June 14, 2009: Sumo and Sake

Saturday was my last day at the library/in Hamura. The library’s summer reading program was starting and I was put at the tabl to register kids. Basically I finished the book I was reading (I had quite a bit left too), made 3 origami cranes out of one of the flyers, stared into space, and read half of a random book from the teen section which was right behind my table…aka it was rather boring. I did register a few kids and get to eat some cookies though, so it wasn’t a complete waste.  Saturday night we loaded up the car and had dinner at a beef restaurant called “Donkey” which was the same place I had my first meal in Japan. We thought it was only fitting that it was my first and last meal in Hamura. We arrived at Hiro’s parent’s house very late so I went straight to bed (on the comfy japanese futon of course) because I had to get up early for sumo on sunday!!

Sunday

After getting up early, we headed over to the sumo stables. Being able to watch sumo traning was VERY interesting and not something most tourist get the opportunity to do. We had to take our shoes off (of course) and sit on small cushions on the floor to watch. We had to be pretty still and there was a strict NO TALKING rule (which i found difficult naturally…). Seeing a bunch of large, sweaty, and muddy guys in glorified diapers pushing each other around is certainly a unique thing to witness. One poor guy got roughed up pretty bad (abnormally so) the guy he was fighting against kept slapping and punching, kicked him, slammed him against the wall, and even ripped out a chunk of his hair. We think he was probably being punished for something or it was some type of “new kid” initiation. Sumo wrestlers have a very strict lifestyle that is not exactly full of luxury and glamor (though if you are really good you make lots of money!!). There is also a lot more strategy and work in sumo wrestling than most people think. There are several types of throws and ways to move/push and the sport requires quite a bit of athletic ability (their fat is not just mush but muscle too!) My favorite part of watching the sumo training was that one of the wrestlers had a minnie mouse towel!!! It is not ever day you see a tough sumo wrestle take a break and wipe himself off with a cutesy minnie mouse towel…

After sumo I took a mini nap (slightly accidental but i was tired) and then we had lunch. We had a very traditional japanese dish that is quite popular in the summer–cold udon noodles. You are given a bowl of cold noodles (we had udon but you can do it with any of the noodle types and there are many) and you have a bowl of sauce (some type of soy sauce mixture) and you dip your noodles in it. I was not sure I would like it but it was actually really good! After lunch we rode a traditional ferry across the Edo river (one of the oldest forms of transporation in Japan) to Shibiyata which is a very historical district. It was like taking a trip back in time to what a typical Tokyo street would have looked like in the olden days.

We had a big dinner back at the house and I got to try my first taste of sake. It tasted a little like cough syrup and I was not exactly a fan but at least I tried it. After dinner Mark, Hiro, and Hiro’s parents had a few going away presents for me. It was very sweet. Hiro’s mom does not speak that much english so she wrote down a few things she wanted to say and read it off the paper too me (she is precious!). She told me to think of her and her husband as my Japanese grandparents. She also weaves (even as a loom in her house) and made two cashmere scarves, one for me and one for my mom. It was a wonderful day/evening.

My last full day (Monday):

In the morning Hiro and her mom wrapped me in a yukata–a traditional japanese kimono. It was a little short because it was one of Hiro’s but it served the purpose. I understand now why Japanese women always shuffle when they walk in these things, there is not a lot of flexibilty/comfort in them.  After that Mark, Hiro and I went to the Tokyo tower. We did not acutally go up to the observation room but they had an aquarium and a crazy trick art gallery that were lots of fun. Then we met Shiho (she went to Yokohama with Hiro and I) and her husband for dinner at a stick restaurant. A stick restaurant is excatly what it sounds like–everything comes fried on a stick. We had a lot of fun and went all out becuse it was my last night in Japan.

