Holiday indulgence

When it was decided several months ago that we couldn't afford to fly to Cambodia & Laos in December I wasn't completely thrilled about having to spend the festive season in Japan. Many foreigners complain of the absence of family & friends at this time of year, not to mention the chilly weather and the fact that everything shuts down during the first 3 days of January. But how happy am I now that we staid and that we got to witness the unique way in which the Japanese celebrate New Year's! Instead of feeling lonely or nostalgic for home we plunged head-first into all things Japanese, which resulted in plenty of good times & immense satisfaction for both of us :-). The activities started on our return from Tokyo as we were immediately invited for a traditional Japanese dining experience at a chankonabe restaurant. Chankonabe is a hot pot stew mostly consumed in large quantity by sumo wrestlers as a way to gain weight. It's base is a broth soup but it mainly consists of huge chunks of protein sources (usually chicken, fishballs or tofu) and vegetables. As was to be expected this dish is extremely filling, perfect winter food! The restaurant picked by Vaughan's students Kazuko & Yoko looked like the kind of establishment we could never afford, with private tatami rooms, a kimono-clad hostess (see picture) & exquisite personal service. It turns out the owner's a retired sumo wrestler himself; apparently the restaurant business is a popular career choice for wrestlers on their way out. No wonder very few lose their extra kilos after they quit the sport huh...