Hiroshima at an end...

I have spent this week taking it easy! Collecting my thoughts and trying to relax. I spent the first 2 weeks running around alot and have been exhausted! Every day tasks become so much more difficult with a language barrier. For instance shopping - You cant read anything and as Alex has said you dont know if you are buying a sauce or disinfectant! Small tasks take alot more energy than normal! But that is how it makes things more different and interesting compared to every day life I guess!
I have been bike riding alot, eating good food (okonomiyaki) and hanging out with Alex.
I have also been having lots of weird dreams! Like declining dangerous space missions with Bruce Willis fighting Aliens and another about people throwing bombs at each other in a game and I was wrestling tigers and panthers. I looked up the dream dictionary and it all matched up with feeling alienated, supressed emotions, travel, spiritual journeys and self discovery etc... hehe

(cool bar Alex and I found)

Tonight I went to an amazing Tempura restaurant with the boss of Cut for you - Chief and Machan. We had aprons put on us. There was a special tasting dipping salt, lemon, tempura sauce mixed with grated daikon (raddish) and a salad. Each piece of tempura was served individually and the chef told us what to eat with each item - for example dip it in the salt, half salt half suace, half salt half lemon, straight, curry...
First Prawn neck (legs and shell) with salt - absolutely delicious crispy morsel, 2 prawns, a tender fish, Shitake mushroom stuffed with prawn, lotus root, fish with daikon and lemon juice on top, asparagus, squid and squid in a leaf, Okura (I call them sap pods...cause they are gooey inside and look like a green chillie but not hot), and a sardine (with curry), eggplant, 2 pieces of eel (with curry). Then tendon prawn tempura mix on rice with pipi miso soup and pickles. We drank white wine and then Atsukan (hot sake) The sake made us very warm. Then for Dessert we had a redbean jelly square with macha green tea (the special powder tea that looks bright green) in a big bowl whisked/prepared tradditionally. The red bean was really sweet and the macha was bitter so they even each other out.

(I wish I took a photo of the chef setup... he was very helpful)
This combination made me gooey with happiness. The tempura melted in my mouth - not oily at all - apparently very expensive oil. It was still hot and fresh and there was a big tank of fresh prawns. He served each piece individually as he made it and had been making tempura for 40 years, he was an expert! (Chief was extremely kind as to pay for Alex and my dinner!... Way too kind!) I am so content, warm, fuzzy, nicely full, with a smile on my face right now.
Plus - I have a new haircut. (I think Chief is a great hairdresser and gave me a very interesting haircut!) I am now a travel warrior - about to embark on my journey alone. Fresh, new... Japan is my safe base: I have been here, it is familiar, I have friends here, accomodation, dairy free food, it is a friendly, cute, kitsche, upbeat atmosphere, and a peaceful life style (if you are not working and just eating, drinking tea and bathing all the time like I have been). I think the next leg of my trip will be very different. But I think the first part has helped prepare me for what is to come! Best last night in Hiroshima ever!