Saturday, October 22, 2005
If Wishes Were Horses
First things first, the photos from last Sunday's trip to Kyoto are up! You can see them right here. Coincidentally, I also spent today in Kyoto attending the famous Jidai Matsuri. Of course I took lots more photos which I hope to upload before the weekend is over. The theme of the day was not history though, it was horses.
The weather predicted rain and chilly temperatures so I dressed appropriately and brought an umbrella (one I recently procured for the amazing price of 105 Yen). I met up with a group of students at Hirakata City station and we rode to Sanjo station, the very same place I met Mako last weekend. The festival's main attraction is a parade of characters in colorful period costumes (many of whom were on horseback) so all we had to do was wait outside the station and watch as the parade passed us by. I didn't expect the parade to last nearly two hours, but that's how long it took. I took advantage of the situation to make another video clip! You can view it (along with dozens of photos) right here.
After the parade was through most of us were quite hungry so we took a stroll over to a kaiten sushi restaurant. Having spent the afternoon watching dozens of magnificent horses I could think of no better occasion to try my first taste of horse meat. This shocked all of my fellow diners (even the Japanese ones) but it's their loss. It was delicious!
Horse, the other other other red meat. Tame the beast!
With fresh horse meat in my belly I returned home in a good mood and stopped in at the supermarket to pick up more milk. I also decided it was in my best interest to invest in some condoms. Needless to say, I was unsure of which particular box to pick up as "spermicide" and "lubricated" are not words that came up in any Japanese class I've ever attended. I couldn't help but notice one black box marked "Super Big Boy" which featured larger size condoms. What image did they feel best represented their product? You guessed it, a horse.
Sorry I can't get into more details about today or the last two days for that matter. I've been very busy living so I haven't had as much time to write about it. I promise I'll find time during the week to catch up. Probably not tomorrow though, I've got another date with Mako!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
The weather predicted rain and chilly temperatures so I dressed appropriately and brought an umbrella (one I recently procured for the amazing price of 105 Yen). I met up with a group of students at Hirakata City station and we rode to Sanjo station, the very same place I met Mako last weekend. The festival's main attraction is a parade of characters in colorful period costumes (many of whom were on horseback) so all we had to do was wait outside the station and watch as the parade passed us by. I didn't expect the parade to last nearly two hours, but that's how long it took. I took advantage of the situation to make another video clip! You can view it (along with dozens of photos) right here.
After the parade was through most of us were quite hungry so we took a stroll over to a kaiten sushi restaurant. Having spent the afternoon watching dozens of magnificent horses I could think of no better occasion to try my first taste of horse meat. This shocked all of my fellow diners (even the Japanese ones) but it's their loss. It was delicious!
Horse, the other other other red meat. Tame the beast!
With fresh horse meat in my belly I returned home in a good mood and stopped in at the supermarket to pick up more milk. I also decided it was in my best interest to invest in some condoms. Needless to say, I was unsure of which particular box to pick up as "spermicide" and "lubricated" are not words that came up in any Japanese class I've ever attended. I couldn't help but notice one black box marked "Super Big Boy" which featured larger size condoms. What image did they feel best represented their product? You guessed it, a horse.
Sorry I can't get into more details about today or the last two days for that matter. I've been very busy living so I haven't had as much time to write about it. I promise I'll find time during the week to catch up. Probably not tomorrow though, I've got another date with Mako!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Friday, October 21, 2005
Another Late Night
I spent the day hung over from last night's revelry. That certainly wasn't how I planned to take my exam this afternoon but I'd say it went pretty well.
I won't go on too much about the party I was at tonight, it's late and I am quite tired. Let's just say that I invited Mako but she was too busy. Scott came instead though so I wasn't entirely alone. However, I thought of Mako a lot, especially when she mailed me to thank me for the photos I e-mailed her.
I don't know how I feel right now. Content? Lonely? Happy? Tired? Maybe.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
I won't go on too much about the party I was at tonight, it's late and I am quite tired. Let's just say that I invited Mako but she was too busy. Scott came instead though so I wasn't entirely alone. However, I thought of Mako a lot, especially when she mailed me to thank me for the photos I e-mailed her.
