Oirase Brewery

This weekend we got together with a bunch of friends for one of the last nights out we're going to have in Misawa for a while. We finally got to try a place we've heard a lot about but have never made it to: The Oirase Brewery. It's not a bad deal; for 3000yen a person (or about $36) you get a chartered bus to take you to the brewery (about an hour away from Misawa) and two hours of all-you-can-eat yakiniku (grill your own meat and veggies) and all-you-can-drink beer. Delicious + fun + no need to worry about who's going to drive= good place by my book!

We even ended up going karaoke-ing afterwards. It had been over a year since we'd sung and danced our hearts out at La La La's. Now we have our fill again for a while. We're definitely getting old- gone are the days of recovering from a night out with the sole aid of a cheeseburger. I think it'll be a good long time before either of us feels like having another beer-fueled night out. But the good times were worth it!

Scenery on the bus to the brewery

Aomori Art Museum

Last weekend we took a trip to the Aomori Art Museum. It was... strange.

Sculpture by Yoshitomo Nara

This giant dog was the only exhibit that could be photographed, but others on display included neon fish/penis sculptures displayed in dioramas alongside detached clay noses, a post-apocolyptic-looking beach set up with huge brains in beach chairs, melted people, and a baby's cry playing on a loudspeaker audible in most of the entire museum, and a series of paintings that all included hidden (pardon my language, but for lack of any word that would make it more pleasant...) assholes.

There were more, shall we say... traditional pieces too that were nice. It was an interesting museum. Is that the right word? Interesting? Sure.