Time Stood Still in Aizu
When we arrived in Aizu, it was raining and we were cold, wet and hungry. The property we were staying in was 20 mins walk away from the train station and there was no shelter for the journey. So far, the story has all the hallmarks of a sob story. However, we decided to grab lunch at a local restaurant that looked distinctively local. I was not holding out for much.
The food displays, "Sampuru", even had dust on it and looked like it belonged to another time. We slide the front aside and we were indeed greeted by scenes from a bygone era. A lady who looked like she was in her late eighties, early nineties masked her shock at seeing two foreigners in her restaurant and quickly seated us. It looked like time stopped moving in this place and it is still the early 70's.
I watched her cook through the window between the dinning area and the kitchen. This diminutive lady who is even shorter than me moved slowly but surely around an island in the kitchen. Quietly and quickly, she prepared a ramen for me and a curry for Chris. The food was basic but the entire experience knocked our socks off.