Tuesday:

All packed and ready to go I said goodbye to my “japanese grandparents” and Mark and Hiro rode the train with me to the airport. I had a safe and uneventful flight back to Washington D.C. but then I had just under an hour to get through customs, recheck my luggage, and get on my flight to Greensboro! It did not help that half of America happened to be in line in front of me either. I kept asking people who worked there if there was anyway I could speed along the waiting since I had so little time to catch my flight but they were not helpful at all (and grumpy) but a few nice people let me in front of them in the lines. After getting through that and literally sprinting across the airport dodging people left and right I arrived (huffing and puffing) at my gate just as the ticket guy was walking away. So thankfully I made it, though my luggage did not…but it was delieverd to our house the next morning and it was all good. It is so good to be home again but I would definately like to go back someday and encourage anyone who has the chance to see it themseleves!

…and so concludes my journey and my blog. Thanks for reading along! (ps: the pictures of my last few days are all up on facebook and have been for a while so if you haven’t seen them go check it out!)

Sayonara!
Courtney

Hiro and I met Hiro’s friend, Shiho, and went to Yokohama which is home to the largest China-town in Southeast Asia. Yeah I went to China-town in Japan. I have to say that Yokohama was easily one of my favorite places/experiences so far. Not to take away from what I have done so far because I have loved all of it but once you hear about my day hopefully you will understand why I love Yokohama.

First of all the weather today was beautiful! It’s funny the rainy season offically started yesterday and the weather has been nicer than before when it wasn’t rainy season! But the sun was out today and it was warm but not too hot. Yokohama is a port town (harbor town whatever you want to call it) so there was a nice breeze coming off the ocean. This year marks Yokohama’s 150th anniversary as an open port. It took a long time to get to Yokohama (about 2 and half hours maybe) so when we got there the first thing we did was have a big delicious (oyshi) lunch in China-town. Shiho used to live in Yokohama so she knew the area well and knew exactly where to take us. Also since the food was family style she and Hiro talked a lot in Japanese and ordered for us. I was a little bit nervous since I didn’t know/have much say in what we were getting but they said to trust them and I am glad I did because it was all very good. After that we walked around China-town for a bit which was interesting–they had panda stuff everywhere! Too bad they didn’t charge Chinese prices though.

Then we took a small ferry to a different part of Yokohama (it was about a 10 min ride) and got to enjoy the view of the city from the boat. It was beautiful and reminded me just how much I love the ocean/miss living near the water. We landed near some old warehouses that had been converted into a really nice shopping center which we peaked inside but didnt really look in. Nearby there is a large ferris wheel/mini amusment park in the middle of downtown Yokohama–the ferris wheel was put there for a Japanese Expo some years ago. It looked nice but a little strange popping out amongst the skyline. But since we were headed that way anyway we decided to ride the roller coaster (it wasn’t crowded at all and we all love roller coasters) I can’t remember the last time I rode on a roller coaster so I was excited and it was fun. Not a super crazy roller coaster but still exciting and offered a nice view of the city before we started dropping etc.

We continued walking (we were headed to a building which I will talk about in a minute) and discovered a machine that you “play” rock, paper, scissors with. You put in your coin (100 yen) and you pick rock paper or scissors and the machine picks one. If you when you get two packs of chewy candy, if you tie to get to try to win one more time, and if you lose you only get one pack of candy. Naturally I lost. But its all good because I still got my chewy candy, I picked coke flavored and it is really good! But I thought it was a funny concept!

