I woke up this morning and was hungry. I woke up around 8 am and decided to take a shower and go to the supermarket because I had a meeting at noon. The supermarket I went to yesterday was very expensive, so I decided to go to another supermarket. The other supermarket was about the same distance from the one I went to yesterday, so I decided to go there. There was yogurt there for a very low price, so I decided to buy bananas. I bought eight yogurts, a banana, and some cheese. I also bought siloac for the first time in a long time. They cost me 2,000 yen. I guess it’s because of the rising prices, but it’s incredibly expensive. Very expensive. I also bought some pasta. I decided to boil it since I had to. When I got home and touched the induction stove to cook the pasta, I felt a jiggle. I felt a huge surge of electricity. And no matter how much I touched it, the electricity didn’t go away. Was I electrified? I wondered how to get it off. I put one hand on the wall, but it still kept shaking and hurting! So I had no choice but to pour water over it and let it faint first instead of touching the pot directly. I really don’t get it. I wondered why IH was electrified. Then I decided to call the landlord because the water pipe had also burst and all the water was rushing under the floor. When I called the landlord, he said he had a helper to come to the house and take a look at everything. In the meantime, I had the pasta ready. I didn’t have anything to put on the pasta, so I seasoned it with salt and pepper. It was the first time in my life that I had ever made pasta without any seasoning. It didn’t taste very good, I could barely eat it. I called the owner and he said he would send someone to help me, and in about 30 minutes! It was a real surprise. I was very surprised at how quickly they responded, and I was really impressed. The woman tried her best to answer in English. I asked her about the plumbing leak and why this induction heater had such high electromagnetic radiation. When I spoke Russian, she said: “Oh, you speak Russian! You speak Russian! It was a lot of fun, and I was very happy to communicate in Russian face-to-face for the first time in a long time. That’s how I felt. So the woman blew off the water with the wipers or something, but apparently she said she needed to call the engineer, so I asked her in Russian if the engineer could come this afternoon. I also told her that I had an appointment at 12:00, so please have him come after 1:00. Then the lady left. By the way, I asked her how to use the TV, but even the assistant owner said: “No, I don’t know how to use it” lol. That made me laugh. Oh, I love it! I love it. I love that relaxed atmosphere.
Then there was the meeting. Today, with the company in Hokkaido. And in that meeting He said, “You are in Georgia! That’s terrific!” I was very happy to hear that the company was also planning to expand into Southeast Asia, so if I wanted to visit, I could safely go there. The meeting ended well.
Some time after the meeting was over, I heard voices outside – it finally came. A woman and a plumbing engineer who were repairing the plumbing came in. They spoke Georgian, so I had no idea what they were talking about, but the plumbing was successfully repaired! I felt a tremendous sense of relief. At this point, the problem was solved. The woman also told me in Russian that the plumbing was fixed, and after that she explained various things to me, but I couldn’t understand what she was saying because I hadn’t learned Russian in a long time. But it was a lot of fun. Then the woman said: “Bye-bye” and left. She told me to contact her on Whatsapp if I had any questions or concerns, and we exchanged contact information. By the way, her home picture, it’s so huge lol.
Well, then I did a little coding work and then decided to go for a walk. It was already 4:30 and I decided to go to the restaurant that Konstantin, a Russian, had recommended to me yesterday. I was sure that the food would be delicious, so I put my shyness aside and thought only about getting into the restaurant. We just kept walking around listening to music. The city of Georgia is so beautiful. It had rained in the morning, but now it had stopped, and the city was lit up by the strong sun, as if to tell us, “Oh, the sun is shining!

Main Street of Tbilisi

You walk through the city, and there are young children and old people. It’s an ordinary city. But there are people from the Middle East, Iran, etc., as well as Russians and Georgians. For the first time in a long time, I enjoyed taking selfies now and then. After walking around the city, I went to a restaurant recommended by Konstantin. But when I went into the restaurant, it was crowded. It was 3:00 in the afternoon, but there were so many people there that I wondered what time of day it might be open. The restaurant is called “Mapshalia.” I had no choice but to go to another restaurant. The other restaurant is called Khinkari house. The thought of eating hinkari made me excited. The elevation there is quite high, so I crossed the bridge and walked. Along the way, some people were taking pictures in the middle of the bridge. I wondered how many tourists were there. I was a little nervous about being alone, but at the same time I was looking forward to it. I feel like I’m walking on the ground more and more. When you’re walking with friends, you may not notice things you should have noticed because you’re talking, but when you’re alone, you may notice things you wouldn’t normally notice and absorb a lot from it. Taking pictures from the top of the bridge and looking up. There were newly built buildings and hotels. But then I remember again that there aren’t really that many buildings, just two. I just keep walking and aiming for that restaurant. And I had to cross steep hills and sidewalks with no traffic lights, which would be completely unthinkable if I were doing it in Japan, but there are no crosswalks or traffic lights in Georgia, so I had to cross with great force when cars were coming. But now I’m used to it.

