Tuesday – I ran again and then we headed out for a tour of Fukui’s temples. We went to Eiheji, Heisenji and the echizen daibutsu. I really like these temples so it was good to visit them for what will probably be the last time. Unfortunately though it was still really hot and sticky and so we were feeling lethargic. That evening Mayoumi picked us up to go to tea ceremony. I was made to put on a kimono to show tom which was a little embarrassing, but as usual I had a good time with the ladies, and attempting to brush up my skills. At the end of the lesson, sensei pulled out my leaving present. She wanted to give it to me now so that tom could see. Inside the huge wrapped box, was a brand new tea ceremony set. It had absolutely everything, and was beautiful. I was shocked to say the least as I was aware how expensive these sets are.
Wednesday- tom came to school. It turned out to be a bit more awkward then I had anticipated. I think the teachers felt a bit confused about him being there and they didn’t quite know how to act around him. The lessons he came to turned out to be pretty boring too, because I had not been there to plan, and so it was a normal rote learning lesson full of parrot fashion repetition. He only stayed until lunch, so then I drove him home, and was told I had to go back to school after, which sucked as I had very little to do. That evening we were lucky enough to join the taiko session even though it was not the usual lesson. It was a lot of fun, and tom was great, all the Japanese people were really surprised and loved it!
Thursday- I left him at home in bed whilst I went off for another day at school- it sucked big time to know he was at home relaxing whilst I was at school doing very little for most of the time. But that’s the way the mochi crumbles. After school I went for a run and then we went to a coffee shop in Harue to meet my eikiwae group. They were all incredibly friendly and their English was great too! They asked so many questions, and I think we both cringed when marriage and family topics arose!
Friday- I had a nenkyu day thank god. So we got up and headed into Lpa. The weather was shocking again so we decided on a low key day in Fukui. We visited a few shops in Lpa, had lunch, went bowling (I WON BOTH GAMES J) and then we wandered around the crazy world of the game centre to get purikura! It was a really fun day. In the evening Mayoumi picked us up and we went for dinner in fukui with her, hitomi and sachiko and her husband. I was a little nervous as I knew their English was not amazing, but once again there was no need to worry as it was a fab evening with lots of amazing food, good drink and laughter.
Saturday- we met up with sachiko and her husband who drove us to two sake shops and breweries. It was a beautiful day for a drive and we managed to pick up some good quality sake. It was fun to be with my friends again, and they were so kind to us too. At the end of the trip they pulled out lots of presents for the both of us. It felt a little uncomfortable as the gesture was soo huge, but I was extremely grateful. Next tom and I headed to the lake near awara. We had a good wander around it in the blazing sunshine. There were lots of people about, the most noticeable of which had a bike powered by their ass! It was so funny, but I reckon they have buns of steel! That evening was tom’s last in Fukui, so we decided to meet john and kim once again for a last taste of sushi! It was awesome as usual! We then went back to john and kims for a quick chill out, before heading home.On Sunday tom and I were up at sparrows fart to get him on the trains back to Osaka. I couldn’t afford the trains there and back to Osaka and so I took tom as far as the train from fukui to Osaka and we bid each other a fond farewell. It was weird seeing him go- and in such a rushed way! We had an awesome week together and had experienced so much. I was really happy that he had got to see so many parts of japan, and he had met my friends too. It was fun watching someone experience Japanese culture and etiquette for the first time. I realised just how acclimatized I really am, how much Japanese I can use and understand, how difficult it can be to live here but how extremely lucky I am to have spent a year here. I have experienced so much. I have met fantastic people that I will miss terribly, but never forget. i spent the whole day feeling rather sad. Not only because I missed being with someone again, but because I realised that I will be leaving japan, work, my friends and my life in japan so soon.
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