octopus balls, gospel music and swimming under the stars

Everyday that passes here, I'm kicking myself for not having a camera! Yesterday was a prime example.

I had the day off of teaching because it was Respect for the Aged day. A small group of ladies from the church and I rode the train down the line a couple of stops to Akashi. We walked through the fish market and saw (and smelled!) all kinds of strange looking creatures from the sea caught only blocks away. I squealed with delight and wonder at the small octopus dried and stretched out on a hanger. I laughed to see an octopus crawling around it's box. My reserve escaped me, and the full Millie emerged as I was disgusted and delighted at the same time. I think I amused everyone around me.

I was nervous about our upcoming lunch of Takoyaki (fried balls of dough with Octopus in the center). I've tried it before and wasn't impressed with what tasted like raw dough in the center. But, I'm learning to eat a lot of things that really don't taste that great without gagging. So, we sat down in a tiny restaurant at a tiny table. I watched the cooks making the food behind the counter just in front of me. He put the serving tray with the Takoyaki on the counter and the waitress brought them to us. There were about 15 of these balls on the tray. I thought the four of us would share the tray. But no. The entire tray was for me. I gulped down my apprehension, put on my "High Road" face and dug in. They were actually good! In fact, I would say delicious. The difference from last time is that it came with a broth that I added fresh green herbs and a spice to. I dipped the balls in the broth and then sucked them all down. They all made it successfully down the hatch (except for that one I dropped on the floor! Whoops! I seriously have a cramp in my hand from using chop sticks! Sometimes my hand just goes dead!).

After lunch we went to a concert that 2 of our church members were a part of. Black gospel music is HUGE in Japan for some reason that only God knows. Seriously. God is using Whoopi Goldberg (Sister Act) and Kirk Franklin to share the Good News of Jesus in Japan. The music was really good quality, if not a little loud in the tiny sanctuary. The choir members had a lot of energy and passion in their singing--something I haven't seen in a lot of Japanese churches. I think that all the members are Christians so that was encouraging.

That night, I went with one of the ladies to the pool that she's a member of. First, when we walked along the shore to the health club, I realized that I live in a seaside town! I hadn't seen the ocean this close until last night. I had seen the bridge from a distance but didn't realize how close I was. There were palm trees and people playing on the beach. Today I'm planning on taking a picnic lunch to the beach because I have another day off.

The pool was so nice. It has an area where you can walk against the "tide" for exercise outside. I had the perfect view of the crescent moon rising next to the Akashi bridge covered in lights. It was beautiful and so refreshing. I told my friend, I understand why Jesus called himself the Living Water. When I'm thirsty after walking in the hot Japanese weather, all I want is water. The water from this pool was so relaxing and refreshing--it revived my spirit.

So, pictures will be coming soon...once I get a camera!