Korean Barbeque & Battle Re-enactments

If you're reading after my two-email saga, welcome. If you're not then no worries, you haven't msised much. I haven't written anything on my Japan trip to anyone else in quite sometime so I have quite a lot to tell. But I guess better to start late than never? Here we go...

Yesterday my host family went out for Korean Barbeque. They thought it was a perfectly normal thing and that I frequently went out to eat at such a cool place back home and when I told them that wasn't they case they were thoroughly surprised. As a former vegetarian I'll just say, the meat was delicious. The shimp was delicious. And while the ground, meat noodles weren't so delicious at least I tried them. (My host father promptly tried to reassure me with a sign that looked like a government inspection saying that the raw meat served was safe. Oooookay.)

Also cooking the food was fun and playing jan-ken-pon for half-price beer and losing twice was almost as fun. (Of course, the beer was for my host dad and host uncle.) It seems the people working at the joint have some kind of telepathic ability. Because not only did I lose twice, but so did my host cousin Rio (pictured above, center, cutely devouring her share of the animal) but so did the two tables on either side of us. Maybe mutants really do exist?

The ride back home was a melange of feeling full, having a half-passed out uncle who can't hold his beer in the back and taking the backroads in my beloved dinky Toyohashi city. When we got home, I took a bath (of course skillfully deferring to my host grandpa, grandma, mom and dad -- gotta follow the hierarchy) and donned my jinbei (traditional Japanese summer-wear whether out of the ofuro or stepping out for a quick bite of yakitori, you see them everywhere).

The thing is actually pretty cool. I felt so yakuza with my jinbei and armed with my pastel-colored fan.

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Today I woke up early and my host brother, Sojiroh and host dad, Katsuaki went off to see a historical battle re-enactment. I've never been to one of these and when I think historical battle re-enactment I think about the numerous ones sponsored by the American Legion in a plethora of Southern states. After an adequately look drive, listening to dad's Rokku n Rooru CD and listening to his subtle jokes about the inaka (country) we were driving through, we met up with his coworker, Kawajima-san. We then piled into his car and took another 5 minute ride until we arrived at the site for today's historical entertainment.

The historical re-enactment was performed by middle school children and it was hilarious. Afterwards was some pretty amazing and dramatic taiko drumming. Also there was an overwrought and way too-long gun show, with the same old formations done over and over again. It stopped being amazing after 5 minutes.

After driving back home and having some amazing ramen and gyoza. I've tried getting this stupid website to work with me when it comes to pictures but it won't so I guess I'll stop now. I finished elementary school last week and tommorow I start middle school. Expect a post (and more pictures)!