Eyeball, Bowel, & Taiwan Foot Reflexology Massage

While out wandering, I found a shop that offered Eyeball, Bowel, & Taiwan Foot Reflexology Massage....How could I pass that up....

The foot massage was pleasant but rather intense. First they soaked my feet in a hot water machine for 5 minutes. That felt luxurious. Then the massage itself began. It consisted of finding the acupuncture points on the feet and pressing them REALLY hard. You can tell which ones need working on because they are the ones that REALLY hurt. She would press points and then, when I jumped, she would concentrate on the point that caused me to jump. She worked on my heart, kidneys, digestion, legs and feet (since I had a broken ankle last spring), as well as my brain (do I seem less demented now????). When it was over, I felt great - but maybe that was because she was not squeezing the spots on my feet anymore.

Then came the Eyeball Massage. That was supposed to be for vision as well as the face and head. It felt very weird. I was hoping that she would not pop my eyeballs out of their sockets. She said when she worked on my eyes that she could feel that I had a lot of Ki (the Japanese word for Qi - or Chi - which in Chinese Medicine means energy) and she wondered if I had been doing something to build Ki. Any of you that have HAD to hear me talk about my Qigong studies will know that, yes, I have been working to build my Qi for years. I was so glad to know she could "feel the Qi." The other alternative is that maybe the Qi from the eyes develops when you become a "mother." You mothers out there know just what I am talking about - when your husband or children are not behaving, there is "The Look." "The Look" can instantly locate it's prey in a room full of people and is capable of traveling thousands of miles through cell phones - not to mention what it can accomplish via email. "The Look" is a mommy version of Kung Fu.

Last but not least came the Bowel Massage which involved kneading all of the organs of the stomach - a bit like what the Chinese call Twai Na. She said that my stomach seemed to have trouble "heating up" (well "duh" - ice cream and beer are served cold) and therefore I seem to have sluggish digestion. That must be why I have that extra waistline padding.

She said maybe I need a few more sessions and gave me a "frequent buyer card." When I have ten sessions, I get 2500 Yen of free sessions. What a good deal - the "good deal" must be ingrained in the human DNA - even on the other side of the world, people love a bargain.

Saturday Night Fever Japanese Style or Billy Bob's Tokyo Rodeo

This is a very popular exercise machine. It can be found in any department store and there are always people in line to test it out. People take this machine quite seriously. They put their feet in the stirups and go through all the usual horseback riding paces - trot, canter, gallop. It's quite hysterical but the brochure says that it will help your golf and tennis game - so they sell a lot of them. As a pilates afficianado, I would say it probably helps to strengthen your core...For those of you that had deprived childhoods and never got to ride the bucking bronco outside the grocery store - here's your chance. Someday I'm going to have to saddle up and show them how it's done....Yeeehaw!

News from Japan

Japan's Prime Minister Shinzo Abe resigned.

The world's oldest man who is Japanese celebrated his 112th birthday.

Commuters were delayed on their way to work when a man accused of being a
"groper" jumped down onto the tracks during rush hour.

"Little Bit Bad Boy"

Learning a foreign language can be a tedious and lengthy task - and unfortunately, the language books never have the really helpful phrases. While I am laboring over "Nice to meet you," Greg, ever the pragmatist, has leapt ahead to the important stuff - like "choi wa ru." This is apparently a phrase taken from a crazy and popular TV show. It means "little bit bad boy." "Now really," I said to myself, "when can that phrase be of much help?" Well.....

Greg has become very popular at the hotel snack shop....when he goes in to buy beer and candy, he smiles at the check-out girls and says "Choi wa ru." They love him!!!

Alright, but when will I ever use that phrase? Well ......

A few days later, I am having a wild cab ride to Jusco. Suddenly the driver slams on the brakes and begins to apologize..."Sorry, policeman there." With my new found language skills I smartly retort...."Choi wa ru - Little Bit Bad Boy!" The cab driver is still laughing hysterically when he drops me off 10 minutes later....hmmmm, I wonder what I really said!?