My boss's boss's boss's boss is awesome

I had been talking with the superintendent of the Kosaka Board of Education recently, and he was appalled to learn that I only knew of a couple hot springs around this immediate area, so he insisted that we go to check out his favorite one sometime soon. He's in charge of all of the public schools around this area (at least 5) so he's pretty far up the food chain, but we're good buddies.
When I first started working here, before classes had begun, I was reporting to the BoE everyday, where his office is. There is of course no school lunch there; most people bring their own or order from a nearby shop. Big boss guy introduced me to a handy service done by God knows who where they deliver a sort of boxed lunch to the office everyday for you, and you just settle your bill with them once a week. They're affordable, and apparently healthy enough to keep me slim and trim for years, he said, patting his round belly for emphasis. We had a good laugh over that, but in fact they really are quite nummy, and...I don't know...that had that certain feel of being good for you that I just can't describe. I miss my boxed lunches...

Anywho, we met up after work and he started driving toward Odate, where this place supposedly was. He asked along the way if I had eaten yet. I of course had not, having come directly from work, and he of course had a remedy for that problem. We went to this terrific noodle shop on the other side of Odate, which was really unlike any other I had been to. First off, the place looked like an old samurai house: built all of unfinished logs and with low tables on tatami mats. The feature that really set this place apart, though, was the fact that you cook your own food here, sort of. Yes, you read that correctly. It's a restaurant, but you cook your own food. WTF, right? Well, actually not; it works really well. The tables all have small gas stoves on them, and the...chefs? well, proprietors, anyway...prepare all of the ingredients and bring them out to you. They spark up the stove and add the broth to a large iron cook pot on it; you throw in the ingredients as you like and eat at your leisure. Superintendent guy knew the place (and the owners, I think) so he ordered for us - some sort of shellfish udon with a couple of big-ass scallops as the centerpiece. If you're not familiar with scallops in their natural form, they look like a big, heavy clam larger than the average human hand.
...Ack! Just as I was trying to write this, my breakfast attacked me. I tried to open a container of yogurt, but it was somehow pressurized, I think...it just spat all over my desk and face. Anyway, now that I'm all cleaned up...
The scallops needed to cook for a while, but the vegis, little clams, and noodles (a wide, flat udon-esque type I had never tried before) were ready after a few minutes so we dished up bowls and dug in. The restaurant-person stopped by with tools he used to crack open the scallops so the meaty inside could properly stew. If ever you have the chance to try one in this fashion, don't be put off by a scallop's appearance. Fresh out of the shell they look absolutely revolting, but they are freaking delicious.

So anyway, we chatted about this and that for a while and then got back in the car to head in the direction of Kosaka again. On the way out he told me that this place was his secret weapon to impress women when he was younger, because it has a classy, traditional air to it but is surprisingly affordable. So noted, sir, so noted...
I discovered that there's a hot spring right on the edge of Odate going toward Kosaka that I had been passing by several times a week and never noticed. It's a natural hot spring so the water is hot as hell, but soaking in those waters for a while was pretty much enough to make me forget everything that had annoyed me for the last month or so. Turns out the place isn't just that, though, but also a ryokan - a traditional style Japanese inn. It looked like a fine establishment so out of curiosity I inquired as to the price per night. Final answer? Surprisingly cheap, and dinner+breakfast are included. w00t. Plans for the future, methinks.
On the way back to Kosaka we talked for a while about religion in Japan and how the majority of families identify with a particular sect of Buddhism but individually it isn't a matter most people put a lot of thought into. He asked me if a similar concept of "membership without belief/action" seemed to exist in America, and I had to suppress a chuckle. Why yes, sir, perhaps you've heard of our president...

At one point I tried to contribute to the tab for the evening; somehow I had forgotten that I was dealing with an older Japanese male and that this would be pointless. He picked up the bill for everything, not giving me a chance to so much as gesture in the general direction of my wallet after that. He even gave me some free admission coupons he had for the hot spring we went to. Based on the number of colleagues he seemed to run into that evening, I'd guess he's a regular at both places.
All in all, I give the evening a ★★★★ stamp of approval.

To wrap this up, I have another nickname for everyone's amusement. While I had mentioned KJH's vice principal before, the principal had never really come into the picture. I don't have much interaction with him, as he seems to be more in charge of matters external to the students (some sort of administration, I imagine), so I just don't know him too well. We talked recently, though, and holy shit does that man have enormous canines. I could see them gleaming in the light, their fine points nearly a centimeter below the rest of his teeth. And then he smiled...sir, what is that dark reddish stain on your lower lip?
He shall henceforth be known as Dracula.