catching up...

I haven't written anything in days.
But that's definitely not because nothing has been happening, quite the opposite really. First of all, Girl with the Dragon Tatto came out in Japan yesterday. I have not seen it yet, but just knowing that I can if I wanted, makes me so happy! I've got to find a way there.

In Sapporo on Tuesday, my second night in Hokkaido, I had dinner with Amanda and Yujiro, my hosts. I went to their house and first Amanda and I drank English tea, then when Yujiro came home Amanda and started prepping dinner. Hokkaido is famous for many things, seafood, ramen, potatoes, "shiroi ko bito" cookies and son on and so forth. She said we were going to have real Hokkaido salmon and potatoes and asparugus that night. I helped by peeling and slicing the potatoes. She brought out the table hot pan and after softening the potatoes she stuck them on the pan in a little pool of oil and let them cook. Towards the end, she added the salmon. It reminded so much of a meal I had when I was on the Appalachian Trail when I was 13 and how my family was sitting at a  table in front of shelter when a jeep came barrelling through the woods.  Two men came out and put on a show of fried potatoes, onions and fresh trout.

It wasn't traditional Japanese food, but I didn't mind a bit. I'm not sitting around Japan dying for lasgna or chicken noodle soup or even a chunk of steak, but when homey food like Amanda cooked up was served, it made me feel cozy inside...like simply comfort food of some sort despite the fact that I had never eaten Hokkaido salmon or potatoes in my life.

She also put the asparagus, peppers, long green onion and Japanese pumpkin on the pan. We picked it off with our chopsticks. Oh! I know what made it so homey, I dipped everything except the salmon in a blop of ketchup. It was tasty.

 Amanda is from London but has lived in Japan for over ten years. She runs a little English school called "Imagine".  She can aslo write the name in kanji using the kanji for the word "now" which is "ima" and the kanji for "person" which is "jin" : Ima-jin=imagine. I thought that was nice.

After our lovely dinner I returned to the apartment.
The next day I left the apartment at a little after 8 because Amanda as having a class at 9, she woudn't be done till around 2. I didn't really know what to do exactly, so I went to a large shopping center and had tea at a Starbuck's and read. It was only 10 AM when I decided I continue to somewhere. I went to one of the sites of the festival called Tsudome. I had heard it was mainly designed for kids but thought I should go anyhow. The dome was kind of in the middle of no where and the cold and the wind was so strong. When I got off the bus I was shocked by the ferociousness of the winter. The day before had been so warm that one of the small snow sculptures had actually collapsed onto an woman who had to be taken to the hosptital. Now, all that had metled turned the world into ice and vehicles and people slid around everywhere. I defrosted in the giant dome where there was food and childrens acitivities. I went back out for photos but only lasted about 10 minutes before I got afraid of damaging my hands somehow from the cold...there really wasn't a whole lot to do for a lonely person like me.

I then traveled back to Sapporo Station and enjoyed a sandwhich in a little cafe before heading to the Ishiya Chocolate Factory which is famous for making the "shiroi ko bito" (white lover) cookies. I found the factory by heading the direction that many people were coming from and paid to walk around and see the factory. It came with a free cookie: two thin, crispy cookies sandwiching a piece of white chocolate. It was pretty good. I didn't understand why it was SO famous...but I could probably eat 10 in one sitting:)

The factory was more like a museum. I wasn't feeling really well so didn't stop to read much, but there was an incredible display of old fashioned Japanese, American and European toys, phonograms, hot chocolate cups and posters. There was a section where glass windows allowed us to look over the factory workers making cookies...it didn't look like much fun...but the cookies are good! There were two places to sit and enjoy giant, delicious, expensive desserts...but I decided it just wouldn't be worth it sitting alone. I was really trying to get to the end and buy the cookies to take with me to Kyushu as souveniers. I bought several boxed and then stared with longing at truffles...but the things were about 3 dollars a piece. I could just imagine how good they tasted.

After that I went back to the apartment and tried to make my yuckiness go away because I wanted to be well for the plane ride the next day. My plans for the night had been to see the ice candles at Otaru then stop by Odori Koen to see the lit up snow sculptures...in my not so well I only made it to Odori Koen and Susukino...I knew I'd redgret it if I didn't get some photos at night. Not seeing Otaru will just be an excuse to come back one day.

I decided traveling alone really isn't my thing. I know some people really like it...but I think I can't really enjoy being out trying to have fun alone...it just doesn't work.  I'm glad I got to see all the amazing sites...the zoo, the ice and snow sculptures, $250 crab, Nijo Market, the clock tower: it was good.

