So today my girl and I decided to do something good and get something out of it as well.
This is part of my RAoK (Random Acts of Kindness) of the month.
We had a fancy lunch at this BBQ restaurant (Rice, soup, salad, tofu, raw meat that you could cook on your own via the grill in the center of the table).
The price for this amazing lunch? about $15 each.
After that, we went shopping and then to Shinjuku (JR East side) to donated blood.
Donating blood in Shinjuku isn't difficult. In fact, you could see tons of young people waiting in line to donate blood.
Why? Well, because we have great hearts....and we would like to have free drinks and food at the same time.
The menu at the Red Cross Center was amazing. There were three vending machines that had at least 40 different kinds of drinks served either hot or cold.
I had 'Hot Lemon', 'Hot Corn Soup', and 'Hot Chocolate'. They were all served in standard paper cups.
I also had the chance to eat Haagen Dazs Ice Cream (your choice of chocolate, vanilla, or strawberry - though I think they had more flavors than that).
There were plenty of all-you-can-eat cookies, biscuits, and Japanese rice crackers (Sen-be).
On top of that, they also served hot dogs & buns, as well as donuts from Mr. Donuts. Mr. Donuts is my favorite donut shop in Tokyo --- See my Fukubukuro (Lucky Bag) entry for more info.
So My girl and I had a nice snack just before dinner. We both donated 200ml of blood each, and had a nice rest at Red Cross.
Btw, when you donate blood in Japan, you get to sit in this relaxing reclining chair that comes with a mini TV and VCR set. You can even select a short film to watch at the front desk before hand.
They have automatic/electronic monitoring systems that measure your blood pressure and the blood contents as you donate your blood.
All and all? Amazing technology that is worth a sight!! So give blood, eat free food, and relax in the chair - all in the heart of Shinjuku when you are tired from shopping and you don't want to pay to sit down at a cafe!
Free Food in Shinjuku - Anytime (as long as you give blood)
February 22nd, 2007 at 12:19 pm
February 22nd, 2007 at 02:25 pm 1172154320
That's a beautiful picture of it too, by the way. I'm glad you have a picture because if you said BBQ here (in the SouthernEastern part of the United States), BBQ means an entirely different (and equally delicious) thing!
Very different cuisines using the same name. Here's another picture to help non-Asians visualize what the Korean BBQ looks like in action. Yum!
February 22nd, 2007 at 04:34 pm 1172162093
November 4th, 2007 at 09:44 pm 1194212679
I am planning to move to work out of tokyo from Jan 2008. I have finished my PhD in Comp Sci from Univ of texas in USA and have been living here for 5.5 yrs.
I am originally from Kolkata, West bengal India.
I am planning to move east and have got an offer for joining a research institute in Tokyo.
I would appreciate if you could provide information on living costs ( housing, bills, phone, internet, food) as well as taxes etc in Tokyo.
From my little research so far, I would plan to live around 30-45mins train ride from shibuya-ku, (harajuku) where my office would be.
I plan to live with my wife ( 2 people) and maintain a decent life ( with occasional vacations, visit to india).
From your experiences living in tokyo, could you please provide information on the cost of living under these circumstances in Tokyo so that I can decide.
I look forward to hearing from you,
REgards
Samik Ghosh
November 4th, 2007 at 09:45 pm 1194212710
March 18th, 2008 at 02:59 pm 1205852368
September 14th, 2008 at 04:10 pm 1221408655
November 20th, 2008 at 04:19 am 1227154756