Fantastic Day

It’s 9:30 in the morning and I’m waiting outside the central post office in Beppu with a lunchbox cooler filled with beer and chips. I’m waiting for my friend to pick me up and take me to a barbeque. The only thing is, it’s 9:30am…the bbq couldn’t possible start this early…so why did he ask me to be ready so early…

After 2.5 years in Japan, this type of situation isn’t that unusual. I know that before I get to the bbq, there will be a series of misadventures and unexpected twists. As this thought goes through me mind, my friend arrives with a HUGE smile. “Jasuten! Let’s go!” And off we go.

First stop, another parking lot where we meet another guy with a big truck. He buys tea for everyone and then we follow him down the road. We turn off the main road and begin a long, difficult, dangerous climb into the mountains. Up and up we go along narrow roads where cars have to dance around each other just to get by. Finally we reach what appears to be an archeological site with lots of old stone pieces and statues scattered around. I’m given a pair of gloves and told, “Today will be a hard day.”

Ah, okay…so it’s manual labor to start the morning off with. We wait while the guy with the truck prays at a gravestone set into a cliff. Two other guys arrive with gloves and crowbars and rope. I ask, “What are we doing today?” to my friend and he says, “We are making a garden for my friend,” and then points to the large stone columns on the ground. Shortly after we begin loading the large and heavy stone pieces into the truck….each one use to be part of an old Japanese house dating back about 100 years. The final stone is about 4 feet long and weighs 10,000lbs. (about). We use ropes and pulleys and long pieces of wood to load it onto the truck…reminded me of ancient Egyptians building the Pyramids.

Next, we head to the truck guy’s house in back in the city where we unload the stones, prepare the ground, and begin making an interesting stone garden. Long story short, I got some good exercise, sunburn, free beer and fried chicken, and laughs with my new friends.

But the day isn’t over! The bbq hasn’t even started yet! It’s now 3:30pm and I’m at my friend’s house where we all decide to take a nap (glorious thing to do after hard work!). I sleep and dream about Egyptians. About 2 hours later I wake up feeling cold. “Jasten, here is a coat,” says my friend as he gives me a warm coat to wear. Within minutes voices are heard outside…many voices…those of women and children…the bbq is about to begin!

I head outside to the little Japanese grill where a table full of meat waits to be cooked. Beef, chicken, pork, unknown meats all get flamed covered and served up. My plate is constantly refilled…I consume more meat in one hour than I have in the past month. I also get a fresh beer in my hand every time one of my friends gets up to get another beer. The stars come out, the children run around asking to play, I feel good.

Saturday was a fantastic day.