Exploring the countryside of Shizuoka

On Saturday I took a road trip with Ema from work and 3 of her friends.  I really had no idea where we were going except I would get to see the "countryside". 

I found out it means: super boring terrain for hours at a time (also known as "Ohio" to Americans).  But for the last 50 kilometers of the trip, we drove through the twisty, turny mountains.  (It reminded me immediately of a "shortcut" we took years ago through the Alleghany Mountains when I was on vacation with the Schweigers...)  This time Ema's friend navigating our drive kept blaming the "foolish GPS" in his Toyota for taking us on this nauseating ride. 

We have finally stopped, and we get out to explore a suspension bridge. 

I don't know too much about the bridge, but we are in a historical train town and the view of the river was pretty.

Train lines run through the mountains.

Kerri, Kishi, Kazui, and Ema ready to head back to the other side.

Some of the mountains we had to drive through to get here!

Train depot down below, and that's our next stop.

This is the Oigawa steam engine from 1927.  It is a huge tourist draw and is often used for shooting films set in the pre-war period.  The train rides were all booked up, so we did not get to see it up close and personal.

I know this must be a disappointing blog for the Scholl's... first I dog on their home state and then I skip the whole old train adventure :(

What's next to experience in the countryside of Shizuoka prefecture? 

Onsen, of course.  Who doesn't love naked public bathing in hot springs on a 90+ degree day?! 

Here is Mori no Izumi (which means Spring in the Forest).

Surprisingly enough, I actually really enjoyed the onsen experience this time!  It wasn't scalding hot like last time, just very relaxing.  Maybe this is one Japanese tradition I can truly get into!  This onsen was much larger than the one in Gero, with an option of several different baths. 

I snuck a picture even though it's against the rules!  The round bath in the center is a deep tub (~53 inches) with jets so you could stand in it and walk around.  The bath on the left is for sitting and is still (no jets or bubbles) hot springs.  There is one on the right (you can't see) that you lay on a bed of bamboo sticks and it bubbles all round you.  It was awesome (closest thing to a hot tub I've seen), but not good if you're shy because not all of your naked body is under water!!  Also on the right is an area with 3 mirrors and showers, where you sit on a stool and wash before getting in the water.  Lastly, they even had a cold bath (as known as the temperature of any lake in Michigan).  I took a soak in there, too, in order to cool off at the end!

Perhaps the coolest feature... an outdoor bath where the natural scenery includes Mt. Nanatsumine and the Shirasawa River.  It feels kind of naughty to be naked walking around outside, and you can hear the men in the bath next door just beyond the bamboo wall. 

I was really digging the view of nature until I realized it was a little too close for me.  I saw a leaf floating around the bath, and when I tried to pick it out, it turned out to be a GIANT beetle!!  That totally freaked me out, and I started seeing bugs everywhere.  Spiders on the rocks, ants climbing on my arms, bumble bees buzzing around the bamboo wall, etc.  So it was time for me to go back inside away from creepy crawlies. 

When I was outside flipping out about bugs, I could hear children playing in the indoor bath.  I wasn't too surprised about this because last time I went to the onsen it was with my friend and her 2 daughters, but imagine my surprise when I discovered the children were actually little boys, ages about 3 and 5!  No big deal, I suppose.  If you're married to a hard-working man in Japan, you have to take your kids with you everywhere, even to relax in an onsen.

After we were all wrinkled from the tubs of hot water, we ate lunch at the onsen lobby. 

Here's is the vending machine you order food from.  You select your desired menu item (all in Japanese), feed it the appropriate money, and take your meal ticket to the nice ladies at the counter, who make your food. 

My fellow ex-pat friends think these are the best machines ever because they can get a meal without ever having to speak Japanese, but it's too much work for me.  There are no pictures or words!!  Reading Japanese characters is much more difficult for me. 

I'd probably get impatient, just press a random button, and end up with cold noodles floating in raw egg.  Yuck!!  I would rather point to a picture menu and say "please".

Oh yeah, guess who I saw in the onsen lobby having lunch as well?

The 2 little boys with their mom and their DAD... what the heck?!  So now I'm thinking either:

1) the boys got to choose which onsen to go in, and they like their mom better, or

2) the dad is a deadbeat and refuses to watch his children for 30 minutes in the tub.

After lunch we took a drive to Foret Nakakawana Chameikan for some tea tasting. 

 These bushes display the kanji character cha, which means "tea".

View of the mountains and tea fields.

Never in my life have I seen 3 men so excited about a "tea time" that didn't include clubs, balls, birdies, and bogeys.  It was rather bizarre.

Ema and Kerri ready for tea time.

I've been to what seems like a bazillion tea ceremonies in Japan now, but this one was actually different.  We were learning how to make our own tea from tea leaves.

