Snippets from the East

On Saturday evening, we went to Hitomi's parent's home for dinner. They put on a lavish spread without a raw fish in sight. I seemed to amuse them greatly. Every time I would eat, Hitomi's mom and grandmother would giggle. I asked Hitomi if I was using the chopsticks wrong, but she said they were very impressed with how well I did. Didn't stop the giggles though.

After dinner, we went with Kirk to a small cafe where he often plays. The cafe is run by a Canadian woman from Toronto. It was an open mike evening, so musicians would play or sing as the mood took them. What an amazing group of talent.

Yesterday, we spent the day with Hitomi and her parents again. We went to Matsumoto Castle. This is the oldest standing castle in Japan. It is steeped in history (and stairs). From the outside, it appears to have only three floors, but their is a hidden floor where Samuri hid during conflict. They were able to marshall in secret against their enemies. I do believe that George Lucas had a tour through the castle at one time. On display is Darth Vadars outfit (Samuri armour that is the prototype for Darth's I'm sure!) We also went to a wonderful Japense restaurant where I tried a curry that was amazing.

Today, Beth and I are going to visit Zenkoji Temple. This is a short walk from where we are staying and is very famous.