The weather outside is frightful. Its cold as balls outside right now, and frankly, I want nothing more than to snug up under my blankets on the couch and have a Girls marathon. Unfortch, my love life doesn’t just grind to halt because the weather blows. The trouble is that my favorite kind of dates are adventures (most of them involve the outdoors), and when you are constrained by the climate sometimes you have to get a little creative. To remedy this, I have decided to come up with a few indoor winter dates to try out on my guy. Feel free to follow along!
1. Use a low coffee table, or eat off the floor. If you really want a Japanese inspired date, you can’t just eat at your bar or dining table. Even if you just create a food pit on the floor and surround it with cushions, it automatically puts you into a different space mentally and makes him think you are really creative, when in reality you just moved some pillows around.
2. Make a centerpiece. A centerpiece shows that you put a little effort into the dinner, but it doesn’t have to be anything extravagant. A Japanese fighting fish (Betta) is a good example for two reasons: they are super hard to kill, and if your relationship actually works out then the fish can become a symbol of how long you have been together and your defacto “child”. If your relationship doesn’t work out, at least you still have to fish to talk to when you are curled up in your bed alone.
3. Libations. I do think its a good idea to have hot tea, because it brings its own authentic vibe. I also suggest spiking the tea with Japanese Whiskey, though. I never knew much about Japanese Whiskey until this year, but it has quickly become one of my favorites. Hibiki whiskey, by Suntory is a single malt aged in casks of Mizunara, a very rare Japanese oak. If your guy is a whiskey drinker, he will probably appreciate the backstory too.
4. Ambiance. You should definitely put a few candles around the room and grab some cheap Japanese lanterns from your friendly local Asian store. Or, if you aren’t located near such things, you can try Amazon.
5. Food. Obviously, you need to feed your man. The good news about Japanese food is that its super easy to just grab some sushi, even from a grocery store. If you are a true Bree Van De Camp type, you can feel free to make the sushi by hand. I would probably accidentally kill my guy with blowfish venom, so I prefer to order in.
Extra Credit: If you really want to go the distance, dress up in a traditional Japanese Kimono (and nothing else) and give your guy a massage with some Shunga Sakura Erotic Massage Oil, and pretend to be that chick from Memoirs of a Geisha.