This afternoon, I met Amy at Nakamozu, and we took the subway together to Tennoji Station.
Our plan was to find and visit Shitennoji temple…Only, Tennoji station is MASSIVE and the temple was a 15 minute walk from the station.
So we wandered around for a little while, and eventually I started examining the bus maps. All of a sudden, this Japanese guy comes up and goes, “So! Where are you guys headed?!”
Me and Amy were like “AHH WTF!” and I was like, “Ummm….Shitennoji….,” not sure if I should reply in Japanese or English.
He goes, “Oh, can you speak Japanese?”
“Yes, a little,” I reply.
“Ok, I’ll go ask the man,” he says, and walks over to talk to one of the traffic managers.
He comes back and tells us to go right and then straight and that we’d see it.
Me and Amy thanked him profusely, and as we walked away, Amy said, “That guy is SO at the top of my favourite people list.”
So we followed the directions and eventually found the temple. We paid 200 yen to get in, and took some time walking around and taking photos. Apparently Shitennoji is the oldest officially administered temple in Japan. It was the first temple built by the state.
After that, we walked back to the station to find lunch. We ended up eating at MOS Burger, but found the tacos to be lacking.
We walked around, exploring the underground for a little while before deciding to hit up the Osaka Municipal Art Museum. We paid another 200 yen to get in, and spent a while looking at vases, cups, paintings, tapestries, and statues.
After the museum, we checked out a bit of Tennoji Park. We walked around a small pond, where there were many loose cats roaming around!
Then we went back to the underground and went home.
It was a good day in Tennoji! I am glad to explore more of Japan.
Tennoji August 27, 2008
4 Days in Okinawa August 22, 2008
August 18th, 2008
This morning, Akiko and Moe took me to Kintestu station so that I could catch the Airport Limousine to Kansai Airport. Kansai is a really neat airport, because Japan basically built an artificial island so house the airport! The busride was about an hour long, and when I got to the airport, I went to the JAL counter to meet Mama and Papa. I eventually found them, and soon after Amy arrived too.
We checked in and then went through security, which was pretty lax since we were taking a domestic flight. We didn’t have long to wait in the waiting area before they started boarding our plane to Okinawa!
The flight itself was only about an hour and 40 minutes long. It went by like nothing. We landed, collected our bags, and then went to the car rental place to pick up our navy blue Mazda. After getting the rental car, Papa drove us to our hotel, the Loisir. It was a pretty fancy place, I felt so spoiled with the doormen opening t he doors for us, carrying our luggage, escorting us to our rooms on the 8th floor. Amy and I settled into our room and Mama and Papa went to the room next door.
After settling in a bit, Amy and I went on an adventure to find Kokusaidori, or International Street. It’s basically a massively long street filled with restaurants and souvenir shops. It took a little trouble, but we eventually found the place. We explored a little bit and then went back to the hotel by 9pm.
August 19th, 2008
Me and Amy went down to the lobby of the hotel to eat breakfast with Mama and Papa. It ended up being not very delicious, and pretty expensive, unfortunately. By 9:30, me and Amy boarded a Naha city bus, bound for Shurijo. Shurijo is the castle of Naha city. It’s the seat of the Ryukyu kinds. It was very beautiful, I really am fond of the vermillion red the Japanese use in their architecture.
After exploring the castle, we attempted to find a bus stop. We didn’t have any luck, so instead we walked maybe 3 kilometers back to Kokusaidori. There, we found a small restaurant in which we had a traditional Okinawan meal – taco rice! It’s exactly what it sounds like, taco fixings on top of Japanese rice. So delicious!
After lunch we walked around Kokusaidori some more before making our way back to the hotel. From there, we packed our beach things and tried to find Naminoue Beach. Unfortunately, we couldn’t find it, so we had to hire a taxi to bring us. Me and Amy spent a few hours at the beach, suntanning and swimming in the lovely algae water.
For dinner, Mama and Papa brought us to a Japanese steakhouse restaurant. There, a chef cooked for us personally, right on our table. We had a huge meal, including some crazy shrimp crackers, beef, tofu, and salad.
August 20,2008
Today, Amy and I got on a tour bus at Naha Terminal at 9am. We took a tour bus to explore northern Okinawa Island. Our first stop was Ryukyu Mura, or Ryukyu Village. We walked around a traditional Okinawan-style village and even got to see a really neat farming dance performed! It was really awesome!
The next stop was a very beautiful cliff overlooking the sea, called Manza-mo. The Okinawan sea is sooo beautiful and blue and the cliffs were so grassy and lush. It was a really pretty area.
Next was lunch, which was at an Okinawan sweets shop. Amy and I had taco rice again – yum! In Okinawa, the traditional foods are pineapple, purple sweet potatoe, and goya (a type of bitter cucumber maybe?). The purple potatoe is actually really good! They even make soft serve purple potatoe icecream!
