I went to see a kids animation film with Keiko at the closest theater. We walked to the train station then took a bus for 6 minutes to another mini shopping area where there is a theater. I paid $18 for a ticket. It made me REALLY appreciate the Apollo theater of Oberlin...how did I ever whine about a $5 ticket? Anyway, I had seen the preview for the movie called "friends" about a little baby and monsters and stuff. It looked fun. I also decided that since it was all in Japanese that it was a good thing that it was a children's movie, because otherwise I probably wouldn't understand it. We went and Keiko treated me to caramel popcorn and ginger ale - super! The movie was a great. Kind of like Shrek in the way that it is good for both kids and adults. Even though I didn't understand every last word, I did understand that movie and thought it was very touching. Keiko was expecting a very childish film but was also glas she saw it. I was pretty tired after the movie and managed to take a nap. Though all I did was sit in the theater, I think the Japanese made me brain go to work and so I got tired...not to mention it was rainy so the greyness makes me a little pooped out.
We had sardine stuffed with spicy fish eggs for dinner.
Today Ryo and Kanako (Ryo is Keiko's son and Kanako his girlfriend) took me to Kyoto. They picked me up a little after 11. Ryo brought a guitar for me to borrow, I need music in my life! I am grateful:)
The drive was a little over an hour. First we went to a shrine, Fushimi-Inari Taisha, that has I think one thousand "toris" the red gates that lead to shrines. I saw it in the guide book ans thought it would be beautiful. The road leading to the shrine was lined with interesting restaurants and shops. Apparently, this was the famous place to eat sparrow and quail. We decided to stop for lunch and try these items. We ordered sparrow, quail and the udon for Kanako and I and soba for Ryo. When the sparrow came, I was a little shocked. The little bird shape was there, on a stick, but thin and covered in brown sauce. But the head was there. The beak was even there! I wasn't sure if I could stomach it. The waitress explained we could eat the entire thing. Bones, head, meat - all. Ryo ate it first, said it was good. Kanako ate second, said it was good and had a texture similar to liver. It took me a while, I went through a fit of laughing and then really without thinking I stuck the poor little head in my mouth and crunched it right of the body. AH! Totally freaking crunching a tiny skull up in my mouth. It was interesting to try. Tasty, but, I'd never be sitting around and think, "Oh my, I'm really craving sparrow." Once was enough. The quail was served in little chunks of unrecognizeable meat (which I'm more used to as an American) and that was tender and a tastier. The udon, of course, was great. I had kitsune Udon, which means "fox udon" but it is only called that because the udon has fried tofu pouch in it, which is the food symbol of a fox. I like it, plus we were at the Shrine that was the fox shrine so it seemed appropriate.
We went to the shrine. Everything was bright red and beautiful. Fox statues peered down at us with slit eyes. They showed me where I could shake a little tube and out of a hole came a stick with a number. That number we then told a lady at a counter which corresponded to my fortune for the year. My fortune was overall pretty good, minus that it said I would become ill sometime during the year. Ryo and Kanako said if it wasn't good, I should tie it up on the wires where others had tied theirs, so that the Gods could reconsider it...or something like that. We walked up steps to where the hall of gateways were. But before we got very far, Ryo saw there was a man doing palm readings. They said I should try, so I did. It was pretty interesting, from what I understood: I tend to find one thing and really focus on it, I am shy, I tend to let people come to me instead of me going to them, I'm supposed to have good luck with studies this year, bad luck with love this year (despite all the love charms I have collect, haha)...stuff like that. I don't remember it all. It was interesting, I've never had a palm reading before.
Then we walked the red tunnel! It was beautiful! The sunlight came in through the slots between the toris and made the red shine brilliantly. Outside the passage was a beautiful mossy forrest with fat, old trees. It was really a one of a kind sight... the entire passage is four kilometers. We didn't do the whole thing, just the beginning loop, just enough to get a taste of the loveliness of it all. Between the intro and the entire trail there is a shrine. Kanako bought me little fox charm as a souvenier...they are really too nice. When we were walking back to the car I saw a stand selling dead snakes...appently for medicinal purposes. I saw it in the NHK Edo Period drama program last year, an old samurai drinking alcohol from a glass jug with a snake floating in it...whatever floats you're boat.