We finally arrived at the Landmark Tower, the tallest building in Japan, and home to a very expensive fancy hotel. on the 65th floor (of 70) of the hotel we had a traditional Japanese tea ceremony while look out at a truely stunning view. The area with the tea ceremony was really nice and traditionally designed/decorated and we were the only ones there so it was quiet and peaceful. It certainly isn’t like American tea time though! first we had to wash our hands (left, then right specifically) from a little fountain with a ladle (like the ones at all the shrines) then we had to wash our lips, and then tip it just right so the water runs down the handle of the ladle and washes that too. I made the mistake of holding it over the water so as not to make a mess but was quickly corrected and told to hold it outside so the dirty water didn’t go back in (whoops!). I wanted to tell them that unless it is magic water, simply pouring it over myself isnt going to clean anything… next we entered the tea room (sans shoes of course) and there was no furniture in it at all so we sat off to the side on our knees (not very comfortable). Our “hostess” dressed in a traditional kimono brough us a few japanese sweets, she would bring it out to one of us at a time and put it down (on her knees to) and bow and we bowed back. Then she made the green tea, one bowl for each of us and she made it one bowl at a time. It turns out that the way they make green tea here (the traditional way) is actually very meticulous and difficult but she made it look easy. The green tea was actually better than I expected (and then Hiro and Shiho thought I would…) and the sweets not too bad. It was very nice and interesting and I thoroughly enjoyed the experience. Taking in the view from the top you could vaguely see Mt Fuji off in the distance (on a clear day in fall/winter you can see it really well). You had to squint to make out it out, it was almost a shadow in the sky to me but I could tell enough to see how it would clearly dwarf everything else before me on a clear day. It’s sheer size in relation to everything else is impossible to accuratly describe.

After the tea ceremony our day still was not over! we walked around a bit more to get ourselves hungry for dinner. We went inside a really nice mall (again no real shopping but just nice to walk around) and then we went to an italian restaurant where we had another big meal. They had a special meal deal for three people that included drinks, salad, a rice coquette (a fried ball of rice and cheese covered in marinara sauce!), two types of pasta, and pizza. It was delicious but very filling!!!! By the time we finished dinner it was dark out and we coul enjoy the night view of Yokohama, it was nice and cool and there were some live musicans out in various places. We went to a small bridge where you have a good look at the skyline including the lit up ferris wheel and standing there we could hear a lone jazz trumpet. It was beautiful and so nice, a great end to a wonderful day!!!

Of course after that we had a long train ride home and didnt get back till 11 and I have to get up early tomorrow so I will regret how late I am up now (it is almost 1 am) tomorrow morning but I wanted to tell you all about this while it was fresh in my mind and in case I don’t get another chance to write before I get home. I have many pictures from today but it will take to long to put them up now. I will try tomorrow and if not I will definately post them when I get home (I can’t believe that will be so soon!)

I am off to bed now, I miss and love you all!!!!!!
Court

The next place we headed was Akihabara, the electric city. This is the home to pretty much any electronic device you could ever want, need, or imagine…and then some!  Let me tell you one thing though, “Anime Kids” aren’t that cool in Japan either but I have found their mothership in the form of Akihabara! It was probably the nerdiest place I have ever been in my entire life. There were also a lot of figurines/anime merchandise featuring overly endowed and provactively posed naked or nearly naked cartoon girls. We went in one shop that seemed to specialize in it because on floor that was all they had (and we quickly realized that Hiro and I were the only girls present!) You could even get bed sheets with life size ones on it…ew. There were also a lot of “maid cafes” which is place you can go to get coffee and what not but you are served by girls dressed like anime maids and they say stuff like “welcome home master” They had these maid girls all over the street passing out fliers and trying to get people to go to their cafe. Aside from the weird stuff like that there were a lot of computer stores and other electronic things (and a lot of places that sold various parts of stuff). It was certainly an interesting place (it was crazy!) and I am really glad I got to see it but I don’t know that I would ever go back…

The grand finale to our day was a Japanese baseball game. We saw the Nippon Ham Fighters vs. the Ykolt Swallows. My friend’s dad who helped us with the tickets used to play for the Fighters and he is still kind of a big deal here (a couple of the library staff remember him and got really exicted that I knew him). So we were pulling for the Fighters and they won 3-0! It was really fun–the loudest baseball game I have ever been to. Each team has an offical cheering section in the stadium (we werent in them though) and they have chants and they beat mini plastic bats together and jump up and down. And the Swallows fans wave miniture umbrellas during the 7th inning stretch (I have no clue why but they always do).

