Maybe the Best Day Ever

     Thursday this week was a holiday. There are many holidays in Japan so I tend to lose track of what they are for, but to my friends and me this day was for food. Specifically, it was a day for home cooked Japanese food and a lot of it.

     My friends and I got together in the afternoon and took the train to the city where my Japanese speaking-partner (Yuko Kimura) lives with her family. Her father and sister where so helpful and drove us from the station to their home a few miles away, by the Yodo river. When we got to the station, I was amazed to find out that Mr Kimura is a mason, and the whole family lives above his shop. In front of the shop there were many stone statues including this iconic piece. Apparently Mr Kimura bought it in China.
     Originally we had planned a crepe making party, so when we went inside the Kimura house we started making as many crepes as we could. Of course they were delicious, and we slathered them with all kinds of jam, peanut butter, ice cream, whipped cream, chocolate, and bananas. Yuko's parents were kind enough to supply us with all sorts of wonderful drinks.
     Once the crepes were over I thought we had completed our plan. But little did I know the Kimura's had been preparing temakizushi. For those who don't know, temakizushi is sushi you make by hand and then eat right away. It's quite fantastic really. They had such things as krab, squid, and tuna.
     Along with the crepes, the sushi made a rather filling meal, so to 'wash it down' Yuko's mother and mother's friend prepared the traditional Japanese pancake called okonomiyaki. I guess they decided that one delicious dish should follow another so they also prepared a traditional soup that I forget the name of but will probably never its taste.
     At this point my stomach was ready to explode and all I could think about was sitting and trying to digest. So as everyone sat we started conversing and ended up on the subject of how fun it would be to go to a hot spring. I guess Yuko's parents overheard us, because they decided to treat us to an hour at the local onsen.
     After splitting off from the women in the group, us guys headed to the locker room. At first everyone was a little shy about just droppin' trou' infront of each other, but we just buckled down and walked, in the buff, out to the public bath.
     I love Japanese hot springs. It is so relaxing to just sit and soak. I even spent some time in a sauna and detoxed a little. The hilarious part of the day came when Mr Kimura indicated to a section of one of the pools and suggested I sit in it. He explained it as a seat that was supposed to relax you with electricity. I really wanted to try it so I wadded over and plopped right down. Unfortunately the electric current in that area was extremely strong and I jumped in my surprise. It felt like my butt had just been tazed; a sensation for which I was not prepared.
     An old man sitting next to me in that pool thought the whole thing was the best joke of the day, and he openly laughed at me. Because of that I had to accept the challenge of the 'denki buro' as it is called here. Once again I sat down, this time a little slower. I found that it is actually quite relaxing when entered properly.
     The whole affair put a rather devious plan in my mind. I told one of my friends he should go sit in the "chair that relaxes your muscles in some way." The sight of him floundering in the pool was priceless, and everyone had a good laugh including him.
     After the onsen everyone headed home full of good food and revitalized by a refreshing bath. We all noticed how the nudity wasn't weird when everyone just accepted it. I can't wait till my next trip.

Weekend Fun

     Three day weekends are amazing. But oh so tiring. Since I'm usually done with class at 11am on Fridays, this one felt like a four day event. And now for the regaling.

     Friday was quite fun. After school I went with some of my friends down to Shinsaibashi, a major shopping district in Osaka, and walked around for quite a while. Getting there and back took way too much money, and on top of that I had to buy a Monkey Majik CD I'd been wanting. Before we headed back we stopped and listened to a street band who had set up shop on the main street.

     Saturday consisted of sleeping late, eating, taking a nap, eating, going to bed. It was good I got plenty of sleep since Sunday was Danjiri day. For those who don't know, Danjiri is a festival in Osaka where Japanese people with large wooden carts push/pull them at high speed through narrow streets and around sharp corners. It was quite a sight even though it was extremely hot.

     After baking in the hot sun at Danjiri, the group headed to Nanba to do a little light shopping. The mall there is nine floors of amazing shops. Part of it is even an open-air walk.

     Today was the final day of my long weekend excitement. I went to the mountains with my host family for a Japanese style BBQ. The food was wonderful: grilled fish and yakisoba. Following the food I was able to go on my first ever chestnut scavenger hunt. Just a short way from where we had eaten there were chestnut trees with the spiky pods hanging.

     After the mountain my family decided a trip to the local bath house was in order, so we packed back into the car and drove a short while to my first public bath experience, (the place I went before was technically and onsen, or hot-spring). The bath house had everything. A dining court, barber, confectionery, and masseuse were all nestled together right outside the baths' entrance. The whole experience was very relaxing.

Photos

     If anyone reading wants to view photos from my stay in Japan, I have started an account on Flickr. This way I can post those photos that I can't cram into a blog post. Click Here and Enjoy!

