Kabuki! Where men are real men! And so are the women.

So I have to say that today had some of the best moments of my visit so far. The day started with getting to talk to two very awesome people on messenger to whom I haven't been able to talk to much, if at all, so far this trip. Though it was far too brief in both cases. :(

That was followed by official trip to a historic kabuki theater! We got to have a personal tour by a very energetic guide, who took us through the whole place including the backstage and workings of the theater. It wad made during the Meiji era, and was the third kabuki theater to be marked as a historical treasure in Japan. You can still see little burns in the wooden railings from people's pipes they used back in the day. I loved the whole experience. They even let me jump through one of the entrance curtains and pose.I really can't say enough about how awesome the theater was .... so I won't. Hur.

After that we went to ... Kumamoto Castle. It was the second castle I've been to in Japan, but I have to say it was daunting in its size. I didn't have time to sit and listen to all the people talking, or read over all the signs like I enjoy doing though, so I am already making mental plans to come back some day for a long .... lloooooong leisurely stroll through all the castle buildings and grounds. In spite of the pace though, it was a very cool experience. Ryan and I both were treated to the castle by Hiromi's parents, and also got to spend more time with Saori too. I think Saori is a very fun person, and both Ryan and I really appreciate having somebody who actually laughs at our terrible jokes in Japanese.

The latest addition to our repertoire of inside jokes was developed while we were in Kumamoto castle, and got to look at the inside of a palanquin. I pointed out where the cup holder for the traveler's tea was, and then we all decided it was a very bad idea to have your tea in one of those because of the bumpy ride. Long story short, it lead to a great impression by Ryan of an old samurai complaining about tea disasters, which got even more over the top after we saw an artifact kimono that was despoiled (we're sure) by the ravages of tea and inept shogunate dry cleaners.

The other stop didn't actually include the house of Natsumei Souseki, but instead the house of another famous author Lafcadio Hearn. He compiled some well known horror stories including .. dun dun duuuun Mimi Nashi Hoichi.

In any case ... who knows what adventures tomorrow will hold! Until next time.

~Jeff