Today I don’t have to go the library, and it is raining again (of course), so I am just going to relax and recouperate from all our weekend adventures. I can’t believe I only have about one week left! I will miss Japan but it will be nice to go home and see everyone again, I miss you all!!!!

Famous Bridge at Imperial Palace

Maid Cafe in Akihabara

more pictures! http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=99929&id=703567749&l=5a0cb0be53

It was STILL raining (but a light rain) so I decided not to go explore the neighborhood’s free museum and farmhouse (the weather and I slept too late…) but I did get to skype with my sister for a nice long time and that was fun! Friday afternoon Hiro and I went shopping (which is always fun)! Then we went to meet Mark and the library staff for….KARYOKE. That’s right I am offically a karyoke rockstar. But it is different than karyoke at home. Here you get your own private room so the only people who hear you sing are your group, it is also nice because everyone can sing more! There is a phone on the wall to order food and drinks so we didnt need to leave for anything. It was a blast, I wish they did karyoke like this at home. I was still a little nervous at first but after a bit I got into like everyone else (yes there is video proof but no I am not posting it).  We also had some tambourines and maracas so when we werent rockin out in the microphone we could provide musical back up

Saturday (it is already Sunday morning here as I am writing this but still Saturday night back home), we got up early and then one bus, one direct train, and two subway lines later we arrived in the Ginza district to see Kabuki. We had to get there early because we waited in line to get “cheap seats”. Full lenght Kabuki can be pretty expensive and usually last around 3 hours! But the cheap seats were only 900 yen (800 for me because I am a college student) which is about $9 and it is for one chapter of kabuki which lasted about an hour and consisted of 2 different acts. It was really intersting and I am glad we went but I am also glad we didn’t stay the whole three hours!

So non-japanese speaking people like me would know what was going you can rent an english translation audio guide. The audio not only tells you what is going on but also gave a little but of history and background so I was glad we had it. All of the actors are male because women are not allowed to participate but Kabuki was originally created and performed by women. In the early 1600s women were banned from acting on the stage because it was “inappropriate” and Kabuki shifted to being done by men and has stayed that way ever since. The first act was a dance from one play and the second act was the begining scene from another play (the second one was about sumo wrestlers and was funny, but a little confusing because the plot was complicated).

After Kabuki we grabbed lunch and then went to the  Asakusa district. In Asakusa we first saw a store that sells fake food–most restaurants have a display window out front with what their dishes look like and this is store had stuff like that. It all looked so real! It made Hiro and I very hungry! Asakusa also has a famous souvenir street (many places have them near temples) so we went there and it was really exciting because there were a lot of things I see all over the place but here they were much cheaper!! We were then going to go see a famous japanese garden but we ran out of time–we were meeting Hiro’s sister later for dinner. One thing we saw in Asakusa that was very…unique was the Asahi beer company headquarters. The building is designed to look like a glass of beer with the foam on top and the shorter building next to it has a scuplture of what is supposed to be a golden hops but the locals call it the golden sperm!! That is what they think it looks like…weird I know.

Dinner with Hiro’s sister was very nice I really like the part of Tokyo she lives in, it seemed quieter and less crowded. Also there were more trees and cute little cobbled streets (there are a lot of french people settled in this district so there is a lot of french influence and french restaurants…probably why I like it so much right?). We ate at a Japanese family style restaurant that was really good and just enjoyed talking and sharing stories. We finally set off for home and arrived, tired and with sore feet. Today we are resting a bit then going to the electronic distric in downtown tokyo followed by a baseball game. I will update you all on that later!

love you all!
Court

Rockin out at Karyoke

At the Kabuki Theater

The Beer Building and infamous sculpture!

