the hip, the hop, the hip etc.

IMG_0038
Originally uploaded by p1ckle.

Thanks to Nova, the wonders of email, and my apparent memory deficiency, I managed to arrange that Mike D (pictured) arrived for a 24-hour red-eye visit a full 13 hours after out landing in Japan. This was achieved after Nova put our departure date back twice (once was our fault, once theirs, so I guess we're even) and me forgetting to mention to Mike that the second delay had happened. However, it was really cool to see him - he rocked up right on time, and after a very pleasant day spent getting to know our new city, we went for the most culturally diverse meal i think that has ever been served. We went to a vary traditional Japanese-style inn, with low tables, tatami and the like, and promptly discovered that it was in fact a pizza restaurant that only served imported German beer. Confused but undeterred, we went ahead and ordered some mushroom pizzas only to find that the chef had helpfully added strips of bacon, which meant that they weren't exactly veggie - not good for Em and Mike. However, we ended up at Karaoke, and were absolutely smashing at all the songs we attempted. Well, we thought so; the staff (who could barely stop themselves from ) weren't as convinced of our abilities. Pah.
(Mike had to catch a train just after lunch the next day, but the memory of his rendition of 'Rapper's Delight' still brings warmth to my heart.)