Home

So I'm finally back in the states, and my trip home was thankfully not delayed by winter weather. I was afraid on both sides of the pacific that snow might be an issue because on my last day in Japan it finally snowed. It was somewhat strange however, because it snowed mostly to the north of where I left from, so I didn't have to walk through it at all. I figured that it might be an issue when the trains pulled into the station with about 6 inches of snow resting on the roofs. I got on my train, and got a chance to see the winter wonderland that Japan had become in a few short hours since I had slept the night before.




My only short delay was pulling into 'Maibara' where I had to connect to the bullet train. Because of the snow the trains were slightly backed up, so I was closely looking at my watch, hoping that I could make my connection in time. I sprinted through the station, and hopped on the Shinkansen (bullet train), bound for Tokyo. As I got to the platform the train was about to leave, so I wasn't entirely sure that it was the right train. On the train itself I sat next to a very nice older gentlemen whom I started chatting with. He assured me that it was heading in the right direction, and even gave me his coke as a gift when I got off.


The snow looked awful from the bullet train. It could be just because we were going so fast, but I couldn't see 100 ft out the window on my way down to Nagoya. As I was looking at the snow, all I could help but think was how glad I was that I didn't have to bike through any of it. At the airport, it hadn't snowed at all, and in fact most of the plants around were still quite green. The end result was that I got a fun train-ride through snow, and didn't have to deal with walking, biking, or driving through any of it.


At the airport, it was a pretty standard procedure. I got through without any delays, and because my flight was somewhat earlier in the morning, there weren't many people going through security or checking baggage. I got on board and as it got closer to departure time, I realized that there weren't going to be any people sitting on either side of me, and I could move over to the aisle for free. That made the trip so much better. However the family ahead of me brought their 9-month old girl along. While cute, she ended up screaming for most of the flight.


After 12 hours in the air, 2 meals, and about 5 failed attempts to sleep, we got to Detroit on-time and disembarked  toward customs. The entire customs area of the Detroit airport is a very grim place. There really aren't many open spaces, all the walls are bare, and there are intimidating federal agents waiting to randomly select people for closer questioning. Waiting in line to get my passport checked there were TV screens along the walls with a very 'Patriotic' video playing. All the images were of 'American' images: young boy on the farm, successful businessman in New York, the entrepreneur with their small business, etc. It was very cheesy, and I couldn't really understand why it was there. Were they trying to convince incoming foreigners that everyone is happy and successful in America? or remind the returning citizens that their country is best? I mentally scoffed, and went through customs, hoping I could leave without being questioned by the agents. I was tired and felt like getting through there as fast as possible.


I picked up my baggage, got through the last customs checkpoint ("What were you doing in Japan?" "Studying". "Do you understand any of that stuff?" -- the customs guy actually asked me this), and was on my merry way home. That afternoon I took a trip to the grocery store, in hopes to stay awake until at least 7pm. It was very strange to have gone from Japan that morning to shopping for bread back home. It could've been the exhaustion, but I had a hard time comprehending that. It was also strange to understand everything around me: signs, announcements, other people's conversations. I had been used to not even trying to listen or looks for those things, so it was refreshing to be able to find my way around without looking too lost. 


I also realized that I have to think about what I say when I'm back home now. In Japan I held a general assumption that no one could understand what I would say in English. This was a dangerous assumption, but I felt it held mostly true. My friends and I could talk freely on the train, and we were pretty certain no one around us could understand what we were saying. Now that I'm home, I have to remember that people can definitely understand everything I say. It's not that we would say bad things about the people around us, but there was just a sense of security in Japan. It was kinda nice knowing that no one could eavesdrop on your conversation. 


The first night home, I was aiming to crash around 7:00pm, but I didn't make it to 5:00. I fell asleep at 4:30pm and then woke up 12 hours later. It was a good chance to chat with people back in Japan, but I hope to be back on schedule before Christmas. As I'm writing this I woke up (naturally) around 5:30am. 


It has been good to be home. I'm looking forward to Christmas with the family, seeing friends again, and taking some other classes besides Japanese. I'm going to miss Japan in general, but I'm really glad that I had the chance go while I did. Who knows? I might end up back there someday.

Fire Festival

On Sunday, the city where I live (Yokaichi) had a fire festival at the local Shinto shrine. I can see this shrine every morning on my way to the train station because its built on Taroubogu mountain (I climbed it in one of my earlier posts). I always think of some esoteric Buddhist sect, meditating on the mountaintop even though this is not even close to what the shrine is like.

