I Love 田舎生活

Reading: The Historian, Elizabeth Kostova
Listening: "Prayers," Clazziquai Project

Saturday, September 1
Rabbit Rabbit!

Chris and I woke up late, having spent all of Friday night watching 山おんな壁おんな. We ate our first meal of the day at カレーハウス (Curry House), where I tried the new "curry soup"--delicious CocoIchi curry in slurpable broth form, swimming with crisp okra (eww), tender potatoes, carrots, and eggplant. Tummies bulging, we walked through the nearby sports shop, searching for workout clothes. Rather than clothes, however, we walked out with a cooler for road trip refreshments. At the neighboring Co-op, we browsed the newest Docomo phones and I bemoaned the absence of ferrets at the pet shop.


Back at home, I fell asleep on the bed while Chris did cleaning--the exact opposite of a previous weekend at my place. Several hours later, I was ready for dinner! We window-shopped at YouMe Town before finding meals at our usual family restaurant. Chris ate steak, and I had the オムライス (omelet filled with fried rice)・グラタン (gratin) set. I followed my calorie-high meal with a McFlurry for dessert.

Sunday, September 2
We woke up late again. No complaints here since sleeping in is one of the primary reasons why weekends were invented. Today we were on a mission to collect more 道の駅 stamps for our book. Before lunch, we drove to おばあちゃんの里 (Grandma's Village), where I bought two chubby loaves of kuromame (black bean) bread for Takenaka-sensei, who had given me a large package of assorted bagels on Friday. Walking through the doors of this road station, I was immediately taken in by the sweet smell of freshly baked breads, and in addition to my gift, I found pastries for Chris and myself. As he drove, I indulged in bites of tender anpan and swigs of cold milk from a bottle. ああ、田舎暮らし！

Our next stop was 青垣 (Aogaki), where we collected another stamp for the book. If you remember from a previous post, Chris once bought a meat lollipop here. For lunch, we returned to Hikami, where we ate cheap lunches at Sukiya.

We returned home to pack up the car and drive south, where we stopped at 北播磨エコ・ミュジーアム (North Harima Eco-Museum). We have never visited the Eco-Museum in the name (Does one exist?), but I am always satisfied by the assortment of yummies. I found a vanilla-strawberry soft serve--in a waffle cone!--and a package of animal-shaped cookies.

Our next stop was 東条 (Tojo), located in 加東市 (Kato City), a city north of Miki. The station appeared clean and new, but was otherwise unremarkable. After Tojo, we drove to Ogo, a small station that appeared to be just closing as we arrived. I stamped our book, and we ended the day with shopping and dinner at the AEON Shopping Center in Kita-Kobe, one of my favorite places in Japan. The newly developing area reminds me of the best parts of California. Across the street from the clean, bright mall is the new Premium Outlets, featuring boutiques from Gucci, Coach, FURLA, and Banana Republic to name a few. I began shouting--loudly--that I wanted to go there, but Chris matter-of-factly reminded me that I have no money. I agreed and let myself be led away from the outlets and into the "normal" mall. I wasn't sad for long; I stocked up on new goodies from Lush.

1. "Lady Godiva" Solid Shampoo. Leaves my hair fresh and silky soft even in the Japanese humidity.

2. "蝶々の夫人" (Butterfly's Wife/Madame Butterfly) Body Wash. I prefer the American name "Flying Fox" since I hate butterflies. All the same, I'm in love with the clean jasmine fragrance.

3. "Herbalism" Facial Cleanser. Stinky stink.

4. "Power Mask." Yummy scrub of azuki shells and mint. Leaves my skin tingly and refreshed.

At the bookstore, I picked up a literary magazine and the registration packet for the 日本語能力試験 (Japanese Language Proficiency Test), which I (crosses fingers) will be taking in December. We ate at Pepper Lunch for dinner. I had my usual of "Beef Pepper Rice," a dish of thinly sliced beef served with buttery rice, corn, and a generous douse of pepper. Mix the ingredients together atop the searing hot serving plate, and you've got yourself a good meal.
At home, I indulged in a Lush-ous bath. Lounging in the air-conditioning later, I couldn't stop exclaiming, "I smell so good!" Chris finally yelled, "No, you don't!" And we went to sleep. And then it was morning. And then I was at work.