I don't know how I feel right now. Content? Lonely? Happy? Tired? Maybe.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Thursday, October 20, 2005
Unfiltered
Drunk + blogging = drlogging...
Went out to Osaka tonight, met some Moroccan ladies and went with them back to their place. Met their friend from France, wish I had kept up with French so I could undertand the lot of them. Would have stayed later but forced to leave to meet "last train" nonsense that they have here...totall bummer.
Big exam tomorrow eafternoon, will study tomorrow I suppose. Feel good about almost everything though, I miss everyonje who isnt here, like Ben.
OK, I'll go to sleep now. Bye.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Went out to Osaka tonight, met some Moroccan ladies and went with them back to their place. Met their friend from France, wish I had kept up with French so I could undertand the lot of them. Would have stayed later but forced to leave to meet "last train" nonsense that they have here...totall bummer.
Big exam tomorrow eafternoon, will study tomorrow I suppose. Feel good about almost everything though, I miss everyonje who isnt here, like Ben.
OK, I'll go to sleep now. Bye.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Wednesday, October 19, 2005
Pointless
Today I got my other midterm back, scored nearly 98%. Ironically, the largest error was in my pronunciation of the unwritten pitch accents which Japanese uses but I have never, ever studied. Part of me is upset that I lost points for something I have no means to understand but on the other hand, I got nearly 98 fucking percent.
My day was dominated by one purely irrational thought: why hadn't Mako e-mailed me back? We're discussing getting together on Sunday and I had asked her what time would be good. All day, I was waiting for her reply and I was getting more and more nervous. Eventually, I e-mailed her again, this time re-phrasing my question as part of a larger suggestion as to precisely where to meet. Again, every minute she didn't write back caused me undo stress.
Why the hell do I put myself through this baseless paranoia? I know I've been burned by other people before so maybe I'm a little over-sensitive to the prospect of it happening again, but it's like if I call/e-mail someone and they don't respond promptly my mind races to the conclusion that I am being silently rejected. I know it's absurd but it feels like I'm helpless to make these assumptions and it can really drive me a little crazy.
It's all good of course, she eventually e-mailed me back and everything is good to go. She's just really goddamn busy on weekdays. I know this yet I still imagined torturous scenarios. UGH, I wonder how much positive conditioning it will take before I accept the fact that not everyone is looking to ditch me.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
My day was dominated by one purely irrational thought: why hadn't Mako e-mailed me back? We're discussing getting together on Sunday and I had asked her what time would be good. All day, I was waiting for her reply and I was getting more and more nervous. Eventually, I e-mailed her again, this time re-phrasing my question as part of a larger suggestion as to precisely where to meet. Again, every minute she didn't write back caused me undo stress.
Why the hell do I put myself through this baseless paranoia? I know I've been burned by other people before so maybe I'm a little over-sensitive to the prospect of it happening again, but it's like if I call/e-mail someone and they don't respond promptly my mind races to the conclusion that I am being silently rejected. I know it's absurd but it feels like I'm helpless to make these assumptions and it can really drive me a little crazy.
It's all good of course, she eventually e-mailed me back and everything is good to go. She's just really goddamn busy on weekdays. I know this yet I still imagined torturous scenarios. UGH, I wonder how much positive conditioning it will take before I accept the fact that not everyone is looking to ditch me.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Tuesday, October 18, 2005
Background
In a recent comment, Hyde asked to know more about Mako. Not appearance-wise but personality-wise. Since I spend a lot of time thinking about her I thought I might try to explain a little bit about her, or at least give you a clearer picture of how this all started.
Firstly, I should explain that we met via the Internet, specifically the forums at japan-guide.com. That means that the Internet has played a crucial role in introducing me to three of the most significant women that I have known: my first-ever girlfriend, Hyde, and now Mako.
