This weekend I found myself aboard bus again, headed for a larger town than my own. This weekend was deemed mental health day. So I rode the bus past my town limits down into Sapporo. Needing a break, and just wanting to shop. I saw a mighty good movie, too -Fright Night. A motivated-horror film I would call it. I was impressed by the mix of snarky comedy and vexing visuals. I would love to get into the gritty details of why this flick stood out to me but I would hate to bore you with details.. or maybe, you want to hear?
And I chose to watch it in 3D. Do you like Colin Farrell? Horror-like films, too? Get out there and watch this one. I recommend it. I’d snap this film an 8/10!
I wish the talk would get more exciting than that, but that’s really about it. But if you are truly keen on hearing details, I can give you those, too..
Details on how for example, our bus was so snowed down that we had to exit the express highway because of closures, and meander our fifty or so seater bus through local roadways, townscapes, and traffic lights for hours. Two hours more than it takes to get to Sapporo from my country location. A four hour trip turned into a six hour excursion.
But we’re talking SO much snow here that the only other place I have seen such heavey, fluffy snow falling or pelting away at stationary objects was during the blithering of a blizzard in my northern country town.
Needless to say I was impressed by the snow and how long people were able to hold their bladders while remaining seated on board bus in snowy traffice. But upon my arrival at Sapporo station I was needing to be fed and the first place I sped to was a Chinese-style Japanese-inspired restaurant wherebefore I enjoyed quite the radical plate of miso-fried cabbage and pork for one. Yum, yum, yum.
(The weather may have been snow, but the fish was fine as frosty waters can offer)
(And yes this littery snowfall turned into a curtain of heavy white within minutes of my stealing into a taxi to trek back towards Sapporo station)
The Sapporo trip saw me pick up a 3DS, a nice new tool to remedy long bus rides and tired eyes -but don’t worry, I was planning to buy that tiny handheld gaming system well before the weather drew snow.
But I am sure you don’t want to hear about me wandering through department stores, staring at display screesn watching mesmerizing video commercials about the latest dating games, or shoot-em-up games, etc. Though I have to admit I saw some real nice clothes and picked up a radically discounted sweater from a fashion outlet that I have grown to lull over.
Through all my trundling I ran through Odori Park in Sapporo only to find a military presence carving and whittling away snow with servant-precision in preparation for February’s Snow Festival. It was amazing to see, and I wasn’t kidding about the military presence, loads of camo-wearing people scraping away at a mountainous wall of snow. I stood stunned for a few minutes trying to remind myself to snap a few photos while standing planted with other onlookers.
The rest of the trip was fine and I made it back home in one piece on an earlier shuttle in need of some deep rest and shut-eye.
As for town life, we are surviving the cold. Mornings mean hot coffee, or Eary Gray with a dribble of honey. Hot foods all around. I wouldn’t be surprised if every meal on our school lunch roster was suddenly soup and noodles in effort to fend off cold. I am just happy for my morning cup of soup which I make up after a morning shower while letting my vision focus as drowsiness comes into check.
Each morning I cut up veggies, simmer bean curds with fish stock, and stir in miso paste to complete a tasty breakfast miso soup addition.
(School lunches never fail to impress the simplest of stomachs -mine included. This menu included udon simmered with a variety of ingredients including veggies, fish cakes, and so forth! To the right is a kabocha mochi or Japanese pumpkin rice cake. Golly I consider these lunches a tasty daily treat!)
Well, I have a few other office preparations to get around to so I may just bring this post to term with that.
If I come to consider anything else I will attach it to this post. And that will include pictures. Random facts? Well, I have taken rather heavily to dance music lately. Not that I didn’t like the stuff before, but dance-y beats really help keep the drearyness of winter at bay.
Don’t you worry neither, I have been keeping up with my Jpop, too. If you feel inspired to see just what is hot these days, you can check the youtub e link. But I do warn you, if other people hear what you are listening to they might stare at you just a little longer than usual in perplexed wonder. Me? I love the music. It’s a part of my every day. And maybe with your listen-to-link, you can make Jpop a part of your day, too.
Here’s me talking to you soon!
Ciao.
The Traveller's Typewriter 