日本での一年間 = One Year In Japan

Tuesday, June 22, 2010 – (The Final Entry)

2010-06-22T18:47:00.021+09:00

A year abroad as a Rotary Exchange Student is more than a long vacation. It is Risk and Opportunity, together with Triumph, Adversity and Responsibility. Mix all that together and what do you get: a full Year of growth.

R.O.T.A.R.Y.

I can say now, on my last blog entry while abroad, that the result was well worth the journey. To recognize the vast number of adventures and challenges I’ve experienced throughout the past ten months is as much of a reward as I could ever have hoped for. Last night I had a moment of peace and contentment when I simply lay in bed and reminded myself of some of the many remarkable (and at times ridiculous) things I’ve accomplished while over here in Japan.

Thoughts about going to a fishery school, learning a completely new foreign language, biking over 1400 kilometers, eating practically every type of food Japan has to offer, beginning a travel blog, taking whole days just to contemplate…stuff, experiencing yet another World Cup of Soccer abroad, painting Japanese calligraphy, and mastering the Tokyo public transportation system.

I still remember experiencing the world’s most famous sushi market, learning how to better maneuver an Asian social hierarchy, attending a whole year of school and only being assigned ONE piece of homework (and English homework at that!), exploring countless aspects of the Japanese culture and tradition, traveling an incredible amount, discovering more about myself than I’d ever thought there was to uncover, and much, much more.

I had thought that this last blog needed to be perfect and stylish and unique. But now I realize that what will make this entry special is the fact that it truly is my last one over here in Japan. The year of growth that I have just completed is one that simply cannot be expressed in words or pictures, but only in gratitude and resolution. I do not mean this in any way to be self-boastful, but rather as one of the many things that I am thankful for from my exchange: I feel much older now. My lifestyle has changed, as has my mindset, goals and motivation. It’s an exciting moment when, with literally billions of people on this planet, you can step back and say, “I can hold my own.”

I don’t see my life as this. I see it as THIS.

I now comprehend that there is undeniably an overlapping and intricately connected network of life, diversity and spirit on this planet. It is a limitless combination of where I can go, and what I can see, who I can meet, or most importantly, as who I can become.

That’s the level I’ve reached thanks to this exchange. I wouldn’t change such year for the world, because that’s exactly what I’ve gained from it.

I want to express my gratitude to so many individuals, yet I know that the chance to do so will come soon enough once I’m back home. I can’t wait to reconnect with all of you. Hopefully at that time the conversation will be a little less one-sided than it has been for the past ten months!! =) But honestly, I do owe all of you blog followers a very sincere thank you. This website has been an outlet for me throughout the year to not only share photos and fun experiences, but also to really concentrate my thoughts and set them down into writing. I am forever indebted to your continued encouragement and support.

To Rotary I also give great credit. They have established an incredible exchange program that spans the entire globe and I just feel fortunate to be one of the nearly 9000 students who have taken part in the 2009-2010 year!! It would be a great honor to share my experiences with you back in the good old Northfield Golf Club sometime this summer. It’s the least I can do for all that you have done for me – お心遣い、どうもありがとうございました！！

And FINALLY, I will tell you my travel plans for the days leading up to my July 11^th return home. Tomorrow, June 23^rd, I will be meeting Ryota in Tokyo during the afternoon. We have a busy schedule planned for the next couple weeks, but in the end we will have visited our friend Min in South Korea, spent a week down in Taiwan, and finally returned to Japan for a couple more days. During those last few days in Japan, I will be realizing one of the greatest dreams I’ve had all year: climbing Mt. Fuji!! With that being my last big hurrah, I will be on a plane over the Pacific before I know it, and once again hugging my family in the Minneapolis-St. Paul International Airport!!

And so it comes full circle. My first entry from Japan was of having to leave my family at the Minneapolis airport. I used the words, “Today is just the beginning. Before me I have one incredible year in Japan full of adventures, challenges, friends & firsts.”

And that I did!

**Remember - My sister Maria has started her blog for Rotary Youth Exchange to Argentina 2010-2011. It is cleverly named "La Vida Mia" which in Spanish means both "My Life" and "The Life of Mia"(her childhood nickname). BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT!! Simply click here to visit: mestenson.blogspot.com **

Monday, June 21, 2010-

2010-06-21T18:09:00.001+09:00

Well, there was a little mix up on contact information and scheduling which in the end gave me one extra day here in Tochigi. What I mean to say is that I was going to finish my Rotary exchange tomorrow afternoon, but now instead I will wait one more day in order to meet up with a friend and Ryota in Tokyo on the 23rd instead.

Therefore....I have all day tomorrow to write one final blog entry while abroad before I go on my big trip. But in the meantime, I'm going to be a little bit selfish. I am going to completely stop thinking about packing, phone numbers, hotel bookings, extra emails or (gasp) blogging for the rest of the night and just have fun with the Shiozawa's. Sorry to have backed out on my promise of another entry today, but tomorrow I will definitely write one last time while in Japan =)

Until then - PEACE

Saturday, June 19 & Sunday, June 20, 2010-

2010-06-20T23:53:00.006+09:00

There’s so much I want to say in these last couple blog entries but I know that I will never do them justice if I force something out at 1:00 in the morning. Therefore, I promise you one last, well organized one tomorrow, but tonight all I’ve got the energy for are a few snapshots from my last weekend here in Tochigi – I hope you enjoy it because I sure did!!

Grace Lee, Kris Burridge, and I

My host family treated us to a delicious soba and udon lunch - lots of fresh and tasty tempura and croquettes too!!

Grace and Kris out behind the soba restaurant

Later that evening we went out to a very fun 80's Costume Party that some of the ALT teachers had organized in the area. Quite the get-ups!!

Hayley and Kris were clearly enjoying their (rediscovered) fashions

Part of the costume contest

Vera and Hayley. Between her killer purple visor and her classic dance moves, Vera ended up winning the contest!

Grace and Matt

Very cool night guys, thanks for letting me join in the fun

Then tonight, Sunday, my local Rotary club, a couple school teachers, and my host families had a very classy going-away dinner at the nearby Bonheur Restaurant

The rest of the gathering

The food was so nice I just had to take pictures of it

This was a grilled vegetable gelatin with foamy tomato sauce on top

Basil, fresh cheese and tomato spoonfuls and extremely tender garlic Tai Red Snapper sashimi

Pork Puree, Kobe King Salmon, and "Ice Plant"...if anyone can tell me what "Ice Plant" is that would be very kind of them

Fresh greens truffle salad, with a pumpkin puree dressing drizzled over the top

Beef Tenderloins with various tempura veggies on the side

An AWESOME dessert: Coconut pudding and fresh golden pineapple on top, next to beet and maple syrup sorbet with just a bit of a mint sprig on top

So I ended my meal just like I have my Rotary exchange - in good taste!!

Thursday, June 17 – Saturday, June 19, 2010-

2010-06-19T10:26:00.010+09:00

I have been told by countless previous exchange students to enjoy the last few weeks of your exchange because they are by far the quickest of the entire year. Well I’m finding that to be sound advice. The past three days have zoomed by and now I find myself trying to catch my breath once more. The rush to pack so many things into my last week at Japanese high school has meant for long days - well that and the fact that I’m staying up way to late watching World Cup Soccer games too!!

Quick shout out to my AATG Germany Exchange 2006 friends. Can you guys really believe it has been four years since we were in Nürnberg? Parts of it seem like ages ago and others so clear it could be last week!! Well here’s to our awesome exchange, and to Saranya’s suggestion of Reunion World Cup 2014 Brazil =D

But back to my current nation – JAPAN!! I’ve been trying to take in as much as possible and it still feels like my cup is overflowing. It’s all of the little things too, for example a day of fishing and soccer with my homeroom class; a heartfelt collection of photographs and good-bye letters from Oshima-Sensei and my third year friends; and a delicious, but still sad, good-bye dinner with the Kobayashi’s at our favorite sushi restaurant. I really don’t have much time this morning either, I’m meeting Grace and Kris, two of my ALT friends, in order to spend the afternoon and evening with them in Otawara city to the north. And seeing as they’re going to be here in an hour and I’m still lying in bed I really ought to go!! =P So enjoy the photos, I should be able to write once or twice before my trip next Tuesday, but until then “Go Japan!!” Our game against the Netherlands is tonight; hmmm we’ll see how this one turns out!! Haha =\

