So Cara's birthday was actually on Tuesday last week but due to classes, the celebrations were postponed until the weekend. On Friday, 20 of us met at the shijo bridge and went to shabu-shabu tabenomihodai (all-you-can-eat-and-drink) on kiyamachi. Suffice it to say, it was good times. After filling up, we headed for karaoke and proceeded to holler our lungs out for the next hour. I left after that to rest up for badminton the next morning but the others stayed to club the rest of the night and much of the morning away.
On Saturday, Brian and I went to school early for badminton. It was another excellent open-gym session and we met a Doshisha graduate who kicked ass. Unfortunately he's currently busy looking for a job so he probably won't be there next Saturday. After practice, we went to a thank-you party for the Japanese students who volunteered as tour guides when we first got to Kyoto. We had some delicious sushi, pizza, and fried chicken. I would've never thought I'd miss pizza so much...
On Sunday, Brian, Daryl, Yoshiko, and I went to Fushimi-Inari Shrine. I met Yoshiko the previous day at the party and she decided to come along for the fun. We arrived in the morning and hiked the mountain trail for about an hour and a half. The number of toris erected on the mountain was quite impressive. They were so close together that walking through them was like walking in a covered corridor. The shrine is dedicated to wealth, fortune, and rice. Guarded by foxes, it is famous for the numerous toris donated by corporations and family businesses with prospects for prosperity. Fushimi, the district, is known for its rice and sake. It is also famous for inari-zushi, the tofu-skin covered sushi filled with rice. Supposedly, their shape is reminiscent of fox ears. They were also grilling sparrows up and down the main street but none of us felt like trying some after lunch. Unfortunately, rain poured down from the sky while we were eating lunch. We decided to head to shijo to watch Pirates of the Caribbean 3. The movie theater was so crowded with people that we had to get seats for the 5 pm show even though we arrived at 3 pm. We ended up walking around and eating delicious crepes. As for the movie, I really enjoyed it. Despite the absurd number of betrayals, the characters were still rather witty and it was definitely packed to the brim with action. I think I still like the first one the best though, probably due to its novelty from being first. I'm not sure how it compares with the second though.. I kind of forgot what my impression was of the second movie. After the movie, we went to a great restaurant, Katsukura, that specializes in tonkatsu. The self-ground sesame really enhanced the flavors of the juicy pork. My croquettes had tofu mixed into the potato, shrimp, and vegetables mash resulting in a soft, creamy, crunchy texture. The rice and miso-shiru were all-you-can-eat like at home. And the cabbage salad went well with the tangy orange, vinegar, and soy sauce dressing. It was a welcome meal after an exhausting yet fun-filled day.
1 comment:
Thank you for the new update. I enjoyed it. Are you singing japaness song now?
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