13 June 2009

Today was our big outing since it was the beginning of the weekend, so all five of us piled into their Toyota Prius. Mitsunori drove since we were going quite a ways, and it was somewhat new territory. Our first stop was at the Rose Festa in Shinshu Nakano. It took over an hour to drive there, and the rain was just stopping when we arrived. We parked and then had to take a short bus ride in order to get to the gardens. Toshio, Miyo, and Mitsunori had all been there before, but the roses weren’t in full bloom anymore. The garden was still beautiful, and we enjoyed the nice weather as we wandered along the meandering paths. Toshio additionally bought everyone rose-flavored soft cream cones, but I only tasted rose very subtly. Our next stop was in Obuse, a small historic town that was known for its authentic old buildings and shops. On our way, we stopped at a sushi restaurant where everyone ate a quick bite of sushi. I was still very full from the huge breakfast Miyo had made me of ham, eggs, salad, cucumbers, tsukemono, soup, and bread, so I opted not to eat. Obuse was really nice, but it was also full of tourists. We went into a candle museum which was very interesting, and we otherwise just wandered around the small shops. Before leaving, Miyo purchased some chestnut rice to eat once we got home.
After Obuse, our last stop was Zenkoji Temple. It is one of the largest and most famous temples in Nagano, so it was a must that we visit it. After a little bit of difficulty finding it, we finally parked and walked onto the temple grounds. There was tons of people there, and they were also setting up for a concert later that night. I thought the idea of having a concert at such a famous temple was pretty sad, but I guess times must be hard these days. We walked in and around the temple, and Masaru showed me the proper way to do all of the “religious” routines. Mainly I was just supposed to make wishes for the future and think about things I wanted to be healed. It was nice to finally have someone explain the process to me.
We left Zenkoji Temple around 5:00pm, and it was time to head home. Since Miyo had not been able to cook all afternoon, they decided we would stop to eat at their favorite yaki niku restaurant. It was fairly close to their house, so I napped in the car until we got there. The yaki niku place was really busy, and we had to wait for a short while. Once seated, we ordered two plates of kalbi beef, two plates beef tongue, beef liver, beef roast steak, and pork roast steak. It also came with bean sprouts and cabbage to cook alongside it. It was a lot of food, but it was really really good. I think yaki niku is one of my favorite restaurants to eat at since you get to cook it yourself, and that in itself is pretty fun. We all got our fill, and for dessert, we got vanilla soft cream cones from the restaurant complimentarily. It was a good day.
We were all pretty tired by the time we got home. We talked until about midnight, then we all went to bed. I tried to work on some of my leftover Arch 420 assignments, but I was too tired. I figure it’s better to get some rest than be tired all the time. Tomorrow is supposed to be a rest day, but I’m sure someone will have something planned for me again.