The Long Goodbye

My long goodbye will have to be short. We're leaving in a few minutes for the train that will take us to Kansai Airport, and it feels like I've only just arrived here a short time ago. I mean, I just learned how to add pictures to the blog last night, for goodness sake!

Anyway, much thanks to Mike and Colleen for introducing us to their unfailingly awesome friends and gorgeous adopted home. You two really were the hosts with the mosts.

Also much thanks must go to Kyle, a patient travel partner who helped make this an incredibly fun and memorable trip. (And who kept me from spending these last few nights sans wallet sleeping on the streets!)

Okey, doke, gotta run. I'll continue to post trip stuff after I return home.

Ame-mura the Beautiful

Wow, the days are beginning to escape me! Later in the day Tuesday, we spent the evening in Ame-mura, or "American Village." We didn't find patriotic t-shirts or anything there, but what we did find was a slice of youth cuture. There were lots of trendy shops and a pretty awesome Used Kids-esque record store. The prices at the store were, well, pricey, but I managed to find a sale rack of 7" records. For 300 yen (less than $3) we picked up 10 singles in all. Rad. Dinner found us at a nearby Subway restaurant (I wasn't foolin' about Kyle being desparate for American food), and then we made our way home. (An aside: I can't imagine how many miles we've walked on this trip, but "a shit-ton" seems to be a fair description. Good thing, as my main food of late has been chocolate and egg-salad sandwiches.)



Once we got back to our hotel, we checked the selection of free videos we could borrow from extensive selection of B-movie options and started on the evening's featured film: Ghost Dad. It was not as good as you remember, even if you remember that the critics ranked it "top" in their lists of the worst movies of 1990, as the IMDB later revealed.

Wednesday, we went for a ride on what is billed (depending on which sign you read) as either The Biggest or One of the Biggest Ferris Wheels in the World. While I sort of doubt its claims of world supremacy, it was pretty freakin' tall -- enough to make me feel sort of shaky, even though the cars were enclosed in glass. The ride was sort of deserted -- I think we were the only ones on the daggone thing, although business appeared to be picking up as we were leaving.



Afterward, we went to gaze in the windows of Greens, a vegetarian restaurant Mike said was likely closed, since Wednesdays are a typical day off for many businesses. I insisted on torturing myself by checking it out, though, and I was rewarded for my efforts -- the place was open, and for less than 800 yen, we could have a vegetarian buffet! It was rad, as I have really been hurting for veggies on this trip (as Colleen said when we were in Kyoto, "I'm tired of eating shit food!" i.e. the fast-food and convenience store food we all started eating sometime after spending $50 per couple for small plates of Mexican food, which is a rare find in Japan. But I digress.)

Ah ... so, at Greens, we found fresh, non-iceburg lettuce salad, pasta with beans, delicious bread and rice -- heaven. Then we headed back to our hotel, where in the lobby, they were watching Ghost Dad. For reals. Maybe now is a good time for a word about this hotel. Apparently this and other hotels in the region used to cater to day-laborers, but since the economy here has soured, they started reaching out to 20-something travelers. The price for a room is beyond-reasonable for a U.S. hotel, nevermind a Japanese place -- it is costing us about 3,000 yen a night apiece, and includes free internet and coffee, free videos, air-conditioned rooms with VCRs and mini-fridges ... in all, pretty amazing. And this place isn't even the cheapest spot around -- next door, a room can be rented for 1,500 yen for rooms on the lower level (less than $15) down to 1,000 yen at the top (we're guessing there aren't any elevators in the five-story building). Anyhoo, we have what appears to be some day-laborers here, but mostly foreigners, a pretty even number of whom are traveling or are in search of work. For those who are looking for work, this place becomes like a dorm, I think, and many of them hang out in the lobby all the time -- hence, the Ghost Dad incident. We're going to see later if we can repeat the phenomenon, although last night's flick pick, Airheads, would probably be even more challenging to convince people to watch.



So far today, Thursday, we've done some more wandering around department stores and through the city's streets. There's some good people-watching here, for sure, and checking out all the Engrish is pretty fun, too. I think I should be able to post some more pictures in a bit.

(Oh, and there are more new pics on the Flickr page)

Konichiwa Osaka!

After several days in Kyoto, Colleen split from us yesterday and headed home, leaving us once again to Mike's care. :( Without her as our culinary voice of reason, we ended up at a Wendy's. Not too bad -- Kyle was very adventurous, food-wise, at the start of this trip, but after an unfortunate convenience-store dinner of a mystery meat sandwich and meat－flavored Doritos, he's become a bit more particular about what he consumes.

