Quite of lot of interesting things have happened in the past few months. Like my time in Yamaguchi, I’ve experienced a lot of cultural episodes for the first time, although this time around my experiences have been a bit different, mainly, I assume, because I’m not an exchange student and thus haven’t been hanging out almost exclusively with other exchange students. Add in the fact that I’m dating a Japanese girl whose family seems to like me quite a bit, and it’s been a lot more interesting (and simultaneously nerve wracking at times.)

Touching back on that Hanshin Tigers game I mentioned in my last blog post, I didn’t have pictures at the time so didn’t think to desribe some of the stranger customs of the Hanshin fans. At set times throughout the game–the beginning of the 7th inning and the end of the game, if I remember correctly–the Hanshin fans collectively blow up thousands of these giant euphamistically shaped balloons and when commanded, release them into the air with a cheer. There appears to be no greater purpose to this custom other than to release balloons in the air, but it is what it is.

The balloons

Anyway, of the things to write about, nearly all of them happened during my two week winter break from work, and I really had a blast. For Christmas, Nahomi and I visited Universal Studios Japan, which on Christmas Eve put on a really cool Christmas musical with a giant tree lighting. It’d been forever since I’d gone to Universal Studios as a kid, and I was delighted to see some of the old rides I remembered loving, like E.T. and Back to the Future, especially since the latter has been disconntinued in the States. Back to the Future was exactly like the ride I remember, only dubbed into Japanese. Newer rides like Spiderman were also really cool. But the Christmas show definitely took the cake. In the central square of the mock city that is USJ, they put on a show complete with dancing angels, performers, and a huge choir, all on the facade of this 4 storey building that was used as a giant projector screen to make all sorts of moving images appear on it. It’s kind of hard to describe, so I recommend just checking out the pictures and videos on Flickr.

Universal Studios Japan

On the 26th, Nahomi, me, her best friend, Tsukasa, and her boyfriend, Yushi, all took a night bus to Nagano Prefecture north of Tokyo for a 4 day snowboarding trip. It was my first time to snowboard and I’d only been skiing once before as well (in Hiroshima when I lived in Yamaguchi), so I was a little nervous about how bad I’d suck. But I took it all in stride and luckily Yushi had been many times in the past and turned out to be a pretty good teacher. I managed to fall down countless times my first day, but had improved enough by the second and third day that I only fell a few times. We even took a 20-minute sealed car to the very top of the mountain –the ‘no beginners allowed zone’–and I managed not to Sonny Bono or anything like that, so I was relieved to say the least. The place was just beautiful; I definitely recommend checking out the pictures. One funny thing was that there was a KFC halfway up the mountain. Their selection was limited, as is to be expected for a fast food shop halfway up a steep mountain, but there it was on the side of a mountain in the Japanese Alps, a marvel of globalization.

Snowboarding in the Japan Alps

January 1st was also Nahomi’s birthday, so on New Year’s Eve I took her out to dinner at La Tour,  a nice French restaurant at the top of the Swissôtel Nankai in the Namba district of central Osaka. For her present I bought her a pair of silver Gucci Bamboo Heart earrings, which she loved. New Year’s Day I went with Nahomi and Tsukasa to a jinja (a Shinto shrine), where they wore kimono, as is the custom for girls who have just turned twenty. (Nahomi had actually just turned 21 but hadn’t gotten to go the previous year as she was in America studying abroad.) The temple itself was packed with people praying for good fortune for the new year and buying omamori–various kinds of amulets with purposes ranging from health and good fortune to a good score on an upcoming test. But most all, I think, people came for the wonderful food. There were all kinds of stalls selling everything from grilled corn on the cob to turkey legs. The most popular food by far was bebi kasutera (‘baby castella’), which is kasutera (Japanese sponge-cake originally from Portugal) except in little balls you buy per bag. I think we waited about an hour just to get ours. It was good, but not that good if you ask me.

Following the trip to the jinja, Nahomi and I returned to her house where her mother had made the family temakizushi (lit. hand-rolled sushi), a kind of do-it-yourself sushi, where you grab a piece of nori (dried seaweed) and throw some rice and whatever else you want in it. They had everything from beef, to veggies to squid. It was really good! Before the meal, I also learned how to play–tried to learn I should say–hanafuda, a type of Japanese poker with Nahomi’s cousins. Everyone was really nice to say the least–they really made me feel like part of the family, as everyone went out of their way to talk to me, ask me if I wanted more beer (it goes great with temakizushi), tell me something about Japanese traditions, etc. After eating, I had probably the weirdest experience of my stay in Japan so far. Nahomi’s grandmother showed me the family butsudan, a type of Buddhist shrine that commemorates the family’s dead ancestors. She showed me some old black and white photos of her father, grandfather, etc. Most of these were of old looking men, but one was of a very young man in an Imperial Navy uniform. “My  brother,” she said. “He died in the war.” She went on to explain that he was on the Yamato, the largest battleship ever constructed, when it sank. It was just strange to think of how history works out sometimes–how he had been killed on the opposite side of WWII, yet there I was, an American, in his sister’s home, dating his great-neice, and enjoying the holidays with his family. It made me realize how unfortunate war is in very personal terms. Finally, Nahomi’s grandmother made tea for everyone and we did a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. Since she had made tea for everyone, someone needed to make it for her, and she asked me if I’d like to give it a try, so I got to make some as well.