After lunch, we continued on to the Okinawa Aquarium. We spent 2 hours there, looking and fish and whale sharks, watching a dolphin show, seeing manatees and sea turtles, and wading in Emerald Beach.
The last stop was Fruitsland, which was basically a giant garden of tropical fruit plants, but the guide pretty much ran us through there, so I didn’t have time to see anything! There were some pretty birds and butterflies too, in their respective sections.
By that time, the tour was over, which was great because Amy and I were SOOOO tired from all the walking we did!!
August 21, 2008
Unfortunately, today was our last day in Okinawa!
Amy and I met Mama and Papa in the hotel lobby at 9 and we checked out. We drove to breakfast, where we had toast and yogurt and feasted on the juice bar.
Then we continued the drive to Okinawa World. The first thing we saw there were the caves. We took something like 230 stairs while exploring the deep, wet caves beneath the park. It was really neat, and a really nice temperature too!
The cave walk took maybe 30 minutes, and after that we explored Okinawa World. We saw pottery and glass and some fruit plants. We explored some traditional style Okinawan houses and watched a traditional dance being performed. Amy got her picture taken with a python and we tried drinking a sample of habu alcohol, which is brewed from snakes. Yes, snakes. It actually tasted kind of like wine mixed with cinnamon and had a bit of a burn. It’s VERY expensive stuff and is supposed to make you healthy and energetic.
On the way back to the car rental place, we stopped at A&W for lunch. Since there is a bunch of military bases on the island, Okinawa is actually a little bit Americanized. I’ve never seen an A&W in Japan before.
Anyway, we brought back the car and then made our way back to the airport. We had a few hours to kill before our plane left, so we looked in some shops, did some purikura, and then went to sit in the waiting room.
Our plane left at 4:20pm, and the flight home seemed short. I took the airport limousine back to Kintetsu Station, and from there I flagged a cab and kind of fumbled my way home.
Obon August 13, 2008
Japan-wide, today is a special day, where the Japanese people go to graveyards and temples to honour their ancestors. As Akiko put it, there are people hanging on her shoulders. I think it’s a feeling of guilt if you don’t go.
Akiko, Moe, and I biked maybe 3 minutes to the nearby temple to attend the morning service there. We signed in at the front gate (where Moe received a bag of sweets) and then we entered the main temple building, taking our shoes off first at the foot of the steps. We were a bit late, so we had to sit on the side rather than on the actual tatami mats. Akiko gave me a set of prayer beads and a prayer book, and I held the beads and followed along with the monks’ chanting. It’s actually really difficult to follow!
At one point, we got up from our seats and went down the main aisle. We approached the three gently steaming bowls at the front of the room. I had to sit in seiza, hold my prayer beads in my left hand, and throw a pinch of scented wood chips or something into the large metal pot with the other hand. Next, I put my hands together and prayed. Everyone who came to the service had to do this.
After, there was more chanting. Then the head priest did a sort of sermon and then the monks played some music and sang a song.
At one point, one of the helpers was taking photos, and she definitely took photos of me! I suppose it’s unique for them to have a gaijin at their temple! It was just a small little place. Anyway, the priests were adorable and thanked me for coming when I left.
This evening I went to dinner with Obaachan, Ojiichan, Akiko, and Moe. We biked maybe 5 minutes to this cute little restaurant. Japanese restaurants are so different. Instead of getting just a one-plate meal, instead we had gyoza, fried cheese, fried chicken, chicken legs, pork, onigiri, squid fries, etc. etc. After dinner, we biked to a bakery and ate dessert. I had some fruity parfait thing. It was pretty delicious.
Nodahanshin August 10, 2008
Yesterday, I took the subway to Nodahanshin, which is the nearest station to Sehee`s house. I met her at the station, and we walked back to her apartment together. It`s kind of small, and a little dirty (her host parents both smoke and drink a lot), but still kind of cozy altogether.
Her host mom came home from work, and I only had time to say my name and good evening before she told me to sit down and started doing my hair. After my hair was done, Sehee`s host grandmother helped me into my yukata, which is a summer version of the kimono. I wore a tanktop and a sheer white cotton underskirt that tied around the waste. Then I put on my yukata, which was then tied twice with a white cotton cord. Lastly, She wrapped me up in my obi, which is kind of like a belt, or corset and kind of keeps everything all together. The way the back is tied is very important.
