Aikido

Friday I rolled into Kumamoto station, and rode the streetcar out to Karashima, where my boy Zac lives. I was to be his guest for the weekend, staying at his apartment convenientily located just down from Shawa-dori. The weather was lousy, but Zac walked me over to Ginza-dori to get my shirt cleaned at the cleaner's he always uses, and then I saw him off to work. He works at a local snakku (see below), his shift starting at about five and going to 01.30 We had plans to meet up when he finished.

I was off to an aikido practice on the top of Nikko Hotel, taught by a good friend here in Kumamoto, Michio Yuji. Practice was sweaty but tame, and I finished off by asking Yuji to throw me about for a bit - for old times sake. He was happy to oblige.

After practice I killed time until 01.30, when I met up with Zac and we went for a tame drink at a dark but well-stocked bar called 'Pegasus'. For those in the know, the old Jail is now apparently situated in the same building. Zac had a beer and I had a gin and tonic with Angostura, and we spent some time talking with the manager, who happened to be a friend of my wife. She and one of her staff agreed to meet us later at the next bar we were off to, which turned out to be a basement hole with an entire wall lined in CDs.

The girls joined finally joined us about 03.00, and we stayed till after four, drinking and smoking and making requests from the CD collection. Zac and I finally got back to his place about five. It was a quiet start to my weekend in the city, but a nice welcome-back all the same.