June 4, 2016 – This morning C and I went with an IC to get our mobile phones set up. We ended up buying a second hand phone and then going to AU to sign a service contract. Unfortunately, I did not get an iphone or data, but I do have a phone that is usable and that is what matters. Although, after going 1 week without a mobile I almost didn’t want to sign up for one this morning. It was kind of nice to be partly off the grid.
After we set up our phones we went to have lunch at a ramen house. The type of ramen served was Takatsu Ramen – ramen made from pork bone. It was delicious and fun to eat. In Japan it is customary to slurp and slip and make as much noise as you’d like while eating ramen. After lunch we ran a few more errands around town; depositing money into our Japanese bank accounts; driving by one of the schools I’ll visit in the upcoming weeks; and locating another train station.
I did some chores and ran some of my own errands afterwards. At 7pm C and I met up with another IC who had invited us to attend the Orio Festival with her daughter and another ALT. We all walked to the festival together and when we arrived we realized it was more of a mud fest than a festival. The rainy season has begun and the park was drenched in mud.
None the less we were still able to walk around and visit the booths. There was food from all over the world and a few artisan displays. Unfortunately, the Okinawan dancers & drummers performance was cancelled due to the rain. We still had a nice time and I am glad that we went. It was a neat experience.
Once I got back to my apartment I Skyped with my parents for the first time since I’ve been in Japan. It was great to see their faces and catch up.
Tomorrow I’ll make my way to Kokura where I want to re-vist AMU plaza and load money onto my Japanese Starbucks account. I’m looking forward to tomorrow’s adventure.
