How Did I Get Here?: Man About Town

Today during my lunch break, I FINALLY worked it out with the lady at the bank that I couldn't do a transfer from that branch because the receiving account is for Foreign Transfers and I would have to go to a different branch of our bank. So I looked up online which branch could do it, and thought on the way home I should check out the branch location so that during my lunch tomorrow I can get there without any confusion.

While I was looking for the branch, I realized that I was in my friend's neighborhood so I thought I'd see if I could remember how to get to his house, because up until now someone has always come to pick me up. So I went on down the street until I saw the building and was like "ahhh...I DO remember how to get here!" Then I didn't want to make a complicated driving maneuver because traffic was heavy, so I kept going. Then I turned at the next light that was an easy right turn, and thought "I'll just circle back around and pass my friend's house one more time, to verify that that was the one". Little did I realize that the street I had turned on was one of those "Japanese" streets that immediately takes off in a surprise direction and doesn't have any turnoffs. About 30 minutes later, I finally found myself back at a place I recognized, about 3 or 4 blocks closer to work than where I had turned off originally. It was a good adventure, because this time I really was thinking "I wonder at what point I call my friend and start describing my surroundings so he can tell me where I am or come get me."

Anyway, yesterday I had the day off, and I had every intent to spend the entire day holed up in my apartment as I often do on Sundays, washing laundry and watching online marathons of television shows I've never watched before or haven't seen in years, and working on my first ever Monthly Report. But Saturday night after the dinner party, my friend from the dinner party who invited me to lunch after the dinner party invited me to lunch (still with me?). So I slept in a little, took a late shower, and then went to lunch with him, and he was like "have you already been everywhere and seen everything in Omura?" I didn't mention that I've inadvertently seen a lot of it thanks to my shortcuts, because usually during my shortcuts I'm too busy keeping my eyes on the road to watch out for dead ends and spots that are too narrow for my car to get through. So he offered to give me a little sight-seeing tour. He literally drove me everywhere in Omura, including his mother and sister's house (not kidding)! It was really really fun. Here are some of the highlights.

(Saturday night's dinner party) Head-bonk #1: Kanna

Head bonk #2: Kazuma

End-of-Party Hug: Kazuma

The lovely wife

The handsome husband. DISCLAIMER: This photo is not in chronological order because this is the guy who took most of the photos so he's not in most of them

This is the view from Kotohira SkyPark. You can see the whole city all the way out to the sea behind me. It's a spectacular view. There is also a HUGE playground for kids and a place where paragliders jump from when the weather is nice. This would also make a good local Makeout Mountain at night, I'm guessing, from the great view. It's also really cold and windy at the beginning of March, especially if you're not as well prepared as you should be and only wore a sweatshirt and didn't bring a coat.

Here's the view straight out from the top of the dam...

And the view straight down from the top of the dam

And the river upstream from the dam. I hear there are wild boars and monkeys in the surrounding woods.

Omura Castle's archer windows, for very short archers

The shrine in Omura Castle. What on earth could I be praying for? I already have it all!

Someday I'll live in a house that has a garden/backyard that looks like this. I will cultivate all kinds of wildlife in my yard, like wild boars and monkeys!

When that day comes, I will sit on my porch and look at my yard like this.

Then I'll eat dinner with friends in my living room and I'll look like this, only surrounded by more people. Of course I'll have servants, so once my legs fall asleep I don't have to worry about getting up any more.

And when my friends have to use the restroom, they will be shocked to see this. The little wooden perch on the left isn't a perch; it's handles to grip.