Hirano Shrine

First sakura with Nicholas, Win and Emmanuel

Lunch with Emmanuel and Nicholas

     Friday we met up with old university friends, Emmanuel Delille and Nicholas Dassonville.  Emmanuel is now living in Berlin where he does his research on psychiatric history.  Nicholas is teaching French here in Japan.  We had a wonderful lunch in Gion, at the kind of restaurant that Win and I usually wouldn't try because there never seems to be a name or anything in English (in other words they don't encourage foreigners).  But this was lovely, with beautiful roasted bamboo shoot for a start and sushi so pretty it shouldn't be eaten.  After we went to Kitano Tenmangu shrine to walk around and see the plum and cherry trees.  I think I can tell the difference now in that plum trees have more complex and fragrant blossoms compared to cherry, and spread at the bottom of the tree.
     After good bye we went to the Oyama's for dinner.  Of course Win played trains with Satoki again.
The dinner was lovely, with make it yourself sushi, and a little roasted wild boar among other things.
We had some talk of Noh plays, and were given a DVD of Noh play which will be fun to watch.  We will try to bring home some simple Japanese cooking ideas (indeed we were provided with some ingredients to bring home.)

Much love to everyone