I consider this "the setting of the rising sun." Kind of like the end to my Japanese exchange at Bato High School

~~~

The new fishbone background also ought to symbolize the finishing of Fishery School!! Haha, not to be morbid or anything =P

On Thursday I had my last fishery field trip. We went fishing all day at a river up north. The weather was (as you can see) perfect.

Then once we got back to school we all spent an hour or two playing soccer out on the pitch - GREAT DAY!!

Miki and his classic peace sign

Nasushiobara - the same area where I went skiing with the school back in January

Plenty of fish to be caught!

Tanaka taking a break from fishing. He has the right to as well, he's ranked as one of the top 10 Ayu Fishermen (of any age) in all of Tochigi Prefecture!! And that's saying something

Seiya and Yoshida-Sensei going over the day's catch

Misaki, Yoshida-Sensei (aka Katherine Norrie's twin), and Azu in the art room

Art was my very last period of school, so we had a fun going-away party and played games

Seiya, Miki, and Yoshida-Sensei

Ma and I pretending to use their incredibly generous going away present to me: a lacquer tray and real gilded Kyuushu pottery!!

I realized that the very first time we went out to dinner as a host family we went to this same restaurant. It seems like a long time ago but it was really just last January!! Crazy what six months can do

THIS is the picture from January!! haha, does Ma look older =)

I think they look like brothers more than the same guy seeing as he now wears glasses - funny

Wednesday, June 16, 2010- (THE JAPANESE TWINS LIST)

2010-06-16T22:04:00.013+09:00

First of all, my sister Maria has started her blog for Rotary Youth Exchange to Argentina 2010-2011. It is cleverly named "La Vida Mia" which in Spanish means both "My Life" and "The Life of Mia"(her childhood nickname!) BE SURE TO CHECK IT OUT!! She just posted her first entry: mestenson.blogspot.com

And now for one of the blog entries I've been thinking about for months now.

And it all starts Katherine Norrie...or at least her twin sister, whichever one you want to pick. It was she/they who set me off on a yearlong quest that is finally coming to fruition. You see the art teacher here at my local high school could be the perfect Japanese match for my art teacher and close family friend, Katherine Norrie, back at my alma mater of Northfield High School. It took less than a day at my school here before I started making a list of “Japanese Twins” based on family, friends, and celebrities back at home. Obviously I don’t have pictures of all these people, but for the most part I have found people who look like someone I know. As you’ll see from the following list, it is one of the most random conglomerations of names to ever grace the blog-o-sphere. I would like to say, before we begin, that this doesn’t in any way reflect how I feel towards you. I didn’t even find my own family, so if you aren’t on the list, don’t feel bad, it just means I haven’t found your Japanese clone yet!

Katherine Norrie and her sister, Yoshida-Sensei, are both fun and energetic art teachers. In fact, the word for glue in Japanese is even pronounced nori. It’s like it was meant to be! *
Yujie Sun has a fellow partner in (fashion) crime with Kikuchi from my homeroom. I’m pretty sure they’ve both at some point or another worn suspenders to school
Taylor Lawson served me sushi at a fast food restaurant
Miki, my other best friend from school will admit himself that he resembles everyone’s favorite Disney character
A woman walking her beagle - PERFECT match to Faye Caskey
Tyler Lebens apparently quit college in the US only to attend fishery school
Chelsea Koenigs’ kindred spirit is one of my other good friends here
Matt Vogel was in a children’s news program on channel 12
The quiet and smart kid from the fishery class last year was a mixture of Kyle Smested and Ira Hanson
Laurie Brackee was on the news in a story about her elderly mother living independently
Calina Hall is a Rotary rebound student who went to France for a year
A mixture of Cindy Barrientos and Sarah Behr also spent a year abroad through Rotary
My fishing and kayaking teacher Tanaka-Sensei is just like John Daniels*
The 45-year-old version of Jonny Bauman was snorkeling for giant salamanders in a sewer
Doug Hiza enjoying a nice dip in the local hot springs
Arlene Carol passed me while biking
My cousin Phil has the same sense of humor and comical facial expressions as Abe from my homeroom class
Russell Anway’s voice was on one of those cheesy tapes accompanying the school’s English textbooks
The twin of my other cousin, Brian still towered over his fellow soccer players in the men’s local futsol league
Steph (of Jeff and Steph fame) quietly read her book on a train to Utsunomiya with me – I was tempted to ask her how she’d been doing lately but didn’t want to disturb her from her novel!
Adrian Lazaro’s new name is Shogo, one of the Rotex friends I made
Amber Woitalla’s voice came floating (okay screaming) down the hallways of my high school…just like the good old days, minus the Japanese of course!
Sonja Norgaard plays the guitar in a bright purple dress, apparently
Ashley Reilly was in the background of some political event on TV
Brekken, the rambunctious German shorthair dog owned by my cousins, was doing what she loved most – hunting. But this time, instead of pheasants she was chasing stray monkeys through the hills of Nagano!! Turns out monkeys are a bit smarter than birds. I could just see her little mind running though, - I’ll even go through the trouble of translating it for you! - “Awww, man I almost had that one!! Really, really. Jeez, I’d even give my left ear if I could just climb these darn trees!! Then they’d really be stuck. I’m gonn- MONKEY!!!!” and off she would sprint again.
Cindy Kramer and Deb Thomforde both have children going abroad next year. I’ll bet you didn’t know that, did you ladies?! =)
Siri Thompson is a TV celebrity
A third year in my school is Meowth from Pokemon - his hairstyle even looks like cat ears
His friend looks like an Orc from Lord of the Rings, or maybe a goblin. I’m not sure which yet, all I know is I feel really bad for that guy…
Yosh Soltis was a doctor giving flu shots
A duo of third year students remind me a bit too much of lizards. I tend to steer clear of them!*
Isaac Tut stood out for obvious reasons in a crowd of short little Japanese people
Margaret Colangelo in a convenience store buying juice
Donna Paulsen making her way home on the train
Katy Shuermann was a teacher leading her class through the castle of Naha, Okinawa
Danyelle Fuhrmann in the international street of that same city
Jacob Merkle driving his scooter near the beach
Pam Vig in a full body wind suit jogging happily with a friend (in an equally flashy outfit) along the sidewalk. I always knew you had a neon pink and yellow flare to you, Pam!
Jeanne Tamura outside of a Harajuku 100 Yen store
Sam Studer was dressed like Santa Claus in Shinjuku, Tokyo
Susan Boyle dropped off her kid at Bato High School
Alan Riveros riding a Tokyo train
Nick Arvidson in a business suit. Lookin’ spiffy Nick!
Katrin Holl, the Austrian exchange student who came to NHS a couple years back, was shopping in a Yokohama mall
Bri Lane was also (surprise surprise) power shopping at the mall!
Mia Miller was my waitress in a Chinatown restaurant. You looked a little bit upset though, Mia, what happened to you on December 6^th, 2009?! You were making your twin angry =P
Ellen Mucha boarding a Shinkansen Bullet Train in Tokyo
A fortuneteller who looked a lot like a giant toad. Too bad her own fortune didn’t turn out better
Mrs. Salisbury owns a books store near my house
Maya Rudolph from SNL was waiting at a stoplight
Felicia Hansel walking home from school
There’s a girl in my cooking class who looks like Allie Lyman did during her self admittedly awkward childhood years. Anyone who’s been to her house, picture the little league button on their fridge!
A drawing of a Christmas elf on the side of a chocolate bar looked like Barry Carlson
Maren Dvorak was on the side of every cigarette vending machine in Japan for the month of December
Casey Watkins in a Sendai department store on Christmas Eve
Someone walking the streets with his girlfriend had the same hair and nose as the Crazy Horse statue in South Dakota
Sarah Martens on a TV show about savings the cheetahs
Kylie Daniels was some school girl making mochi rice cakes on channel 4
Rachael Stets was a very fashionable girl on the train who wore a giant fur hat and even had a “Rachael Stets-ian” scarf
Angie Tanghe was wearing an expensive kimono in an Utsunomiya department store
Vicki Dilley is a singer dressed all in white who sang at the New Year’s television special*
Cousin Alisa competed in the Japanese version of Name That Tune.
Wendy Smith holding a bouquet of flowers in a crowded train station
A mixture of Rachel Sampson and Emily Quinnell (or kind of like the recent, and much improved, version of Miley Cyrus) eating ramen noodles in Sano. Still the best-looking girl I’ve seen all year!!
Chisaki Iijima even had a Japanese twin. Max and I were convinced it was her for a minute
Frau Winkelman boarding a train in Utsunomiya
A fifty-year-old, excessively well groomed Jacob Anderson was standing talking to himself about how cold it was in the station waiting room
Gary Carlson gave me a kind nod as I biked to school – very Gary Carlson of him!
Tommy VanWylen was touring the Asakusa Shrine
Phil Soltis stopped to enjoy a street performance in Ueno Park
A 45-year-old version of Neil Wefel near the Japanese National Museum – Neil’s favorite place, of course
Hillary Van Wyngeeran had more than just a little bit of sass as she walked down a nearly empty Tokyo sidewalk. It was like she was struttin’ her stuff on the catwalk rather than a dirty city walkway! But good for you, Hill.
Cinda Laabs gave me a very Cinda-esque smile and nod a narrow Tokyo street
My grandma Estenson was (in my mind) wearing a far too racy and lacy black sequins dress for a nationwide karaoke competition on TV. She even had long black gloves and matching red hair…That one scared me a little bit. I can honestly say I’d never pictured my grandma Asian before!
Again, Allie Lyman if she were thirty years older this time, and owned a Chinese restaurant – shoot for the stars Allie =D
Bjorn Carlson was an aspiring acapella punk rocker on a competitive music program
I found a 12-year-old Cale Steinhoff on my host brother’s soccer team, he played defense and not only was he half as tiny as everyone else, he was twice as crafty
Lila Weaver seemed very happy to be spending the day in Tokyo Disney Sea
In a Rotary magazine there was a picture of a big, scary foreign man (I’m guessing Ukrainian or Belarusian) who had a flat top and was wearing a black and blue soccer warm up. I was convinced Cohrs had finally seen the light and become a Rotarian!
I saw Emma Twito in fifty years. Don’t worry Emma, you’ve still got your same spunk and style =)
Céline Dion was driving her van near the supermarket – gotta make that sushi!
Amanda Frazier was on a Japanese game show…and failed horribly!
Taylor Shroyer (or his dad, seeing as they look the same) reeled in a 20 kilo Giant Sea Bass on a famous fishing program, well done Shroyer, well done.
I saw a tall blonde foreigner that looked so much like Solveig Hagen that I was left wondering if it wasn’t really her. Solveig, were you by any chance in rural South-central Japan this February?
I found Amberly, my fellow exchange student, waitressing in the Tsutaya Wired café n the top floor of the Shibuya shop. Is that how you afforded all those crazy Harajuku outfits, Amberly??
Professor Snape was an Olympic long jump skier*
Kristy Wacek and George from Seinfeld were holding hands on an early spring walks through town
Sandra Bernhard has moved to tiny Tochigi, Japan. The last place in the world any paparazzi would be looking for her (but then again, when was the last time any were!)
Ruth Bauman is a little country farmer
Congratulations Kevin Holmsten, you graduated from high school in Japan also.
My Aunt Barb and Lois Peterson were a duet at a local music concert. I didn’t know you two could play the Japanese koto!
Meanwhile at that same concert Bruce Dalgaard sat with a smile on his face, just like I’m sure the real Bruce would be enjoying a koto recital.
Jake Sager was eating at a hamburger restaurant called “The Grab Happiness”
Beret Amundson if she were a middle aged Japanese house wife
There’s a pair of really dense fellows in the fishery first year class who remind me of Crabbe and Goyle from Harry Potter
Imagine Liz Brady in a perpetual state of fear, like when she makes her eyes so big you can see the white all the way around them, and that was the face of a woman trying to park her car in the restaurant parking lot. Very frightening
Lindsay Vonn apparently did some post Olympic R&R in Nakagawa, Japan
Picture a frog with a big curly Afro like bubble of hair and that’s one of my classmates
Abby Stets was one of two people, either the youngest (and as you can see from the picture on the right - cutest) grand-daughter of my first host family or a freshman at my high school who has hair longer than her waist. So you can pick Abby, which do you want to be?!? =)*
Liza Rod served me lunch one time
Joe Gallagher was really into photographing trees…what’s that all about, Joe?
Ron Sommers cruising the countryside roads in his truck
Sam Maus out for a jog
Aaron Bradley drives a fancy black Nissan
A clone of Emily Stets, but with the personality of Dusti Boyum
Funny enough, the first find during the trip with my cousin Andrew was none other than our grandma Alice. She was sitting across from us on the train and proceeded to pull random items out of her purse, in true grandma fashion. Her hair was even the same style
Heather Scott was the first person I recognized in the Kyoto station
A very “Jenny Kram” like girl was checking emails at our Kyoto hotel
A nice plump Rosie O’Donnell waiting for the Osaka train
Mr. Joyce fell asleep on the metro across from Andrew and I. Andrew wanted to pull a prank on him, but I convinced him it probably wasn’t the real Mr. Joyce
If Sam Weaver’s aunt Trish looked a little bit more like an Eskimo I could have sworn that she got on a metro train with us in Osaka
The previous Prime Minister Mr. Hatoyama for some reason looks like he could be in the Abdella family*
A Japanese mix of my cousin Molly Studer and Katie Nygren on the metro
Beyoncé also loves the metro system apparently
Stina Nesbit was, of course, a Japanese television drama star
Colleen Norton almost hit me in her Jeep. Don’t worry Colleen, I forgive you =)
Alan Cox, definitely an Alan Cox, was spotted on my way to school
Justin Stets if he wore glasses and were a banker
Mary Carlson perusing a Tokyo CD store
I served Katie Ingman lunch at our restaurant – she ordered soba noodles and tempura (good choice, Kate, good choice!)
17-year-old Anne Minske passed me in rollerblades
Jim Thompson dropping off his daughter at school. But unless Siri or Liv have shrunk by about a foot and dyed their hair black, I don’t think he was dropping off either of them. =P
And finally, just a few days ago, I spotted my cousin’s little boy Cole Sommer, frantically trying to escape from his parents at a rest stop. He put up a good fight too, getting out of their grip and halfway across the parking lot before he was recaptured

~~~~~~~

So there you have it. It’s been a random yet fun task for me over the year, and it’s brought me more than a handful of laughs along the way.

Wednesday, June 16, 2010-

2010-06-16T17:13:00.004+09:00

I’m hoping to do two blogs today, but the second one is proving to be quite a task so it might not get posted until tomorrow or later. I’ll keep it a secret for now, just to build the anticipation!!

~ This is the point when you as the reader can excitedly bounce up and down in your chair saying, “Ooooh, I wonder what it might be?!? I’m so excited!” You know, like Sam Weaver does for all of my blogs ;) haha, just kidding ~

Today I had a fun lunch over at the fishery school that we as a homeroom class prepare ourselves. It was curry and rice, salted and grilled ayu fish, chocolate cake and this awesome waterfall method of eating soumen rice noodles involving a garden hose, a metal saw, ladders, chairs, several poles of bamboo, chopsticks and ninja-like reflexes! Haha, if that doesn’t sound like a fun meal I don’t know what does.

Miki helping make the cake

This is when we're happy there's still at least one girl in the fishery class

Koike and Tanaka making the Shioyaki Ayu

Sitting down for lunch, we'd work up a good appetite

And this is it!! It's called 流し素麺 or "Nagashi Soumen"

It involves cutting several pieces of bamboo in half, hallowing out the middle, and creating your own little noodle river!!

Just turn the water on high, send some noodles shooting down and the goal is to grab and eat all of them before they spill off the end!! So funny, I can't believe it took until my last week for us to do this =P

Tuesday, June 15, 2010-

2010-06-15T21:45:00.007+09:00

There have been moments over the past week when I’ve run into brick walls

Not literally, that would be cause for some concern, but at times I feel as if I am an Olympic sprinter, rushing forward headfirst so fast that I hardly have time to absorb the surrounding crowds. I am getting closer and closer to the finish line, and I’m certain to come out on top no matter how it finishes, but it feels like I’ve striven all year to do a 400 meter dash only to discover that there are unexpected hurdles awaiting me in the homestretch! None of these hurdles are bad or disappointing things, only sudden jolts of realization and sadness that tell me I won’t ever return to this track again. My race is ending soon and before long the baton will be passed on to another.

An example of one such hurdle came this afternoon while I stood in front of the entire Bato High School giving a going away presentation in Japanese. I was explaining my exchange, talking about all the things I have learn this year, all the adventures I’ve had and all the unforgettable memories I’ve made. And that’s when (BAM) I suddenly had a vivid flashback of one similar speech in August of last year. I was stumbling through some sort of introduction, explaining how I would be at their school for one year during which I would do my best to take the most out of my exchange as possible. It’s been a real marathon since then and I didn’t know if I would find my way at times, but today I felt an overwhelming sense of comfort knowing not only that I’ve made it, but that I’ve done it. I’ve taken my most.

Grace Lee and I

The school getting ready for my good-bye speech

This is random, but I got a couple fun snapshots out of it so I figured I'd upload them as well. It's mid-June here now and Grandpa's bonsai trees are in full bloom. A quick afternoon shower yesterday was just enough to entice outside to take a couple pictures

Toori Gate

There are literally dozens of different styles and colors of flowers in his garden

I'll maybe try to take a couple too when the weather isn't so misty and mysterious but sunny instead

雨 ~ あめ ~ Ame ~ Rain

The bees are out in force!

Monday, June 14, 2010-

2010-06-14T21:25:00.020+09:00

Take a guess at what this blog is about. I'll give you a hint (as if the following photos don't explain it clearly enough):

FOOD!!

There you have it. It has undoubtedly been one of the highlights from my exchange and now with just a week or two left to enjoy my new favorite Japanese dishes I figured I'd share a bit with all of you. I've experienced so many new foods this year that I don't even know where to begin. So I thought I'd tell you some of my favorites and least favorites foods, along with the strangest, the least expected, and the ones most likely to become popular in the USA within the coming years.

Favorites: Still sushi and sashimi, but also tempura, soba noodles, Okonomiyaki, and unagi freshwater eel
Least Favorites: Ume boshi pickled sour plums, Shiso leaf which is a sour green plant added to salads and sushi sometime, and a variety of countryside preservatives such as boiled chicken innards or perhaps rice mixed with potato, sake alcohol, carrots, and...oh yeah, salmon heads. YUCK!!
Strangest: Sea urchin, wild boar or puffer fish
Least Expected: Raw horse or whale - both, I'm half ashamed to say, I enjoyed the taste of quite a bit
Most likely to take off back home: Either tonkatsu fried pork cutlets or Okonomiyaki pancakes

And so with that, I now invite you out to dinner - Bon Appétit

~~~

Before the Japanese begin any of their meals they always recite the word

「いただきます」"Itadakimasu"

From what I've learned it carries the meaning of gratefully receiving. In the distant past this referred to the animals and plants that had given themselves for our nourishment

With the first Japanese match of the World Cup taking place as I write this blog, I figured we could begin with a nice cup of green tea, some quality soccer gossip, and several hours of sitting cross legged on tatami mats. That's the true Japanese style! Haha

If you need a quick snack you can always make your way to the convenience store and buy a cup of ramen noodles

They've only got a couple different kinds though =\

During a cold, rainy soccer game they're the best

But if you feel like a more filling meal you really need to take your time when picking out what you'd like. Japan has a great variety of dishes.

Thankfully there are usually enticing window displays in front of restaurants in order to help hungry customers choose what to enjoy first. But beware, you don't want exactly what appears in the window - those are plastic!!

Okay now that we've decided what to eat and we've gotten comfortable in our yukata robes, let the courses begin:

How about beginning with a giant Hokkaido Scallop?

Some vinegar soaked Octopus

And oh, this one is awesome!! Duck breast wrapped around sweet leeks in a juicy teriyaki sauce

There's always a whole conch shell

In the summer time you can't go wrong with a nice salted, grilled Ayu Sweetfish over the fire

You know you're in the countryside of Tochigi when you sit down, have a cup of green tea and the side dishes offered to you include pickled cucumbers, sour preserved plums, whole cloves of garlic, and a seaweed, soy sauce and ayu fish head salad...yummy =\

Also very distinctive to the countryside is Devil's Tongue, or Konnyaku

What about a nice Okinawan specialty - Pig Heads!

If you'd prefer a most reasonable appetizer, I'll offer you a wild boar croquette (a seasoned and deep fried potato pancake), along with some lightly fried tempura slices of squash

There's always rice cakes, pounded into "mochi"

This variety has sesame seeds, seaweed flakes, and peanuts in it!

Andrew really liked the variety of fried meats and vegetables on skewers

Especially famous in Osaka, there are Takoyaki fried Octopus cakes

A common soup during the winter, this is a blend of daikon radish, carrots, potatoes, cabbage, and leeks. It's best served with a dash of chili seasoning

Kimpira (as made by KTP)

What about some (korean) ground beef served with a raw egg, onion slices, pine nuts, salad, and apples? The sauce is the best part though!

Gyoza dumplings are a must. Do you see at how good they look when friend properly in the background?!

I know it's not Japanese, but I had escargot for the first time while in Japan and it was delicious. Buttery, garlicy, and covered in toasty bread crumbs! Good snails

Now we come to the main course. Just like with the rest, we have a variety of choices. There's always a mixture of tempura and soba noodles like at my host family's restaurant

You know I love them soba noodles!

Or there's ramen noodles

Kaki-furai

Breaded and fried oysters

Hambagu and Ebi-furai

A beef patty (usually served without a bun and in it's own juices) along with deep fried shrimp

There's donburi

Or rice covered in various meets, veggies, and sauces

Although we can only get it at New Year's, these specially prepared boxes of Japanese delicacies are a real smorgasbord for both the eyes and the taste buds

If none of the above fits your fancy then there is the incredibly delicious (and I'm convinced would do well in America) Okonomiyaki pancakes. They are cabbage, egg, sauce, seasoning, and then any kind of filling you want all mixed together. My favorites include pork, shrimp, kimuchi, or mochi. Then they are fried right in front of you on a hot griddle. Add a little Japanese sauce on top and it's superb

Another griddle favorite from this year was while out to eat in Tokyo with Ayano and Mai. We had Korean fried rice with melted cheese right in the middle

Another great dish is the tonkatsu I mentioned before. It is high quality pork cutlets, coated in fine panko breading and fried

Again, if you add a little sauce on top they can't be beat!

But how about a little seafood, right!? I mean we ARE in Japan.

If you just want to buy directly from the supermarket you can always buy a whole frozen squid or perhaps an octopus in a bucket!

And who could mention Japanese seafood without getting into sushi?!

There's maki-zushi, which are tiny rolls

Sushi can include anything, even delicious ikura salmon roe and uni sea urchin!!

There's onigiri, which is just a rice ball with fish draped over the top

Or there are bigger rolls of sushi, such as the salmon roe and cucumber ones in the previous picture, or the seafood salad ones found in the center of this photo

If you don't want a sushi roll or onigiri, then there's always sashimi.

Sashimi is basically just the fish, no rice or seaweed attached

Mmmmm, what a good looking sushi platter

Here is some from the world famous Tsukiji fish market in Tokyo. There are all slightly cooked with a blow torch before being sprinkled with salt and pepper.

From left to right they are Maguro tuna, Tai red snapper, Sake salmon, Basashi raw horse, and Hotate scallops!!

Here's Andrew enjoying some Unagi eel and larger maki-zushi rolls

Also at Tsukiji you can buy tasty rice bowls layered with different kinds of fish on top. For example salmon, octopus and tai as seen above

Gotta love that octopus

At this restaurant you can even grill your octopus and squid on cute little skewers

You can't leave Japan without trying some sort of sun dried fish as well. These are covered in miso and sesame seeds

If you ever get to visit my second host family, the Kobayashi's, then you really ought to try their Unagi eel!! It's freshly cleaned and grilled to perfection

Another great seafood snack: whole raw oysters drizzled in soy sauce and vinegar!! Out of this world =)

Kaitenzushi is the conveyer belt sushi, and if you're not careful you can build up quite a stack of plates for yourself!!

Finally, we've reached dessert. How about some Anmitsu? That's Japanese gelatin covered in a sugar sauce, fresh fruit, anko sweet bean paste, and if you're lucky, ice cream!

Okinawan purple sweet potato pies

I think I'm drooling

This is raspberry sorbet, fresh fruit, whipped cream, and a waffer

As far as ice cream goes, Pino is king in Japan. Tiny chocolate nubs that even come with their own poker stick

Tochigi is famous for fresh, ripe strawberries like you can see in this cake we made in my food design class

More mochi rice cakes, these are covered in kinako soy flour, which surprisingly enough tastes kind of like peanut butter

Who could pass up some Crunky Kids...

Who doesn't love the Japanese and their candy names??

And if you're really hungry for dessert (like Ayano here) you could always order this cookies and cream loaf of honey toast!!

And finally, let's end where we began, with a little green tea. This macha is quite a bit thicker than the usual kind, but its foamy, bitter taste has played an important part in Japanese culture and cuisine for years.

~~~

We're all done, and clearly we've eaten way too much for our own good, but hey that's how my whole year has gone!! Haha

Now when the Japanese finish their meals they say the words

「ご馳走様でした」 "Gochisousama deshita"

The meaning of ご馳走 - "Gochisou" is basically translated as a feast or good entertainment, so it is only fitting that I end my blog by saying that this year has really been like one long, delicious Gochisou! I'd like to extend a heart/stomachfelt thanks to each and every one of you who have fed me along the way - I enjoyed every bite of it!

Saturday, June 12 & Sunday, June 13, 2010-

2010-06-13T21:35:00.009+09:00

I’m determined not to weigh down this last week’s blogs in the difficulty of good-byes and last-times but instead to reflect on how far I’ve come in one year and all of the incredible things I’ll be taking away from my exchange when I do come home.

(Right: The Tochigi District Rotarians, Inbound Students, Outbound Students, Host Families, and Rotex 2009-2010)

Therefore at our final Tochigi District meeting today, I kept my mind off of the future, and onto the present and past. Us five exchange students: Amberly Thomson from Canada, Max Beard from Florida, Anaïs Verderi from France, and Simon Sigier also from France, have had such an amazing journey together since our first meeting back at Mt. Fuji in August of last year. We each came knowing hardly any of the language, uncertain about what kind of life we would have for the next few months, and how we were ever going to survive a whole year as an exchange student in this foreign land!! The challenges and obstacles along the way may have been many, yet the accomplishments and growths that we have achieved are even more.

This tiny district of Tochigi Japan may only have five inbound students, a mere few compared to the fifty or sixty of my district back home, but what we lack in numbers we make up for in connection and well organized leadership. The district Rotarians here have gone above and beyond anything I could ever have asked for out of my exchange, providing us with monthly events, multiple overnight outings, and of course that unforgettable welcoming orientation back in August. We owe much of our success this year to their hard efforts and commitment.

And finally there are the wonderful ROTEX students of Tochigi-ken! I’m sure that I echo the minds of my four peers when I say that the friendship, encouragement, patience, knowledge, support, and guidance that they as previous exchange students have shared with us current ones made all the different to our years!! To these Rotex I want to extend first a deep bow (Japanese style) and then a giant hug (American style!) because they above all others have taught me how important it is during an exchange to not only absorb the local culture, but to also bring parts of your own to mix with it. Each and every one of them still carries on the lessons of their exchanges while back at home, just like I hope to do when I return to Minnesota.

So it was that I had to bid many of these friends farewell this afternoon, but I told myself that it wouldn’t be long until we met again, especially since I told them all to come visit me in Minnesota asap. Mom, start preparing the guest bedroom, we’re havin’ a couple guests!! =)

The awesome five exchange students from Tochigi headed on exchange next year

Us five students receiving our diplomas. Me, Anaïs, Amberly, the District Governor, Max, Simon, and our favorite Matsuba-San

Just some of our ever so flattering snap shots of the day. I think it's an unspoken competition between all of us to see who can have the strangest facial expressions for some of these...or maybe it's just Amberly!!

Anaïs loves her "Peace Signs"