Once Sehee was all finished up, we slipped into geta, or wooden sandals, and proceeded to head back to the station area to do purikura! However, a little over halfway there, it started pouring rain! The two of us took shelter under the roof of a small tabacco shop. By the door was a canister that had a few umbrellas in it. We contemplated borrowing one (without asking) but in the end Sehee got up the nerve to ask the nice ojichan who ran the store if he could lend us an umbrella. So he comes out with this nice, new umbrella and tells us we can keep it! It was pretty sweet of him, but we had already been standing there for 10 minutes!!
With the umbrella, we made our way to the purikura machines. It was really busy, and many other people wearing yukata were taking purikura. On the way home from the purikura extravaganza, we were able to see some of the fireworks lighting up the sky. Unfortunately, by the time we had walked home, we missed all the fireworks. They were only on for about half an hour.
After getting home, we changed out of our wet, hot yukata and back into normal clothes. We ate dinner with Sehee`s host parents and a bunch of their friends. Afterward, we took our bathes.
While I was in the bath, Sehee knocks on the door and says, `Uh, Anje someone needs to use the toilet. It`s a girl.` So I was like, okay, that`s fine. So the girl came and left. But then, I hear a man`s voice saying, `Sorry, just using the toilet!` and I`m kind of like AHHHHH!!!!! That was slightly uncomfortable. I was just about to get out of the shower too! So then I had to sit there and wait for him to finish before I could leave.
The next morning, we went with Sehee`s host parents to this really cheap mall near Namba. From there we walked the whole of Shinsaibashi back to Namba station and then I went home.
When I got home, everyone was gone. The front door was locked. I do not have a key for the front door. I went over to the grandparents house to see if they could help. No one home there either. I checked all the windows and finally found that the ones to the living room were open….They are also slightly small. I found a wooden bench and brought it around to the window. It was too short and I couldn`t reach. I looked around for a while before finding a ladder. I took the ladder around to the side of the house, and somehow I dropped into the window, sliding sideways and landing feet first!
My host family will get a kick out of that story!
Next Family August 7, 2008
Today I got the new information on my next host family.
I`ll still be in Osaka city, a bit closer to Namba I think.
I`ll be living with the Onishi family, which included a dad (pharmacist), mom (nurse), sister (17), host brother (15), and grandma (71). They also have 2 dogs.
They sound pretty nice, except for that I`m only with them for 1 month! I am only with my current family for a month too.
Life kind of sucks.
Kinkakuji and Flaming Ramen August 3, 2008
So yesterday my host family was kind of randomly like, `Let`s go to Kyoto!`. So we went.
We drove there and kind of ended up in this parking lot beside a Lawson (a popular convenience store here). I was kind of like, `ooookay,` until I realised that we were actually going to eat lunch at this ramen restaurant next doors.
The restaurant had just opened, so we were some of the first one`s in. Akiko then informed me that they had seen the place on TV the day before and that it was famous or something. I was like, `ooookay.`
For some reasonn, Koichi was seated at the bar. Then I figured out that it was because he was eating the famous `negi ramen`. The chef was really crazy about having the whole thing organized and we started getting slightly concerned when he made everyone place their water glasses under the table and hold their hands behind their backs.
Then the chef was holding a FLAMING pan and he dumped the flames into each customer`s bowl, one by one, causing the bowl of ramen to BURST INTO FLAMES THAT REACHED THE CIELING. It was pretty intense. I could feel the heat from where I was sitting! I guess they mix in oil with the negi or something, and that`s what makes it catch fire.
After lunch, we drove to Kinkakuji, which is actually the name of one of the buildings in this temple/house complex place. It`s really famous, because the top two floors of kinkakuji are covered in gold leaf. It`s really pretty. There were gaijins everywhere though!
After that, we went to this really epic store (think Ikea but only 10 times more expensive) and I met Koichi`s cousin who worked there. From the store, we walked to this massive department store. We took the elevator up to the 7th floor, which was manned by these girls in HIDEOUS pink dresses and hats. We ate icecream up in the cafe there. After the icecream, we went home.
At 8:30, I said goodnight and went upstairs to hang out for a while. I was listening to music and playing solitaire, when I heard the tell-tale sounds of the danjiri. It sounded oddly loud this evening, so I went to the window and the danjiri is RIGHT OUTSIDE MY FRONT DOOR. It was pretty crazy!!! Me and the lady across the street were both looking out our windows.
I love summer!
Mount Koya August 2, 2008
From July 30th until August 1st, I went with Amy to an English Camp. The camp was in Wakayama Prefecture, on Mount Koya. Mount Koya is OVERFLOWING with temples, and it`s the starting point of the 88 Temple pilgrimmage.
We all met at Sakaihigashi station. It was me, Amy, and two other gaijin, Momo (Melissa) from California, and Ashi (Ashton) from Australia. There were a bunch of girls from Tezukayama. They actually go to the all girls version of my school.
