Monkeys and Throwing Pottery!

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  Urayasu, Japan
Tuesday, December 9, 2008

Tuesday, December 9, 2008



Well, well, well. This morning as
I boarded the train (making sure that I was in position to be able to detrain
at the appropriate moment) it got more and more crowded. Not unusual for
morning rush hour. There did seem to be more than normal on this train. We rode
along to our stop and as the doors opened I felt and heard a mumble in my back!
There was a cute little lady who came up to my shoulder blade who really wanted
to get off the train and there was this "mountain" of a gaijin was there! She
sure looked relieved when I got off and she was able to follow me!



This was quite a weekend! Before I
left Brooklyn, my daughter recommended some place that she had seen on the
internet. It was a tavern that boasted monkey servers! Well I was fascinated by
the idea and set Toshi about the task of finding it. Then I saw the same place
in a short news story on CNN here. Both stories placed the tavern in Tokyo.
Well, after some research Toshi was able to locate it but it was about 3 hours
by car north of Tokyo! We made plans to go.



We arrived at the tiny little
tavern run by a man and woman and two little monkeys! They are little Japanese
Snow Monkey and are very cute! They helped "serve" us and danced around the
restaurant eating from our hands and entertaining the children at the next
table. Soon we were invited into another room for a little show. The monkey
balanced balls, wore masks and "acted" out little scenes, rode toy horses, did
the hula hoop - great fun! They loved the applause!



When we returned to our table
dinner was ready to eat! It was VERY yummy pork sukiyaki with a rich broth and
vegetables and tofu cooked in a pot at our table. They also served a chicken
dish that had some little red peppers and onions and sesame oil and I don't
know what else that also cooked on a little griddle at our table. It was very good meal and both of us
at too much!



The monkeys were very friendly and
climbed up in Toshi's lap and played with his face then climbed up on my back
and was playing with what little hair I have left! All the while I was thinking
about the very nice chimp that I worked with a while back on a commercial and
the chimp that went crazy and ate his owners toes, butt and privates off! I was
seriously hoping that wouldn't happen to me with this little critter so close!



The owners were very sweet and let
the monkeys stay up a little past their "bed time" as they were having such fun
with their guests. The gentleman said that there have been reporters from all
over the world come to see them - Switzerland to Brazil and all points in
between! Here is a link to a YouTube video, it's short but shows a little of
what we saw. We sat at the table near the wall where a woman in a white blouse
is sitting. http://jp.youtube.com/watch?v=Oih6z0xwRuk

We stayed at a "business hotel"
near by with a wonderful onsen. We spent some time soaking in the hot, hot
water and it was so relaxing! After a night's sleep on a very hard mattress, we
left for the second part of our trip - Mashishiko for pottery throwing!



Now, I usually don't like to
repeat things as I travel but had had such a good time last year that I wanted
to "throw" pots again this year and it happens that the pottery school was only
about 27 kilometers (16 miles) from the monkey tavern so off we went!



It was so much fun to get back at
this "hobby" that I am loving. We had the owner of the school teaching this
time and he was super nice and very helpful. At one point I said that I thought
I was finished but he said, "you're getting better, don't you want to do some
more?" Now, I'm sure that he was sincere and not merely flattering a gaijin
guest! By the end of our time we had spent about 2 ½ hours and made many pots,
vases, cups and plates. You only have to pay for the ones you decide you like
the most and so I kept a rice bowl, a serving plate and a saki serving set that
has a bottle and two cups. I won't tell you how much these were but I couldn't
buy them for what I paid to make them. Toshi will bring them to us when they
are fired and glazed with the glazes that I picked out.



As we were finishing up the lovely
young girl who had taught us last year walked in and beamed a big "Santa-san!"
It was fun to see her again. And the owner and his wife, who was pregnant last
year, are the proud parents of a darling 7 month old little boy!



I don't know why my life is so
blessed, it amazes me at the adventures I get to be a part of!



I thought I had told you but when
one of you asked about my son Kris, I realized that I hadn't actually put it in
my blog. KRIS IS GETTING MARRIED! He asked a darling, sweet, pretty, funny girl
named Emily to marry him and the nut said, "yes"! They met at Disneyland
several years ago and then reconnected at the church where they are both very
involved. Emily fits very well with my crazy family and Kris is gaga over her -
what more could a dad ask? They plan to marry in May sometime. Congratulations,
kids!!
More later . . .

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Monkey Tavern 01	Monkey Tavern 02	Monkey Tavern 03	Monkey Tavern 04
Monkey Tavern 05	Monkey Tavern 06	Monkey Tavern 07	Monkey Tavern 08
Monkey Tavern 09	Monkey Tavern 10	Pottery 01	Pottery 02
Pottery 03	Pottery 04	Pottery 05	Pottery 06
Pottery 07	Pottery 08	Pottery 09	Pottery 10
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