When Tim and I went to bed on Friday, we had good intentions of going to the gorgeous park in town or going to the Atago Shrine nearby. However we woke up to a soggy, gross Saturday (above...bike rack outside of our apartment on the rainy day). Though it was peaceful to listen to the raindrops, it messed up our plans for a sunny day. Plan B...see if Andrew, our new friend with a car, was interested in going to the flagship Nitori so we could get some necessities for the apartment. He was very willing and so the adventure began. Have I mentioned that the Japanese drive on the other side of the road? Andrew has had his car for less than a year so he still has to think about driving, especially turning. We had fun riding on the expressway trying to find our way to Nitori. Yes, the most of the major road signs are also in English, thank goodness!!! Tim was a great navigator and we got there without incident.
Tim TRULY enjoyed shopping in the 3 story store...NOT! Andrew didn't mind (I don't think!). He had to pick up a few things anyhow. Tim has caught on to the fact that I do NOT like to depend on others for transportation to go shopping because I feel pressured to make quick decisions and I don't like to keep them waiting. It is just about the only time when I wish I had a car! Otherwise, I love riding my bike, taking the bus, and riding the subway. Andrew and Tim shopped for trashcans and other exciting boy things for a bit and then took off for a sushi lunch (on a conveyor belt). They didn't bring me any!
I shopped and shopped and shopped 'til I DID want to drop! We bought chopsticks, bowls, plates, hand towels, blanket/rug for under the kutatsu table, bedding, more pillows, and trashcans. Successful trip indeed! Thank you, Andrew!
Andrew needed a new hockey stick so we went to the only hockey store in all of Fukuoka and he didn't have much luck finding what he needed. Then he wanted to take us to the electronic store but we all got lost in Tenjin! Not such a successful trip, Andrew! ;-)
After a long day of shopping, we met our new friends out for dinner. Jenny (best school librarian ever and from Australia) and "Dan the Dean" (her husband who wears many hats at FIS) invited us out to eat with their Japanese friends, Masami and Yumiko at an Okonomiyaki restaurant. Ali and Maureen also joined us. We had a great time chatting and eating and chatting and eating and chatting and eating! We ate a TON! My friends and family back at home, I've got news for you, eating in Japan is NOT healthy!!! Yumiko kept laughing at me because I was a photo fanatic and I wanted to take pictures of the chef making the okonomiyaki. It ended up being about the 10th course! We had salad, omelets, noodles, potatoes, ostrich (very interesting), RAW chicken (NO, we did NOT eat that!!!), and more BEFORE the okonomiyaki was served. We were all stuffed. The chefs liked us so much that they gave us a "gift" of cut up bananas with chocolate sauce...YUMMY in the TUMMY!!!
Yumiko welcoming us to the Okonomiyaki restaurant...she's SO cute!
LOVE these wet cloths that one receives at EVERY restaurant!
Jenny and Ali eating our first course...salad.
Masami and Maureen
Have NO idea but it was good!
We think these were oysters and they were delish!
omelette with salsa maybe?
bitter cucumber...YUCK!
outside was good but gooey soy/tofu stuff in the inside was just okay
have NO idea but I think it was good
The chef FINALLY cooked the okonomiyaki. Hurray!
yummy okonomiyaki cooking!!!
Yummy okonomiyaki served! However, we were TOO stuffed to finish it all!
otherwise known as "Cow piss," but it is pretty good!
Tim, Sarah, Yumiko, Jenny
Dan and Tim are 2 peas in a pod!
Masami, Maureen, and Tim chow down!
Yumiko holding the bananas hostage!
what a silly crew!
back row: Jenny, Ali, Masami, Maureen
front row: Yumiko, Sarah, Tim, Dan
After dinner, we went over to Andrew's to have a few drinks (well, ended up being BYOB! ;-) ) before heading home for the night.
Andrew, Dan, Ali, Maureen at Andrew's bachelor pad!
Masami, Yumiko, Dayle, Jenny, Tim in the workout room
Yumiko, Sarah (looking like a giant), Masami
Yumiko, Sarah (trying to look more their height), and Masami (getting even shorter!)
Andrew and his great large screen computer set up along with some French sound system and awesome built-in shelving that he's sitting on.
Ali drinking Absolut Raspberry and Absolut Mango...thinking it would taste REALLY fruity...not quite the case! She added frozen berries but nothing helped!
Dan invited several newbies to go to a soccer game on Sunday. The Fukuoka Avispas http://www.avispa.co.jp/ (good luck reading the website!) were playing the #1 team in the league...EEK! We (Jenny--we made her come, Dayle (yay! She was feeling better), Dan, Tim, and me) took the subway to the airport, walked "8 minutes" (it was longer than that), and "tailgated" at 7-Eleven!!! We don't know the laws around here so since the locals were drinking beer in the parking lot, we did too. I'm sick of beer and chuhai so I resorted to several Smirnoff Ices. I'm a wino and want my wine back!!!
7-Eleven...our soccer tailgating spot
Dan, Jenny, Tim Dayle having fun at 7-Eleven
Dan drinking "Cola Shock..." maybe rum and Coke?
Gilligan (Tim) and Sarah, the newlyweds red-necking it at 7-Eleven!
Dayle gettin' digits from the young Japanese guys!
There Dayle goes again!
Some random Japanese dude decided the grate was a great place to chill!
After several beverages, we marched onward to the stadium. We sat in the family section, I think. There were lots of precious Japanese children around! The medium sized crowd was very spirited! I don't think they stopped jumping, cheering, singing into megaphones, waving flags, and jumping up and down during the entire game. The Avispas scored their first goal while we were in the "Food Court." I know you have your local mall food court in your head but that's not what this was. There were a handful of food stalls selling all sorts of junk food, including sausage, ramen, french fries, and probably sushi. I was stuffed from drinking and snacking so I just enjoyed the aroma and the view of the beautiful park behind the stadium. We went back to our seats after half time and were able to see the home team score a SECOND goal. The crowd went wild! The Fukuoka Avispas shut out the other team (I know I should know their name but I'm illiterate in Japan!)!!!
Overall, a nice weekend minus the rain!
The spaceship looking thing is the stadium.
Level 5 Stadium...fancy name, huh?!
Dayle being illiterate...can you read those signs?
nice grammar
Many Japanese people wear the most random shirts. They are all in English and it's almost like they pluck words out of a dictionary and throw them on a shirt. I wonder if they even know what they're wearing! Quite entertaining!
the HUGE Avispa flag at the beginning of the game
They LOVE to wave the flags!
Tim was excited about his free limited edition collectors card of some sort.
Can you see the guy in the center standing up with the megaphone? There were several guys like that who NEVER stopped chanting and singing and getting the crowd involved.
The Japanese usually have an umbrella, hat, scarf, arm coverings to protect from the sun...looks ridiculously hot to me!
She has arm coverings.
the soccer game in action
Gilligan and his nuts
It was incredibly hot and humid...what is this all about?! Seriously, it's common!
rowdy fans
Dayle and Dan at the "Food Court"
Sarah and Gilligan (the lady took the camera from me and took a picture...
for once, I did NOT ask!)...and Jenny and Dan
beautiful park backing up to the stadium
Avispas SCORED!!! Score 2-0!
The giant flag returns when they score.
I watched the clock constantly!!! Long game but interesting and worth it!
precious Japanese baby
I watched the clock...Jenny played her iPod when she got ancy!
Final Score!
Another cute Japanese child...I want her frog shoes!
Victory for the Avispas!
Do they think they are going to get autographs???
Seriously?!
