Japan Happy Fun Time

It was been brought to my attention that I need to conclude my travel blog. I am back in America and handling the adjustment as best as I can. I had a couple of moments of failing with total embarrassment but now that I've been back for a month I am feeling a lot more comfortable with it all. Before I go into all the hilarious stories of being jet lagged on a bus in Chicago I'll update everyone on my plans for this year. After visiting my friends and family for the first couple of weeks back I've decided to stay in Urbana and do some part time work for a year and chill out here. I am also going to apply to the library science program at the University for the upcoming school year. So that is my tentative plan for now, and I feel really good about it because I didn't want to come back and teach in Chicago again and have the same stress and problems as before. This past year in Japan has taught me, or rather it has reminded me, that life can be fun and that I can be really happy. So I've decided to make decisions and choices that make me happy.

So before I end this travel blog, and who knows, maybe I'll add entries every once and a while whenever I travel, I'll update you all on my past month back in America. I came back on a Wednesday and my best friend Yamali picked me up from the airport and we immediately stopped at a taquiera where I had a deep friend quesadilla and a torta. Yamali had a class that night so I sat at her house and ate as much Mexican food as possible. The following morning I dropped her off at the airport because she was flying to NYC for the weekend. I was, however, incredibly jet lagged and had trouble differentiating between my turn signal and windshield wipers switches. Also, driving on the right side of the road was very sureal. I still find myself consciously checking to make sure I am on the right side of the road. After dropping her off I made my friend Nick go to breakfast with me and it was glorious. I had some potato-egg skillet thing and it made me ever so happy! But then I forgot about tipping! I almost walked out of the restaurant without leaving a tip! I felt ridiculous and really bad! I tried to take a nap in the afternoon but just ended up laying on the couch like a zombie. I was scheduled to meet my friends at one of my favorite bars on the north-side (The Hopleaf) so I decided to drive to my brothers house and then catch the bus. This is where my day gets extra comical. I needed to fill my (giant!) car with gasoline before going over to Toshi's house so I stopped at a station to fill up. After my year of full service in Japan I was feeling rather annoyed with having to fill up my tank by myself again! The debit card machine on the pump wasn't working so I had to go inside and ask the attendant to turn my pump on, which was very strange speaking in English again! So she put $20 into the pump and I went out to fill my car. I stood there for a minute waiting for the pump to indicate that it was ready to pump out gasoline and nothing happened. So then I started pushing buttons. Still nothing. So I walked back into the station and told the attendant that it wasn't working. So then she asked me/informed me that I need to pick up the nozzle, which of course is common sense for anyone who isn't me!

After successfully filling up my tank like a moron I made it to Toshi's house and parked. As I waited for the bus I thought about the possibility that my automatic bus/subway card might have expired while I was away but then pushed them out of my mind as the bus pulled up. My card, however, had expired and I had to quickly find $2.25 in order to stay on the bus. Well, I had $2, luckily, but I didn't have the 25 cents...so I looked at the bus driver (after already inserting my $2) and timidly asked "ummm...how much is the bus?" he laughed at me and kindly let me on board. So that was, let's count them, the fourth fail of the day. When I got to The Hopleaf my friends had a table but we needed to order from the bar. So I took my friends credit card to the bar in order to open a tab. I ordered my beer and the bartender poured it then asked for my ID, but silly me, I thought he needed an ID for the credit card so I screamed across the bar "Tina, this guy needs your credit card" and received a funny look from the bar tender in return. So then I asked "oh, do you mean my ID?" and obviously he meant my ID but I just hadn't been carded in a year and didn't understand why he needed my ID! That was my fifth fail of the day.

Since then I have been busy visiting friends in family. I spent a couple of weeks in Chicago and a week in Ohio. In a week I'll go to Iowa to visit a friend and later this winter I'm heading to Austin. I've also been eating everything, which my stomach has not been happy with. I think it got very used to Japanese foods and portions so it's been rejecting the rich and spicy foods I've been eating here. Oh well!

I can't begin to explain how, and pardon the phrase, blessed I feel to have been able to live in Japan for the past year. It was a fantastic, phenomenal, and life changing year. I really loved being able to see my Japanese family so often and really appreciated having them as a strong support while I was there. Plus I made some amazing friends who I get to now visit all over the world. I learned a lot about myself and my capabilities. I feel a lot stronger and more self assured about what I want out of life. I've come to realize that I love, love, love traveling and that it's my number one priority in life. I know that I want to spend more time traveling throughout south east Asia. I'm really interested in the idea of working in Thailand or Cambodia for a while, either as a English teacher or as an foreign aide worker. However, this year my number one priority is spending time with my friends and family and helping my dear friend Yamali plan her wedding. So I hope to attend a library science program next year, but if that doesn't work out I'll try to find a teaching job either in America or somewhere else exciting and exotic!

Here are some fun pictures that I've taken since being back:

Delicious food:

I made four pies:

My friends had an America party and we dressed up like Americans:

My best friend Kiki:

So I hope you all have enjoyed my travel blog from Japan. Like I said, if I travel again I'll probably write about it on here!

Last week I returned from a weeklong holiday in Cambodia! I still can’t believe that I went. It was such a fantastic trip; the temples were spectacular, the people were so kind, the food was delicious, and the countryside was breathtaking. I originally had trouble deciding if I should take this trip or not. I knew that I would likely be returning to the US without a job and was worried about my finances, so I couldn’t decide if the experiences outweighed the costs. Ultimately, and after much discussion with my friends, I decided that it would be an opportunity that I would regret not taking if I didn’t go. So after shopping around for flights and hotels, and convincing my crazy South African friend Adriaan to accompany me, I set off for Siem Reap, Cambodia on July 28th.

Oh, maybe I should add that I moved out of Kibichuo on July 23rd and have relocated to my grandfather’s house in Osaka until I return home on August 25th.

