After just a few hours at school I was out the door and off to the Takasago train station. A ten minute train ride and then I was back home and relaxing in the afternoon. Soon it will be so hot that this option becomes less desirable, but for now the weather is perfect for an easy day at home.
I went out to Suma tonight to meet up with Antoine. It’s been a while since we’ve been able to meet up. I got there first, so I sat out on the beach next to the train station and watched the sun set over the mountains to the west. It was the first time that I’ve watched a sunset at the beach without the sun disappearing below the waterline. A south facing beach will do that, I guess. Through the magic of cellular technology I asked Antoine for a favor, and a few minutes later he came walking up with a couple of cold beers. It was a good way to relax after a long day at work (for him!), and after about half an hour we took off for the izakaya.
The izakaya that we go to in Suma is a chain, but it’s pretty good and it’s definitely in a convenient place. We loaded up on grease and beer and spent the evening talking about all kinds of things, including Antoine’s future, how things are going with his girlfriend, and the state of women’s rights in Japan.
After thoroughly exploring these and other topics, I walked him back to the station, and then I went back home via the Sanyo line. We’re hoping to meet up in the near future again, maybe this time with Nel and Struan involved – two guys who we haven’t heard from in a long time.