patty and tiffany do japan: part two

flashback.
dateline: September 13, 2005
tuesday morning we got to sleep in; a necessity considering the jet lag and hangover factors. we crossed the street for lunch at oashisu, on the seventh floor of a department building. the menu has all the normal fare, from noodles to tempura, displayed as splendid wax models outside the entrance. it makes choosing a meal easy for the foreigners i discovered upon arrival about 15 months ago. if there’s a good view of the city to be had, this place affords it.

we did a little browsing on honcho street, the main shopping vein through this side of town, where my apartment is located. then it was off to the beach so patty could stick her feet in the sea of japan, or the east sea if you’re korean. not spectacular scenery and rather infested…jellyfish season begins each year on September 1, so we let the water lick our ankles, but didn’t dare to go much further.

we met a few interesting fellows there who explained to us the swimming advisory, offered us beers, chatted a bit and all took pictures with us.

then it was on to my local public bath to clean up. it was patty’s first experience with naked, group bathing and i’m glad we were able to make it to shichi fuku no yu, a new, beautiful facility about 10 minutes from my place. its name means seven good fortunes and is based on an ancient legend. here’s the explanation given in a cultural dictionary:
the belief in shichi fuku jin [the seven gods of good luck] was spread through japan around the muromachi period [1338-1573] following chinese anecdotes of seven sages. among the seven are gods from india, china and japan, all of which are said to bring good luck. in pictures, they are often on board a ship called takarabune.
the public bath has five pools inside, each with different additives or gimmicks, like electricity or rose water. outside there are seven large tubs that each represent one of these gods. they are each made from a different stone and the water in them contains different additives based on the god`s strengths. there is also a steaming outdoor pool and a shallow bath with stone pillows for resting in when you are a little overheated. we also hit up the steamroom. i didn’t think i was going to be able to pull patty out of the outdoor pool… i myself would have been content to lay there all evening [the place is open till midnight] if we hadn’t had dinner plans. so we rushed to dress, stop by the liquor store for a decent bottle of nihon shu and make it to shimada san’s house by 7. shimada san is an office lady at yoshikawa high school. i’d had no reason to interact with her until a few months ago when i wanted to borrow some ink pads for a class of mine. [to phrase it like that seems a bit shallow maybe, but considering the language barrier and the fear of strangers that some japanese people have, i often find it’s easier to exchange smiles and bows instead of deep conversation in certain situations, like work.] well, i’m glad i approached her. turns out her daughter’s major was english, her son is now living in chicago and she’s traveled extensively so she doesn't have the ingrained fear of ‘gaijin’, or foreigners. since meeting we’ve spent hours talking at work, often lunching together, and i had previously been to her home once for dinner. she was really excited about the chance to welcome patty into her house and let her see how japanese people truly live and eat. shimada san was damn near offended that i had planned to feed patty from restaurants the entire time she was here, saying ‘she needs a mama cooked meal’. this woman is a fabulous chef and she truly seemed to have enjoyed all the trouble she must have gone to in order to prepare such a spread. with her husband who, uncharacteristically of many japanese heads of household, joined us before, during and after the meal.

perfectly battered vegetable tempura, fresh from the garden. braised cabbage stuffed with veggies, minced pork and japanese herbs wrapped in bacon. buta kakuni: tender porkloin that had simmered all day long in sake, soy sauce and sugar accompanied by tiny potatoes. delicate pumpkin soup. hiyayakko: chilled tofu somewhat hollowed out and stuffed with green onions, shiso leaf, ginger, soy sauce and yuzu [citrus fruit] juice. homemade cucumber, daikon radish and plum pickles. gohan furikake: mound of steaming rice topped with flaked grilled salmon, seaweed strips, sesame seeds and umeboshi [a sour pickled plum] chunks. konbu [type of seaweed usually marinated with soy sauce and other spices] and gobu [burdock root] salad. i told you she's a mad chef! the meal was well-timed, each course brought to the table in careful order and beautifully presented on its own plate to ensure the opportunity to savor each dish's flavor as intended. shimada san's array of dishes is stunning and she admitted she had trouble choosing the evening's tableware.
because i was driving, i drank pineapple juice while they toasted with beer. there is simply no tolerance for combining the two which has put a quick end to a bad habit i developed in adulthood in america. after dinner i took patty to my favorite shopping spot, second street, a recycle store [not surprised are you?] that rivals any thrift store you’ve ever even thought about entering and it’s open until midnight. fabulous. we shopped till they kicked us out.
wednesday morning i drug patty to the hospital with me, the photos of that adventure i previously posted. being in the medical field, she’s kinda into that sorta thing. then i drug her to school with me for my basic level shakaijin [community members] class.

please note the ugly brown pleather slippers patty's sporting. sorry to make an example outta you... all visitors must wear these in the building. all regular employees and students have lockers by the door where we do the indoor/outdoor shoe switch every time we come and go.
it made my day easy, as we did an intro, q & a session and played show and tell with japanese cultural items the students brought in.

the students were surprised patty looked so young; they’ve since commented on several occasions how beautiful she is. they were also taken aback by how affectionate we were with each other, hugging or resting with arms intertwined.
sissy also went to my night classes with me and the kids were on surprisingly good behavior. we ducked out 30 minutes early, 9:30 pm, and headed straight for tori shin for beers and chicken on a stick. having a guest was a great reason to indulge in all sorts of snacks i don’t try on my own simply because it would be too much food on top of the normal fare i MUST have when there, like the white breast meat slathered with fresh wasabi and sour plum paste. a few of the special selections...the duck medallions were salty and juicy. the chicken liver was edible, which is more than i expected, but i couldn't stomach a whole skewer of it. liver kinda freaks me out...seems bizarre to dine on the organ that removes and stores many of the toxins from the blood. i've probably got enough of my own poison without ingesting another animal's. carrie joined us there for a drink.
the next day patty slept in and shopped a bit while i worked in the morning. we did a sushi lunch together, which was kinda setting her up for working with me again that day. another shakaijin class, another game of show and tell. this is the upper level class.

they really got a kick out of meeting a foreigner that’s closer to their own age. i was glad patty could accompany me to school these days; it’s an experience most people don’t get to enjoy on the average vacation and it was a great opportunity for her to interact closely with a wide age range of hometown peeps. after class we chatted with other english teachers and students, then we joined ishida sensei, the school nurse and the principal for traditional hand-whisked green tea and cakes. patty got the honor of making a cup for the head honcho and he was duly impressed with her skills. i wish you could have seen us on the way home. we hopped on my pimp yellow bike...

take a minute to envision patty sitting on the luggage rack on the rear fender, clutching my waist, feet out so as not to drag on the ground and me laughing so hard i could barely see through the tears. that night we had a dinner date with kodama sensei and uchiyama sensei at funaei. this used to be hands down the best izakaya in town but, as you’ve probably heard me bitch before, they moved locations and lost a lot of their charm. as the foods still good and patty had to do a traditional izakaya [rowdy japanese bar/restaurant where everyone shares from each plate of food], we ventured there.

afterwards it was on to p.t.a. for some karaoke.

the master of this joint, being his usual awesome self, came to visit me while i was in the hospital. to repay his kindness, patty brought him a neat bar puzzle which i often see him playing with still.

we called it a fairly early night in anticipation of an early train the following morning.

have i ever told you about the midget door i have to use to enter my apartment when the 1st floor store's roll-door is down? someone recently superglued a piece of foam to the top of the door frame which has probably prevented quite a few drunken forehead bruises.