Sayonara

Writing these lines on Wednesday afternoon, on the Shinkansen (”Bullet Train”) from Kitakyushu to Kansai Airport. I have been visiting my relatives one last time. Went to see grandma, she was tired but seemed to remember me pretty well this time. I also had lunch with my aunt and a dinner with my uncle and Seigo and his wife. Really sad to leave Japan now. I could stay here another half a year. Or longer.

Leaving Kyoto yesterday was not very easy either. I am really going to miss that town and all the friends I have made there. I actually got delayed one day (this is becoming a bad habit…), but this time alcohol was not involved. Not directly anyway. The schedule was a bit tight on Monday when I went to pick up my bike, which I had left downtown on Saturday night. When I arrived it was stolen! I tried to report it to the police but realized that the culprits were most likely not thieves, but rather traffic wardens who had taken it into custody for being left in a no-parking zone. Anyway, I got delayed, missed the cheap night ferry to Kyushu, had to spend another night in Kyoto and took the shit-expensive early morning shinkansen instead.



Life in Sakura apartment has sometimes been a bit intense. On Saturday we were able to squeeze in two parties in one single day. This picture is from the preparations for the lunch. Dude with his hands in his pockets is our super cool landlord, Norimasa “Nori” Ida. He bought foodstuff and his parents showed up to teach how to cook the best Japanese cuisine ever.




Table is prepared and we are just waiting for the guests.


This is where there should be a picture from the party in the evening, but my camera battery ran flat.
We had a record number of people squeezed in to our living room and Laura and Enrico fixed a beautiful chili con carne. Best goodbye-party imaginable. I even went to bed well before sunrise this time, just a little bit tipsy.



The next goodbye party was in Kyushu, on Tuesday evening. Seigo, me, Shojiro, Seigo’s wife. And a ton of incredible seafood. We had fugu (blowfish), scallops, a dozen different fishes, sea urchins, basically everything I had ever heard of and a lot more. Most of it was served as sashimi (raw) and we also had a nabe (stew). Thanks Shojiro, gochisousama!



I have heard about fish served alive but this was the first time I saw anything like it in real life. This lobster was still trying to move as well as he could on his bed of vegetables and seaweed. All the meat from the tail had been scraped out and was served as little piles of sashimi on the plate beside him. I was glad I had had a few stiff drinks before I dug into this one.



Moon over Shin-Mōji harbor. This was taken as I arrived in Kyushu on my trip in October, when I was actually able to get in time for the ferry.



At that time I went to see Kokura Castle with Yumiko and Yuji, my aunt and my cousin.




The authorities of Kitakyushu had come up with a very inventive and efficient way to fight graffiti. They banned it! Only in Japan...



Kyushu hills seen thru morning mist. Another shot from the early morning arrival in Shin-Mōji.