it's been a good thing to have. I'll just have to transition to going from a clothesline-dryer hybrid routine to all clothesline. They have some really cool ones though, some are more like racks than lines.

Also, I'm not used to coordinating my laundry with the weather. That'll take some practice. Knowing myself, I'm willing to bet that my clothes are going to get rained on this coming Spring.

5) Icing on the Cake

So the Japanese missed the memo that cake, in essence, is sometimes really just a vessel for carrying the frosting into your mouth. And as tasty and divine and mouthwatering as THESE are:

Let the record show that I am - in ABSOLUTELY NO way, shape, or form - complaining about Japanese cakes...

Sometimes you just want to stuff your face with THIS:

It's like creme brulee. Obviously, that is the more exalted culinary experience than say, Skittles. But when you want Skittles, you just gotta have them. And there's nothing wrong with Skittles. I like them. A lot. And to dedicate my life to creme brulee at the expense of Skittles would still make me sad. That is, in essence, what I'm doing.

...I'm going to miss frosting so much...

6) *Strangled, choked sobs of despair* PIZZAAAAAAAAA!!! *wails*

Japan has some amazing and -- inventive -- pizzas. Things that make us over here raise our eyebrows in simultaneous confusion and wonder.

Behold...

The Hamburger Pizza

The Mini-Dog Hot Dog Pizza 

The Clams That No One Bothered to Take Out of Their Shells Pizza

So yes, it is undeniable that Japan HAS pizza.

But there's a problem, and it's not that the clams are still in their shells (even though yes, that is a problem).

See it?

I'll give you a hint:

$32.50 FOR A PIZZA?!?!?!??!?!??!?!?!!!!!?!

I did not hand-pick this example. This is NORMAL. And a Japanese large size is more like an American medium--ish--maybe slightly smaller. So kiss your dreams of stuffing your face and passing out in a food coma goodbye.

And so you can understand why, in this my final month in America, I will be eating Little Caeser's $5.00 Hot and Ready's like there is no tomorrow. Because for me, in terms of pizza, THERE IS NO TOMORROW.

A Bit of a Setback Resolved - Cue the Panic

So the last job that we thought for sure my husband was getting fell through, and another better one popped up almost immediately after. I think this is a sign that the time has come. <3

Last night when we got the news I was on cloud nine. I was so happy and thrilled and excited.

Well, the high is gone and the magnitude of what I'm doing - in only a month! - is starting to set in.

My list of things to do and worry about is absolutely staggering. Almost all our belongings must be sold or donated away, we need to sell our car, end our housing contract, and I'm sure ten thousand other things will come back to me later. (UPDATE: Oh yeah...that happened.) Those are the things that I can handle here in America, but things get a lot more complicated looking at the Japan side of things. I need to apply for a spouse visa - or rather my husband does, because I couldn't fill out Japanese Immigration forms even if I particularly wanted to. He has to petition on my behalf anyway.

(UPDATE: I just found out the immigration forms are bilingual. Dang it. Don't this look like a bottle of giggles?)

As a random side note, an American spouse visa costs upwards of $1,000.00. The cost in Japan? 4,000 yen. Sound like a lot? A yen is worth less than a penny. Also, a spouse visa in Japan allows me to work. In America, that'll cost you extra. A LOT extra. So at least that is awesome.

Good on you, Japan!

We have to figure out what to do in regards to banking - both here and there, and negotiate the transfer of funds from one to the other. We need to find an apartment - blind, as we won't be able to visit in person. We need to furnish a home with everything from futons to kitchen knives (and don't worry, THAT shopping trip will definitely make this blog). Also stressful, we have scrape up enough money to start a new life over half a world away and live on it for at least two months. In Japan, your monthly pay is given at the END of the FOLLOWING month. So when my husband starts work in November, he won't get paid until after Christmas. I'm guessing we'll be eating 100 yen (dollar) Cup Noodles for Christmas dinner, which is actually fine with me as long as they are Curry Cup Noodles.

*drools*

Don't you judge me.

The good news is we will most likely be able to afford some Soba noodles for New Year's. 

So stress is probably going to be my constant companion for a while. But you know, something amazing is about to happen. I am going to the biggest city in the world, in a country that I have fallen in love with. I'm going to get a job teaching English and go to a school to learn Japanese. I will be a short train ride away from anything I want to do, anytime I want to do it. 

Yes...it will be a dream come true!

...Once I get there...

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...Excuse me, I have to go back and huddle under my kitty blanket in the closet now.