Samurai, Dinosaurs, Sushi, and Old Friends.

The 47 Ronin Gravesite was really cool, especially after hearing the story. It’s too long and confusing to talk about so go Wiki it some time or something.

I put incense on all the graves. It was pretty cool. Got some good panoramas.

It didn’t take too long, so it was then off to the free day.

My original plans were to finish up these blog entries after the gravesite and then head to the hotel lobby to see Ayumi and her parents… but I really had to draw dinosaurs again. Mark Shultz was going, and he was coming back right when they were to meet me- I pumped my fist in victory. I really did. At breakfast in public. Because really, who ever said, “You can’t always get what you want.” I got everything I wanted that day. First samurai, then dinosaurs. Really, could my free day get any better? (Oh, it does.)

And I got to see a part of the museum I hadn’t seen the last time! I didn’t know it was there- mainly on natural history of Japan. I though the wax Neanderthals were scary, they had a whole line of wax figures of the evolution of Japanese people that could have been breathing for all I knew how real they looked. The figures even had hair on their arms.

How they keep the dirt and dust off everything in that museum is beyond me.

Actually, now that I think of it, it’s the same for everything else in Japan. I’m going to feel so grimy back in the U.S.

Also, I got the see the plesiosaurus, which seemed to be the pride of the museum.

Also, it was pretty interesting to hear “Wow cool!” in perfect English with an Italian accent behind me as I was drawing a Protoceratops skull. A son and his father, from Italy but having lived in Japan for about 7 years?! It was an unexpected experience to hear Italian, English and Japanese from the same people. The kid wanted one of my drawings, but I’m selfish I suppose. He pulled out an Ueno Zoo sketchbook that he pulled out with his own sketches, so I pulled another drawing of the Protoceratops for him.

I was late to see the Sasaki family, which was entirely my fault and I felt horrible for it,(especially when it was simply on my whim to draw dinosaurs) but we were all too excited to see each other I think every irritant was thrown out the window.

I was really kind of shocked when Ayumi’s mother rushed up to hug me with a cry. I was really touched and overjoyed by it. I’d never really seen her react so emotionally to anything before. I can’t explain how happy I was to see them, or how amazing it was to be greeted like that again.
Allright, ao we have samurai, dinosaurs, old friends, and now we add sushi to the mix. They took me to a sushi restaurant?! Authentic, practically swimmingly-fresh raw sushi, and it was so-o cool!

I was also glad to impress them with my bravery, as compared to when I last ate at their house so many years ago and picked at every little thing when it came to food. I’m still pretty picky but this was authentic sushi!

Then we went over to Shibuya again, where Ayumi took me to a place called ‘Loft’ which I had mistaken for the clothing store on my previous excursion there. She defined it as a stationary store, but really it was, like Tokyo Hands, an everything store.

And I finally found more ink brush pens- which I must say are now the reason for my existence when it comes to drawing now. The Sasaki’s bought them for me, I was so touched, and the gave me a New Years stamp with a little Totoro sitting on a traditional Zodiac ox/cow.

But really we just spent forever laughing at the oddities and niceties, and it felt like home again. But for everyone speaking Japanese.

I think my favorite parts were when we would play with something, and Ayumi would read aloud the instructions to whatever it was and say we weren’t allowed to touch it. Of course she’d be the first one to play around with it, and I’m the one who can’t read kanji.

It ended too soon. I managed to look pathetic enough that we went out for coffee before saying goodbyes. I just wanted it to go on longer and forever. It’s really decided now. I have to come back. For all of it. The Sasakis, the sushi, the dinosaurs, and the samurai.