She placed an ad in late August and I started visiting that site on September 5th, less than two weeks after I had arrived here in Japan. I first wrote to her on the sixth and she replied the next day. In our early e-mails, she described herself thusly: "I'm frank and easy-going. and I don't worry about small things." When I asked her about her hobbies, she told me (in Japanese): "movies, music, cooking, reading, watching sports, sports, internet, trying foods at various restaurants, etc." So far, she seemed to be right up my alley.
The e-mails flew back and forth for about a week when I asked her what she was doing over the three-day weekend (Sept. 17-19). I told her I had the whole weekend off and she asked if I wanted to meet her in Kobe on Monday, warning me that she was busy in the evening but offered to show me around during the afternoon. I jumped at her offering and quickly agreed. It took a few days to hammer out the details but we eventually met as planned. You can go back and read that post right now if you like. That was the end of a three-day weekend in which I tried to meet three different women, all of whom I had contacted via the Internet. One stood me up and the other I met but things were a little awkward.
Mako and I, however, got along pretty well. The language barrier was there but it was porous, whereby we were able to work around it by speaking in mixed English and Japanese. My sense of humor helped as I was able to make her laugh a few times, something I wasn't necessarily expecting given our obvious cultural differences. There were plenty of silences but they didn't feel terribly awkward; perhaps we were communicating through body language? Maybe we both took turns checking each other out? She's cute, of course, and in hindsight I'm tempted to say she thinks I'm not too bad myself. Certainly our "closeness" on the train ride home seems to be no accident, knowing what I know now.
We didn't meet again for three weeks because of her various jobs but we maintained e-mail communication throughout this stretch of time. I took this as a very strong sign that she liked spending time with me as most people I meet via the Internet rarely return my mails after the first face-to-face meeting. Our chatter was never very deep, typically just covering things we did that day, whether or not we drank too much the night before, that sort of thing.
That just about covers all the stuff I haven't already blogged. What more can I say about her? I really dig hanging out with her, her smile is absolutely adorable and she laughs at my jokes (sometimes). She's not afraid to drink with me although she doesn't have very strong tolerance; I've yet to see her drink more than one glass of anything. I'd say she's "quiet" compared to the chatty girls running around most of Japan but then again that could just be a matter of maturity. She's closer to my age than those other girls so maybe she simply values peace and quiet on occasion? I'm certainly much more contemplative and less verbose than I was eight years ago.
One final observation (I should really get to bed soon, Wednesdays are always my busiest day of the week): when I first fell in love ten years ago, I remember going to class the next day and feeling completely energized like no one could do anything to put me down; I had a girlfriend now and that made me important! I can't say I have that feeling right now and I'm considering several factors:
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Firstly, I should explain that we met via the Internet, specifically the forums at japan-guide.com. That means that the Internet has played a crucial role in introducing me to three of the most significant women that I have known: my first-ever girlfriend, Hyde, and now Mako.
She placed an ad in late August and I started visiting that site on September 5th, less than two weeks after I had arrived here in Japan. I first wrote to her on the sixth and she replied the next day. In our early e-mails, she described herself thusly: "I'm frank and easy-going. and I don't worry about small things." When I asked her about her hobbies, she told me (in Japanese): "movies, music, cooking, reading, watching sports, sports, internet, trying foods at various restaurants, etc." So far, she seemed to be right up my alley.
The e-mails flew back and forth for about a week when I asked her what she was doing over the three-day weekend (Sept. 17-19). I told her I had the whole weekend off and she asked if I wanted to meet her in Kobe on Monday, warning me that she was busy in the evening but offered to show me around during the afternoon. I jumped at her offering and quickly agreed. It took a few days to hammer out the details but we eventually met as planned. You can go back and read that post right now if you like. That was the end of a three-day weekend in which I tried to meet three different women, all of whom I had contacted via the Internet. One stood me up and the other I met but things were a little awkward.
Mako and I, however, got along pretty well. The language barrier was there but it was porous, whereby we were able to work around it by speaking in mixed English and Japanese. My sense of humor helped as I was able to make her laugh a few times, something I wasn't necessarily expecting given our obvious cultural differences. There were plenty of silences but they didn't feel terribly awkward; perhaps we were communicating through body language? Maybe we both took turns checking each other out? She's cute, of course, and in hindsight I'm tempted to say she thinks I'm not too bad myself. Certainly our "closeness" on the train ride home seems to be no accident, knowing what I know now.
