It was great to have Tom with us for so long. Miranda and I were still in classes, but we wanted weren't done exploring with Tom yet. We went to baseball, Nara park, and many restaurants. We'll have to get him on here as a guest blogger to write about his solo adventures and what he thought. We love you Tom, and we already miss you!
Baseball was super cool. Our history professor couldn't recommend it enough, so I went online and booked us some tickets. The game was packed, and it wasn't even the baseball season. We went to one of the pre-season games. There were classic baseball snacks - hot dogs and french-fries - with a Japanese twist. There were girls with huge tanks of alcohol on their backs walking around and filling up people's drinks. And there was a ton of noise. Each team had six or seven chants, and they would chant constantly while their team was up to bat. Also, everyone had plastic 'noise' tubes they would bang together. There was an especially loyal fan right behind us, who started banging his noise tubes on the back of the chair next to Tom during the fifth inning. By the seventh inning, we felt like we had appreciated enough, and headed out. I'm really glad we went, but I'm not sure I'll be going back anytime soon. An aside from Miranda, our history professor told us that the Hanshin Tigers, the team we went to see and the team our professor supports, has some of the most excited fans.
We went back to Nara park with Tom. It was SO PRETTY with cherry blossoms everywhere, kids running about the park, other picnic-ers enjoying the day, sunshine, and a nice breeze. Cherry blossoms are so dense, it's incredible. And when the light flows through them, it's like a romantic filter on a movie camera: everything is shimmery and pink. (Note from Miranda: There is a specific word in Japanese for spending time viewing and appreciating flowers, "hanami".)
I still don't think they're cute. (They are so cute! --Miranda)
Tom and Miranda on the move.
We found this beautiful lake surrounded by trees and cherry blossoms. It was like a hidden paradise. (I just can't overstate how much I loved seeing the cherry blossoms. I just love sakura. They are ethereal, and it makes so much sense that people come from across the world to see them. --Miranda)
Our picnic consisted of:
Tamagoyaki: an omlette-like rolled egg dish, typical of Japanese picnics.
Apples: delicious any day, any meal, anywhere. Also, a very American picnic dish.
Karaage: Japanese-fried chicken. Miranda and I picked up our favorites from a convenience store.
Onigiri: We made salmon and pickled plum onigiri in the morning and brought them.
Dough balls: These are a classic snack we picked up at the Nara train station. Common for Nara picnics.
Chocolate: what picnic is complete without delicious, creamy chocolate?
It was so fun to explore Nara with Tom, and show him the beautiful park. It was also amazing to see the cherry blossoms. Everyone there was laughing, playing, taking pictures, eating food, and having a good time.
We ate some food with Tom before he left. Notable pictures are shown here, but most evenings we would all go out and get something. It was so good to talk with Tom; we caught up about life and talked about the future. We all had some great conversations that I'll never forget.
Kentucky Fried Chicken before our baseball game. KFC is everywhere. I've seen it in Ecuador, England, Eastern Europe, and Japan. The chicken sandwiches were good though.
This is our pre-church donut shop that we love. It's called 'Mister Donut,' and the honey donuts are especially delicious.
We stopped at a hand-made udon place after church on Tom's last Sunday here. The food was super delicious, and we got to see them make the noodles in front of us.
Tom's last day here we stopped at Kura sushi, a kaitenzushi place. It was really fun, and we all found something we liked. Miranda especially loved the Kura drink, a rice based soda. (It was so, so good! It was almost spicy. --Miranda)
Miranda writing now, we also spent part of the day enjoying the last of the sakura in Hirakatashi. Here are some pictures of the wonderful flowers!
We grabbed lunch at a cat café, only the cats were electric and didn't look like cats at all.
It was so wonderful to get to hang out with Tom, and I'm so glad he was able to visit.
Love,
Miranda
We miss you Tom. Can't wait to get back home and see everyone. Japan is wonderful, and I've learned so much about myself, Miranda, and life. I know Tom also learned a lot from his trip, and I'm really glad he came. I can't wait to get home and share all these stories and more.
Love and hugs,
Nick
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