Doom, Gloom, and the Yaki Imo Man

Trees right side up

Yesterday was officially the bleakest day of this winter yet. Just look at the sky below. Is it not blinding and oppressive?



I am officially back in the land of the healthy, after a ridiculously long bout of the flu and an almost two-week stay in delirium country, entirely due to my not getting any sleep as my lungs were too busy trying to expel themselves right out of my body (i.e., lots of pretty hacking) on a nightly basis, bless them.

Oh, hey, the gyoza man is driving by. You know how in the United States there's the ice cream man in the white truck that plays a rather creepy, tinkly tune (at least the ice cream trucks in Manhattan did)? Well, it's very common in Tokyo to hear the pre-recorded cry of someone selling something from their van. The most traditional wares are yaki imo, which are freshly roasted sweet potatoes (there's a wood-burning stove in the back of the truck), and laundry lines. And now gyoza.

The funny thing is that the vendors all sing the exact same song, regardless of what they're selling--they just change the words to fit the croon. And your day is not complete unless you hear it for yourself. I just found this excellent clip--very exciting--so, you must go here and see the yaki imo truck and hear the yaki imo song. You really must.

Hmm, curry gyoza? That's what I just heard out my window. It could be good. I believe in keeping an open mind when it comes to food.

Anyway, where was I? Ah, yes, it was glooooomy yesterday.


Edward and I boldly ventured out and soon found ourselves very much alone in what is usually our very popular neighborhood park--it has swan paddle boats, for god sake, and people rent them out, frequently. Poor Edward, he lives to be petted, sniffed, and licked by strangers, and yesterday's outing proved less than gratifying. Indeed, even the ducks seemed more desperate than usual, trailing forlornly after us, expecting their day's ration of bread crusts, but not getting it from me because I don't really get the whole feeding-the-ducks thing.

I took a few pictures of the bare trees reflected in the rain-soaked boardwalk, like the one at the top of this post. Here's another one: