Sunday, September 27, 2009
Boldly going where no Internet has gone before!
Adventuring in Fukuoka, bravely seeking Mongols where they haven't been for about 800 years, checking into questionable dormitories, and then getting lost while riding a rickety bicycle. These experiences and more can be yours if you decide to do an exchange program in Japan. Also lack of internet prevents frequent or long updates a this point in time, however there is more to come soon, and lots to tell.
Sunday, September 20, 2009
Saijo Part Duex
The thing that is interesting about traveling on your own, is that you end up deciding to do what you want to do. Which happens mostly because there's not somebody else around to tell you when your ideas are bad. This can be a good or bad thing. Who knows what sort of trouble you'll get yourself into.
Apparently in Japan hotels must clean the room everyday. On my first full day in the hotel I decided I really didn't want to go anywhere. It was one of the first opportunities I had to just sit down and rest, so I enjoyed that fully. In the evening when I finally dragged myself out of my room and went for a walk to get some food, they informed me in a manner both friendly and direct that I should let them clean my room the next day. It was a request but didn't seem quite like it at the time. Ah well.
When I actually ventured forth into the city to see where my little feet would take me, I ended up on the train from Saijo to Hiroshima proper. I came out from the station only to be greeting by a large crowd of police officers all blocking the way onto the local buses, which I had been intending to take to purchase a ticket to Fukuoka. I wondered what I had done wrong until I realized there were also accompanied by a special car full of waving people, as well as a marching band. I assume that either I am a lot more popular in Japan than I had previously imagined, or there was some sort of event going on.
Making my way from the station and basking in the glory of my own miniature parade, I was able to purchase my own tickets without too much fanfare (though I wouldn't have been surprised if there was another parade in the making).
Around the bus terminal there were large signs labeled showing the way to the Atomic Dome and Peace Memorial Park. Something I need to do ... but still couldn't quite bring myself to go to yet.
On the bus to Fukuoka I was faced with a long ride on a crowded bus. For most of the way there I listed to my Zune and tried to avoid bumping the elbow of the elderly gentleman sitting next to me. Near the end of the trip he seemed to be having some allergy problems, so I offered him a small packet of Kleenex I happened to have with me. We struck up a conversation, and it turned out that he had been a professor at Hiroshima University before he retired and moved to Fukuoka. Small world! We ended up exchanging contact information and impromptu omiyage. He seemed like a very nice fellow, and encouraged me to contact him if I had any questions about the university.
So now after my bus arrived late I am now in the home of my friend Yukika, who is elsewhere for now waiting to have a job interview tomorrow.
~Jeff
Apparently in Japan hotels must clean the room everyday. On my first full day in the hotel I decided I really didn't want to go anywhere. It was one of the first opportunities I had to just sit down and rest, so I enjoyed that fully. In the evening when I finally dragged myself out of my room and went for a walk to get some food, they informed me in a manner both friendly and direct that I should let them clean my room the next day. It was a request but didn't seem quite like it at the time. Ah well.
When I actually ventured forth into the city to see where my little feet would take me, I ended up on the train from Saijo to Hiroshima proper. I came out from the station only to be greeting by a large crowd of police officers all blocking the way onto the local buses, which I had been intending to take to purchase a ticket to Fukuoka. I wondered what I had done wrong until I realized there were also accompanied by a special car full of waving people, as well as a marching band. I assume that either I am a lot more popular in Japan than I had previously imagined, or there was some sort of event going on.
Making my way from the station and basking in the glory of my own miniature parade, I was able to purchase my own tickets without too much fanfare (though I wouldn't have been surprised if there was another parade in the making).
Around the bus terminal there were large signs labeled showing the way to the Atomic Dome and Peace Memorial Park. Something I need to do ... but still couldn't quite bring myself to go to yet.
On the bus to Fukuoka I was faced with a long ride on a crowded bus. For most of the way there I listed to my Zune and tried to avoid bumping the elbow of the elderly gentleman sitting next to me. Near the end of the trip he seemed to be having some allergy problems, so I offered him a small packet of Kleenex I happened to have with me. We struck up a conversation, and it turned out that he had been a professor at Hiroshima University before he retired and moved to Fukuoka. Small world! We ended up exchanging contact information and impromptu omiyage. He seemed like a very nice fellow, and encouraged me to contact him if I had any questions about the university.
So now after my bus arrived late I am now in the home of my friend Yukika, who is elsewhere for now waiting to have a job interview tomorrow.
~Jeff
Wednesday, September 16, 2009
Maids and Midgets and Mammaries ... oh my
Getting lost is something that comes naturally to me. I wander around, realize I don't know where I am, and then wander around again until I hopefully do know where I am. This has been a pattern that always worked for me in Nevada, but the places that fit the definition of "knowing where I am" here are pretty limited. That being said, when I got lost on the way to Tokyo Tower, it turned out to be a very good thing. I found myself in a place where I didn't know where I was, but it was a place that had SWORDS.
When I saw the store initially my thought was "Oh hey, David wanted me to look for a store like this." My next thought was it was probably a 'sword-like objects' store as opposed to the real thing. This thought was further encouraged when Ryan mentioned that he saw some children playing with sword replicas in the lobby.
As I slowly wandered around the shop, I realized that most of the swords behind the glass cases had hand carved inscriptions and low end price tags sitting around 300000 yen. I spoke to a man at the counter and mentioned how I was trying to find information about having a sword repaired. The inquiry lead to the discovery that this place was almost more of a museum than a sword store, and actually had 3 stories instead of the first one I had seen on entering. The clerk seemed to realize that both Ryan and I had a more than passing interest in what sort of things were in the store, so he then took us on a guided tour of everything in the building.
