Visitors from Overseas: 1

Last week, we had our first visitor from overseas.  Stephen and I went to college together and he is teaching English in South Korea right now.  It was so much fun having someone from back home visiting us! 

Karl and I still had to work, but we did as much sightseeing as we could with Stephen.  Karl took him to the famous shrine and temple at Asakusa in Tokyo.   They also stopped at Shinjuku to go shopping and ran into a nuclear protest.

During the week we shooed Stephen off to Kyoto for a few days for more sightseeing while we slaved away at work.  (I only really say slaved because of the heat.  Last week was terrible!) 

Last weekend we went to the Ueno Zoo in Tokyo followed by some amazing kaitenzushi.

What is kaitenzushi, you ask? 

I’m so glad you asked.  This is a really fun way to eat sushi.  A kaitenzushi restaurant features a U-shaped bar behind which the sushi chefs prepare the food.  They put the finished sushi on little plates and then set them on a tiny conveyor belt that runs along the bar.  

You sit at the bar counter and simply take whatever sushi you like as it passes.  Now, suppose you really want a certain type of sushi and it isn’t making the rounds?  No problem.  Just call out to one of the sushi chefs and order.  A minute later, you’ll have your sushi. 

Karl loves kaiten-zushi.

Maguro-Tuna

Salmon

Stephen eating red snapper with a pile of wasabi.

 As you eat, you stack up your little plates.  When you are finished, a worker will count up your plates and write your check.  The plates are coded for the price of the sushi.  

Pretty slick system, huh? 

We had a really great time visiting with Stephen and showing him around Japan. 

 
Now we are wondering…who will be our next visitor?

Any takers???