I left Osaka on July 28th and caught a 5 hour flight from Osaka to Bangkok, Thailand. I had debated going to Thailand as well but I needed to be back in Osaka by August 7th for a music festival and I wanted to have at least a week in Siem Reap to explore every temple! After a grueling 3 hour layover in Bangkok I caught a short flight to Siem Reap. Cambodia’s capital city is Phnom Penh and a lot of tourists go there as well, but I didn’t want to see another big city, I just wanted to see old temples and countryside, so I stayed in Siem Reap for the whole week. At the airport I was picked up by the hotel’s shuttle service and caught my first glimpse of the town. Honestly, I was a little shocked; I guess through all my planning (and I neurotically planned this trip) I forgot that Cambodia is a third world country. So everything was different from what I have been used to. It didn’t really hit me until I went out the following day just how different Cambodia is than Japan. But, I will write more about that later. As I was saying, I was picked up by the hotel shuttle service and arrived at my fabulous hotel. Hotels in Siem Reap are so cheap. Of course there are really high end expensive ones that cost a fortune, but in general a smart traveler can spend very little on accommodation. We stayed in the Tara Angkor hotel which is a four star hotel on the road to Angkor Wat. It was literally one of the nicest hotels I’ve ever stayed at while traveling. Even though it was a four star hotel we were able to book a room for 8 days for about $250! It was unbelievable. So Adriaan and I split the cost and it ended up costing $125 each. Amazing! It had a spa, pool, restaurant, bar, and computer center for use. So after spending a long day traipsing, and sweating, through temples the pool was a welcomed relief. I arrived around 9pm so that night I just stayed in and chilled out at the hotel. Oh, also, I spent two days there alone before Adriaan could come meet me because he had to work.

The Tara Angkor Hotel:

July 29, my first full day in Siem Reap! I hired a tuk-tuk for the entire day. I mostly traveled by tuk-tuk which was so, so, so fun! Tuk-tuks are taxis, but they are small carriages pulled by a motorbike. They are so cheap, for an entire day I got a driver for $15, but on days where we just hired a driver for an afternoon or for a one-way trip you can argue the price down to $8 for the afternoon or $2 for a one-way trip. At first I was shy to argue prices but I got pretty good at it by the end of the week. That day I went to Angkor Wat and Angkor Thom. I spent about 3 hours exploring Angkor Wat by myself, which was really interesting and a little surreal. It seemed like most of the tourists just stuck to the main paths so when I ventured off to see some of the smaller structures in the complex I was virtually alone. What I found most amazing was that we were allowed to climb on, and touch, almost everything at the temple! I really think that in a couple of years tourists won’t be able to climb on Angkor Wat anymore. Anyway, Angkor Wat is the most spectacular temple in Cambodia. It’s in the best condition and is considered to be one of the major wonders of the world. It was built in the 12th century by King Suryaverman. It has three levels that represent hell, earth, and heaven. Each of the tiers represents a different Hindu God. The temple was originally Hindu but was converted into a Bhuddist temple, so most of the wall carvings depict Hindu scripture but the main Hindu statues were moved out of the main complex into the surrounding halls. There were a lot of Buddha statues but all without heads. During the Khmer Rouge reign in Cambodia a lot of temples were ransacked and people cut off statues heads and sold them on the black market. Many heads have been returned, some were replaced in the temples and some are on display at the national museum in Phnom Penh.

Here are some pictures of the Angkor Wat:

Inside Angkor Wat:

Wall carvings inside Angkor Wat:

Later that afternoon I went to Angkor Thom. Angkor Thom is a walled city where, I believe, the king lived. There are several different temples in Angkor Thom. The first one, and my favorite, was The Bayon. The Bayon was built in the late 12th century by King Jayavarman VII. I have no idea what it was used for, but it was incredibly interesting. There were a lot of different paths throughout the temple, which made it seem really mystical. I really enjoyed taking pictures of the winding paths throughout The Bayon. Again, I could climb up to the top of the temple. Instead of giant tiers like Angkor Wat, The Bayon had tiers with faces carved into them. They were really intricate, a little creepy, and incredibly surreal.

The Bayon:

Inside The Bayon:

Upstairs in The Bayon:

After leaving The Bayon I walked to Baphuon temple. Baphuon temple was mostly under reconstruction so I could only walk up to the top and read about the history and reconstruction efforts. The reconstruction was put on hold during the Khmer Rouge period and has only recently started up again. When it’s all finished it’s going to be really beautiful:

Terrace of elephants in Angkor Thom:

After leaving Angkor Thom around 4:00 pm I was exhausted, covered in sweat, and ready to relax and the pool. So that evening I went swimming then went into town for a drink and some dinner.

July 30, I hired the same tuk-tuk driver for the day and we went outside of the city to the town of Rolous to see a series of temples. So that morning I got my first views of the Cambodia countryside as I cruised through on my tuk-tuk. The strangest thing I saw that day were motorcyclists with pigs attached to their motorcycles. The pigs were on their backs, literally tied onto the seats of the motorcycles behind the driver. I had assumed that the pigs were dead but apparently they just lay there, tied down, and are brought into town to sell. I saw one motorcyclists with three large pigs tied down! Regretfully, I don’t have a picture of the pigcycles. The first temple of the Rolous group that I went to that day was Lolei temple. It was really small and had a ton of scaffolding holding it up. I hadn’t planned on staying for very long but as I was taking some photographs a monk came up to me and we started chatting. He told me about his life as a monk; monks teach classes in the morning and late afternoon/early evening, they only eat two meals a day, in the morning they have to go to town and the depend upon the townspeople to provide their food for the day, in the afternoon and evening they pray and study. He told me that he has been a monk for six years but only plans on being one for ten years total. After his final year as a monk he planned on returning to his village and opening a school for the local children. He showed me his school where he teaches English to the local children. It was under their stilted living quarters and consisted of some desks and a white board. We talked about lessons and he asked me about the education systems in Japan and the United States. It reminded me how truly fortunate some people are in the world but also it made me frustrated that so many students in the world take their education for granted. Anyway, we talked for a while before I had to leave. Looking back, I think that chance meeting was one of the most rewarding experiences I’ll take with me from this trip.

The second temple in the Rolous group was Preah Ko temple. It was pretty large and had a number of different terraces with elephant statues. There was an active Buddhist monastery on the temple grounds so a lot of monks were walking around here as well. However, there were a lot of children walking around asking for money. It was a little heartbreaking. I was conflicted over giving them a dollar or not, because giving them a dollar might help for the time being but it would teach them to become dependent upon begging. So it was always tough. Outside of the temple there were a lot of different workshops that taught children a skilled craft like pottery, stone carving, or puppet carving. I bought two leather shadow puppets at one of the shops and met the two boys who made them. They were $2/$3 each and the profits went to those boys and their families.