We didn't meet again for three weeks because of her various jobs but we maintained e-mail communication throughout this stretch of time. I took this as a very strong sign that she liked spending time with me as most people I meet via the Internet rarely return my mails after the first face-to-face meeting. Our chatter was never very deep, typically just covering things we did that day, whether or not we drank too much the night before, that sort of thing.
That just about covers all the stuff I haven't already blogged. What more can I say about her? I really dig hanging out with her, her smile is absolutely adorable and she laughs at my jokes (sometimes). She's not afraid to drink with me although she doesn't have very strong tolerance; I've yet to see her drink more than one glass of anything. I'd say she's "quiet" compared to the chatty girls running around most of Japan but then again that could just be a matter of maturity. She's closer to my age than those other girls so maybe she simply values peace and quiet on occasion? I'm certainly much more contemplative and less verbose than I was eight years ago.
One final observation (I should really get to bed soon, Wednesdays are always my busiest day of the week): when I first fell in love ten years ago, I remember going to class the next day and feeling completely energized like no one could do anything to put me down; I had a girlfriend now and that made me important! I can't say I have that feeling right now and I'm considering several factors:
- No one has said "I love you" yet, although there were a few breathy 「好きだ！」 (suki da, "[I] like [you] (very much)!") slipped inbetween the kisses on Sunday by both parties. So I don't quite have the sense that I'm in love (or loved) right now.
- Maybe the first time you fall in love is always the best? Will I always judge my future emotional attachments by that initial connection?
- I'm still dealing with the love I professed to Hyde this summer. I need to be very careful that I don't get too involved too quickly with Mako. After all, this is my first relationship in a long time; I need to proceed with caution else I might get seriously burned.
- My previous loves were all built over a period of months with someone I felt I could open up to about anything. Mako and I don't have that kind of accumulated time or connection just yet. My fear is that the language barrier might prevent us from ever reaching that point, but who knows where we'll be in two, three, four months? I can be a fast learner when the subject appeals to me. ^_^
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Monday, October 17, 2005
Dull Tales of Success
Not much to report today beyond good but ultimately ordinary news.
My first class of the day (9AM on Monday mornings, why?) was pre-empted for a "reading test" which I suppose fits into the grade for our midterm we had on Friday. There wasn't much to it, I picked a passage at random and read as much as I could in one minute. I think I did OK although I didn't get very far in one minute.
After that exercise I went downstairs and found my other midterm graded and sitting in my mailbox. I dominated it just as I thought I would. Even the oral portion (which I didn't feel so good about) was a nineteen out of twenty possible points. So I have no academic worries to speak of at this time, although I do have three other classes with midterms coming up.
After speaking class I made time for another session in the gym. I figure I need to do this at least three times a week if I hope to maintain any kind of fitness level. True, I've been losing weight to this point without much exercise at all but I know that's eventually going to stagnate as I adjust to the Japanese diet. For the moment at least, it's all good news: I weighed myself and I've lost 750 grams (that's more than a pound and a half) since Friday.
I went to the library to return Brave New World which I finished reading over the weekend. I enjoyed it very much and I wish I had read it sooner. My new personal reading assignment is a collection of tales by H.P. Lovecraft. Ironically, the book is due back on Halloween.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
My first class of the day (9AM on Monday mornings, why?) was pre-empted for a "reading test" which I suppose fits into the grade for our midterm we had on Friday. There wasn't much to it, I picked a passage at random and read as much as I could in one minute. I think I did OK although I didn't get very far in one minute.
After that exercise I went downstairs and found my other midterm graded and sitting in my mailbox. I dominated it just as I thought I would. Even the oral portion (which I didn't feel so good about) was a nineteen out of twenty possible points. So I have no academic worries to speak of at this time, although I do have three other classes with midterms coming up.
