Nonetheless, after finishing chores I walked over to the Matsukawa Riverside Park (which somewhat confusingly is not next to a river called Matsukawa - Pine River - but is next to the Mogami River) to take in a music festival and the so-called "Y1 Grand Prix". The latter had nothing to do with auto racing. It was a food competition. One could visit and try the wares at any number of the food stands set up by local restaurants. Customers were given a bean along with their food. At the event administration tent a series of boxes with photos of food dishes attached to them were lined up to collect the beans. At first I wasn't sure what the beans were for but sussed out their purpose after spying the boxes. Oh yeah...I tried the following dishes: a roast beef donburi (I heard it was the eventual winner), tempura mochi soup, garlic and beef pizza (with minimal cheese but plenty of garlic), and a rice flour waffle (topped with whipped cream, ground roasted local bean powder, and black sugar sauce). Needless to say, I didn't have dinner later that evening. I satisfied my late evening hunger pangs with an order of melon soda and popcorn at my local cinema.
I actually hadn't planned on going to see a movie until around 8:45pm. I browsed the movie listing online and decided on a promising looking entry called "Umimachi Diary" (海街Diary). I had enough time to glance at the plot synopsis (the story starts off with the father of a trio of sisters passing away and they go to his funeral in Yamagata) and read the names of the actresses (Ayase Haruka was the only one I recognized). I left home in a hurry and got to the theatre with time to settle down into my seat with my drink and unexpectedly large looking "small" order of popcorn.
I had had a small slip of tongue when I purchased my ticket and picked a seat next to a sold seat. I usually don't do that but figured it wouldn't be a big deal. Well, just as I had settled into my seat I heard a female voice exclaiming "What the heck?!". I looked up to find out the source of the remark was Ami, our office manager. I think we were more than mutually surprised to meet up there. Mark one up for pure coincidence.
Anyways, the movie was very nice one. Slow paced, carefully crafted, and sensitively acted. About a quarter of the way through the film I started thinking to myself, "This is like a Koreeda movie". So I got a small surprise when the end credits rolled by and there was Koreeda's name listed as the film's director.
I went out for a nightcap drink and whilst walking home noticed something zip by my feet. This happened just outside the entrance/exit ramp to a parking lot. My initial thought was that a small lizard or skink had run by me. I took a look around and noticed a small green creature. It was a frog. At last I had spotted one of those frogs whose chorus of nocturnal croaking in rice paddies and parks is often very, very loud. I took a photo of the little character and was told later it was a specimen of "amagaeru" (Japanese Tree Frog). Anyways, I figured the entrance to a parking lot wasn't safest place for a frog so I chased it into the neighbouring park. I found out the next day that handling them isn't a good idea. Their skin is covered with a poisonous substance which isn't fatal for humans but probably isn't a good thing to be in contact with.
...And that's my list of Sunday surprises.....
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Postscript: This is a link to a short video recording I made of Japanese tree frogs: https://www.flickr.com/photos/8936205@N02/18522618686/
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