The third temple at the Rolous group was Bakong temple. It was the largest, but sadly my camera battery started to die while I was there.

That afternoon I went into Siem Reap, had lunch, and went shopping in the markets all afternoon. I like shopping in old markets because its fun to haggle prices. I bought so many silk scarves, tablecloths, and pillowcases that afternoon! It was great fun. It started to rain so I popped into a massage parlor and had a welcomed foot and leg massage. I think that I am addicted to traveling in Asia and getting foot massages!

Lunch, Anok Fish:

July 31, Adriaan arrived from Japan! I met him at 9am at the hotel and laid around and that pool that morning before heading out to lunch and temples. We went to Angkor Thom and he really enjoyed the giant heads of The Bayon. After a couple of hours at Angkor Thom we went to Ta Prohm temple. Ta Prohm is famous because some scenes from the Tomb Raider movie were shot there. I wanted to go there because it’s been taken over by giant trees. A lot of trees grew through, or on top of, the walls. It was really amazing.

Ta Prohm:

That night Adriaan crashed (he had an overnight flight and hadn’t really slept) and I went to a free cello concert at the children’s hospital. Every Saturday night in Siem Reap Dr. Beat Reichner gives a free cello performance and speaks about the hospital. Dr. Reichner worked in Phnom Penh in 1976 but left during the wars. He returned in the early 90s and worked on building a children’s hopstial in Phnom Penh. Many people in the northern region of the country had trouble reaching the capital so they relocated, and have since expanded, in Siem Reap. The hospital is free and never turns away a patient. We watched a film about how people are processed and treated and it was incredibly efficient and effective. They operate on 90% private donations and 10% governmental support. Dr. Reichner asked for the younger audience member to donate blood, and the older ones to donate money. I think that if you ever get to Siem Reap you should donate blood at the hospital, but also, if you travel to a third world country and find a clean, safe, hospital then you should donate blood.

August 1, Adriaan started out early and went on a riverboat tour. We made our way from the hotel to lake Tonle Sap Lake and were on the lake by 10am. First we went through the Chong Khneas floating villages. This one was made of Vietnamese and Cambodian people. It was interesting to see a functioning community on the river. A lot of people walked through the river to other boats, and I saw many people washing their hair and clothes in the river. We were out on the lake for about an hour before reaching the flooded village of Kompong Phluk. Apparently the village won’t be flooded for a couple of months, so when we went it was dry, but it was interesting to see all of the stilts. We walked through the village, talked to some townspeople, and bought some street food. After leaving the village we went to the Tara River Boat where we had lunch. We concluded our tour with a visit to the crocodile farm. Adriaan held a python at the crocodile farm but I politely declined to hold the snake!

Chong Khneas floating village:

Kompong Phluk (flooded) village:

That night we went to a Cambodian BBQ restaurant and ate grilled snake!

August 2, we hired a guide to take us to some of the farther temples for two days. His name was Nara and was informative, helpful, and kind. We drove about 45 minutes to Mount Kulen, which is a sacred mountain. We first went to the river where there were many linga (phallic) carvings in the riverbed. Unfortunately the river was high so we couldn’t see the carvings. Apparently the entire riverbed is covered with the linga carvings. We also went to see the reclining Buddha. I thought the reclining Buddha would be carved in stone outside, but it was housed inside of a temple on the top of the mountain. Right as we got to the top of the mountain it started to downpour. Luckily the rain in Cambodia tended to be heavy for about 20-40 minutes then stopped for the rest of the day. So after waiting 20 minutes the rain stopped and we made it to the reclining Buddha. After the reclining Buddha we went to a waterfall where many Cambodian families go to swim and picnic. So we ate some really delicious street food there and watched people swim. This was also where the stone for Angkor Wat came from. The people used elephants to carry the stone through the river down the mountain to Angkor Wat.

Mt. Kulen:

Reclining Buddha:

Grilled banana:

After lunch we went to Banteay Srei temple. It was a small temple but it was beautiful. It’s called the lady temple because of all the intricate carvings. It’s believed that only women could have made such small detailed carvings. It was a Hindu temple, so each of the three main tiers represents a Hindu God. This was Adriaan’s favorite temple.

Banteay Srei:

That night Nara made a reservation for Adriaan and I at a restaurant that has a nightly Apsara dance show. Apsara dance is the traditional dance form of Cambodia. It was really fun and our table was right in the front so we had an amazing view.

Apsara Dance:

August 3, Nara picked us up again and we drove about an hour and a half out of the city to Beng Mealea temple. This temple looked like a pile of rocks from a distance because it had been completely swallowed by the jungle, but once we got closer we were able to see a lot more details of the temple itself. While Ta Prohm temple had a lot of giant trees growing out and through the walls, the trees had literally swallowed Beng Mealea. Roots were everywhere and everything was covered in a green moss. There were tons of children just playing at the temple all day. How fun would it be to play at temples all summer as a child? What a different life. It was really worth the drive out to Beng Mealea.

Beng Mealea:

We stopped at a restaurant by a river on the way back into Siem Reap. It was really cute and delicious. I had this ridiculously good soup with lemon grass and Khemer spices. We spent the afternoon at Angkor Wat (my second trip, Adriaan’s first) and Nara told us a lot about the history and structure.

Lunch, really delicious soup:

Cambodian countryside:

That evening Nara recommended a restaurant called Veroth. We didn’t really know what to expect but were pleasantly surprised when we got there. It was really chic and modern looking. It was an open garden with a lot of lights and a raised wooden floor. We had wine, I had this amazing Khemer grilled chicken, and we had bananas flamed in rum with coconut ice cream for dessert. It was simply fabulous.

Veroth dinner:

After dinner we went out to the pub street and ended up at a bar called Angkor What? We found a table out front and sat outside. It was really crowded and we had a table for four and so we offered seats to two Irish guys who were looking for a table. We ended up talking and drinking with them for a while. It was a rather late night.