Makin' some tea

Later in the week, I headed to Yamaguchi to visit old friends. Only after living in Osaka, a city of 8 million, did I realize just how rural Yamaguchi is. Everything seemed smaller than I remember–the buildings were shorter, the streets more narrow, everything. But it still had charm, especially as I was walking down the side walk and bumped into my old Nicaraguan friend Jader, who recognized me as he rode by on his bike and stopped to say hi. Those kinds of things happen occassionally in Osaka, but not nearly as often. Over the next few days there I just enjoyed going out with friends, such as Thomas, a friend from OU who’s studying abroad there, Yuki and Sachiyo, former OU exchange students I met in Oklahoma, Brent, who was visiting his then-fiance (now wife) Akiko, and all of my old Japanese friends who probably never thought they’d see me again. Walking into places like ‘Cocky’ or ‘Johnny’s’ and having the owners do a double-take then freak when they saw me was a pretty fun thing.

So, it all started with a flight–a long, long flight. (Actually, three flights to be exact.) Only this time, I knew the flight would be long, so I deprived myself of sleep to the point of having only a few hours in as many days, and I managed to make the time seem more like a drive to Dallas than a flight across the world. I think, in all, I slept probably 12 or 13 hours of my 15 hour flight. The movies were horrible anyway. (I think they even played feature length version of Stomp–so that’s two hours I can’t be blamed for.)

Anyway, I finally arrived in Tokyo’s Narita Airport with the other JETs I met in Houston mid-afternoon, made it through immigration and customs with no hitches, sent my bags off to Tondabayashi (a suburb of Osaka), where I live and work, and boarded a bus to the hotel. We stayed at the Keio Plaza Hotel, which was pretty nice, although I must say the room was nearly identical to the Tokyo Holiday Inn Brent and I stayed at 2 years before. On the first day we were free to do whatever so two of the girls I met in Houston and I all went out for dinner. The next day was orientation, which was surprisingly interesting. One man, who was the head of the Ministry of Education, if I can remember, was pretty funny. I think he talked for 15 minutes or so about how nervous he was to give speeches, then gave a speech for about the other 15.

Home, sweet home

After orientation ended, I caught the shinkansen to Osaka with Joe, an American who’s my “prefectural advisor” and John, another JET from Australia. After arriving at the Osaka Prefectural Board of Education building, we met some of the staff from our respective schools, signed some contracts and other forms , and were on our way. I arrived at Tondabayashi pretty late in the evening; was shown my apartment, where I met another teacher who had gone through the trouble of setting everything up for me; met the owners of my apartment complex, who live next door; bought some food from the grocery store down the street; and crashed. (Pictures are from later, when I actually got stuff put in order.)

On Saturday I woke up early and went to my school, which is only about 10 minutes by bike from my apartment. The bike I was left was not the best, and I figured I’d be riding it for a year at least, so I bought a new one that day as well. At my school I met some of the other staff, was shown around, and was generally stared at by the students who happened to be there preparing for the bunkasai (culture festival) which was coming up. (More on that later.)

Anyway, over the next few days (and weeks) I finally got settled in. For the first month I didn’t do much as I didn’t really know anyone, had no computer with which to contact anyone, didn’t yet know my way around, and was basically just trying to get my bearings. By the middle of September, I’d met quite a few people through my new friend Matt, who happens to be another OU alum working for the JET Program in Osaka, who happened to spot me on Facebook and shoot me a message. About that time, Nahomi also arrived back in Japan and since she lives nearby, we can meet pretty often. (That in and of itself is a weird story, seeing as how I didn’t even request to be placed in Osaka and was even told not to ask for it because it’s where everyone asks to go and I’d just be wasting a choice of location.)

