The so-called Blood Moon

It was a celestial week in Tokyo, with the lunar eclipse (sandwiched in between not one but TWO typhoons) turning the moon red. Apparently. Unfortunately, all we got in my corner of the city was amazing cloud-coverage. Booo. It was such a pity because all the local families were sitting out on blankets and deck chairs waiting for the show. It was almost like a street party! But alas, it was not to be. The local children soon got bored but we hung out with the old people for a while. They all had amazing hi-tech camera equipment, I was so jealous! 

My new best friend

I picked up this bad boy during the week - the Tokyo Cafe Guide 2015.  There are so many amazing cafes in this city that you could write fifty of these guides but I'll start with this one. If anyone in Tokyo is up for some cafe-hunting, please let me know!

Polish chocolate

Mysterious Polish chocolate in zebra flavour and palace flavour (or milk and dark as they're also known). My parents sent these to me as a souvenir of their recent trip. My mother was a guest lecturer at a Polish eduation conference and my father went along as bodyguard/chaperone/jet setter. I was so proud. Poland sounds really beautiful, I hope I can visit too someday but I'll make do with chocolate for now!

Persona 3: My new addiction 

Now that school has ended, I have some free time on my hands and what better way to spend typhoon weekends than playing video games. I prefer games like Final Fantasy that require a lot of time to be invested but with a great story as a reward. My brother recommended the Persona series to me and he is, as ever, my taste-maker. I got Persona 3 because (a) I don't have a big console and (b) you can play as a girl. The second point mightn't bother some people but come on, equal representation and all that. Anyway, the game is amazingly addictive. I'm playing it in Japanese so I can't understand everything that is said, but I think it's good practice (or an excuse not to really study...).

Bathroom is finally functional

I'n construction news, the downstairs bathroom is coming along nicely. The WESTERN SIZED bath and fancy Japanese robo-toilet are installed, as well as the floor tiles being finished. For those of you that don't know, my boyfriend has built this room from scratch, by hand and by himself. It's an amazing achievement to have it even this much usable. And the heated toilet seat will be heaven in winter!

Not a nerd, honest!

In other semi-nerdy news, I went to the local Book-Off to get some cheap reads. I definitely find reading sentences the hardest part of Japanese. Even if I know the words and the grammar, putting it all together in my head doesn't always work. So, there's nothing to do but practice. Manga isn't usually a problem, so I can enjoy the story as well as picking up new vocab. This time I got "Yamada Nadeshiko Shichihenge" (ikemen-phobic girl moves in with some handsome guys) and "V.B. Rose". (girl works part-time at a bridal shop run by...handsome guys). But the big challenge is "Biblia Kodoshou no Jiken Tenshou" - a proper novel. It's about a girl who works in a bookshop while having adventures (I think) and my classmate recommended it to me. I haven't plucked up the nerve to start it yet though. My brain will probably melt when I do!

Udon at Yuyu-ya

Finally, some noodley goodness! My boyfriend dragged me to this udon restaurant against my will but I'm so happy that he did. Yuyu-ya is one of those places with an ordering system that is unusual enough to terrify me. That's why despite walking by it everyday I never ventured in. But after tasting the delicious noodles, I suppose I'm converted. To order here you choose your basic dish at the counter and select any extra or unwanted ingredients. Moving along the counter you pick up your bowl of noodles and choose from the selection of tempura, korokke, onigiri and so on as a side dish. There's a soup and hot drink area and then it's time to pay. Afterwards there are some free toppings, such as grated ginger or  tiny pieces of crunchy batter to add to your bowl as you wish.

Typing it out makes it seem simple but everything is easy when you know how to do it!

That's all from nerdy and delicious Tokyo.

Hopefully we have a break from typhoons for a while!