Namikawa and I climb moutains

For fun, for real. It was an overcast day on Mountain Kuju. The temperature dropped and wind increase as Namikawa and I made our ascent to the 1700m peak. When we got there, we ate a colorful assortment of plasticky bento bites, piping hot ramen, and weiners, and washed it all down with red wine and semi-cold Asahi beer.

Kuju is a popular spot for day trippers and amateur hikers. That Sunday, there were hoards of people dotted all over the moutain. But I was the only foreigner–the only one not decked head-to-toe in pricey hiking gear: leather boots, goretex parkas, titanium poles..

In case you're wondering, Namikawa is my #1 Japanese tomodachi. We see each other only about once a month, but we always have a good time together. A few days after this hike, he went with me to a club here in Tosu. Like all mid-aged Japanese guys, he's perpetually dressed in business garb, which made him stand out (maybe even more than me) in the compact, bass bumping club.