First Impressions

I am anxious to post some photos and share some of my recent adventures throughout Scotland, but I am waiting for my computer to arrive from across the sea. For the time being it seemed appropriate to share some of my initial thoughts on my new home in Japan. As I am only in my third day here, what I can say about Japan in general is quite limited. However, since food is something we enjoy wherever we go, I can write a little about some of the fine cuisine in which I have indulged, already. My lifelong friend, and now host and tutor, Heyward, took me for a fine meal of sushi on my first afternoon. Many Americans will be familiar with the novelty, but it fails miserably to match an authentic meal served here. To call it simply raw fish is like calling a Ferrari a mode of transport. It doesn't do it justice. While it was great and cheap, and will likely prove a staple of my diet over here, what followed was even better, if infinitely more bizarre.
Last night I met some of my host's friends, and we went to a small local restaurant for supper. We ate deep-fried chicken cartlidge, chicken skins and raw liver accompanied by raw chicken hearts. Once one gets past the idea of what it is, it is really quite good. We chased it all down with an assortment of Japanese liquors that I could not begin to pronounce, much less spell. Sufficed to say they were strong enough to cloud the mind, but pleasant enough to drink again. We then went to a late bar and drank sake and snacked on sushi and soy beans. It was really a great night.
Today, we went to a shabu-shabu restaurant with another friend of Heyward's. It was a traditional place, complete with servers in komonos kneeling as they brought in one dish after another. We ate soups, tempore, and shabu-shabu (thin strips of beef that one 'swishes' through a pot of boiling water on the table) and a varied assortment of veggies. To finish off I enjoyed a dessert of cherry blossom ice cream, which is a seasonal treat offered only in the wake of the famous blooming of the cherry blossoms across Japan. Not only was the food among the most delicious I have ever tasted, but the whole experience will long be remembered. It was a rare event for a new arrival, and I am grateful to all those who made it happen.
The last note I will make here is regarding the house in which I am now living. It is an amazing century-old house in the traditional Japanese style. The floors are a padded straw mat called tatami which are a real joy to walk on. The interior walls are made of a thin paper covering sliding doors. One can easily open them all for a great, expansive feel, or close them up and enjoy the ambiance. Thin futons provide our bedding, but they are surprisingly comfortable on the soft floors. It is not the norm for a person to have this much room in a country that is notoriously overcrowded, so I am exceptionally blessed to be in this position. Everything about my situation seems to far exceed my expectations to this point.
So I'll leave it there for today. With any luck I can post something new on a quasi-daily basis. Again, as my aptitude for this computer business improves, then I will try to improve the site. Like my person, it is a work in progress, but I can always hope that each day finds it somewhat better than the last. For my Irish friends, Slan go foil!