social invitation
Last Friday Jeff was invited to go to Ibuski with a student/friend and enjoy the sand baths. He would leave at 10 a.m.
Meanwhile, I was attending our monthly tea party, starting at 9:00 a.m.
9:55 a.m- Jeff pops into the tea party to say hello and goodbye. We continue to chat for another hour and a half until it is announced that there is a special lunch after the tea party. Various and asundry transportation plans are made and everyone leaves for an hour, only to reconvene shortly for lunch.
12:30-1:00 Jeff arrives in Ibuski where he and Mr. Itokazu enjoy a lunch of Japanese Soba noodles before they head to the sandbaths.
1:00 pm- I arrive at the restaurant with a group of ladies. We sit and talk for nearly an hour before the rest of the group arrives for lunch. We are then served in courses, topped by dessert. Did I mention that we ate banana cake and snacks at the tea party just hours ago?
2:30 pm- Jeff has recovered from the scalding hot sand bath by enjoying a Japanese Onsen. Conversation fills the 2 1/2 hour ride back.
3:00 pm- I am now at the house of a student/friend and her family. She has kindly invited home half of the people that went to lunch and is serving us tea and snacks while we watch a classic Japanese animated film. Some of us watch, some of us munch and some of us sleep.
6:00 pm-Jeff and Mr. Itokasu made a stop at the 100 yen store and are now enjoying a sushi dinner. Each of them finish off 6-7 plates of sushi.
7:00 pm-The movie ended and I caught a ride back to the apartment with our director. I was exhausted from lack of sleep and my back found all the sitting intolerable. Funny though, my stomach is growling again. And the party roars on...a number of people remain at Shizuko's house for dinner.
8:00 pm- Roughly 10 hours later, Jeff arrives home bearing a invaluable CD holder he was able to find at the 100 yen store. We sit and share our days for an hour or so before lapsing into a tired silence.
9:45 pm- We pull out the futons and enjoy an early bedtime. All that eating and socializing just took it out of us.
posted by Jefu and Mari at 11:26 AM
4 Comments:
Wow, guys! That's some crazy day!
Talk about impromptu planning, spontaneity or "flying by the seat of your pants"... But it sounds like fun too...
It makes me curious though...Is this typical of Japanese hospitality?
Thanks for sharing your fun/tiring day with us all! :o)
Lata,
Vanessa:)
What a fantastic day! Hmm. What is it that makes the sand baths so scalding? And was it really that refreshing, or was it like those "massages" that are supposedly good for you but leave you hurting for a week?
Oooo, the sand bath looks interesting. What is it exactly? And yes, I also wonder, what makes it hot?
Thanks for sharing :)
Love you guys!
ashley
there is volcanic activity underground here and that heats the sand. they just bury you in the sand and leave you there. they say not to stay in much longer than ten minutes cause it gets too hot. i wasnt interested in staying in longer than that...way too hot. but it was a cool experience.
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