Eating Appointments

Today I headed back to Maiko High School to catch up properly with some of the teachers. They took me out to Adzuki-an again and it was so nice to be back there in that little shop eating simple but delicious home-style cooking. The gyoza and harumaki were tasty as always.

After school I met up with Kawatobi-sensei at Tarumi station and took her to Malibu for some cherry pie.

You really miss Japan, don't you? She could read me like a book.


That evening was booked out with Makoto and Kiyoko. We met up in Sannomiya and they took me out for chanko nabe (Japanese style steam boat but famous for being sumo wrestlers' choice of food). Perfect for cold nights!

We went to the chanko nabe place in the same building as The Hub. I'd never really noticed it before although I'd been to The Hub heaps of times but I guess that's why it's best to eat out with the locals. The place had picutres of sumo wrestlers printed on the noren and tatami mat style seating. They put a big pot of stock (ours was a tasty gobo stock) in the middle of the table above a gas stove and you cook your noodles, prawns, meats, vegies, mushrooms and what have you in front of you. Needless to say we were so stuffed but not quite sumo status. I was probably 3 months preggers stage I reckon.

It was so good to catch up with them and apparently they were in the news recently. They had gone hiking in the mountains somewhere in Nagano and got lost in the snow and were lost for a few days!!! Fortunately they had their hiking backpacks and survived on biscuits and chocolate and made shelter for themselves. Their parents were crazy worried and even travelled to Nagano to find them and thought they were dead. In true movie style Makoto tried calling the police to tell them they were lost but his phone batteries died. Eventually they stumbled upon some ski lift poles and followed them back to safety. It was so funny having them explain that to me in English and they were so embarrassed for all the worry they had caused.

I couldn't resist kuro goma ice - black sesame icecream