The first floor was full of katana sets, while the second floor had the more valuable katanas secured away along with intricately carved hand guards, as well as a rack of flint-lock guns from the Edo period. The third floor was full of armor, bows, and more historic artifacts. This included the full original armor set of a daimyo, as well as a screen painting done showing the story of the Heike and Atsumori.
While in Tokyo I also discovered one reason there are so many healthy people here. There's a large building where very official people come and go. It turns out Japan is on a Diet.
There's also an expansive park looking area that was once Edo Castle, but is now more commonly referred to as the Imperial Grounds. One of the most remarkable things about the Imperial Grounds is that all the canals and moats surrounding the area are populated entirely by begging fish. The meter long koi pay attention to when you walk past and then come to the surface make glub glubing sounds and stick their fishy lips above water. "FEEED MEEE... I'M A FIIIIISH."
Today marked a return to Akihabara. This time we actually went into the buildings in search of a game for Ryan, and possible luggage for me.
It was terrifying.
Few things are quite as awkward as stumbling into a bright pink store full of women that are both lascivious and illustrated. One thing that might top that would be trying to find a way out of thestore, taking a small cramped elevator only to find it is covered with even more uncovered women, trying to back into a corner away from a particularly scary woman who apparently adheres to a policy of allowing midgets to balance on her breasts, and bumping into a young couple who seemed completely unfazed by any of it.
Now for the faint of heart I'd like to point out that this was, in fact, a ~normal~ store. They apparently did have video games somewhere. I just didn't stick around to find them. I don't think I'm cut out for browsing in Akihabara.
Ryan mentioned that he would be interested in going to a maid cafe just so he could say he had been in one once, but that he wouldn't feel right about dragging me through that sort of thing. I appreciated the sentiment.
Tomorrow morning I will be parting company with my friend and venturing out on my own. I have a train ticket for Hiroshima where I figured it may be a good idea to relax, study, and acclimate myself to the area that I'll be living in. And hopefully not get lost too much.
~Jeff
When I saw the store initially my thought was "Oh hey, David wanted me to look for a store like this." My next thought was it was probably a 'sword-like objects' store as opposed to the real thing. This thought was further encouraged when Ryan mentioned that he saw some children playing with sword replicas in the lobby.
As I slowly wandered around the shop, I realized that most of the swords behind the glass cases had hand carved inscriptions and low end price tags sitting around 300000 yen. I spoke to a man at the counter and mentioned how I was trying to find information about having a sword repaired. The inquiry lead to the discovery that this place was almost more of a museum than a sword store, and actually had 3 stories instead of the first one I had seen on entering. The clerk seemed to realize that both Ryan and I had a more than passing interest in what sort of things were in the store, so he then took us on a guided tour of everything in the building.
The first floor was full of katana sets, while the second floor had the more valuable katanas secured away along with intricately carved hand guards, as well as a rack of flint-lock guns from the Edo period. The third floor was full of armor, bows, and more historic artifacts. This included the full original armor set of a daimyo, as well as a screen painting done showing the story of the Heike and Atsumori.
While in Tokyo I also discovered one reason there are so many healthy people here. There's a large building where very official people come and go. It turns out Japan is on a Diet.
There's also an expansive park looking area that was once Edo Castle, but is now more commonly referred to as the Imperial Grounds. One of the most remarkable things about the Imperial Grounds is that all the canals and moats surrounding the area are populated entirely by begging fish. The meter long koi pay attention to when you walk past and then come to the surface make glub glubing sounds and stick their fishy lips above water. "FEEED MEEE... I'M A FIIIIISH."
Today marked a return to Akihabara. This time we actually went into the buildings in search of a game for Ryan, and possible luggage for me.
It was terrifying.
Few things are quite as awkward as stumbling into a bright pink store full of women that are both lascivious and illustrated. One thing that might top that would be trying to find a way out of thestore, taking a small cramped elevator only to find it is covered with even more uncovered women, trying to back into a corner away from a particularly scary woman who apparently adheres to a policy of allowing midgets to balance on her breasts, and bumping into a young couple who seemed completely unfazed by any of it.
Now for the faint of heart I'd like to point out that this was, in fact, a ~normal~ store. They apparently did have video games somewhere. I just didn't stick around to find them. I don't think I'm cut out for browsing in Akihabara.
Ryan mentioned that he would be interested in going to a maid cafe just so he could say he had been in one once, but that he wouldn't feel right about dragging me through that sort of thing. I appreciated the sentiment.
Tomorrow morning I will be parting company with my friend and venturing out on my own. I have a train ticket for Hiroshima where I figured it may be a good idea to relax, study, and acclimate myself to the area that I'll be living in. And hopefully not get lost too much.
~Jeff
Sunday, September 13, 2009
Assaulted by Convenience at Every Turn
I wasn't sure what to expect out of Tokyo. My concept of it was a ... big generic city in Japan. I also tend to think of things from their historical perspective, but in this case I was still thinking of Tokyo as a place where people were forced to live as a means of control for the Tokugawa Shogunate.
The shogun basically set his capital up and let everybody know that they would be enjoying a pretty large commute from then on, and that they would be bringing their families with them. People would alternate between staying in their home provinces, and dragging themselves with all their fancy belongings to live in Edo. With all that in mind, it still just made me think of Tokyo as sort of a forced urbanization. To a certain extent that is accurate, but once a city takes hold like in the way that Tokyo has it tends to develop a personality of its own.
