Wednesday, July 23, 2008

Doctors, Friendly Men and Button Porn - Day Two in Tokyo

The morning started early with a visit to the doctor. She was lovely, understanding, caring and well worth the trip. Trying not to get into too-much-information territory, a few people have been asking me... there is a thyroid issue and now with this doctor, I've finally found someone who will treat it. I'm on a trial for a couple of months and then we'll review it from there. She thinks that there maybe something else going on as well, but we'll face that possibility after seeing how the thyroid drugs go. The whole visiting a doctor is different in Japan. I've written about the the conveyor belt-ness of it here.

I was done there by ten, which left the rest of the day to play.

My day was filled with some more secret squirrel business (which probably won't be so secret squirrel for much longer, and may not be so exciting to others, but I love saying secret squirrel business) and lots of fabric shopping.

On the train, having a bit of trouble with a couple of Japanese maps, I turned to the guy next to me. In Japanese I politely asked if he would mind reading a couple of the characters for me. He willing obliged. He was friendly, so I then asked about a particular train station that I couldn't find on any of my maps. By this time, he'd already switched to English. He not only told me which line it was on, where to change and how long it would take to get there, when we got to Tokyo station, he actually took me to the platform I needed to go to. How friendly is that!

Until today, I've been really impressed with fabric stores that have five packed-full floors and craft stores that are seven floors. Today, it went to a whole other level! Try a five building craft store! Between the five buildings, there were 15 floors of crafty heaven. Needless to say, until I almost passed out, I forgot to eat.

Do you ever have moments when you're wandering around and you see something that you know another blogger would love? I so wished Bec was with me today. I found the most scrumptious button shop you've ever seen. Close your eyes for a minute and image the candy store in Charley and Chocolate factory. Replace the sweets with buttons (and beads), place them all in jars and then organise them in graduations of colours. Decorate the rest of the area with button-made goodness. That was this shop. Sadly, I wasn't allowed to take a photo.

That was day two, one more to go and then back home.

13 comments:

Jenny said...

Good luck with the medication-hoefully that will do the trick. That button shop sounds awesome! I have trouble imagining the enormity of all those levels of crafty goodness-no wonder you nearly passed out!

Jacinta said...

It sounds like things are going well and how nice to have all the dr stuff done early.
Then the time is yours to concentrate on the shopping heaven of A FIVE BUILDING craft store... Can you hear my envy?
Have fun... I look forward to hearing more tomorrow.
And sometime soon about your secret squirrel business!

CurlyPops said...

I'm so glad that you're finally getting some medical help...yippee!
What a wonderful day after the doctors visit....we can only dream of craft shops like that....

Bec said...

Oh boy - I can't even imagine such a place as this button shop. In fact, I've never even been to a button shop....anywhere!!! Let alone a scrumptious one in an exotic country **sigh**. It just sounds all too heavenly. Thanks so much of thinking of me though - and it's nice to at least live vicariously through someone else who enjoys it all as much as I would :)
So glad to hear that you are seeing a good doctor now. Fingers crossed that you start to see some big improvements soon!

Sherrin said...

I'm glad your trip has gone well. I hope you will get the right treatment soon.

and... can you please take me shopping in Japan?? ;) My god. Those stores sound amazing!!!

BumbleVee said...

So glad to hear that your lady doctor is the opposite of the guys you have seen... woohoo.... hopefully the meds will be a big help and you can go on from there. good luck with all of that.

..wow.... and I thought Michael's was big! I must live in a cocoon....

hey...this could be a secondary business... treating tourists to craft shop tours.... almost makes me want to sign up. Imagine a shop devoted to buttons..!and stores that are five buildings big...yikes!

Cathy {tinniegirl} said...

I think we are all out and about thinking this blogger would love that, that person would love this. It's a great little (big) community.

Thanks for another great vicarious trip around Japan. It's always a pleasure. It's a pity we couldn't have a picture of the button shop.

Michelle said...

Very good to hear that thing are moving along on the health front...and as for 5 buildings of craftiness - OMG!!! Seriously!!

flossy-p said...

I have no idea how you are going to come back to Australia. You're going to miss those amazing shops WAY too much!

Perhaps you can start one in Aust!!!! For all of us to enjoy!!!!

Anonymous said...

Man. Five buildings? The first 7 storey ABC craft I went to was so overwhelmingly great I almost had an anxiety attack. Five Buildings?!??!?

Lisa [strickerin] said...

I am so happy to hear that you have found a decent Dr to help you along.

Oh and I can't look at an owl anymore without thinking of all the Brown Owls out there in blogland.

Badaunt said...

Thyroid? You don't have Grave's disease, do you? And if so, someone ought to find out what the hell is going on in this country, because I know of three (THREE) previously healthy gaijins who have ended up with Grave's disease here, one recently. All long-term ex-pats, too.

Or is it quite common elsewhere, too, and it's something that only manifests later in life? ('Later in life' meaning 'not when you're in your twenties.')

Incidentally, all three people I know with this are women, and two are in complete remission now. One is not, but hers was not picked up quickly. Another was diagnosed quite quickly (and recently). She didn't think much of the doctor she was sent to (no real communication there) but thanks to a recommendation from the one in remission now she has a good doctor here in Osaka, who she saw earlier this week. If Graves IS your problem, and you're not happy with the Tokyo doctor, feel free to email me about the Osaka doctor. I can put you in contact with my Osaka friend who is seeing him.

Badaunt said...

Ooh, and also, a BUTTON shop? I LOVE button shops. There is one in Kuala Lumpur I always visit when I'm there. I never buy any buttons, but there is something magical about a button shop. It always reminds me of Grandma's button jar.

(Everyone's Grandma has a button jar, right?)

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