Happy 4th of July!!

I've gotten a lot of feedback from everyone saying how awesome life in Japan seems to be. And for the most part it is pretty awesome. ;) However, before you all start applying for visas, here are some things to consider (roughly in order of most to least annoying and subject to change):

My Top Ten Least Favorite Things About Japan

1. The government is eventually going to make me take their ridiculous driving test to continue to drive on their ridiculously narrow roads.
2. (Rice) paddy fields breed mosquitos like crazy.
3. The humidity is wreaking havoc on my skin.
4. I can't go to the library.
5. Mexican/Southwestern restaurants are virtually nonexistant outside the largest cities and even there they are notoriously bad. I'd pay $50 for a Moe's burrito right now.
6. $25 for a couple of American hotdogs. More if they are Skin's hotdogs.
7. Imagine trying to.....give a delivery man directions to your house....order a pizza on the phone....get your McDonald's hamburger without onions...ask an attendant why the turnstile won't take the train ticket you just bought....tell a door-to-door salesperson to go away.....make a doctor's appointment....all in Japanese.
8. The cashiers at the grocery store are super stingy with plastic bags to carry your purchases in. No matter how much you buy they rarely give you more than two and then look at you like you're a greedy American.  (They give you the bags, but you bag it yourself.)
9. I can only throw away paper once a month.
10. Did I mention it's hot, humid and buggy?

In the name of fairness I'll follow soon with a post of my favorite things about Japan but for today...Hooray for the USA in all it's wide-roaded, Mexican restaurant-ed glory! ;D