Next year's exchangies

Simon and Amberly

Out to Kaitenzushi with Chisaki, Max, Anaïs and some of the other Rotex

Eriko, the Rotex president, and I

Saying a long good-bye in the parking lot with Anaïs and Chisaki

~~~

PS. Any thoughts on the new background? How's it compare to the yellow-ish background?

Wednesday, June 9 – Friday, June 11, 2010-

2010-06-11T17:25:00.008+09:00

#1 – Happy World Cup Day

#2 – As you blogspot followers can tell, I changed the background of the blog (estenson.blogspot.com). The website has a whole new array of displays and I’ve decided to experiment with some of the new features over the next week or so. If you ever like one of the designs drop me a comment below to let me know what looks best!

#3 – LIFE. If only I were referring to the entertaining board game rather than the ever-elapsing experiences we call “the real world.” But hey, at least LIFE’s no Monopoly!! (I’ll let you decide whether I’m talking about the game or the real deal there.) What I mean by all of this is that I’m having my first real slap in the face of how little time I have left on exchange. As I’ve told many of you before, I am flying home to Minnesota on the 11^th of July, meaning one month from today I will be somewhere over the Pacific ocean enjoying an awful chick flick and ginger ale! To me it’s almost unbelievable – almost. What I haven’t told all of you bloggies yet is that I am actually finishing my Rotary Youth Exchange on the 22^nd of this month. On that day I will be beginning twenty fun, and jam-packed, days of traveling with my “Japanese brother” Ryota. Ryota is the student from Ishinomaki, Japan who came to Northfield High School last year on Rotary exchange and stayed at my family’s house for four months during the spring. Anyway, he and I will be out causing trouble and experiencing even more incredible adventures during my last couple weeks here in Asia. Our plans are finally beginning to unfold, so as soon as I know exactly where we’ll be visiting I’ll be sure to let you know.

But back to the few days I do have left here in Tochigi. This Wednesday my homeroom class and I actually got to do something very historically Japanese, but which few current Japanese have ever taken part in: 座禅 Zazen – Seated Zen meditation. It involves crossed legged, thoughtless meditation in a temple while a monk walks around behind you, smacking you (hard) on the shoulder with a long wooden pole if your posture is poor or you see fidgety! The figures to the left are actually in the position we had to maintain thought the exercise. It was awesome!! Haha, definitely an experience I am glad to have under my belt, and also one I wouldn’t necessarily want to do again any time soon. We only did a short ten minute meditation session but for those ten minutes I struggled to think of anything other than what the monk’s instructions had been, if I was breathing properly, and if “the boss” was anywhere nearby behind me! Haha, so I don’t think I achieved any deep meditative trance, but I do know that after those ten minutes of deep breathing and stillness, the rush of feeling and relaxation that I received at the end was well worth the time. And yes, for all of you who were wondering, I did get hit by the stick. In fact the monk used it to hit each of us once, because he said he wanted to be fair in teaching us all a lesson! Don’t ask me what the message was supposed to be. If I had to make a guess right now it would have something to do with something along the lines of keeping your back straight ;)

Then last night I went out for dinner with six of the guys from the Kobayashi’s store one final time. We went to a great restaurant/bar in Otawara where we enjoyed an evening full of laughter, stories, food, music, and more. That’s a live pianist in the picture above – yes, she was as talented as you’d expect of a cute little Japanese girl! I’ll hopefully get to see the guys one last time next week, but it was still strange to know that this was a “going away” party. But I guess I better start preparing for them, I already know of four or five more planned during the coming week!

Fujita and the rest of the class getting off our "Magic School Bus" at the temple!

Such a good little monk...

My homeroom class

Inside the room where we did the Zazen meditation

The monk talking to us afterwards

Out to dinner last night

Shima!

Random but just now when I started writing this blog, Rumi called me hurriedly over to the window and pointed out a nice, meter long snake takin' a snooze on our patio!! Oh joy

haha, don't worry though, it's not poisonous

Friday, June 4 – Tuesday, June 8, 2010-

2010-06-08T20:34:00.011+09:00

Allow me a quick note back to my dear Northfield, Minnesota. Maria & all of you NHS Seniors, congrats on a successful graduation from high school. I wish I could be there for all of your grad parties, but hey, maybe you’ll just have to freeze me a piece of sheet cake and buy me some raspberry ginger ale once I get back home this July!! I mean that’s all I really need =)

Second quick note: Samantha Roma, congratulations to you, mi amor. I can’t believe your Rotary exchange to Spain is already complete. I know how exciting and sad it was for you to be returning home, walking back into your old life but having to loose some of your new one in order to do so. I can’t wait for our epic reunion next month. We’ll have more than just a little bit of catching up to do. And who knows, maybe you’ll even write once more in that blog of yours one of these days. I know my grandma estenson is waiting for another entry ;) Haha (http://samantharomaweaver.blogspot.com)

Samantha and the Grandmas at Maria's Graduation Party

Maria and my Skype graduation photos

I think I was coaching her on appropriate Japanese peace signs to throw up for all of her graduation photographs in this one

Mom, Mia and Pops

But back to Japan for a little bit. I don’t have too much to report from the weekend, but yesterday, Monday, was quite blog worthy if I do say so myself. A full day in Tokyo Disneyland with Yasu and Rumi proved to be just the ticket for keeping my mind off of what I was missing back in Northfield, or at least to make me think, “Haha those suckers back home are missing out on this!” So that was nice.

This was an adventure we’d been planning since the first ten minutes the three of us met back in April. Rumi absolutely loves Disneyland, especially because that is where her all-time favorite character is: Stitch from “Lilo & Stitch”!! Therefore she and Yasu have gone each year for as long as they’ve been together. Besides being a big children’s attraction here in Japan, it is probably also Tokyo’s most popular dating local! Anyone who says Japan’s population is in recession ought to spend a full day at Disneyland, what with a morning full of screaming children and a nighttime rush of Tokyo’s youngest couples, you would never know that Japan’s population is actually beginning to drop off!!

But that’s off topic, so I will return back to my wonderful day at the land of Disney. Yasu, Rumi and I left our house at – get this – 5 am in the morning, driving all the way to Disneyland two and a half hours south of here. That put us at the park right around 7:30, giving us plenty of time to do exactly what Japanese people love to do: wait in lines!! I have never seen such patient, line-loving people as those at Disneyland. I swear sometimes they just got in lines because other people where in line, not even knowing what they were waiting for. The park didn’t open until 9 but by 7 or so there were already people planting tarps and chairs out in front, beginning a line that would prove to file out of the park for hundreds of meters…and there were about a dozen of these lines. Haha, I was in shock, it was a Monday morning in mid-June, hardly a major attraction day, albeit the weather was fantastic. I don’t even want to imagine this place on Christmas, New Years, or Golden Week!! Yikes!!

But it wasn’t over yet. Upon opening the gates, so began the “dash.” It’s exactly what you think it is, everyone sprinting to get into line (again) for their favorite rides. We made a beeline for the Monsters Inc. attraction, opting for the fast pass track rather than the already 90 minute long line!! Basically we spent the whole day, enjoying the great weather, walking around, eating an abundance of Disney-themed fair foods, catching a handful of attractions and roller coasters, watching a handful of parades including the unreal nighttime illuminations, and laughing at how much Japanese people love their Disneyland. What I would call a full, fun, and very Japanese-style way to enjoy the day in an amusement park.

Yasu, Rumi and I in front of the Disney Castle at night

For those of you who can remember back to one of my entries last January, I’m sure you’re thinking, “Well Sam’s already been to Disneyland.” Not quite, that was Disney Sea…and yes there is a difference. 1) They’re separate spaces, albeit adjacent, 2) The attractions are different, and 3) Most importantly for Rumi, Disney Sea does not have any Stitch characters! (Gasp and look of horror inserted here)

Well, I have more than enough photos to fill in any gaps I’ve left out, so I’ll let them do the rest of the talking. As you can tell we were there the whole day, meaning opening at 9am to closing at 10pm. Basically we made as much of the day as we could and I was happy to have experienced the park so fully and especially to have done it with two fun-loving, laid-back friends like Yasu and Rumi. I really lucked out with them, didn’t I? =)

Standing in line for the opening

Our "dash" to get to the Monsters Inc ride as quickly as possible

Yasu in line

It's a Small World

In line at the Pirates of the Caribbean ride

Captain Jack Sparrow

Us being dumb, trying to copy the Walt Disney and Mickey Mouse statue behind us, haha - fail!

Pooh's "Hunny Hunt"

Rumi to the rescue!

The beginning of the nighttime parade!

If you actually look really closely here you can see the first star of the night glowing in the sky behind

Literally millions of lights

Boo

The turtle from Finding Nemo

Yasu and I rode Splash Mountain together (Rumi said it was impossible for her)

This is the drop off for Splash Mountain. You can see a little boat about to go overboard in the center

The Disney Castle

Reflected in the lake below

Peace, my friends

Rumi and Yasu on our way out of the park

WHAT A FULL DAY!!! SUCCESS

Saturday, June 5, 2010-

2010-06-05T21:21:00.006+09:00

Tokyo's My City

I rode into Tokyo today with my host parents, arriving around 10 in the morning at Shinjuku. Before long they had to go to a university ceremony so I spent the afternoon shopping for some more souvenirs and grabbing a delicious sushi lunch

Shinjukugyoen Park

Right in the middle of the city

It's as close to "silent" as you can get in Tokyo

June is Ecology Month and today and tomorrow are free entry into the grounds

The whole area is laid out in ponds, gardens, teahouses, frisbee lawns, meditation grounds, and greenhouses

The rose garden

Yoga on the great lawn

Lunch in our favorite sushi spot in Japan, remember where that is?

The Tsukiji Fish Market

Salmon, Octopus, and Tai Red Snapper Rice Bowl

Thursday, June 3, 2010-

2010-06-03T22:51:00.009+09:00

It’s already eleven at night and I have had yet another killer day of fun. This time my host family’s bank hosted a day of Cirque du Soleil in Tokyo meaning my host mom and I got to go with.

“How was it?” you ask. Well, to put it lightly, Cirque du Soleil single handedly taught me a whole new meaning of the term mind-blowing. They pulled off the incredible only to be followed by the impossible. I am still turning some of the stunts and performances over in my mind and I cannot understand how a human body could bend, twist, flip, jump, crawl, dance or fly like theirs did today…absolutely unreal!!

It’s late, I’m tired and because the darn usher lady (who was dressed like a clown, by the way, making it really hard to take her seriously) scolded me for trying to sneak photographs, I only have a handful of shots from the day. Therefore I grabbed a couple off of Google, uploaded the few pictures I do have, and even shared the link to the program's homepage below. Actually I recommend you click on the link, it'll only take a second, because when you open it, a really cool 30-second clip of the show comes on so you can can a glimpse of the show. So there you have it, the end to a fantastic day – again!

Check out the website, it's worth it: http://www.zed.co.jp/home_en.php

ZED is the name of the resident Cirque du Soleil performance here in Tokyo. It focuses on a main character, Zed (Upper Left), who brings together the people of the sky and of the earth.

Copying directly from the program, acts included: Bungee, Flying Trapeze, Charivari, Hand to Hand, Juggling, Clowns, Straps, Batons, High Wire Tightrope, Lassos, Banquine, Poles and Trampoline and Solo Tissue.

This is one that I snapped right at the beginning, those are clown in front of us. We were seated in perfect position, right in the middle, five rows back!!

The opening act was enough to show us we were in for a treat

Yet another fun, fast and intense performance featuring ropes, flips, and lots of spinning

This is when the crazy clown usher came and stopped me. Sorry =(

My host mom at lunch

Our first course

That's the bank VP across from me, he reminded me of a bespectacled Justin Stets

Tajima-San from the Rotary Club also works at the bank

Our awesome dessert: Mango White Chocolate Cake, Grapefruit Sorbet, Crème Brule, and a Egg Yoke Pudding with Currants

Saturday, May 29 – Tuesday, June 1, 2010-

2010-06-01T20:44:00.011+09:00

June 1^st – the best day of the year for Bato High School students. You want to know do you? Really?

Well I’ll tell you. It’s because we get to spend all day outside celebrating the school’s annual sports festival AND it’s also the national fishing opener for Ayu Sweetfish in the surrounding rivers!! Score =)

<-- My Fishery Homeroom Class

