You guys like my new tattoo?

Being American here in Japan the first thing Japanese girls (the guys never speak to me) ask is "Do you have tattoos?" Aside from my best friend back home everybody I'm friends with as at least one tattoo, if not a few. I have absolutely NOTHING against tattoos whatsoever. The dude I'm seeing now is completely covered in tattoos and I literally drool all over his arms. My female friends with tattoos all have bright beautifully colored pieces of artwork across their bodies and it's mesmerizing. I in no way shape or form think tattoos on girls take away from anything, I think when done correctly tattoos only add to the beauty of a womans body.

Almost every Japanese girl I've met here in the past 8 days has a traditional Japanese tattoo, usually around her arm or on her lower back. In America we'd call that a "tramp stamp" but the girls here are a little behind and still consider this shit to look trendy or whatever. A girl I work with who's seriously adorable showed me her tattoo on her upper arm and it was a band of four leaf clovers. I was a little confused thinking "well, are you Irish?" She laughed and said "no it just means good luck!"

Then the girl proceeded to tell me I needed tattoos. I did my usual lip bite, eyes to the side "ahhh I don't know..." she laughed at me "why not! you're young! you need one!" Aside from the whole pain aspect (I'm irrationally afraid of all needles) I'm just too fickle. I change my mind every three seconds. One minute I want to wear tights and shorts the next I want jeans and a white t. One day I want to be super fem and the next day I just want to wear a band t shirt and throw my hair up. I'm a complete headcase in my own body and I know the minute I get a tattoo I'd probably regret it.

Or knowing my luck I'd be allergic to the ink.

So I'm expecting more "do you have a tattoo?" questions followed by the "why not" followed by "you should get one across your lower back!" Japan, Japan.

I left my feelings with my wallet and my keys

I'm finally at ease.

Japan is great, my new job is fun a little stressful because I'm still learning. Walked out with close to 30yen in tips, plus I'm being paid by the hour. I'm in love with Lemon Tea in a carton and finally bought Milk Tea because my one friend kept
bugging me to try it. My dad bought me a coffee pot so I'm starting to feel more at home, with my mud brew every morning.

Here are pictures of my new space :





The natural sunlight is perfect and I started to hang some of David's portraits he gave me on the wall. There are bits and pieces of my friends scattered on my window sill. I told my dad to extend my ticket so instead of 2 more weeks we're planning on 3 more months. I miss Rashi a lot and I miss being able to take the china town bus up to see David and walk around Nyc drinking tall arizona t's and just laughing, but everyones busy doing what they love so i'll just give Japan some more time. I'm still adjusting but it feels more like home everyday.

Friday May 15th, 2010 9:40a.m

I've been in Japan since Tuesday afternoon. I'm still having a hard time sleeping but besides that I'm enjoying everything. The weather here is really nice, breezy and blue skies and just cool enough that all you need is a t-shirt and cardigan. My dad and I have gone out exploring pretty much everyday, and I finally went out yesterday afternoon by myself to the convenient down the street to buy iced tea and chocolate covered almonds. I walked around listening to Best Coast and kind of took everything in by myself, for the first time.

It's hard (or maybe just more annoying) being a vegetarian here. Almost everything has some sort of animal in it.. (beef or chicken stock in the brother for noodles, the "red" sauce in you mix in with the quail egg of course has meat in it, fish everywhere, shrimp) etc etc. The bar down the street makes American food like nachos. Coincidentally this is the same bar I start working at Saturday night, so I have a feeling I'll be eating there a lot.

The bar is an old Baptist church (in Yokosuka.. I know right?) and is owned by an American "lifer" who works at the ship yard like my dad, but married a Japanese woman who he can't stand. They avoid each other at all costs. The head bartender is a 46year old Japanese woman who looks like a model and dresses like she lives at the Jersey Shore, but despite her appearance she's very sweet and even a grandmother.

(View from my bedroom)


Tonight my dad is taking me out for a traditional Japanese dinner with a few of his friends, it's supposedly cost a lot and is very fancy (two things I'm not familiar with) so I'm already wondering what I should wear. Everyone over here dresses nice, at all times. You never see girls rolling out of bed in sweatpants, it puts more pressure on me to make sure I look my best since I already stand out as the 5'7 foreigner with the big black eyes.

I think when I'm done eating this apple I'll tacked the tedious task of finally washing my hair. My dad doesn't have a shower head, it's just a traditional Japanese bathroom with a sink, washer, and a little steam room that has a tub in the middle of it. The toilet is in a little closet kept separate. If you know me you know how much I hate washing my hair (especially when it's bending my head under a little faucet) but I'm pretty such I can handle it. Maybe I'll eat some peanut butter for extra protein provided I'll need all the strength I can get trying to tame this wild mane.

