5.10.22
April's sakura came and went, only to be followed closely behind by May's blooms: wisteria! During my Golden Week (one of Japan's longer vacations, made of three consecutive holidays) I ended up staying local to visit parts of my prefecture, Okayama, that I hadn't seen before. One such site was Japan's largest wisteria garden, Fuji Park, which had me walking through a 500m tunnel of over 150 different kinds of wisteria softly sashaying in the wind. This is yet another post where the pictures speak for themselves, although they still can't do justice to the sheer majesty robed by these royal floral curtains.
Above are shots from my day in Okayama City, the prefecture's capital. I spoiled myself to a breakfast at a riverside cafe I'd be happy living in for the rest of my life AS WELL AS my first mister donuts since coming to Yakage. Popping one of the pon-de-lion mochi munchkins into my mouth was nothing short of glorious. And with a visit to renowned Taisho era artist, Yumeji Takehisa's, small but rich museum, my happy stomach was accompanied by a happy soul which equaled a very nourished kai.
My Golden Week ended with a blast thanks to an invitation to James and Manki's former taiko team's final reunion. After pausing due to COVID precautions, Yakage's taiko (traditional Japanese drumming) team decided to disband, thus leading to an ultimate BBQ using all the profit they made via performances. And when I say ultimate, I do not kid because the manager went all out with purchasing an exorbitant amount of "koukyuu" which means "super quality" meat. Having freshly grilled clams, curry chicken, a bunch of local veggies and of course wagyu melt in my mouth was an experience I will remember for a while. I even ventured into the unknown, trying raw cow heart for the first time...all I can say is it tasted metallic, and I'll keep raw meat as a one-time-experience. But yet again, as you'd expect, even more amazing than the food were the folks I met that night--the openness and warmth with which they immediately showered over me truly made my vacation week golden.
ha. Yes, I went there. And no, I am not sorry for it.
