Content-type: text/html Ray Manning

Tuesday, July 15, 2003 10:00 PM

Japan, Day 8


After spending the night 4 in a Japanese style hotel, we get up and start our tour of Kanazawa. We see pretty gardens, ancient buildings and stones, museums, art, and samurai articles.

We're sitting in a bank cashing traveler's checks and a ChiChi holds the door open for us. Being polite I respond with, "Arigato ChiChi" instead of the impersonal "Arigato". Ike picks up on this and starts mimicing me with "Arigato ChiChi" to people. I start laughing and Karl and Kikumi just look at each other and take action, "Don't listen to Ray's Japanese".

We switch hotels and head for dinner near 6pm. Karl, Kikumi, and Ike stay in at night so I wander around the city. I find a post office and mail postcards, try to find an Internet cafe (but only find a cool, cute gaming cyber cafe), and observe people.

A guy, Kazu, starts talking to me near 11pm. He wants me to go with him to listen "to his partner play emotional music" in a cafe. He is loud, obnoxious, and drunk, but I remain calm and have a fruitfull conversation with him. He asks if I have a girlfriend and I say, "I don't have a girlfriend. I have a boyfriend in Los Angeles". And we continue our conversation until I have said "No" to his offers enough that he leaves. But he gives me his business card and says about 6 times, "Call me". I'm in bed again just before midnight.