Butt Spray and Samurais

Whoa, the Japan Weight Loss Plan is serious business. After five hours of sleep or so, I saw the sunlight and figured it was time to wake up - without knowing the time. Still having not met my roommate, I gingerly gather my shower necessities and get that done. So I'm all dressed and ready to wander around Okayama when I saw a little clock telling me it was 6am. In the States, I could head to a Starbucks but the coffee place here, Seattle's Best, opens at 8am. Instead of being adventurous, I learned about tax withholding and Japanese local laws! A little before 8 my roommate, TJ, woke up and we chatted a bit. I suppose if I was one for the one night stand, I'd be more comfortable with get-to-know-you conversations after waking up.

After experiencing a few transactions, I've learned that taking even the easy things for granted isn't going to fly here. Thankfully most things have pictures in Okayama so ordering hasn't been too painstaking but I'm only really good at saying 'arigato gozaimasu'. Japan is infamous for combining old-world tradition with new technologies. That said, I've never seen a more advanced toilet than the one in market today. It had levels of deodorizers to set, buttons to control water pressure and even a button to press if you wanted a spray of water...you know, coming from below to..your below.



Oh, it's miserably humid here. Shirts and packs are sticking to my skin and I have a permanent sweat film that's coming with me wherever I go. And it did so on the mile or so walk to Okayama Castle (aka Crow Castle). This is my first of probably many castles and it's breathtaking. A lake and a gigantic park flanked the castle - which is the main attraction of the "Culture Zone". For 300 yen, we were admitted to the castle which has now been restored into a museum. I've posted pictures below but you should be especially drawn to Samurai Matt!