December 2005

December 16
Updates, Updates
A couple of brief updates...

1) The promised pictures have been made public! They are labelled as Takayama and Kanazawa. Hope you like them.

2) Alex and I will be moving to a different apartment within Nagoya on January 20th. It`s cheaper and more convenient for us. I`ll email the address to anyone that would like it.

3) My 95 year old girlfriend was spotted once again on the subway. This time she sang to me, pointed and repeatedly yelled, "Miss Universe!". Maybe I should take her with me whenever I go anywhere...she can start a fan club...haha.



Kanazawa
About a month ago, Alex and I accepted an incredibly gracious invitation to stay with a family in Kanazawa. Kazuaki and Kiyomi Tanimichi are a really nice couple that met Alex`s cousin Leanne almost ten years ago when she lived in Kanazawa. We were very excited to see the city, and get a first-hand glance at `regular` life in Japan.

We took a four and a half hour bus ride to the Japan sea coast where we were met by Kazuaki at the bus station. He and his wife, Kiyomi, were immediately generous...they took us to lunch at a sushi bar where they ordered us a set of mixed seafood. Unbelievably fresh!!!! It was the best I`ve ever had.
One small mishap - the stuff on the plate that I wouldn`t normally order was probably the best I would ever get, but to me, as revolting as ever. Not wanting to be rude or disrespectful, I did my best to pick at the fish head, swallow the tuna guts and chew the huge raw squid. Unfortunately, the squid had it in for me....I threw up in my mouth. For my resume...I can hold a conversation even when not able to hold down my food. What a skill!! ;)

The rest of the weekend was much more pleasant. The Tanimichis gave us a tour of the city...starting first with the East Mountain (Higashiyama) and finishing with a walking guide of the old Geisha district. They explained many things that we would`ve missed otherwise.

In the evening, they took us to dinner at the Ito`s house - friends of theirs who had prepared handmade soba for our enjoyment. We were treated like royalty. A highlight of the evening was a singing and Shakohachi (Japanese flute) performance by one of our hosts...what a special experience.
He let us try the flutes. I was unable to make a note of any kind... absolutely nothing happened. Alex was slightly more successful, even if it hurt our ears. I say better a dying duck than a dead one.

The following day Alex and I toured Kenroku-en (famous Edo period garden) and Kanazawa-jo (castle of the same period) alone, but met up with Kazuaki and Kiyomi for a final lunch. They took us to a beautiful izakaiya where we were served a mixed lunch that included many dishes that were selectively picked based on the season. Our eating room overlooked a Japanese garden and was absolutely gorgeous.
What a special weekend that I will never forget!