Thursday, June 3, 2010

A few nights ago I found myself "out on the town" in Imari. Imari is a great place. I like the pottery and love the people but I have never really found the night life all that riveting. There are a few decent Izakaiyas and the beef is, of course, famous all over Japan but I haven't found many places that I really enjoy going after the meal.

So, the other night after eating at a nice yakitoriya a friend and I found ourselves wandering the downtown area of Imari looking for somewhere to pop into. The first place we stopped at was closed and the second was full, our prospects looked bleak.

But we pushed on. Japan really teaches a person a) how to work hard, and b) how to play hard. We were not going to so easily be denied a good time on this night. Before too long we happen on a local ceramics maker I have been friends with for some years now and I informed him of our little predicament. He quickly suggested a place called "A-Train" and seemed surprised when I told him I had never been there.

He gave us some directions and soon we were there. A~Train is a great little place. There was live blues, jazz and rock coupled with friendly staff and customers all crammed into a tiny space. We were there for hours, taking in the music and having interesting conversations with just about everyone in attendance.

I wonder how many more hidden treasures are left for me to discover in this low-key but talented and enormously creative corner of Japan.

Mark

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