Day 01 – A picture of you “in Japan”. (doing or wearing something “Japanese”)

I chose this picture because it was the first time since coming to Japan (this time around) that I actually felt like I should be here. I felt like I fit in, that I had some really AWESOME friends right in town with me, and felt like Aki-shi was home rather than a cage. While I know my future lies elsewhere, in a bigger city somewhere in the world... because of these friends and good memories, Aki-shi will always hold a special place in my heart.

Also, what's more Japanese (or Kochi-esque) than spending five hours at an izakaya drinking, eating, and laughing with fun people? Nothing, I think. :)

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Speaking of friends, I went on a pseudo-date yesterday with the goofy one in the above picture (with the blue towel). I say pseudo-date, because it definitely had the makings/shell of a date, while not feeling terribly date-ish/being called a date etc. He picked me up at 6:30 and we drove to the city, ate kaitensushi (which he paid for) then drove up to the top of this mountain called "Godaisan" and looked out at the city and lights from the look-out point. It was a gorgeous night, though cloudy, and the temperature was perfect. We chatted the whole night about random shit, and there was no awkward pauses, silences, or anything weird. It was really pleasant. :) Whether he thinks it was a date or not is unknown to me, but it was a fun night with a friend and I got a free dinner out of it (score!).