Everything fell together yesterday and I had a chance to sneak across town to check on the fireflies. At first I didn’t think I’d be able to do it, but as it turned out, it was a perfect time to go.
Kuniko had a party she was stuck attending, so I didn’t have to worry about cooking dinner. The weather report had said rain but it was clear with big black clouds far on the horizon. There was a fresh cool breeze blowing as well, so it was a very comfortable walk out to the park.
Once I arrived, it was just getting dark, and I needed my phone’s light to see down the pathway and avoid tripping and sliding down the hill. There were a couple of other people also arriving at that time, which I thought was a little unusual for a Thursday night. We quietly and separately waited a few minutes until the fireflies slowly emerged. There weren’t so many this time – I’d guess only five or six were floating along the pathway. Usually I go later in the year when there are more actively dancing around the stream. Last night some of the fireflies would pair up and chase each other around, and I wondered if it was a matter of battle or romance.
After spending about a half hour watching the firebugs I made my way back towards town, stopping to do some grocery shopping on the way home. I also stopped for a bowl of ramen, which is unusual for me. The place was called zundoya, which is a chain ramen restaurant. I really liked it, and the kaedama price was only one hundred yen, which I think is pretty reasonable. Not bad!
Today is Friday and I’m happy to be here. Tonight Kuniko should get off work a little earlier than normal so she’ll have a chance to rest up, and I’m not sure what we’ll do about dinner. Tomorrow we’ll both be in Osaka for different reasons, but we’ll try to meet up in the evening for dinner there. Maybe we can try a Mexican restaurant there and see if there are better options than we have in Kobe…