Anyway, Kyoto was a blur of overwhelmingly beautiful shrines, ranging from "Thousand-armed" Buddhas to a seemingly unending procession of orange gates (and spiders that had made their homes in the gates, eep!). One of my favorite stops wasn't　 ａ 　ｓｈｒｉｎｅ 　ａｔ　 ａｌｌ， ｔｈｏｕｇｈ　 （ｍｙ 　ａｐｏｌｏｇｉｅｓ　 ｉｆ 　ｔｈｅ 　ｆｏｎｔ’ｓ 　ｇｏｎｅ 　ａｌｌ 　ｗｏｎｋｙ 　－－ 　Ｉ 　ｃａｎ’ｔ　 ｆｉｇｕｒｅ 　ｏｕｔ　 ｔｈｉｓ ｃｕｒｓｅｄ　 ｉｎｔｅｒｎａｔｉｏｎａｌ　 ｋｅｙｂｏａｒｄ [hopefully this all works now]），　 ｂｕｔ　 ａ　 ｐｅａｃｅ　 ｍｕｓｅｕｍ 　ａｆｆｉｌｉａｔｅｄ 　ｗｉｔｈ　 ａ　 ｌｏｃａｌ　 ｃｏｌｌｅｇｅ． 　Ｉｔ　 ｗａｓ　 ｐｒｅｔｔｙ　 ｉｎｔｅｒｅｓｔｉｎｇ　 ｔｏ 　ｓｅｅ 　ａ 　ｐｅｒｓｐｅｃｔｉｖｅ　 ｏｎ　 ｗａｒ， 　ＷＷＩＩ 　ａｎｄ　 ｃｕｒｒｅｎｔ　-ｄａｙ　 ｍａｔｔｅｒｓ　 ｏｕｔ　 ｏｆ 　ｔｈｅ　 Ｕ．Ｓ．　

