Weekend Becomes Eclectic

This past weekend, was a lot of fun. I got to get to know new people, I got to see people I don't always see, and I got to celebrate at a matsuri with a large wooden phallus. Who could ask for more? It was also one of those weekends that was only half-assed planned. We knew we wanted a good time on Friday, but it wasn't until Thursday and Friday afternoon that our plans got underway. Friday was definitely one of the most random nights I have had in a while.

...has nothing to do with story, but it kind of goes with it..

On Friday, we started at Nest meeting up with a guy I had met a few weeks earlier, Junichi, (I also had since forgotten about him until a drunken conversation the night before inspired me to mail him) So since it was his day off, he wanted to meet, but he wanted to bring friends (which was ok by me) but not ok by the girls since they both were pre-occupied with other people and they were worried he was going to bring the friends they had met when we met...groups colliding choto abundai ne? (a little dangerous, huh?) But after a series of emails, in which I tried to get him to ditch his friends all while trying to not make the meeting sound like a date or a gokon, finally I gave up and told the girls to suck it up, he is coming with his friends...truly the more the merrier.

So Tiff and I met at Nest, got a beer and waited... there were a couple of tables there already, one was a big group of people and one of a couple men. To be honest it was one of those times when I didn't really remember what he looked like to know if it would have been him, but they looked like they had been there a while, and he had mentioned that like me he was gonna be a bit late.

While we were sitting there a couple people came in, this one dude all nice and sexy in a suit with a bright smile. Then this other guy with dreads, who was sporting a men's kimono and those rope sandals and dirty hands, that were falling apart. Every time someone came in there was an air of anticipation, Tiff even commented on the guy in the kimono "check out the guy in the sandals and trench coat"

So finally my phone rings... I missed the call but it was him... I called him back, told him I was at Nest and asked where he was... he said he was there... well obviously I didn't see him or have it click at this point, and Tiff and I being the only gaijin in the place stuck out like a sore thumb, so he knew who he was meeting, but I was a little clueless... turns out that he was waiting outside...so I waved him on in, told him we were all meeting here at Nest to start drinking..

Tiff and I were at the bar, so we moved over to a table, because his friend was coming and so were Liz and her friend she had met in Osaka the week before. As we sat down I was surprised when his friend turned out to be "that guy in sandals and a trench coat". his name was Reichi, or just Re. We all took a big swig of our beers, nervously laughing at the situation that was unfolding.

Liz showed up with her friend, Kimihiro...who do to my lack of ability to remember names, I dubbed Osaka-chan for the night...he said he was cool with it...Osaka-chan was a little more conservative looking than the other boys, just one of those "good boy" looking guys. There was a moment when Re was introducing himself that Kimihiro couldn't catch his name. The boys, in order to explain his name started rambling off the Japanese alphabet...going "Ra,Ri, Ru, "Re" which made us a little uneasy about how this group dynamic would turn out, but it turned out alright.

as we sat there drinking, the final friend of Junichi showed up, Takaya. Liz, Tiff, and I all had that moment of "hmmm maybe we know you from somewhere", and he informed us all he had held lengthy conversations with all three of us before, at Nova (go figure). turns out he is the break dancer we see in there some times...

you should have seen the faces of our friends at Nest when they saw the collection of people we had assembled... the sight was priceless...
around the table we have me, Takaya a hip-hop breakdancer with hyper-active-energy that's through the roof, Re the dreadlocked kimono clad hippy, Junichi another ball of energy with wild frizzy hair, Kimihiro the conservative cute boy from Osaka, Liz and then Tiff both looking hot as usual.

We had a few beers, which really loosened everyone up you know. The laughter and conversation was in full flow, on everyone's parts (I think everyone got a chance to get to know each other a bit). Junichi, Re, and Takaya kept going on how cool it was to be so internationalized.

After we all got to know each other at Nest, we moved on to an izakaya. At the izakaya we kampaied and ordered food.

I tried shirako for the first time... this is the kanji for shirako 白子 the first kanji 白 means white while the second kanji 子 means children...so "white children"...another hint, it comes from a fish.....before you read on think about that for a second, what type of food could this be???

Shirako meaning white children is milt.... still clueless??

