Chapter 7 - Friday 20th June 2008
Well its been a week since we arrived in Japan and it feels like we have lived here forever. We have not ventured too far from home base yet. Brian says we are like a couple of cats circling our territory and making bigger and bigger circles. There is the harbour district, the mountains and lots and lots to see just here in Kobe let alone Osaka ,Kyoto and beyond.
We walked up the walkway next to Crown Centre (you know that little shopping centre of ours!!!) and “OH MY GOD!!!” it was the entrance to the cable car (apparently it’s the longest in the world-better check it out and report me thinks!) we just looked at each other and thought what dill pickles we are not to even know that its on our doorstep!! It was overcast and drizzly today so we will pick a sunny day and go for an explore.
We decided to go downstairs to our apartment block ‘Café’ to have breakfast and who should be there but……........wait for it.............Yep you guessed right. 'Jack and Chieko.' They helped us order breakfast and we mentioned that we only had 30 minutes before Brian’s lesson so Chieko jumped behind the counter to help make us food!! Jack informed us that she is “A force to be reckoned with!” (he has mentioned that often) “Yes Dear!” and told us that she is an ‘adviser’ of body corporate and organised the café to have all the mode cons included when it was designed. They bought their unit ‘off the plan’ nearly 4 years ago when the units were built. Very new and modern. Oh yea you know that already (note the photo of our washing machine as proof- did I mention it plays Mozart like the kettle- they must be related.)
We woofed down breaky and raced upstairs just in time for Ryoko and Masa to arrive for Ryoko’s lesson. (she is one of the organisers/interpreters and we met her 4 years ago when she was visiting Australia) she is a doctor and so is her friend Masa (she is staying with him and his wife and kids while in Kobe) It was a crazy organising time for a bit while Brian and Ryoko got ‘Japan stuff’ sorted. So Masa asked me if I could help him with some correction in a paper he had just translated from Japanese to English.He works with an organisation called ‘Weave’ which runs workshops for Hospice patients who are terminally ill as well as for their families. It is based on the teachings of Dr Elizabeth Kubler-Ross (very famous for her grief counselling and support). The paper was to be sent to her son in America and it had to be right! So I helped out by editing his transcriptions to his great delight…….there was quite a lot of things getting ‘lost in translation’ and in the end we finished with a wonderful written honour to Dr Ross and her work. I think her son will be very pleased when he receives it.Masa was very grateful and it felt good to be able to help him in such a way.It seems people who can translate written material correctly are few and far between so you never know I may be of help again. Thank god for spell-check I can tell you!!!
Ryoko had her lesson and before we knew it, it was 2.30 and we were hungry so off we went to have lunch and chat in a local noodle bar. Yum!Masa looked up with a look of pure shock on his face. “What!?” “I forgot that I left my dog in the car!” Says he. Shit!!!! So we race downstairs to the car park to find “Leo” the gorgeous 5 month old poodle happily lying in his big cage in the back of the station wagon. Lucky it was an overcast rainy day!Masa had gotten so involved in what we were doing that he plane forgot the dog but he was no worse for wear. (the dog not Masa)……..I was talking to him and realized he only spoke Japanese.(the dog not Masa)……….That’s funny!! So we waved them farewell and Masa promised that he would take us on some excursions as he is a local lad and we really felt that we made another wonderful connection. People are so so nice here.
We went supermarket shopping and I wonder at the funny looking food.I risked buying some rubbery grey looking blocky stuff today. I have decided that I am going to try something new every day. So added it to the meal tonight (Chicken and noodles with greens funny long skinny pale yellow mushrooms and grey blocky rubbery stuff) was OK! Brian reckons my cooking has improved since we got here. Maybe I am channelling my past life Japanese chef! Hai! I’m getting the hang of cooking here and now that we have purchased our ‘authentic dinner ware’ we feel like one of the natives. Even bought a little sake set (Jug and 2 weeny weeny cups) “Not gonna get pissed drinkin outa them honey!” (I hear Jack say.) It’s for warm sake which I am learning to ‘cook’. Very nice. Told you I was going to test the sakes. Speaking of which we ended up at our little Teppanyaki guy (The word "teppanyaki" is derived from teppan (鉄板), which means iron plate, and yaki (焼き), which means grilled.) I have found a great dictionary website! His name is ‘Kastsumi’ and as we walked in all heads turning again (I’m the only girl) lots of smoke………….yea they haven’t caught on that it gives you cancer and you die!!!! But we waded through the fog to the only 2 spare seats in the place and sat next to the sweetest man who was on business from Tokyo and was pretty good at speaking English he said he practices by listening to the radio. He helped us order our meal, a wonderful pancake with veges and meat type thingy and mixed vegies presented in that origami alfoil plate again (Katsumi is a master at work to watch him make it). The ‘Tokyo guy’ can’t remember his name…..ordered us another drink ‘Imoshyou’ you drink it long with ice. It’s made out of potatoes or wheat (we tried the potato one…tastes sort of like Sake but not.) Now did I mention that I am testing all the different Sakes? We did not stagger home though as we only had one and they water it down a bit so it’s not so potent and more healthy for you, so the ‘Tokyo guy’ said. Jack said “That’s bullshit”! (I like Jack.) We liked drinking it anyway and felt very ‘healthy’ afterwards.Anyway gotta go……….stay tuned for the next exciting episode of“Martins in Japan”
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