Wednesday in Japan

Okay, so this is me.  And the darling Maddie.  And this pic is pretty much the epitome of our relationship.  She was incredibly hesitant to be friends the whole time, and today, Wednesday, was the first time she let me get this close to her.  Yeah, this was a break-through.  Even though she was apprehensive about me, she's a total doll.

For dinner we drove to what's known on the base as the chicken shack. It is this amazing little center where all the buildings are built after the manner of ancient japan. 

It seemed like a very authentic dinner experience. We removed our shoes and sat at one of those tables low to the ground.  Once again, I'm sure this style of eating has a name- I should look it up...  Okay, it appears the table's called a chabudai, although it's highly likely I'm wrong...

The chicken came seared on a stick.
Yummiest teryaki EVER.

The place was decorated with real ancient samurai armor. It is so interesting; I think my favorite part of the armor is that they have these funny face masks that act as facial armor as well (I'm sure) as aides to frighten enemies.  The masks are depicted slightly differently in this picture :)

 The structure itself was remarkable. There were the sliding doors with and without the rice paper veils, which are obviously common here but surreal and surprising to me just the same. The room we ate in was upstairs. We, of course, removed our shoes before entering, then when we got up there was a large timber. What's it called? A support beam, but it wasn't just a beam it was literally an enormous trunk of a huge tree. We had to crawl under it to get to our side of the room. 

The buildings are so beautiful and remarkable. I just keep wondering how I didn't fall in love with Asian culture so much sooner. This place is truly remarkable.