From Fire Festival

Anyway, on this day a large pyre was erected in the parking lot. Covered with evergreen branches, this pyre is for the incineration (and therefore offering) of wishes written on wooden slats. Throughout the year, visitors to the shrine can pay a small offering and receive a wooden slat to write wishes on, and then once a year (during this festival) the priests of the temple throw the wishes into the pyre. This is meant to symbolize the offering up of the wishes to the god, who will then act on behalf of your wish.

From Fire Festival

The festival was attended by many locals, but also a few tourists who came to see the festivities. The whole ceremony lasted about 3 hours, and was full of archaic Japanese and Shinto imagery. Here you can see them chanting before the start of the ceremony:

From Fire Festival

I had almost no idea what the imagery was supposed to represent, but here's a cool video of some guys with axes:



After about 2 hours, the priests finally lit the pyre, and started tossing the wishes into the flames. Immediatly after the fire was started the smoke became intense:

From Fire Festival

From Fire Festival

From Fire Festival

The smoke lasted for about 20 minutes, and afterwards the priests started tossing bundles of wishes into the flames. After every wish was burnt, the priests took some hot coals from the ashes and laid out a path of flames for the brave to walk across. Old women, children, and everyday adults lined up to walk across hot coals. "If these frail people could walk across fire, why can't I" were my thoughts at the time, so I hopped in line and waited my turn.

From Fire Festival

From Fire Festival

You had to remove your socks and shoes, and then scurry across the logs laid out on the coals. Honestly, the worst part was the thick smoke coming from the very green logs that were set on the coals. The smoke got in my eyes, and I teared up a bit, but my feet didn't even get singed. After you rubbed the stinging sensation out of your eyes, some priests gave you a stick to remember your "walk of fire" by, and you were on your merry way.

Overall it was a very "bright" morning.

Butsudan field trip

I'm currently enrolled in a Buddhism class as the elective class each student gets to chose. Its certainly been interesting so far, however, because I haven't had any background in Buddhism, the first few classes had a steep curve in understanding what was going on. Nevertheless, we have to go on field trips as part of our curriculum; So far, we've been to Nishi-Honganji, a Zen Temple to meditate, two other temples in the area, and a village where they make Buddhist altars.

At first when I heard about this field trip, it didn't seem very interesting. It sounded like we were going to go to a factory, where each part of these altars is assembled, and then shipped out. I couldn't have been more wrong.

Getting there was a short trip on the train: two stops north of Hikone to Samegai. Then, a 15 minute bus ride to this remote village in the mountains. Getting off the bus, it seemed like every other small Japanese town I've seen. A mix between traditional housing, some small shops, and fields out past the buildings. A local resident met us, and first took us to the store where people buy the Butsudan.

Walking into the shop, the smell of incense and resinous wood wafted over us, and we were invited up to the showroom, where about 25 Butsudan were on display. I've seen butsudan in people's homes before, they usually fit into a closet, and have doors that fold out. Inside the alter, pictures of dead relatives, images of Buddha, incense, flowers, and candles are placed as memorials to relatives that have passed on.

 A small Butsudan like the kind found in many Japanese Homes

The Butsudan that we saw were enormous, about 7 feet tall, and 5 feel wide. Inside, a miniature temple was built as a replica of the home temple that the altar is built after. As the owner of the store was explaining to us, each Butsudan requires 7 types of crafts in order to be made: Frame makers, Alter makers, Lacquerers, Metalworkers, Goldsmiths, Wood carvers, and Gold Lacquer Painters. Many of the tradesmen lived in this village, and the rest of the day was spent seeing examples of craftsmen at their work.

Driving around the village in the bed of a pick-up truck, we went from house to house seeing Woodworkers, metalworkers, carpenters, and lacquers. Instead of a giant factory, each craftsmen worked from his own home, usually in a family workshop. Many of these trades have been passed down from generation to generation, from master to apprentice. At each stop we saw examples of their work, and it was all incredible. I wish I had taken more photos of each shop, but I felt somewhat awkward taking pictures without asking first. But I was able to get pictures at our guide's home, where he invited us to snap pictures with a 'Neko-basu' ('Cat bus' from the move 'My Neighbor Totoro') that he made.

From Butsu-dan Village

From Butsu-dan Village

Before the end of the day, our guide took us to a local playhouse that was built for the villlage's children.

