Let's go to the mall

   Yesterday I went to the AEON mall to download a podcast on the speedy wifi at Starbucks. Starbucks in Japan is nothing like Starbucks in America. It's clean. The people who work there are cheerful and polite. They even chat you up sometimes, unlike any other Japanese chain. The pastries taste like they used to be living grains and plants, instead of chemical-infused plastic. The coffee is still mediocre, but compared to other coffee chains in Japan, it's decent. And I don't think I emphasized enough how clean it is. It's sparkly clean. There's never any spilled milk or sugar at the condiment station. There's never any trash strewn about on the floor. There are never any suspicious stains on your table. It's just clean.

   After I finished downloading the podcast, I headed to the bookstore on the third floor and discovered a little music shop with an array of electric pianos and a little door in the back labeled "Lesson Rooms." I asked the young man at the register if they had a real piano back there, or an electric one. He looked confused and said, "We have an acoustic piano." An acoustic piano? I didn't realize that's what you called them. I asked if I could reserve the room to practice in, without a lesson. He said, sure! and we set it up.

   I've really missed playing the piano, but it's hard to know where to look for one that I can use, no strings attached. I'm not that psyched about running to the mall every time I want to play. It's creepy. (People actually bring little picnic blankets and sit down and surf on their phones there on the weekends. What??) If this were America, I would try a local University, and I'll probably still look into that, because it would be nice not to have to pay to practice. I could also, in theory, ask to use the pianos at the local schools, but I'm still pretty intimidated by all of the rules here and afraid of causing an international incident.

     Anyway, this evening I noticed that I had two missed calls. I always panic when I get a phone call. It can't be good. Anything that can't be said in a text or email is serious business. Even if it's good serious business, like a job interview, it's still stressful. And now that I'm Japan, there is literally no one who could be calling me just to chat. Was work calling to tell me they changed their mind and were shipping me back home? Was the Japanese government calling to tell me I forgot to sign some important paperwork and had to pay them 200,000 yen? I googled the number and discovered that it was just the music shop. Figuring it had to be about the room reservation, I called back, and sure enough, the young man informed me that I had been booted from my room to give priority to a piano lesson. I had to reschedule to Sunday.

   I had that whole conversation in Japanese. I understood what he was saying. He understood what I was saying.  I even nailed the Aisatsu.

   Life here is finally starting to feel easier.