Golden Week, Golden Friends

Yukiyo, Mayu's best friend, came for the Golden Week Holidays. She arrived in the evening on Sunday May 3rd. On Monday, Yukiyo and Mayu went to Kanazawa to visit the "massage therapist spiritual healer guy" who also sees the spirits of the former lives of people and tells them what spirit he sees at that time, and what that former life was like.

They had dinner here at home so I cooked a big meal for the three of us. We spent the evening talking, smoking, laughing.

On Tuesday Mayu had a hair appointment so she went into the city alone. Yukiyo and I went up waaay up into the mountains to a lookout point and spent some time up there. For those of you who remember Yukiyo, you will understand the significance of that spot. For those of you who don't...

Several years ago Mayu and I went to Tokyo at the year end, and we visited her father in the hospital. They told us he was sick and had to have a back operation. He had a lot of pain, but I made him laugh, and we talked a lot. I promised him that since he always wanted to come to Fukui but couldn't, when he got better and came I would take him up into the mountains. Several days later he died of cancer. I told Yukiyo and her mother that I wanted to honour my promise to he father so if they ever wanted to bring some of his ashes to Fukui I would take them to a very high, very special place where he could always be looking down on my Shangri-la. And they took me up on that offer.

Over the years they would come and visit, and either Mayu or I would take them up to the lookout point so they could spend some time with father.

One of the reasons why Yukiyo came this Golden Week was because she really needed to spend some time with her father. So, while Mayu was in Fukui, Yukiyo and I went up into the heavens to commune with the spirit of her father.

The weather was perfect, we didn't get lost (this time, unlike most other times because it isn't a place I drive or ride to regularly). We did a lot of deep talking as good friends do; talking about life & death, happiness & sadness, work & play, and more. It was a good time.

On the way down Yukiyo wanted to try the famous ice cream so I took her to Heisenji (where I took Paula, Stefnee, Rob and pretty much anyone who ever has visited or ever will visit) because the ice cream is so damn good there (are you reading this, Jaime?) Then because she had never actually seen the Heisenji temple grounds (shock! gasp!!) I took her for a walk there. And this time of the year... it is glorious! Unbelievably green, and warm, and just so stunningly quiet. Yukiyo even commented how she loved this place because it was old and quiet, unlike Eiheiji temple where there are monks running hither and thither, trying to make money selling their "junk" (just an euphamism, the stuff is impressive).

Then we both got really hungry (damn carb ice cream) so went to Curry House CoCo #1 where Stefnee had coffee jello for the first time (and fell in love with it). The weather was changing so we stopped by the house, grabbed Mayu's jacket and headed to Starbucks to meet her for coffee. They did some shopping after that (girl stuff, girl talk) and I came home.

Mayu cooked a great dinner of pork chops (even though I'm burned out on pork) and made this fantastic chutney-style sauce which used slurried kiwifruits, ketchup, soy sauce, onions. It was delicious! We spent the evening talking and laughing and smoking. Yukiyo doesn't have the enzyme to break down alcohol so her one fruit cocktail drink knocked her out and gave her a pounding headache.  Mayu and I stayed up late "talking shop" until about 2:30am.

This morning about 11:30 Yukiyo left.

And now it's ... "business as usual" I guess.

Isn't it always amazing how when people come for a visit they always bring such life, such happiness... that you can feel the air change? And then when they go away... suddenly...for a while... everything just seems so empty.

And then you move on in life. "Always move"....

I love you!

Cam