From Butsu-dan Village

On our way there, some children were playing in the road, and as we passed them the stopped what they were doing and started chasing after the truck full of foreigners. They became our guides in the forest behind their playhouse, where they showed us the ropes they use for scaling the steep hills.

From Butsu-dan Village

From Butsu-dan Village

And on our way home from the treehouse, I took a video of our ride through the picturesque countryside.



Afterwards I was quite happy that I went on the field trip. Instead of just a factory mindlessly working on these altars, the entire village is involved to create them. Each one is a product of many, many man-hours of skilled work that has been honed through the generations. The lifestyle is peaceful and quiet (execpt for the occasional truck-full of foreigners), contrasting the busy and rushed life in the cities.

From Butsu-dan Village

Pictures

So two months into Japan I finally figured out a convenient way to post my pictures:

Enjoy!

Kyoto

Kyoto is a great place for a day trip: It only takes about an hour by train from Hikone, there are many great temples and shops to visit, and there is lots to see. So far I've been about 4 times, and I still want to go back and see more.

The temples and shrines are some of the most picturesque places in Japan. You'll be walking down a main shopping district and run into a pristine Japanese temple, centuries old. Just a few that I've been to are:

Fushimi-Inari

From Kyoto 4

Kiomizu-dera

From Kyoto 3

Higashi Hongangi

From Kyoto 2

Kinkaku-ji

From Kyoto 3

Sanjusan Gendo

To-ji

[picture to come]

And There are still 2 or 3 more that I would like to visit. Each one is unique, and I'm always impressed with the Japanese ability to design and maintain the breathtaking temple gardens.

From Kyoto 2

From Temples

From Tokyo

This past weekend I went to the Toji Market, an open-air market where you can find food, textiles, knives, art, and antiques. The market is only on the 21st of every month, and if you find yourself in Kyoto, I highly recommend going. You would want to get there very early in the morning, because the crowds get pretty bad after about 10 or 11am.

[pictures to come]

We went on a field trip with my Buddhism class to Higashi Honganji (East Honganji), a temple that is within walking distance from Kyoto Station. Our professor pulled some strings and they let us into parts of the temple that people aren't usually allowed to walk through. As we were walking through, the temple staff was setting up for a 'Noh' performance on the largest 'Noh' stage in Japan.

From Kyoto 2

From Kyoto 2

Throughout the rest of the temple, the Japanese screens were incredible. Paintings of life-sized tigers prowling in the forest, water-fowl resting on lake Biwa, and garden scene were some of the screens that we saw. Unfortunately because they are so old, we weren't allowed to take pictures.

However, we were allowed to take pictures of the zen gardens:

[pictures]

The shopping is pretty good too. A great place to go is "Teramachi" (Temple Street), there are alot of trendy shops ($100 for a flannel shirt), but its also a great place to go just to walk around.

From Kyoto 1

The first time I went to Kyoto, there was a dance festival going on outside one of the larger temples. Most dances were traditional Kansai (the 'state' where I live) dances called "Yosokoi", but there were also groups doing modern dancing. There were tons of people out to see the dancing and about 6 stages where groups were performing simultaneously.

From Kyoto 1

From Kyoto 1

From Kyoto 1

At night the city takes on a new light. The streetlight, cars, bars, and restaurants feel like the Japan you see in movies; the bustling city overcrowded with people. However, the night is also a great time to see the temples lit-up at night. Spotlights illuminate the buildings of "Kiomizu-dera" and many of the trees surrounding the temple are lit-up for the fall colors.

From Kyoto 3

From Kyoto 3

From Kyoto 3

To me, Kyoto is much more fun than Tokyo. Tokyo, although fun, was too busy and crowded to be fun. It didn't seem like there was that much to see in Tokyo besides the city itself. Kyoto is different, there are temples, a castle, art museums, parks and shops, without the frustration of traveling through a sea of people.

Sashimi

A big part of the Japanese diet is fish, the Japanese people love all sorts of fish. One of the main ways to eat fish is raw. Sashimi is raw fish that can be eaten without worrying about parasites or food poisoning. Sashimi is often used in sushi, or can just be eaten plain.

Because the Japanese people love fish, it is one of the cheaper thins in the super market. Whole fillets are usually less than $10, and there is a great selection.

A few JCMU students and I were getting hungry one night, so we decided to go out and get some sashimi for dinner. Here's the result:

Here we have Maguro (fatty tuna), salmon, and octopus 

Kouri wanted a picture with the octopus before we cut it up.