We took the train to the bottom of mount Koya, and from there we had to take a cable car for 5 minutes to get to the top. It was slightly scary for me, who`s afraid of heights, as the car went STRAIGHT up. But I made it all in one piece.
We exited the small Koyasan station, and took a bus down the winding mountain roads until we reached our temple inn, Chizuin. Yes, we stayed in a temple. The temples on Koyasan offer rooms, especially for the pilgrims who are doing the 88 temple route.
At the entrance, we were provided with red slippers to wear inside. We gathered in the tatami meeting room and had a short opening ceremony. Then, we were shown to our rooms, which were down the hallway and upstairs. Our rooms were made of tatami. The girls changed out of their school uniforms and then we went back downstairs for lunch.
Because they`re buddhist, the monks don`t eat meat or fish of any kind. The buddhist food is called shoujinryouri. Actually, most of the girls didn`t really like the food. It`s basically vegetables and tofu, but not many people get to try the real thing, and it`s often expensive, so it was a good experience.
After lunch, we set out on a walk. We went to the middle gate, the great stuupa, and saw Kukai`s first temple, which is the starting place of the 88 temple route. At the temple, we saw a bunch of monks. It was pretty cool. From the temple, we walked to Okunoin Cemetery. It was a BEAUTIFUL cemetery, which was basially a forest FILLED with stone lanterns, stone torii gates, graves, memorials, etc. Everything was bathed ina soft light that filtered through the forest trees and the moss was a vibrant green on the trees and stone. It was really beautiful. And massive. If there had been more pathes, we would`ve gotten lost! The walk ended at a building where you burn incense and pray. You basically take a stick of incense, light it in the fire, and stick it into a giant bowl of ashes. Then you blow the fumes toward your face with both hands. It`s to purify and make you smart. Then, you pray. This is either done by throwing a coin into a box and clapping your hands, or ringing a bell and clapping your hands, or just clapping your hands. At the end, you bow to thank the spirits. You clap your hands twice at the beginning, to call the spirits to your wish.
There was also a long line of statues, which you were supposed to go along, throwing water on each one. It was really funny when one of the girls threw the water on the teacher instead!
Next, we crossed a bridge to go to Kukai`s tomb. It was an incredible building, with incense so thick you could see it coming out of the doors. Inside was dark, and there was a monk chanting a sutra. On the cieling were hundreds of orange glowing lanterns. It was quite something, although the incense made it hard to breath. Unfortunately, no photos were allowed. After the tomb, we took a bus back to the temple.
We had a short break, and then at 5pm it was bath time. Yes, that meant naked baths. It was kind of awkward to do it with white people, but we all survived. After washing, we went into the bath, where I almost passed out because it was so hot!
Next was dinner, which was more vegetarian food. It`s so hard to eat it all! The meals are huge and not very delicious…But for dessert was a delicious watermelon!
After dinner, the girls had some preparation time for their Japanese culture presentations, and then they had to write in a diary in English. Next was bedtime, although no one went to bed for a while!
The next morning, I woke up at 5am because at 5:50 there was a buddhist temple service. We all filed into the temple room, which had hundreds of lanterns hanging from the cieling and a beautiful golden altar at the front. We sat in seiza (on our legs…I lost feeling after a while) and listened as the two monks chanted. It was very interesting and beautiful, almost like a song. However, it was long and becamse boring after a little while. After the chanting, the monk told us about how he helps people on death row, and then we left to take a walk.
We walked up to the Daimon, or the Big Gate, which is a MASSIVE red gate at the front of the town. Then we walked back and ate breakfast, which was more shoujinryouri.
After breakfast, we had more presentation preperation time until lunch. Lunch was a big surprise. We all expected the yucky buddhist food, but when we entered the tatami meeting room, there was CURRY!!! WITH MEAT! Everyone freaked out with happiness. I gorged myself on curry.
There was more preparation after lunch, and then we were allowed to explore and shop the main street afterwards. We wandered for a bit, and then me, Amy, Momo, and Ashi went to this small cafe and had kakigori, or shaved ice.
We returned to the temple and had bath time. After the baths was dinner (not vegetarian!), and then after that we played games and sang songs together. Amy and I taught the girls Stella-Ella-Ola. That was fun. I was the first one out!
After cleaning up the hall and writing in their diaries, the girls and us went back to our rooms to `sleep`.
The next day was our last day. Our breakfast was vegetarian again. After breakfast, we cleaned up the rooms and had our kamishibai contest. This was basically a presentation of a Japanese folk tale in English. Momo`s group won first, Ashi`s second. My group got the `Best Group` prize. We had a small closing ceremony, and then ate lunch, which was DELICIOUS BREAD!!!
We left an hour ahead of schedule, so we took the local train back to Hashimoto and then changed to express. It ended up taking me around 2 hours or more to get home.
