My Last Weekend In Japan...

And so cometh and goeth my last weekend in Japan before holidays.
I spent most of Saturday shopping frantically in Kurashiki and Okayama for last minute things. I managed to visit my favourite spot in Kurashiki, where several dozen large koi (carp) in many crazy colours swin around in a small stream, and where many a time I've sat in a wooden hut and ate my lunch in quiet contemplation. In Okayama I shopped like mad, before getting more points on my Mister Donut Loyalty Card. I raced home, and after dropping stuff off headed to an English teacher's Christmas Party. I thought it was at her house, but it turned out to be in a centre where she teaches English, and I met another gaijin who lives in Kojima! Amazing!! It was a surreal but fun evening, that would have certainly benefitted from some booze (no alcohol at all). I also learnt some filipino for my trip from some ladies who seemed very concerned about our safety in Manila!



On Sunday I met Miwa, Yumiko and Georgina, the previous occupant of my house and previous teacher at Shonan and Seishi. She has come back to teach in Japan again from her home in South Africa. We all went to Nao-Shima, fulfilling a long-held aim of mine to visit the modern art museums and traditional yurts. Actually we didn't visit the yurts in the end, but I wanted an excuse to bring up the emotionally scarring me, Sarah and Lucy felt last year at being deprived our yurt opportunity (by Tim and Emily, no less).

The art museums were expensive but really groit. There was a "Monet room" (note how I've avoided obvious puns involving the name "Monet"), and best of all two "interactive" exhibitions. First we had to walk forward into a UV room down a slope until a buzzer went off, when we had to stop. It was really cool! (my description doesn't do it justice). Secondly, we went to this strange barn where there was no light whatsoever- complete pitch dark, but after sitting in the dark on benches for between 5 and 20 minutes you start to see a UV rectangle in front of you, which glows and turns out to be really bright. Then you walk towards it. It was really funny- much confusion and panicking (mostly by me). Anyway there were lots more exhibits which were really good, and it was easy to get round as we had a car. After we went to a really decent Italian restaurant and then for drinkies in Kursahiki.