Climbed Mt. Bizan today. I was restless and lonely last night and was (almost) wishing for room-mates... it's no wonder I talk the ear off of my co-workers whenever I see them. I'm so used to having someone to come home to (even if it's just a dog), and someone to get a hug from if I need one! I decided that if I wanted to start getting better sleeps, I needed to start getting more exersize-- as much as I am one my bike, there really aren't any hills, and it's all far too easy. SO I woke up and rolled out of bed, hung some more wash on the line, and rolled on out to the base of the tropical mountain. I wasn't sure where the paths began, so I biked along for a bit until I saw a shinto shrine at the base-- it looked interesting, so I hopped off my bike, parked, and walked up to it. It's a dazzling sunny day today, bright and windy and full of the salt tang of the sea, and the wind whipped through the trees that surronded the shrine. I washed my hands at the purification site, poked around the deserted shrine for a moment, then found a path that went up; so up I went. I quickly encountered two middle aged gentlemen on their way up the mountain-- they were using their walking staffs to poke at two trees that had completely grown into and through one another, and encouraged me to come closer so that I could see too. Quite amazing! I can only speak about 30 words of Japanese (and most of them have to do with understanding, not understanding, and food) and the shorter of the two fellows could only say a few words of English, but by mutual consent, I was invited to join the hiking party. The taller of the two fellows found a stick that he fashioned into my own walking pole, and we walked up together, I asking them questions that they couldn't understand, and they telling me things that I couldn't understand. Luckily the few words that the shorter fellow knew were useful ones; "more," "up,""go,""river,""higher." I learned the name of a beautiful flowering bush, "tabaki" (I remember because it sounds like how a red-neck might say 'tobacco') and I collected interesting seed pods and rocks and pinecones until my pockets became laden. Everything is very lush and green, with an amazing array of fig trees and bamboo and various ferns and fungi.

The view was astounding at the top-- I could see all the winding rivers, the ocean, the far-off little islands, the famous bridge that connects Shikoku to the mainland. Tokushima is much larger than I had come to believe... there's got to be an art gallery somewhere in this city! At the very top there was an array of buldings, which surprised me at first until I remembered that you can ride a cable-car to the top of the mountain. There was even another shrine at the top, and the taller fellow helped me to pray at it, as I couldn't quite remember the order of things-- it's: 1) Toss the Money 2) Rattle the Rope to Ring the Bell 3) Clap Twice 4) Bow and Pray. The three of us went into the viewing room and had a rest and a good look at the view, and as we were leaving I met a little calico kitten at the top of the mountain, which broke my heart. She meowed and rubbed up against me and I wanted very much to take her with me, but Tall Guy signalled that it was time to go; I have to comfort myself with the fact that most outdoor cats are communal, and that I always see people stopping their bicycles to empty cans of cat food onto little plates on every other corner. Someone's bound to feed her.

On the way down, Tall Guy gave me his good bamboo walking stick to use, and Short Guy kept asking questions and trying to communicate-- it was very cool, and I believe I must have seemed very like on of the communal cats to them-- a welcome novelty, even if she's not something you can take home! At the bottom, I bowed and thanked them very much and went back to my bicycle. I was ravenous and headed towards the Shin Machi (Shopping Arcade) because I remembered Jon saying something about there being a McDonald's there... and I'd heared about something called an Ebi-Burger.

Now, I've had a few outstanding McDonald's expierences that will stay with me forever. In 1985 Mom took me and Sandy to a new McDonald's they had built near the upcoming Expo '86 site in Vancouver, and I had my first McFish Fillet; it came in a blue styrofoam box, and it was the first non-Happy meal of my young life. It was dreamy.
Next: World Youth Day in Denver Colorado, July 1993. McDonald's was the official supplier of food to the hordes of Catholic Youth (hmmm- is there a conspiracy between McDonald's and the Vatican?) and each of us was issued two food tickets per day-- brunch and dinner. We were camped in Cherry Creek State Park (no cherries, no creek, just a lot of dusty scrub, really) along with 17,000 others. I volunteered to go get dinner for myself and a couple of others in my group. I made my way to the McDonald's outpost, handed over my tickets, and was issued a bag full of cheesburgers, plain-- just cheese, buns and meat. As I started back, I quickly found myself lost, and was terrified, staring at the sea of people that stretched for what seemed like miles. Luckily I eventually recognized a fellow, and explained my situation-- he led me back to my Youth Group. I sat down, handed round the burgers, and finally bit into mine-- heaven! Now whenever I'm in the States, I make a point to order at least one plain cheesburger; it's just not the same in Canada.
And now, today, February 17th 2006, I have had another timeless McDonald's moment burned into my being forever. The Ebi-Burger. Oh, sweet Ebi-Burger, all of your shrimpy goodness has made a mark on my heart! A delicious shrimp patty, cooked just right so the shrimp is still sweet and juicy, fries that taste hot and crisp and salty- just like at home, and a cup of fizzy sweet grape Fanta, fresh from the soda fountain... suffice it to say I'm having a great day. Who knew McDonald's had such power!?

Back to work tomorrow-- hopefully no kid's classes until monday. Talk at you later...