Ｗｅ　 ｓｐｅｎｔ　 ａ 　ｇｏｏｄ　 ｄｅａｌ　 ｏｆ　 ｔｏｄａｙ　 ｉｎ 　Ｎａｒａ， 　ｈｏｍｅ　 ｔｏ 　ａ 　ｇｉｎｏｒｍｏｕｓ　 ｗｏｏｄｅｎ　 ｓｈｒｉｎｅ 　ｃｒａｍｍｅｄ　 ｗｉｔｈ 　Ｊａｐａｎｅｓｅ　ｓｃｈｏｏｌｃｈｉｌｄｒｅｎ 　ｐｒａｃｔｉｃｉｎｇ 　ｔｈｅｉｒ 　Ｅｎｇｌｉｓｈ　 ｂｙ　 ｓｈｏｕｔｉｎｇ　 "Ｈｅｌｌｏ！"　ａｔ 　ｕｓ 　（ｈｏｗ ａｎｎｏｙｉｎｇ 　ｉｔ ｍｕｓｔ 　ｂｅ　 ｔｏ 　ｂｅ， 　ｌｉｋｅ，　 Ｆｒｅｎｃｈ, ａｎｄ　 ｈａｖｅ 　ｅｖｅｒｙｏｎｅ 　ａｓｓｕｍｅ 　ｙｏｕ’ｒｅ 　Ａｍｅｒｉｃａｎ）　 ａｎｄ ａ 　ｒｉｄｉｃｕｌｏｕｓ　 ｎｕｍｂｅｒ 　ｏｆ　 ｓｍａｌｌ　 ｔａｍｅ　 ｄｅｅｒ．　 Ｔｈｅ　 ｄｅｅｒ　 ｗｅｒｅ　 ｓｕｐｅｒ－ｋａｗａｉｉ， 　ｉｆ ｍｏｒｅ 　ｔｈａｎ 　ａ 　ｂｉｔ　 ｐｕｓｈｙ　 －－　 ｗｅ　 ｗａｔｃｈｅｄ　 ｏｎｅ　 ｔｒｙ 　ｔｏ　 ｓｔｅａｌ ｔｈｅ ｌｕｎｃｈ ｆｒｏｍ a 　ｓｃｈｏｏｌｂｏｙ’ｓ 　ｌａｐ． 　Ｌａｔｅｒ 　ｉｎ　 ｔｈｅ　ａｆｔｅｒｎｏｏｎ，　 ｗｅ ｂｏａｒｄｅｄ　 ｔｈｅ　 ｔｒａｉｎ 　ｆｏｒ 　Ｏｓａｋａ． 　Ｉｔ　 ｗａｓ　 ａｒｏｕｎｄ ｔｈｅｎ 　ｔｈａｔ　 ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　 ｓｔａｒｔｅｄ　 ｔｏ 　ｇｏ　 ｗｒｏｎｇ，　 ａｌｔｈｏｕｇｈ Ｉ　 ｗｏｕｌｄｎ’ｔ　 ｒｅａｌｉｚｅ 　ｉｔ　 ｕｎｔｉｌ 　ｌａｔｅｒ．　Ａｎｙｗａｙ，　 Ｉ　 ｂｏｕｇｈｔ　 ｍｙ ｔｒａｉｎ　 ｔｉｃｋｅｔ，　 ｓｈｏｖｅｄ 　ｍｙ　 ｗａｌｌｅｔ 　ｉｎ　 ｍｙ　 ｐｏｃｋｅｔ　 ａｎｄ　 ｔｈｅｎ　 ｒａｎ　 ｗｉｔｈ 　Ｍｉｋｅ　 ａｎｄ 　Ｋｙｌｅ 　ｔｏ 　ｔｈｅ 　ｔｒａｉｎ． 　Ａ　 ２０－ｍｉｎｕｔｅ　 ｒｉｄｅ　 ｔｈｒｏｕｇｈ 　ｌｕｓｈ，　 ｕｎｄｕｌａｔｉｎｇ　 ｓｃｅｎｅｒｙ 　ａｎｄ　 ｗｅ　 ｗｅｒｅ　 ｈｅｒｅ， 　ｉｎ 　Ｏｓａｋａ．　 Ｗｅ　 ｇｏt 　ｏｕｔ 　ｏｆ 　ｔｈｅ 　ｔｒａｉｎ 　ｓｔａｔｉｏｎ 　ｔｏ 　ｓｅｅ 　ｔｗｏ　 ｍｅｎ 　ｙｅｌｌｉｎｇ 　ａｔ 　ａｎｏｔｈｅｒ　 ｍａｎ 　ｏｎ 　ｔｈｅ 　ｇｒｏｕｎｄ． 　Ｆｒｏｍ 　ｗｈａｔ 　Ｍｉｋｅ　 ｃｏｕｌｄ 　ａｓｃｅｒｔａｉｎ， 　ｉｔ 　ａｐｐｅａｒｅｄ　 ｔｈａｔ　 ｔｈｅｙ 　ｗｅｒｅ 　ａｃｃｕｓｉｎｇ 　ｈｉｍ　 ｏｆ　 ｓｔｅａｌｉｎｇ, 　ａｎｄ 　ｗａｎｔｅｄ　 ｔｏ　 ｌｏｏｋ 　ｉｎ 　ｈｉｓ　 ｐｏｃｋｅｔｓ． 　Ｍｉｋｅ 　ｈａｄ 　ｗａｒｎｅｄ　 ｕｓ 　ｏｕｒ　 ｈｏｔｅｌ 　ｗａｓ　 ｉｎ 　ａ 　ｇｒｉｔｔｉｅｒ 　ａｒｅａ 　ｔｈａｎ 　ａｎｙｔｈｉｎｇ　 ｗｅ’ｄ 　ｓｅｅｎ 　ｓｏ 　ｆａｒ (at this point, 　ｅｖｅｎ　 ｔｈｅ 　ｂｉｇ 　ｃｉｔｉｅｓ 　ｈａｖｅ 　ｂｅｅｎ 　ａｍａｚｉｎｇｌｙ 　ｃｌｅａｎ）， 　ｂｕｔ 　ｅｖｅｎ　 ｈｅ 　ｓａｉｄ 　ｈｅ 　ｈａｄｎ’ｔ 　ｓｅｅｎ　 ａｎｙｔｈｉｎｇ 　ｌｉｋｅ 　ｔｈａｔ 　ｈｅｒｅ． 　Ａｎｙｈｏｏ，　 ｗｅ 　ｗｅｎｔ 　ｔｏ 　ｐａｙ ｆｏｒ 　ｏｕｒ 　ｈｏｔｅｌ　 ｒｏｏｍ， 　ａｎｄ　 ｉｔ 　ｗａｓ 　ｔｈｅｒｅ 　ｔｈａｔ　 Ｉ　 ｄｉｓｃｏｖｅｒｅｄ　 ｍｙ　 ｗａｌｌｅｔ　 ｗａｓ 　ｍｉｓｓｉｎｇ． 　：（