I know I have not written in a few days but the weekdays are never as active as the weekends so there usually isn’t much to right. Monday Hiro and I went to a zumba class on the base and that was really fun but I am not very good at it!! This week at the library I have been continuing to make book suggestions (I go online to Barnes and Nobles and what not and find what’s new and popular or just plain interesting and I type up the neccessary information and the library will look into buying them). It has been interesting because it has also given me a whole new list of books I want to read! Also picking out the kid/young adult books is fun because I noticed the library is missing some books that were my favorites when I was young so of course I recommended those! Also at the library I have graduated to working at the front desk some. I like being up here because I get to talk to the other library staff and I love checking books in and out–I get to push buttons Of course nosey me also loves to see what books and dvds people are getting…

Today Mark brough me home from the library around 4–a little earlier than normal because he has to work until 9 tonight and there was no need for me to stay that long! When I got home Hiro was still out having lunch with a friend so Andi (their beagle) and I took a walk to explore the neighboorhood some. It was very nice because the weather felt good (a little overcast with a nice breeze) and we walked down to the river and on a little trail back there. I didn’t even get lost, though the way I got back was different than I meant it to be…but I still managed to figure it out!

Tomorrow I will maybe go for a run, and there is a free museum/an old traditional farm house in the neighborhood so I will go there, if not tomorrow definately one day before I leave. Then tomorrow afternoon Hiro and I will go shopping before meeting up with Mark and some of the library staff for karyoke! (Intersting stories dealing with that to follow later I am sure…) This weekend we will be busy because we will try to see some Kabuki (famous Japanese theatere) saturday as well go to Asaksura which is a popular temple/garden/souvenir place and we are doing one more thing that day that I can’t remember right now. Sunday we are going to Akihabara (the electronic district) and to a baseball game! My friend Darby’s dad used to play baseball over here and now works as a scout for his team so he was kind of enough to help me get tickets!

As if I haven’t already rambled enough I would like to tell you a tiny bit about some of the food I have had this week. Tuesday night Hiro made “japanese pizza” (it has a real name but again I can’t remember it and probably couldn’t spell it anyway) which was very tasty but pizza is a very inaccurate description. It is more like a cross between an omlette and a pancake. Basically you mix eggs, flour, and your main ingredients into a bowl (ie: cabbage shreds, and just about anything you want from cheese, ham, potatoes, vegtables, seafood…all that jazz). Let me pause really quick to say most Japenese people have a cooking pan thing that is like a griddle but you set it on the table and cook as you eat (its electric). So we put it on this pan thing (man I have got to start remembering the names of stuff) along with some gyoza (I mentioned those in another post I do believe…) some “sausage” (the little cocktail weiners but here they are called sausage), etc and sat around the table while dinner cooked. Anyway back to the “pizza” we put strips of pork on top of the non seafood ones and you cook it like a pancake (flip it etc) and put some type of sauce on top (kind of like a soy/barbacue sauce) and voila! It is really easy to make and Hiro is going to write down the recipe for me so I can make it at home sometime

Another thing about food…I miss chocolate! Traditional Japanese sweets are not very sweet by American standards, let me put it to you this way they use stuff like beans and potatoes in their “desserts” (no lie I JUST ate something that tasted like a cold fat french fry with a dash–tiny dash–of sugar…) They have “cakes” that are small pasteries filled with mushed beans, they have sweet bean soup, catching the drift? They also have sweets like a mild pound cake and things with custard so there are still some yummy things but still…sweet here isn’t like sweets at home, and they don’t really use chocolate much! I did have this choclate roll thing that was really good but not as chocolatey as it initially looked. Okay I am done rambling about food now, I am going to go rest up for by busy weekend! Love you all!

Sayonara!
Court

Things I have learned just from riding the train!