All of this is only about half of what we bought for $30. It was absolutely delicious. Usually there is some "Shoyuu" (soy-sauce) in another dish, mixed with "wasabi" (spicy horse-radish). The wasabi gives the fish a spicy kick that clears the sinuses. All-in-all it is a great way to get some cheap protien in the starch-filled Japanese diet.

Tarobo

The weekend before Tokyo I had some spare time, so I decided I was going to try climbing the local mountian of Tarobou. There is a shrine built on the mountian overlooking the plains and I thought it would be a great place to see.

The mountain is only a few blocks from where I'm staying. I could've easily walked there in 15 minutes, but because it was getting somewhat late I decided to take my bike. Anyway, once I got there I could tell this wasn't going to be a simple stroll up a hill.

There were a few hunderd stairs to get to the top, and the local legend is that if you can climb to the shrine 100 times in a day you recieve the powers of the diety enshrined there. Once was enough for me.

The climb was very scenic, wooded hills with stone statues lining the stone steps. Wooden gateways were placed the entire way up to the shrine with names written on the posts, it was all very beautiful.

At the top the view was gorgeous, it was hard to get a good picture because of the shaded foreground, but I tried my best.

 

The sun was just about to set as I reached the bottom again. The rice fields were beautiful.

There are many more pictures to be had at Tarobo, so don't be surprised if I end up writing another post later.

Typhoon

Typhoons in Japan are just about the same as Hurricanes in the US, lots of wind, rain, general suspense for the impending storm.

My host mother got a call from the home-stay coordinator Tuesday evening saying that I had to return to JCMU dorms for a few days because of the storm.  Sometimes during Typhoons the trains run late, and it would be difficult to bike in strong winds. I packed a few clothes and started my commute as usual Wednesday morning.

Wednesday evening I had Taiko practice with another JCMU student, so we geared up in our rain-jackets and rain-pants and got on our bikes and headed towards the cultural center about 15 minutes away. On the way there, we pass a few bars, all of which were packed with Japanese University students because their classes were canceled.

After about 2 hours at Taiko, we headed back in heavier rain with some strong wind gusts, but nothing serious. Stores had boarded up their windows, and most shops were closed, except for the bars. The bars were still hopping with students.

The strongest part of the Typhoon was set to hit Hikone at 3am. The wind was howling all night long, but I slept soundly. The next day in class we could still see heavy rain and the trees blowing in the wind, however everything was still standing and nothing had collapsed or flooded. On my way back to my home-stay I saw a few wind-swept trees and some signs had blown over, but nothing serious.

All-in-all my first Typhoon was a fun experience. Now, because of the Typhoon, we have superb weather and I got a good story.

Biwako Coffee

During the morning commute I get somewhat sleepy, so earlier this week I decided to go to "Biwako Coffee" for a quick cup of coffee before class. I assumed that Biwako coffee would be like every other coffee shop I've been to, so I walked up to the register and waited for somone to take my order.

While I was standing there I realized that the store looked kind of odd, there was no Starbucks-style menu behind the register, and I couldn't find the prices of coffee anywhere. It wasn't until the cook behind his grill motioned for me to sit down at a table that I realized this wasn't an every-day coffee shop for people on-the-go.

With about 20 minutes until my class started, I didn't have time to take a leasuirely breakfast. The waiter came up and seemed very excited to have an American in his resturant... I tried to explain that I just wanted coffee, but he motioned quite passionatly to the "Full-service breakfast", so for the sake simplicity I just ordered toast and coffee and counted the minutes as they passed.

With about 10 minutes until my class, the waiter brought not only my toast and coffee, but also a salad and hard-boiled egg. "Crap!" I thought, "I don't have time for this". I must've looked absolutely absurd trying to down my food (maybe thats where other countries get their image of fat Americans), and make it to class on-time.

5 minutes to go, I finished, practically ran to the cashier, paid, stammered my thanks and ran out the door. I made it to JCMU with a few minutes left; out of breath, but quite satisfied.

Tokyo Imperial Gardens

I took a lot of pictures in the Imperial gardens, so I thought I'd share some:

A large plaza within the gardens -- Right behind the building a Kendo (Japanese Sword Fighting) practice was going on, we could heard the "CLACK" of wooden swords and the yells required during Kendo matches

Part of the moat within the gardens

Stone lantern and koi pond.

Great scenery and walkway

Cool street-lamp on display

Some stone walls within the gardens.

