Okazaki - it's not just fun to say

Well, wow. This weekend...wow.

Short version: I went to Okazaki to see my friends Janay and Kari (also JSPS participants.) We went to a bar called Izakaya Ja Nai, got all dressed up in yukata to go to the fireworks, went back to Izakaya Ja Nai, and I went manga shopping at Book Off.

Long version: Soooo much fun! After leaving from SPring-8 at 4:30, I got to Okazaki at 11:15. Stupid JR is slow, but it's cheap since I got this Seishin 18 ticket. Basically you pay ~$100 and get 5 free days on any JR trains, anywhere. This is actually a good deal - without this ticket it would have cost about $50 each way.

So I get off the train and immediately am greeted by Kari and Janay, who promptly take me to the my new favorite bar in Japan. Izakaya Ja Nai is a gaijin (foreigner) bar run by an American named Craig (as seen below).
He is super nice and apparently it's a really friendly bar, since everyone talks to everyone else. It's almost a real community. I could order in English, there was no cover charge to get it, and drinks were only pretty expensive. For example, I met this random guy Taro-san who is crazy, but very nice. Janay and Kari knew his name, and I ended up talking to him for quite a while. I'm not usually very outgoing at bars, but this one seems to bring out the socialite in everyone. Anyway, more on Taro-san later.

We had an (ahem) late night (returning at 5 am), so Saturday started kinda late. We went to Mr. Donut and came back to get dressed. Since Saturday was a fireworks festival, there were going to be lots of girls in yukata so we had an excuse. Putting this thing on is really hard the first time! There's about 7 parts even though you only see two, and the obi (sash) is difficult to tie correctly and if it's too loose it'll come off. This is me and Janay, before leaving for fireworks.

(side note: the neckline is supposed to be very high. Low necklines are sexy, but dangerous. We didn't tie Janay's obi tight enough and her neckline began to drop..."Too sekushi, Janay!")

So Janay, Kari, and I went to go meet this guy from her lab (UVSOR - it's another synchrotron) who very kindly let us watch the fireworks from his apartment. It was next to the river the fireworks were being, well, fired from and we had a fantastic view. Kari left to meet her boyfriend (bartender from Izakaya Ja Nai - this bar really gives you everything you need!) but Janay and I stayed.

This was another example of Japanese overkill in the hospitality department. Janay knows some of these guys, but I have no idea who anyone is. Does that matter? No. We're fed enormous amounts of food, given alcohol as soon as our cups are empty (I actually asked for orange juice once, and our hostess says 'Are you crazy?!' I had to promise to switch back after the orange juice), and then they take us down to the river where they have box seats (!!) so we can get a better view of the fireworks.

Let me explain about this firework show. It lasted for more than two hours. Between each set, there was a little advertisement firework billboard - the sponsoring company had it's logo or whatever in fireworks, which lit up and sometimes moved. There were four places from which they set off the things - those billboards, three barges on the river, a big area next to the river where they set off the really big fireworks, and my favorite - all along the river.

But by far, the best part was the finale. Do they play traditional Japanese music? No. Exciting classical or pop music? No. They chose this. That's right - good old American Stars and Stripes Forever. For those of you who don't know the lyrics, here they are. It was a fantastic (if more than a little surreal) replacement for my missed 4th of July. Especially while I was wearing a yukata and explaining what the song was in Japanese and why I was so excited about it.

After this it was back to Izakaya Ja Nai. (btw, that means 'not an japanese bar' in japanese). Since we missed eating fair food, we got some bar snacks. And not just any bar snacks...but nachos and a quesadilla. So. Freaking. Good. Also, Taro-san was there again and just as strange as ever. Now, when I say strange, I don't mean creepy...just...strange. For one, he was convinced he was a vampire. Two, he said the strangest things I've ever heard. Stuff like "I feel my incarnation" or "He has the talent to be a gay boy" or "Your hands are more attractive than footballers' legs." Non stop entertainment. Craig had a bottle of something called Dracula's Blood, so we made Taro-san do a shot with us (him being a vampire and all), and man, that was the nastiest alcohol I've ever had. Dracula's Blood apparantly tastes like potpourri smells.

We eventually got ourselves home and the next morning Janay and I headed out to Book Off, a used book / manga store. (Manga are Japanese comic books and are very popular with adults as well as kids.) I bought a ton of manga. My plan is to read it over the next year to improve my Japanese and kanji skills. I regretted my decision as soon as I picked up the plastic bag and it started digging into my hand. (Not really. Just regretted that I didn't bring a bigger backpack.) After that we grabbed lunch and I had to head home to catch the last bus back to SPring-8. Of course I missed this and had to take the really last bus which drops me off 2.5 km from the front gate.

I suppose this means Japan gets another point, but I get at least a half point for holding a complete conversation with Janay's labmate who speaks zero English.