1. Everyone is in a hurry, Japanese are usually very polite but when it comes to riding the train it is every man for himself—pushing is expected.
2. Right is wrong! When riding up escalators or going upstairs always stay to the left, not the right.
3. The ticket you need to get into the train area is also needed to get out…don’t lose it!
4. I can recognize the Kanji (Japanese characters) for Hamura (our home station) and Shinjuku (because it looks like a lamp and Godzilla eating a building) also for the word exit!
5. If I had to navigate Tokyo by myself I would never get anywhere
6. Two hours is the average time to get anywhere worth going in Tokyo, anything less is close!!!
7. Sometimes when you think you have arrived at your destination you still have at least one more train to ride…
8. High school girls are allowed to wear their school uniform skirts very VERY short
9. Wearing knee socks automatically makes any outfit cool—even shorts
10. It is also fashionable to wear socks and heels (general rule: socks=cool)
11. Japanese idea of crowded and American idea of crowded are NOT the same (What we consider crowded at home is normal here…space is rare and coveted in all places)
12. Avoid the train station during rush hour at ALL costs
13. It is possible to sleep standing up, if you are really talented you don’t even have to hold on to the handles (everyone sleeps on the train!)
14. Japanese business men usually reek of alcohol.
15. Sometimes strangers will accidentally fall asleep leaning on your shoulder even though you don’t know them…

Things I have learned in general

1. Japanese always back into parking spaces…no matter what
2. Japanese love their stamps! Not only are they for decoration but they have special ones at tourist spots to mark places you have travelled and instead of signatures on official documents people have customized stamps
3. Elementary school kids wear hats when traveling to and from school or on field trips—white for the younger ones and yellow for the older ones (very cute!)
4. Japanese like to put beans in everything…even dessert
5. Costco exists in Japan too—only they emphasize the T when they say it (cos-ta-co)
6. Fruit sold individually on the shelves in the grocery store has a special rubber net around half of it to keep it from rolling away
7. They have fresh carrots in Japan that are the size of my arm only fatter
8. Most t-shirts in Japan have English writing on them but the translation usually doesn’t make any sense
9. Surgical masks are perfectly acceptable—germs are not.
10. Dogs can be trained to poop directly into plastic bags so as to cut out the process of scooping it
11. Hello Kitty really is everywhere here!
12. It is difficult to throw anything away because they recycle everything and thus everything has a separate bin
13. Sweat tastes good (drink kind of like Gatorade)
14. There are three different types of bows (shallow is normal, medium is very polite, and deep—very low—is saved for when you are in big trouble)
15. “Losing face” is a big deal and many people used to commit suicide if they did
16. Everything here is about fitting into the group—standing out and being unique is NOT valued
17. Books, magazines, etc are bound on the right side not the left and are read “backwards” as well (top to bottom right to left)
18. Japan is fascinated with Hawaii and hula, they love everything that has to do with either (they also love Miami).
19. Pale really IS the new tan—The Japanese take very good care of their skin and carry “sunbrellas” and have special protective sleeves they put over their arms sometimes. They don’t want to get skin damage or cancer!
20. Nippon means Japan

This is just the begining! I could probably say a lot more and explain this list in more detail but that would take to long and is hard to do in a blog, but I have lots of stories to tell everyone when I get back!!! But if you want to know more about anything in particular let me know and I will try to explain better. Sayonara!

In the few days since I last wrote I have mainly been relaxing at the house and taking it easy, last night Hiro taught me how to make some origami But it has been chilly and rainy…

Today we went to Matsumoto Castle, it was built around 1593-1594 and is the oldest castle in Japan. There are castles that were built before this one but this is the only one whose original structure (as in it has not been rebuilt) is still standing. Because they were often the tallest thing in the vicinity many castles were stuck by lightning and burned down meaning they had to be rebuilt often. Somehow this one survived (though parts of it were burned down and never rebuilt).

Unlike European castles which are ornate and luxiurious, Japanese castles were built more for surving warfare and were basically empty inside. Most of the structure had some sort of purpose in battle and everything is plain wood. Though most of the rooms looked the same it was fun climbing through the castle! The rooms have various openings from which to fire bows and arrows and some have special spots where they could throw rocks at the enemy scaling the wall. To me the coolest part of the castle was the “hidden room.” From the outside it looks like there are only 5 stories but the third floor of the main tower is like an attic to the second floor, a little lower ceilings and no windows. This was to confuse the enemy and provide a safe space for the warriors.

