Osuka

First, I was very happy to hear that a student took the kitten. He was tired of his box by the 3rd day, mewing constantly, so I'm glad someone could give him a home.

Okay. First there were pictures. Now there are words They say a picture is worth a thousand words, but I don't always know if that's an even trade.

At the community reception hall in Osuka, we had traditional Japanese food in the tatami room. Most of it was familiar but I did try one new thing -- a cup filled with warm, liquified red beans and mochi. Mochi is a rice cake, which is basically a smooth, gooey-chewy blob of rice substance. It's not little pieces, like a ball of rice; instead it's all one texture that is clear-white and somewhat starchy. Sometimes mochi is so chewy it's hard to break apart and you end up swallowing big chunks. I don't care for this kind. But if the mochi is sweetened, it's usually a little more refined (easier to chew) and then I like it. If unsweetened, downing one is a significant task. Anyway, my host mom brought me a warm cup of reddish-brown pulpy liquid, and I thought it was a drink. Turns out it was purified, sweetened red beans with mochi hidden inside. It was pretty good but I didn't ask for seconds.

After lunch we were treated to a private drum performance. We watched older ladies twirl and stomp battons, and the rhythm (spelling?) was soothing. The beat combined with a full stomach made me sleepy, so I was surprised when they told us to learn the routine in 15 minutes and then perform for the city newspaper. None of the ALTs really believed we had to get up on stage and do it...and we groaned about sitting in traditional Japanese style (you can see in the photos, by the time we performed, my knees were killing me and I had to sit to the side). But actually, it turned out to be tons of fun and everybody was laughing when the battons weren't flying into people's heads. It was definitely a work-out -- I must say I had more respect for the ladies afterwards!