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.