Passing Notes

     So here's the funny story from my week I promised. Although, to tell it I'll have to jump back to the beginning of my stay at KGU. I was sitting in the CIE (center for international education) Lounge with my friends when I saw a really truly attractive Japanese student walking by. She was probably hands down the most beautiful person I had seen since getting to Japan. I later explained to my friends that I didn't just do a double-take because a triple was required.
     Anyway, I had dismissed her appearance thinking I probably wouldn't see her again. But surprise, she showed up in the lounge on Monday. Of course I was a little excited and so I pointed her out to the friends I was sitting with. My friends, being the kind of people they are, suggested I walk over and introduce myself, which I decided just wasn't going to happen that day.
     The introduction wasn't left up to me however, since my friends Luis, Kana, and Yuko decided to wright a love letter from me. What was surprising was that they bothered to deliver the note, much to my chagrin. Here's a rough translation of the note:

     To the Princess,
          I think you are pretty. Please Tell me your name. Would you
     like to eat lunch with me tomorrow? I will wait for you in front of
     McDonald's tomorrow at noon.
          Daniel

     I felt it would be awkward to just let her have a mysterious note, so, goaded by my friends, I walked over and introduced myself. I found out her name is Ayaka, and she's quite a nice person. Our conversation was rather brief and kind of funny. She was rather surprised at receiving a note. I explained that in high school kids passed notes to each other during class. Though slightly awkward, it was a good introduction, and I decided to leave before I embarrassed myself too much.
     Well the next day, I waited in front of McDonald's like it said in the note. Honestly I didn't expect to meet her, but to my surprise she showed up. We ate lunch with my friends and I at least had a good time. So I guess we're friends now. Yep, that's basically the whole story... for now.
    

First and Second Week

     I realize I still need to finish telling the story of my first week in Japan, but so much has also happened recently that I feel obliged to share that too.
     After an awesome weekend spent with my friends, the Okamotos, I stepped onto a bullet-train and hurdled for 3 hours from Kanto to the Kansai region. After two more trains and a taxi (the whole rout ended up costing me maybe $250) I made it to my temporary accommodations at Kansai Gaidai.
     After all that travel, I was rather hungry, so at 8pm I set off with some new friends to a local super market. Unfortunately the super market was the most foreign experience I had had in Japan thus far, so I only felt comfortable grabbing some bread and water. Classic choices I think.
     The next few days weren't actually very fun for me. Between being shuffled around to different orientation programs, trying to endure a cold, and the ridiculous heat, I developed a good amount of homesickness. Thankfully, with the support of my friends and family I made it through and the following weekend was amazing. Scattered are a two photos from a trip to Kiyomizu Temple I took with my new friends.

     During the weekend I moved in with my home-stay family. Their family name is Tsukahara, and they are AMAZING. I'm so glad I got placed with them. My host mother is a nurse and my host father is a middle school teacher. They have a 12-year-old daughter who reminds me a little of my own younger sister. So far, life with the Tsukaharas is turning out great.
     Classes started the following Monday, but there is nothing spectacular to report about the first week of school. I will however list my classes for those who are interested.
     I am in level 4 of both Japanese Speaking and Japanese Reading/Writing. My Asian Studies classes are Religion in Japan, Japan and its world to 1860, and International Business Transactions.

     I didn't do much Friday or Saturday, but on Sunday I went to Osaka with my friend Aolai (you can link to her blog about Japan here) to check out a church. The church was awesome, I could see my self going there long term, and afterward the two of us decided to take a trip to Osaka Castle.
     This week has also been fun, but with a funny twist story I think I'll talk about in the next post. So I'll sign off for now with another panorama, this one of Osaka City.

    

First Week in Japan: Weekend with the Okamotos

     I have had a busy week. With one activity following the next, I have had little time to compose my thoughts and reactions. In the interest of catching up, I will attempt to compile my week into a few posts.

Wednesday, Aug 25 to Thursday, Aug 26
     I woke at 5:30 am MST to get ready for my flight. After driving to the airport with my mom and older sister, I had an uneventful flight to San Francisco. During my longer flight to Narita International Airport, I was able to amuse myself by watching three in-flight movies and sleeping.
     I was a little anxious after landing in Japan, as to whether I would be able to pass through customs and find my connecting bus. However, customs was easy, (interestingly enough, I don't think there is a customs official alive who is friendly, since even in the famously polite Japan, the agent who reviewed my documents seemed put-off by my presence.) and I successfully met up with my teacher's niece, who was holding a sign bearing my name.
     My teacher's niece-who's name is Emi-was a great help when it came to buying a bus ticket and finding where I needed to go. Three hours later, I arrived in Takasaki, the town next to Maebashi. I was met by Okamoto-sensei, and together we drove through the rain to her house in Maebashi.

Friday, Aug 27
     I woke up on Friday thinking I was waking up in my room back in Colorado. It was a little odd at first, but I decided the only thing to do was to go with the flow. After an excellent breakfast and meeting Okamoto-sensei's very nice husband, Ken, the three of us set off for a day in the mountains.
     Our first stop was a natural onsen (hot-spring). This was my first experience with a Japanese-style hot-spring so I was a little uncomfortable at first, but soon the fresh air and beautiful mountain view put me in high spirits.
     After the onsen, we drove to a family owned soba shop. I've had soba before, but it cou not compare to the amazing flavor of the hand made noodles I was given. The meal and bath were refreshing and so was our next stop.

     This is Tanigawa-dake, or Mt. Tanigawa. This picture cannot accurately capture the imposing atmosphere the mountain gives off. We have large mountains in Colorado, very impressive mountains. But seeing this mighty peak helped me understand better why the Japanese worshiped the spirits of natural features.
     The rest of the evening was quite laid back. We drove back to the house, ate dinner, and went to bed. I am so grateful to the Okamotos for opening their house to me, and for showing me my first day in Japan.