I got to Fukuoka on Thursday evening around 5. Yuka came and picked me up at the airport. We went to her and Mamoru-san's tiny little apartment, they had set up on of the rooms for me. We chatted and she made a really delicious chicken dish that reminded me a little of something I could get at Mandarin. But she served it with potato salad, soup and rice. A perfect meal since I hadn't eaten anything by miso soup and a palm sized pocket sandwich that day. Mamoru-san got home from work a little before 10. It's insane, at least to me. In Japan the "end of the season" is March, and the new term starts in April so everyone is busting their butts to fnish things until then. Probably the busiest time of the year. So recently, he leaves the house at 7 and gets home around 10. However, they are not getting paid overtime, the pull their time cards out around 7 but work more just in order to get things done. He went in today too, even though it is Saturday. He is salesman for solar panels. In one year, they get three vacations, and those vacations are five days long each. The life of a Japanese business is completely insane to me. It seems like a waste of a life...Mamoru-san said that between jobs is the time to take time off and have proper vacation. He took on for three months, but only once in his life...
I can't imagine it. I feel very sorry for the situation...

On Friday Yuka took me to Dazaifu Shrine. I think it is the shrine famous for luck with studies. There is a golden cow that if you touch, you will become smarter. I did that. I tossed a coin into the slats in front of the shrine and prayed to do well in college. I even bought a little charm for good luck. Let's see if this works! haha...

The place was beautiful though, similar to Kiyomizu, the street leading up to it was lined with traditional stlye little shops. Dazaifu Shrine has a symbol which is the ume blossum, plum blossom. There is even a delicious grilled mochi filled with sweet bean paste with the flower design baked into the mochi. It was great...my kind of food.

The path leading to the shrine itself was beautiful, stone with really beautiful severe red painted bridges over little streams leading to a pond. The trees all around us were ancient, giant and covered in mosses and other plants. Completely enchanting.

After that we returned to the apartment for spaghetti lunch and relaxed until the afternoon where Yuka went on a hunt for Valentine's Day chocolate for her dad and brother (girls only give to boys, boys return on White Day a month later). It was crazy how many places were selling chocolate and how packed it was with women. The best part were the samples...everywhere! At a different section there was a cheese place where we tried some grilled fresh mozerella. The taste wouldn't leave my mouth and it was absolutely delicious. CHEESE and CHOCO!

I went around gawking at all the beautiful and expemsive stores. I bought my bus ticket for going to Kumamot and a ticket store nearby.
But soon it got to around dinner time and we headed over to the restaurant where we were going to meet Mamoru-san after his work. Yuka and I ordered some food when he said he'd be a little late. It was an Izakaya, or Japanese style bar, where you can order a lot of food all through the night, but it comes in small portions so you can try a little of a lot. Yuka started us with delicious spinach salad, the spinach was wrapped in really thin sheet of fried egg. It was thinner than a tortilla. Very delicately flavored. She also ordered eggplant and miso, which is great. Then charcoal grilled  chicken that was spectacular. I had never tasted that flavor before...but loved it. Then came baked yamaimo, a white slimy potato which I don't normally care for, but this dish was great too. When Mamoru-san arrived he ordered mackeral sashimi and chicken gyoza nabe (hand made pot stickers in brother, rather than fried). We were there from 7:30 till almost 10:30, eating and chatting. It was absolutely wonderful. We ended with "shime" or more directly "the carbohydrate you eat after getting drunk to soften the hangover the next day". But in this case the specific word only applied to Mamoru-san. Yuka and finished with small onigiri wrapped in a delicately flavored green leaf pickle with umeboshi. Yeah, it was good.

When we got home to the apartment it was late. I didn't last much longer...and the I slept till 9:20 the next day! They were up when I rolled out. Mamoru-san got ready for work around 10 and head out. Since it wasn't a real work day he was just in jeans and leather jacket.
Yuka and I relaxed and had the mochi from Dazaifu for breakfast. Around 11:30 we went to a pretty famous Soba shop for lunch. It had showed up on TV, and now people from all over come to the restaurant. There is always a line. Luckily, we only had to wait a little bit. I ordered duck and green onion soba set that came with a little vegetables and rice and pickles. Yuka ordered curry soba. From where we sat we could watch them cooking the large vat of noodles and using the traditional woven baskets to strain the noodle. It was really hot being so close. Soon our food came, it was great. The noodle were perfect and the soup flavorful. Gosh, everyone must be wondering if I do anything else but eat!

Yuka walked me to the bus station and waited till I was on the bus for Kumamoto. It was fun spending time with her, I hadn't ever done it before really, but very glad I had the opportunity.

Keichan was in Kumamoto, waiting for me at the bus stop. What would I do if Mom didn't have such wonderful friends??

I came home with him and Hiroko-obachan was home doing house cleaning. We passed Shin-chan in his car on his way to work.

I am back in Kyushu. The last leg of my trip that I've been thinking about his here. Monday is Kikuchi for around two months. Then Uto to work from Sanga-Obaachan and Ojiichan on the tomato and cucumber farm during the busy season.

It's so fast...woosh.
I'm glad to be back in Kyushu. It's my mom's home, but it has found a place in my heart too.