Ｄｏｎ’ｔ　 ｆｒｅａｋ 　ｏｕｔ， 　Ｍｏｍ 　ａｎｄ 　Ｄａｄ　 －－ 　Ｉ’ｖｅ 　ｇｏｔ 　ｉｔ 　ｕｎｄｅｒ 　ｃｏｎｔｒｏｌ．

Ｆｒｏｍ　 ｗｈａｔ 　Ｉ 　ｃａｎ　 ｔｅｌｌ， 　ｉｔ　 ｐｒｏｂａｂｌｙ 　ｆｅｌｌ　 ｏｕｔ 　ｗｈｅｎ 　Ｉ　 ｗａｓ 　ｒｕｎｎｉｎｇ　 ｆｏｒ　 ｔｈｅ　 ｔｒａｉｎ．　 Ｉｔ　 ｓｕｃｋｓ 　ｔｏ　 ｈａｖｅ　 ｌｏｓｔ　 ｉｔ，　 ｂｕｔ 　ａｌｌ 　ｔｈｉｎｇｓ　 ｃｏｎｓｉｄｅｒｅｄ，　 ｉｔ’ｓ 　ｎｏｔ　 ｅｖｅｎ 　ｃｌｏｓｅ 　ｔｏ 　ｔｈｅ　 ｗｏｒｓｔ 　ｔｈｉｎｇ　 Ｉ　 ｃｏｕｌｄ　 ｈａｖｅ　 ｌｏｓｔ. Ｉ　 ｈａｄ　 ｎｏｗｈｅｒｅ　 ｎｅａｒ　 ａｓ　 ｍｕｃｈ　 ｃａｓｈ 　ａｓ　 Ｉ　 ｈａｄ　 ｂｅｅｎ　 ｃａｒｒｙｉｎｇ 　ｅａｒｌｉｅｒ 　ｉｎ 　ｔｈｅ 　ｔｒｉｐ，　 ｆｏｒ　 ｏｎｅ， ａｎｄ 　Ｉ 　ｗｏｕｌｄ　 ｈａｖｅ　 ｂｅｅｎ 　ｗａｙ 　ｍｏｒｅ　 ｂｕｍｍｅｄ 　ｔｏ　 ｈａｖｅ　 ｌｏｓｔ　 ｍｙ　 ｃａｍｅｒａ　, oｒ 　ｅｖｅｎ 　ｍｙ　 ｃａｍｅｒａ’ｓ　 ｍｅｍｏｒｙ 　ｃａｒｄ． 　Ｆｏｒ　 ｎｏｗ， 　Ｋｙｌｅ 　ｗｉｌｌ 　ｂｅ 　ｍｙ 　ｓｕｇａｒ 　ｄａｄｄｙ， 　Ｃｏｌｌｅｅｎ’ｓ　 ｃａｎｃｅｌｉｎｇ 　ｍｙ 　ＡＴＭ 　ｃａｒｄｓ，　 ａｎｄ 　ｗｈｅｎ 　Ｉ 　ｇｅｔ 　ｈｏｍｅ， 　Ｉ 　ｗｉｌｌ 　ｊｕｓｔ 　ｈａｖｅ 　ｔｏ 　ｄｅａｌ 　ｗｉｔｈ　 ｔｈｅ 　ａｎｎｏｙａｎｃｅ 　ｏｆ 　ｇｏｉｎｇ 　ｔｏ 　ｔｈｅ 　ＤＭＶ, ｒｅｐｌａｃｉｎｇ 　ｔｈｅ 　ｃａｒｄｓ， 　ｅｔｃ． 　Ｔｈｅ　 ｍｏｓｔ 　ｌｏｎｇ－ｔｅｒｍ 　ｉｍｐａｃｔ 　ｗｉｌｌ 　ｂｅ 　ｔｈｅ 　ｌｏｓｓ 　ｏｆ 　ｍｙ　 ｓｔｕｄｅｎｔ 　ＩＤ， 　ａｎｄ 　Ｉ’ｖｅ 　ｐｒｏｂａｂｌｙ 　ｂｅｅｎ 　ｍｉｌｋｉｎｇ　 ｔｈａｔ 　ｐａｒｔｉｃｕｌａｒ　 ｄｉｓｃｏｕｎｔ 　ｌｏｎｇ 　ｅｎｏｕｇｈ．

