Dinner Club - First Meeting

My splenderific friend, Kristen Razvillas is my Iwakuni tour guide in absentia. We were stationed together in Camp Pendleton, she left a year before us and went to 29 Palms, we went to Charlottesville, while we were in Charlottesville, the Razvillas' moved to Iwakuni and then we both moved to Tampa together.  (Follow that?)  So I was able to pick her brain and get fabulous ideas on what to do here, before we moved here.  One thing that she did when she was here from 2004 - 2007 was to have a dinner club of sorts.  They asked a Marine, who was married to a Japanese National,  to make dinner reservations for them out in town.  He gave them the business card of the restaurant, Kristen would arrange for cabs to pick the group up, and away they would go to dinner destination unknown!  It got so popular that the local restaurants couldn't host as many people who wanted to come, so they started having to go "underground" and have the taxis meet them a few streets over!

I have had this in the back of my mind the past six months (can you believe we've been here almost six months as of today?) and last night the "Dinner Club's" first meeting was called to order!!!

I asked Kazumi, Mick's Japanese Jurisdiction Officer, to make us reservations.  She picked Kikutei

a "cook it yourself/yakiniku restaurant in downtown Iwakuni. 

Fourteen of us (regrettably there were to be 16 of us, but Kathy and Brade Goode decided not to come at the last minute.  They called and said they just wanted to stay in, but I do believe that was a bold faced lie.  You see, their daughter Ariele was babysitting the Wagoner children and the youngest Wagoner child was a bit, shall we say, vocal, and Kathy came over to help Ariele get said loud baby to bed. Guilt is coursing through my veins right now.  THANK YOU KATHY!  I don't deserve you!!!!!!!) (Oh, how embarrassing....a double parenthetical reference, but I don't see any other way to say that we missed the Nitzchkes as well!  Hope you feel better Steve!) set off in taxi cabs from the Club at 6:45 for our 7:00 reservation of "Two hours, all you can eat and drink for 3,500 yen for women, 4,000 for the men."

We had four tables and a room all to ourselves. 

The seating was on the floor, but had a cut out for the table so you could put your legs under it.  We also had pillows to sit on.

And here was our plate of food.  ☺

After a bit of discussion we decided to be like a middle school dance and have boys on one side and girls on the other. 

Next to Mick is our new friend, Morgan Nugent, then our old friends, Mike Taylor and Mike Coletta.

Bret Saunders is by himself, the non-smiler is Ken Aikey and the smiler is Doug "KD" Lang.

Chantelle Lang is by herself, Valerie Saunders is with the chopsticks and the long, beautiful locks are Nicci Aikey's.

Me and Megan Coletta on one side, Stacey Taylor across from Megan and Keri Nugent across from me!

And here's how we cook our food. 

It was nice that we had hot rocks in front of us because it was C-O-L-D.  The Japanese buildings are a bit like a swiss cheese slice.  Cold air was whistling in.  We stuffed our coats in the window, but it was still cold!

I was trying to capture the big fluffy snowflakes coming down, but I failed.  You can see the black coats trying to keep the air out!

Before we came in, we deposited our shoes in the shoe holders.  I had gone to the store before we left because my socks I had on had holes in them. 

So, of course I needed to show them off! Valerie's toe socks were my favorites though!

Mick had some pretty snazzy "GO TEXAS!" socks on!

Katy and Dario sent them to him for Christmas!  ☺

The men were a bit grill challenged and had a few mishaps.

Mike kept offering it to the rest of us. 

After we finished our food, the girls gathered....

And the men made funny faces and probably told fart jokes. 

I just realized that this whole ensemble was a Katy/Dario exclusive.  The shirt was a hand-me-down from Dario (very fancy) and the jeans and aforementioned socks were a Christmas present. Thanks K&D!

One last round

Morgan had a Captain Him and Coke

and it was time to settle up.

We had enough "300 yen off" coupons for all of us, so it was 6,900 yen a couple or about $83. 

A short cab ride to the bar where Mick asked the driver to "Turn it up please!" and jammed out to "Creep" by Radiohead.

Mick explained to us that this is one of a few songs that he "MUST JAM OUT TO" when it comes on the radio.  This was my first time in a Japanese cab.  Aren't the lace doily covers funny?

Half of us stopped a few blocks outside of the gate to watch a band, "The Rock and Roll Junkies" at the Galaxy Bar.

Kelly, fellow Marine wife, is the lead singer and Mick, my Marine husband, was the lead dancer!

And then I started to turn into a pumpkin at 10 and Mick and I walked home. 

We were stopped at the train tracks and I fiddled with my camera and got this shot.  I don't know...maybe I learned something after all in photography class!  ☺

And Home Sweet Air Station home. 

Super fun night!  We'll probably not have a meeting in February as most of the dudes are gone, but we will reconvene in March!  

Who's with us?!?!?!!?!?