Holiday Hangover

Happy New Year!!!

Well, the holiday season whizzed by! I hope you got to spend some time wif family and/or friends, for some fun, drinks, eats and the lot.

I spent Christmas Eve and Day with Tomoko. We took a road trip to Izu, in the eastern peninsula of Shizuoka prefecture, about a three hour drive from my home in Oigawa. Izu is known for its mountainous scenery and on-sens (natural hot springs baths)

It was a perfect day for driving, and the ride was pretty scenic, with Fuji-san in our sight almost the whole time. The Pacific Ocean also made a few appearances during the drive.

We stayed at a place called Ashitaba, recommended by Ranie Bowers, which is a rather rustic hotel/hot bath/art gallery run by a nice couple. And what it lacked in cleanliness, it certainly made up for in charm, fantastic seafood and a breath-taking view.

Our view from our hotel room

The owner of Ashitaba is an artist and he makes pottery and creates bronze busts and wood carvings (I didn’t take any pictures of his art work – I usually think if you like a piece enough to photograph it, you should buy it). I did like many of his pieces, despite not buying any of them.

Our room (there’s only four rooms in the place) and the two private baths had a great view of the Ocean to the west and Fuji-san to the north. I couldn’t stop staring out the window all day long.

Dinner consisted of fresh fish being grilled at our table, which had a BBQ grill built in! The sashimi was very fresh and there was some shellfish that was served that I passed on (I usually don’t pass up much, when it comes to seafood), cuz it looked pretty nasty and it tasted really bitter.

On December 27, my friend and former colleague at KGIC Toronto, Mark Jesson came by to visit for the day with his pal Mark Preston. We drank a few and went to the Karaoke bar in my building and got all “We are the World”” on the place. It was really great to have some guests, as things are very quiet here.

Mark Jesson and me

I spent a very quiet New Year’s Eve with Tomoko. After a couple of hours at the Bowers’ house welcoming Ranie Bowers back from adventures with my sister, brothers and cousins in Toronto (She had some great stories which shocked and delighted me), Tomoko and I rang in the New Year looking out my window watching the fireworks from all the surrounding towns.

Ranie also returned with a care package from home which included plenty of photographs, Blade Runner, This is Spinal Tap , seasons 3 to 8 of M*A*S*H on DVD, and a homemade T-shirt with an inside family joke written on the front. It took the pangs of homesickness away.

Now it is very early morning on January 2, and I’ve drank abit too much beer and wine, as I lament the fact that Tomoko is going back Tokyo tomorrow and I start work again in two days.

I hope 2006 brings you love, happiness and success!

Love,
Jess