Today Mr. Hayashi came out to help with some Japanese translation. Because Andrew is moving out of the apartment, he needs to pay to replace all the tatami mats and all the paper wall/doors. It was actually pretty expensive, and they are going to do the work next week. I’ll have to remember to save up some money for when I leave. They change all this stuff out whether you stay for a year or a day – it’s kind of a symbolic thing.
I spent most of the day riding my bike around trying to get used to it. It’s surprisingly easy to get around, and the traffic is used to bike riders. I found a restaurant that must be the Japanese equivalent of Denny’s. I had a heck of a time trying to order food – once I placed my order in Japanese, they started asking me all these other questions, thinking I was fluent. The waitress was very patient, and it eventually worked out.
Afterwards, I stopped at a little temporary food shack and bought some shaved ice – it was quite tasty. The owner was a lot of fun, and we had a broken conversation about where I was working.
In the evening, Andrew took me along to meet some of the people that he has been working with. They are learning English, and they were all very nice people. We had a BBQ on the patio outside their apartment in Kakogawa, and the food was excellent.
We chatted for quite a while, and then Andrew and I headed back to the apartment. It’s another hot night – we decided to turn on the air conditioner. Tomorrow is the river festival – and I should be able to grab some great pictures.