After that Kanako had to go to a meeting so Ryo took me to Nishiki Market. It was awesome! There were people and food everywhere! Samples were all over too, so I tried things here and there. There were tons of pickle stands, all kinds of pickles, eggplant, daikon, greens, cucumbers - and in beautiful colors from bright pink to purple to yellow. There were stands of dried fish, even saw dried sea cucumber innards. Stands of fish paste tempuras, Japanese sweets (which look like magic...), vegetables - anything! I saw scallops, but in the shell, which i've never seen before. I saw these baby octopus that were bright red and it was so weird I felt I HAD to try it, so I bought a pack to take home to Keiko and Seibun. The little things are about half the size of my palm or so, and in their head is a quail egg, so it makes it look like it is really alive still - minus the squiggly legs. Ryo bought barbequed eel "internal organs" (which is the translation he got on the phone)on a stick and had me try. It was really strong in flavor... I saw whale meat for the first time. It looks like beef, but a little more pale. Ryo said the flavor is somewhere between beef and fish - I can't imagine that. It's really expensive, so I didn't try it.
Basically, it was amazing. What a rich food culture Japan has...it's crazy.
After we finished there it was 4, the Rock Garden 20 minutes away stopped selling tickets at 4:30 we rushed to get there. We made it at like 4:27. Ryo had me go while he found parking. I bought two tickets and waited for him and then we went to see the Zen Rock Garden. It was small but definitely peaceful. I'm sure I didn't have as much appreciation for the rock garden as the others who were there, seated and staring in silence out at the gravel and boulders. However, the beautiful natural garden that surrounded the building made up for it. The garden was fascinating. Soft green moss covering the ground, tall, perfectly pruned and sculpted trees, boulders covered in a variety of moss, making it look like a mini landscape. We walked around a little bit because he had time to waste between the garden and picking up Kanako, but not enough time to go to the Manga Museum. Soon he got a call from her and we went to get her.
During the drive it got dark. We were waiting on the side of a busy street in downtown Kyoto. There was a wall of glass on the other side of the sidewalk next to us. The reflection in the glass made it look like there were the ghosts of cars flying by.
She got in the car and we decided we weren't hungry for a whole meal, so they took me to a famous dessert place in Kyoto by Gion. It was a restaurant that basically served all matcha desserts. Matcha is powdered green tea, like what they use in tea ceremony. There was matcha jell-o, matcha parfait, matcha castella, matcha dango - anything matcha! I ordered a dish that came with matcha dango as well as jell-o and this really soft mochi (I think) covered in what I believe to be soy powder. I know Mom loves it, and I hadn't eaten it for around 7 years I think. So the dango were green and white and the soft mochi was green and the jell-o was green, and on top of the jell-o was green whipped cream and on top of the soft mochi and dango I poured a dark green sugar sauce. MATCHA MATCHA! Everywhere we looked the tables were filled with people's green matcha desserts. Kanako ordered a parfait and Ryo had matcha pudding along with zenzai, sweet bean soup with mochi and chestnuts or sweet potatoes. My camera died after one picture there. After that fabulous matcha mania, we walked up a street in Gion. And to our surprise and luck, we saw a young Geisha walking with what might have been her parents. She didn't have white make up on yet, she was a Geisha in practice (for anyone who doesn't know yet, Geisha are not prostitutes, they are women trained to be beautiful, talented entertainers only). Ryo and Kanako were surprised we got to see any kind of Geisha at all, though. So lucky!
After that, we drove back to Osaka.
We dropped Kanako off at her home and Ryo and I talked with Keiko till a little later at night. But I got tired and I left the mother and son to talk about all the wedding:D
Today, I get to start glazing and painting the ceramic pieaces I made the last two weeks. I have a week to paint them all. Get cranking!
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