Kakinoki James

Just got home from what I call "the ramen shop". I have no idea what its real name is, and since it's the only place in town that serves ramen, that's its name. It's a really small place. 10 people would make it feel really crowded, but it's a great place to meet some of the locals. It's on the way home from the 2 schools I teach in Kakinoki. I was tired of my own cooking, so I decided to drop in. There was one other customer, an older man maybe in his 50's or 60's. Me being the new guy in town, and a foreigner, made him curious, so he started to ask the waitress/cook/bartender (AKA mama-san) about me. Must have been the only one in town not to have heard of me. Not hard to be well known when you are the only white guy in a community of less than 2,000 and have been written up in the local paper. Since most guys here in the countryside drink every night, he asked me if I drank sake every night to help me sleep, or at least that's what I think he asked. I told him that I usually only drink on the weekends and that I have badminton club later tonight. The word "sake" can be a little confusing at times because it can mean the rice wine drink that we in America always associate with that word and it can just mean "alcohol". The man departed not long afterward and as he was paying for his meal, told the mama-san that he was paying for 2 beers for me. What else could I do but say "thank you"? Well, I also said the 1st beer was delicious. :) Then he left saying "ganbatte" to me. Ganbatte is one of my favorite words in Japanese. It can be used in many situations and is sort of a combination of good luck, hang in there, and do your best. So, basically he bought me (someone he never met before and had talked to for less than 5 mins) 2 beers and wished me good luck playing badminton later in the evening. Nice guy.