Ｓｏ　 ｙｅａｈ，　 ｔｈａｔ’ｓ　 ｔｈａｔ．　 Ｏｎ　 ｔｈｅ　 ｒｅｓｔ 　ｏｆ 　ｔｈｅ 　ａｇｅｎｄａ 　ｆｏｒ 　ｔｏｄａｙ： 　ｇｏｉｎｇ 　ｔｏ　 ｔｈｅ　 "Ａｍｅｒｉｃａ" ｓｅｃｔｉｏｎ 　ｏｆ 　ｔｏｗｎ　 －－ 　"Ａｍｅｒｉｃａ，" 　ｉｎ 　ｔｈｉｓ　 ｃａｓｅ，　 ｓｔａｎｄｉｎｇ　 ｆｏｒ 　"ｙｏｕｔｈ" 　-- ａｎｄ 　ｐｅｒｈａｐｓ 　ｔａｋｉｎｇ　 ａ 　ｎａｐ 　ｕｎｄｅｒ 　ｔｈｅ 　ｗａｌｌ－ｍｏｕｎｔｅｄ　 ａｉｒ-ｃｏｎｄｉｔｉｏｎｅｒ　 （ａｆｔｅｒ 　ａ 　ｃｈｉｌｌｙ　 ｓｔａｒｔ 　ｔｏ 　ｏｕｒ 　ｔｒｉｐ，　 ｔｈｅ 　ｌａｓｔ 　ｃｏｕｐｌｅ　 ｏｆ　 ｄａｙｓ 　ｈａｖｅ 　ｂｅｅｎ 　ｈｏｔｈｏｔｈｏｔ)． 　Ｎｏｗ　 ｔｈａｔ 　Ｉ 　ｈａｖｅ 　ｒｅｇｕｌａｒ　 ａｃｃｅｓｓ　 ｔｏ 　ａ 　ｃｏｍｐｕｔｅｒ 　（ｉｆ　 ｎｏｔ 　ａ 　ｒｅｇｕｌａｒ 　ｃｏｍｐｕｔｅｒ 　ｋｅｙｂｏａｒｄ） ｆｏｒ 　ａ 　ｆｅｗ　 ｄａｙｓ， 　Ｉ 　ｗｉｌｌ 　ｔｒｙ　 ｔｏ　 ｐｏｓｔ 　ｍｏｒｅ 　ｒｅｇｕｌａｒｌｙ 　ａｎｄ　 ｐｅｒｈａｐｓ 　ａｄｄ 　ａ 　ｆｅｗ　 ｍｏｒｅ 　ｐｉｃｔｕｒｅｓ．

Thanks for your patience!

Hey dudes, I finally got off my duff and got some of my pictures onto Flickr. They can be found (in no particular order, especially the rainbow photo, which was taken in Columbus) at: www.flickr.com/photos/10bagspacking/

On kawaii and kancho

Oooof. Sorry the last post was so long! I'll try to be more concise.

Anyhoo, Thursday was another day of the kiddies, as Colleen (off of work because it's time for midterms at her school and she doesn't have any tests for the kiddos), Kyle and I joined Mike for his lessons at a local elementary school. But before we left the apartment, he had a warning: watch out for kancho. What is it?, you might wonder -- It's sort of an extreme wedgie, and apparently the kids love giving it, adult or no. Basically, to kancho you, a kid will clasp his hands together, stick out his first fingers and then try to shove them up your butt. For reals. I took care to walk holding my purse behind me, to serve as a make-do kancho shield, but as it turned out, even though the kids appeared to have injested five Red Bulls apiece, no attempts were made on our posteriors. That was probably aided in no small part by our decision to forgo lunch in the school cafeteria and the resulting playground time (during which many of the kids ride unicycles, apparently -- wow!) in favor of McDonald's. No, really. Mike wanted to try the shrimp fillet, and I was just excited about the thought of ice cream, as Kyle and I have been fighting nasty head colds since our arrival. McDonald's, was, well, McDonald's -- you have to give them credit for consistency, even if I was left scraping bacon bits off of my salad.

After lunch, we returned to the school and for more lessons -- we helped them with introductions, the alphabet, days of the week and a card matching game. The kids were super-kawaii -- cute -- during the games, settling any dispute with a spirited match of Rock-Paper-Scissors.

Later in the day, we headed to Colleen and Mike's favorite bar/eatery in Ichinomiya, where the proprietor, a guy in his mid-30s with surfer-feathered red hair and baggy cargo pants, mixed us drinks and made us dinner -- a huge salad, two kinds of pizza (including one with asparagus and eggplant, yum), two kinds of pasta, and for dessert, homemade mango gelato. The mango, he said, came from a friend -- and indeed, it must've been a very good friend, as, he told us, one mango costs about $100 in Japan. Ouch.