After speaking class I made time for another session in the gym. I figure I need to do this at least three times a week if I hope to maintain any kind of fitness level. True, I've been losing weight to this point without much exercise at all but I know that's eventually going to stagnate as I adjust to the Japanese diet. For the moment at least, it's all good news: I weighed myself and I've lost 750 grams (that's more than a pound and a half) since Friday.
I went to the library to return Brave New World which I finished reading over the weekend. I enjoyed it very much and I wish I had read it sooner. My new personal reading assignment is a collection of tales by H.P. Lovecraft. Ironically, the book is due back on Halloween.
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Sunday, October 16, 2005
Power Perceived is Power Achieved
Really, it's true. The first step to being powerful is to believe it. It took me a long time to get to this point but now I recognize my power and it has manifested itself in the form of a budding new relationship.
Got your attention? I sure hope so. Today I had another date with Mako and the weather was almost perfect. No rain in sight, reasonably breezy and cloudy enough to prevent us from baking in the sun. It could have been a little cooler to justify me wearing my smooth Skimmer/Duster combo but by the evening I was perfectly comfortable walking around Kyoto with a hat on my head, a long coat on my back and a young lady on my arm.
Meh, I'm getting ahead of myself again. The plan started last week relatively simply. I had originally planned to visit Ryôanji last weekend when I went to Kyoto with Megan and Yui. We didn't go because of the rain but I still wanted to see it. I suggested to Mako that we could go and she agreed but she also suggested a few other places we could go. Just like that, a single temple visit turned into an all-day culture marathon. You want pictures, you got 'em.
We purchased a day-pass for the city buses for only 500 Yen that allowed us to easily go back and forth across town several times. The first of those bus rides was super crowded which forced us to huddle together. The resulting closeness/embracing sent the tone for the rest of the day: we spent most of our afternoon holding hands or "cuddling" in some fashion. I don't mean to boast but I'm pretty good at that and after weeks of watching these guys snuggle with their girlfriends in the lounge I got a great amount of personal satisfaction knowing that it was my turn now.
Our first stop was Ginkakuji, the silver companion to Kinkakuji which I managed to see last week. Unfortunately the builders never actually put much silver on Ginkakuji so the resulting structure is not particularly impressive. Mako had never seen it and she was audibly disappointed. However, the garden surrounding the un-silver pavilion was quite lovely. Afterwards we stopped in a local spot for a quick bite of okonomiyaki served "omelette-style" as it was folded over with the "toppings" on the inside instead. Pretty tasty and affordable, two important qualities for any okonomiyaki meal to have.
A crosstown bus took us to Kitano tenmangu, a very large shrine dedicated to the god of good grades. No, I'm not kidding although I suspect I am over-simplifying it a bit. I figured if I should try to appease any of the thousands of Japanese gods, this was the one. I threw him 10 Yen and Mako was sweet enough to buy me...something. I think it's some kind of token to show my appreciation for his blessings? I'll have to get back to you on that.
Another bus ride brought us (at last) to Ryôanji. It was very beautiful but there was something really awkward about the whole set-up. It's supposed to be a peaceful place of tranquility where one can meditate or least think quietly about life. The whole point of its famous rock garden is to sit there and contemplate what it means (at least that's what the pamphlet they gave me says). However, since so many people are in there at any one time, blabbing away about nothing, it is impossible to concentrate on anything other than the tourists.
Not that my mind was entirely on the scenery, of course. I was in the midst of a date and it was at Ryôanji that things started to heat up. We were on our way out when I stopped to take a picture of some unusual looking water lilies (that's what I'm calling them anyway). After I snapped the shot I realized that we were, however briefly, alone together so I tried to sneak in a kiss. Mako's response was to open her mouth and make it a very surprising, passionate kiss. Indeed, I had gum in my mouth at the time and I had to take care that it didn't end up in her throat! The whole moment opened my eyes (among other things) and forced me to realize that there was no reason to hold anything back from this girl. It's on now. She digs me. This is a fact.
