Kranium....Denied!

Everything that we set out for this past weekend was accomplished except for the Kranium match with our soon to be Rez-O peeps. Actually the game was put on hold because of the urgency to buy Jack Johnson tickets. He's coming to Japan and since he's from Hawaii we need to show him the aloha spirit and a concert sounds like fun.

So we went to the enkai for the people leaving the Kyoto branch of Tensho-Kotai-Jingyu-Kyo. We went to a nice restaurant close to Kyoto Station. They had some real awesome food and of course the Japanese cultural must, bottomless alcohol. It was a nice dinner with Japanese and English riddles flying around. One culture trying to stump the other. I guess the highlight of the evening was when one of the doshi (member) enlightened us when new knowledge of the word "a-zas". It's bascially arigatou gozaimasu broken down to be quicker. Anyway I think a recent comedian made the phrase popular and many people are taking about it. But the funny part is that you say the phrase with a weird tone. Kind of like if you were trying to squeeze the very very last drop of toothpaste and saying "a-zas" while doing it. It was very funny! There is also a gesture that goes with the word which is basically raising your hand behind your head really slowly. Hilarious stuff.

Then on Saturday we had Jamie's birthday party. (Jamie is our british friend, for you Joel) It was a ncie apartment but it was in the northwestern most point of the city and took a while to get there. So with the party people we played some drinkng games like the dice one and Thumper. Eveyone had a nice drunken party.

On Sunday we met up with Krystal's cousin and went to a famous shirne nicknamed, "The Moss Shrine." Its really really far west and at the base of western mountains. Anyway I guess there is a lot of rain and moisture so there tons of moss everywhere. But the shrine itself wasn't that spectacualr. They had a nice garden, some shrine archery game where you pay 3 dollars to shoot two arrows. That was kind of fun. But then as we were about to leave we got word of a beautiful moss garden that is supposed ot be really famous. We walked along ways until we were kind of lost and so we asked an elderly couple on an afternoon walk for directions. It turns out that the reallu famous place can only visited by reservation and there was a sign that says you must participate in all the religious activities. Weird huh?

We were in luck cause there was a temple right next door to the famous moss garden shrine that everyone goes to because the other place needs a reservation. So anyway we went to a temple that translates into Bell Bug Temple. And what did we find? The people who run the temple have tons of crickets in cases. Why? I have no idea. Anyway there was a priest guy that was telling everyone how to pray and stuff but i couldn't understand a word he was saying. We left the temple statisfied that we accomplished a lot of cultural things. Then it was off to buy the Jake Johnson tickets and an unexpected trip to the awesome sushi place for dinner. The weekend was just too short...

So now its Wednesday. Halfway through the week and I feel so tired already. I have my observation lesson tomorrow and am kind of worried since the class I have to do the less for is really rowdy. We were supposed to be on the fourth lesson but I got sick a couple of weeks ago and missed a day. Then the same classes didn't even listen to a thing I said, so that means we're doing a review of lesson two. I hope they do well. They say that amazing things happen in an observation lesson... I hope my amazing thing is that no jumps out the window... again.

Break it Down