Waffle Girl - Dress Rehearsal

So many of you have been asking for pictures of my "waffle head." Last night the girls spent over 3 hours doing my hair, make-up, body paint, costume, etc. It was kind of like a pre-dress rehearsal. Next Thursday is the official dress rehearsal and then Friday is the show. It has been quite the experience!! Despite the language barrier, I have had a really great time with these girls.

Tower Restaurants

This is a giant board displaying food options on a couple of the floors in the Tower, below our hotel. Each restaurant displays their signature dish on the board. You can see that there are 40 restaurants just on the 12th and 13th floors! Quite a variety, too!... Japanese, Italian, Indian, Chinese, French, Korean, bakeries, cafes, Starbucks, etc. We never have a problem finding a place to eat, and we certainly don't have to walk far. :) At peak meal times - people crowd around the board to decide what to eat... It can be complete chaos at times!

Underground Shopping

We discovered underground shopping today! Beneath Nagoya Station, there is a whole other world. TONS of people are down there browsing the many shops, restaurants, cafes, bakeries, markets, etc. We even discovered Haagen-Dazs!!! :) We have noticed that everyone makes the peace sign when taking pictures - not exactly sure why, but it's definitely the cool thing to do. Joe has decided to join this trend.

Bavarian Chocolate Waffle

I was shopping in a Department store last week and three Japanese girls approached me. They did not speak very good English, so it was very difficult to understand what they were trying to say to me with one word utterances and broken up phrases. They basically explained that they were students at a fashion/beauty trade school in Nagoya - and would like to do my hair and make-up for a show in February. Of course I said yes, and didn't really know what I was getting myself into!

I had two practice sessions this week with the girls, and had a ton of fun! The theme is "Bavarian Chocolate Waffle." So as you can see from their sketches above, they are weaving strands of my hair to make it look like a waffle - darkening every other square to add the chocolate effect. They will also be designing and making me a costume - think Bavarian... and then use your imagination to picture what I will be wearing! haha. I've only seen the costume in their sketches, so it will be interesting to say the least. I will post more pictures after the show.

Expensive Laundry

We've been in Nagoya almost 2 weeks - time to finally do laundry! It's pretty expensive to have the hotel do it, so we only had them wash our necessary items... 3 pairs of jeans, 16 shirts, 22 pairs of socks, and 18 pairs of underwear. How much do you think it cost?????? 25,500 yen = $280.54. YES, you heard me correctly.... we had enough clothes for about 2-3 loads of laundry, and it cost $280. You can tell from the picture that they individually wrap each shirt in plastic wrap - oh, and they fold each item around tissue paper and tag each item too.

Smoked Salmon

Joe and I went to the Tiger Cafe on Sunday afternoon for lunch. The restaurant is mentioned in all of the Nagoya Information Guides, as well as one of our Japan books - so we figured it must be good! It has an English menu, and is known for it's smoked salmon sandwich. So when you think of smoked salmon, do you assume it's cooked? Because I certainly did! Boy was I disappointed when my plate showed up and had raw fish on it. Never again will I make the assumption that "smoked" means cooked. So, I closed my eyes... pretended the salmon was cooked... and took a bite. To my surprise, there wasn't a whole lot of flavor, and the large thick slices of bread surrounding it took away the gooey texture. So, there you have it, I ate my first piece of raw meat. I didn't get sick, and I'm still alive today... so I guess it really is ok :) But with that said, it's not something I will ever plan on ordering again.

Yakiniku means "grilled meat"

Joe and I went out to dinner with one of Joe's coworkers and his wife, Mio. They have been in Nagoya for about a year and a half, so were excited to share their knowledge with us. :) They took us to a type of restaurant called "yakiniku" which literally means "grilled meat." This restaurant was private dining - meaning each group had their own little room. Inside the room was just a small table low to the ground, with a hole underneath to put your feet. They give you a small pot/grill filled with hot charcoal - and then you cook your own food! All you can eat meat, veggies, and drinks for about $35 a person. The meats included: beef, sausage, chicken, pork, organs, and cow tongue. Joe was brave and ate the cow tongue, and he actually liked it! But none of us touched the organs. Veggies included: pumpkin, sweet potatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, onion, and salad. It was quite a fun experience, and our new favorite restaurant! The only downfall is that the menu is all in Japanese and no pictures are available - luckily Mio speaks Japanese and was able to order for us.

