Jinja and Shoga: Life in the Land of the Rising Sun

   Last week was a busy week! Swine flu, driving to Detroit to pick up Yuki, Christmas, holiday baking, a wedding reception....so there will be a lot of belated posts later, but I just haven't had time to upload all the pics yet. And no, I haven't forgotten to finish Kyoto, either.
 But for now, I'd like to just say that I completely understand those Asian people you see at the outlet malls here in America--you  know, the ones laden with so many bags that they can barely walk? That was me today. Only minus the Asian part, obviously. Clothing in general here is way cheaper than it is in Japan, and the sales are just outright dangerous. Add that to the fact that I can rarely find long-sleeved shirts/sweaters that cover the length of my arms over there, and it's no wonder that most of the clerks at the Banana Republic today now know me by name. Oh, and we also got pretty friendly with the manager over at Aldo. And let's not forget Ralph Loren, Old Navy, and Hollister, among others. At least I'm stocked up for the year. Now please excuse me while I go put my credit card in the snow to cool it off!