August 4, we decided to sleep in a little the next day after staying out late drinking. So we spent the morning swimming and relaxing at the pool before heading out to Ta Som and Preah Khan Temple. At this point I stopped paying as much attention to the history of each temple (I know, blasphemous) and just enjoyed the aesthetic of each one. Ta Som was nice and enclosed, but Preah Khan was huge! It was in disrepair and a lot of the jungle had taken it over, but there were a lot of really intricate carving (similar to the ones at Banteay Srei). All in all it was a nice day of relaxing and temples.

This really amazing tree at Ta Som:

Preah Khan:

That night we went into the city center and ate at a small French restaurant. After dinner Adriaan really wanted to try a fish massage. There are a lot of giant fish tanks all over the city that advertised fish massages. Basically you pay $3 for 30 minutes and stick your feet into the tank and the fish eat the dead skin off your feet. I didn’t want to do it but I was totally supportive of Adriaan trying it. The girl in charge of the tank was so fun and persuasive. She told us that we could have unlimited time for $3 (probably so other people would see us and want to do it too) and that she would go to the pub and get us beers. So while Adriaan stuck his feet in I had a beer and sat there with him. She was, however, incredibly persistent and kept telling me that it wasn’t scary, so I kept explaining that I wasn’t scared I just thought it was gross, but then Adriaan kept taunting me and telling me that I was scared, so I finally gave in and stuck my feet into the tank. It was, as I expected, gross! But it was also fun, and it tickled like crazy! It took about 10 minutes for me to stop laughing hysterically and get used to the sensation of little fish nibbling on my feet. In the end, I am glad I gave in and tried the fish massage, even though it was kinda gross!

August 5, our last day! My weeklong temple pass was up so we spent the day walking around the city. I finished up some final shopping and we both got massages and had a long lunch. We caught an evening flight out of Siem Reap to Bangkok and then caught our connection back to Osaka. We arrived in Osaka at 7:00 am on August 6. Adriaan went back to Okayama and I went to my grandfather’s house to sleep all day and get ready for Summer Sonic music festival all weekend.

Around Siem Reap:

It was really an amazing trip. It was completely different than the ones I’ve taken in the past and I am keen to explore more of southeastern Asia. Do you want to join me?! I was glad that Adriaan came with me. He told me that it felt like being back in South Africa again. It only took me a day to get used to being in such a strikingly different country. It was clear that the country had an extreme history of violence and strife but everyone I met was optimistic and positive. I was touched by how kind everyone was given what they had to overcome. It’s funny, every Japanese person asked me why I wanted to go to Cambodia, and I always replied, “Why wouldn’t I want to go to Cambodia?”

Well, it’s been a really long time since I’ve updated my blog. I’m sorry I fail at updating! I’ve been a little busy but also a little lazy. Time has been going so quickly and I am getting ready to leave Kibichuo for Osaka. I have about a week left in Kibichuo, and then I will be staying in Osaka with my family until August 25 when I return to Chicago. Also, I am going to Cambodia for a weeklong holiday and couldn’t be more excited! So right now I am rather busy with packing, cleaning, and goodbyes. I am really overwhelmed with how little time I have left in Kibichuo. I’ve really grown to love and appreciate this town and am sad to leave. It’s been an amazing and life changing experience and I feel so fortunate to have been able to live here for this past year. It’s so beautiful and all of the people were so kind and lovely. After living here I know that I eventually want to live in a town or city closer to mountains. However, I am looking forward to returning to Chicago and seeing everyone, this year has also made me appreciate how much I love Chicago. So I am both excited about my move home!

My beautiful town:

This summer has been really fun. So this blog entry will revolve around what I’ve been up to since May!

In May I cycled the Shimaname Kaido again. We did it in one day this time and it was way more difficult this time! Probably because we did it all in one day but also probably because I was super lazy all winter and wasn’t in the same shape I was in last fall. When we finished I was pretty sure that my legs were going to fall off, but after a long hot bath they felt a lot better. We stayed in a ryokan (Japanese inn) in Imabari in Ehime that night and it was probably the best nights sleep I’ve had all year. Some of my (foolish) friends cycled the route back to Onomich the following day but I (smartly) caught a train back to Okayama. Despite almost dying and having my legs fall off I am really glad I cycled it again. I never went on cycle trips in America and thoroughly enjoyed them here. Plus, it helped me overcome my fear of bridges! Hopefully, next summer at least, I can take some bike trips through the (flat!) Midwest.

Towards the end of May my friends and I all went back to Shiraishi Island to celebrate some Birthdays and enjoy the sunny weather before the rainy season started. Since we took our first trip as a group to Shiraishi when we arrived in Okayama together it seemed fitting that we return together. The weather was gorgeous and we had a lovely BBQ at the cottage that we rented. There was also a private beach available with the cottage that we puttered around during the afternoon. The water was too cold to swim in so we just hung out and sun bathed at the beach before starting our BBQ. We were really lucky because it was the start of the firework season and we were able to take a boat ride out onto the Seto Inland Sea and watch the first fireworks that night. Two westerners live on Shiraishi and they arranged for us to join them on their friends boat. We set out right at sunset, which was stunning over the water, and headed out about an hour through the Sea to the fireworks in Tamano. I took way too many pictures of the fireworks, which is silly because who honestly needs photos of fireworks? In the morning the gas for the stove was out so we had to cook our breakfast over the fire pit, which made for an interesting meal! I had parked my car at the port in Kasaoka so when we disembarked from the return ferry I got to drive home via the coast and it was great. If you’ve seen the Japanese movie Ponyo the drive by the Sea was like that.

