Dinner Time

Thanks to our lack of skills with the Japanese language, it took us a while to find a place to eat. There were numerous restaurants in the area, but we didn't want to go into one that was filled to the brim and with a line out the door, since it was actually quite cold outside. Most of the menus were entirely in Japanese with few pictures to fill in the gaps. We were about to go downstairs into one when a man emerged and a confused exchange took place. There was some kind of miscommunication and he was instructing us to go to the restaurant upstairs, which was a completely different establishment with completely different menu. Eventually we found a place whose name was entirely in Japanese, but they had one sentence in english claiming to have an english menu. After another confused exchange we were sat down at a booth that was encaged in its own sort of room. Also, when I was trying to shuffle around the sliding door to sit across from Nicole within the semi-enclosed room, it appeared that I was being instructed not to do this and to sit next to Nicole instead.

We became those people who stare at an empty booth across from them while they awkwardly eat their food. Nicole ordered buckwheat noodles and I got beef ramen. We both at least put a decent dent in our food. After a while, the unique Japanese flavors that pervade all taste and smell in this country reached an apex for our American taste buds. Fortunately we each had a Kirin to wash it down. After our dinner, we briskly walked back to the hotel to warm up. Nicole casually pointed out a few Italian restaurants on the way back. Perhaps she is trying to hint at something . . .

*Burp* Oh, hmm. Tastes like miso.