Oh the Sites You'll See

So I thought I should document the walk to the Aeon. The fact that all the sidewalks are made of hand laid brick should be enough to document in and of itself! It is a short walk but shows a majority of "American Village," which is where we live. Almost as soon as you clear the tall buildings that are on the opposite side of our street you see the Ferris Wheel. In the day time it looks like any other normal Ferris Wheel you would see sitting on top of a building, but at night it is all lit up and changing colors. Very pretty. People ride it when its sunny, raining or lightening. I don't know what they are thinking, but apparently no one has gotten struck or I'm sure they would have stopped. I can only imagine the views of the lightening when you're on the tippy top (I guess that's what gets people to ride during the storms).

The building the Ferris Wheel is on is a huge mall. In the bottom of the above picture you can see the number 100 with a kanji after it. That is the 100 Yen Store! They have all kinds of stuff just like our $1 store! Oh the similarities of Japan and America! There are all sorts stores and restaurants inside. This side tends to be more restaurants. There was an article in the paper about the new "Italian" restaurant opening in this complex. We were excited to see what it was... Oh... Sbarro Pizza. How exciting.

Here you can see just how big it is. The Sbarro Pizza is just under the Ferris Wheel in case you were looking for it. Across the street from this is another huge building. They have a store called "The American Depot." It has used toys and some clothes inside. Its more what Japanese people "think" we wear, but nothing that I have a need to purchase. On the tops of one of the buildings there is a sign that says "SOHO" like in New York and just next to that is a Statue of Liberty. Oh joy. It looks just like America! Sometimes I forget I ever left (ya right).

Not only are the sidewalks intricate and carefully laid, but check out these manhole covers! Pretty!

This is just one. The other one has flowers and stuff on it. Now, I'm no genius, but even without knowing how to read kanji. I bet there is a water valve under here to help fight fires!

After looking relentlessly for coasters and asking 3 different people working there and playing a few ridiculous games of charades, Colton and I came up empty handed. We stopped at the freshly baked bread store and were on our way out when I spotted a little juice stand. I decided to try it out. Its super hot these days. The wonderfully courteous woman quickly presented me with an English menu (if she hadn't I would have been picking on color alone). I opted for the Melon Yogurt Shake.

(you can see the sidewalk in this pic)

Here is the most delectable treat I've had in a long time. I know what you're thinking... are those black beans? That's what I thought, too. Oh great. Why am I not surprised? Wrong! I sucked one up into my straw only to find they were tapioca balls. Chewy, delicious marble sized balls of sweet goodness. We didn't get our coasters, but we got a delicious Melon Yogurt Shake. It was worth the trek.