Food is definitely a need. Living in a foreign land can have it's drawbacks if you can't read or speak the language making it hard for one to find a grocery store. However, working on a military installation allows us to shop at the commissary where fresh produce is much to be desired there. Produce currently offered is shipped over from the US leaving it not so fresh. A recent acquaintance took me a local Marafuji supermarket, a chain. I was quite impressed with the produce, but not the prices. Potatoes here - $8.00 for about five lbs, tomatoes - $7.00 for four, broccoli - $4.00 a head. But they are FRESH.
Through David's work we met a wonderful couple, Skip and Leigh Bennett, who have been a big blessing in helping us find our way around the local area. Skip, is a science teacher and his wife, Leigh, is a Japanese national and domestic goddess, such as myself.
I was so excited when Skip and Leigh invited us one Saturday to go the farmers market with them. I couldn't wait..it was our first time doing something off base and with new friends, e-e-e-e... how exciting!! They took us to the Akigawa farmer's market, which turned out to be about a mile and half away. I can walk there. Everything was so nice and fresh, beautiful, and even better, cheaper! There were so many different types of vegetables there. I haven't a clue what some are, but the japanese love them. There were even fresh cut flowers - lilies, my favorite offered there. A whole stalk of them for 400yen, about $5.50. Needless to say, everytime I walk in my house now a bouquet of fesh lilies greet me at the door! We even pick up fresh soba and yakisoba noodles here, mind you my stirring technique is still wanting but tastes good. I was unsure about how to take photos of the produce inside but here are some of the gardens surrounding the market place. It looks like the countryside but believe it or not this is part of Tokyo, crazy. It is so crowded here, yet they find space to grow gardens, I love it! The farmer's are so proud of their produce that their name is on all their items sold, and oftentimes you will see them rearranging their produce to catch your eye. Now I go there about three times a week and the farmers and cashiers are getting used to seeing me - I'm quite tall and very foreign! This is a well hidden secret from the base and I'm thankful that Skip and Leigh trusted us enough to share their secret market with us.