Shiraishi goodness:

The first week of June found me in Hiroshima at a Carp baseball game! I was so excited about going to the game because I realized I had been missing baseball while I’ve been away. I should clarify that I don’t follow baseball myself, but became used to knowing what was going on through my friends and frequent excursions to Sox and Cubs games. So going to a game here seemed really familiar and comforting, plus it was fun to go with my Australian friends and actually be the one who understood what was going on! So, Japanese baseball has the same rules as American baseball but that’s pretty much where the similarities end. Everyone chants, sings, and blows annoying horns throughout the game. They also get crazy dressed up, not fancy, but anything ranging from jerseys to actual Carp flags hanging off their hats. Its wild. Towards the end of the game everyone blew up long balloons, sang a song, and simultaneously let them go and deflate at the same time. Then a cleaning crew came through with the specific job of just cleaning up the balloons. Crazy. Did I mention that you can bring in your own food and drink? That would be ridiculous in America, could you imagine? That weekend was also the yukata (summer kimono) festival in Hiroshima so a lot of people were out in their yukata. After the game we went to a beer garden with the JETs from Hiroshima but split when they went to a club and we went to (where else?) karaoke. The following morning we walked around Hiroshima and had lunch at an Irish Pub (we try to eat western food when we travel to larger cities with more to offer) before returning to Okayama. I really like Hiroshima as a city; it’s really accessible and open, plus its more diverse than Okayama and has more to do. I am jealous of the JETs who get to live in Hiroshima!

Mid June was really exciting because it was my Birthday so I went to Osaka to see my family and my friends came out for a night to celebrate. I left Okayama on June 17 and got to Osaka late that evening. On the 18th my aunt made a hair appointment for me and I bravely cut off all of my hair. I think I cut off about 14 inches! It was so heavy and felt amazing to come off. I still can’t believe that I did it! Everyone was so surprised! That day I also ate sushi with my aunt and watched some World Cup coverage with my grandfather. I find it funny that this is the first year I’ve ever really watched the World Cup, even though its the biggest sporting event in the world, but its mostly due to my new international friends. The 19th was my Birthday, and my friends from Okayama came! We met in the afternoon and putzed around the city then went out to dinner at a Middle Eastern restaurant. It was the first time I’ve had hummace since coming to Japan and I had forgotten how much I love it! After dinner we walked around looking for a bar to watch Japan play soccer and found a small one that may, or may not, have been a meeting place for prostitutes. It was a little shady but fun as we took up almost the entire bar and were really loud. We watch the second half of the Japan game and stayed for the Australia game (my friend Eamonn belted the Australian national anthem which earned him a free shot when Australia scored). After the end of the Australia game, maybe around midnight, we wandered over to an Irish Pub where we got them to play Michael Jackson in honor of my Birthday and usurped some pool tables and in general made fools of ourselves. All in all a successful Birthday!

Birthday dinner:

The following weekend I went to Yokoto-san`s house to make soba noodles. Yokoto-san is a member of my community conversation class and often invites me to do Japanese cultural activities with him. Tina and I went to his house and were joined by two Chinese students and participated in the SOBA CHALLENGE! It was a challenge because we had to had grind the buckwheat into flour for the noodles. It took forever. Forever! It was cool to hand grind the buckwheat with the Japanese stone grinder. We had to sift the flour then kneed it into dough and hand chop the noodles. That part went significantly faster than the grinding. The noodles were delicious. I’ve never had hand or home made noodles so it was a real treat. Yokoto-san told me that it was too bad that I didn’t get the chance to plant rice... but honestly given my allergies to rice pollen, and the mud that Id have to step in for the planting, I am pretty glad that I didn’t have to plant rice!

Making soba!

We celebrated July 4th with a trip to my friend Marion’s town of Ushimado. It’s next to the sea but it was a little rainy when we went so we couldn’t do any swimming. We did walk up to the Ushimado Shinto Shrine where we were greeted by the monk who spoke a good amount of English. He was really excited that we happened to pass by and ended saying a (rather hilarious) prayer for us. He prayed first in Japanese and then in English. It was funny because he asked for us to be safe but to also have a fun party. We took a ton of pictures with him and got eaten alive by killer mosquitoes (jury still out on if I will contract west nile!). We had a BBQ at Marion’s house that night. Her house was so huge! We were impressed. She had a small deck that we used as our BBQ location. After dinner we went out into the street light fireworks. Fireworks are legal here but not as ridiculous as the ones we can get in the US. However, some of them were a little complicated and the instructions were in Japanese so we were a little worried of blowing our fingers off...so we just let crazy Adriaan light them until we realized that letting crazy Adriaan light fireworks was the wrong decision! July 4th in Japan was fun but different. I always go to Urbana for the 4th and celebrating here felt a little strange. I missed BBQ with my Urbana friends and going to fireworks, most importantly I missed the insane amount of pie that I would have eaten! I am going to eat so much pie when I get back its not even right! We ended our Japan 4th of July celebration with the Germany-Argentina soccer game and card games. It was lovely and I am thankful for my friends here!

Ushimado:

Last weekend my friends and I all met in Okayama city for our official goodbye party. Some of us are meeting up again this coming weekend to have dinner with my mom, and a lot of them will be coming to Osaka in August while I am there, but this was the last time we would all be together as one group. We made reservations at a shabu-shabu (hot pot) restaurant and all dressed up for the occasion. Everyone was in good spirits and ready for the evening’s festivities. After dinner we headed to our local bar, pinball, and met some other JETs who were out that evening. Around 12:30 we headed to karaoke and stupidly stayed out until 5:00am. Maggie and Mandy stated to catch their first train back to their towns but most of us ended up staying at Sarah and Eamonn`s house in the city. I love karaoke...even though I am awful. I love that we get private rooms, which means we can be as loud or as terrible as we want, and that they had super cheap deals. I will miss karaoke when I get back and will not be against making trips up to Korea Town in Chicago for the private karaoke rooms!

Goodbye dinner:

So, this year in Kibichuo is quickly coming to an end. I am interested to see where the next chapter in my life takes me but until then I am going to continue to enjoy my life and make the most of my time in Asia. Cambodia is going to rock and I am looking forward to seeing everyone when I get back to Chicago. I will probably, or at least try to, update the blog after Cambodia and right before I leave on August 25. Until then, I will leave you with the information that today I came to school and found out that classes were canceled due to the rain. RAIN! Oh Japan, you are silly.

Soccer!

And...my students are super cute:

I recently went on a day trip to the island of Naoshima. Its a small island off the coast of Okayama in the Seto Indland Sea. I really like living so close to the Inland Sea as it affords numerous opportunities for travel and exploration--plus its gorgeous. The sea itself is very calm with little waves and is dotted with small islands in the distance. Its very tranquil and peaceful. I've been meaning to make my way to Naoshima for some time now but have never found the time. Jason and I had planned several trips that always got pushed aside for other activities so when my friend came to visit from the US again I thought it would be the perfect day trip from Okayama.

