Izumo, Japan II

Time: 41:09
Distance: 6 miles

Again I woke up at some awful hour and went out for a run. I wanted to go the other direction on the bikepath but it ran in towards the city and I didn't really want that. I looped up towards a busier street that had a Mr. Donut store and the Sega arcade. I found my way back to the bike path and headed out the way we did the previous day. It wasn't a great run but I got to see some of the early morning life of Izumo. I also got to see a few Japanese runners out for a jog in their full warmups and flats.

I had planned on going on another run but after lunch I nixed that idea. We ate with the mayor of Izumo who was a very charismatic dude. He had lived in New York and worked for the consulate at one point in his career. I think he has been the mayor for 12-13 years and he basically will have the position until he retires. At the lunch we ate some food that was from the Shimane Prefect which is where Izumo is. The beef was amazingly tender and the wine was tasty. At one point during lunch I gave Courtney a one yen piece and he dropped it in Max King's beer. This meant that Max had to finish his drink and pass on the yen. It ended up as a little drinking game that was at first hidden from the mayor and the administrators of Japanese athletics. However, before leaving Tarpy (I think) got up and filled up the mayor's beer glass, Stern soon followed and dropped the yen in it. The mayor who likes to drink was a good sport and started to laugh. Then he chugged his beer.