Joe's Work - Lunch Time

Lunch at MHI. I could go on forever about the details of lunch at MHI.

Lunch is at 12PM. Boeing engineers leave for lunch at 11:55AM to beat the rush. It literally is a mad house rush for lunch but no one leaves until the bell strikes 12PM.

Lunches are subsidized for 500 yen each. They have 8 meals to choose from in our cafeteria. Noodle meals are on the first floor while rice meals are on the second floor. When you walk in the cafeteria there is a book case with all the meals so you can see them and a number associated with it. Once you know your number you go and find your line associated with it. I equate this to getting into your lane on a track. In your lane you'll see a number below you and and on the ticker screen in front of you. The number on the ticker screen is how many meals they have left of that meal while the number you're standing on is the approximation of how many people are in front of you. If you're standing on a number that's less than the number on the ticker you had better find a new lunch lane.

Joe's First Day, Factoids Part 1

Alright so I have a million things I could tell you about my first day at Mitsubishi Heavy Industries (MHI) and every day for that matter but here is part one of some random factoids about working at MHI in Japan. I'll add some more tomorrow.

-I must take two trains to get to work (and a subway ride when we get into our apartment). The trains are always on time. 6:53 AM means 6:53 AM, sharp, and yes you can set your watch to it and I do. Cost: 490 yen/each way

-I bring a hand towel to work because the bathrooms do not have paper towels or hand dryers. The bathroom windows are left open for ventilation (yes it snowed today and they were wide open) and there is no hot water to wash your hands.

-I wear a badge like I do at Boeing only I must badge into and out of every room that I go into and out of except the bathroom. If you forget to badge out and walk out behind someone and try to get back in the room you get beeped at because the system thinks you are still in the room.

-There are morning stretches at 8AM sharp. Nap time is from 12PM to 1PM where the lights are dimmed and some people sleep. Afternoon stretches are at 1PM followed by group meetings.

Aside from all that I really like what I am doing (will be doing). I get to interact with the entire MHI wing group and help them solve problems. I am there onsite resource to Boeing support, stress or otherwise. It can and will be a continuous struggle to understand each other and convey the message but that just adds to the experience.

Cafe Gentiane

Located on the main floor of the hotel towers. This place has amazing desserts! :) The lunch was good too, but doesn't compare to the yummy cakes and treats. Next time we go there, it will be for coffee and a delicious dessert! Even Joe gave it a 2 thumbs up!

Emily's 1st Day: Fitness Center

I got on my gym clothes, walked downstairs, and received numerous odd looks because I was not dressed properly. People in Japan dress conservatively - all the time! Once I got to the fitness center, there was a big sign next to the entrance that states: "PERSONS WITH TATTOOS ARE STRICTLY PROHIBITED FROM USING THIS CLUB." The picture is part of the fitness center brochure they hand out to users. Luckily I can hide my tattoo with long shirts - but I guess I won't be using the pool!!!

TV Tower

Similar to the Space Needle in Seattle - Nagoya TV Tower has spectacular views of the city! We were just browsing through the popular Sakae area of town and "Central Park" and realized we could actually go up into the TV Tower. Half the price of what we would pay for the Space Needle - and almost a better view :)

Nagoya Castle

We explored Nagoya Castle today. Built in 1612, destroyed in World War II, and rebuilt in 1959. The outside is beautifully constructed and the castle is surrounded by parks and gardens... I can only imagine how amazing this area must be in the spring and fall! This inside, however, has been turned into a 6 story museum. It was very crowded, and difficult to understand since most of the descriptions were written in Japanese. Definitely a site to see from the outside, but not really worth walking up the 6 flights of stairs - unless of course to see the view from the very top.

We are standing next to a golden dolphin, the symbol of the feudal lord's authority. The castle had many of these statues on display, although the most popular ones are on top of the castle roof.

Our One Way Ticket Move to Japan

This is our first blog post from Nagoya, Japan! We arrived safe and sound Friday evening after 23 hours of traveling. We managed to bring along 10 ginormous 70 pound bags, 2 carry on bags, a backpack and a timbuk2 bag. With only a few minor problems, like spilling the luggage carts 4 times, and walking all over the Tokyo airport trying to find our gate, our trip was successful . But needless to say, Joe was pretty frustrated by the end of the night - see photo.