Dearest Rachel –
Honestly, this is a phrase that could cover this entire site; I’ve said time and again that I’d assumed we’d have had decades together, where we would see the world (and show it to Daniel), and enjoy each other’s company for the rest of our lives. Especially given your family history of longevity, I saw no reason for things to continue for a long time to come. It depresses me to see Mom tending to Dad, not just because it’s clear he’s winding down, but because this is not a future I can look forward to. I won’t be able to brag to my nurses about the love of my life with whom I’d spent two-thirds of a century like he can.
But for the moment, there’s the realization that, while we’ll be docked overnight in Otaru, just a half-hour’s train ride from Sapporo, that doesn’t mean we’re here for two whole days, any more than we were in Tokyo (although I’ve come to understand that the Orion actually was berthed in Harumi for two nights, as guests arrived that much earlier on their own – or at least, so I assume). In fact, we won’t even be there for twenty-four hours, as we’ll be arriving at six in the evening, and we’ll absolutely need to be back aboard the ship by five o’clock tomorrow. It’s not exactly the length of time I’d hoped for.
So we have to make the most of the limited time we’re going to have. Which is a lesson that could be applied to so much of life, including our own relationship, but one everyone has to learn on their own rather than being taught, and most of the time, a little too late.
One of the critical things we need to do, for tonight in particular, is to get some sleep in before we arrive, so that we aren’t too tired to make an evening of it. With us having a shore excursion tomorrow morning, this evening is our one chance to do something on our own, and I’ve worked out another plan (with considerable help from Copilot, as per usual) that I think we’ll enjoy (and will certainly be unique – more on that later). However, the problem is, ever since arriving in Japan, I’ve been crashing between eight and nine in the evening, which would be right when things would be getting started tonight. So I can’t have that.
The flip side of falling asleep so soon is that I wind up waking up barely after midnight, unsure of what to do with myself. This time around, I’ve decided that, rather than attempting to go back to bed, I should just start my day that much earlier, so I’ll be tired enough to actually get those couple of hours of shut-eye before we disembark and set ourselves to make the journey on our own to Sapporo.
For the moment, I’ll let you in on the plan. I’ve no idea whether it will work, but I’ve done well enough with my limited plans thus far (thanks for your kind wishes, by the way), so I’m going to take my chances. Naturally, it involves food, but in fairness, Sapporo’s nightlife scene is actually more geared towards that than clubbing or other, less savory, pursuits. I mean, I’m sure they exist, but it’s the restaurant district that is their claim to fame, as opposed to some Hokkaido version of Kabuki-Cho or Roppongi, and I intend to take full advantage of it.
The twist is that, while Sapporo is known for its “Ramen Alley” – and Hokkaido in general for its crab (which, of course, is a bridge too far for Daniel’s tastes), that’s not what we’re looking for. Even the famed “Ghengis Khan” dish that’s supposedly a hallmark of their local dining culture – and which, as it turns out, is no more Mongolian than the round-grill barbecue style we were familiar with in the States – doesn’t exactly grab me, although I suppose we might appreciate the presentation – and we might look for a spot in Otaru for lunch tomorrow. No, tonight we’re looking into what they refer to as ‘gibier’ (and which, now that I think about it, I might have told you about in a previous letter or two), based on a French culinary term for game meat. Granted, bear is about a month or two out of season (although I’m told I can find various packaged preparations to take home as souvenirs), but we will probably have ample opportunity to try venison or wild boar.
Here’s the funny part about all this; when I was in the theater yesterday afternoon, the cultural enrichment/shore excursion staff were going over the city for us guests, as well as what to expect from each separate excursion. Afterwards, we could meet with the staff members and ask questions individually. I made inquiries about Susukino (Sapporo’s restaurant district, which includes Ramen Alley among many other places) and gibier, only to get a few blank looks; they’d never heard the term before, and were even more taken aback when I explained myself further. I guess this is something they never thought to investigate; maybe I’ll have put it into their heads for the future.
Still, for now, I have make sure I’m rested and ready to hop the train into the city, find the restaurant district (and specifically the place we’ve been recommended to), and make sure we’re back to the station to return by eleven or so, all while staying awake for it all. With that in mind, you can guess that I’ll need your eye on me, and for you to wish us both well.
Letters to Rachel 