Back from Japan

After about a week and a half in Japan, I am back.  I have two more days, less now, left before I go back to work Friday night.

My bottle of Aedes de Venus's awaited me when I returned, and I am glad to report that I am extremely happy with this purchase.  It is much better than I remember it being.  People referred to it as Jubilation XXV lite -- I don't quite get that.  I have never really been a fan of the Amouage.  It's not bad.  I just never saw what people were all worked up about. L'Artisan's Aedes de Vensuas, nosed by Bertrand Douchaufour, is really beautiful.  It's a shame it is being discontinued. Plus, it was a real steal.

At Narita, I ventured into the Hermès shop.  The SAs this trip didn't seem to know much.  Much of the stock in the smaller bottles was low or out.  I sampled Epice Marine.  I liked it, and may have gotten 15 ml as part of the set had it been there.  They didn't have the recent Cuir d'Ange, which I was also interested in trying.  I ended up getting a 100 ml bottle of Rose Ikebana -- which was kind of what I had been planning all along.

Since it was kind of duty free, and with the stronger dollar to yen lately, it only ran me about $180, where it is normally $240 plus tax at Hermès boutiques, so not a bad deal.  This is my second full bottle of one of the Hermessence line, the first being Osmanthe Yunnan.

The New Year

I'm here right now in Japan.  I got here the night of the 9th.  It's 3:30 in the morning and I'm up because, well, jet lag.

First, some news.  I got that job full time that I've been doing for the past six months occasionally.  I officially started this month.  So, I am happy.  My hours are going to be the midnight shift, so I really shouldn't be jet-lagged. I'll be here in Japan for two weeks or so, so hopefully will adjust in time to go back to work and then not experience jet lag back home.

I forgot to pack perfume samples so I will be scentless for the next two weeks, unless I decide to wear what Naoki has: Terre D'Hermès parfum, Alain Delon Samourai, or Givenchy Insense Aquamarine.  I wouldn't mind the Hermès, but not every day. The other two, no thanks.

Since I last posted, I bought a bottle of 10 Corso Como.

Before I left a very cold Chicago, I ordered a bottle of the L'Artisan Aedes de Venustas from a few years back, which is being discontinued, since Aedes de Venustas started all over again. I just chanced upon the L'Artisan web site, and they were having a sale.  Oddly (as it was only ever for sale on the Aedes web site), among the sale items was the Aedes de Venustas edp. Normally, I think it runs $180 for 100 ml. It was on sale for something like $40! So I grabbed it. 

Yesterday, Naoki and I went out for tonkatsu.  Today, we're going out for hitsumabushi.  Seriously, I'm trying to diet.

Somewhat interestingly, yesterday I was on this social web site, and this guy started chatting with me.  He lives in Yamagata-ken, teaching English on the JET Program. I mentioned that I had been on the JET Program for three years.  He's a young'un -- 25 years old.  It wasn't until I woke up jet-lagged in the middle of the night that I realized that I had started working on the JET Program in 1989 -- the year this young feller WAS BORN.

Yikes! I am getting old.