A good dinner deserves a good TV show, and we returned home to watch a copy of this week's episode of Lost. Yay for the internets.

We were fairly slow getting up this morning, Friday, but eventually headed out to Himeji, to see its famous castle, which is on the world registry of historic places (or something like that -- I can't remember the exact wording). But first -- and this seems to be the theme of this trip -- we headed out for food, finally opting for a homemade udon shop. As we ate, we watched the cook quickly roll out the udon batter and then use a special knife to chop it into uniform strips before rinsing the noodles in the sink. Yum.

Next up was the castle itself, a prime tourist destination. The castle -- which dates back to the 1600s and which was rebuilt in the mid-1950s -- was gorgeous. We toured the grounds before going up six flights of ever more-steep stairs, checking out historical artifacts along the way. We'd been required to remove our shoes on entering the structure, but the steps of thousands of people making this trip before us meant the wooden stairs had been worn smooth, leaving no danger of splinters. The top of the castle provided a panoramic view of the city and was a nice reminder of how modern life and history can co-exist.

After the castle, we headed out to a small park for some Japanese-style fair food. Kyle and Colleen shared some takoyaki (batter balls with diced octopus inside), while I opted for mochi (a sticky rice cake) on a stick. We did some shopping and then it was time for the main event -- Kyle and Mike's show at Cafe Ease.

Kyle was pretty nervous, but sounded great -- the cafe was small, but had a relatively powerful and clear sound system. His pop culture references and puns didn't quite connect with the Japanese audience, but elicited some laughs from the expats in the crowd. And Mike, welp, anyone who can seguey from Mims' "This is Why I'm Hot" to a cover of "Love Will Tear Us Apart" wins my undying affection. The Japanese acts -- whose names my overly tired brain is forgetting -- were also great, particularly the headlining act, which combined lilting lyrics with flute, sax and melodica. And again, we had an overly gracious host in the bar's proprietor, who gave me my berry liquer drink for free, among other things. I told Colleen and Mike that I was happy to be friends with such awesome people as them, because it meant they have ridiculously kind friends, too. (Hope that makes sense -- it's 2:30 a.m. here now. ;) )

Speaking of which, I should go -- we're getting up early tomorrow to head out to Kyoto. From there, we will visit Nara, after that is Osaka and finally, home. Not sure how much internet access (if any) I will have, but I will post something if I'm able. (And will try tomorrow morning to post some pictures, although I'm not making any promises!)

Ohayo!

Ah, time -- and jet lag -- is trampling over my hopes of doing a daily blog post! Let's see if I can catch up.

Tuesday, after watching the sumo meet (and Dawson's Creek, during the foreign television hour) we headed to the nearest "mall" -- similar to a multi-level grocery store and a department store combined. I was in search of cute Japanese fabric as well as the finest items the 100 yen store could provide me, including, I hoped, some fresh socks and undies. I was successful on all accounts, buying some gifts for others and two pairs of underwear (pickins' were limited, as I needed something that would cover my chubby, non-Japanese butt). I put on the first pair Tuesday night, and they were comfy, in a boy shorts sort of way. Wednesday's pair was a whole 'nother story. The I was just about rip the tag off the pale blue cotton undies when I noticed the tag had what looked like a large oversized raindrop on it, with the phrase "Irretention Shorts" on it. Below that, in smaller print was a French phrase. Now, I'm no Francophone, but "culotte d'incontinence" reads the same in pretty much any language, I think. I touched the crotch and it gave a plasticy crackle. I'd bought myself obaasan underwear!

Also Tuesday, when I wasn't busying myself buying grandma underwear, I was taking part in "American Conversation Hour" with some adult students of Mike's. The night's students were Tamako, Kobayashi and the Yamadas, who owned the preschool where we met and who made us dinner. The meal was composed of these savory, egg-and-batter concoctions with veggies and fish cake that Colleen said roughly translated as "as you like it," udon noodles with basically the same flavoring, sushi with mayonaise (which is actually quite delicious -- mayo is a big condiment here, after soy sauce) and, for dessert, a yummy strawberry custard-like dish made from tofu. Not a bad dinner, although I an unintentional bite of tuna and the taste of bonito powder confirmed for me that I am not meant to be a fish-eater. Tamako, the preschool's cook, said she was shy, but was probably the biggest talker of the group and spoke the most English, showing us cell phone photos of some of the crafts she's made, and teaching us how to say "oishiso,""it looks delicious." After some beeru, Mr. Yamada, already proving himself to be a bit of a character, got even more animated, getting up from the floor to teach us some puns (the particulars of which escape me right now, oops).

