highlights of the week

UNAGI
as you all may know, i absolutely love eel. my friend eiichi had been touting an unagi restuarant in town for a while and we finally found some time to check it out. it was fabulous. the atmosphere was traditional, not in a kitschy way; low wooden tables, lots of bamboo, and soft japanese music. we started with a beautiful sashimi platter, omakase [chef's choice].

i was so intrigued watching the husband and wife, who own and run the restaurant, take turns at the grill against the wall. they used broad paper fans to constantly stir the air, wafting the most delicious smells through the place; a blend of smoky wood, sweet brown sauce and delicate seafood.
i let eiichi do all the ordering...

and i was more than pleased when they sat this feast in front of me...

it was the most delicious eel i've ever eaten, unseating the previous champion from the fish market in tokyo. it was accompanied by an egg custard with mushrooms, which i plucked from the congealed dish before passing it off to eiichi [i'm kinda funny about eggs ya know]. there was also a dish of various veggie pickles and a thin, aromatic soup in which floated herbs and an eel's liver. i hesitantly took a bite of the organ and found it rather tasty, lacking much of the dark, earthy flavor that i dislike about liver usually. we also indulged liberally in a few different chilled sakes that were obviously premium; they were spicy but smooth with no harsh after taste.

SNOWBOARDING
liz and i stayed at carrie's place on friday night, where we ate, chatted and drank till the wee hours. we woke early on saturday for a winter adventure. i'd invited my friend takafumi to join us for the day so he showed up about 9:30 just in time for a breakfast feast of huevos rancheros a la tiffany and potato pancakes. we caravaned to ikenotaira ski resort because 4 of us and all of our gear wouldn't fit in any of our tiny cars. [i am fully equipped now having sprang for new boots and a ski bunny jacket last week.]

there's an amazing view from the top of the runs.

takafumi is an excellent boarder and also a good companion. he kept an eye on us all, waiting for us if we got too far behind and following carrie for a bit when she was first getting started to make sure she was alright.

from the lift... how unusual that we're all left-foot-forwards...



taking a breather in the lodge before we drove to a neighboring onsen, natural hotspring, for a wash and a soak.


PARTY ANIMALS
then the girls made up and headed out for dinner, some karaoke [the highlight of which was liz and my rendition of 'stop in the name of love' complete with hand motions and hip shaking] and dancing at club nova.