Barking dachshunds and alcohol...

Well, I didn't sit on a tube and watch people, nor did I sit in a tree and watch the bears go by (too scared of nature's beasts being a city boy an'all). My previous post was written after a day at elementary school where over 100 over-excitable students were being more exuberant than ever. So much so that at one point it felt like they were there disco dancing, break dancing and finally doing the Hustle on my last nerve. From having been told I'd had a perm (naturally curly hair is not natural in Japan) to shouts of "afro!" I was initially amused, but the nerve dancing finally peaked when during a game of fruit basket the students at either side of me started rubbing my fuzz-like hair and bum chin. Again. Bum-chins mesmerise the kids here. And that includes Junior High children who are just a bit slyer about commenting. This led me to make a sharp exit at four, and fortunately I had a dinner date at Nao-chan's, although I was wondering how I'm manage to muster up the energy to be a good guest to always excellent hosts. And so I wandered around Tsukida in search of chocolate, taking in some of the lovely old architecture and beautiful autumn leaves and talking to people I bumped into.

I selected a suitable shop from which to purchase choclit, I walked in to find it unmanned (as they often are in the middle of nowhere) and upon calling out "kon'nichiwa!" who should enter the shop but Kiyoe chan (Nao chan's friend who always come to parties) and the two of us sat down and chatted for an hour or so, and her friends who popped in to the shop also joined in. And her little miniature dachshund seemed very happy to see me. It wouldn't stop barking...

And soon it was on to Nao chan's where I met her youngest son (22) who was visiting and we all ate a massive dinner of nabe and sashimi with Oji san and Papa san, and then Kiyoe chan and Kayo chan who joined us at 8. With Nao chan's son continually filling my glass with beer (and mine his) I know I was getting drunk and fortunately Nao chan gave me a lift home so that I wasn't in too bad a state for speech contest the next day.

Well, speech contest wasn't the happy event it was last year. I only had 4 girls competing this year (13 last year) and none of them got placed despite all the judges saying they liked two of them a lot. And one of them is one of the best students in her year and she took it hard, so I'm hoping that she doesn't lose heart. After the contest I gave a (terrible) short speech to the assembled people and then the Rotary club (who organise the day) took us out for a fancy lunch at the area's number one hotel, the Riverside hotel, Ochiai. The same place where the good karaoke is, but it was closed. Hot damn. So after an evening in and then a quiet day at work I am sat indoors trying to produce the next issue of the Fuzzy Peach but seem to be utilising many avoidance techniques such as updating weblog unnecessarily.

Really, I know I live in a lovely place and I'm made some very good friends and there are many more kind and friendly people living nearby. Sometimes it hard to remember this when you just want to be lost among the throngs, but I am very lucky to have met the people I have- they make my time in this town much more fun and interesting.