Day 21: Allergies

Tonight I had dinner with one of my Nihongo partners and she told me that my Japanese was better than the last time we've spoke. I thought, 'Wow, she really is a kind person.' I know my Japanese professors would never say it outloud but it wouldn't be too much of a stretch to say that they're probably thinking differently about my speaking abilities.

My collection of tissues.

Right outside of Juso station, there are usually people who pass out free tissue packets with some sort of advertisement on it. They have these all over the place in Japan but usually on main streets and outside of train stations where it's busiest. I'll be the first to admit that I love these free tissue packets and I intend to accumulate as much as is humanly possible. When I see the people in the bright red jackets, I start walking faster and try to be in the direction that they're passing out these tissues as nonchalant as I can. And when I don't see them, I'm sorely disappointed. 

Where does this obsession come from? I can't really tell you. Maybe it's the free thing and that I'm typically in need of tissues. Especially now that recently, my eyes are started to feel irritated and a bit swollen, my nose is starting to itch, and I'm starting to squeeze in rows of five (which will soon escalate to 10).

That's right. It's freaking allergy season and my death route is filled with trees. Blossom trees and cedar trees. I am going to die.