I had no idea that the flavor of tea can vary greatly just by the temperature of water used, the amount of water used, amount of time you let it steep, or based on how "open" the tea leaves were.  It was kind of cool to taste all of the versions in rapid succession (all with the same tea leaves in your pot)!

Here's all of my tools:

Ema pours her concoction of tea.

Is Kerri on her way to becoming a Tea Master?!

Ema and Kerri enjoy the tea garden with their borrowed geisha umbrellas and wooden sandals.

This random pile of rocks and things could quite possibly be the coolest discovery in Japan:

It's a water harp!!

There is a small fountain of water at the top (near the metal scooper), and you put one end of the bamboo shoot to the tiny round screens in the rock bed.  Then, you put your ear to the other end of the bamboo shoot and listen...

The flowing and dripping water truly does make noise like a harp!!  It was awesome.  I was totally skeptical, and thought it was going to be lame.  Here we are listening to the first one.

There were many more around the garden, and it was great to go around and listen to each one! 

KG in the Japanese garden.

After a long drive back to Aichi prefecture, we ended the day with dinner at Ema's parents house.  They lived in Lexington, Kentucky for 6 years back in the 1990's, so they were eager to talk to the girl from Kentucky.  It was a nice meal, and it was nice to be invited to a Japanese home, rather than a tiny apartment in the city. 

I enjoyed my day, but I can't help but get frustrated about all of the driving.  It blows my mind that people in Japan are willing to spend so much time in a car for a short trip to the countryside.

That place was 190 kilometers away (114 miles), and it took an unbelievable 3.5 hours each way!  This is due to traffic congestion and a top speed of 80 kph (50mph).  I suppose it comes down to cost.  The drive was $10 in tolls (weekend special) plus fuel, whereas a train would have been 1.5 hours and $66 each person each way.

Tanabata Festival!

It's summer in Nagoya (blazing hot, I might add), so why not throw on my yukata (summer kimono) and head to a local festival?!

Actually, I was completely ready to stay at home and bask in the A/C, but I had already committed to Tarynn about going to this thing.  I'm glad that we went, and once you see the pictures, you'll know that I'm also glad we decided to suck it up and wear our yukatas in the crazy heat.

We have arrived at the Tanabata Festival in Ichinomiya (about a 20 minute train ride from Nagoya). 

Tanabata is the holiday for star-crossed lovers. 

If you don't remember the story, check out my blog from July 7th by clicking here.

Tanabata decorations include many streamers and hanging your wishes (or heart's desire) from a bamboo tree.

I love all of the colorful decorations!

Amazingly enough, I was not too hot in my yukata!  Maybe the Japanese people do know a thing or two about cool summer festival outfits!!

This festival had a big stage, paper lanterns, great music, lots of dancing, and plenty of men, women, and children in yukatas!!

Check out this sweet video of people dancing in the street. 

(You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

I had fun watching all of the cool outfits and synchronized dances.  It reminds me of line dancing in America, only they go in a circle around the stage!!

Ladies show off their dancing skills!

Another video of people dancing and the crowd. 

(You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

I loved to see all of the children wearing yukatas.  They were so adorable!!

Take a quick look at this video, and you will notice plenty of kids wearing yukatas!

(You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

As Kerri enjoys her shaved ice, you can see the street is lined with food vendors.  It's kind of like Fall Festival in Evansville, only the food was mostly unidentifiable to me and I couldn't read the signs!

Masks were also popular at the festival, but I'm not sure why.  I don't remember this tradition being part of the history of Tanabata.  Maybe it's just a fun thing for Japanese people to wear!!

Exhibit #3 as to why Japan needs swimming pools. 

This little boy is in the fountain cooling off because even at 8pm it's still in the 90's!

Tarynn gets ready to enjoy her yakisoba (noodles with an egg on top).  I still find it amazing that so many festival/carnival/stadium foods in Japan have to be eaten with chopsticks.  I prefer one-handed foods (like corn dogs and cotton candy), so I can walk and eat at the same time.

One more video that is kind of dark but as the night got later, then the music and dancing got faster.  So cool to watch.  Who needs a parade when people dance in unison in the street instead?! 

(You must go directly to the blog to view it.)

Our bellies are full, and we've seen enough dancing, so it's time to go home and go to bed! 

Kerri and Tarynn are ready to beat the rush and head for the train station.

Even lovely ladies in yukatas have to buy train tickets ;)

This festival was a lot of fun, and I'm very glad that Tarynn dragged me out of my air conditioning to experience it!!  Japan really does have some cool customs, and it's awesome to learn about them first hand!

R vs. L

Remember awhile back when I wrote that Japanese people have a hard time distinguishing between "R" and "L"?!  (Click here to see the November blog.)  In fact, the Japanese alphabet actually shares the same character for all R & L sounds. 