Main Entry: milt : noun: the sperm-containing fluid of a male fish

I had fugu (the dreaded deadly blowfish) shirako. So basically I ate a blow fish's sperm sack. Now, this is a pretty normal food over here in Japan. So the shirako really wasn't all that bad. I had heard it was completely awful. Maybe it was the beer that helped me out, but i had seconds and then thirds. I will say I don't think it is something I would crave or order on my own. The taste isn't what makes it crazy it is the texture... you break through the soft skin and the sperm explodes in your mouth, and then as you chew the consistency of the liquid turns chalky like...then you finally have it were you can swallow. It definitely is a bit odd, but I am glad I had the experience.

So while we were at the izakaya Tiff's friend, Hase, showed up. He is a bit older than the rest of us, but not much older (35ish maybe) and he owns a ramen shop in a town about an hour and a half away. I felt kind of bad, he shows up to this eclectic ensemble of people, and we were all already drunk. But he was a good sport about it all. The boys also had another friend show up, he was one of those bling bling open white shirts blonde guys. I didn't really get to talk to him too much, but what I gathered is that they were all old friends and it had been a while since Re had seen everyone. Good times. All in all the evening was great.. Tif went home early. And Liz and I dragged everyone else to Nova for a party that turned out to be a bunch of highschoolers celebrating graduation, we definitely weren't the oldest in the club, but definitely the only teachers. Liz retired home so she could go boarding the next day (but that didn't happen because they missed the train- Osaka-chan came all the way from Osaka to go boarding...ha!) But Junichi, Re, Takaya, blonde hair guy, and I stayed and danced for a long time...I honestly have never seen a funnier site than a dreaded man in a kimono breaking it down.. I retired home, and got ready for the next days activities.

Hodare Festival

The next day the girls and I drove up to Tocchio for a shindig put together by Michelle and Kelly. It was a great time. Saturday night we went to Kelly's for a party. There was a great collection of people gathered, everyone up for a good time. After the food was served, Michelle, being the darling MC she is, broke out a game. We had a good time doing various activities competing against other teams; we had to trade clothes with a partner, play a round of I have never, musicless lap dances, do a round of clap, clap, snap; and I can't remember the other activity...I suck..or it could be because I was making tea kettles full of french martinis to enjoy... we then went to karaoke, which I didn't survive very long at, so I got a cab and somehow managed to get back to Michelles, where I was told Liz came home, attempted to spoon me, and I was having none of it.. no recollection, I was obviously asleep..

.

The next day was the Hodare Festival. The Hodare Festival celebrates fertility and the worship of a large wooden phallus. It is known around town as the penis festival. I finally have some pictures, so here you go....

these men are hammering the living daylight out of some rice which is over a fire. They are making mocchi. This is how you would make mochi until about 50 years ago when the machines were made to do it. Mochi is sticky rice cakes..I really enjoy it.. I brought some home for Christmas. .

We got there too late, so we missed the ceremony of blessing the girls, but after the ceremony you line up to pray at this shrine.

After praying you walk across the stage, where you are given a branch of leaves and sake to drink out of a plate. The man in the orange is wearing a hapi, which is typical fashion for those participating in matsuris (festivals) the man in the gold robes is the priest like figure who blesses and performs the ceremony on the girls and the wooden phallus.

It may be decieving in the pictures, it was not raining, but pouring snow. Here in Japan the snow is so wet you use an umbrella to keep from getting too wet- although me and my comrades were drenched through.


after everyone is done praying to the penis, it is brought out of the shrine and put upon a wooden contraption made to carry it. It is tied down with rope and the girls who are wishing for fertility set upon it and are carried around town. After that you can get upon it yourself and be carried around (I am too shy for that, but I know some people who were up there riding it around)

a cup of sake with fish in it

After the festival, we went to plant 5, for the first time. Plant five is like the Home Depot/ Super Target of Japan. I took special interest in the crazy t-shirts they had for sale. here is a tastse of them....

...leftover crack..

a cap from Destin Florida, something you would maybe buy if you were actually in Destin Florida?? but instead you need only to travel to Kashiwazaki Japan to get one...

and we thought other countries hated us??

this is only a small bit of the selection of cup of ramen available.

or you can get some constraining underwear that makes your butt in jeans look beautiful by any angle..

...I had a great weekend, with great people, and great friends....

i will later try to get some pics off Liz for Friday night (she was the only person with her camera out)