Haha, but I would say that today was undoubtedly one of my favorite school events of the year. Somewhere above the day I got to make sushi rolls in foods class and below when I got to spend a week in tropical Okinawa! Wow, I’ve done a lot this year, haven’t I? That being said, today and part of yesterday were spent out on the Bato High School athletic fields battling it out with my classmates in a fun, surprisingly high level soccer competition worthy of this month’s main international attraction: the 2010 South African World Cup! We scraped, we jumped, we shot, and we scored. It was the best feeling to be back on the pitch with teammates, reaping the rewards of a hard day’s play: sunburn, blisters, and sore legs!! Aka a feeling I will always associate with summer and my soccer crew back home.

Synchronized School Stretching

We ended up winning almost all of our games, but tied the eventual champs 1-1 in our own bracket, but ended up competing in the consolation bracket nonetheless. It was still an excellent afternoon with flawless weather, and I couldn’t have been more relaxed and at home than when I was once more out playing the world’s most popular sport. Thank God I chose soccer because it truly is a game that can be played all over the planet, connecting races and cultures that might not otherwise find themselves together. Now I can’t wait for the World Cup!!

PS at the bottom are a handful of photographs taken by the newspaper reporter during our kayak trip. Luckily I could copy some of their shots onto my computer in order to share with you all. Enjoy

All 12 homeroom classes at the school fielded a boys soccer team

Back on the pitch

Sekiguchi-Sensei snapping our class' photo down the line

Lunch with Oshima-Sensei. The guys are in the background playing pokemon on their gameboys...welcome to Japanese high school

Some of the daily lunch crew

I asked Miki to watch my camera while I played and he even took some photos for me!

I feel like this describes each of us rather well

Some of my third year classmates lining up for their homeroom photos

More kayaking pictures from last Friday

Our send off speech

Out on the river

One by one

It was kind of like a colorful follow-the-leader game

Shioda checking out the rapids ahead

We actually went through patches much rougher than this, even one I think ranks as a level three rapid shoot, but the photographer couldn't get close enough for those spots

Slowly meandering down the calmer patches

My "I sure had a great time" face and accompanying thumbs-up

Tuesday, May 25 – Friday, May 28, 2010-

2010-05-28T19:49:00.010+09:00

What a great day of fine weather, lots of exercise and even better friends. Today alone, I actually biked around 20 kilometers and kayaked another 23! The warm, breezy, 80˚ weather was just right – leaving me with a nice sunburn and one of those “I’ve had a successful summer day” feelings.

My homeroom fishery classmates and I actually got to kayak right from the backyard of our fish school (separate from the main school) right down the Nakagawa River. The water was running high and fast due to heavy rain in the beginning of the week, but that just added to the thrill of the day. We had moments of high intensity, running rapids crashing and swirling higher and deeper than myself, and moments of sheer relaxation, floating backwards on our kayaks only worrying about how sunburned we were going to get, not if we would be. As you can imagine, I wasn’t exactly going to risk bringing my camera, no matter how many ziplock bags were offered. Therefore I have sadly few pictures and none of them are that interesting! Haha, maybe I can download some from the local paper if it prints them soon.

Today being perhaps one of the last big hurrahs with my fishery classmates, I was happy to enjoy the company and laughs that inevitably occur when you allow fifteen teenagers to each captain their own little boats, each able to zip and zoom (and of course CRASH) as much as their poor paddlers can manage.

The crew all set to go

One other highlight was having a Japanese National Kayak Team Member be our guide. He and I even had a cool conversation about how he’d never been to Minnesota but that he’d kayaked through some of the Great Lakes and competed in the Kayak World Cup when it was held in Toronto, or something. He was a really funny guy who never failed to impress us with his rapid shoots and barrel rolls!

Other than kayaking my week has been pretty ordinary, lots of rain! I did get a chance to discover this cool backwoods shrine near our house (along with a four-foot long snake that scared the crap out of me when I almost stepped on it!! Don’t worry, not poisonous). The following pictures are from my escapade there.

These gateways are the symbol for the path of a god, leading them straight up into the shine

The ascent

Can you spot the tiny stone shrine buried in the undergrowth?

Crescent Moon

All alone in the woods

Ancient stone writing

One other highlight of the past few days was a tour of Koisagoyaki Pottery

The kilns

Anyone know what these are? Nope, not bear claws, they're a type of pottery thermometer. The three strips start as kind of nails, the first softer than the second which is softer than the third. When the kiln reaches a certain degree the first melts, followed by the second, and when it's finally reached the proper temperature, the third one melts, telling the potter that their wares are done firing

Random but a delicious soba and tempura lunch. I made it all by myself so I had to brag! =D

Sunday, May 16 – Tuesday, May 18 & Monday, May 24, 2010-

2010-05-24T18:04:00.014+09:00

Back to Tokyo! Our travels in Kyoto were certainly highlights, as you can tell, but Tokyo was most definitely a great success as well. The capital city is far different from its predecessor, being much more glitzy, industrial, and skyscraper-ish than the gentle sprawl of temples and shrines that is Kyoto. However the comparative youth of Tokyo is still noticeably punctuated by patches of history and tradition. For example, our Monday afternoon trip to the sumo rink, followed by a tour of the famous Asakusa Temple certainly felt like “Traditional Japan,” yet our late night dinner out on the town with Ayano Baba and Mai Maruyama Sunday evening would certainly be “Japanese” in my mind as well. In other words, we experienced both world and enjoyed each of them. I think that Andrew said it best when we were looking back over our trip on the way to the airport Tuesday afternoon. He turned to me and said, “No regrets man! I feel like we packed as much as we could into this trip and each day was something a little different. Definitely a success.”

No doubt about it, the trip held a number of firsts for both of us. For example the return trip from Kyoto to Tokyo was actually on a night bus which left at 10:40 in the evening and arrived in Tokyo at 6:15 am the next morning. NOT a lot of sleeping took place! So that Sunday morning we dropped our bags off at our hotel but were told that we couldn’t check in until 3 pm. So what did we do? Grab a coffee at Starbucks – No, not for the caffeine, but for the comfy chairs. A quick hour or two nap in the back of Starbucks was just the ticket. We headed over to Shinjuku on our way to the Tocho Towers, basically the city organizational offices. They are basically a pair of tall towers overlooking the city that you can access free of charge. On a clear day they’re definitely worth the trip.

After the city towers we went straight to the Tsukiji fish market, which is recognized as having the best sushi in the world!! Score – this was a place I’d been wanting to go all year so I was in heaven as we explored the side streets, restaurants, and stalls. The market is really just a series of alleyways down near the harbor where the fishing boats unload. Andrew had the great idea of eating small portions at a number of restaurants rather than just devoting ourselves to one place. The first stop was a tiny, very Japanese style bar where the chefs prepare everything right before your eyes, later I had THE BEST OYSTER IN THE WORLD while walking in and out of the various stalls, and finally we ate even more at a Kaitenzushi (conveyer belt sushi) restaurant. Before long we had stuffed ourselves full and Andrew had experienced maybe a little too much of the Japanese fish cuisine than he’d bargained for. When I convinced him to try sea urchin I had no idea he’d almost hurl all over the innocent sushi chef standing in front of us! Haha, luckily he had a good chaser of green tea and everything went down rather than up, but he said that that was an experience he never wanted to repeat again! God, I love sushi =) Thank you, Big Guy, for inventing the Japanese people!!

The adventures of the sushi market left us full and cheery, so an afternoon baseball game in the Tokyo Dome was a great way to kill a couple more hours. I had bought two cheap, standing section tickets beforehand so we entered the dome and slowly made our way over to the energetic (okay, CRAZY) Tokyo Giants Fan Section out in right field! It was hilarious to experience their endless stream of cheers, chants, and jeers. I feel like I’ve seen some serious fans (I mean, hey, I am an American!) but these guys could roll with the best of ‘em. This video above is of them cheering after a three run homerun. Pretty fun – best part: Andrew’s face. I feel like in real life it seemed even more crazy! Definitely worth our 10 dollar tickets =)

Sunday afternoon was a much needed nap and shower at our hotel, but by Sunday evening we were back on our feet just in time to grab a delicious Korean BBQ dinner with my two great Japanese friends, Ayano and Mai! They took us to their favorite authentic Korean place down in Shinokubo where we had fantastic grilled meat, veggie wraps, and this cheesy, spicy fried rice thing that Andrew and I both couldn’t get enough of! Following dinner we went to Shinjuku in order to see the famous lights of the city. That area is probably the most elaborate, neon-filled, glamorous area of the city so it was really fun to walk the busy streets. Admittedly, some of the institutions in the area are a little less reputable, but still, the streets looked awesome flashing in enough signs and advertisements to make you think it was still daytime. A final, sweet honey soaked cake dessert at one of Ayano’s favorite bars and we had to head back to the train station. A great night, girls, thanks again from both Andrew and me. We had a blast exploring Tokyo with you =)

Monday was equally busy. I started early by waking up to retrieve my bag from KTP’s place in Ikebukuro. We chatted a little bit more, but as Andrew was still across town in Ueno I couldn’t stay long. But Kathy, Evan and Lia have also all been wonderful friends to me this year and I can’t wait for a fun reunion night back in Northfield!

Kaminari Mon - The Lightning Gate at Asakusa

Andrew and I went straight to Ryougoku, the national sumo arena. The flags were flying and the sumo wrestlers were out in force, but the cheapest tickets were still a little too pricey so we opted simply to grab a good lunch and walk up the river to Asakusa. The temple in Asakusa is my favorite one in Tokyo and the alleyways and stalls nearby are all perfect for an afternoon stroll. That evening we once more met up with Jake, who we’d met in Kyoto, for another terrific night of Karaoke, games, ramen noodles, and more sushi. We were both glad we could see Jake once more before we headed home, and during a road trip he has planned with a buddy. You’re welcome any time, man! Stay in touch.

Tuesday (can you believe it’s here already!) was a short but sweet day. We walked through the nearby Ueno park, visited the Ueno Zoo, and ate a filling Tonkatsu pork cutlet lunch. After picking up our bags at the hotel (and barely making our connecting train – oops, too much fun at the zoo) we were on our way back to Narita airport once again. Saying good-bye was tough, but like Andrew had said before, “No regrets!” And that’s the honest truth.

Andrew, this was the trip of a lifetime, man, and I was honored to have taken it with you. Thanks so much for being a great partner in crime, be sure to let me know next time you want to conquer a foreign country or something – because we totally ruled Japan!

Crashing in Starbucks

The Tochou Towers

Tsukiji Fish Market

Our first sushi bar

Tuna, Tai, Salmon, Horse, and Scallop, all slightly cooked with a blow torch right before being served to you!

Andrew dreaming of "Deadliest Catch"

My new best friend, she's the one who served me one of those giant oysters with soy sauce and vinegar for only 300 yen!

Kaitenzushi

My sushi rice bowl down below, our chef up top, and right in between (the half black half brown pieces) are Andrew's favorite Uni Sea Urchin!

Andrew returning to his childhood a little bit =)

The Tokyo Dome is actually just like the Metrodome back in Minnesota. It was fun to think of all the Twin's games Andrew and I have been to back at home, and then to realize we were doing it once again but with a foreign team and with a bunch of rowdy Giants fans

Do you see those flags waving on the right? We were right behind those!

Andrew at his first Korean BBQ

Ayano, Mai, and our Korean hot plate!

Andrew, Ayano, and Mai down in Shinjuku. Other areas were even more lit up than this! Try to imagine the Las Vegas strip...

Ayano drooling over our Cookies and Cream honey bread toast cake

Andrew in front of the Ryougoku Sumo Arean

Lunch nearby

Andrew in front of the golden poop (excuse my childish humor) and the Kirin Beer Building. The gold skyscraper in the back is supposed to be the color of beer, with a white foam layer on top. Can you see it?

The Asakusa Temple

Andrew wrapping off his bad luck fortune!

Meiji Jingu Shrine

Jake showing us his mad hand stand skills Monday night. So many laughs - Great night!

One of Andrew's first words in Japanese was Kiji - Pheasant

This is how tired we felt by the end of the trip!!

And finally, our last Tonkatsu lunch in Ueno