I discovered it when I kept getting mail addressed to "Kelly Green".  Just this week, I received an email from a colleague that said "Hi Kelly", and text from one of my friends that said "Kelly, let's go out this week". 

I no longer find it funny when I get safety updates at work about a "folkrift" accident, just annoying.

Here's a few more examples of "R" vs "L" confusion I've seen around the city... 

Yes, I would love a pamphlet in "Engrish"!

"Margalita" and "Sangulia" sounds yummy to me!!

Sweet!  This hotel even comes with "srippers" I can wear around the room.

This shaved ice looks good, but which flavor should I get... "Remon" or "Meron"?!

I love a good "fly" to go with my burger.

Oh, the poor child who has to wear this shirt! 

He is going to forever think that a "flog" goes libbit, libbit!

The menu is painted on the wall this time... let's get some of those chips and "sarsa".

They have some weird drinks in Japan, but I assure you "Grass Wine" doesn't actually have any blades of grass in it!!

Finally, my favorite...  this business name is posted in giant neon on a building for all to see. 

Let's go to the internet cafe called "Rounge".

After seeing some of these examples, I've decided that if Japanese people can't truly hear the difference between R and L, then I'm not going to worry about some of their words that I can't pronounce correctly either. 

Ret's call it even!

Eel Eating Day

Guess what?!  Today is another special day in Japan!!

July 26, 2010 is "Eel Eating Day" or Doyo No Ushi No Hi. 

Based off the Lunar calendar, today is thought to be the hottest day of the year.  The Japanese tradition is to eat eel today is order to ward off natsu batte, which is condition that causes summer fatigue, lethargy, and loss of appetite due to the extreme heat and humidity.  Eel traditionally bolsters your energy and is a great choice for today. 

I'm sad to report that I didn't eat eel today, simply because I didn't know about today's special meaning until after lunch and I already had dinner plans.  But I have eaten eel many other times before since it is a speciality in Nagoya.  (If you need a refresher, check out my old eel blog by clicking here.)

I will say if this turns out to be the hottest day of the summer, I'm in for a real treat!  But I have a feeling that August is going to roar in with some high temperatures, too!

The beauty of Miyajima Island continues

Our day on Miyajima Island continues. 

Here is a small stream going through town, and people are wading in it again.  Remember how I said Japan needs pools... take a hint!!

It was a nice relaxing scene throughout town, though. 

And since it was well into the 90's, I stopped a few times to cool my feet off, too!

Even the deer liked to lay in the shade by the stream.

Another video of a deer.  This one has a slight injury.  Maybe a rowdy tourist hurt it?!  Yeah, right, that kind of stuff doesn't happen in Japan! 

Souvenir shopping on the streets of Miyajima. 

I love that this town was not crowded like the rest of the country!!

Quite possibly the crappiest souvenir shop ever... 

How do you go from the initials K.F. to K.H.?!  They lost out on a sale from this K.G.!!

Next sight on the island is taking a ropeway ride to the top of Mt. Misen.

Tarynn climbs into our private car that takes us halfway up the mountain.

And we're off!!

This is the ONLY way to climb a mountain in my opinion.  I love it!

(If the car had been air conditioned, it would have been a bonus, but it's still much better than climbing uphill for 2-3 hours!!)

View from the ropeway.

Long way up!

We made it to the halfway point, and now there is a circulating ropeway with one gondola on each side to reach the summit.

This time we'll have to share the cabin car with up to 28 other people!

Made it to the peak of the mountain, and here is the sign we are greeted with:

As if wild deer aren't bad enough, they also have wild monkeys on the top of this mountain that like to steal your personal belongings or attack you for looking at them directly.

Thank goodness we didn't run into any wild monkeys.  I don't even like them behind cages in zoos.  Yuck!

View from the peak of Mt. Misen.

KG is Queen of the World (or at least Japan)!

Tarynn loved this place.  She said it was the most beautiful place she has seen in all of Japan.  So I guess she agrees with the "Top 3 Scenic spots of Japan" rating.  I thought it was nice, but I have truly seen many beautiful places here.

Going d-o-w-n on the ropeway... it was like a steep roller coaster!!

Just to prove we were in Miyajima!

Anyone hungry?  Here's the world's largest rice spoon!

More deer along the bank of the stream. 

Here is Tarynn with a cute fawn. 

Yes, the fawns are cute.  But for the most part, I was totally over the wild deer after about 15 minutes.  They roam around and beg for food like a pack of stray dogs.  One literally tried to climb into my lap while I was eating a snow cone.  I lifted my arm up with the hand holding the food, and she thought it was a signal for her to go higher, too...  Ugh, and then another deer was sniffing around Tarynn's bag getting deer snot all over it.  Not exactly charming and serene as they seem from a distance!!