Patrick: Enough! I think I've had enough

Another week and another fireworks show later, I think I've finally seen enough fireworks this summer. Beginning with the Tenjin Matsuri(Osaka) a little more than two weeks ago, continuing with the Sumida River Festival(Tokyo) last, last weekend, and then the Hamaotsu Fireworks Festival(Lake Biwa) last Wednesday, followed quickly by the Uji Fireworks Festival(Uji) on Friday, my impression of fireworks in Japan has reached a more or less stable plateau on the amazement scale. I have since ceased to be amazed by the packed trains and hordes of people caught up in feverish festival excitement. The sight of girls or guys in yukatas have long ago stopped being a novelty. The absurdly expensive yet tasty street food has become less enticing. And the variation in fireworks are on the verge of being exhausted.

With that having been said, I thoroughly enjoyed the Uji Fireworks Festival. Seeing how I lived with my host family in Uji for the entire SCTI academic quarter, I've developed a penchant for the Town of Genji. The young people were out in droves, the stall managers never ceased their friendliness, the bustling festivities contrasted nicely with the usual calmness of the river currents. And the experience was unlike any other precisely because the location was not as urban, nor was the show as eminent, as the previous fireworks I attended. My viewing location was much closer, allowing me to watch almost directly underneath the thundering explosions. Yet I had two complaints, the first being the loneliness. I lost my coworkers as we wandered around the stalls looking for things to eat. It's not like I was lost but watching fireworks alone is really not all that much fun.. especially watching fireworks alone amidst a sea of couples. The second grievance is the utter chaos that I found upon arrival at the train station. Both the Keihan the JR lines were completely filled to capacity with long lines directed by the police starting from far outside of the stations. I had to wait a little over an hour for 5 or 6 full trains to clear away the mob in front of me. See the excitement for yourself below...

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After I got back to Kyoto city, I went over to Megan's to see Cara who was visiting from Okayama on her way to climbing Mt. Fuji and partying in Tokyo. We went out for some cheap (but rather weak even by my standards) drinks at one of the Moonlight Bars on Kiyamachi.

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Sorry the post is a little out of order but now that that's out of the way, I wanted to put in a few details regarding the nomikai (drinking party) with the people in my lab on Thursday. My coworkers and I, along with a few visiting German researchers from Berlin, went to a yakitori (bbq chicken) izakaya (pub) in Fushimi-Momoyama. This was not the usual all-you-can-eat-and-drink affair that we of the SCTI program typically favored for our outings. The restaurant itself was situated in a quiet neighborhood surrounded by traditional wooden abodes very much like the facades you see lining the streets around historical preservation sites like Kiyomizu Temple. The food, various chicken dishes, were scrumptious and the portions sparing. And seeing how the Germans could really drink, the pitchers and nihon-shu kept coming; only this time each drink came with its very own price tag. And the final bill was, unlike the food, far from paltry. Embarrassing as it was, I had to borrow some cash from a coworker since I hadn't gone to the bank for quite a few days. I suppose as an experience.. an outing with coworkers, sampling various uniquely Japanese dishes and drinks, it was rather nice. Although any more of these and I'm going to go broke fast.

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