japanese labor day

Tuesday of last week was Japanese labor day and a welcome respite from work. Monday night a few of us gathered at my house for snacks and martinis before heading out to play darts.

It was the first time I’ve entertained, other than impromptu gatherings, in my tiny apartment. Everyone here is used to sitting on the floor anyway so I found it was a cozy and comfortable time with us seated on pillows around my coffee table.
The next day brought unusually warm weather so i hopped in my car and headed to the coast. I drove along the seaside road, climbing and descending small mountains as i wrapped my way around alcoves heading south.

I stopped for a bit to study and people watch. There were lots of surfers, families on picnics, young couples and photographers.

As I was leaving the shore I noticed a gaudy building down the road which turned out to be a bustling seafood market where they were hauling in and cleaning the days catch.


There were odd sea creatures everywhere…huge eels folded to fit in Styrofoam cases over ice, whole salmon hanging from their tails on wooden racks with their underside split, gutted and propped open with sticks to aid in the drying out process, tons of crabs ranging in price from cheap to near $100 each.


Unfortunately I had dinner plans or I would have stocked up for a nice meal. Afterwards, Liz and I went shopping for costumes for the musical we are dancing in before heading to Melanie’s house. A few other jets came over and she fed us chili for dinner. We spent the night at her place doing the girl talk, sleepover thing. Wednesday morning Liz and I hit the road, heading to Niigata city for a business meeting. It was our first time driving there, so we got a little lost. All part of the adventure though. After the meeting a couple more girls piled in and we headed downtown for some dinner and a stop in the bookstore. It’s one of the few around here that has an English language section. I purchased a few new reads and am now busy devouring the Da Vinci Code.