The Weekend ...

In the last week Amanda and I have been checking out the neighborhood, being brave and going to new restaurants, shopping like champs, and discovering the nightlife. So far, so good.

To finish off the week last week Naoko took me to the library in Okayama. I've finished reading all of the books I brought with me (Danielle Steel's, Harry Potter, etc.) and was in need of new ones. There is a book store by my house with a small English section, but I'm talking small. Like a small shelf upstairs in the corner. I thought about buying books, but I barely got everything here, I won't have room to pack books to bring home. I mentioned this to Naoko & she offered to take me to the library saying that they had a large English section and it wasn't too far from my house. Fantastic.

We get to the library & it looks huge. We go inside, I stand next to Naoko and smile while she gets me a library card, and they hand me a map - in English!! I find my way to the English section and notice that it is relatively large. I'm excited. Although my excitement deflates when I realize that 97% of the English books are nonfiction. Nothing against nonfiction, but it's not something I read at night before bed. Oh well. I do find a shelf with some fiction. Old American and English works. Pride & Prejudice, The Iliad, Moby Dick. I didn't read these in college and I don't want to read them now. Please let there be something. Shakespeare, Hemmingway, Poe. Come on! Finally I find a little section that has some late night easy readers. I find a couple Danielle Steels, Confessions of a Shopaholic (me? never.), Bridget Jones, Dean Koontz, James Patterson, Nicholas Sparks. Now were talking. I now have books. Life is good.

On Saturday the teachers from one of my schools offered to take Amanda and I to the garden. I didn't know what it meant, what it was, or what to expect, but I agreed to go. We went around 7:30 (it's completely dark by 7:30 here) and paid 350 yen (approx. $3.50) and walked in. The garden was amazing. There were lights everywhere. We found out that in the late summer they open the garden at night & light it all up to give people something to do in the evening when the heat has subsided (although it was still hot outside). The Okayama Korakuen Garden is famous in Japan and is considered a cultural heritage site. Okayama castle is located on the grounds as well. It was truly beautiful. Here is a website to learn more about the garden. http://www.japaneselifestyle.com.au/travel/okayama_korakuen_garden.htm

My camera does not take good pictures at night (even in night mode) so the pictures do not do the place justice.

Enyo-tei House - The house where the Japanese feudal lord stayed while visiting Korakuen:

There was a beer garden around here somewhere.

People were lined up all along the water to take pictures of the beautiful scenery.

After going to the garden we went to a restaurant for some Korean Barbecue. It was really good. You order the meat & cook it at your table, along with the vegetables. We ate beef and chicken and Amanda and I tried pig's tongue. Interesting, to say the least. We drank Sapporo beer & Chu-Hi (it is kind of like a Smirnoff Ice. Kind of.)

The teachers who took us out. They were a riot.

Amanda and I weren't sure about the pig's tongue. We looked at it for a while. I just kept thinking, "It can't possibly be as bad as the squid."

One, two, three, GO! It was really chewy.

After dinner Amanda and I went to a place called the Aussie Bar. It's a bar where a lot of westerners hang out. We meet people from all over there. A lady from Syria, a man from Turkey, another girl from New York, and the bartender is from Australia. It's quite the melting pot. It was a lot of fun. And late into the evening I successfully communicated with the cab driver & figured out how to get us home - & not down the street either. Right to our front door! I feel accomplished.

Our new bartender friend, Ash. The lack of focus has nothing to do with the operators impairment. :)

Sunday was a day of relaxation and a lot of sleeping. I wasn't particularly feeling very well, it might have been a slight bug. It couldn't possibly have been the brown bottle flu. :)

This week is back to work. A full week of work. I will probably be tired, but I will be reading :)

much love

-tara-

xoxo