Wednesday 11 July 2012

Visit from Germany

I can't believe that it has been already more than a month, since I wrote my last message. What exactly kept me so busy? Well, I had to finish a paper for a conference in Canada and needed to finish some things at work before, ja, before two friends from Germany arrived at the 22nd of June in Tokyo.
Felix and Anna are very good friends, who I got to know in Dresden pretty much at the beginning of my student life in 2006. They wanted to use the opportunity to travel in Japan where they know someone and to have a place where they can find shelter. After a week of culture shock rehabilitation in Tokyo, did they arrive in Okayama on Friday the 29th of June. It was great to see them again. Machi was with me at the time we met them at the station. We both just came back from a little rice planting advertisement trip from Naoshima. But I don't want to toture you with details: we went right on Friday to a student party

The rice planting team from Naoshima

Yeah (^.^)/ waffles from Mannekken!
Felix got dressed up for the party

Next Saturday to Machis place, where we cooked together with her family and Meru!

Felix is learning (~.^)

and Sunday with friends to Hiruzen (蒜山) where we enjoyed a great Onsen in Yubara and made our own Soba-Noodles. 

Slurping Onsen water!

kneading Soba dough

The week after did I need to work a bit and both of them enjoyed some quite days in Okayama from Monday to Wednesday. We took a night bus on Thursday evening (5th of July) to go to Nagoya. We spent two days there. Together did we go again to an Onsen, since Felix and Anna really liked it to be naked among equal gendered ones! We met Jelena and the next day Ai-chan, who Machi and I met before in Canberra/Australia. I was great to meet our old friends. 

With Jelena at a Yakiniku (焼肉 - BBQed meat)

Ai chan and Machi in front of the gate of Nittaiji (日泰寺) in Nagoya
While Felix and Anna spent some days in Kyoto from Saturday to Monday, did Machi and I take a night bus back to Okayama on Saturday evening. 

Lime and Arnold back together!
This week both of them are riding the Shinkansen through the country and are currently in Beppu/Kyushuu. Today will be their last night in my place and I'm rather sure that I will miss them a lot after they left to Mt. Fuji tomorrow morning. But we will soon see each other again, in the middle of December!!!

Tanabata festival in Okayama.

Anna totured Lime! And Felix is obviously shocked

We over did it a bit (^.^)7 in the Suhi place!