HAPPY NEW YEARS!

I had a really good New Years. I met up with friends and we went out to a bar/restaurant and ate soba which the Japanese eat for longevity on New Years Eve. Then we all went to a club for the countdown and to dance tha night away. I found a 10,000 yen (almost $100.00) note on the floor, so that was awesome, I owed J 5,000 so i gave that to her, I bought some drinks for friends and then pocketed the remaining 3,000. But when I checked my pocket later, it was gone, HA! So someone else found that and was glad, I guess you got to share the wealth. I met some new people. I had so much fun.

Then we all headed home around 5am. I came back to my flat, slept for 4 hours, showered got ready and my principal S sensei came and picked me up. She had invited me over to her house for a New Years day lunch with her family. Her brother his wife and their 2 kids where there. Her daughter and her husband and her son and his wife and baby where all there also. I have met S sensei's son and his wife before, im very fond of them. But it was nice to met the rest of the family, almost everyone spoke English, even the kids. But they where all shy to speak to me at first. But after some beers and food they warmed up to me. Well the men did, but most of the women were still deathly afraid to talk to me. Oh well. We had a lot of very interesting traditional Japanese food. I ate herrings eggs which were gross and I ate the biggest shrimp I have ever seen, that was very tasty, it was almost as big as a lobster. Traditionally over the new years holiday people eat preserved foods, like picked things, the Japanese love pickles like no other people on this earth, they are called tsukemono, and they pickle all kinds of things. S sensei also served sashimi and salads. Things that dont have to be cooked, so that more time can be spent socializing with the family (This is so different from the western holiday tradition, where we all spend ALL our time cooking food that is particularly time consuming and difficult) Also each preserved food has a special meaning. The herrings eggs are supposed to give you lots of babies, YIKES!! There where about 20 different little foods, I cant remember all the meanings and the family did not know many of them, but im gonna look them up. It was really really fun. I had the best of both worlds this New Years, the only thing i didnt do is visit the shrine, but their is still time. There is a shrine across the street from my apartment, maybe I will pop over their tomorrow and get some praying time in.

First meal of the New Years : Ducky Duck (Its an Italian food chain out here) I had karubonara with a raw egg on top. Man they love their raw eggs, but im beginning too as well. Im surprised it didnt make me sick though considering it was 5am when I ate it and I had been drinking a fair amount. Maybe im getting used to it.
OK well I hope you had a good New Years.