Sightseeing plus Mushi

---

Today we went sightseeing! I hate driving up mountains, it scares me so damn much with all the tight corners! >_<
Either way, we drove up Mt. Okura (大倉山） to see the view of Sapporo! The city is huge! I'm sure Calgary isn't nearly so big, even if we looked at from on top of a mountain. >_> BUt then again, I could be wrong. =]
We also visited the Okura Ski Jump. Mioka is a little bit afraid of heights, and was nervous while we used the ski lift to reach the observation deck at the top. I thought it was perfectly fine. I wonder how she'll cope when we go to skii at Lake Louis... =/

We also went to a sheep farm. たくさんのくかわいいおみやげ！There were many cute souvenirs. And of course I wanted to buy them all! ~_^ I love stuffed animals, as childish as they are! >_<

Later in the day Mioka, okaasan, and I went shopping again, this time at a mall similar to what we're use to back home (rather than a department store). We bought new obento boxes and lunch bags. Mioka and I also did a but of shopping as well. I went to a different store than her, so I was on my own when it came to asking to try things on.
=[
Luckily, I managed, albeit with a lot of pointing. Despite my lack of communication skills, I was able to understand when the clerk asked if I would like to buy the clothing I had tried on (かいますか？). Thank goodness for the few verbs I was able to remember from Japanese 20 at the time!

I was promised curry soup for dinner that night, and so okaasan drove us to Raimi, an Indonesian/Japanese fusion restaraunt. Curry soup is a spicy soup served beside a bed of yellow rice. You use a spoon to dip the rice into the soup. There were many choices of fillings for your soup, including vegetable, chicken, pork, beef, and tofu. I think I'm in love with かぼちゃ (Japanese pumpkin). I ordered the spiciest they made... and didn't think it to be very spicy. So I added more cayenne to it much to the amazment of Mioka and okaasan. ^_^ At the door, there was a small bottle of spray on deoderant. Slightly confused, Mioka explained to me that the Japanese tend to sweat a lot while eating spicy food. I... don't think I really needed any, but I put some on just in case. >_<

On the way home, Mioka recieved a call from a friend saying that there was a small festival in Nishioka, celebrating the Nippon Ham Fighters recent victory, and that they were there. We hurried home to change into ゆかた(yukata - a cotton kimono). I borrowed one of Mioka's. The festival took place in a tiny lot. In the center of four strings of lanterns, a taiko drum stood on a platform. We met with Mioka's friends, and many pictures via cell phone ensued. At such a small, local festival, everyone is invited to try playing taiko. I'm afraid to say that I'm not very good, despite many years practicing music in Calgary. However, Kumi was a great help, and taught me the proper rythem and way to hit the drum. ありがとう！ We also tried to dance a traditional dance with the rest of the crowd. This too was very difficult for me! ダンスとたいこはむずかしですよ！
However, nighttime festivals have one major flaw. The bugs, or mushi as they're known here. I swear some of the moths were a large as my palm! Not to mention the many mosquitos, and other weird, giant bugs I've never seen before. Mind you, while changing at the house I had thought ahead a little bit. It was a cool night (YESSS!) and it being August after the rainy season, I thought that if it was anything like Calgary, there would be at least a few mosquitos out, if not many. Based on this reasoning, I had changed into jeans and a jacket before I realized I could borrow a yukata. I only had to take off my jacket, and wore the yukata over my jeans. This would give me much needed protection against the many mushi out there wishing to make my life miserable for the next few days. Unfortunately, Mihiro was in shorts and a T-shirt, and suffered from many bites to his arms, legs and scalp. Mioka and Kumi were also bitten, but only once, on their ankles. Fortunately, I don't really attract the evil creatures and with my armor, escaped unscathed. ^0^v
And thus a very exciting day ended!

じゃね

---