Today was the first day in a long time that Kuniko and I could spend relaxing together with nothing really that we needed to be doing. Man, it was nice.
We slept in, had a nice relaxed breakfast, and then took a trip on the slower train to Sannomiya to walk around, do some shopping, and spend time together. We both had a couple of errands to run so we walked around casually and knocked them out.
For lunch I was tasked with choosing the restaurant. While walking towards Chinatown, I spotted a sign for yakibutadon down a alleyway, so we took a chance and went there. It paid off with a really good lunch in a nice atmosphere. The place was the kind of place I love to hang out and drink: a wooden bar with a couple of tables, a low ceiling, and a little bit of a dark atmosphere.
I had the yakibutadon, which is barbecued pork over rice with a half-fried egg and onions. Kuniko had the bibinbadon, which is a Korean style rice dish with lots of lettuce, kimchee, and bits of pork. Both our dishes were really good, and they came with a half-order of ramen so we had some soup along with it. I wouldn’t mind going back again sometime. It’s one of those back alley places that nobody will ever find, but you can take your friends there and show them how well you know the city.
While we were walking around, the weather got gradually worse, instead of getting better as the forecast had predicted. We had brought our umbrella, and that was a lucky thing. We ended up walking around Harborland near Kobe station, and enjoying the slightly wet scenery. I even did some wine tasting at a “winery” there. The wine was mainly imported from California and France, but they did have some Japanese wines made in Nagano. I asked the clerk how much it was to taste, and she said it was free. I stepped up and tried a few wines.
It wasn’t really free – in Japan there is a huge pressure on the taster to buy what you taste. Kuniko saw me tasting and warned me that we were in Japan – we have to play by their rules. Luckily, they had a good California Sauvignon Blanc that was cheaper than what we’d pay at the local grocery so I bought that and made everyone happy.
From there we headed back home, and did a few errands around town before coming back to the apartment. Now Kuniko is getting a trim at the local beauty salon, and I’m waiting for the Tigers game to come on. When Kuniko gets back, we’re going to go rent a movie and watch it tonight.
Tomorrow the weather is supposed to get better. That will be the day where we go see the cherry blossoms. I hope.
