Studying, shopping, izakaya-ing and karaoke-ing....

Day 3

Wednesday 28 September

Higashi Hiroshima: 26 degrees, sunny and humid

What a day so far!!

Today we worked out butts off in class! We started off doing mind maps about ‘fun food’….so I thought of watermelon and how it is fun to eat in summer; sukiyaki and how fantastic it used to be when Masako made it for me and crab and the fun of pulling it apart and eating it. Others talked about the joys of eating with family….blah blah blah….just give me the food!! Hee hee!!

Then we completed a mind map about our image of Japan. We then had to present it to our class and were videotaped doing it. Nothing like a bit of pressure to make you feel inadequate about your language skills!!

We then watched our presentations and pulled apart our speeches. Embarrassing, but VERY enlightening!! We will have a number of speeches to make throughout the trip: to the school we visit and also at the end of our stay here. Let alone speaking to our host families! Yikes!

After class, we headed into Saijo again. A trip to ‘Youme Town’ (a combined department store and supermarket) for some supplies and the obligatory 100 yen shop visit was followed by dinner at an izakaya (the Japanese version of a tapas bar…..for want of a better analogy….). Hilarity ensued!!! Beer and grapefruit sours were on the menu…..along with gyoza, ramen, sushi and a variety of other food stuffs. The food at HIC has been pretty average and we made sure we ate up!

Fortunately, our room in the izakaya was equipped with karaoke….WOO HOO!!! Microphones were soon ditched for group singing of such classics as ‘Leaving on a Jet Plane’, ‘Bohemian Rhapsody’, ‘California Dreaming’, ‘Brown Sugar’, ‘Everlong’, ‘Under the Bridge’, 'Can't Get You Outta My Head' and all of your standard bogan hits…..We could be heard from the front door and in the male toilets (or so I was told!!). Diana, Indra, Ken, Travis, Bianca, Margaret, Fi and I all managed to destroy every song put on the karaoke machine!! Top effort from all!!



L-R: Margaret, Fi, Diana, Indra, Ken and Travis.....Bianca is out of frame.....



Ahhhhh.....Nama (fresh) grapefruit sour....how I've missed you....

After consuming much alcohol and destroying our vocal chords, we had the obligatory photo out the front of the izakaya….A lovely ‘salary man’ (looking a little worse for wear from his own nite of drinking) kindly took out photo out the front of ‘Watami’ (the name of the izakaya).

The drinking and singing gang....

It's important to make friends when you travel....

A giggly taxi ride back to HIC and then one more beer on the balcony before bed. Tomorrow is our trip to a sake brewery (sakegura) and hopefully we will be fit and well for the days activities!!

Wednesday nite looks like becoming "let's-go-out-and-have-fun" nite! WOO HOO!!