What a week it's been! To begin with, Sunday night was spent at a traditional Japanese inn or ryokan named Musashi in Shirahama, Wakayama. It was right on a white sandy beach about 300 miles south of Tokyo, overlooking the Pacific Ocean. Evidently it is one of the nicest in Japan! It has the largest hot spring spa, which is over 1000 years old. Needless to say it was beautiful. For dinner we had a tradional meal, sitting upon a tatami mat, dressed in our kimonos. Talk about good food, lots of sake and ume wine (my favorite), laughter and silliness...my goodness, it was all fantastic!
The previous night I had a home stay with a family in which both parents were teachers. Megu (the mom) is a fourth grade teacher and Masa (the dad) is a high school social studies teacher. They both spoke english (we only had to get the Japanese/English dictionary out once). They have two sons, both going to universities, so they weren't home. They took me to Masa's elderly aunt's house. She has a forty year collection of very intricate paper Japanese dolls she makes, hundreds of them mostly displayed in glass cabinets. She gave me two very beautiful dolls. She wanted to put them in a box for me, but each one she opened had more dolls in them, some "under construction" as Masa explained. We sat and had tea while Masa fanned her the entire time. Can't wait for my nephew to do that for me! We also went ume (green/yellow plumbs) picking. I don't think we have them in the US, but the juice from them is delicious and the wine is even better. Afterwards we took our plums to a place that's set up to make juice from them. Basically what you do it clean them all the put them in a large jar and cover them with sugar. For ten days you gently shake the jar..."like you would treat your husband" according the the instructor...twice a day. After ten days you strain it and drink it, then make jelly out of the fruit. I have some to take home, but don't know if it will make it through customs or not.
We also had a Japanese barbecue at a park. We brought our own food, sat under a pavilion at a table that had a grill in the middle of it. The charcoal was actually handmade on the sight. It's an incredible process of wood fired in huge earthen ovens for six days. Afterwards the blackened wood is removed, covered in sand to cool for a few days then ready to use. It's very expensive to buy, about $30 for one three foot stick that's less than an inch in diameter. Needless to say, Japanese don't barbecue much! Lunch consisted of corn on the cob, cabbage, peppers and onions, chicken and strips of the most tender beef I have ever had, all cooked on the grill. Oh and of course tea! Mmmmm, Mmmmm.
The flight back to Tokyo was uneventful. It was a bright sunny day, so we enjoyed smooth flying. Once back in Tokyo a group of us headed out to do some shopping and get a bite to eat. We were all hungry for some good old fashioned American cuisine and did find a...Wendy's. Not one for fast food burgers for the most part, but I do have to admit it was good!!! Not that I have had my fill of sushi yet, but...! Anyway, Kathleen, can't wait for the cookout!!! I'd like my burger rare please.
Meetings today, but we finish relatively early, 3:30 so that will give us time for some late afternoon, early evening adventures.
Hope all is well at home and I miss everyone!
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