~~~~~~

Phew - I did it! That's all of the photos and blogs. Hope you enjoyed it. Let me know if you've got any questions for me =)

Sam

Saturday, May 15 & Sunday, May 23, 2010-

2010-05-23T14:47:00.019+09:00

I had to divide Kyoto into two halves just to fit in all of the incredible experiences we had there. Last Saturday was some of the best weather we had all trip, highs in the mid-80’s and yet a decent breeze out of the hills to the north. Right away when I woke up in the morning I knew it was going to be a shorts and t-shirt day, and who doesn’t like one of those in the middle of May?

As the morning began, one of our new Ichi En Sou guesthouse friends, Jake Ehrlich, joined our crew. “And so my wolf pack, it grew by one.” Haha, Jake would be a great addition to any group and we were glad to have him with us that day.

We did another walking tour of the city and May 15^th turned out to be a great day to be visiting the ancient capital. The Aoimatsuri Festival and once-monthly craft fair were both being held in Kyoto that day, so we made a fun loop up to the festival held near the imperial palace, over to the craft fair along the river, and down to the Kiyomizudera Temple complex.

So during that morning we watched a parade of ancient garbs and regalia, went out to a delicious tonkatsu pork cutlet lunch, and walked up the banks of the Kamogawa River. Taking time to enjoy the crowds, we slowly found our way through the city, stopping at random temples or parks whenever we happened along one. The streets were busy and the market we visited was an interesting conglomeration of cheerful crafts, foods, and people. I think we each bought a good selection of fun souvenirs while walking through the grounds of this old temple, turned for just one afternoon into a busy city market.

After the market we made our way south, reaching the second most famous temple in Kyoto, the Kiyomizudera. It is known for its sprawling complex of temples, pagodas, statues, and so forth. Yet the place that makes it perhaps the most well known is the tall balcony overlooking the city of Kyoto far below. In Japanese, when in English we would say to “to take the plunge” the Japanese people would say “to jump off the ledge at Kiyomizudera.” It’s supposed to be that idea of going all out. As we walked the complex we even visited a famous love stone and a really interesting fountain of luck where three streams of water come flowing out of the mountain above. Apparently if you can catch the water from all three streams, when you drink of it your wishes will all come true; “So we’ve got that going for us, which is nice”

Perhaps my favorite shot from Kyoto, I went out in the streets of Gion late Friday night and happened upon this Maiko-San. It was just the two of us on the street and I asked her timidly if it would be okay to take a picture and she politely said yes and even gave me a rare smile...she was totally into me =P

After the temple, we walked back to the guesthouse one last time in order to go out to dinner with Yashi, Sunam, and the other guests. A group of about twelve of us walked along the well-lit banks of the river, eating food from a nearby restaurant, and watching an awesome fire dancing street performance. It was a great last memory of the city, but before long we had to grab our bags back at Ichi En Sou and hop on the night bus bound for Tokyo.

And so ended our last day in Kyoto, my new favorite city in Japan, and a place Andrew and I (and also Jake, I’m guessing) will always look back on with great memories.

The Aoi Matsuri Festival Parade

Sir Bumblebee

The festival is one to celebrate the greening of the trees and flowers

Exactly how I'd want to spend a lazy Saturday afternoon!

Pigeons being chased by a hawk

Jake crossing the turtle bridge

Andrew on his turtle

A river straight out of the mountains

The entrance to the temple grounds where the "Handmade Market" was being held

The crowded rows of stalls and people

Heian Jingu Shrine

So elaborate

The coolest trees I've ever seen in my life

The largest wooden gateway in Japan

The roofs of the city

The side streets leading up to Kiyomizudera Temple

The temple's pagoda

Overlooking Kyoto far below

Andrew and I at the ledge of Kiyomizudera

Near the love stone

A fox shrine

Isn't it incredible

The Otowa waterfall springs

Jake and Andrew with their long cup handles

It's harder than it looks and Jake's good humored attempts gained some laughs from the locals

Make a good wish, Jake

The fire spinner near the river

Crazy

Our group at dinner

Our last picture in Kyoto before boarding the bus, that's the Kyoto tower in the background

Friday, May 14 & Saturday, May 22, 2010-

2010-05-22T18:14:00.020+09:00

OSAKA

I don’t feel like there are many cities that I’ve been to where the first word that comes to mind when I hear their name is “Delicious.” But that’s the word for Osaka. There is a famous saying in Japanese that you over buy clothes while in Kyoto but you over buy food while in Osaka!

The day started pleasantly, leaving Kyoto around 10:30 am after grabbing a light breakfast on our way to the train station. It only took an hour or so to get to Osaka from Kyoto, and on the Hankyu line of trains it costs a mere 380 Yen! So we were in Osaka before noon, bought a Friday all day pass that included entrance to the famous Osaka aquarium, and headed to Shinimamiya for lunch. The area has some great side streets that are fun just to walk and eat. Although there are many famous foods from Osaka, by far the most popular would be Takoyaki, which are kind of little bite size Octopus dumplings but they’re breadier and you add sauce, mayonnaise (the Japanese version, not that crappy American stuff!), and seaweed on top. Andrew and I grabbed two boxes to go and made our way to the pier.

Apparently the largest Ferris wheel in the world from 1997-1999 is located on the Osaka pier and we were able to hop on it right before a huge group of elementary students invaded!

Tempozan Ferris Wheel

Haha, it was a fun twenty-minute loop that brought you high above the city where you could look out onto the ocean. While riding up in the car we ate a quick bite of Takoyaki (shh, don’t tell the Ferris wheelers…if that’s the correct term for someone who works at a Ferris wheel…), and walked down to the Osaka Kaiyukan Aquarium. Inside the aquarium’s largest tank there are two mammoth whale sharks, the first time Andrew had ever seen them, and only my second. We came in time to see a very funny penguin feeding in which this baby penguin was practically force fed a fish that had to be at least a quarter of its body weight! After the penguins we headed to the giant tank where the whale sharks were fed. The way that they just suck in gallons and gallons of water and shoot it out their gills is truly incredible. And to know that something that large truly survives off of krill so tiny, that still blows my mind!

Kaiyukan Aquarium, one of the largest in the world

Anyway, after the aquarium we went to the large Osaka-Jo Castle. It truly is an incredible building, despite being a recreation of its previous glory. We didn’t have time to tour the inside, but the grounds are still quite nice. After a good walk through the park, we began our way to Dotonburi, perhaps the most infamous gourmet street in Japan. Truly renown for its selection, quality, and history, the area at the center of Shinbashi and Dotonburi are awesome streets to meander. Plus after dark the entire place becomes one blaze of neon, noise, and smells. It was quite unique to any other food street I’ve been to in Japan, and I think I could have wasted months, if not years, simply choosing a different restaurant each night!

And to top it all off, I finally got to be reunited with my incredible Japanese tutor, Taeko Ueno, who was the first person to begin teaching me Japanese back at St. Olaf college. She came to Northfield last year on the Fulbright exchange and this year she got a job as an English teacher back in her home city of Osaka. This night has been something we’ve wanted to do ever since last summer, so I’m so glad we were able to have a delicious Okonomiyaki dinner, walk the streets, eat a scrumptious crepe dessert, and catch up (sometimes in English and sometimes in Japanese!) about each other’s past year. Andrew really liked Taeko as well and I could tell he had fun seeing the city from a local’s point of view. It’s always fun to have someone who knows the area well show you around. But like all good reunions, we soon had to say good-bye and Andrew and I were back on the late train to Kyoto.

Back to the present, last night I actually went up to visit my ALT English teacher friends in Otawara (the bigger city located about 30 minutes north of here) where we had a fun night of catching up, eating greasy (yet very much missed) Western food, and singin karaoke. Grace Lee and Kris Burridge are the two ALTs who come to the Bato schools so I’ve gotten to know them both quite well, and it was super fun getting to know some of their friends better as well. Fun night! Thanks you guys =)

Look close, this is Andrew's "Puffer Fish Face"

Andrew got REALLY hungry

Takoyaki, we knew it had to be good because there were pictures of celebrities eating it out front! Haha

Round and Round

Near the top

Takoyaki

Not a bad place for lunch!

A quick glimpse down

The Pacific on the horizon

Osaka City

Yes, we tamed this whale shark, in fact that was my souvenir for the day!

It's hard to see but that's our favorite penguin, the melancholy fuzzy one on the far left right underneath the trainer. No wonder the poor guy's ticked off, we was just force fed on of those whale sharks for dinner!

The tank just as feeding began

Some strange alien fish and the whale shark enjoying their meals

Jellyfish: the fascinate me and creep me out all at the same time

Osaka Castle! So different than western castles, isn't it?

