Farewell part(y) II

My host family had invited me to a farewell party on Sunday and Jens and Kanazawa joined us. We went to a restaurant and had a full 河豚 course, and for those who know their deadly fish will of course immediately recognize this as the blowfish Fugu which nearly kills Homer in episode 211 of the Simpsons. We all joked that I could stay longer in Japan if I got poisoned from the fish and couldn't fly tomorrow. So it was with shaky hands I took my first bite. I had never tasted fugu before but this meal had it all. There were raw fugu, fugu hot-pot, fugu sake and all that was missing was fugu ice cream for dessert. Last time I was in Japan Kanazawa had baked me a cheese cake and this time I had promised to take her out for cheese cake. Since it was my last day in Japan I had instead bought a cheese cake on the way to the restaurant and gave it to her as a farewell present. I gave my host family a hand made kitchen knife I bought at a local knife maker in Onomichi and Jens got an issue of Hot Pepper. He was very grateful for it and said that he would carry it with him always - like a real Japanese. It was a fun party and I almost forgot that I was leaving Japan the next day to go back to work in cold Denmark. 哲さん、理絵子さん、イエンス先生、金ちゃん、さようならパーティはありがとうございました。


From the right: Tetsu, Jens, Kanazawa, Rieko and me