TACOS

SO!
Saturday I went to Kyoto with Ellie (another exchange student from Canada). it rained. a lot. but it was still pretty fun! Because of the rain we really didn't get to see much. not to mention that it was pretty last min and had no real plan. But it's only a train ride away so it's not like I'll never go back!
We went to two of the huge temples in Kyoto (I forget the names...) and a bunch of little shops by the station.
Also found an imports store!!! And that means Mac and Cheese, Peanut butter and Tacos! (not all together in an odd peanuty-cheesey taco of course but each in their own separate beauty.)
On Sunday we went to the ocean (about an hour and a half away by car) to dig for clams and shell fish and such..except after the hour and a half drive we find a nice sign saying digging for shellfish is prohibited. yay.
but there was a huge festival going on so we went to that instead. Unfortunately I was dressed for shellfish and not festivals...so I got to walk around in my P.E. clothes all day with the name "nakajima" embroidered on the jacket. (I don't know who Nakajima is but thanks for letting the exchange students use your stuff)
Japan's festivals are for sure better than ours. I think our food can compete but the entertainment and stalls are far more interesting in Japan. There was also a parade? I think it was a parade. There were dressed up cars with several people on the roof playing music and..uh..shouting instructions(?) to the dancers following behind. It was really cool. Not to mention that people of ALL AGES were behind the different cars. from the college students to 3 year olds to 90 year olds in their funny pants (not grandma pants but more like circus pants)
AFTERWARDS WE GOT YAKINIKU
amazing stuff
OK so-- you have a table..except its set into the floor kind of...
you sit on the floor and your legs go underneath the table sort of. there is a circular grill in the middle of the table too. The place we went has a deal where you pay about 30$ and for 90min you get as much food as you can eat. AWESOME
there was rice (of course) daikon salad, normal salad, kimchee, bibimbap, soup, and of course plates of beautifully sliced marbleized meat that you take and grill yourselves on the grill. and then you dip it into either lemon juice, a sweet sauce, or a soy sauce based sauce. it was MAGICAL. I walked all the way home happy and full and smiling all the way it was so beautiful.
Monday was "Sports health day?" so I had the day off and so did host-padre (because hes a teacher) We had tacos for lunch!! It's really weird to watch Mikihiro eat though (he's 3)
I've seen him eat things like fermented soy beans on rice, and seaweed and things that i KNOW American kids would refuse right away. But he won't touch tacos or wild rice soup or ANYTHING. (and yes, I did make the wild rice soup the right way so its not my fault)
WHO DOSN'T LOVE TACOS?! I MEAN REALLY!!! He didn't even try it!!! Nagomi (the one year old) tried and liked tacos!

Anyways, I'm getting a cell phone the day after tomorrow!

Pictures are from Kyoto, the Mexican aisle in the imports store, festival pictures and a picture of a very very slow man standing at the wrong end of the energetic horse