We’ve had lots of firsts on our visit. Here is a list for your reading pleasure (with lots of pictures too!).
First time to fly Emirates
Highly recommended. They give free alcohol and take Polaroid pictures of the little kids to give as souvenirs! Also, the food is excellent.
First time to touch down in the Middle East
The Dubai airport is something else! We were there from 12:00 AM until 2:45 AM, and it was jam-packed! Here’s a picture of the McDonald’s at 12:30 in the morning!
First time to be in Asia.
It’s worth a visit, we promise.
First time to have our coffee put in a bag to go
Not many people do “to go” here, but at the train station they have it, and they put it in a bag for you.
First time to eat a bento box on a train
These were seriously yummy and filling. We loved the whole experience.
First time to put our Apple Warranty to the test
It works. *yesssssssss*
First time for Sarah to eat real, raw sushi
It was salmon, and it was quite good. Sweet and meaty. Not slimy at all (like I was expecting!)
First time to put together our own multi-clicky pens
Check it out! Mine has two purples and two blacks (the perfect combo for me!!). So cool!
First time to use a toilet that you spray with a water gun to flush.
Sam Anderson would LOVE this toilet!
First time to be in a country where many people do not speak English and most packaging and signage has no English.
Can you say “confused!”? We can’t even approximate a pronunciation of words because it’s all in Japanese Kanji! It’s like being mute. We are lucky to have Ayumii around to translate everything for us. Having her has really allowed us to experience some basic parts of every day life in Japan that we would never have been able to access without any Japanese under our belts, like shopping at the hardware store and the technology store.
First time to eat Japanese fast food
It was ultra cool. You get a bowl of rice with beef on top and a cube of tofu along with some miso soup for like $4. And when they say fast, they mean FAST! Oh yeah! And you ring a doorbell button when you’re ready to order.
First time to drink plum wine, fizzy booze drinks, hot pancakes in a can, and Calpis (milk soda)
First time to see a crab batter itself!
Yes. This crab was actually moving around on the display basically coating itself with the batter in which it would eventually be cooked.
First time to see a vinegar bar
They have SO MANY kids of vinegar and soy sauce here. It was hard to get our heads around them all!
First time to see the Sea of Japan (or East Sea as our Korean friends would call it)
The Japanese side is beautiful.
First time to visit a Samurai house
Very beautiful. They decorated to the max with gold and gardens. Have a look!
First time to see Japanese “California girls”
Apparently this is what they think people from California look like. It’s a total fad here.
First time to be near “special” fruit.
It must be special. Look at the price difference between the “special” mangoes on the top and the regular ones below them! (1 dollar = about 100 yen).
First time to eat cake on a stick.
First time to eat a meal that looks exactly like the plastic model out front.
Can you tell which one is real?!
First time to download an entire season of television in just a few hours
The Internet here is beyond-your-imagination fast! And they tell us that the Internet at this house is the “cheapest kind”. Japanese people would never survive in Lesotho.
Okay, that’s all for now! We’ll give another update before we go (if we decide to go…it’s pretty nice here). Hope you all are well!
