Japan.
Crazy. Tokyo, Osaka, Kobe.
Beautiful. Kyoto, Nara.
We pulled all nighters and slept on trains, experienced the insanity of the baseball superfan. With fish costing mere pennies and tasting so scrumptious it was impossible to stay the sounds of satisfaction plate after plate; slow hay smoked Bonito, fire roasted fish jaw, crunchy and juicy whole fish, and sashimi galore. Chicken organs, pork buns, strange meet on sticks, hot pot octopus, tako yaki, and okonomiyaki were all eaten with exacting focus. Everyone enjoyed treats with minimal sugar (aka tastier than states-sweets) and matcha matcha matcha for days. Tranquil temples purified our wanderings as deer ambled with our stride. We melted into the floor and slept in great love. Nights were spent canoodling in dim Jazz clubs and lobbing darts with strangers and the occasional gift of "wiener" from the curious izakaya owner. Snacks of tsukemono and soft cream aided in our battle against humidity, whose cicada army was out-noised only by over-sized crows. Our minimal language skills got us in and entertained where most foreigners will never set foot.