The tricky part about navigating the castle were the stairs, they were very steep!!! The space between most of them went from about my foot to just below my knee and the steepest ones were to over my knee! Once we got all the way to the top of the castle we had to wait in a long line to climb back down the steep stairs (going down was scary) and it was intense. People kept cutting in front of me and these two older ladies jumped in behind me but they kept pushing at me and trying to get around me. I held my ground however and would not let them past! Of course I was wearing a skirt so then the hard part was coming down those steep stairs without flashing everyone in the line to go up! I may not have been super successful but I tried…

By the time we got out of the castle it was pouring down rain again which bascially ruined our afternoon plans. We were going to go to a nearby lake that has a nice view of Mt. Fuji but it was so rainy and cloudy we would not have been able to see it! I saw a glimpse of it in the car on the way home but like I said all the clouds obstructed the view so I stil have not been able to get a good look at it Hopefully I will have a chance to see it before I leave.

For lunch we stopped somwhere and I had a big bowl of ramen noodles (not quite like the cheap ones at home but similar…better) and gyoza (I think we call them pot stickers at home). Gyoza are pretty much my favorite food here and I love getting to eat them, Hiro said they are easy to make so she is going to teach me

The ride to the castle took about  2 hours (standard for everything here) but the ride home took an extra hour because we got stuck in a never ending traffic jam! Still, despite the rain and the traffic it was still a nice day and the castle was interesting! Tomorrow I will go to the library again and help out, then Hiro and I are going to a zumba class On friday we are going with some of the library staff to a karyoke bar–Hiro said she would take a video of me singing but I don’t know if I will let anyone see it…I am excited though! Anyway I wil write again soon, I miss and love you all!

pictures: http://www.new.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98614&id=703567749&l=95661a409b

Making origami

I'm a pro!

Matsumoto Castle

view of the inside--that light in the back is a bow and arrow hole

in the Castle Lord's room

The first thing we saw in Kamakura was Daibutsu–aka the Big Buddha. Construction of the Big Buddha began in 1252 and took about ten years. It used to be housed in a temple but a tsunami wipped out the building and left behind only the Buddha which is as we see it today. It was very strange to see–it just emerged as if out of no where and is a very impressive sight. It is hard to believe something so large and complex was built so long ago! We wandered around the Buddha some and you can even go inside which was cool but there isn’t really anything to see.

Next we went to the Hasedera temple which was really cool. The gardens around the temple were beautfiul–probably even more so on a sunny day! Hasedera is settled into the hills and houses the statue of a buddhist god called Juichimen-Kanzeonbosatsu, it is about 28 feet tall, gilded, and the biggest wooden sculpture in Japan! Still not as neat as the three big buddha at Nikko it was definately at sight! (A little scary looking). Also part of the Hasedera temple was a cave shrine. You walk in and the statues are carved into the walls and lit by candles like small alters. the further in you go the shorter the ceiling got (even Hiro had to bend over) and it let into a small room filled with little wooden buddhas people bought and wrote wishes/prayers on. Very interesting.

After that we had a nice warm lunch–it was good to sit down and be dry! We took our time with lunch before going back out in the rain…then we walked down their shopping street to the Tsurugaokahacimanju Shrine (say that five times fast) which was pretty but not as cool as the others.

After this we headed back to Tokyo and picked up some prepared food for dinner and went home to get dry! Once we had eaten dinner (I had sweet and sour chicken and this thing that was kind of like a big roll filled with ground pork it was really good) we ate dessert while watching a Japanese movie called Train-man. Train man is a romantic comedy about a computer geek who saves a beautiful woman on a train and falls in love with her. Never having had a girlfriend before he gets advice from a bunch of people online and it is funny but definately a chick flick! It was extra intersting to watch because most of it was filmed in a district in Tokyo that I have not gone to yet but we will soon–I will let you know if I run into any of the movie stars!

