A trip to school

This morning we visited our language school for a brief induction and test. We did some hiragana dictation and some katakana fill-in-the-blanks. The hiragana were fine but the blanks on the katakana sheet were echoed on the cerebral slate. I entertained some judicious sideways glances.

The principal, who spoke very pleasant English, told us of the school's history; how it emerged from a method used to teach Allied Intelligence Forces during WWII; and that even an event like your sister's wedding would not, in Japan, be considered a reasonable excuse for missing a class. He hinted at considerable sympathy for illness, however, so perhaps the Japanese have a more developed gift for lying. (I could certainly rustle up a nasty case of the pox were sufficient marital temptation on the cards.)

We slipped off to a rather good tempura restaurant for lunch. A Japanese meal at last. It was worth the wait.

This afternoon we trooped off to visit an estate agent which was very informative; it seems decent sized and decent priced rooms are out there for the having.

I then bought some triumphantly kitsch pants which was rather a mistake. I happened to see them in a shop window as I pottered around Shibuya: boxers adorned with a huge array of French macaroons. Sadly I bought them. They were fiendishly pricey but my limited Japanese did not allow me to retract the interest I had initially expressed so I had to buy. They are also too small. Of course. But even so:

And for dinner we were whisked off by a past scholar to another quite tremendous Japanese meal. Shoes were removed at the door, the tables were sunken into wells and the kitchen was in its own trough in the centre for all to spectate.

Essentially one is sitting on the floor with one's feet
tucked into a well.

The meal kicked off with a Japanese-style green salad. We then had mackerel sashimi. The skin was scorched at the table and dowsed in lemon juice. This was insanely delicious and served with a Japanese mustard and pickled ginger.

This was followed with what appeared to be a rather unappetizing block of tofu; but eaten with the seasoning and a delicious sweet chili jam-type thing, this was really rather good.

The courses flowed very swiftly. Next, a raw tuna and avocado affair, served on garlic bread. (Does this count as crossover?)

Then a sweet course in the shape of a cream cheese with honey and almonds.

Then a break for sake, served in and poured from bamboo.

Then some delicious sushi (and something else which I did not snap), followed by some phenomenal tempura prawnish things with a raw egg dip. Much better than what we had at lunch, even though that was good.

And finally some ice cream.

This was a cracking meal and very reasonably priced at 4000 yen (c. £32) given that all alcohol was included on a drink-as-much-as-you-like basis. Anyone who makes it out to Tokyo will be taken here unless I find somewhere better in the meantime.

Afterwards we went to a bar with some unusual decor.

This was the lamp on our table. About a foot high.

As we winded our way back to the tube we past the same hawker in a fat suit who had been there when we arrived.