The first night that personality involved a small winding stairway, and curry overlooking the city streets. The second night included Akihabara and the Meiji Shrine. It also included hordes of gaijin. Seriously, what are those people doing here? This is Japan.
Akihabara was a busy crowded street with tall buildings. Sanae suggested we go there since it was famous, and I agreed because I'm pretty sure somebody back in Reno told me I needed to go there for some reason. Whether or not that reason was fulfilled I'm not sure, but I did take some pictures of signs that said Akihabara, and we also found an electronic store with a computer cord Ryan needed.
On our way to the Meiji Shrine, Sanae suggested another historical area that we could visit. A massive temple with the kaminari mon at the entrance. There were dozens of smaller shrines surrounding one very large one. This was a Buddhist shrine, and included a pagoda that jutted into the sky dwarfing the other buildings around it. Guardians around the shrine sank into their dark alcoves and spent their time guarding themselves from having their own pictures taken. You could try taking a picture, but the end result always seemed to be two eyes glaring out of the darkness looking more than a bit irritated.
Stretching away from the temple on all sides were traditional shops, selling traditional souvenirs, which traditionally people are required to buy. 
I managed to escape by purchasing a small package of postcards, but I don’t think other people I know would have been so lucky. Directly next to the large booth packed full of hand crafted dolls, there was another booth that had sword experts and all their katana locked securely away in the back of the shop. If nothing else, perhaps I can get some favors taken care of while I’m in Tokyo.
The bridge leading up to the Meiji shrine and surrounding forest was populated entirely by people who really wanted their pictures taken it seemed. Old men dressed in pink school girl uniforms, and groups of younger people dressed up as anime characters. All told they seemed friendly enough, but I decided it was best to not humor them and refrained from flash photography.
When we walked into the forest that exists in the middle of Tokyo, I couldn’t help but think that Central Park would be jealous. I’m really not sure how accurate that statement is though considering I haven’t actually been to Central Park. That being said, as we walked through the large torii it was almost like a switch had been thrown as the city sounds were muted out by the mass of foliage and the crunch of the gravel path as we walked down it.
True to the Meiji spirit, unlike other shrines that are dedicated with casks of rice wine the Meiji shrine was also dedicated using barrels of wine donated by France. As we entered the main shrine, I noticed Sanae, and her friend Riku who had joined us, pausing and taking pictures next to a smaller door by the entrance. Sanae explained that it was very special, because the seal on the door was for the emperor of Japan.
There was a large circular fence with pegs on it where people would hang wishes they write on small wooden planks. Thousands of these 4”x7” planks were hung up with wishes written on them in more languages than I care to imagine. I saw some asking for peace and clarity, some with prayers that their neighbors would overcome an illness, and others simply wanted joy.
That evening we crossed back in front of the statue of Hachiko where we had met earlier, and made our way back to the small store we had previously placed an order at. I now am the proud owner of a hanko, with my last name converted to kanji ready to be stamped on all sorts of documents. Good times will be had.
On this day we parted ways with Hiromi, met and parted ways with Sanae and her friend, and now it is just Ryan and I. Though the offer has been made to stay in Tokyo with him, and also with Sanae’s family, I think the time nearing when I will be heading out to get lost on my own. Wish me luck, I think I may need it.
The shogun basically set his capital up and let everybody know that they would be enjoying a pretty large commute from then on, and that they would be bringing their families with them. People would alternate between staying in their home provinces, and dragging themselves with all their fancy belongings to live in Edo. With all that in mind, it still just made me think of Tokyo as sort of a forced urbanization. To a certain extent that is accurate, but once a city takes hold like in the way that Tokyo has it tends to develop a personality of its own.
The first night that personality involved a small winding stairway, and curry overlooking the city streets. The second night included Akihabara and the Meiji Shrine. It also included hordes of gaijin. Seriously, what are those people doing here? This is Japan.
Akihabara was a busy crowded street with tall buildings. Sanae suggested we go there since it was famous, and I agreed because I'm pretty sure somebody back in Reno told me I needed to go there for some reason. Whether or not that reason was fulfilled I'm not sure, but I did take some pictures of signs that said Akihabara, and we also found an electronic store with a computer cord Ryan needed.
On our way to the Meiji Shrine, Sanae suggested another historical area that we could visit. A massive temple with the kaminari mon at the entrance. There were dozens of smaller shrines surrounding one very large one. This was a Buddhist shrine, and included a pagoda that jutted into the sky dwarfing the other buildings around it. Guardians around the shrine sank into their dark alcoves and spent their time guarding themselves from having their own pictures taken. You could try taking a picture, but the end result always seemed to be two eyes glaring out of the darkness looking more than a bit irritated.
Stretching away from the temple on all sides were traditional shops, selling traditional souvenirs, which traditionally people are required to buy. 
I managed to escape by purchasing a small package of postcards, but I don’t think other people I know would have been so lucky. Directly next to the large booth packed full of hand crafted dolls, there was another booth that had sword experts and all their katana locked securely away in the back of the shop. If nothing else, perhaps I can get some favors taken care of while I’m in Tokyo.The bridge leading up to the Meiji shrine and surrounding forest was populated entirely by people who really wanted their pictures taken it seemed. Old men dressed in pink school girl uniforms, and groups of younger people dressed up as anime characters. All told they seemed friendly enough, but I decided it was best to not humor them and refrained from flash photography.
