As I mentioned a couple days ago, the main reason I went to Sendai was to see my friends AB and MM, who were teaching there. I took the Sendai metro and met up with AB for dinner at a fun little hole-in-the-wall called Half Soldier. This is the kind of place I would never have found on my own, but it’s a great little find. The plates are small, so you just order a bunch. And the atmosphere is sort of mid-30s cantina with Japanese Big Band music and lots of movie posters for decor. The food is tasty as well.

Aside from the excellent company, the highlight of the meal was the dessert: boob ice cream. I am not kidding – it is listed on the menu in those exact words. I don’t know if that’s a weird translation or what, but it’s definitely a weird experience. The ice cream comes frozen in a cylinder from which you eat directly. Unfortunately (and hilariously) once you have begun eating your ice cream, you are then committed to finishing the whole thing. As the outer edges of the cylinder melt, the more liquid portions of the ice cream become violently mobile. It makes for a potentially embarrassing and interesting end to the meal.

After dinner, AB took me on a brief tour of their school grounds, and then we hung out with her roommates and MM when she got off work. It was great to catch up with both ladies and to meet their roommates. Teachers always have the best stories.

Title quote: David Mitchell