'The Spiders' dance team

Also in mid September (13th and 14th) was the school bunkasai I mentioned earlier. This is basically a huge festival that takes place over the weekend at the school grounds and is managed almost entirely by the students. Each class plans their own activity, such as a play, a food vendor, or some other attraction. The third year (senior) students all do plays with their respective homerooms that are performed at the city theatre down the street from the high school. These were by far my favorite part of the bunkasai. Two of the classes did American plays, the Lion King and West Side Story, both of which were exceptional. I couldn’t believe the amount of work the students put into everything–from the costumes to the choreography to the sets, everything looked so professional. There were quite a few other things going on too, such as a ‘haunted house’ one class put on, a planetarium another did, lots of food and musical performances by some student rock bands. I also managed to attend a traditional tea ceremony put on by some students in the traditional style tea room the school has (which I was surprised about.) Everything ended on Sunday evening with a big bonfire that all the students ran around–it reminded me a lot of that scene from Lord of the Flies where everyone runs all primal-like around the fire. I even managed to get ran into while I was trying to film it. (I’ll upload the video when I can.) I realized for the seniors at least, this was the last bit hurrah of their high school careers. After that, it’s preparing for the college entrance exams and then off to university.

So far I haven’t done much travelling, but have managed to see a few cool things, mostly thanks to Nahomi. Her mom got us both tickets to see a Hanshin Tigers game, which, despite my dislike of baseball, was a really good time. The Hanshin fans are unlike any other in baseball. I think they’re the only baseball fans I know who perform organized cheers throughout the entire–and I mean entire–game. Over and over and over. Not sure that it worked though, as we ended up with a 1-1 tie after 13 innings, which was just long enough for me to miss the last train. Luckily, Nahomi’s train ran longer and her mom was kind enough to drive me home.

Kushikatsu

Aside from that, I’ve been to quite a few parties and met a ton of people so far. I really like being so close to Namba and Shinsaibashi, the places to be in south Osaka. There’s just so much to do, yet because the district is laid out on a grid, it’s very easy to find your way around. Not to mention the subway. Not too far off, Nahomi and I went to Tsutenkaku, a large tower in the Shinsekai district, where you can get a nice view of Osaka and try some kushikatsu at the many little shops in the area. (We ate that the most famous place, Daruma.) I must say, it’s now one of my favorite foods here.

Following my last post was my birthday party. This year, my birthday (May 13) fell on a Sunday, so I opted to have my party on the Saturday before. All-in-all it was a blast, with over 30 people attending. We decided to return to our roots and start the night at Hakkenden, in the same back room where we had our first big get-together. I got a lot of cool gifts too, such as soccer cleats from Antonio (AKA Darth Jader) and a CD holder made of an Oklahoma license plate from Sarah and Anne. After a couple of hours there, we headed to karaoke at a place called Ashanti. I didn’t think to make a reservation there, but with the size of our group it turns out I should have. After being told we’d have to wait a couple hours for one of their large rooms to open up. We decided to instead try another place down the road called Shidax. Lucky for us, they were able to literally build a new room for us. You see, the big lobby has a section where hanging wall pieces can be attached to the ceiling and rolled into place to partition off a seperate room. Thus, we were able to rent a room big enough to accommodate everyone and we all had a great time. After that, we went to Johnny’s for a little while. Michael and and Yutaka jammed on the guitars, people sang, talked, and generally had a good time there as well.

Michael had recently gotten a car from his work (a car dealership), so the following Saturday we decided to take a drive to Hagi, a city in the north of Yamaguchi Prefecture on the coast of the Sea of Japan, to check out the volcano and the Kita Nagato Kaigan Quasi-National (yes, “quasi”) Park there. However, as we were making our way through the mountains out of Yamaguchi City, Michael commented that his (3-cylinder turbo) car sure runs hot when going up-hill. I remarked that he should get that looked at so he doesn’t blow a hose or something. Within 10 seconds of my saying that, we heard a loud popping sound and black smoke began bellowing from the engine. Sure enough, a blown hose. Fortunately, Michael was able to call the mechanic from his work, who came to help us. He fiddled with a few things and put more coolant in the car, which was in good enough shape to get back into town. So the mechanic drove it back and left us with a company car while he ordered the part for Michael’s. We were back on the road.

Hagi is really a beautiful city. And while it isn’t the most happening, much of the traditional ancient parts of the city remain in tact. The volcano itself (Mt. Kasayama) is (according to Michael) the smallest in Japan. Unfortunately, it is roped off to the extent that it is hard to make out exactly what you’re looking at. However, the view from the 3-story platform on the mountain is one of the best I’ve ever seen. We arrived around 5pm, which is just when the sun starts to descend, so the pictures turned out really well.

The following day was the camping trip Michael, Justin, and I had been planning. We took another company car to Nishi-Chugoku Sanchi Quasi-National Park, a stunning area near the border of Yamaguchi and Hiroshima Prefectures. The park includes Jakuchiyama, the tallest mountain in Yamaguchi Pref. at 1,337 meters. Because it was Golden Week, we arrived to find all 3 car parks full and our hopes of being able to stay dwindling. However, we soon discovered that most of the visitors were just on day-trips to the park and that there were plenty of tents and campsites to rent. After we set up our tent–well, actually, two park workers saw us taking the tent out and apparently assumed we wouldn’t know what to do, so they did most of it–we went exploring around the park. We arrived pretty early that day, so we had plenty of time to hike and see everything. We decided to save the long hike to Jakuchiyama for the following day, but we did climb one of the other tall mountains before returning to camp. The park was one of the most amazing things I’ve seen. There was waterfall after waterfall and many things worth taking pictures of. Also, below many of the waterfalls are pools used for swimming. Although it was too cold for that at the time, we definitely intend on coming back sometime this summer.

