After a 13-day stint of work with no days off, i finally finished on a chilly, rainy Saturday with the elementary school play assembly. All grades 1-6 put on school plays. It was really good, and at the request of several teachers, I ended up making cameo appearances in 3 of the plays, with minor speaking roles. Based off of an English story book, the 2nd graders did a blingual play in Japanese and English. They did an impressive job, and I was proud because I'd coached their pronunciation and helped translate the script.
The assembly let out around 12, then everyone went home, only to reassemble at the principal's home around 6 for the barbecue he was ahaving for all the teachers and staff. He was charging everyone ￥3,000(about US$30) a head, but he told me earlier that I would only have to pay ￥2,000--then he told me the bbq would be free for me. Sweet. I caught the train to his house, with 2 other teachers. It was my second-time to his home, and I was just impressed as the first time. The principal and his family are caretakers of the city's Buddhist shrine built on a low mountainside and their house is a abridged with the shrine. I don't know how they do it, but they're BALLING.
The rain was still pouring down, but we bore the chill under the roof of an open shed in the backyard. Working as a team, it took us about an hour to get a good fire going under the dual grill--we had to battle with the wind. The principal likes to do it up big, so he went all out with the provisions. He brought out a big cooler full of beer, wwine coolers, and wine. He brought some hard liquor and Japanese sake and whiskey. We grilled up veggies, fish, seafood, and meat. The seafood was so fresh, that the shrimp were still moving when they brought the tray out. When we grilled them, they were "dancing." poor things. but they were good.
The highlight(s) of the barbecue were the Matsutake mushrooms. The principal brought out a tray of about a dozen or so giant mushrooms about as big as my hand. Everyone was shocked, because Matsutake mushrooms are one of the most premium Japanese delicacies, and SUPER expensive--at least they are in Japan. The principal told me that, in Japan, just one mushroom costs ￥20,000-￥30,000(about US$200-$300). But the mushrooms he had were a gift he'd received from a friend, which had been brought from Korea. Damn, that was one good friend. Most of the other teachers there were in awe, because they had never eaten them before. I just couldn't believe a piece of overgrown fungus cost $300.
They pulled the 'shrooms apart and grilled those bad boys up--and they were actually kinda tasty--they had a chewy, almost meaty consistency. I couldn't eat most of the meat they cooked, so people kept throwing shrimp and 'shrooms on my plate. I was eating shroom strips like crazy. For the evening, I figure I probably ate a modest $500 worth of grub. And I still wasn't full.
The BBQ kinda wrapped itself up around 9-ish and most of the teachers were quite jovial by then. My principal was kinda smacked off sake, and was half staggering when he gave his goodbyes. It was still raining, and the designated driver folks gave everyone else rides to the train station. And that was a night for the middle-agers.
Of course, my night wasn't over as soon as I got home, I headed right back out to Sakae to go see the freaks come out for all the club Halloween parties. I was tired, but it'd been weeks since I'd gone out, so I had to go big. You know how I do!
