I was kind of thinking of skipping it, but in the end I went along with the others into the mountains of Mineyama to get in touch with our roots with a bottle of bourbon and a packet of marshmallows. Maggie, Rob and I took the train (which we almost missed, as usual), and headed to Mineyama Station to meet up with the others for a shopping excursion around Mine to stockpile for the coming night. We then wound our way past the back blocks of Mineyama, up into the hills through the red and orange trees to a pretty little wooden cabin. The others started arriving after us and as they settled in, Jen and I started making preparations for dinner – salad, and meat to be fried on the traditional grill and cooking pot that sat in the floor of the main room. As darkness began to fall, all twenty or so of us was assembled in the tiny cabin and engaging in lively conversation with drinks, including Yukari and her family, who had organised all of this. Yukari had studied at an Australian university and her English and pronunciation was excellent. Basically we drank the night away with Maggie, another Japanese woman Yuko and I playing Monopoly with Yukari's youngest daughter Nat-chan, while the others played a version of spotlight outside. I joined them for a time but became very disheartened when I was sent to seek Matt and Mario and I happened to be standing right beside them, looking straight at them while not seeing them and moving on. Much shit was tossed my way afterwards. After this we flopped down, around the cooking pit, unable to function properly playing that time honoured drunk-time tradition of truth or dare. For several hours of drunk dirty dances, annoyed neighbours, articles of clothing lost and people's darkest pasts and desires forced out of them, we wrapped up the game with the best dare of the night, given to Yukari after discussing what would be the most un-Japanese thing we could put her though. The conclusion we came up with – the dreaded walking on the tatami with shoes on!! Even we gaijin cringe with the thought of it but for a Japanese person, putting their dirty unclean paws on that soft fibrous flooring can drive one to madness, Yukari demonstrated. A few steps turned into a frenzied stomping ritual amid her maniacal laughter.
I being the last one to haul out a futon and cover from the futon cupboard that filled on side of the room, could only find a place to sleep in the main room on one side of the cooking pit, while the others slept on in the living room, which was fine, it was at least quiet where I was by myself and not at all cold. The next morning as everyone stumbled around, hungover and bleary eyed trying to collect their belongings from all over the cabin as a bewildered old Japanese man and his wife stared at us gaijin unable to say anything but clearly hinting that he was waiting to move into the cabin. We ignored him, more concerned with our own troubles, and carried on slow and argumentative division of the leftover food and drink, while making tea and discussing everyone’s plans for the rest of the day. (The old man is getting really frustrated at this point but is still unable to speak to the gaijin, who everyone knows can't speak a word of Japanese because it was been decreed Japanese is the most difficult language in the world).Half of the group went to see the festival that was taking place in the same park where the cabin was, while the rest of us went home. Jen was feeling miserable so Sammi, Maggie and I took her for a breakfast of pizza after stopping to let her out and vomit, before going homeward bound.
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