New Year

New Year was spent at the Kawanaka Grandparents home- Eat, drink, TV, sleep, eat drink TV etc for 4 days.

As it is New Year and most important in Japan the eating part is special food (Osetchi) which is traditional and lucky and not eaten often...this also means that it’s a bit odd to Western taste so John tends to focus on that other traditional food...beer!

On the menu was Namako- Raw sliced sea slug, Kazunoko - Fish eggs, Sashimi- Raw fish....mmm delicious. In actual fact the Osetchi we had is not 100% traditional and is changed to make it easier for John to cope!

Also on the menu was a bit Jenga and listening to Archie repeatedly ask to watch cartoons whilst prodding us with the remote control- it’s amazing the things he picks up...

All in all just a relaxing time- wearing our warms clothes (otherwise known as Dung Catchers) wondering what 2007 will bring us! certainly different from bring crammed into a club in London drinking Vodka RBs!

Wedding Anniversary

On December 30 we celebrated our 3rd Wedding Anniversary- like last year we decided to go to Bien Dining. Archie was with the Grandparents so we could have a nice night out….

As a special treat for the night John could drink almost a whole of bottle of fantastic wine -1 of 6 bottles brought back from last years holiday to New Zealand.

Like last year the food was good, we ate too much and also had the slight embarrassment of being identified to the other diners as a special dessert was brought to us with accompanying slushy music (too much wine can‘t remember what it was). As it happened last year we were now seasoned veterans and took it on the chin unlike the two lovebirds next to us who were having a romantic birthday dinner and seemed to be quite embarrassed!