party like it's 2008
the journal of Michael Werneburg
twenty-seven years and one million words
This morning we did the beach onsen. It's billed as the only natural hot springs in a sandy beach in the whole wide world.
They've built a shelter, and have a full baths attached, but at the end of the day you're simply lying in hot, wet sand. Buried, actually, by the attendants. And it's good.
When I was first buried, all I could feel was the weight of the sand. Then the heat kicked in. It wasn't at all uncomfortably hot, and the in fact was rather soothing, especially for sore muscles. But then the pounding of my heartbeat began, and soon I could feel my pulse throughout my entire body. It was a bit eerie, and certainly something I'd never felt before -- a heartbeat twitching through every limb.
After that we made our way north, with a stop to visit an old town that had been made up in the style of Kyoto, with ornate gardens and stone walls.
By nightfall we'd arrived in Miyakonojo for a bit of a year-end reunion. We're staying with Maki-chan and Nori-chan and their two boys, but the event was kicked off at the home of Mari's uncle Hidenori-san and aunt Ann.
Ann is my fore-runner as a foreigner in the family, and a fellow Northerner. She's Danish. Hidenori-san is an engineer who became so important to Yamaha that they repeatedly delayed his retirement and in the end agreed to let him retire on the condition that they'd build a new plant in Miyakonojo so they'd get to have him around. Having spent some 14 years plus mostly in the financial sector I have to say that that's impressive -- the model I'm used to is for people to get sacked as soon as they've outlived their usefulness to "The Firm". And usefulness can mean just about anything.
The two of them met in Kenya, and have lived in a variety of places since. "Retirement" is too strong a word for what they're doing now, however. For instance, all of the meats at the dinner tonight were home-made, including bacon, smoked ham, liverwurst, and smoked fish. Hidenori-san is engaged in a struggle with Japanese building codes to try to refashion the home into something brighter. The earthquake-proofing requirements being what they are, the deck is stacked against him. But he's drawing up plans and intends to do the work himself wherever possible.
So it was good food, good company and once again that ruptured feeling from overeating.