Heard you fuck through the wall

When I'm bored
I send vibrations
In your direction
From the satellite mind

The boyfriend got me sick, so I'm scratchy throat-ed and sniffling. Sitting on my bed at home with a million things I should be doing. But I'm too light-headed to really do anything but lay in my queen bed and dread my workweek (which starts tomorrow,) and doesn't end until next Wednesday, about 10hours a day but I do love money. There's a stack of magazine's I'm yet to read, three books I've finished, a brand new 120gig ipod and a tall glass of orange juice. I successfully ate my weight in fresh fruit, cold medicine is so foul tasting. I took my vitamins.

So far what I've uploaded onto my ipod :
Fantasies - Metric
Step Forward EP - Step Forward
Head Trip in Every Way - Super Drag
Regretfully Yours - Super Drag
In the Valley of Dying Stars - Super Drag
For Your Own Special Sweetheart - Jawbox
No Spiritual Surrender - Inside Out
Alone in a Crowd - Inside Out
Day Three of My New Life - Knapsack
Silver Sweepstakes - Knapsack
Intiution - Jamie Foxx
Cyptograms - Deerhunter
Siames Dream - Smashing Pumpkins

Obviously I have some serious work to do, but these were the few albums I could think of to download quickly before I went to sleep. With a 120gig I could basically upload all the music from 12 of my closest and dearest friends + my own music and still have ample room so my music world is about to get AWESOME.

It's weird because I was just thinking about my "Dad" (the real dad, not the one that raised me,) you know the Spanish one who has the same last name as me, same big black-brown eyes and lives in Japan now. The same "Dad" who I never asked for anything but help with money for books and he said "I have to pay for my new car," the same "Dad" who once told me he never loved my mom.

I only think about him sometimes when I hear women on Maury crying "MAURY I NEED TO FIND MY REAL FATHER!!!!" like bitch, actually, you really do not. I was better off never meeting my "real father," I had a step-dad who I refer to as "My Dad," and my "real dad," I call him "Old Dad," (sorry if this is confusing.) Anyway I wish I could just inject those women with some GET OVER IT JUICE and tell them "Look it doesn't matter who your blood father is. If you have a man who raised you as his own who you love and call dad, that's all that matters. Sperm and blood don't mean shit!"

As much as I resented my "Old Dad/ Real dad," okay lets just call him by his first name "Don" I've learned that it's not really his fault that he's so stupid. He can't help it. He's actually an immigrant from Spain and English is his second language, so I've explained to myself that he lacks most American social skills. Not to mention the fact that he's completely cut off from most of his family due to his sexual preference. So I'm guessing he has more demons that he's willing to admit, I'm willing to bet my brother and I are two of them.

Demon 1
Demon 2

Sadly, I don't think he'll realize that until it's too late.

Anyway, I really deviated from the point. So basically "Don" has been trying to get me to come to Tokyo, Japan for the summer and work for him. And up until now I was like "Man bullshit, fuck you!" I never said that but I was always thinking it. I'd just respond with something polite like, "OH yeah that's really cool! I'll see what I can do!" Because god forbid if I hurt the feelings of the deadbeat dad who abandoned me and didn't speak a single word to me until age 15.

----DADDY ISSUES------

MOVING ALONG TO THE TOPIC AT HAND, yesterday I got probably my third or fourth email from Don in the past year and it read :


Erica, there are summer jobs here available. The jobs are admin assistant to computer work nothing real technical. It's a good chance to make some decent money.

Don Moreno


Plz overlook the fact that my "Real father" I mean "Don" is a fucking robotic moron.
Also keep in mind he missed my birthday, all major holidays and just the standard "Hey offspring how the hell are ya!?" Standard email.

Aside from that frustration I thought it over and living in Japan for the summer could be an awesome experience, especially living in Tokyo. It'd be nice to get away from Delaware. I know my friends will survive without me, my mom will continue on her path to self destruction and my boyfriend will probably be on tour while I'll be lost in translation making "Decent money."



I'm trying to tell myself that all of this is happening for a reason. Those reason's I'm assuming are : Sushi, towelket's, Meiji Shrine and the Sensoji Temples, Aqua Museum at Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (three-story aquarium with over 100,000 sea creatures/ "Aqua Tube" which is an underwater tunnel,) and of course the Choshoan Tea Room.