Naruwamachi

Today it was hailing most of the day so I spent most of my time walking around indoors and looking around the mall in Kanagawa. I needed to get new boots since my old ones had broken when I was visiting Teresa. The only other shoes I have with me are very light and slide on so they would be soaked within a couple minutes if I tried to wear them outside.

I was able to use my Japanese to communicate with the shoe sales assistant to figure out what my shoe size would be in Japanese units. Unfortunately, a lot of the styles that I wanted to actually purchase didn't come in my size so I had to go with a limited selection. Luckily, I found a pair of boots that happened to fit me and I liked the look of. I thanked the sales assistant for helping me. I really appreciated that she would help me figure out the correct word instead of just pretending to understand. I've noticed that usually people will try to figure out what I mean rather than asking questions to confirm. It's a lot easier to learn when people ask questions to verify because then I can learn from my mistakes!

While looking through the mall, I noticed many products that I really loved. It's hard to describe, but I really love the way things in Japan are designed. It's as if every device and appliance is designed to have both space and convenience in mind. American appliances generally don't take limited space into account in my opinion. I really love that devices here are both extremely functional but also easily stored or take up little space. For example, many of the refrigerators are very tiny and in america this would be considered the type of fridge to put in a garage or guest room in addition to your normal fridge in the kitchen.

The asthetic design of these devices also fascinates me. For example, the image of a chair I took at the mall intrigued me due to it's subtle smooth curves. I've noticed Japanese furiture and everyday items have subtle "cute" curves that generally is lacking in the American design asthetic. America design has more forward and strong curves and corners. Theres something about the subtle curves and size of things in Japanese design that make me feel really good and comfortable inside. If I could furnish my home with Japanese furniture and appliances I don't think I would need as much space and I would be more comfortable in my own space.

Later in the day, I walked around the fish market and geisha district. The geisha district was super cool and had lots of old buildings. It reminded me of Demon Slayer and Inuyasha. The atmosphere in this part of the city was very peaceful and I liked how it felt like I was in a more historical part of Japan. I really liked the architecture here and would like to come back during the day my next trip. Since it was close to New Years, most of the museums I wanted to visit in this area were closed.Read more