Ahh! Massage!

I wrote this two days ago, on Thursday, but didn't finish it until now.

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Got a 30-min massage during my lunch break and so had no time for lunch. :T I munched on snacks to keep my stomach from growling. Next time, I'm making an appt or going after work, since they're open until 11 pm.

I didn't have an appt, so I had to wait. But I'm definitely going to be a regular here...expert hands at ¥2,500 for 30 mins?! Definitely won't find prices like these in Tokyo. The only thing I don't like was that it was just a big room with curtains separating the massage beds. I don't like those places because you can hear everyone, and it's hard to relax.

And the other (strange yet interesting) thing that I noticed was that when the husband spoke to me in Chinese, he spoke very loudly, like how most (many?) Chinese people speak in restaurants, with their families and friends--and I say this as a Chinese/Taiwanese person. But when he spoke in Japanese to his customer, whom he was treating when I walked in to the establishment, he spoke much more quietly and soothingly. I'd much prefer the latter for relaxation.

The owners were a Chinese couple who have been in Japan for 10 years. I talked a bit with the wife, who treated me, during the massage about why I was in Japan, how long I've been here, where I'm from, etc.

It's so sad, but now I can write my name in katakana, but no longer in Chinese. The husband said, "We'll teach you!" The wife wrote down a character and asked if that was the right "Pei" (in "Pei-chee"), and I said "Yes! That's it." The husband thought it was funny that I could only recognize the characters in my name, but not write it.

In the end, the wife gave me a coupon for ¥1,000 off the next massage. That was pretty amazing, since i only spent ¥2,500, and will already be able to get a big discount. most places in Tokyo don't offer any discounts for repeat customers, maybe only 10% off or ¥1,000 off a ¥6,000+ massage if you're a first-time customer. (I guess those places care more about getting customers, but not keeping them.)

She also wrote her cell number on a business card and said I could call any time to make an appt or if I had problems with Chinese or Japanese. I think she was offering to translate if I ran into any problems, but I'm not sure, because she spoke in Chinese, and I only sort of understood what she said. Sigh. I really gotta beef up my language skills.