Hold the phone, it wasn't quite time for dinner (or dessert) so we took a stroll over to nearby Ninnaji. Apparently this place is really big come springtime because there were a large number of sakura trees which I had never actually seen before. They weren't in bloom of course so they looked rather squalid. I can't wait to see them blossom next year; I'm going to get so tanked it's not even funny.
As the sun was setting we decided to head back to the urban center of Kyoto for shopping and dinner. Mako and I strolled through Kyoto's famous Gion district where she bought some kind of feminine gift for a friend of hers (I suspect it was a fragrant moisturizer set). We ended up eating in a nicer-than-I-expected Chinese restaurant which was on the pricey side but it was absolutely delicious. It was easily the best fried rice I've ever had.
Alright, gentle readers, now this is what you've been waiting to hear: we walked from the restaurant back through Gion to the Shijô bridge where we descended a flight of stairs to sit by the bank of the Kamo River. The sun was down, the moon was out, the lights were on and we were as alone as we were going to get in the middle of a major Japanese city. We spent the next ninety minutes getting very physical. It was tremendous release of passion that I've been storing up for...well...let's just say "a long time" and leave it at that. It was also obvious to me that she was just as eager to get down as I was which made the whole experience that much better. The only real restraint on her part was when someone else was passing behind us but even then there were more than a few moments where we were making out and she was totally oblivious to the world. Yeah, it was that hot. I even managed to hit a few "doubles" if you know what I mean.
All good things must come to end and eventually our tonsil hockey would end as well. She had a long ride home ahead of her and we both have to be somewhere early tomorrow morning. There wasn't much of a good night kiss at her station but I chalk that up to exhaustion/modesty on her part, although she did surprise me with a pretty deep kiss as we crossed the Shijo bridge in full view of a number of people. If you had taken a picture of us you'd think Japan just won a war or something, it was that kind of kiss. We're definitely going to get together next weekend although at this point I'm not 100% sure when. Possibly Sunday, maybe even sooner depending on her work schedule.
So I take this to officially signify the start of a new "relationship" which ends a very long drought for me. There are a number of third parties who I feel I should thank for making this happen:
If you'll excuse me, I have a date with a bucket of ice water and my bed. Feit out...of the doldrums!!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
Got your attention? I sure hope so. Today I had another date with Mako and the weather was almost perfect. No rain in sight, reasonably breezy and cloudy enough to prevent us from baking in the sun. It could have been a little cooler to justify me wearing my smooth Skimmer/Duster combo but by the evening I was perfectly comfortable walking around Kyoto with a hat on my head, a long coat on my back and a young lady on my arm.
Meh, I'm getting ahead of myself again. The plan started last week relatively simply. I had originally planned to visit Ryôanji last weekend when I went to Kyoto with Megan and Yui. We didn't go because of the rain but I still wanted to see it. I suggested to Mako that we could go and she agreed but she also suggested a few other places we could go. Just like that, a single temple visit turned into an all-day culture marathon. You want pictures, you got 'em.
We purchased a day-pass for the city buses for only 500 Yen that allowed us to easily go back and forth across town several times. The first of those bus rides was super crowded which forced us to huddle together. The resulting closeness/embracing sent the tone for the rest of the day: we spent most of our afternoon holding hands or "cuddling" in some fashion. I don't mean to boast but I'm pretty good at that and after weeks of watching these guys snuggle with their girlfriends in the lounge I got a great amount of personal satisfaction knowing that it was my turn now.
Our first stop was Ginkakuji, the silver companion to Kinkakuji which I managed to see last week. Unfortunately the builders never actually put much silver on Ginkakuji so the resulting structure is not particularly impressive. Mako had never seen it and she was audibly disappointed. However, the garden surrounding the un-silver pavilion was quite lovely. Afterwards we stopped in a local spot for a quick bite of okonomiyaki served "omelette-style" as it was folded over with the "toppings" on the inside instead. Pretty tasty and affordable, two important qualities for any okonomiyaki meal to have.
