(Scenic shot of Mizunami)
Friday was all about the locals. Mizunami is the town where Alex is stationed to work for the JET English teaching program. He’s almost finished his first year, and he’s enjoyed it so much that he’s promised to stay another year.
(A cool building on the way to the train station: “beautiful decay”)
I met Alex at his school around 12:30, bringing a special “takeout-o” lunch of grilled eel (Anago) and tempura shrimp. We had a nice meal sitting in classroom school desks with some of Alex’s favorite students. The girls were so cute. I very much enjoyed meeting them. 
(Alex and me on the fancy classroom monitors in the A/V room).
Alex’s school seemed like most schools, boys hanging out in the hallway during passing period, girls rolling up their skirts, but there was one small Asian twist. I was quite surprised to look down and notice students in their socks in the classroom. Each day, they actually change out of their uniform shoes into those little plastic indoor sandals during school hours.
It was kind of the school cleaning lady to invite us in for tea. Alex proved to be quite comfortable with his Japaneese skills. I was certainly impressed. If only I could speak Korean as well as he speaks Japanese!
After school, we ventured out to another town a few stops away by train. Ena was home of the Hiroshige Museum of Art, one of Alex’s favorite galleries. We saw some cool traditional Japaneese wood-blocking prints, and even got to make our own in the hands-on exhibit!
Then, we had a feast at a traditional Japanese sushi style restaurant. We sat at the bar and let our feet hang below the floor. We had a front-row view to watch the master prepare the fish with our back was the traditional Japanese style garden oustide.
Later, it was time to wind down. Alex’s favorite singer and Jazz club provided a classy big city atmosphere with small town charm.
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