Jet lag appeared to catch up with me Wednesday, as I woke up just as the sky was beginning to grow light, the birds' chirping not yet quieted by the white noise of traffic. It was just before 5 a.m., and there was no way I was going back to sleep. So I went on a walk, up the hill behind their apartment, past a small graveyard and near the stadium that hosted a sports festival last year, and then down around the residential area to Ichinomiya's small commercial area. Colleen and Mike are the only foreigners in this side of town, so my walking attracted some attention, which made me feel shy, particularly since I was so tired that I couldn't remember how to say "good morning!" (which, duh, is "Ohayo!, pronounced the same as our dear Buckeye State).

Just as common as the rice patties out here are small shrines tucked into the landscape, befitting for a town whose name translates as "first shrine." Many of the statues inside them are wearing fabric bibs (I'm not sure why, I keep forgetting to ask) and have food placed out in front. The plants are beginning to bloom here, although the trees -- with the exception of the sakura, or cherry blossom, which peaked in April -- have yet to flower, a sight Mike and Colleen say is particularly lovely.

Late Wednesday morning, our luggage arrived and I was able to finally take a shower. The bathroom here is separated into two rooms, the toilet in one and the shower/tub in another. The warmlet, which I mentioned before, is proving to be a favorite of mine, and applicance I've found nearly everwhere. The seat heats up when you sit down, which in my opinion, is genius. The model Colleen and Mike have in their compact bathroom actually has the sink tied into the toilet tank, so when you flush (turning the knob a different direction, depending on whether it's a "big flush" or a little one), a faucet allows you to use fresh water from the tank. Pretty neat. But back to the shower.

The room housing the shower is probably sixteen square feet or so and includes a small sink, a narrow but deep recessed metal tub, a tiled floor with a drain and a showerhead hanging on the wall, on the edge of the tub. The idea is that a tall person can stand in the metal tub to shower, while a shorter person can just shower without getting inside of it, Colleen explained to Kyle and me. The shower was great -- perfect pressure, warm -- it was hard to get out. If I had one like it in Columbus, my hygeine might improve by leaps and bounds!

After we were dressed and ready, Mike took us to Joyfull, a sit-down restaurant with "American"-style food as well as the big draw, a soup and drink bar. On the menu were foods such as spaghetti with bacon strips and fried egg, but I opted for something a bit more tame: a salad with tofu and what was basically scrambled eggs with soy sauce and other flavorings. Mike told us that Joyfull has a bad reputation as being a place where the microwave is the main cooking tool, and while Kyle's chicken skewer lent creedence to that belief, the delicious fried root dish Mike ordered for us proved the microwave isn't the only weapon in the restaurant's arsenal. While I opted out of the soup bar, I was thrilled by the drink bar, which gave me a chance to check out some of the sodas I'd been curious about. First up was a melon drink, which despite its unholy green glow, was actually not too strong-tasting, reminding me of Midori liquer. An orange soda was a bit of a letdown, with a pretty weak taste, but White Water proved to be my favorite. Living up to its name the drink was a milky white, but tasted like cream soda. Yum.

Next up was a trip to Monkey Park, in a nearby town. After paying the entrance and a pit stop at the park restroom ("pit stop" being fairly literal, as this was my first time using the traditional, pit-style toilet) we climbed up a steep trail to where we would encounter the monkeys. While the monkeys are wild, they congregate in one particular place on the hill, because an area for them to play on ropes, spinning wheels and the such has been built, and more importantly, there is an enclosed place for visitors to feed them. We saw a rare golden monkey hanging out on a rooftop as well as, from afar, a tiny baby monkey, which was pretty much the cutest thing I've ever seen.

After a few "oh, shit!" moments involving the monkeys running precariously close to us, we entered what Tamako and Kobayashi had termed the "human zoo," (the people are inside the cage, and the monkeys are on the outside). I bought a can of monkey food for 100 yen and then dropped the pellets in a small trough accessible to the monkeys through the fencing. A particularly aggressive female monkey ate most of the food -- I understood why none of her fellow monkeys tangled with her when I ended up on the receiving end of her aggression; I made the mistake of making prolonged eye contact with her, and she screamed and threw herself against the cage, making me happy I'd already made a trip to the bathroom.

After leaving Monkey Park, we headed to the Yamadas' preschool -- a miscommunication involving me wanting to take photographs at dinner the night before had led to an invitation to take pictures the next day -- and Mike, at six-foot-something, was clearly a crowd-pleaser, with the children using him as a jungle gym, lining up to climb on him. Shortly after we arrived, Tamako greeted us with a surprise: small cookies she made to look like each of us. It was an incredibly touching and sweet surprise.

