Samuii (cold) Sunday

Yes Sunday was cold, Sunday was chilly and yes it was long, but once again Sunday proved that it can never be too long for my liking. I love Fukuoka! Which if you are slightly slow in the head, is why I love Sunday because Sunday is my day in Fukuoka.

Winter is getting colder and colder here in Japan. I had to ride my bike to the bus stop at 6am and it was so cold my fingers nearly fell off! (I have now bought a pair of gloves to rectify this problem) The bus trip was the same as usual, but I really enjoy it as I just relax listening to my MD (Mini Disc), read a magazine or take in the views. The best view along the trip is definitely driving through Saga-Ken. By that point in the trip the sun is just rising and there are always about 15 hot air balloons up in the sky silhouetted against the mountains and the sunrise.

Arriving in Fukuoka I headed for my morning breakfast at Iwataya Starbucks where I ate in silence waiting for Rick, who never came because he slept through his alarm. The Starbucks was only occupied by one other woman and I, she sat next to the window and I sat in the usual spot Rick and I sit in. Due to the fact Rick was running late I kept looking out the window a lot to see if he was coming, problem was this woman was sitting directly in front of the window and thought I was staring at her. About 10 minutes later I decided I would meet Rick at church, just as I am about to get up and head to the rubbish bin this woman gets up and heads for the rubbish bin and heads out the door. Now I get outside to go to church and would you believe it, this woman is walking in the same direction that I am!! By now she is getting a little worried thinking that I was following her, so I overtook her and went on my way. The question I now put to you dear reader is, does this ever happen to you???

Church finished so Rick and I trod the backstreets of Fukuoka in search of lunch (you really should check out the backstreets of Japan for yourself, they are really cool!!!), which we found in the form of a very bohemian Thai restaurant (this is one of those places whose address you only entrust to your best friends). This restaurant/café had the coolest, most atmospheric interior design job I have ever seen! We opened the door and descended down the stairs into what looked like an old opium den (hehe probably not far from the truth) where we were greeted with traditional Thai music and décor that made us think we were no longer in Japan. The waiter (dressed in very bohemian clothing) escorted us through a maze of hanging scarves and Thai textiles to our table, a sturdy, wooden, antique looking table. The lighting cast deep shadows into the recesses of the basement and the walls were painted a muddy color, the atmosphere gave the impression that you were there discussing extremely secret business, maybe people smuggling. The food was great, and as usual Rick and I had interesting conversation, there is a very good chance I will return to that restaurant.

We left the restaurant feeling very full (the most filling lunch I have ever had for $8) and headed to Iwataya to just chill and talk. As we were chatting and people watching, we noticed 3 very cute girls (they looked about 21) who kept looking at us, it didn’t take us long to work out these girls had been spying on us and were trying to get enough courage to approach us. We didn’t really want to find out what they wanted so we left, just as they started approaching us. They realized we were leaving and started yelling at each other about it, weird huh?

The rest of the day consisted of checking out very funky book stores and chilling at our favorite Starbucks, as usual a fantastic day!

Jieshi