The endless row of bicycles down Dotonburi just as the lights started to turn on

The plastic food menus out front of restaurants

A smaller version of the famous Glica runner sign

A very famous giant crab, it even moves!

Taeko and I on Dotonburi

Osaka is also well known for their Okonomiyaki

A great Osakan feast!

So thankful to Taeko for getting us reservations, Friday nights were packed!

How good do those look?!

Taeko even knew of a place where we could be on TV, haha, random but really fun

Andrew's victory pose after a long but great day in Osaka

Last night at karaoke with Hayley, Matt, and Grace

Hayley (aka cousin Alisa) and Kris

The great weather we've been having lately has made Gozeniwa (the river and rock behind my host family's restaurant) a popular place!

Wednesday, May 12 – Thursday, May 13 & Friday, May 21, 2010-

2010-05-21T14:47:00.015+09:00

And I’m back. Wednesday and Thursday were two of my favorite days on the trip. We finally arrived in Kyoto Wednesday afternoon and that evening was spent on the Kyoto walking streets, checking out the stalls, buying a nice to-go sushi dinner, and heading back to our hotel where an onsen and television showing of Million Dollar Baby filled up our night.

The next morning we headed to my favorite lodgings of the whole trip, the Gion entertainment district’s Ichi En Sou 一円相 Guest House. It was a quaint little 11 person guest house run by a young Japanese man named Yashi and his wife Sunam.

We dropped off our bags, got a bunch of good suggestions on places to visit from the two of them and headed out for a long day of walking through Kyoto. It was a fun day of checking out side streets, seeing random temples, and meeting fun school trips.

The Golden Temple, Kinkakuji, was a definite highlight for us. Not only did we see perhaps the most famous temple in all of Kyoto, so therefore all of Japan, but we were nearly mobbed by a group of middle school students asking us English questions for their school trip assignment.

That night we made it back to Ichi En Sou in time to go out to a fun dinner with some of the other people staying at the house and Yashi. He took the five of us (Andrew, a 20 year old American named Jake, a 30 year old twin sister of Monica Cooper from Colorado named Lauren, Nate from Switzerland, and myself) out to a fun skewer restaurant for some great food and drinks. What a great group! Another cool walk through the city at night and we were back chatting in the guest house den until late at night.

Ichi En Sou

Today, Friday the 21^st, is my nine month mark in Japan, and I can’t believe that I have just under a month and a half left on exchange. Tonight I’m headed up the ALT teacher, Kris’ house, tonight to see some of the other English teachers in the area. It should be a fun time.

Andrew and I joking around about what would happen if his energetic german shorthair dog, Brekken, would do if she came to the Kamogawa "Duck River."

This is his, "Brekken, what's that!" face

Our first stop in Kyoto, near the bright shopping streets of our hotel

The market streets

Our hotel room dinner

The next morning outside of Ichi En Sou

Andrew finally finding his Nimbus 2000

A hilarious group of Japanese senior citizens obsessed over a bird that couldn't be bigger than my fist

Outside of the Kyoto Imperial Palace

Our sushi lunch was bought from a super market for less than ten bucks and yet it was still far more fresh than anything we'd ever had back in the states

Andrew being amazed at the selection of cup noodles

The Daitoukuji complex

Gardens

More of the Daitokuji

Japan...

that's all I could think of to write for this picture. It was either that or "Roofs"

Kinkakuji

On perfectly still days you can see the reflection in the pond below. On this day there was a slight breeze so it didn't turn out 100% but it still looks pretty sweet

The golden bird

Our favorite school group

One more shot behind the trees

Andrew enjoying a green tea ceremony at the Golden Temple

Finally making it back to Ichi En Sou

The lights of the Kamogawa River

Lauren and Yashi

Lauren and Sunam in the guest house. It was a great Japanese style place with a cozy feel that made everyone feel right at home

Tuesday, May 11 – Wednesday May 12 & Thursday, May 20, 2010-

2010-05-20T17:07:00.016+09:00

I decided that the best way to go about this bloggin’ business would be to do them in accordance with the different areas we visited. So yesterday I did a little bit of Tokyo, today I’ll move onto Andrew’s personal favorite: Hakone.

Come Monday morning Andrew was still very much on his old American time schedule, in fact he woke up of his own accord at 5:30 for the first time since…well ever!! He stayed in bed for a while, but by 6:15 he was bored and decided to get up. I told him I wanted half an hour more sleep, so gave him some money and told him to go for a walk. It was like a scene out of some 1990’s comedy movie involving bad parenting like Big Daddy or About A Boy where I groan, pull out a wad of bills and tell him to go run around the city for a while! Haha, but I think he had a good time exploring the streets of Ikebukuro until I gained enough energy to climb out of bed.

Andrew on our first train out to Hakone

We were on the train by 7:30 or so, heading for Hakone using our Hakone Free Passes (definitely the way to travel for those of you looking at visiting this beautiful mountain hot spring region!). There is actually a really fun loop that you can take on this free pass. It involved a train, a cable train, a cable car, a ropeway gondola, a pirate ship, a hike, and a bus ride…yup I think the only thing that could have made that better would be a piggyback ride by ninjas…

That day the weather was cloudy and mist hung low like cold, mysterious Scooby Doo cartoon fog. Yet Andrew and I both agreed that rather than ruining the scenery, the clouds simply made it all the more majestic. We had an incredible first morning of random adventures, taking time to stop at various stations in order to explore the backstreets and mountains paths. Our lunch, albeit a simple cup noodle and sushi roll convenience store meal, was exactly the remedy for a drizzly day. Throughout the afternoon we took an eerie ride through the clouds on the ropeway before descending onto Lake Ashinoko. The pirate ship was waiting for us at the port and along with a huge crew of Chinese tourists we slowly drifted across the still water, marveling at the forests and mountains that surrounded us. After the boat ride we had a fun and at one point illegal (shhh, don’t tell the Yamano Hotel that we snuck through their gardens!) hike to our incredible Japanese style hotel, Ryuguden!

The Kobayashi’s booked the hotel for us while I was still at their house and it was fantastic. The place is all old-fashioned Japanese wood and tatami mats, cozy and extravagant all at the same time. To top it off we had access to a nice relaxing onsen hot spring as well. Soon we were enjoying an elaborate Japanese feast served to us right in our room.

The woman who brought us our meals wore a traditional kimono and prepared everything just right, making sure we had everything we needed. The meal was great; we enjoyed going back and forth choosing which dish to try next. Add another onsen after dinner and Andrew and I were out like a light that night! The futons we slept on were so comfortable that I don’t remember a single thought in between my head hitting the pillow and my alarm clock ringing the next morning!

Wednesday was just as fun. We woke up early, had a good breakfast (also prepared in our room) and checked out. A short walk down to the lake, a bus ride to the nearby town and >BAM<>sprint for the nearest cover, running from storefront to storefront in order to catch our transfer. It was a fun memory and I think it was little things like that that made Andrew enjoy Hakone so much. (This Ukiyo-E Japanese woodblock print below has always been my favorite, it's of the mountains around Lake Ashinoko in Hakone, and that's Mt. Fuji rising behind covered in snow. It's actually a piece by the famous artist whose art museum is right here in Nakagawa. I just have so many connections to it, I'll always love this print!)

Our afternoon then cleared up wonderfully and we spent our remaining time in Hakone exploring the quaint mountain village of Hakone Yumoto. It was fresh from its recent shower and the streets were alive with tourists and locals alike. One of our favorite Japanese grandpas during the trip was in a shop in Hakone Yumoto. He had to be well over 80, had ears as furry as his eyebrows and despite the protesting of his daughter, pickout out six or seven bite size samples at a grill-it-yourself fish store, only to eat the first one, spit it our saying that it was too hot, give us a smile and hobble off leaving Andrew, myself, and two confused Japanese women with our mouths open, laughing at such a quirky and feisty old Japanese man!

We were soon on our shinkansen bullet train heading to Kyoto, kicking back and watching the Japanese countryside fly by. I was just as excited for the upcoming days as Andrew was, seeing as Kyoto and Osaka were both new cities for me to visit, whereas Hakone and Tokyo are both old favorites. I guess I’ll just have to leave you in the dark until tomorrow when I’ll have more time to let you in on our next few adventures.

PS Today = Kayak practice at the fishery school. Aka spending the whole morning in a drizzling rain, cruising rapids with my classmates. Haha, what a school. Tomorrow, Monday, and Tuesday are all three hour testing days, so I have them all off. We’ll see what they hold in store…

The side streets of Gora

Traveling through the clouds on the Hakone Ropeway. You couldn't see more than ten feet, let alone to the bottom nearly 100 meters below

"I came on the Ropeway. It was fun! May 11th, 2010"

Andrew pointing out Mt. Fuji...we think

The Pirate Ship and Lake Ashinoko

Preparing to board the pirate ship

Not quite like Pirates of the Caribbean...

This is actually a picture of the second pirate ship passing right in front of our hotel, Ryuguden. Can you see how old fashioned and classic it looks sitting on top of the hill overlooking the lake. We stayed in the part on the far left

Andrew in the Yamano Hotel gardens, oops

Shhh

We thought we could get to our hotel through the park but when the park ended we had to sneak over a couple fences to get back on the path! haha

Back on the straight and narrow

What a hiking trail

Our hotel

Ryuguden

The front two rooms of our suit. This was the life =)

The view from our window

Andrew and the onsen hot spring. Do you like our Yukata robes?

The woman preparing our dinner

A feast

Look at how we have our own little fires on the table! The pyromanic in Andrew was excited, I could tell

Everything was laid out just perfectly

Our dinner

It was one I'll remember for years to come

Two of the most comfortable futons in the world

Walking down near the lake

(PS Maria, this was taken with the tripod you gave me for Christmas, we hung it from a nearby tree branch, it was awesome)

Andrew in shock after being caught by the sudden downpour!

But the day cleared up nicely and we were walking the mountains again before too long

Andrew loved the Japanese scenery

We had a fun soba lunch

Mmmm, good stuff

And finally, Andrew's first shinkansen bullet train