November 26, 2005

I took my own sweet ass time getting out of bed this morning. I couldn't be bothered to do anything. I met up with the Brackens at their hotel just before 11 and after some more stalling we set out in search of this huge long food market. It was fun to watch Mrs Bracken stop and faun over each stall. We saw all sorts of fish and pickled goodness and such. We came out the other end at a big shopping district full of random shops. Then began the fun of trying to find a subway station to take me to meet Chris and Yasuko. We walked along way only to discover once I met with Chris, that we met just across the river from where we were to begin with. Ah the joys of traveling. On the way to the restaurant with Chris and Yasuko we walked through a shrine (I can't remember the name). In the middle of it there was a bunch of people doing a sword thing display. It was pretty cool but we were in a hurry so we had to keep moving. Chris, Yasuko and I went to the restaurant together to finish some planning and set up. We took about an hour longer than we had anticipated and were very late for dinner at the Kobayashi's. It meant that the Brackens and the Kobayashi's were left alone, with no interpreter, for a very long time. They evidently did just fine together. We finally arrived and had a wonderful dinner of Sukiyaki. It's a big hot pot with meat and fish and greeny goodness and mushrooms and tofu. We ate too much. Then we had to hoof it back to Kyoto station so that I could make curfew on time and not get locked out of my dorm, without a shower. I actually made it in time to shower quick but then I discovered that someone had jacked my one and only little hand towel, so I had to dry myself off with my hoodie and then wrap my hair in it and put clothes on before leaving the shower area. Good times. Good times in hostels.