When we walked into the forest that exists in the middle of Tokyo, I couldn’t help but think that Central Park would be jealous. I’m really not sure how accurate that statement is though considering I haven’t actually been to Central Park. That being said, as we walked through the large torii it was almost like a switch had been thrown as the city sounds were muted out by the mass of foliage and the crunch of the gravel path as we walked down it.
True to the Meiji spirit, unlike other shrines that are dedicated with casks of rice wine the Meiji shrine was also dedicated using barrels of wine donated by France. As we entered the main shrine, I noticed Sanae, and her friend Riku who had joined us, pausing and taking pictures next to a smaller door by the entrance. Sanae explained that it was very special, because the seal on the door was for the emperor of Japan.
There was a large circular fence with pegs on it where people would hang wishes they write on small wooden planks. Thousands of these 4”x7” planks were hung up with wishes written on them in more languages than I care to imagine. I saw some asking for peace and clarity, some with prayers that their neighbors would overcome an illness, and others simply wanted joy.
That evening we crossed back in front of the statue of Hachiko where we had met earlier, and made our way back to the small store we had previously placed an order at. I now am the proud owner of a hanko, with my last name converted to kanji ready to be stamped on all sorts of documents. Good times will be had.
On this day we parted ways with Hiromi, met and parted ways with Sanae and her friend, and now it is just Ryan and I. Though the offer has been made to stay in Tokyo with him, and also with Sanae’s family, I think the time nearing when I will be heading out to get lost on my own. Wish me luck, I think I may need it.
Saturday, September 12, 2009
Where's the beef?
The days when I don’t write seem to be the days when I should probably write the most. This would be either because I’m traipsing around Japan like a loony, or because I’m traipsing around whatever local I’m in … like a loony. Either way, I feel like I should mention something about what is going on so that interested parties (Hello? Anybody there?) might not be concerned.
My final day in Kumamoto was Thursday. It was a wonderful place to stay, but Ryan needed to get to Tokyo for job prospects. Which raised the question of when I would be leaving as well. The question seemed solved when I spoke with Sanae. She found out I was considering going to Tokyo at some point in order to perpetuate antics and hanging out with Ryan (and also because I didn’t want to make myself a bother while staying too long with a friend), and said that while she wasn’t able to meet up in Osaka anymore, she could still meet in Tokyo. Joy!
So … plans were made. Plans of great preparation and perhaps doom. Or great doom and perhaps preparation. In either case it was decided that on the way to Tokyo, we would swing by Kobe and see my friend Yumi. Because as everybody knows, Kobe is right next to Tokyo. And I am excellent at planning that sort of thing.
We arrived in Kobe that evening and had our first dinner with Yumi. It was very awesome seeing her, as I haven’t kept in touch with her nearly enough since she came back to Japan. We found a good tofu place for dinner, which was very gourmet, very expensive and very covered in fish. I suppose you could say it was varied.
After that we decided to have second dinner, which ended up being at a small Italian place that inexplicably had “Reno” written out in cups at the entrance and played Goonies projected on the wall. After 2nd dinner we decided to have 3rd dinner. This is more commonly known as dessert, and concluded a day far more food filled than prior days were. Day two in Kobe we got to eat at an okanomiyaki shop owned by Yumi’s aunt, and then got a ride to something very special by Yumi’s mother.
In Japan there are said to be three views which surpass all others. Three famous locations that are the pinnacle of awe-inspiring. One of them is in Nagasaki, another in Hokkaido and the best one is in Kobe. When Yumi’s mom picked us up and we started to head back to her house where we were staying, she mentioned that since it was night we should go see the view.
What I thought was going to be a small detour to see a pretty view, turned out to be a significant detour to see three cities as a whole including harbors and mountains … all from one high vantage point. I took pictures, and a video which will have to serve for now, but it’s sort of like taking pictures of the Grand Canyon. You really don’t understand it until you’re there. You could see Kobe, Osaka, and Wakayama all in one go. These are not small cities.
The next day I found what will be my mother’s favorite place in Japan when she comes to visit. She doesn’t know it yet, but it is her favorite place in Japan. We took the sky rope way up from Shin Kobe, which deposited us in the mountains in an expansive herb garden. We walked down the mountain through fields of lavender and other herbs, into green houses that created miniature rain forests, and through cottages made up to show herbal drying and refinement to oils.
Some lavender soft-serve ice cream, and we were off to meet up again with Ryan and Sanae in Tokyo.
Which is where I wrote this.
~Jeff
My final day in Kumamoto was Thursday. It was a wonderful place to stay, but Ryan needed to get to Tokyo for job prospects. Which raised the question of when I would be leaving as well. The question seemed solved when I spoke with Sanae. She found out I was considering going to Tokyo at some point in order to perpetuate antics and hanging out with Ryan (and also because I didn’t want to make myself a bother while staying too long with a friend), and said that while she wasn’t able to meet up in Osaka anymore, she could still meet in Tokyo. Joy!
So … plans were made. Plans of great preparation and perhaps doom. Or great doom and perhaps preparation. In either case it was decided that on the way to Tokyo, we would swing by Kobe and see my friend Yumi. Because as everybody knows, Kobe is right next to Tokyo. And I am excellent at planning that sort of thing.
We arrived in Kobe that evening and had our first dinner with Yumi. It was very awesome seeing her, as I haven’t kept in touch with her nearly enough since she came back to Japan. We found a good tofu place for dinner, which was very gourmet, very expensive and very covered in fish. I suppose you could say it was varied.
After that we decided to have second dinner, which ended up being at a small Italian place that inexplicably had “Reno” written out in cups at the entrance and played Goonies projected on the wall. After 2nd dinner we decided to have 3rd dinner. This is more commonly known as dessert, and concluded a day far more food filled than prior days were. Day two in Kobe we got to eat at an okanomiyaki shop owned by Yumi’s aunt, and then got a ride to something very special by Yumi’s mother.
