January 13: Rin’s bachan is C-O-O-L cool!

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Japanese vocabulary

yatta: yay! I did it! Yesssssss! …just a general exclamation of glee….

shabu-shabu: meal where you dip pieces of meat, vegetables, tofu, mushrooms, konnyaku, noodles and mochi in simmering dashi and then into sauce.

Yatta! Zach and I met up with Rin (close friend from Berkeley, one of my favorite friend boys) two weeks ago in Kyoto since he is in Nagoya for work training or something. Kyoto was freeeeeeeeeezing and the three of us walked to Toji temple, which boasts Japan’s tallest pagoda…which in all honesty didn’t seem that tall…
BUT- Rin’s grandmother funded our little temple visit and lunch/dinner. We ate at a really nice shabu shabu place at Kyoto Station with a view of Kyoto tower…all the servers were either dressed in either Kimonos or French maid outfits…haha, claaaaaaasssy! But anyways, it was really fun and delicious and EXPENSIVE…and all thanks to Rin and his wonderful bachan!

Hopefully I will be able to repay him this weekend- he's going to come pay a visit out to the inaka and we're going to go to the onsen, drink beer and eat yaki-niku with the local JETs!

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Photos

a pond
the gardens at Toji Temple

me and rin
in front of Japan's tallest pagoda

Kyoto tower
This was the view from the restaurant that Rin took us to!

Rin and Zach
awwwwww...some of my favorite boys!

Zach
and the shabu shabu pot being heated from the hot plate in the center of the table.

appetizer thingy
yummy stuff

beef sashimi
yup, we ate raw beef...RAWR! It tasted like how a fatty tuna would taste, but more firm.

My favorite animal
shabu shabu beef!

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