L in the first half of my actual holiday is Kyoto. Gu and I arrive there with a shinkansen in the late afternoon, just before dinner. Japanese dinner time mean, then 6:30 to 7:00, when all the restaurants are full of people with sticks in hand.
About eight o'clock, when placed in our small but well organized ryokan ( り おかん , the typical small hotels in traditional Japanese style), we begin to wander through the narrow streets around the station. Although it may seem strange on how much local we meet, we must hurry to decide which local sit down, mainly for two reasons: First, many restaurants close early, often around 10:30, and as if that were not enough signs displaying completely written in kanji - numerals -, which leaves little hope of finding an understandable menu once inside. About ten o'clock we still have empty stomachs, but we decide to go in the only place that displays signs in English that read "beer and sake" - because you know that in Japan, these niches are a valid alternative to restaurants, providing food in generous portions at moderate prices -.
A little house insulated with a low door, the usual red lanterns lit everywhere, signs with pictures and English names seem to do the True Believer. From the two windows one can see the lights dim and out of fun laughing, some singing, a light of television suggests the presence of a karaoke machine. Given the premise that we can not enter.
pulled through the front door waiting for us a very bad surprise! A closet that will not be larger than four square feet includes: a bar with five - say five! - Stools, a television - probably the first model in color - a light bulb without chandelier hanging from the ceiling, a karaoke machine with a dozen medieval songs, a shelf covered with bottles of sake, and, above all, an old woman who used to drink two Japanese men drunk on the same age as the bartender.
I'm about to burst into a fit of hysterical tears when one of our customers extends two stools, and began to sciorinare all English words that come to mind - of course no logical relationship and a bad decision -. After the bartender serves us two beers frosts that we had not ordered, our new friend starts to present the room in detail. He laughs, looks at us, indicating the usual oriental cat with its paw raised in greeting position - or insult, I have not yet figured out - and begins with a "that is Raki, Raki cat." I strive to understand and I repeat the phrase twice more by adding a bit 'in Japanese, but the third I give him rope and laugh, nodding. I drink a sip of beer, more in empty stomach, and suddenly all the elements are in place: that ornament is a lucky cat + i do not speak Japanese well, L = meant "That is a cat Lucky."
Another hysterical laughter.
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