Wanna know a great way to spark a conversation with someone in Japan? Let them know your from Boston. Any baseball fan will automatically take great interest in you. Reddo Sokkusu! Not just cause of Diasuke but because they are legitimate Baseball fans and love the Red Sox \(//∇//)\ They'll tell you about Pedro and all that stuff the casual fan is oblivious too (that's me)
Ayako finally awakens and the first thing planned is to find her keys. Her and Yukie call all the places we went to yesterday. No luck. An hour after the dialing madness, Ayako Is looking through her bag for a lighter and finds the keys hidden in a pocket hole (>_<)
Ayako let's me know that she still plans on going to Osaka with me tomorrow and to keep it on the hush. I don't even talk to her boyfriend, and he sure ain't reading this blog.
On the car ride back to Fukuoka I've realized I become a bit dependent on Ayako's translating and not getting enough of my Japanese in. I think she realized it as well and barely spoke to me all morning which was good cause I was forced to talk to Yukie in Japanese. We first broke the ice with Japanese language games such as counters and shiritori. It was a cool sunny day and the rice fields looked lively as we zipped through the suburbs. Our first stop was to buy a flash light and batteries for her brother in Tokyo. When we got there almost all the flash lights were sold out. There were only a few mini sized flashlights and they were totally out of batteries ((((；ﾟДﾟ))))))) talk about a panic.
We decided to hit a cafe for coffee, tea, and cocoa. Us three just hanging on a quiet day talking mundane dialogue felt like something out of a Tarantino movie. After my first cup of tea I asked Ayako which container was hot cocoa. She challenged me to find out by reading the labels. I took her challenge and FAILED! I was so busy looking for katakana reading ココア that I overlooked the obvious English reading for hot cocoa (>_<)
When we got to the crib I gave Yukie my final goodbyes knowing I wouldn't see her for the remainder of my trip. At Ayako's home it began to feel as though I was beginning to overstay my welcome. Glad I was headed to Osaka tomorrow. She was out of energy and although I wanted to go out I decided to call it a early night. Being with her family is an experience in itself. Ayako again gave me the ping pong effect of not thinking she can afford the trip to Osaka. I was gonna pay for her room, since I was living off her for free, it was the least I could do. So it seemed decided that I was going alone which was no big deal. This is a solo dolo trip anyway. She's just a flower I picked up on the scenic route.
Her mom wanted to have dinner with me again and actually introduced me to a meal that was adopted from middle eastern culinary. It was similar to shabu shabu but rather than a hot pot of soup it was a pot with almost no water. It is used in desert like environments where water is scarce. We had mushrooms and beef to go with some bomb ass rice. Very interesting when another culture introduces something to me from well, another culture.After dinner Ayako keeps the debating going on whether or not she should go to Osaka with me. I convince her to roll through but she doesn't want to ask her moms to help her pay the Shinkansen fair. I knew her mom would give her birthday cash all I asked was Ayako to give her a hug when she gets the money. She agrees as long as I am there to support her. "No doubt". She ask her mom with the most polite of polite Japanese and her mom gladly hooks her up and just says "why didn't you ask me sooner?". And I am asking Ayako to give her mom a hug. She tells me it's not a Japanese thing to hug. I hugged her for Ayako. Then I gave Oneesan a hug also cause she needed love too.
Osaka here we go!
Keep it 元気
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