Sunday in the park with Mike

---

Sunday was pretty laid back. We're finally in one place for a few days, and we enjoyed a total chill day. Mike's host brother (his host mom's son) and his wife and 2-yr old son visited. We got up in time for late bfast and early lunch. Pretty much just chilled out. I finished another book. We went to the park nearby. Beautiful weather! It was so sunny and warm. I wanted to fall asleep in the sun on the grass, but it was so hot in the sun that that didn't work out so well. After a couple of hours, Mike and I headed back to the house. And that was pretty much it til after dinner. A nice and lazy day! Dinner was okonomiaki -- a really yummy fritter-like thing. Made of egg, flour, water, green onion, pickled ginger, and a few other things. Grilled on the table on a pancake skillet. Yum! Very tasty. And very filling! After that we went out in Kyoto for the night. We were hoping to see a Geisha, but no such luck. Kyoto was the capital of Japan for a while, and today we'll see the cultural sights, including more temples than you ever wanted to see. A must on any Kyoto trip. But last night, we headed out to Kyoto for some nightlife. We basically just took the train to the Gion district and walked. We stopped for a drink at each bar we stopped at. It was an interesting night! A sangria, then beer cocktail (beer and OJ, who woulda thought!), a grasshopper, and a bunch of white russians. Fun night! We worked our way down the well-known bar street -- Kiyamachi. I had such a craving for jumbo slice after drinks last night -- it might be the first thing I do when I get home. Instead, we stopped at a convenience store and I got yaki soba, which actually is a close second to jumbo slice.

---

Photos

The Park
What a beautiful park on a beautiful day! The little stream that ran through it was great

Cuzes
At this great little bar we found in Gion, Kyoto called Seaquest. We ended our bar crawl there

okonomiaki
yum!

dinner with the fam
Mike's host mom making us okonomiaki and his host sister and her son hangin out

Lipton Tea House
In Gion, Kyoto. I just thought it was funny...

I heart...
My drunk butt doing something at the bar

Chinese
Mike's drunk butt doin something in the bar

Comments

[Aunt Mad]

Oishi!
Isn't okinamiyaki oishi? I. of course, am totally butchering these Japanese words (I give you great credit for partying-on in the midst of that VERY foreign language), but I hope you get my meaning. And Mike's "other mother" makes it really well! Enjoy the food, but take it easy on the "Campai" already! Yoy're making me nervous! All my love....