The following day we hiked to the summit of Jakuchiyama. We got a bit lazy and drove the car up part of the mountain, but still ended up hiking for several kilometers, some of it up pretty steep inclines. We were surprised to see so many older hikers there. We saw literally no one below the age of 30. I guess many of the younger Japanese don’t like the sort of nature things we’d expect younger people to be doing as well. After the hike to the top, we rested at the small picnic area there and then began making our way back. The view from the top was obstructed by a lot of brush, but it was still high enough to give us a sense of accomplishment. Most of the entire trip we had been wanting to see at least one bear. We’d heard that they live in the area and every now and then one can be spotted. We thought our chances were pretty good, especially after seeing literally ever hiker on the mountain (except the three of us, of course) equipped these clanging anti-bear bells. But in the end we saw little wildlife, which was the only disappointment of the trip. However, on the way back, even as we were talking about wishing we’d gotten to see a bear, we saw two wild monkeys crossing the road, which of course was cool.

The following Thursday was the start of the 4-day weekend in which many people take to the planes, train, and automobiles. Michael had the rest of the week off as well. So he, Brent, and I set out on our trip to… Well, after discovering a Korea trip wasn’t possible, we had planned to drive all the way to Tokyo to visit one of Michael’s friends who had just purchased a house in Roppongi. However, when we learned it’d be a 15-hour drive and cost near $350 in petrol and highway tolls both ways, we decided at the last minute to put that on hold. We could have taken the train, but of course they were full weeks in advance. Instead, we decided to head to Shikoku, the smallest of Japan’s four main islands and one we all three had not yet been to. The drive was not nearly as long or expensive. Plus, we were eager to visit another of Japan’s islands.

After crossing the world’s longest two-tiered bridge system, the 13.1km Great Seto Bridge, we arrived in Shikoku from Honshu. Our destination was Matsuyama, the capital of Ehime Prefecture and one of the most popular tourist destinations in Shikoku. En route we stopped at an amazing gorge to take pictures. By the time we arrived in Matsuyama it was already getting late. We had the worst time trying to find hotels. After spending over three hours canvasing Matsuyama and calling every hotel on our maps, we were ready to give up and just crash in the car. However, we soon wandered into another area where we found another batch of hotels to check out. I went into one to see if they had any rooms. And while they were of course full for that night, they did have space for the following day. So, I made a reservation at what looked like a really nice hotel but was only about $160 for a 3-person room. Off we went to the other hotels to find a space for the night.

After checking another hotel and parking the car to look around some more, we were approached by an older woman who asked us if we were looking for a hotel. After we said yes, she began calling someone on her cellphone asking if they had rooms. She said she had 3 gaijin here who are looking for a room and can speak Japanese. Within a few minutes, a car pulled up to drive us somewhere. We weren’t sure what to think. Michael assumed that they were with a cheaper hotel trying to undercut some of the bigger hotels who at this point were full anyway. So we followed the car to what was increasing looking like a shady neighborhood. But at this point we didn’t care much where we stayed. After unloading our luggage, we followed the man on foot down a small street to a little hole-in-the-wall cafe and bar. They told us to have a seat in a booth while they ‘prepared’ our room. We weren’t sure what to think, especially after something like 20 minutes had passed. Sitting in a dark, near empty bar at midnight, in a dilapidated area, waiting on someone you don’t know to ‘find you a room’, can be a bit unnerving. But eventually, another older woman showed up and took us a little way down the street to what looked like a business hotel, albeit a very crummy one. But like I said, we didn’t much care where we slept.

When we arrived at the room, we found what looked more like a small one bedroom apartment with a single bed, TV, and kotatsu. The woman told us to wait while she brings us two futons (the Japanese kind). After she left we began to look around the room, only to find the refrigerator full of someone else’s food, used dishes in the sink, medicine in the cupboard, and magazines in the dresser. Someone lived there. At this point we found it unnerving as well as funny. We assumed the tenant had either moved out or had also gone traveling and the owners of the building were renting the room out again, double-dipping. Still, to us it was better than the car. Our suspicions were confirmed when the woman told us there was no check-out time, that we could leave whenever we wanted the next day, only just be sure to leave the key on the table when we left. After that we headed back out to get some food. We hadn’t eaten anything since around noon. We had spotted a pizza shop on the way to the “hotel” but weren’t able to find it again in the dark. Instead, we ended up wandering around for hours exploring the city and eating prepackaged food from the convenience store. On our way back we discovered that our hotel was no more than 2 blocks away from Matsuyama’s biggest tourist destination, Dogo Onsen, one of the oldest (at over 1,500 years) and most famous onsen in Japan. The next day we took advantage of the non-existent check-out time and slept in. We had to wait until 2:30 to check into the other hotel anyway.

