I’m back at the computer after three very refreshing days off. The Golden Week holidays went really well. It was a relaxed pace, but there was plenty of walking around for exercise.
Tuesday Kuniko and I took the train into Osaka so that we could do some looking around in Umeda. We had lunch at a ramen restaurant, and it was really good. They had quite a variety of different dishes, but since I can only read bits and pieces of the menu I generally have to guess what to have. This time my guess was good – it was delicious.
Kuniko and I hit all the major shopping areas in Umeda, and by the end of it, we were exhausted. We came back to my place and just made up some quick spaghetti and salad. That night Kuniko stayed over and then we got a chance to sleep in on Wednesday. We got a chance to chat with my parents on the phone, and then we were off to Kobe to meet up with Kuniko’s sister Tomoko, and her boyfriend Yamaoka-san. It was my first time meeting him.
When we got there we did introductions and he seemed really nice. He seemed pretty shy, but I did my best to engage him in conversation. At my level of Japanese my conversation topics are kind of limited, but I did my best.
We all went shopping together, and it soon became clear that it might be a good idea to split up and look around separately. I took Yamaoka-san to a bar I know, and we sat down and had a couple of Belgian beers. We chatted more there, but it was tough for me. I would get topics started, but he wouldn’t really follow up on them. He never asked me questions, and he was really quiet. I was undaunted, though. I figured after a few beers he would loosen up, and he did. Our next stop was Tokyu Hands, a big department store full of strange things, which was fun to investigate.
We met up with Kuniko and Tomoko, and then after a bit more shopping we all came back to my place for a steak dinner. I fired up the BBQ and grilled steaks and pork, Kuniko made up some mushrooms for the steak and a killer salad, and we sat around and drank and ate to our heart’s content. It was a rare chance for Tomoko to dig into a giant cut of beef – Kuniko tells me that she really likes meat.
After that we went to Ito Yokado to take purikuras (tiny group pictures) and then Kuniko drove them back in her car. At the end of the night Yamaoka-san was much more relaxed and friendly, and I think I made a good impression on him at last.
Finally, this morning Kuniko came over early, while I was still asleep. She let herself in, slipped into bed beside me, and what a wonderful way to wake up. She had bought breakfast for us, so we had breakfast in bed (yogurts and OJ), and then went to go see a movie in Okubo – “Lemony Snicket’s A Series Of Unfortunate Events”. We got there for the early show and caught the movie before the crowds got there. It was a pretty good movie – visually very interesting, and Jim Carrey had some great lines.
We picked up drive-thru McDonald’s on the way home and then spent the rest of the day napping and studying. Kuniko went home to catch dinner with her folks, and now I’m just relaxing and getting ready for work tomorrow. It’s just one Friday and then we’re off to Shikoku. I’m looking forward to our trip!