A crosstown bus took us to Kitano tenmangu, a very large shrine dedicated to the god of good grades. No, I'm not kidding although I suspect I am over-simplifying it a bit. I figured if I should try to appease any of the thousands of Japanese gods, this was the one. I threw him 10 Yen and Mako was sweet enough to buy me...something. I think it's some kind of token to show my appreciation for his blessings? I'll have to get back to you on that.
Another bus ride brought us (at last) to Ryôanji. It was very beautiful but there was something really awkward about the whole set-up. It's supposed to be a peaceful place of tranquility where one can meditate or least think quietly about life. The whole point of its famous rock garden is to sit there and contemplate what it means (at least that's what the pamphlet they gave me says). However, since so many people are in there at any one time, blabbing away about nothing, it is impossible to concentrate on anything other than the tourists.
Not that my mind was entirely on the scenery, of course. I was in the midst of a date and it was at Ryôanji that things started to heat up. We were on our way out when I stopped to take a picture of some unusual looking water lilies (that's what I'm calling them anyway). After I snapped the shot I realized that we were, however briefly, alone together so I tried to sneak in a kiss. Mako's response was to open her mouth and make it a very surprising, passionate kiss. Indeed, I had gum in my mouth at the time and I had to take care that it didn't end up in her throat! The whole moment opened my eyes (among other things) and forced me to realize that there was no reason to hold anything back from this girl. It's on now. She digs me. This is a fact.
Hold the phone, it wasn't quite time for dinner (or dessert) so we took a stroll over to nearby Ninnaji. Apparently this place is really big come springtime because there were a large number of sakura trees which I had never actually seen before. They weren't in bloom of course so they looked rather squalid. I can't wait to see them blossom next year; I'm going to get so tanked it's not even funny.
As the sun was setting we decided to head back to the urban center of Kyoto for shopping and dinner. Mako and I strolled through Kyoto's famous Gion district where she bought some kind of feminine gift for a friend of hers (I suspect it was a fragrant moisturizer set). We ended up eating in a nicer-than-I-expected Chinese restaurant which was on the pricey side but it was absolutely delicious. It was easily the best fried rice I've ever had.
Alright, gentle readers, now this is what you've been waiting to hear: we walked from the restaurant back through Gion to the Shijô bridge where we descended a flight of stairs to sit by the bank of the Kamo River. The sun was down, the moon was out, the lights were on and we were as alone as we were going to get in the middle of a major Japanese city. We spent the next ninety minutes getting very physical. It was tremendous release of passion that I've been storing up for...well...let's just say "a long time" and leave it at that. It was also obvious to me that she was just as eager to get down as I was which made the whole experience that much better. The only real restraint on her part was when someone else was passing behind us but even then there were more than a few moments where we were making out and she was totally oblivious to the world. Yeah, it was that hot. I even managed to hit a few "doubles" if you know what I mean.
All good things must come to end and eventually our tonsil hockey would end as well. She had a long ride home ahead of her and we both have to be somewhere early tomorrow morning. There wasn't much of a good night kiss at her station but I chalk that up to exhaustion/modesty on her part, although she did surprise me with a pretty deep kiss as we crossed the Shijo bridge in full view of a number of people. If you had taken a picture of us you'd think Japan just won a war or something, it was that kind of kiss. We're definitely going to get together next weekend although at this point I'm not 100% sure when. Possibly Sunday, maybe even sooner depending on her work schedule.
So I take this to officially signify the start of a new "relationship" which ends a very long drought for me. There are a number of third parties who I feel I should thank for making this happen:
- Scott, for telling me about the website I would use to meet Mako and giving me lots of advice in interpersonal matters.
- Mike, who always told me that when I felt happy I would meet someone and not the other way around.
- Hyde, who told me that I didn't need to worry about "being myself." Rather, I should just be someone and interact with people however I want to interact with them.
- And of course I should thank everyone who ever told me that I would eventually meet someone else. I spent a number of years feeling miserable and I never believed any of you, but you were all right.
If you'll excuse me, I have a date with a bucket of ice water and my bed. Feit out...of the doldrums!!
つづく... (Click here to read more)
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