I REFUSE

All right, missing one week was bad enough, but now I'm right on the border of missing two. Will I allow it? Of course not. Now strap in, 'cause I'm pulling out all the stops on this one.
So where to begin? On the lack of activity that happened last week? Yeah, I suppose so. So here's the summary of what happened last week. Nothing. All right, now that's done and over with, let's move on into the weekend which, in my mind, is an entirely separate point in time. Why? you might ask as most calendars would prove me wrong and most of my previous posts roll the week and weekend up into one contrite summary. Well, buddy, I got an answer for you. A lot. Happened. That's why. Now shut up and let me tell you what happened. Jeeze.
The best place to start is by telling you my parents came here. That's right. More Poseks in Japan. I don't think the 日本人 (Japanese) were ready, but they came anyways. I met them at the hotel we would be staying at for a long weekend in Kyoto. Not long after my arrival, we set about finding out what we wanted for dinner. We decided on a zushi (note: not sushi) place that was up a narrow street lined with restaurants overlooking the river that runs through the city. It took us a while to find it and when we did the place turned out to be a set dinner that offered a decided amount of courses, each costing 5,000 円 (yen), which roughly comes to fifty dollars, a person. Electing a cheaper route, I took us to an お好み焼き(okonomiyaki (I mentioned this before)) store that both of them found to be delicious. After that it was back to the hotel so they could recover from the jet lag (i.e sleep).
The next day, we went to the 金閣寺 (Silver Pavilion) and a trek down the Philosopher's Road to end it at the Eikando Zenrin-Ji Temple. Somewhere in between, we stopped at a small restaurant to pick up a breakfast we weren't able to eat on the way and continued our way down the Philosopher's Road. The Silver Pavilion was a great little temple to visit. My dad had decided that we needed to get there early so that we wouldn't have to deal with the crowds and what a great decision that turned out to be. The temple is best enjoyed while it is quiet, I think, which is hard to achieve when everyone around you is commenting on what their seeing, doing, etc. It's very serene place, everything from the woods  that surrounds the temple to the rock gardens that cover the grounds echo an idea of harmony in nature. The second temple, Zenrin-Ji, also copies this, preferring to keep as many trees around it as possible. Both, I should mention, are compounds made entirely out of wood. That day was rather brief as after Zenrin-Ji we went back to the hotel, grabbed lunch and napped until much later. Mom wasn't feeling very well so dad and I went out to a 回転数 (conveyer belt sushi) restaurant and headed back to the room for the night.
There are two more days I have yet to cover. No worries though, dear reader. I'll do them tomorrow. I think. Maybe. Until then.

Lo and Behold

I've delivered as promised. Are you as shocked as I am? Is it a dream? Did hell freeze over? No? Huh. Guess I've got not to do but continue with the post.

So, I've told you all about the nomihoudai, you know, the all you can drink restaurant, a.k.a the alcoholic's dream made real. Well just today, I made a trip out to it's opposite, the tabehoudai, essentially a buffet but with better options. Better yet, rather than exert yourself and waste all those earned calories with trips to the food bar they bring the goods to you. Imagine that, right? This particular restaurant was yakiniku, which literally means grilled meat in Japanese, so no points for guessing what I ate my fill of. Like every other culture that ever existed, the Japanese have a love for meat. And what better to show it than menu pages covered in meat options. Want chicken, ya got chicken. Want beef? What kind? They got brisket, super rib (not making that up, that's what the Japanese translates to I guess), etc. etc. Oh! and lets not forget bacon. Yeah, they got that and a list of other choices as well. The marinades are your's to pick as well, from something savory, like a miso sauce, to one as simple as salt and pepper.

Now, if you're familiar with Korean barbecue, the process of yakiniku tabehoudai should come as no surprise to you. The table is outfitted with a grill around which your party is seated. Your meat comes to you raw and it's your job to cook it and that's all part of the fun. As I understand it, every member of the party needs to take turns cooking and watching the meat. It's easy to forget it's there when you're lost in conversation and enjoying the food you just picked off the grill. Trust me on this one, I had  enough of charred meat to last me for a while. I would recommend giving this a try whenever possible. Sure your clothes will stink of smoke for a while but then again there are always worse things to be smelling like, right?

That being said, I'm afraid digesting all of what I ate has left me feeling exhausted. I'll come in with another update on Sunday or so. No promises this time as I need to build up a stock of experiences to dazzle you all with, so I leave you all with an open ending.