Well here it is, my Japanese Adventure is coming to any end.
I've really enjoyed it!
It's been tough being away from home, but what a great opportunity this has been!
Since Kathie's visit, I noticed they are using her likeness at a shop next to my apartment.
Kathie's favorite treat
My favorite treat
They even have cane holders at banks and hospital counters to make sure
When we would see a fruit tree (from the car), Kazuyo would say it was a Pomegranate- it seemed like every fruit tree was a Pomegranate. But I realized as we got closer views of these trees, some were Apples, Oranges and yes even Pomegranates. Now to tease her, every time I see a fruit tree I point and say "Pomegranate" we laugh and laugh.
The cloudy white drink is called "Cow Piss" (literal translation) is actually quite good (a lot like Fresca or Squirt)
Eating at a traditional Udon Noodle House - you heat your own noodles. This place was famous for it's baby squid (I was thinking of the little guys that we get with Calamari) their baby squid are about a foot long. You then take scissors (no lie) and cut into bite size chunks. But it was delicious!
Another place we ate at was a traditional Soba (dipping) Noodle House -
Had Yaki-niku again - this was a little different with a portable flaming pot
I was able to eat another type of cooking called Monjayaki, you order these various dishes (including desserts), they all come in a bowl with the liquid at the bottom. You put all the stuff on the grill (except the liquid) and use two large metal spatulas to cook and chop up everything on the grill into small pieces. Then you make a ring with the food and pour the liquid in the middle. As the liquid (sauce) renders down it thickens a little. then you mix and chop it all again and flatten it all out on the grill. After it cooks for a few more minutes, you take your little metal spatula and scrap off a small chunk (cooking it as you do) then into your mouth. Very different and very delicious!
Christmas lights are everywhere, how beautiful
Before I leave, I wanted to really explore all the underground tunnels. Like the explorers of old it has been very interesting.
Some things I've learned here in Japan:
The people:
The people are Awesome
The food is great, I loved almost everything
They don't smile or laugh a lot
You can't stare down an old Japanese lady in a Kimono on the Metro.....however, you can more over and sit next to her to get her to stop staring at you :)
And one of my all time favorites: As I made comments to Kazuyo (my translator and friend), I would say things like. . most Japanese don't eat or drink on the street, but every once in a while I see somebody doing it. . or, most Japanese don't spit on on the street, but every once in a while I see somebody do it (there were several of these type of observations) and her response was "Oh, those are Koreans". So the next time I see somebody do something that is not quite polite or proper, I'm going to call it "Pulling a Korean" :)
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