Scary Taxi Ride

Tonight after work I went to Dinner with Ichiro and Kichiya, they took me to Akiba! This is what they told me about this city.

• It is one of the most complicated towns in Asia.
  Every weekend it is filled with many people who are not only Japanese but also foreigners.
  There are many shops selling not only electronics but also clothes,
  If showing your passport you can enjoy shopping at tax free price.
  But we will just see them, not purchase today.
  and go for dinner around there.
  
  I wish you will like the town.

After work we got in the taxi and headed over to this part of town. It wasn't a far ride from work. All the areas are beginning to look a like to me. They are just full of lights and Japanese people. We go to a couple of the duty free stores and I finally understand what my mom meant when she said when we were kids that when she goes to a store she feels like a mama duck with the little chicks following behind her. Shopping with men is so much different than shopping with woman. Men don't know what to do. I know that they were only going to these stores to appease me but it was difficult to really look when you know someone is waiting for you.

They asked me where I wanted to eat for dinner. What kind of question is that, I am thinking? I mean really, I don't know the area, I don't know the names of any of the places I have eaten thus far. We decide on Curry again. I am actually excited to eat the bread. This restaurant had an English menu. OH MY GOODNESS- This is the first time that I was able to read a menu since I have been here. It was delightful to know exactly what I was ordering.

After dinner we did a little more browsing, we looked at washing machines because Kichiya is moving and he will need to make a purchase. Do they have washing machines in the US that also dry the clothes in the same machine? I have never seen such a thing, but again, I haven't really every shopped for a washing machine before. When we finished shopping, Kichiya escorted me to my hotel. We took a taxi. The Taxi ride was great. The driver had candies in the basket so Kichiya had to read to me what flavor they were. Who makes vinegar flavored candy? This has to be a translation issue? I stuck with the basic citrus flavored.

Kichiya is a trip, if you ask him a question, he will always answer yes with a smile, even if he means no. While we are riding in the taxi, we are talking about the traffic fines, as the taxi driver is making a right hand turn, I see through the window behind Kichiya that our car is getting closer and closer to another care also trying to turn. I don't know if I had a funny look on my face or if the car honked the horn, but Kichiya turned his head to look out the window. He immediately sees the car and jumps to the middle of the seat. I really thought that we were going side swipe the other car. The taxi driver seemed oblivious to what had happened. Kichiya and I kinda look at each other and laugh. Then we make a Left hand turn and we hear more honking. Again, the driver is oblivious to this 2nd car. Kichiya looks at me with his eyes as big as they can get and says, "I sink that he is wrong," pointing to our taxi driver. "I sink this is dangerous." I start crying I am laughing so hard, I am laughing because of the expression that Kichiya makes, because we are talking about the taxi driver right in front of him. I am, also, laughing because I am doing what I think that people who speak other languages in front of you are doing, TALKING ABOUT YOU. I don't know if the driver spoke English, he seemed to be in his own world. I am writing this blog so it is safe to say, we made it back safely.