Entries this day: Before_Hakone Going_to_Hakone Hakone_but_where_is_Stockholm

Before Hakone

11:13am JST Tuesday 29 March 2005

Today is Hakone Day! I'm still sore after last night, but am trying to keep my shit together.

I took Charlie's Angels to Yokohama to meet Satoko, who took them to Odawara to get started on their Hakone adventure. I wanted to wait for Hitomi (who had to work a bit this morning) so I came back home.

On the way home I got the knit cap she made (it had been returned to Hiyoshi) and sent in the first confirmation FAX to P To Da B.

Offered to make Roboyaki for Hitomi, but I'm hardly in the mood.

Going to Hakone

8:46pm JST Tuesday 29 March 2005

Hitomi and I fought some on the way to Hakone; I fell asleep on the train between Hiyoshi and Kikuna. She felt sad, thinking that I would have been awake had I been with someone else, and it came out as anger. I got really angry and was like fuck you and all these thoughts like punching out every window on the train as it came to a halt a la Terminator, or throwing her and myself into the next oncoming train (to make her talk to me, along the lines of "hey Rob, there's a train coming").

I didn't do either of these things, but we did spit angry words at each other on the platform after we each believed the other didn't wait for us after buying a ticket.

On the train we were facing each other in opposing seats and like rar back and forth for a bit. Then we stopped and I just played an anger driven version of the no-blink game at her for a bit.

Subsequently, she patted the seat next to her when it became available, and I offered her some chocolate mushroom shaped candies, with little crispy bread things for the stems, which I bit off so she could have a more fully chocolately snack.

We got far better from there, including joking about being alternately mad and happy with each other while she sat in my lap.

Hakone but where is Stockholm

8:56pm JST Tuesday 29 March 2005

Met Jazzy, Kelly, Sally and Satoko at Gora station, after they had made a complete circuit of the Hakone loop. I snagged a waypoint at Gora station on my GPS receiver so I can ride TJ Bike there next month and then we bussed to a restaurant that was a bit expensive, but quite delicious! Huge shrimp the size of long cucumbers and little shrimp the size of sliced cucumbers and other shrimp the size of cucumbers sliced the other way. Plus egg pudding and miso soup and sashimi and beef cooked over little flaming whatsits and Jasmine looking so cute on the opposite side of the table from me as she enjoyed sharing food with everyone around the table.

A woman who looked grandmotherly age approached us and asked if we spoke English, and we were like "yes" and she looked really relieved. I jokingly said "how convenient for you," because I had made the assumption she only knew English. But it turns out she is from Stockholm, so she probably knows English and Swedish and I'm showing my ignorance here cause I don't know what languages are spoken there. Her accent was very slight; I had assumed she was from the US and knew only one language. I felt a bit embarassed after I found out her details (she's traveling alone in Japan, starting from Osaka and now Hakone and headed for Tokyo) and became really impressed with her awesomeness.

We directed her to the restaurant we had just left, and then took a bus to our hotel. Sally talked about the time we took Salsa lessons in Austin together and I seem to have no memory of it, which is really surprising to me, but it's to the point that I'm thinking she must have me confused with someone else.

12:14am

Bedtime now. After chillin' (cookin') in the gender separated hot tubs, we had a bit of a drinking party in the room. Kelly was sleeping but the rest of us downed a bottle of 梅酒　（うめしゅ）(sour plum wine) which was super flavorful like "wow that's sour!!" and chowed a couple bags of snacky cracker type stuff and some caramel popcorn.

We explained to Jasmine what most (Sally says all, which is nearly true, but truely not always true) guys are interested in when they offer a back massage. And we said it can be turned around as an invitation device she can use if she's interested. ("But don't tell your dad I said that!!!")

Satoko is already asleep! zoom

I got some great pics of a new fashion statement in Japanese American casual wear.

We talked about Nopants Shabu Shabu after the girls told me they had been talking aobut Commando and Nopan as their new style.

Fun times.