At about 2pm we headed to the other hotel to get checked-in and drop our stuff of. When we pulled up, we found the hotel to be a lot (lot, lot) nicer than it looked in the dark. The valet parked our car as we waited in the lobby, which was filled with marble floors and samurai armor decor. When checking in, we were told about the in-hotel onsen, restaurants, breakfast buffet, karaoke, and a host of other amenities at our service. A girl dressed in a yukata then took us to our room on the 8th floor. When we entered our room we were beginning to wonder if I had misheard the price of the hotel when making the reservation. The floors were green tatami and traditional pillow chairs surrounded a table, on top of which traditional Japanese tea pots were placed. There was also a sitting area near the balcony, separated from the main room by shoji. When the girl asked us to sit and began preparing hot green tea for us, we were really wondering. When we were asked to give our heights for the fitted bathrobes, we were really, really wondering. Sure enough, the hotel cost near $500 per night. It was roughly $160 per person, not in total. But what was done was done, and we found it especially amusing that we had slept in a tiny dilapidated room someone was living in the night before and were now in one of the nicest hotels in the city, the Dogo Prince Hotel.

After checking in, we took the bus (which the hotel provides) to the Dogo station, from which we took a trolley into central Matsuyama. From there we walked to Matsuyama Castle, a 400-year old castle and one of Shikoku’s best tourist destinations. One cool thing about the castle is that because it sits atop a mountain, visitors can take what is basically a ski lift to the top. The castle, and the view from the top, were just amazing. I have to say it is my favorite castle thus far. The history there was immense, and the numerous holes in the walls of the castle so defenders could shoot arrows and things down at attackers just made it that much more interesting. The souvenirs were pretty neat too. I purchased a gold coin with a picture of the castle on the obverse and the date and my name on the reverse.

After spending a couple of hours there, we headed to the shotengai to do a bit of looking around. I found a Godzilla shirt which Brent bought. (He’s a big fan.) We also stopped by Dogo Onsen to take a few pictures before calling heading back to the hotel. Later that night we went out for dinner and eventually wound up in a really small club in the shotengai. We met a lot of really nice people and had a good time. One guy we met was an American–or so he said–who had “just gotten back from Iraq after 2 years there”. But when I asked him what city he was stationed in, he didn’t know. And when Michael asked him, he said he was “on the border of Iraq and Afghanistan.” At that point, we stopped talking to him. Other than that, everyone else was really cool. Following that, we returned to the hotel and went to sleep.

The next day we checked out and headed out of Matsuyama. We didn’t really have any plans. But Michael wanted to check out this very long peninsula on south-west end of Shikoku. We drove all the way to the end of it, where on one side you have the Seto Inland Sea and on the other the Pacific Ocean. The view was amazing and it was the first time I’d gotten to touch the Pacific. We climbed the small mountain at the end of the peninsula and visited the lighthouse there as well. The view was amazing. But unfortunately, it was raining and we couldn’t bring our cameras. The drive out there took quite a long time, and there was pretty much nothing around. We were quite tired from all the traveling, so we decided to just take it easy in the small but beautiful city we wound up in. Plus it was dark and rainy by then, so we ate dinner and then just went walking around by the river. We saw two tanuki (racoon dogs) as well, which was interesting since you hear about them but seeing them is not common. We also wandered into a stunning bay where lots of fishermen were fishing in the rain. After our walk we headed back to the hotel. I watched a bit of TV and then went to sleep. My brother called me at around 1:20AM since he never seems to remember the time difference. But it was good to hear from him none-the-less.

The next day we headed home. We took a different bridge complex back across to Honshu, since we had moved further south-west. In Hiroshima, we saw a Pizza Hut, the first we’d seen in Japan, so we all got some pizza and were then back on our way. The drive was pretty long since we had gone so far from Matsuyama the previous day. We returned to Yamaguchi just after sunset on our last day of Golden Week.

MATSUYAMA — An earthquake hit Shikoku and other parts of western Japan on Thursday morning, but no injuries were reported, officials said.

Meteorological Agency officials said that the epicenter of the earthquake was about 40 kilometers underground in northern Ehime Prefecture, and was estimated to be 5.4 on the Richter scale, or four on the Japanese seismological scale.

No tsunami warnings were issued.

The earthquake struck shortly after 9 a.m., and registered four on the Japanese scale in Ehime, Tokushima, Kagawa, Kochi, Hiroshima and Okayama prefectures.