In Japan there are said to be three views which surpass all others. Three famous locations that are the pinnacle of awe-inspiring. One of them is in Nagasaki, another in Hokkaido and the best one is in Kobe. When Yumi’s mom picked us up and we started to head back to her house where we were staying, she mentioned that since it was night we should go see the view.
What I thought was going to be a small detour to see a pretty view, turned out to be a significant detour to see three cities as a whole including harbors and mountains … all from one high vantage point. I took pictures, and a video which will have to serve for now, but it’s sort of like taking pictures of the Grand Canyon. You really don’t understand it until you’re there. You could see Kobe, Osaka, and Wakayama all in one go. These are not small cities.
The next day I found what will be my mother’s favorite place in Japan when she comes to visit. She doesn’t know it yet, but it is her favorite place in Japan. We took the sky rope way up from Shin Kobe, which deposited us in the mountains in an expansive herb garden. We walked down the mountain through fields of lavender and other herbs, into green houses that created miniature rain forests, and through cottages made up to show herbal drying and refinement to oils.
Some lavender soft-serve ice cream, and we were off to meet up again with Ryan and Sanae in Tokyo.
Which is where I wrote this.
~Jeff
Thursday, September 10, 2009
Gold Insider
I am now the proud owner of a Japanese cell phone. I was worried looking at prices when the cheapest phone was around 8,000 yen, and the next cheapest was about 24,000 yen. Then we discovered that I could get a 0 yen phone (it just wasn't labeled) and have only a monthly charge of about $15 a month. Not too shabby. For anybody that is in Japan now, toss me a message and I'll give you my info.
Though I did get to visit a shrine in Hiroshima, the experience was a bit of a surprise and unexpected. The shrine was located near the castle, and we all ended up wandering in without realizing what it was. So ... basically I didn't get the full "shrine" experience. 
Today though we were able to visit a shrine that was pretty breathtaking. Also apparently nobody knows about it other than the people that live in the local area (which is still Kumamoto incidentally).It started appropriately enough when we started walking to the shrine, there was a large open field next to the parking lot, with maybe a dozen or so kids around maybe age 10. When they saw Ryan and I, they dropped what they were doing and ran over shouting "Hello!! Hello!!" a couple said "Konnichiwa!" and we responded back. They seemed amazed that we spoke Japanese, and we got a few comments we shouted back and forth with them as we walked up to the torii.
The shrine itself like I said before was beyond impressive. It may be the first thing I've seen in Japan that felt truly ancient. Deeply worn and weathered stones, carved pillars with kanji so old nobody was able to recognize what they meant, massive trees, and winding stairs leading up into the densely forested hillside.
Nearing the top there were the traditional guard dogs as well as the purification area, as well as the bells we got to ring, and fortunes. Then we came to the most important part of the visit ... the thing that prompted the trip in the first place.
Hiromi took me over to the charms and pointed them out, noting specifically the ones to help with studying (per my request) and the ones to help you not get lost while traveling (which anybody who has ever driven with me could see the value of). After much indecision we ended up purchasing both. Ryan got a small wooden carving of his Chinese zodiac, as well as a charm to win. "Kattaaaa!!!"
The shrine was an experience, but the following stop meant a good deal more to me than I had originally thought it would. Hiromi and Saori asked if we wanted to go to someplace very rural, and very cool (as in temperature-wise). Ryan and I were both very big fans of this idea, so we then made out way out to Shin Shikoku - Hill of the 88 "Stone Buddhas"
We've been out in the countryside of Japan for most of the time we've been in Kumamoto, but this took it to a new level. The whole place felt like Yosemite would if it were covered entirely by dense vegetation. Or perhaps Lake Tahoe if it's vegetation were 3-4 times more dense than it currently is. That ... and if it were dotted with small Buddhist shrines, and also a long flowing series of waterfalls. The hike itself was enough to make me nostalgic for past camping trips and exploring the wilderness with my family, but when we got to the top of one series of waterfalls and I saw the shallow water pooling around rocks I realized there was something very important I had to do.
Later that night, we went with Hiromi down to the family shrine at the graveyard near to her home. We quietly walked up the path into the graveyard after apologizing to the spirits for bothering them, and I watched as Hiromi poured water into glasses and over the large granite stone with the names of her family on it.
Everybody has their own ways of remembering.
~Jeffrey Alan
Tuesday, September 8, 2009
Kabuki! Where men are real men! And so are the women.
So I have to say that today had some of the best moments of my visit so far. The day started with getting to talk to two very awesome people on messenger to whom I haven't been able to talk to much, if at all, so far this trip. Though it was far too brief in both cases. :(
That was followed by official trip to a historic kabuki theater! We got to have a personal tour by a very energetic guide, who took us through the whole place including the backstage and workings of the theater. It wad made during the Meiji era, and was the third kabuki theater to be marked as a historical treasure in Japan. You can still see little burns in the wooden railings from people's pipes they used back in the day. I loved the whole experience. They even let me jump through one of the entrance curtains and pose.
I really can't say enough about how awesome the theater was .... so I won't. Hur.
