Ise

Breakfast on Thursday morning was coffee, toast, and a big bread roll with walnuts that i had picked out the night before. Then we took the train to Ise, where we met Kengo.

First we took the bus to Ise Shrine, which is very big and beautiful but it was super crowded that day, since it was Golden Week. To the left i am trying to take a photo of scary fish. I stole this picture from Yukari's diary.

Then we went up the very crowded street of shops. I'd been there before, with JCMU, but it was raining that day and this day was very nice. We ate something like breading with octopus or cheese in it on a stick as we walked, and soon met Yukari's friend from Mixi and his two friends, with whom we ate the area's famous dessert of green tea shaved ice with mochi and red bean inside. Yukari's friend took a photo of his food just like she always does.


They drove us to another nearby shrine, which was also beautiful, a little smaller, and much less crowded. The boys all bought little charms, except Kengo who had bought one at the other shrine, although rumor has it it's only half-powerful unless you buy one from each. They come with little bags that Yukari said she'd heard was bad luck to open, but they were curious i guess and opened them up to see what was inside.

After we'd walked all around there, looked at more fish, examined a pile of stones, and walked up a hill, they dropped us off at the station and Yukari, Kengo and i took the train back to Nabari for yakiniku. I was given the task of shelling peas, although i was allowed to go walk the dog with the others. We went up to Yukari's elementary school and she showed us the sculpture she'd done upon graduating. It was very very dark there.

Dinner was good and one by one we all put on stretchy pants so we could keep eating. After a while, Yukari's brother Yoshi came home. The first time i visited, he did not speak to me at all, and this visit was similar although one night he gave me some photos of Ronaldo (the soccer player) he'd taken in London, and i helped him send a myspace message to some other guy he'd met there. But that night, Yukari finally got him to try speaking English to me. And then he wouldn't stop! We all stayed up late, but i still managed to get up quite early the next morning.