My Day on Monster Mountain

This week we'll be touching on some spookily-thematic material because, all things considered, Halloween is the wackiest, the tackiest holiday of them all!   Today, we offer you a monster story...

Once upon a time, high atop a hill in Kitakyushu, Japan, lived a monster.   The monster was so fierce that the townspeople lived in constant fear of the earthquakes and tsunamis caused by his fury. 

It was all a bit like "Night on Bald Mountain" from Fantasia.

Dominating Takatoyama (the mountain), the monster prevented direct access to the seaports that supported the local economy.

Honestly, if you were a monster, you'd probably want to keep this view for yourself too.

This four-eyed, two-headed, earthbound, chartreuse people eater terrorized the land for many years until one brave enough, namely the Buddha himself, was able to capture the monster inside a statue, sealing him in with a large nail in the back.

Today, a shrine stands at the top of the Takatoyama recognizing the great courage needed to battle the beast.

Visitors light incense and leave offerings in gratitude of the monster's internment.
We took a moment to inspect the nail just to make sure that it was still quite secure.

The giant mosaic makes the monster look slightly less than threatening,
but, ever the rabble-rouser, Mary tempted fate by acting like she was getting eaten. 

With the monster secured inside the statue, school children are once again free to roam the mountain and practice their best English "Hellos" with weird American tourists.   Is there a better way to live "Happily ever after?"
I think not.

THE END

Or is it???

Not quite.  Apparently Nami and Mary had developed some sort of crazy, monster appetite after visiting Takato "Monster Mountain" Yama so we headed to the local parfait shop.

At Classic Non 1982, the options were varied and enticing.
Mary decided on the chocolate-peanut butter parfait.

The desserts of Japan, usually inspired by the French tradition, were always beautiful and never especially expensive (desserts made with similar care and ingredients in Southern California would cost at least twice as much as their Japanese counterparts).

Nami (just one day before her wedding it should be noted), managed to put away Classic Non's signature parfait.
 Bigger than her head, it contained, cereal, cookie, meringue, brownie, cake, pudding, mousse,whipped cream, ice cream, sorbet, custard, and a small farm stand's worth of chopped fruit.
I was beginning to think that this dessert was the real "Monster Mountain."

Nami did such a good job that the resident pastry chef gave her the thumbs up!

I know many of the celebrations were happening this past weekend, but the big day is still a few days away and that's why we wish you a very wacky tacky and Happy Halloween!!!

Cheers!

Mr. Tiny