After that we went to ... Kumamoto Castle. It was the second castle I've been to in Japan, but I have to say it was daunting in its size. I didn't have time to sit and listen to all the people talking, or read over all the signs like I enjoy doing though, so I am already making mental plans to come back some day for a long .... lloooooong leisurely stroll through all the castle buildings and grounds. In spite of the pace though, it was a very cool experience. Ryan and I both were treated to the castle by Hiromi's parents, and also got to spend more time with Saori too. I think Saori is a very fun person, and both Ryan and I really appreciate having somebody who actually laughs at our terrible jokes in Japanese.
The latest addition to our repertoire of inside jokes was developed while we were in Kumamoto castle, and got to look at the inside of a palanquin. I pointed out where the cup holder for the traveler's tea was, and then we all decided it was a very bad idea to have your tea in one of those because of the bumpy ride. Long story short, it lead to a great impression by Ryan of an old samurai complaining about tea disasters, which got even more over the top after we saw an artifact kimono that was despoiled (we're sure) by the ravages of tea and inept shogunate dry cleaners.
The other stop didn't actually include the house of Natsumei Souseki, but instead the house of another famous author Lafcadio Hearn. He compiled some well known horror stories including .. dun dun duuuun Mimi Nashi Hoichi.
In any case ... who knows what adventures tomorrow will hold! Until next time.
~Jeff
That was followed by official trip to a historic kabuki theater! We got to have a personal tour by a very energetic guide, who took us through the whole place including the backstage and workings of the theater. It wad made during the Meiji era, and was the third kabuki theater to be marked as a historical treasure in Japan. You can still see little burns in the wooden railings from people's pipes they used back in the day. I loved the whole experience. They even let me jump through one of the entrance curtains and pose.
I really can't say enough about how awesome the theater was .... so I won't. Hur.After that we went to ... Kumamoto Castle. It was the second castle I've been to in Japan, but I have to say it was daunting in its size. I didn't have time to sit and listen to all the people talking, or read over all the signs like I enjoy doing though, so I am already making mental plans to come back some day for a long .... lloooooong leisurely stroll through all the castle buildings and grounds. In spite of the pace though, it was a very cool experience. Ryan and I both were treated to the castle by Hiromi's parents, and also got to spend more time with Saori too. I think Saori is a very fun person, and both Ryan and I really appreciate having somebody who actually laughs at our terrible jokes in Japanese.
The latest addition to our repertoire of inside jokes was developed while we were in Kumamoto castle, and got to look at the inside of a palanquin. I pointed out where the cup holder for the traveler's tea was, and then we all decided it was a very bad idea to have your tea in one of those because of the bumpy ride. Long story short, it lead to a great impression by Ryan of an old samurai complaining about tea disasters, which got even more over the top after we saw an artifact kimono that was despoiled (we're sure) by the ravages of tea and inept shogunate dry cleaners.
The other stop didn't actually include the house of Natsumei Souseki, but instead the house of another famous author Lafcadio Hearn. He compiled some well known horror stories including .. dun dun duuuun Mimi Nashi Hoichi.
In any case ... who knows what adventures tomorrow will hold! Until next time.
~Jeff
Monday, September 7, 2009
Styx in the Sticks
So when asked about what my activities included in Kumamoto, I like to point out that one of the first things I did was step in well placed present left by a local dog. After I cleaned up with a hose (courtesy of Hiromi's friend Saori), we drove around and laughed at signs such as "Handsman!" which apparently is a store like Home Depot. Other signs included "Dramatic Communications!" and "Jolly Pasta", though I think my favorite is still “Enjoy Entertainment Space”.
Food followed and then the group decided they wanted to go to the onsen. While they did that I came to the conclusion that while I am willing to try things in Japan in an effort to be culturally adaptive, I still have a population cap of “Just Me” for bathing purposes. If you want to see how the onsen went, you may want to check Ryan’s blog.
Then that night we got to sleep in the official haunted room of Hiromi’s parent’s house. Well, not really haunted, but it is the room with the family shrine in it including pictures of past generations. More sleeping on tatami and futons. I love it.
The next day (which also happens to be the day I am writing all of this on) didn’t feature dog droppings, but it did have a slightly more relaxed pace than we have had up to this point. We spent a large part of the afternoon doing karaoke with some of Hiromi’s friends. The company was great, the songs were fun, and the air conditioning was just lovely.
That was followed by Mr. Donuts and fireworks. It is nice coming to a place where they let you set things on fire and they aren’t worried that you’ll burn down the countryside. Tomorrow will apparently include visits to the recently restored Kumamoto Castle, a famous kabuki theatre, and one of the houses of Natsumei Souseki. What crazy happenings will befall our hero next? Stay tuned!
~Jeff
Sunday, September 6, 2009
Days and Daze and Days
Day … um … 3 now? In Japan. Honestly the whole deal is a bit surreal, but at least I’m mostly over my jet lag now. Each day we’ve ended up staying in a different hotel, which also means that we get to move luggage each time as well. Fortunately, we were saved by Charlie! Her and her friend Nori picked us up and she’s letting me keep my big super bags of doom at her place until I move into the dorm. 本当に助かった。 Charlie and Nori … you both rock. Later that day (which was um … Thursday I think, we all got to go hang out with Shin-chan and another one of Charlie’s friends that she introduced us to. We also got to try the official dorm food. Which wasn’t too bad price-wise, I ended up getting dinner for about 500円. Ironically enough this whole trip has had very reasonable for food. The first restaurant I ate at in Japan ended up being about 2300円for 3 people. Apparently they felt bad for not having a lot of vegetarian food, and improvised some very good things … and then didn’t charge us for it. Similar happenings followed in various restaurants, the end result being … it’s kind of nice being vegetarian here.