More masonry on our way out.

Tokyo day 2

The second day we decided to go to Ueno park, a pleasant park with the oldest zoo in Japan,  baseball fields, street musicians, and lots of people. We went to the zoo hoping to see the panda there, however, apparently the panda died in 2007. It was disappointing to learn, however we saw sea otters:

Tigers:

... and the Polar bears seemed to mock us:

Anyway, after the zoo we had a chance to go to the Natural History museaum. We thought that like any major international museum they would have all the placards in English; we were wrong. Even if we couln't understand the explainations of the exhibits, they were still interesting.

 

They had a really cool exhibit on the evolution of life. Starting from the center there were embedded lights in the floor representing the different lines of evolution. Each line divided like brances on a tree and eventually ended at the wall of the ovular room. The walls in the room contained specimins of all types of life on the planet, representing the result of the evolutionary line that led to it. 

After that they had another intriguing exhibit on cellular biology that was surprisingly accurate. There were movies showing complex biological processes (DNA relication, lipid bi-layers and transport, ATP synthesis) using anthropomorphized ogranelles, enzymes, and protiens. Everything had eyes and arms, but it was very well done.

 This wasn't the cute representation of the cell, but it was cool nonetheless

 

And there was a rocket launcher.

Next it was on to Akihabara (Aki-ha-bara), the electronics district known for its large department stores, eclectic clientel, and French-maid cafes. We got off the train station and started looking for the main department stores. We saw a crowded alley and decided that was probably the best way to go.

The alley was just a taste of what Akihabara had to offer; instead of big-label items (TVs, computers, expensive cameras) the small stores were selling things more up my alley (no pun intended): plugs, adapters, security cameras, spools of wire, soldering irons, etc. I could've spent a good 3 hours just in that alley alone.

After flowing with the crowd for awhile (As a side note, you don't walk in Tokyo, its more like swimming) we were deposited onto a main street lined with the large department stores and buzzing with people. On each street corner there was at least one french-maid handing out flyers for their respective cafe.

Besides electronics, Akihabara is known for its unique dining. The main attraction is the maid-cafes where all the waitresses are dressed as french maids and give the impression that they are your servant. Its a somewhat strange buisness but Tokyo is a strange place so it works. Also you can find "Neko-cafes" (cat-cafes) where you and your cat can both find a meal.

We toured through a few department stores and didn't find a whole lot. Many of the electronics are made for the American market, with everything in English. Because its such a touristy place, I found that the prices were much higher than if you found a Japanese version. I could find Japanese-made electronics in America for about the same price.

Next on our itenerary we walked over to "Ochanomizu" (The Tea's water literally) the music district that is somewhat of an offshoot of Akihabara. The entire road was lined with stores whose windows were filled with guitars, trumpets, saxophones, chellos, etc.

 

 

One of my friends came to Tokyo purposefully to buy a classical guitar. However, only one store on the street specialized in Classical Guitars, all the rest marketed towards electric instruments. We had to go through at least 4 stores before we found the one that carried what we was looking for.

While looking for that one store, we passed many stores that were selling home theater equipment: Amplifiers, speakers, turntables... I was in heaven. There were boxes of circuit boards for a few cents. If only we weren't looking for a guitar, I would've had time to maybe find some new equipment and have it shipped back home.

Earlier in the day, our large group (9 people) had split up. Some of us went to the museum and Akihabara, while the other group took their time in Ueno park. After finding the guitar, it was about time to meet up in Shibuya for dinner, so we hopped on the train and made our way towards Shibuya.

Getting out of the train station my mouth was on the ground. When you think of Tokyo, the images that come to mind are of Shibuya; A solid mass of people passing through a single intersection with the steady drone of TV-billboard advertising in the background.

We were supposed to meet the other group by the "Hachiko" statue. Hachiko was a dog who was incredibly loyal to its master, a quality that the Japanese people greatly admire. Hachiko was so loyal, that he waited for his master at the train station every day, so that when his master got off the train they would walk home together. Even after his master died of a heart attack at work, Hachiko waited for his master every day until the day he died. Richard Gere just made a movie of the story named "Hachiko: A Dog's Story".

Anyway, we met up with the other group, and went for dinner afterwards. After dinner it was time to find the yakko-bus once again and head home. Before we left though, we found some Korean tourists to snap a picture of us:

We hopped on the bus and rode into the night, leaving the neon-glow of Tokyo behind us.