Day Eight

2nd January 2007

Today Hideo picked us up again at around 12 and took us back to his place for lunch – another traditional Japanese meal. Not sure if I like this one! It was ok but I didn’t go back for seconds. There is always a variety of food to choose from. We had another hot pot type dish which we all shared. In there was radish, egg, potato, fish meat, some sort of rice parcel and tofu. It was all boiled. On another plate there were some rice wrapped in bean curd parcels – they were quite tasty, and then there was salad. My stomach is feeling a little churny – maybe because of all the different types of food. Hopefully I get used to it quick smart. The food is very healthy though – no wonder there is not an ounce of fat of any of there bodies! Today has been another chill out day. It is raining outside so we can’t really do much! It is nice to just sit in their house though and spend time with them. Everyone is kind of doing their own thing. At about 4pm Hideo and his family took us for a drive. We went to another town called Shirahama which is about 35km away from Wakayama. Santanbeki was our first stop. This is a look out with awesome views but apparently there is a lot of suicide here. We then went to an ashiyu which was an interesting experience. Everyday has been something new. An ashjiyu is a foot bath. It was so cool. You sit down at a table and put your feet in the water below you. The water is really hot but it is very relaxing for your feet. Such a bizarre thing to see. It is just on the side of the road – outside. It was the highlight of my day. We ordered these drinks called kakigoori – they were ice drinks with condensed milk on top and had some sort of bean underneath the ice – very unusual but they tasted quite nice. They look like icies. It was funny having our feet in hot water and drinking an icy drink! We sat there for about an hour and then we drove to Mos Burger which is similar to a McDonalds. The burgers were quite small though. After Mos Burger we went back to Yujins house. I tried Seaweed tea. It tastes salty and kind of like soup. Does it sound like I am drinking and eating all weird things? It is all very unusual – just as well I am not a fussy eater!