no luck

I had an "unlucky" day yesterday. My day off of shopping was unsuccessful, and a waitress at lunch spilled a bowl of soy sauce all over me. So we went to the most famous temple in Japan - Dazaifu Tenmangu. Thousands of people gather here on New Years day, but by now, most of the crowds are made of students as it houses the god of education. Students often come to pray before major exams. For me, it was a chance to see some striking old architecture as well as check out my fortune for the month. For a dollar you can get the little strip of pink paper with your monthly fortune on it. I'm not much of a believer in anything, but I found myself caught in the moment and excited to read my fortune. It reads: You have middle luck. Watch the ground, you may fall soon (uuuh yes. My knee was pretty messed up, and still pains me.). Your health is getting better (my cold I had when I left Atlanta is almost gone). And take your time on major life decisions. Now is not the time to act. Also, travel is good.



I felt strangely better afterwards.

Tomorrow I leave for a short trip to Tokyo with Hide-san. We are going to watch the Tokyo qualifying rounds for the JBC. Its a little different than USBC... Two sets of qualifying rounds, one in Tokyo, one in Osaka. Four days each, 20 COMPETITORS EACH DAY. Holy crap. 10 minute presentation, 4 espressos, 4 caps. 1 tech judge, 2 sensory, one head judge. After both Osaka and Tokyo rounds are finished, they choose the top 16 competitors (out of 160!) to go on to the semifinals of JBC in Tokyo. So we are going to watch and take notes. See what works, what doesnt. I'll report back when I return to Fukuoka on Friday night, no internet until then.

much love, miss you all. wish you were here. yatta yatta.