Japan July 2016 Tuesday

Work continue to go amazingly, and we had dinner at a Chinese restaurant. 

The night sky was fabulous.

Japan July 2016 Monday

Our first day at the museum went so smoothly. Really. The jet lag kicked in just before we needed to wrap up at 6. Then we went to an Ojiya restaurant. It was magical. Super woodsy, with whatnautical jimcracks everywhere. The Ojiya was a bowl of umami. Something so tasty and evenly ingrediented that it was just a big bowl of salty pleasure.

The walk home:

We walked through a shopping arcade on the way home. These figures are supposed to make it stop raining, but they're kinda creepy.

I love a figure of Colonel Sanders, so I had to stop and snap a photo:

At one point we stopped to light some sparklers. Japanese sparklers are awfully pretty. I don't understand why the custom is that we hold them with the flame below our fingers. That's a little nerve wracking.

Across from our hotel is the home / restaurant of a lady who has a beautiful bobtailed cat named Pudding. His bobtail is striped, he has a single teacup-sized striped spot on his side, and striped ears. We petted him yesterday, and did so again this evening, disturbing her dog, so she came out to say hello. 

 

We had a long conversation, aided by our tour manager, during which she decided that I would be huggable, so she hugged me, and then we got to talking about cats, so I showed her a picture of our second oldest. She thought my cat was fat, so she started rubbing my tummy and indicating that she looked like me. This woman was so much like my mom ten years ago. She opened her outer jacket and indicated that she had no boobs, and then up-slapped mine. 

No really.

You can imagine how much my crew was enjoying this. I should stop to say that I’m wearing the plumeria in my sprout that so horrified the people of Vienna and Budapest. It has the exact opposite effect on people here. It’s a) taking Nagasaki by storm and b) emboldening them to say and do almost anything.

Japan July 2016 Sunday

Walked to Amu Plaza and saw many things. 

Went to Tokyu Hands. Didn’t buy the bag that converts to a backpack and I should have.

But later at the supermarket I bought a cheap (5 bucks) and awesome bag that comes inside a bag. I used the tiny bag on Monday to bring my tiny lunch to the museum.

Back at Amu Plaza there were lovely things to see:

 

We went on a tour of Nagasaki harbor in a reproduction of a boat given by the Netherlands to the Emperor of Japan. The tour was hosted by our museum translator. I love rusted stuff.

Then we went to the supermarket and bought things for our dinner. I made a salad! Japan's awesome that way. I'm bringing a Tupperware when I come back in September.

Limpics 2016

It's time for the Limpics again, and crotchety mrsguy is not feeling it.

I can only think of pestilence, pollution, and how the billions of dollars they spent on the spectacle would have been better spent on the people of Rio. I predict that by the time the Limpics are over, that place is going to be like a Superfund site.

When I was little, the Limpics were on a high, from a PR perspective. It seemed the purest and best expression of athletics. I could not *wait* to see my favorite sports. I was super into track and field, which is hard to believe now, since I am such an advocate and practitioner of sloth.

Anyway, after reading up on the 1936 Limpics earlier this year I did a deep dive into the life of Avery Brundage. For a good old slimy time, read his Wikipedia entry. Given his ties to our fair city, I am extra horrified by his thoughts and deeds.

I will be loving the empty aisles of the grocery store this next few weeks.