Yamaguchi is located across the Inland Sea from Shikoku. But we still managed to feel a slight vibration this morning. I was still asleep at 9AM, but woke up when my room vibrated. The wind was blowing pretty strongly outside, so I just assumed it was the wind and went back to sleep. Only later did I find out it was actually a 5.4 magnitude earthquake.

The last week of March, Anne’s little sister, Lena, visited for about a week, so the two of them, along with Sarah, took a sightseeing trip to Osaka, Kyoto, and Tokyo. We did all go out a couple times before they left, though, which was nice to get to meet people we hear about but never usually get to meet. Also, Anne met her friend Stefan, also from Germany, in Tokyo, so we got to meet him the following week as well. The three of them returned from their trip on the 2nd, which was just in time for Brent’s birthday party. We had planned on having at Tony’s Hawaiian restaurant, but it apparently is closed on Mondays. So, we moved it to ‘Havana Club’ at the last minute. Everything worked out well, though, and we all had a good time. Afterwards was karaoke, which despite many people being out-of-town, was still a blast.

The 7th was the day of the big back-to-school festival. All of the student organizations showed up with tents and fliers, encouraging incoming students to join their clubs. Some of the clubs are funny, such as the cheer leading club, which meets on its own and does cheers. Likewise, there’s an ice hockey club even though there’s no ice in Yamaguchi. Apparently they practice on Rollerblades and occasionally go to Fukuoka to play on ice. At first everyone was afraid to give Sarah or me a flier, but in true Japanese fashion, after one person did, everyone did. I ended up with near 25 fliers for tons of different clubs, some of them stranger than others. After that Sarah and I rode our bikes to Rurikouji (the 5-story pagoda) again to get some pictures before the sakura blossoms all blew away. We also took pictures of some small waterfalls our friend Justin told me about. (Pics are up on flickr.)

The 8th, Sunday, was our first ever hanami, traditional Japanese flower-viewing. Basically, it’s a big picnic with lots of friends under the sakura trees. Directly under the tree is prime real estate, though, and many Japanese groups (such as companies or groups of friends) send someone to the area hours before to stake a claim. We were lucky enough, however, to find a (somewhat) empty spot. It was being held by a man who offered to give it to us if we joined him for a drink of shochu, a traditional Japanese drink. He had all these little cups and such and everyone passed them around, although I didn’t try any. After about 10 minutes he wandered off to talk to another group of people, leaving us with one of the best spots in Yamaguchi for hanami. We brought along a lot of snacks and games, and we ended up playing soccer with some Japanese people (mostly kids) we met and another group of exchange students and researchers from the Middle-East. It was a very fun time. I also met my friend Takashi at the park, who invited us all to go eat dinner with his group after hanami finished. That too was a lot of fun.

On the 9th we took the Japanese proficiency test again, which to my delight I nearly tripled my score on. I was still a bit shy of getting into the exact class I wanted, but progress is progress and we’re moving at a quick pace in most of our language classes. Other than the 2 Japanese language classes we’re taking at the International Center, we’re also sitting in on 2 more non-credit practice courses, and taking for credit 3 content courses: Computational Linguistic Theory (a ProLog computer programming class), Cultural Psychology Research, and Human Geography. Our first test is Monday, in Japanese class, but it should be easy so no worries there.

Well, I didn’t think I’d write so much but as I started writing I started remembering a lot of stuff I’d forgotten about. Anywho, I’ll try to update more frequently from now on. Peace!

Now, let me see… On Feb. 16, Michael, Brent, and I rented a car and drove about an hour and a half to Megahiro, a ski slope just outside of Yamaguchi Prefecture. It was my first time skiing and honestly I had no idea how hard it was. After several hours and dozens of hard wipeouts, I was both sore and improving. By the end of the day, although I was completely beat, I managed to make it from the very top of the slope (requiring two lifts) to the bottom without wiping out. Granted, it’s a medium grade so nothing too difficult, but finally getting the hang of it was a real confidence booster. I still couldn’t make it the whole day (8am-5pm), however, seeing as how every square inch of my body was sore as ever (for days, too).

The following weekend (Feb. 23), Brent and I met some of our other friends who teach English here in Yamaguchi for a big birthday party. Lee, a Canadian, and Justin, an Australian, both have birthdays on the same day, so everyone met up at a yakiniku (lit. ‘grilled meat’) restaurant in Yuda (which is where everyone sits at a big table with bowls full of different meats and toppings and cooks their own food on grills built into the tables.) That was a lot of fun and I got to meet several new people whom Lee and Justin work with.

Yet another birthday party, Sarah’s, was held the weekend after that (Feb. 28). She held hers at a place called Cafe Orancio, also in Yuda. Quite a few people showed up to that as well, including friends of friends I hadn’t met before, so it was also a pretty fun time. After that we went to karaoke. As it was late, we got a box until 5AM for less than 20 bucks a person, although everyone got tired and called it a night around 4. Saturday, March 3rd was the day of this big hip-hop dance party with the special guest DJ being Koji (aka Z-ko), the brother of Ken, the boyfriend of our friend Anne. As such, pretty much everyone showed up and had a blast. I somehow found myself being dragged into the DJ booth to freestyle halfway through the night, but that is neither here nor there.

