One fine day following one late night....

We were so excited to learn one evening that we would be experiencing our first izakaiya. Sorry....I forgot the camera, so I can't show you the fun we had, but it was really a good time. An izakaiya is a restraunt that's best described as such that serves very small dishes for a cheap price. You're meant to share several of these small dishes. My motto for a long time had been to try something new everytime I ate, so I really enjoyed going with Japanese people. They like to order what they think we won't be able to swallow for it's oddity. We go with a large group--for many it's just a night of drunken stuper and they try really hard to get you to reach this point, but we're bigger than them....they never succeed haha!--and end up splitting a gigantic bill. It's really fun. Some izakaiyas have these huge beers....maybe .75L?? hmm....I don't know. Anyhow, we started easy with yakiniku and yakitori (also known as Korean BBQ or fried chicken and beef on skewers), yakisoba, strange salads, and so on.... Easy enough....Then, we moved on to things with irremovable mayonnaise (bleh!!) and fish jaws, weird fish soup and other edible-if-you-don't-think-about-what-you're-eating-things. I have to say we definitely crossed the line with basashi, natto, and raw eggs....BLEH!!!! Basashi is raw horse meat! natto is fermented soybeans (once told that they became a staple when an emperor and his people were starving in a battle with nothing but soybeans and rice. Well, he kept the rice for himself--more pristine?? or something that seems obvious to Japanese people--and gave the people the soybeans. Anyhow, the soybeans and rice eventually fermented, but the rice killed the emperor, whereas, the natto (bleh!) became a Japanese staple. They eat it on pasta!! and call it Italian food!!!! It's like boogers in consistency and bleh in taste!! Okay, we didn't eat the raw eggs, but in a recent conversation with a student who really wants to be American, I was asked whether I'd choose the raw egg or natto. I don't think I answer the question....
Our new Japanese friend showed us a market street near our apartment. I usually still shop at the regular grocery stores even though I could get things here cheap, 'cause I think I'd go crazy trying to compare prices over an entire street of nearly identical vendors. Same market street. I thought the identical old-style street lights were kewl all in a line....
This little dude is prayed to for fertility, really....look closely......




Near our apartment. That's Paulzie, Mike (Aussie roommate), and Masaya. Next picture is Kobe's most wanted.....heehee.....in the park....yes, that third picture of concrete is a park.