Naoshima is a small island that was founded on the fishing industry. Over time the fishing industry in Naoshima started to decline and many people started to move away. I'm not sure when the island was turned into a working art project/destination but that's what saved it and became a prime tourist destination. Its best known for the Bennesse Art Complex and Chichu Art Museum. I visited the Bennessee Art areas and the reformed Art House Projects. I didn't have time to visit the Chichu Art Museum but heard that it is equally phenomenal.

Let me start with the Bennesse Art areas. The Bennessee Art Complex is a series of hotels/restaurants/spas and outdoor art projects that cover one section of the island. I walked around the outdoor exhibits but the hotel area looked lovely and would be a nice weekend destination for travelers. The outdoor art projects run along the coast line and function with the changing light for different viewpoints and interpretations. The most famous project is the large pumpkin. It was strange to walk along the beach and come across this giant pumpkin on the pier. A lot of Japanese people were doing glamor poses with the pumpkin which I found amusing.

Here are some photos of the outdoor projects:





My favorite part of the island were the restored Art House Projects. They are a series of permanent exhibits in the Honmura district. Thre are seven houses that are open to the public. The Honmura disctrict was really nice as it created a sense of traditional old Japan. Walking through its winding streets and wooden structures envoked a vision of historical importance and cultual relevance that seems to be lost in the big cities. Seven houses were renovated by artists each with a different theme and feel.

The Kadoya house was the first one we visited. As we walked in we were greeted by the sound of running water and were surprised to find that the entire floor was an installation of moving number under water. It was dark and so we took a seat to watch the number flash by us. We didntt realize that we werent supposed to take pictures and so I actually have a picture to share:

The Minamidera house was very interesting. We had to schedule an appointment in order to enter the house. So we entered with a group and were led down a pitch black hallway to a set of seats. A guide inside the house told us to sit and wait about 10 minutes while our eyes adjust. We were to look straight ahead and eventually a light would appear. The light was very faint and I kept imagining diffent scenes ahead of me which I think was the point of the installation. After 10 minutes we were able to get up and walk around the room. It was interesting to experience how the light works in order to create a sense of distortion and porporionality.

The Ishibashi house was just lovely. In one room there was a beautiful hand painted screen that looked like a mountainous forest with mist. In a seperate room there was a 10 foot painting of what I interpreted as running water. Simply stunning. I am attaching a link to the islands website that shows a picture of this house and mural.

http://www.naoshima-is.co.jp/?index#/art/ishibashi


The Haisha house was the most modern installation piece in the island. Each room of the house was different. One had a giant statue of liberty, another had a splatter mural with a steel ship mounted to the wall, and the entire floor was glass with a collage of clippings, postcards, reciepts, etc.

Outside of the Hiasha house:

Even the cafe we stopped in for lunch was cute. Everything about this island was lovely. I highly recomend visiting Naoshima is you find yourself in Okayama Japan!

Walking around the island:

I'm a little obsessed with soft cream here. This is my new favorite flavor, black sesame:

I can’t believe it’s May! Time has gone by so fast! The weather is FINALLY getting warmer and less rainy and everything is turning that bright vivid green color that I associate with Japan. As my time here slowly winds down I find myself trying to embrace each day and relish in the nature that surrounds me. Every weekend, until the end of June, is literally filled with some activity ranging from cycling the Shimaname Kaido again to watching baseball in Hiroshima, so I will be rather busy until the end of my contract in July.

Last week was Golden Week; a week long series of National Holidays during which the entire country travels and takes time off of work. Well, actually, many people still work and don’t take time off but I’ve decided that they don’t count because they have boring salary man jobs and should just take the time off to be a real person for once! GW started on Thursday April 29th and ended on Wednesday May 5th. The 29th was Showa Day, the 3rd was Constitutional Memorial Day, the 4th was Greenery Day, and the 5th was Children’s Day. Many of my friends who traveled out of the country took the 6th and 7th off, which I debated doing but decided that I am going to save up my nenkyuu (paid days off) for my last week of my contract so I can stay home and pack up my house.

I started my holiday on Wednesday April 28th. I left Kibichuo after work and drove to Okayama city, parked my car at Sarah’s house, and caught a bus to the train station with Sarah and Eamonn. We met our friend Marion at the station and had dinner before our overnight train to Tokyo. The train left Okayama at 10:00 pm and arrived at Tokyo at 7:00 am Thursday. We had thought about taking the overnight bus to and from Tokyo, but decided to take the train there and then take the bus back to Okayama in order to be well rested for the start of our trip. The train was super exciting! I had never been on an overnight train before and wasn’t really sure what to expect. There were a lot of private cabins but having bought the cheapest ticket we were allocated spaces in the open sleeping cabin. It was an entire train car with two stories of sleeping bunks that were separated by partitions. We had to be quiet as to not disturb the sleeping passengers but were still able to enjoy a good evening of exploration and merriment on the train before we turned in for the night.

Our overnight train:

We arrived at Tokyo the following morning and had a quick breakfast before starting our trek to Hakone. Marion stayed behind in Tokyo to wait for her boyfriend Steve and two friends Zoe and Pat who were flying in from Ireland. Steve actually lives in Okayama with Marion but had been traveling for the past month and therefore was flying in to meet us that morning. Sarah, Eamonn, and I went ahead to Hakone. We had two train options-the local 2-hour train or the rapid 1.5 hour train-we chose the rapid train which was hysterically named the Romance Car and was really nice and fancy.

Can you feel the romance?

