Tamagawa BBQ

I guess I should talk about the Tamagawa BBQ a month or so ago...

My train line cuts across the Tama river. Should I be on the train in the weekends, I would see people in their large groups having BBQs, fossicking about the rocks and generally having a jolly good time. In my head, I would imagine pressing my face up against the glass (in my head, cos I can't imagine the glass being particularly hygienic considering the number of people I've seen sneeze directly at it), emitting a sigh of longing... longing to have a BBQ of my own down by the Tama river.

.. and so came the day when I was invited to join some peeps for a BBQ down by Tamagawa.

I was all: "Heeeelllll-YEAH!"

Like many Japanese BBQs, a vast amount of meat was consumed. I believe the only farm animal not eaten was horse. Creatures of the sea were also eaten. And there was even LAMB.

Games were played, trees were climbed, walks were taken.. I even FINALLY had my game of badminton.. my first ever since coming to Japan!

Good times all round...

There were some cute kids wandering about, too. At one point, as I was about to make a trip with some others to use the loo at a nearby driving school, I felt a small, soft hand grab mine.

I look down and see this droplet of a little boy, with a very stylish hat on (no, not the one in the photo). He's looking off into the distance when I say to him: "Umm, I think you've got the wrong hand..."

He looks up and THANKFULLY doesn't burst into tears (I'm guessing his parents haven't told him about Stranger Danger yet) but rather gives me a look that seemed to say: "Ohwhoopsbye." and retreats to his ACTUAL family.

Mai turns to me and says: "Had you continued walking any further it'd be considered kidnapping,"