Sunday evening I tasted Kobe beef for the first time! Unfortunately, it may also be the last time due to the price, but it was so delicious! It really did melt in my mouth! I went to a restaurant in Hotel Okura, the same hotel at which I stayed during my orientation during the first few days of this study abroad trip, with four other foreign exchange students from my program, and we all thoroughly enjoyed the meal. We were also served grilled vegetables, soup, and rice, with apple sorbet for dessert. The meat was accompanied by a creamy miso sauce and a salty soy-type sauce. There was also spicy mustard and salt for the meat. My only criticism of the meal was that the food and sauces were slightly salty for my taste. But Japanese cuisine uses a lot of salt, and I think it's believed to be good for the body by people living here in Japan. At this restaurant the meat was grilled in front of our eyes, so we could see the server cook it. She was very friendly and quite complimentary of our Japanese language speaking ability. When I returned home from the hotel on Sunday evening, I was informed by my host family that I am no longer allowed to climb up Mount Maya to do pull-ups by myself. They said it's simply not safe because there are not a lot of people on the mountain, so if I were to encounter someone, I could easily be assaulted. They are trying to prevent anything bad from happening to me, and I understand where they are coming from and appreciate their protection, so I'm not too disappointed. Besides, I have other foreign exchange student friends who want to do pull-ups with me, so I won't have trouble finding people to accompany me. In fact, I will be going up to the mountain shortly to exercise, so I must be off!