The last installment in the epic story…Christophe; who’s been a dear friend since we both attended a Japanese language class in Osaka, paid us a visit on the 17th and 18th of July.
Christophe (and his lovely wife Carol) was one of the people who really helped us with our opening party last March; he brought his amazing photos, he hung them, he made like 6 quiches, he helped serve drinks and he took some amazing pics that will soon be turned into postcards we will sell at Sen.
Fast forward to July 17th; as we slowly rolled out of bed (remember we were coming off a Chris trip and our friend Charlie’s party) to find none other then Christophe sitting on one of our tables, lab top open, already sweating and editing photos.
After a couple hugs and a couple of mugs (of coffee) we send Christophe out for his first day of photos. I must say, he did it in classic Christophe fashion; all day in one spot…Matsuyama Castle. And though we don’t actually have any of the photos that Christophe actually took yet; the first showing looks amazing (no pressure to get those out to us bro :).
At night, Christophe made an amazing tomato/bourbon reduction sauce over penne…ridiculously good…plus had extras. We made another pasta and 3 pizzas with the left over sauce.
Next morning, it’s Christophe out the door again for more pictures…this time it’s to Kashima Island (one of the most beautiful islands in Japan-his words, not mine ;). Kashima is pretty much just a mountain that just missed the coast..it’s about a 90 second ferry ride away has a pretty amazing view from the top, wild deer and a pretty sweet little sidewalk that encircles the island. It is small, it takes about 25mins to walk around the whole island and there are amazing rock formations, little islets and caves and very swimmable beaches.
He did it up in style (meaning drinking asahi and staying in 1 spot for over 2 hours to get the perfect shot)…but check it…it IS the perfect shot…
That night, we went to our favorite restaurant in Matsuyama (Japan?) called Torisen. It’s pretty much a super high end Yakitori joint that uses only organic chicken (they raise them themselves). Some highlights on the menu are: gyoza (to die for), tori sashimi (dats right, raw chicken) and tori wasabi (sort of a seared chicken served with a generous portion of green onions and wasabi). I know Christophe loved it and he was not shy about his adoration…say what you will about Christophe…he is not subtle when it comes to food!
After a couple more namas (draft beer) we stumbled on back to the guesthouse very full and content. It was hard seeing Christophe off but he knows he always has a home in Matsuyama and he will be back with his better half (my guess) next fall or spring.