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An incredible evening. Ex-tempura chef Masan (is there anything the man hasn't done?) set up shop on a low table with a deep frying pan of oil, a bowl of batter and 10 or so small piles of vegetables, pork and prawns, pushing the boat out in my honour. For as long as it took to fry around 200 or so tempura he worked without a break. Meanwhile I got to wear the birthday hat; sat on a chair; slurped my way loudly through noodle soup, thereby showing my appreciation; had delicious tempura, then a wonderful cake made by Rie almost entirely from derivatives of rice. When they handed me a hand-made card and gift - a very special kind of incense used in the temples - it was all too much: I burst into tears. There was comic relief when the children improvised on the spot, handing me presents from Kanta's birthday last week! And then they thanked me for being there with them on this special day. Incredible.
Tomorrow I'll be spending 48 hours in some tourist-trap villages an hour or so away. So time to repack a few things and ?? chill... ??
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