On March 5th came the day of the big spring break trip we had been planning. Brent and I woke up around 6AM and carried our luggage (on foot) all the way to Yudaonsen Station. From there we purchased our 5-day train passes (which cost only 80 bucks this year) and caught the train to Yamaguchi’s big station, Shin-Yamaguchi. From there it was a long 9.5-hour train ride to Osaka. We could have arrived in only a few hours by Shinkansen (bullet train), but the prices were much steeper (around $175 one way). At around 6:30PM we finally arrived in Osaka, this time without getting lost once! We had printed out a list of attractions to see, but (like always) overlooked booking a hotel. Never the less, we knew of some reasonably priced ones in Namba, the district where the Bloc Party concert was to take place. The problem was we had no idea how to find Namba. We were lucky enough, however, to ask a guy for directions who was so nice he even offered to walk us the several blocks to the area. After we found a hotel and checked in, we just went exploring. We discovered a Subway, which we immediately ate at. We also met a couple of British guys at a place I can’t remember the name of who were pretty envious of our getting to see Bloc Party the following day.

For most of Tuesday we walked around the city and explored the various districts, including the huge shopping ones in and around Namba. (Brent bought some shoes which ended up being too small. But seeing as how he threw his old ones away, he spent most of the rest of the week with blistered feet.) Our first attraction from our list to be seen was the Osaka Aquarium, Japan’s biggest, which I must say was simply incredible. (See the pictures on Flickr.) At around 4:30PM we headed back to the hotel to get ready for the concert, which started at 7 (with doors opening at 6). At about 5:30 we showed up to find a reasonably sized queue. At around 6 they started calling off ticket numbers, which Brent and I soon discovered put us near the end of the line. None the less, we got checked in without a hitch and waited for the concert to start. There were quite a few gaikokujin at the concert, as can be expected since Bloc Party is an English band. The opening act was a Japanese group called ‘monobright’ who had a lot of energy but whose music I didn’t really care for. Still, it was a good opening act and got everyone pumped up for Bloc Party. There’s not much I can say about the concert other than that it was amazing. The band played extremely well and Kele Okereke (the lead singer) put on a great show.

On Wednesday we visited Umeda Sky Building, one of Osaka’s biggest skyscrapers, where we took an elevator to the top and took pictures of the city from the roof. After a bite to eat at the ‘Sky Cafe’, we headed back toward the station to hop on a train to Kyoto. The ride to Kyoto was less than an hour and we arrived by mid afternoon. We managed to find an inexpensive and very hospitable ryokan (Japanese-style inn) only a few blocks from the station. After checking in, we decided to use the remaining daylight to see a temple or two. It took us a while to figure out where to buy the bus passes, however, and when we finally arrived at Tō-ji, we found that it was closed. (I did get a few shots of its pagoda, however, which is the tallest wooden one in Japan.)

The following day we hit many other sites, including:

Shimonoseki is the most famous city for fugu, as is evident by the fugu statues, fugu manhole covers, and fugu artwork that adorn the city. The ‘big deal’ about fugu is that it is highly poisonous, and eating even a small amount of its toxin can be lethal. The poison starts by paralyzing your body’s muscles, eventually leading to asphyxiation. However, it does not affect the brain, so that you are completely conscious the entire time. Pretty scary to say the least. But rest assured, fugu chefs in Japan are highly trained and specially licensed. The most toxic parts are the liver and ovaries, which must be removed (not to mention marked biohazard and incinerated). Thus, deaths are extremely rare and it is generally very safe. Michael’s first experience with fugu came at a party where he ate several pieces and then inquired about what kind of fish it was. He found out it was fugu after eating it, which since he was still breathing didn’t much bug him. But Brent and I knew what we were getting into and to say the least we were a little uneasy. Michael reassured us with (what he says is) a Japanese proverb: “He who eats fugu is a fool. He who doesn’t is a bigger fool.” Whatever that means.

In the end, we tried thinly sliced fugu sashimi (called fugu sashi), fugu kara-age (deep fried fugu), and a type of fugu miso soup, all of which was very tasty. One problem is that fugu makes you want to eat incredibly slowly, so that you can wait and see if there are any tingling sensations after each bite. But thankfully none came, not even the usually desired numbness of the lips (which is attributed to trace amounts of the poison left in the fish), as that probably would have just freaked me out–big time. After we left the restaurant, we spent quite a bit of time discussing our imagination-induced numbness and pains in various parts of our bodies–Brent’s side, my leg.

