Good bye Dax...Hello Lap of Luxury

I was sad when Dax and Jillian left. It was so nice having them around. We had a lot of fun. The trip ended with what we expected to be a quick lunch at “Harlem Freak” (they have the weirdest English names here in Tokyo) before Dax and Jillian would catch their train for the airport. After waiting an hour for Jillian’s and my food to be served, apparently all the men in the restaurant needed to be served first, including Dax, we had to leave to catch our train. With empty bellies, at least for Jillian, I sent my friends on their way back to sunny Los Angeles. Adios amigos.

This is Jillian's last and possibly coolest purchase of her stay in Tokyo. The red orb in front of you is a hand-held, battery operated, airbrush makeup applicator. If you are not already in awe of this palm-sized, stylish little device, let me explain further. Airbrushing is something that has been reserved for the glamour industry. Recently, however, the rich and famous have been buying up their own very expensive and very not portable airbrush machines. A Japanese makeup company has revolutionized the airbrush concept with its very own hand held, extremely effective airbrush applicator. Not only does it work, but it uses unique Japanese foundation, which is the reason that American's believe that Japanese skin is so flawless. I don't know what they put in the makeup here, but it definitely leaves your skin glowing and blemish free. Jillian and I both had the saleswoman use the applicator on us, and it was amazing. I wish I could explain just how perfectly smooth and glowy it left our skin. Of course, it's not cheap, but if you are into makeup, you would die to have one of these.

Packing is always a daunting task, especially when you bought a new wardrobe at Uniqlo. :)

Dax pointing the way towards the great beyond. In this strangely lit tunnel, futuristic music plays eerily as you make your way to the train. We always felt that the world would be somehow changed when we came out the other side.

Good bye friends!

The day Dax and Jillian left Jonathan and I officially moved into the family’s house where we will be living for the rest of the summer. For those of you who are not aware, we were lucky enough to be offered a place to live for the rest of the summer free of charge. Moving into this beauty of a home has really made living in Japan feel a lot more…homey (spoiled). The house is so nice, the TV so big, and the couches so comfortable, that I hardly feel the need to leave. This is, of course, a huge contrast from to how I felt when we were living in the one room apartment in Roppongi. Jonathan and I were given our own room with an American queen size bed which has made sleeping a new found treasure despite the intense heat and humidity of the Japanese summer.

This is the living room. Notice the large flat screen TV playing all kinds of American television for my viewing pleasure. To be honest, I'm not that tempted by the TV. I usually never turn it on during the day, but it's nice to know it's there.

This is my office, aka blogging center. This chair is something special. Oversized and made with the kind of stuff that makes you feel like you are melting into it whenever you sit down and for however long you are sitting, this chair is the kind of thing that you know you should never buy, because once you have it, you will find yourself in its arms way too often.

Another wonderful thing about our new place is that it is just on the outskirts of the Tokyo metro area. This means that we actually have a neighborhood, there’s no nightlife keeping us awake, and there are plenty of affordable little shops to keep me entertained during the day. The only downside is that Jonathan has increased his commute from 15 to 40 minutes door to door. He doesn’t mind the commute itself, but it does increase his workday by almost two hours, which means that we see eachother less.

We actually feel like we are coming home now.