"just a quick trip"

Hello friend. It's been too long since we last spoke. I'm back-logging for the year of 2012 so keep your eyes peeled and check the archives!

I'm trying to recall where I was easter last year. If memory fails me, I usually have old posts to look back on. Some years have been more distinct than others, gathering for overcooked pasta dinner, celebrating with my classmates in the school kitchen, a photo to mark an easter decoration, quiet  life milestone or as the case may be, several unremarkable Sundays in Seattle. I'm sure I did something last year. It's just not coming to mind.

In keeping with the less remarkable - more remarkable in town - out of town Easter holidays, I was out of town this year and thus, my holiday seems to fall in the latter of the two categories. Where, you ask? Why I took a quick jaunt over to Japan, you know, for a long weekend. Haha.

You laugh. (I laugh.) It sounds somewhat ridiculous and of course, that is somewhat true. In the end, the weekend was just so light and loose that it offset the seemingly absurd act of flying half way around the world and came out just right.

The sun was out, it was just a touch warmer than Seattle and I had the best of company for a weekend adventure in Tokyo. After falling asleep shortly after check-in, we woke up way too early, brewed fresh coffee and hung out in the hotel until the fish market opened. Yes, it was that early.

In the early dawn hours, we were eventually instructed that the auctions were no longer open to non-buyers like ourselves and sought refuge and hot tea in a sushi bar nearby. As I sat at the end of the bar, more than satisfied with all the delicious fish I had just consumed, I pondered how I might get out of eating the next piece of sushi which had just been placed before me. We had ordered the set and the next piece was one I had not previously been taken with, sea urchin. What could I do? The girls beside us were tiny and had quickly consumed each morsel set in front of them. Tenderly, I picked it up with my hashi and attempted to discretely dip it in my wasabi. (When he gave us our first piece of tuna the chef had said, "Very good. No wasabi needed." For the rest of the meal I was self conscious about being an American who put too much shyo-yu and wasabi on all of my sushi.)

...I digress. The urchin was delicious. I had only imagined I might not hate it but was amazed to discover (surprise, surpise!) that when fresh, the texture was not slimy and did not fall apart but melted in my mouth. I have been converted, although likely only to very very fresh sea urchin.

Later we wandered the fish market and saw mussels as long as my forearm + hand in length--I kid you not. They were enormous.

I did not take many photos on this trip but one quarter of them were of gigantic mussels. It would be an accurate assessment to say that they made an impression on me. After the fish market, the camera did not come out again until once in Kamata and then Narita.

We wandered. We trained.  Coffee was made. Delicious food was consumed. Good company was enjoyed. We ate onigiri on a bench in the sunshine outside of Shinjuku gardens and took a train to Kamata. We saw the infamous izakaya, Furusato, after which out dear boat Izakaya was named. A man with magic hands performed finger pressure on my aching back. After dinner, I crawled beneath the covers and was fast asleep by 8:30pm. What a day.

Sunday, a Western breakfast was excused for the Easter holiday. We brunched in the sunshine. It was peaceful. We wandered some more. Missing Starbucks, (we did not) we drank coffee in Shibuya and then made our way to Narita- I wanted see the where Iain spends his down time in Japan :)

As it turns out, Narita is actually a cute little town- although it might get old after a few days stay. We visited Naritasan, a buddhist temple and saw jizo. We walked down the country roads past rice patties, through bamboo forests and seemingly abandoned gardens. 

And finally it was time to take the shuttle to the airport. Here you are, the end-of-the-trip-squinting-in-the-sun photo.