Hamamatsu Sago Inn

... life before. That's only human. That's why there's pictures of my family and friends all over my room, that's why I rat-pack every memorable item (worse than my mother) for every event or special occasion, that's why I find myself craving a weekend out in the city, whether for drinks or gigs. But then once in awhile I'm reminded by just how different things are out here, and why that's not such a bad thing. Like a fish out of water, I keep trying to ...

... I took advantage of it. The procedure for entering an onsen, I'm afraid to say, I'm not completely informed. This onsen had three stranding shower stalls, about fifteen seated showers with plastic seats and wash basins, three waterfall-massage seats connected to the main onsen, a sauna, and an outdoor waist-high hot-bath and seats overlooking the stars and mountain. It's really a beautiful onsen. Well, first you have to really scrub down, and this was ...

... by foot. Now, whether or not it was a sport, or whether they claimed bragging rights is a different matter (I'm no historian), but I have to admit that I'm ready for the next one.<br><br><br>But really....doing what I did again today, and then twice that, is something I should at least train for this time. My time was 1 hour and forty minutes. Two 60 and 64 year old men beat my time by about 20 minutes. Now there's motivation.<br>

... various Vodka-like drinks down my throat (beware of Shochu), sake, and lots of beer. I was holding my own, and then when things got dark, we pulled inside for some much needed Karaoke.<br><br>There's nothing like drinking and then wailing your heart out on a song-machine in a private room amongst friends. The Japanese are very obliging, no matter your level of skill, in Karaoke. They just want you to have fun. So out comes the drinks, and the various snack ...

... high-tailed' it outta there, leaving his hapless victim (not his dinner, mind you...they're herbivores right?) on her own.<br><br>So, having disturbed this lovely display of primal roots, I burst out laughing, feeling awful for having taken part in playing the breakin-father. But heh, if I'm not allowed to have fun, neither are the bloody bunny-rabbits!<br><br>Kinball rocks!<br>

... he spotted me.<br>He wound up, started hissing bad barring his tiny little fangs (which for all I know, could still be poisonous, at least to my sense of courage), and showed me that he could, indeed, do more than play a statue.<br><br>Anyhow, I think I covered most of what went down. I had a ton of stuff going down the following two days, from temple visits to a trip to Nagoya castle (next entry!), so I had to leave early the next morning (which was rough). Needless to say, I've ...

... a door. In I went, and plopped into a chair, where what was just moments before a loud and gossipy exchange--now, dead silence. I was the first to break the awkwardness by saying "Kakko ii onegaishimasu!" (translation: Handsome please!). They all broke out laughing, and stumbled over each other with questions over where I was from, how old I was, if I was married, how long I had been studying Japanese, and if my hair was its natural color. Eventually that calmed down, when ...

... smart. They didn't budge, and took our prodding with patience, and eventually we gave up. We came back to test their alertness a few times, but they were always smarter. Of course, we thought we had them beat when we worked together to attempt to move the boulder. No such luck there. We had a good laugh about that after. Oh and I only fell twice, that got some laughs too.<br>The day was only getting started...for my weekends always have something going on. The Next entry explains the rest. <br>

... but it was refreshing to speak to a local who wasn`t afraid to say what he thought, most of which wasn`t too complimentary about his own country... With less than a week left in Japan at this point, I wanted to visit a couple of friends from New Zealand, beginning with Yusuke who I met during my second stint in Mount Maunganui... After meeting at Nagano Station, we went on a bike ride so that I could get my bearings as his house wasn`t in the city centre, but ...

... Brazilians there looking for work. (SYD, AMY, HOJO: there might be capoeira!!) Apparently, Japan has started inviting in guest workers from other countries to fill jobs that Japanese don't want. Cool by me, however, this has created a media/general populace fear of foreigners since the crime rate has gone up. I'm wondering if it is true - letting in foreigners creates problems. Dunno, scares me to think that I could be considered dangerous, just because I don't ...