And then there's Wakayama...I might have more stories from this town then the trip itself which is noteworthy because I was there a day and a half. I had an opportunity to stay with a family who owned and operated one of the many mica farms in the city which is a type of Japanese tangerine. The family and I bonded immediately, that might've been because I was relaxing nude with the father of the family an hour after I met him in the natural hot spring onsen.
We understood nearly nothing of what each other said but after a few drinks and some passionate karaoke performances we were close friends and sad that my stay was so short (I think they liked me more than my own family). Before I left I did get a chance to work the farm a little (which is my way of saying wreck a few of his very valuable tangerine trees). The trees were planted in terraces cut into the mountain and although it was serious hot out, it was certainly the best smelling work I've ever done and after a quick visit to the mica museum I was off again to another city.