Today was supposed to be the last day of our Kyoto/Hiroshima trip so Mark goes back to work tomorrow so we wont have quite so many adventures all the time, but it will give us more time to relax (and for Hiro and I to go shopping!) so that will be nice. I can’t believe I am already about half way through my trip! I miss and love you all! Sayonara

big buddha

He was quite large!

In the buddha cave! (all the little wooden buddhas)

for more of my pictures check out: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=98086&id=703567749&l=35fd61dca4

Today was much slower and more relaxing so we could recouperate some from all our activities. We had lunch at a restaurant called Black Bamboo, it was an inn that was built 250 years ago! We had to take our shoes off and eat barefoot…the food was very very traditional and pretty fancy. I tried all of it but I must say I was not a fan (Mark and Hiro suspected but they wanted me to experience it anyway because it is super authentic Japanese). It came in several courses consisting mainly of things I can’t even tell you what they were because we don’t have anything like it in english. I liked the chicken course (which i had to cook on the table!) and the rice course. It was very interesting however and I am very glad we went! After we ate we walked around outside, the restaurant is in set in a wooded area by the river and is very beautiful so we had fun exploring the paths and what not.

When we were done at the restaurant we too a nearby spa where I had my first public bath….FOOT bath that is! Since I am not brave enough to go to an onsen (public bath where you have to be naked) we went to a little one outside that you just put your feet in. It felt really nice after all the walking we have been doing! Someone next to me was doing a little water color picture while they soaked their feet, it was really good! The footbath was very relaxing and my feet did not want to walk anymore afterwards!

That is about all we did today, I also got a chance to rest, do some laundry, and catch up on my postcard writing (yay!) so it was very nice. Tomorrow we are going to Kamakura to see the famous big buddha so we will have to get up early and it will be back to walking again!

first course (see the whole crab?)

exploring outside!

Today was very busy, we took the train into dowtown Tokyo to the Roppongi Hills district and the Ginza district. The train took a total of about 2 hours but we had to switch cars many times, it was interesting to people watcho however! In Roppongi Hills we went to the top of a tall building with a lookout over Tokyo. The view was stunning and included the Tokyo Tower which looks similar to the Eiffle Tower but it is actually a bit taller (though it dominates the landscape much less interestingly enough). On the same level of the view there was a small contemporary art museum we went through. The art was very interesting if not always pretty, we had audio guides and I am glad because it explained all the “deep stuff” that otherwise I would never have figured out. Most people don’t really like contemporary art and I admit it isn’t something I would want in my house and it is very weird but I think it is very interesting and it is cool to see how other people choose to express themselves and the meanings each art conveyed. I wish I could have taken pictures of it but no photos allowed! One piece of art was a dark room with an old table illuminated in the middle and when you put your hands on the table you could hear people talking–it was supposed to symbolize the echoing of memories or something but it was a little creepy! My favorite was a room filled with spinning disco balls! I forget what that one actually meant but it was shiny

After that we headed over to the Ginza district which was where we spent the rest of the afternoon. In the late 1980s, early 90s Ginza was the most expensive shopping area in the world! Even now it is still very expensive (very high fashion). So obviously it was more of a looking day but still fun. I did get a lot of postcards…I have many I just have not had time to write on hardly any of them yet! I will catch up soon. In the Ginza there is a Godzilla statue outside the company that made the Godzilla films so of course we had to stop by there. The statue is much smaller than I expected–the Japanese don’t find Godzilla as exciting as Americans do or really understand American fascination with it (Hiro thought it strange we wanted to see it). By then we had done a lot of walking and were very hungry so we went to a small “hole in the wall” Thai restuarant under the railroad tracks that Mark and Hiro like. We orded a bunch of different dishes and shared and it was delicious! The grand finale of the day was going into the Bic camera electronic store where played with the gadgets…mainly the massage chairs after all that walking!

View of Tokyo Tower from Roppongi Hills

Ginza

Godzilla!!

with Hiro at dinner