 

After sweating a lot, take a break in the park

When I was sitting on the bench checking my food, a man in his 40s came up and spoke to me in Georgian, and I told him in Russian that I didn’t know Russian. And he said to me, “I’m going back to Azerbaijan, could you treat me to something, at least a shaberma?” I didn’t think he sounded dangerous. Of course, if I have money, I can treat him, but I don’t have any money because of the rising prices, so I said: “I’m sorry.” But in hindsight, I could have made friends with this Azeri. He wasn’t dressed nicely, and I thought he must be a very needy person. So I wanted to help him. But I didn’t have the courage to do it. I felt defensive and cautious: what if I went somewhere with this man, ate as much as he wanted, and then left, or what if he became dangerous? It was very pathetic. I felt so pathetic and realized that I was still a little kid. Of course, it’s only my second day in Georgia, so I’m still getting used to it, but I also feel like I have to help those who need it because we’re all friends and we’re all human. I’m really sorry about that. Next time I see someone in need, I’ll give them a treat.” When I said no, he said: “Oh, I see. I understand. It’s okay,” and walked away. But his eyes were fixed on my new iphone14. His thoughts were, “You sure have the money, why do you have this phone and not the 5 rali?”
Then we went up and finally made it to the hill.

Big bike on the hill!

The view from there was absolutely beautiful. It really was the best scenery. Georgia was created at the foot of the mountains and peaks towering in the Caucasus region. It was really beautiful. I took selfies there. And there was a cafe nearby and I thought I would go there next time. Then I found a store called “Hinkari House” and kept walking around. Finally, I got there! But there was no one in the store, which was strange. I wondered if this was really the place to go. I checked and found that there were 5 stores with the name “Hinckley House” so I had to ask Constantine which one he was telling me about. While I was taking pictures and listening to him, there was a subway station nearby and I was curious to see who was playing musical instruments in the square around it, so I listened to him play. Then I sat in that square and watched people. I was curious about the people in Georgia. They were very interesting to me.
Then I got up and decided it was time to eat, so I decided to go to a very heavy and very fancy cafe.
 

Dinner at an expensive cafe

I decided to eat outside, on the terrace. It was a cafe, so it wasn’t a full meal, but there I ordered the first thing I ate was Sprava wine, the famous wine of Georgia, and small-sized khinkali. The total cost was about 1,200 yen. A little pricey, but it was an insanely wonderful time. It was a very, very important moment for me to be able to come to Georgia alone and see such scenery. When the waiter was serving wine, I asked: “This is Georgia wine, isn’t it?” I could be open and communicate with him. Naturally, I became open and sociable. I thought, ‘People really can do that if they want to.’ In a dangerous situation or when a life is at stake, we really can do anything. Of course, that doesn’t mean that lives are at stake, but when we’re not connected as human beings, we feel alone, and that has a huge impact on our body. So we try very hard to make connections to prevent that loneliness. My brother had a perm and his hair was brown. When he brought me khachapuri, he said: “This is another Georgian dish, do you know it?” He told me. Then he said: “Have fun!” I was very happy. I was smiling, too.

Khachapuri and Georgian wine.

With Georgian wine!

Splavi, a wine from Georgia, is very good, but it’s such a purple color that it can seem a little stale. So when I drank it, I had a pretty hard time taking selfies because my lips turned purple. I just can’t help but feel uncomfortable, lol. It was really nice to be able to have a really pretty look and be able to eat outside. As I looked at this supremely romantic view, I was just so overwhelmed with, “Yay!” By this time it was getting cold and I decided it was time to leave. It was getting very dark outside.

Lunch on a hill with a beautiful view

After paying the bill, I hit the road. The walk downstairs, listening to music, was very pleasant. There were lots of cars and not a single Japanese. It was great. They looked at me strangely or like I was a foreigner, but that’s okay. I’m Japanese, and there are Middle Easterners, Georgians, and Russians everywhere, so no Asians here, no matter how multicultural the country is.

The city center with many stores

There are Khachapuri magnets in the gift store!

I started walking down the mountain and finally ended up at my apartment. Since I was there, I decided to make a little detour and walk around to different places. In doing so, I found a place with many restaurants that looked like food stands.It really was a place where there were all kinds of restaurants, from Persian to Turkish. Foreigners also ate there. There were a lot of people there. The gift store also had some Georgian T-shirts and magnets, and I thought I would like to buy them at the end of my trip.
Then I turned onto a dark road and finally went to a supermarket. There I bought a bottle of Georgian wine, a wine opener, and some fruit for 50 yen (probably muscats).
When I got home, I ate the fruit and it was delicious. Well, that’s it for today.

Grapes bought at the supermarket.

At the same time, I was able to do one thing. I went to a restaurant alone. Until now, even when I was in Russia, I was very reluctant to go into a restaurant alone, and it took a lot of courage. But this time I was able to go into a cafe and order food by myself. I think that’s a very big growth. As for myself, I am very happy. I did it! I’m really happy. It took a lot of courage, so I’m glad I was able to break through. That’s how I want to strive to be confident by challenging myself every single day. Also, I was able to come to Georgia by myself, something I had been thinking about since 2019 when I was a college student, at the time I couldn’t go to Georgia and do nomadism, but I wanted to do it someday! I’m so happy that I can do it now. That’s another thing I’ve accomplished.