Monday, August 8th, 1988

Note:  This is a series of journal entries from my two years living in Himeji, Japan (1988-1990).  I'm archiving them electronically through my blog.  Last names have been deleted and replaced with first initial only.  For details on this series of blog entries, see this post.

Saturday I met Kim and Jenny at 31.  We shopped for awhile, then ate at McDonalds.  Then we went to the castle.  Jenny left to watch fireworks at Tegarayama & Kim & I met Barrett & watched classical Noh theater by firelight in front of the castle.  It is the Castle Festival now, or was Saturday & Sunday.  After watching Noh for awhile I came home.

Yesterday I met Kim and her friend Gary at 1 at Himeji Station.  We toured the castle & shopped.  Chinatsu was playing taiko in the parade, so we watched her for awhile and were leered at & "accosted" by a bunch of men wearing diapers (men in a float wearing traditional clothes, or lack thereof).

We went to a shrine and joined the gaijin portion of the parade.  Kim didn't register, so they only had Canada t-shirts left & we didn't want to be separated, so I held a fan over my American flag t-shirt & rode in the Canada jeep with her and a lady from Himeji & Chinastu, who jumped on later.  It was fun.  We were on the news as Canadians & followed a group of wild Brazilian dancers.  They were great, gorgeous, and really nice.

As we rode down Miyuki Dori, all of the shop keepers of stores I frequent waved.  They guys at the coffee shop even ran out with ice cream for us.  Daiei tourist shop, Maruzen, Pizzeria Miyuki, the coffee shop & a clothing store all waved.  Afterwards we ran into Aya & a friend.  They tagged along for awhile & then Kim & I left.  We went to K's & watched "Somewhere in Time" complete with dumb ending.

Today Michiyo took Kim & I to a yukata/kimono exhibit.  Kim bought material & "making" and I bought an obi & under tie.  The cloth for kimono & obi was beautiful, and I wanted to buy one to drape over a stand in my apartment in America, but the one I wanted cost 450,000 yen- expensive!  It was really fun though.

Today is a momentous occasion...8/8/88.  That won't happen again for 100 years.

Kim, Michiyo & I also shopped.  Kim was the big buyer with a 28,000 yen yukata, a 10,000 yen chair & table set, and a 3,000 yen clothes rack.  I got off cheap with an 8,500 yen obi & a 3,000 yen t-shirt.

I don't think I'm going to Hong Kong because M. still hasn't called & I don't know if I have enough money now!