Following dinner our plan was to cross by foot the Kanmon Straits (the body of water which separates the islands of Honshu and Kyushu); it’s not every day you get to walk from one island of Japan to another, and as there’s a long underground tunnel (some 700m long), we couldn’t pass it up. On the way we stopped at a beautiful Shinto shrine which at night glowed bright red from the many lights cast on it. From the shrine we ventured down the shoulder of what became a highway, after Michael assumed it was a sidewalk, on our way to the Kanmonkyo Bridge, by which the tunnel was located. Also on the way we saw a set of replica cannons and statues commemorating the Bombardment of Shimonoseki, where a feudal Japanese lord defied the Tokugawa shogunate (which had recently opened up Japan to foreign trade) and began attacking foreign ships. After a US ship took on his fleet (and many other small skirmishes), a British, Dutch, and French fleet finally forced his surrender.

Most of the next hour was walking, walking, and more walking. We walked from Shimonoseki to the nearest ward of Kitakyushu, Moji, and on from there towards what we thought was Moji station. After about 45 minutes of that, we finally caught a bus. From Moji station we hopped on a train to Kokura, where we planned on staying. It took us a while to find the nightlife district, but Michael had been there before and new the good places. We ended up at a themed restaurant called Prison Hell. A very cool place, the tables were surrounded by bars and mannequins in prison garb stood all over the place. The food was good and inexpensive and we had a good time. After a couple more stops, including a bit of karaoke (which for once had Smashing Pumpkins songs!), it was getting late and we were tired from all the walking, so we found a nearby capsule hotel for the night.

Early the next morning we packed up and headed sightseeing. Just our luck, a storm rolled in and rained for near the entire day. This prevented us from using our cameras much. It seems like it storms every time we decide to go sightseeing. To add insult to injury, the one popular destination we did get to see, Kokura Castle, was under renovation and was completely covered in scaffolding and tarps. None the less, I did get some pictures of the nearby shrine and park. After spending most of the day walking around Kokura’s huge shopping district (where Brent bought some new kicks), we headed back to Shimonoseki where we did more walking around. By mid afternoon we were completely exhausted, but as we had gotten lost in a pretty dilapidated part of Shimonoseki, it took us what seemed like forever to find our way back to the station. In the end though, we made it home safely and had a very good time. If I get some extra money together I’d definitely like to go back and do a bit of shopping, not to mention sightseeing–bearing clear skies, that is.

There’s little I can say about the cave that the pictures can’t. It was amazing to look at, enormous, and very exotic, almost as if it belonged on some far away planet. At many points in the cave I found myself looking around thinking that it looked less real and more like it was from a movie. Maybe it had something to do with the huge varieties of rocks and formations, coupled with the different colors of light the park uses to light the various formations. The pictures in the cave are not the best. My camera just doesn’t work well in such a dark place. I turned the ISO up all the way to get the shots brighter, but that left them grainy and blurry. None the less, I did manage to get some decent shots, and you can always check out Brent’s Flickr page which has some even better ones. Towards the end the humidity got so high that most of the pictures have an eerie but cool blur to them.

At the end of the cave there was a huge tunnel. We exited to find a resting spot with benches and a vending machine. I asked how we return to the park entrance. “Back through.” So back through we went. I’m not sure why, but they have some kind of airlock at the exit. You enter one set of doors, wait for them to close, then wait for the other set to open before you can enter the cave. Maybe this is because that particular exit is man-made. Who knows.

After making it back through, we stopped to buy some souvenirs. I bought a book of post cards, a rock from the cave, and we both bought a polished sphere of rock which the shop keeper writes your name in calligraphy on. The sphere was only 300 yen too, which I thought was a very good deal. After that we walked around the various shops and stopped to eat lunch (which we hadn’t had). By the time we arrived back in Yamaguchi it was already dark (and rainy), so we were pretty tired but happy we’d gotten to see such an interesting thing.

On Saturday I had lunch with Kaori, and on Saturday night Brent, Michael, ad I were invited to a Nabe party at a professor’s house. A nabe party is basically just a very casual dinner party where everyone gathers around a table with big pots of cooking nabe and eats and chats. The professor is Timothy Takamoto, a Brit who has lived in Japan for the past 17 years and teaches at Yamadai (whose classes I’ll be taking next semester). He’s married to a Japanese woman and has a cute newborn son named Rei (or Ray “like Ray Charles” in English). He’s also got 2 border collies, one of which looks almost exactly like my old dog Bandit. Everyone had a good time just chatting, playing with the dogs, and passing Rei around.

Yesterday (Sunday) I just studied a bit and did some much needed cleaning. The date for the ski trip has been set: Feb. 23rd. We’ll be taking a car again, which I much prefer to train, and we’ll stay the night in Hiroshima-ken that Friday. I think it will be a blast, especially considering I’ve never been skiing. OK well I think that about wraps it up.