Later in the evening, we headed to the home of Osaki, a woman who has been a mentor and friend to Colleen since her arrival. Her home was gorgeous, and unsurprisingly so -- the same company who built the castle we'd visited also built her house -- and was filled with cozy nooks behind sliding doors, as well as art and crafts from her travels around the world. Dinner was amazing. Osaki had set aside vegetarian versions of the meal for me, which was a tremendous kindness -- and included miso with lightly fried tofu, tempura, edamame, pickled onions, and for everyone else, roasted salmon. After dinner, Mike, Kyle and I watched television -- a special about the Mall of America, which appeared to have been taped somewhere in the late 1990s/early 2000s, while Osaki and Colleen readied themselves to host a traditional tea ceremony.

The ceremony was held in a room set aside especially for that purpose, and Osaki showed me the proper way to enter, crawling and bowing before contemplating a scroll and vase of flowers and finally coming to rest on a mat. The ceremony is hard to describe, as each move required remarkable precision, but basically Kyle, Mike and I sat on the floor while Osaki took Colleen (and, at times, us) through the paces, giving us sweets, balls of sticky rice filled with red bean paste and wrapped in leaves, before we drank the tea, green tea Colleen made by whipping the tea powder with hot water using a bamboo whisk. Despite the caffeinated tea, Kyle and I were dragging by the end and we headed home, on our way to sweet, sweet sleep.

In keeping with the tradition of being a step behind in writing this thing, the update on Thursday's activities will come later. ;)

Gomennasi

Before we left, co-worker Jen told me gomennasi, or, "so sorry," would be a phrase worth knowing, as we'd inevitably find ourselves making mistakes left and right in Japan. Welp, I haven't had opportunity to use it since our arrival last night, when we were on the receiving of several "so sorrys."

We were in Osaka. Our bags, said the man who greeted us at the entrance to the baggage claim area, were ... somewhere else. And they still are somewhere ... else. Where they are remains unclear.*

And I, I smell, thanks to a.) using hippie deodorant b.) last showering Saturday (today is, er, Tuesday, although I did leap ahead by a day thanks to the magic of time zones, making me *slightly* less disgusting than the timeline would imply) c.) hiking twice already today in Haga, a nearby town, where we saw a waterfall, and a castle, two snakes and an unbelievably clear, blue stream.

Anyway.

Japan so far -- and Ichinomiya, the town Colleen and Mike live in, is amazing. I would show you pictures, but the card reader is in my luggage, which is ... you get the idea. We made the three-hour drive last night in the dark, so it wasn't until this morning that we got a good look around. Flying on a pole outside of our bedroom window -- and throughout the village, we later discovered, are fish-shaped windsocks, one for each child in a family. The houses are small and close together, perched on the edge of narrow winding roads, and many with small rice patties along side them, the first green sprigs of the rice plants beginning to poke out. Mountains, lush with trees, surround the village. The trees, Mike, our tour guide while Colleen worked, were actually planted post-World War II as part of the reconstruction effort and are beginning to tumble in their old age.

Colleen and Mike's apartment is small and reportedly overrun with what Mike has named the "mold monster," - humidity is quite the problem here, apparently -- but it is, just like the brand of their television, Precious. Downstairs is their small kitchen, with a dorm-sized fridge and equally wee (and pastel-colored) food processor and coffee maker. The stove range has two burners, with the oven, slightly larger than a toaster, separate. Also separate are the toilet and the shower/tub rooms, of which I will get into greater detail later.

But now you must excuse me -- I have sumo to watch. Later: a recap on the visit to Seattle and our near-missed flight, the Honolulu airport and the "warmlet."

*Ah, Mike got a call while I was writing this! Our suitcases are here! And by "here" I mean, "here, in Japan," but they will be here at the apartment by tomorrow afternoon. Clean underwear might be more than a dream after all.

Leaving on a Jet Plane

Okay, the bags are packed, the work is ... well, not yet finished, meaning I will be writing things out by hand and then re-writing when I arrive in Seattle at midnight tonight (my three-day detour to the other side of the world), but still ... I'm on my way.

Over and out,
Jaydubs

Testing, testing ... Is this thing on?

Okey-doke, this is just a test spin here, while I tweak the colors and such. But after I'm done with all of that annoying fiddling, what you will find here is the epic tale of a woman, her man and their journey into The Future, aka Japanland. We leave a week from today. I know -- you're already riveted, I can tell.