somehow i always find the way

i moved yesterday into an entirely new area of tokyo, just when i was getting the hang of the other hood, learning the bus route & trains, figuring out which convenience store had better soba, where times square is, opera city, and pachinko curiosity. shinjuku is pretty happening. now i am in setagaya-ku, a different world. it's completely quiet, very narrow streets without sidewalks, lots of nature trails & an old flavor. the new house is japanese style, which means futons pull out of the walls, heated floors, a bathtub with temperature control (!) and a mother who loves to cook.(!!!) i had my first mom cooked meal last night. i can not believe how fast the japanese can whip together a multi course spread of food. yuka would make all kinds of soups in a few minutes, and yasuko, emi's mom, turned out a feast in 20 minutes. first some corn soup, followed by 2 huge chunks of fish with chopped daikon radish, 2 golf ball size chunks of soft tofu topped with onions in a sweet sauce, bowl of unlimited sticky rice, chicken with asian broccoli, and a side of pickles. she speaks no english & it was hard to understand how to eat this properly. lucky for me she was pre-occupied with her grandson, so she could not view this american looking foolish. stuffed silly right before bedtime, i woke to catch the 4:38 train-first one to shibuya, and eeked out another dreadful yoga practice. this time i blame it on the food. too much, too late, too good.

i taught my usual 3 hour mysore followed by a full led primary, and had made 2 dates by mistake-one was a brunch at an organic macrobiotic restaurant in harajuku for the new teacher who is replacing tarik while in india, the other was to go to the flea market with yasuko & zen, who were selling their wares along with 500 other people at yoyogi park. such a beautiful day for sitting outside, i opted for the market. it was very cool & laid back. and i got to have my first japanese lesson as well. many phrases are needed, such as sutae (inhale) & haite (exhale), kokui (breathe) & kakato sagete! (heels down) as well as onaka ippai-my stomach is full-because mom cooks every night.

afterwards, we went to the tastiest, freshest, cheapest conveyer belt sushi joint (sushi train!) i have ever been to. 2 massive pieces cost only 100 yen (about 85 cents!) so big you could barely fit it in your mouth!

back to new home, of course i got lost, but instead of freaking out, my usual reaction, i have been simply relaxing, going with instinct, & have not had any problems. somehow i always find the way.
eventually.