Stops other than food (I swear we do more than eat here, though it might be hard to tell from the pictures that I’ll be posting) included Hiroshima Castle. Which was very large, castle-like, and had the unbeatable price of being free unless you went in the main tower. It still meant that we got to walk through the courtyards, and also the defensive walls and gates where they had a large warning drum set up that you could beat as well as the slots where archers used to shoot invaders from. For a nominal fee they let you take pot-shots at passing tourists.
Throughout this trip I realize that I really need to get my Japanese in shape (I have my work cut out for me there), and having no sense of direction in a strange land full of delicious food makes me extra extra grateful for my current traveling companions, Ryan and Hiromi. Ryan and I exchange puns, while Hiromi puts up with us and actually has the advantage of being from Japan (ergo, she actually knows what she’s doing while us American water buffalo keep getting ourselves into trouble.)
Highlights to the trip include Ryan’s socks getting turned bright yellow when some of my omiyage broke open in his suitcase (they were highlighters. Hur hur hur), a new variation on the My Neighbor Totoro theme （となりの泥棒）, and just today a trip to the Fukuoka zoo where I got to see my first live tanuki! It was a pretty thrilling experience when we realized the cage wasn’t empty, but there were about 2 square inches of fur there which indicated where the tanuki was hiding and doing its best to ignore all those annoying visitors.
A young couple came up looking at the cage, and when we mentioned it did have a tanuki in it (pointed out the fur) the young gentleman decided since they are sometimes called raccoon dogs, barking at the tanuki would be the best way to get its attention. It didn’t seem to work, but he put enough effort into it I felt that event alone made the entrance fee to the zoo worthwhile.
So far the actual trip consisted of the first night crashing out in a hotel just next to Saijou station where we got dropped off by the train from the airport, to crashing in Higashi-Hiroshima the next night but this time in a different hotel. The next night we got to stay in a place called Hotel Kamo, which was very nice, had Japanese style tatami rooms with futons, delicious breakfast, and we think it might have been hotel. Ahem. For the non-Japanese speaking readers out there, kamo is frequently used as a short form of kamoshiranai, which basically means ‘maybe’. Because of this, Ryan and I spent the day making jokes about Hotel Kamo, which Hiromi dutifully put up with until late in the evening she said ‘hotel jyanai kamo’ and about fell over laughing.
The next day we decided there wasn’t much more to be done in Saijou, and headed to Hiroshima proper. From there we then took a 4 ½ hour bus ride to Fukuoka, where we spent today at, and are now on another bus ride to Kumamoto. Funny how things work out like that. In any case, I’m writing this now on the bus ride, to be posted later upon arrival. Yay for adventures!
~Jeff
Stops other than food (I swear we do more than eat here, though it might be hard to tell from the pictures that I’ll be posting) included Hiroshima Castle. Which was very large, castle-like, and had the unbeatable price of being free unless you went in the main tower. It still meant that we got to walk through the courtyards, and also the defensive walls and gates where they had a large warning drum set up that you could beat as well as the slots where archers used to shoot invaders from. For a nominal fee they let you take pot-shots at passing tourists.
Throughout this trip I realize that I really need to get my Japanese in shape (I have my work cut out for me there), and having no sense of direction in a strange land full of delicious food makes me extra extra grateful for my current traveling companions, Ryan and Hiromi. Ryan and I exchange puns, while Hiromi puts up with us and actually has the advantage of being from Japan (ergo, she actually knows what she’s doing while us American water buffalo keep getting ourselves into trouble.)
Highlights to the trip include Ryan’s socks getting turned bright yellow when some of my omiyage broke open in his suitcase (they were highlighters. Hur hur hur), a new variation on the My Neighbor Totoro theme （となりの泥棒）, and just today a trip to the Fukuoka zoo where I got to see my first live tanuki! It was a pretty thrilling experience when we realized the cage wasn’t empty, but there were about 2 square inches of fur there which indicated where the tanuki was hiding and doing its best to ignore all those annoying visitors.
A young couple came up looking at the cage, and when we mentioned it did have a tanuki in it (pointed out the fur) the young gentleman decided since they are sometimes called raccoon dogs, barking at the tanuki would be the best way to get its attention. It didn’t seem to work, but he put enough effort into it I felt that event alone made the entrance fee to the zoo worthwhile.So far the actual trip consisted of the first night crashing out in a hotel just next to Saijou station where we got dropped off by the train from the airport, to crashing in Higashi-Hiroshima the next night but this time in a different hotel. The next night we got to stay in a place called Hotel Kamo, which was very nice, had Japanese style tatami rooms with futons, delicious breakfast, and we think it might have been hotel. Ahem. For the non-Japanese speaking readers out there, kamo is frequently used as a short form of kamoshiranai, which basically means ‘maybe’. Because of this, Ryan and I spent the day making jokes about Hotel Kamo, which Hiromi dutifully put up with until late in the evening she said ‘hotel jyanai kamo’ and about fell over laughing.
The next day we decided there wasn’t much more to be done in Saijou, and headed to Hiroshima proper. From there we then took a 4 ½ hour bus ride to Fukuoka, where we spent today at, and are now on another bus ride to Kumamoto. Funny how things work out like that. In any case, I’m writing this now on the bus ride, to be posted later upon arrival. Yay for adventures!
~Jeff
Friday, September 4, 2009
Saisho in Saijou
So now I’m officially well into my first day in Japan. It’s kind of an odd experience having no clue what I am doing. I’m used to having a good handle on what I am doing, where I am, and what needs to be done in order to get things taken care of. So this is pretty much the exact opposite for me. It helps knowing the language, though sometimes I’m not quite sure where I sit with that. It’s forcing me to use a lot of vocabulary terms and situationally it’s a lot different from what I’ve had up to this point. Good way to practice!
