After roughly 30 hours of traveling, including a sprint through the San Francisco airport and 8 hours in Tokyo, Andrew arrived in Fukuoka to spend Christmas with me and Keizo. I had a great time while he was here, and hope that my tour guide skills were better than my photo journalist efforts, as the following photos are pretty much all I have from the week he was here. I forgot my camera a few times and the other times I felt like I already have more pictures of Japanese temples and shrines than I can ever possibly make sense of, so why bother. I do wish I had taken a few more with us in them though...oops.
After we picked him up at the airport and grabbed some lunch, we headed to the Fukuoka Aquarium, a.k.a. Marine World. Overall, it was much better than I expected. I really enjoyed the dolphin show that featured 3 dolphins and a whale that tried its best to keep up with the much quicker dolphins, and the sea lion exhibit. Of course, after visiting an aquarium, what could possibly be better to eat for dinner than seafood!
We went to a restaurant near Keizo's training ground and each got a giant tray full of tiny plates featuring everything from the standard rice and miso soup, to sashimi, tempura and best tofu Andrew had ever eaten.
The next night, Andrew brought a bit of Tucson to our kitchen with a giant batch of fajitas! Despite the slightly brown guacamole (my fault...all 5 Costco avocados decided to go bad all at once and I didn't know what else to do but mash them up and freeze them) the overall meal was delicious!
On Christmas Eve, Andrew and I set out to explore Fukuoka City. We did some light shopping, had lunch at one of my favorite pasta places, saw two art exhibits and walked what felt like miles in some brutal wind. Around 4 PM, I really wanted to warm up with a snack, so I dragged Andrew with me to Starbucks. I don't go to Starbucks much at home, but now that the closest one is an hour away, I feel like I should visit it every chance I get. It is also nice to be somewhere familiar in a strange land every once and a while. Andrew had a cookie and I ordered a hojicha latte and a holiday cake. So cute and festive, I had to take a picture.
Christmas Day was also spent in the city, where we met up with our cousins and uncle for lunch at Canal City's Ramen Stadium before heading to Keizo's rugby game. While researching where we should have lunch the night before, I discovered that my favorite ramen shop from Kurume, Tatsunoya, had an outpost in the stadium, which meant there was no doubt in my mind about where we were going to eat. Luckily the others cooperated. Andrew said it was just a good as he remembered, and I agree.
Following a rather frustrating rugby game in the cold, we all made our way back to the Fukutsu apartment to share "Christmas Dinner." The menu featured a Japanese style hot pot with beef, cabbage, mushrooms, and noodles called sukiyaki. Diners choose their favorite ingredients from the large communal pot and dip them in raw egg from their individual bowls before slurping them down. Delicious!
And for dessert, a cake from the bakery up the street. Not only was it the cutest, fashioned in the shape of a yule log, but it was also the only chocolate one. Nice. It didn't last more than 36 hours from the time we picked it up.
Before he left, Andrew also got to experience the joys of conveyor belt sushi and yakiniku with Keizo (I was there too, but grilled meat is much more their realm of expertise.) The week went by quickly and I was sad to see him leave, but I didn't have too long to mope as New Year's Eve was rapidly upon us, and the apartment was crying out for osouji.
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