Super Saturday

We had a great sleep-in morning today. Getting up so late put us into a bit of a push to get ready in time to meet Hiro to go to the festival. Ian cooked up some hot cereal for us this morning but it turned out that what we thought was oatmeal was probably barley. Not quite the way to start the day!!
We got to the festival and Hiro started introducing us around. The festival was held at what we think is a seniors home. Mr. Imai kept taking pictures of us throughout the festival. We will see if we can get our hands on any of them and post them on the blog. Mr. Imai also gave us coupons for food at the festival. We got a whole bunch of fresh sushi that was made right in front of us. Then we checked out the rooms where they had stuff for sale. Some of it was stuff that the residents made - some weaving, woodwork, pottery, etc. - and some was garage sale type stuff. Joisan got a dance bag and a gift for one of her friends.
Hiro continued to introduce us around and one of the people she introduced us to was busy cooking up some burgers - which interested Taran greatly! He gave us each a burger (except Joisan) and then told us that they were deer burgers. He goes up north and gets the deer and brings them to his farm where he feeds them and keeps them until they're ready to slaughter. They were fantastic burgers! We all enjoyed them and Taran went and bought two more! We found some noodles for Joisan and all sat down and enjoyed our lunch. To finish it off we had a sample of some Japanese popcorn that we were given - it's a little different that what we're used to in looks and taste and most definately in preparation. Ian and Taran saw them making it and I'm not sure of the process exactly but whatever the lead-up, some part of the process included a big BOOM! and a bit of steam or smoke at the final moment of creation. Bizarre! One man came over to us with five bags for us! We were totally full at that point but they will make good snacks for the next little while. Yum!
We sat and ate and listened to the elementary school choir sing and then Hiro's Yosakoi group performed. Afterward there was a bingo game. I had purchased one card and Joisan had purchased one. Ian got talking with a man who wanted us to sit with him during the bingo game and he wanted Joisan to take care of his cards for him. It was a pretty neat set-up with an electronic board that selected and displayed the numbers. They had a whole bunch of prizes and we went home with three of them. Joisan got a Hello Kitty towel, and a bag of veggies (on one of the mans cards) and I got a strange, fish-shaped container that apparently holds mosquito coils. Weird. Anyway, there's more to come at the next festival on Monday. I've already been given a bingo card for that!
We stopped in at what was supposed to be another festival afterward but it turned out to be a bit of a lame market. Afterward we came home and had some vegging time. It was all very boring until the lightning and thunder started. The first flash lit the whole house and the thunder shook the house! It continued for a little while but moved further away and then it started pouring. Right in the middle of it all, while I was working on the computer in Joisan's room, and Ian was making dinner, we had an earthquake! It wasn't very big - in fact I was the only one who felt it. The others didn't believe me until we got a call from Gerhard (our travel arranger) in Sapporo who confirmed that I'm not crazy.
The weather here is remarkable for its changability. When I went to take the compost out after dinner the sky was clear and the stars were out. Then, just about a half-hour ago, we got another dump of rain and we lost power! It was only out for about 2 minutes or so but still - a big exciting day! I'll attempt to get the latest photos downloaded tomorrow. Thanks again everyone for all the comments and emails. It's great to hear from all of you!