~Jeff
(side note, this is posted on my second day, but was written on my first! Busy busy crazy crazy)
~Jeff
(side note, this is posted on my second day, but was written on my first! Busy busy crazy crazy)
Taihen in Taipei
Walking through the doors of the Taipei airport wasn't quite the system shock that I had when I first stepped outside of the boat into a bright and sunny Panama summer, but it's the closest I've had since then.
I come from the lovely state of Nevada where the temperatures frequently pass 100* F during the summer, but the difference is a bit more that one might think. Obviously, there is the humidity. That can go without saying, but the lack of wind (something which Nevada has plenty of) was something I wasn't expecting to miss. Also the lack of air-conditioning.
The idea behind this whole Taipei layover business, is that I know some wonderful people in Taiwan. If I can get a chance to spend some time with these lovely and charming individuals, and see a new place then I will take that opportunity and run with it. And that is exactly what I did.
Actually leaving the airport was much easier than expected. I had been afraid of hang ups with immigration, since I was only supposed to be in Taipei for the duration of my connecting flight.
In the end though, leaving to visit wasn’t an issue and we got to board a bus which dropped us into the Taipei Main Station where we had no idea what to do. There was a very friendly old lady, who seemed to be very excited that we were waiguoren, and eventually we figured out how to make calls on the payphones, and get a hold of Emily.
What followed was a lot of wandering around NTNU, delicious drinks, mango ice, and chatting with Emily. Then we headed back to the airport, where I got some really fun omiyage (some stamp books with red pandas and old art from Romance of the Three Kingdoms) … and then promptly forgot in the airport when I boarded to go to Japan.
Alas! Until next time …
~Jeff
I come from the lovely state of Nevada where the temperatures frequently pass 100* F during the summer, but the difference is a bit more that one might think. Obviously, there is the humidity. That can go without saying, but the lack of wind (something which Nevada has plenty of) was something I wasn't expecting to miss. Also the lack of air-conditioning.
The idea behind this whole Taipei layover business, is that I know some wonderful people in Taiwan. If I can get a chance to spend some time with these lovely and charming individuals, and see a new place then I will take that opportunity and run with it. And that is exactly what I did.
Actually leaving the airport was much easier than expected. I had been afraid of hang ups with immigration, since I was only supposed to be in Taipei for the duration of my connecting flight.
In the end though, leaving to visit wasn’t an issue and we got to board a bus which dropped us into the Taipei Main Station where we had no idea what to do. There was a very friendly old lady, who seemed to be very excited that we were waiguoren, and eventually we figured out how to make calls on the payphones, and get a hold of Emily.
What followed was a lot of wandering around NTNU, delicious drinks, mango ice, and chatting with Emily. Then we headed back to the airport, where I got some really fun omiyage (some stamp books with red pandas and old art from Romance of the Three Kingdoms) … and then promptly forgot in the airport when I boarded to go to Japan.
Alas! Until next time …
~Jeff
Tuesday, September 1, 2009
Bye-Bye via Wi-fi
So I'm sitting in the San Francisco airport now, and the whole thing seems a bit on the ... surreal side.
Apparently SFO doesn't have connected terminals, so we had to leave one, and go through security again in order to check in on the new flight. Also the carry-on baggage which was ok before was too heavy, and I needed to check it. Which on one hand isn't so fun, because I had to pay for it ... but now on a much nicer hand I don't have to carry the darn thing around anymore. I think my reaction surprised the ticket agent a bit (who was very nice incidentally). "You mean I don't have to carry this around anymore...? ... geeeeee... daaaarn!"
So far this trip has been going smoothly enough, all things considered. I flew on United to San Francisco, which I've heard many people say they really don't care for it as far as airlines go (I'm being diplomatic with this statement). Everybody we dealt with though was very rad, and I ended up chatting with the ticket checker for a long time before we got onto the plane. She's lived all over the world, but just recently went back to college and graduated at the age of 52, and now she's about to go for an extended stay in Saigon before she starts her masters program. Very cool and interesting lady to speak with, and I wish her the best in everything she does. It's a comfort to know there are people out there who still go after dreams like that. It reminds me of another person close to me who decided to pick up the cello recently after years of wanting to do it but not quite getting around to it. I'd like to be that way.
~Jeff
Apparently SFO doesn't have connected terminals, so we had to leave one, and go through security again in order to check in on the new flight. Also the carry-on baggage which was ok before was too heavy, and I needed to check it. Which on one hand isn't so fun, because I had to pay for it ... but now on a much nicer hand I don't have to carry the darn thing around anymore. I think my reaction surprised the ticket agent a bit (who was very nice incidentally). "You mean I don't have to carry this around anymore...? ... geeeeee... daaaarn!"
So far this trip has been going smoothly enough, all things considered. I flew on United to San Francisco, which I've heard many people say they really don't care for it as far as airlines go (I'm being diplomatic with this statement). Everybody we dealt with though was very rad, and I ended up chatting with the ticket checker for a long time before we got onto the plane. She's lived all over the world, but just recently went back to college and graduated at the age of 52, and now she's about to go for an extended stay in Saigon before she starts her masters program. Very cool and interesting lady to speak with, and I wish her the best in everything she does. It's a comfort to know there are people out there who still go after dreams like that. It reminds me of another person close to me who decided to pick up the cello recently after years of wanting to do it but not quite getting around to it. I'd like to be that way.
~Jeff
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