Time in Japan

Thursday, May 22, 2008

I have a fan...

No, not the kind that sends adoring letters and asks for autographs!

Summer is definitely here. Your Japanese word for the day is "mushiatsui", which means "hot and muggy".

The (apparently) unheated school is also un-air-conditioned. It was 26˚ when I left work today so when I got home today, I was slightly wilted. My apartment has a heater/fan/air-conditioner, but it just blows air straight across the room. So, I decided to buy a fan.

I had to go to the ward office to pay my medical insurance -- ¥3900 for 3 months, I think. It's far enough away that I rode my bike. When I was done, I didn't want to ride back to my apartment, then walk to Sun House (a housewares store, with a small grocery section), where I planned to buy the fan. So I rode there.

I thought I'd get a bag with the fan, but I didn't. I was wondering how I was going to take the box home on my bike when a man came up to me and, from what I understood, told me I needed some rope to tie the box to the rack on my bike.

I agreed and left the box on my bike and went back into the store with him. I wouldn't leave anything unattended like that back home.

He seemed to think there would be some extra laying around the store, from their unpacking. We checked, but couldn't see any. So I went over by the bikes, and found a 2 meter long bungee cord. He made sure I didn't buy the expensive one --
¥268 instead of ¥120. Then he helped me strap the box to my bike.

I successfully assembled my fan, and now I'm cool!

2 comments:

Anonymous said...

Good for you...I'm glad you are among 'real people' who will do favors and help a lady in (minor)distress. Couldn't get that kind of assist in our inner cities. In fact, the bicycle would be gone too. Stay cool!

Anonymous said...

You have a fan? Sounds like the log cabin dude was also a fan, of sorts... Need any cheapo Wisconsin tourism souvenirs sent to make friends with?