Last night after work I took the train past my regular station and went on to Tsuchiyama, to attend a party with all of the friends from Denya yakitori. It was the first time in a long time that I could meet up with these guys, and it was a lot of fun.
The usual suspects were all there, and I really enjoyed catching up with everyone. Some people looked exactly the same, others looked completely different. The master of Denya brought his new wife (at least, she was new to me) and I met his son for the first time. The little guy was crawling around the room playing with the other kids. Some of the babies that I held ten years ago were elementary school students now, and it was an interesting feeling – like stepping into a time machine. Some things never change, however – the gossip, the dirty jokes, and most of all the laughter. Everyone there has been friends for most of their lives, and I counted myself lucky to be part of their group.
The party was held at a yakiniku restaurant near Tsuchiyama station. Actually, Kuniko and I drive past it every time we come home from visiting Kuniko’s parents, and I often look in the shop as we drive by. Oddly, they have a cotton candy machine on the first floor, and we often see kids coming out of there after their meal with sticks of cotton candy. It was fitting that after our dinner last night the owner of the place started spinning up some cotton candy for the kids, and he passed one to me as well. The restaurant was quite large, actually – three stories of yakiniku tables, and I think they specialize in families and large parties. Everyone was really nice to us, and I liked the quirky atmosphere. I’m not sure when/if I’ll be back, but it was a fun location for our get-together.