I promptly fell asleep on the Romance Car and woke up 1.5 hours later in rainy Hakone. We were so bummed that it was raining because the forecast had promised clear sunny skies and warm weather for the entire week. So we bought umbrellas at a shop at the station before catching the switchback train that would take us up into the mountains of Hakone. The train was very quant and seemed reminiscent of times long ago. Like it’s name suggested there were a lot of switchbacks along the way and stops at small little villages. After about 30 mintues on the switchback train we caught a cable car that took us the rest of the way up the mountain. I don’t know why it was called a cable car because it was clearly a tram. From the cable car/tram we headed on towards the ropeway. Again, I don’t know why it was called a ropeway when it was clearly a cable car! We had to wait in line for the ropeway/cable car because the winds were too high and dangerous. However, we didn’t wait long and were able to catch the ropeway/cable car of death to lake Ashii. I call it a ropeway/cable car of death because we were sure that we were going to die. It was still raining, the winds were so strong, and we were 300 meters off the ground over sulfur valleys and gorges. It was quite terrifying!

After escaping the ropeway/cable car of death we were back on solid ground at lake Ashii, which would be our home for the evening. We had reserved a cabin on the lake and were so pleased to find that it had a view of the lake with a deck/balcony and hotel quality amenities. Eamonn stayed at the cabin to sleep a little (he didn’t sleep well on the night train) and wait for Marion and Co. Sarah and I headed off to catch a boat across lake Ashii and hopefully spot views of Mt. Fuji. By this time the weather had cleared and the sun was shinning. We decided it was because we bought umbrellas that the weather decided to cooperate.

Our Cabin:

The boat ride was hilarious because we were on a pirate ship with fake pirate statues and all the clichés they entail. It was, however, incredibly windy and chilly but Sarah and I refused to leave the helm of the ship in an insane effort to see Mt. Fuji. We saw the very tip top of Mt. Fuji before catching a bus back to Hakone station. I think I should note that Sarah’s entire purpose of the trip was to see Mt. Fuji and was overly excited to see the tiptop of the mountain. We decided that Mt. Fuji will forever be known as Sarah’s Japanese boyfriend (more to come on my Japanese boyfriend).

Lake Ashii and Fujisan!

From Hakone station we went to Tendan onsen. Onsens are Japanese public baths and the ones in Hakone are famous for their natural beauty and waters. It was nice to be able to relax in the hot springs before having to find a supermarket and lug groceries back to our cabin. Tendan onsen was nice too because a lot of the baths were outside and the air was a little cool while the baths were steaming hot. Plus, there were different types of water to try out with different PH levels. Onsens will be one of the main things I miss when I come back to the US.

Tendan Onsen:

After the onsen we went back to Hakone station and tried to find a supermarket. After a futile walk through the city center we learned that Hakone town does not have a supermarket and that we had to take a train to Odarwa city about 15 minutes away. We debated the benefits of a proper dinner over one bought at a convenience store then boarded our train and headed to Odarwa. At Odarwa station we went to the JR information desk (please note that JR is in charge of the railroads not information on supermarkets!) where the JR representative was kind enough to draw us a map to the closest market. We discovered that we had about 30 minutes to do our shopping in order to catch the bus that would take us back to our cabin at lake Ashii. We needed enough food and drink to cover dinner and breakfast for seven people, so needless to say the checkout clerk was a little taken aback by the two western girls with their mountains of crap at the register. We packed our groceries into ten bags and ran to the bus. Along the way our bags decided to break and spill beer cans across the road! We had to quickly scoop everything up and continue our mad dash to the bus. We jumped onto the bus just as it was pulling away and commandeered the entire back row to our bags and ourselves. The bus ride back was about an hour so we decided congratulations were in order (otsukaresama desita) and cracked open a traveler for the trip. Everyone came and met us at the bus stop to help carry the groceries back to the cabin. We grilled our meat and veggies and had a nice BBQ and evening at our cabin. All in all Sarah and I were glad we made the pilgrimage to the store because our dinner, and breakfast the following morning, were delicious and comforting.

Finally back home after a harrowing trek to the supermarket:

On Friday we left Hakone and headed back to Tokyo. Sarah and I decided to take the ropeway/cable car of death back after seeing Marion’s amazing pictures of Mt. Fuji taken from the ropeway (the weather was clear when she rode later that afternoon), while everyone else wanted to take the boat across the lake. Because we were traveling backwards, away from the crowds, we were able to get an entire car to ourselves and had spectacular views of Mt. Fuji a.k.a. Sarah’s boyfriend. Plus the ride was considerably less terrifying without the gusting winds and rain.

Full view of Fujisan:

We met everyone back at the station and caught the Romance Car together. I again promptly fell asleep and woke up back in Tokyo. Everyone was staying in a hotel in Shinjuku but I was staying at my friend Akiko’s house in Ebisu (Shinjuku and Ebisu are names of neighborhoods in Tokyo) so we split up to drop off our stuff at our respective locations. I only had time to drop off my stuff and walk with Akiko back to the train station because I needed to meet Sarah and Marion in time to make it to the Ghibli Museum.

Oh the Ghibli Museum how I love you. Studio Ghibli is a Japanese animation company that made my favorite Japanese movie My Neighbor Totoro (Tonari no Totoro) and recently made Spirited Away, Princess Mononoke, and Ponyo. I have been OBSESSED with Totoro since I was a little kid. It’s a subtler obsession than my one with HP but nevertheless it has been with me for the greater majority of my life. Every time I come to Japan I collect more Totoro memorabilia ranging from stuffed animals and charms to music boxes and china. It’s pretty much been my life dream to go to the Ghibli Museum and hang out with Totoro! We couldn’t take pictures inside of the museum but we were allowed to take them outside and on the roof garden.

So I will explain some exhibits in the museum. There was a room dedicated to explaining how animation works because Ghibli movies are mostly hand drawn and don’t use a lot of modern animation technology, an exhibit about the most recent movie Ponyo, one about the studio itself, and one room with a giant stuffed cat bus for children to play and climb on. There was also a movie theater where they screen short exclusive movies. In the way that Sarah was obsessed with seeing Mt. Fuji I was obsessed with going to the Ghibli Museum. We decided that my Japanese boyfriend is Totoro so I must be sure to go back and visit him again!

After the Ghibli Museum we met back up with everyone else and went out to Roppongi to eat Indian food. We were a little over zealous in our quest to eat only western food in Tokyo but our taste buds were crying for flavor after this year of Japanese food. Let me explain. Japanese food is very subtle and a little bland at times. I mostly don’t mind eating it all the time BUT I do miss other food especially Mexican food. Okayama is lacking on diverse food. After dinner we went out to a pub in Roppongi for a couple of drinks. I headed back to Ebisu to meet Akiko at her house. Her new boyfriend Eric was there too so I was able to meet him and we all stayed up chatting for a while before bed.
On Saturday Akiko, Eric, and I went to a café by Akiko’s house for breakfast. It was a California style open café that served western breakfast. Japanese people tend to eat rice, miso soup, and some sort of meat or fish for breakfast and therefore there are NO breakfast restaurants! Which sucks because I love, love, love going out for breakfast. I was ecstatic to eat eggs benedict (something I haven’t done since last July) and I think that might have been my favorite meal of the trip. Have you noticed that I write about the food I eat a lot while on vacation?!

Akiko had rehearsal for the musical she is working on so we split up and I went to Shibuya to meet Sarah and Eamonn. We decided to go explore two neighborhoods that were recommended to us by Akiko and Sarah’s brother. Both were known to have interesting shops and bars and were not the average tourist destinations. Our first stop was Kichioji where we stopped to watch a Japanese band play Irish music and had burgers at a small café. The second neighborhood, Koenji, was much cooler. There were a lot of narrow, windy, streets with storefront open bars and a ton of thrift stores with interesting clothes. We ended up stopping for a drink at a storefront and met a Japanese cook living in Maccae. He was super excited to talk to us about Japan and ended up buying us another drink. So when we left to check out the shops we were feeling a little light headed and nice.

That night I went out with Akiko to her friend’s Birthday party at a private bar. We were there for about 3 hours before moving to a lounge in Roppongi. My friend Jason came to meet us at the second bar and were all quite surprised when we arrived and there were exotic dancers at the bar! All in all good fun! From there we went to a ridiculous club that Akiko’s friend worked at so we were able to get in for free, have a private room, and free bottle service. It was fun except in Japan people still smoke in bars and restaurants so I had an issue with all the smoke. Jason and I ended up dancing for a while before Akiko and I decided that we should probably head home.

On Sunday I met up with everyone else again and we went on a futile search of a pizza place called pizzakaya. We heard that it was good and thought the name was amusing (an izakaya is a type of restaurant that serves small dishes and are very common in Japan so pizza-kaya was cute). When we got to pizzakaya we shocked to discover that it was closed and probably would never reopen. As we were all relatively hung over and famished we were not pleased with the situation and attempted to find another pizza place in the area. That proved to be a little more difficult than we thought and after getting lost in a shopping complex stumbled upon a semi-decent Italian restaurant. After lunch we headed to Harajuku to see the crazy kids in their weird outfits. We pushed our way through the insane crowds, grabbed a cherry blossom soft cream, and stopped at a couple of shops before spotting any Harajuku kids out and about.

We also went to Meiji shrine (which I had been to previously over winter break) and while we were walking through the grounds we passed by a traditional Japanese style wedding procession:

That night we went to La Jolla, a Mexican restaurant that Akiko recommended. It was delicious. Well, again, it was as delicious as Japanafied-Mexican food can be but it was much better than the Mexican food available in Osaka. I had shared fajitas and enchiladas with Eric and drank a Rogue Chipotle Ale. I happily was surprised to drink a Rogue Ale in Japan! After dinner we went to a small pub called Inishmore by Akiko’s house and had some beers and watched a soccer game that my Irish friends were keen to catch.

On Monday morning I left Akiko’s house early to meet everyone at Asakusa station to catch our train to Nikko. Nikko is a national park about 2 hours away from Tokyo. It is a world heritage site with a lot of beautiful temples and forests. We arrived that afternoon amongst the throngs of Japanese people that also flocked there over GW and proceeded to slowly make our way through the temples. They were very lovely. This five-story pagoda was very unique because it’s the only one I’ve seen with this color scheme. Most pagodas in Japan that I’ve seen have been brown and basic. We went to Togoshu temple where we saw this famous carving of the monkeys.

Here are some pictures of Togoshu and Nikko:

We stayed at a house that we rented for the night. It was a little far away from the crowds, which was nice. Before arriving at the house we stopped for okonomiyaki and stocked up on drinks and snacks for the evening. At the house I taught my friends to play my favorite card game toupin. It’s a game that is similar to spades and euchre. So we played toupin, listened to music, and enjoyed some drinks all evening. At some point we decided that we needed to make a trip to the combini and so Eamonn, Pat, and I decided to make the journey. I brought my Ipod and was listening to it and dancing in the street as we went to the combini, tripped, fell, and obtained a large bloody wound on my knee! It hurt and is still pretty gross and will probably leave a large scar on my knee. The moral of this story is “if it is decided that more provisions are needed and a team must be sent to the combini don’t volunteer to go, just stay home and don’t dance in the street!”

On Tuesday we left Nikko and got back to Tokyo around 1:00 pm. Our bus back to Okayama wasn’t scheduled to leave until 9:00 pm that evening so we had the day to bum around Tokyo a little more. Zoe and Pat went to catch a train to Osaka while Marion and Steve went shopping. So Sarah, Eamonn, and I bought sandwiches and had a mini picnic in the gardens of the Imperial Palace. Okayama also lacks on having proper sandwich joints so my turkey club really hit the spot that afternoon. It was a peaceful afternoon and a nice way to end our trip. Oh, wait, no, we had to go back to Shinjuku to grab some luggage that we stuck in lockers and met Akiko and Eric for Thai food before we caught our bus. Thai food was a wonderful end to the trip!

Imperial Palace grounds:

Sweet Hello Kitty Bus:

We caught our bus from Tokyo station at 9:00 pm and arrived in Okayama on Wednesday at 7:00 am. The bus didn’t suck too badly…I thought it could have been worse…but the train was significantly better! On the bus I read my new book Abraham Lincoln Vampire Slayer and learned abut how our greatest President protected the Union from the undead. Upon arriving in Okayama I picked up my car from Sarah and Eamonn’s house, drove up the mountain to Kibichuo, collapsed in my glorious bed and slept till noon. I spent the rest of my GW neurotically cleaning my house and watching DVDs in bed. It was truly an excellent yet exhausting trip. I need a holiday to get over this holiday!

For your amusement: