Over The Hills and Far Away (Misty Mountain Hop)

As if it's not obvious from the title or the picture, this weekend I went to Nagano: home of the Japanese Alps (did you know Japan had Alps? Because I didn't). Wait, wait, I'm getting ahead of myself. On Friday, my host mother threw me a party. I'm not sure why exactly. She said it was to celebrate me coming to Japan, but I think she had ulterior motives considering I came to Japan two and a half months ago...
It was nice of her anyway. She invited all her friends who, unfortunately, all have children. At least two children each. So in a room of maybe 10 or 12 mothers and all their many children, I had a rather shocking preview of what my life might be like in the future. At least I can say with some hope that I won't be a house-wife. I will go crazy if my life consists of nothing but cooking, cleaning, driving children around and laundry. Okay, I am being a little harsh. I'm sure they are very satisfied with their lives, after all it is Japanese tradition for wives to stay at home and take care of the kids while their husbands work extremely long hours. Anyway, I managed to put up with the children. A few of them were kind of cute actually. The food was delicious and there was a lot of it. At the end of the party my host mother asked me to take a picture with each of the children. I felt a lot like those mall Santa Claus's must feel. It was definitely not my favourite moment but I didn't complain. After all, she did go to a lot of trouble to throw me a party and in her defense, she doesn't know I don't really like children.
But, onto the good stuff. On Saturday morning, Sean and I met our friend Yuki at the train station and we began our long journey to Yuki's hometown of Omachi in Nagano. After a long bus ride through all three levels of the Japanese Alps (Southern, Central and Northern), we arrived in Matsumoto: an averagely-sized, quiet town surrounded by mountains. We visited Matsumoto Castle which was extremely beautiful and boasts itself as the oldest castle in Japan (it's a toss-up between this one and Inuyama, they both looked about the same age to me). After the castle, we boarded the small local train to Omachi, right in the heart of the Northern Alps. Of course, it was dark by the time we got there so I didn't actually know this yet. We dropped our things off at Yuki's parents' house where we met her parents who were incredibly friendly and welcoming. Yuki's father then took us to the local onsen (I guess you could describe it as a hot spring, only it was in a bath house, a very common Japanese feature. Nagano is riddled with natural onsen). Then we headed back to the house for dinner. Yuki's town is very small and located right at the foot of the Northern Alps so, obviously, it was very cold. Yuki's parents' house is a very traditional style Japanese home which is also very cold (As I learned yesterday, Japanese houses are built with the warm, humid summers in mind so they are very open. They don't really consider winter at all which results in freezing cold homes in the winter.). Traditional Japanese houses, however, have one solution to the cold problem called a kotatsu. A kotatsu is a low, wooden table covered by blankets on top of which is put another table and underneath everything, is a heat source: in this case, a charcoal burning pit. So, while you are eating meals in the winter, everyone gathers around the kotatsu and tucks themselves in under the blankets while they eat. It actually works quite well. So well in fact, that none of us wanted to get out from under it when dinner ended and we ended up sleeping all around it with as much of our bodies tucked in close to it as we could comfortably manage. The next morning Yuki's father was going to wake us up early to see the sunrise over the Northern Alps (it's supposed to be very beautiful) but unfortunately it was cloudy. On the bright side, I got to sleep in a little bit which I cherish since I never get to sleep in here. On another note, Yuki's father was so interesting! He showed me pictures of the time he hiked over the tops of all the Northern Alps from one end to the other. It took him a week. I'll have to come back to Japan in the summertime and try it myself. Anyway, after breakfast we went to visit Yuki's grandmother and then Yuki's goat. Yes, it's a very rural town and Yuki's family owns a farm and a goat. After that, we drove up to the top of a little mountain for a brilliant view of the Northern Alps which looked stunning with their snow-capped peaks rising out of the mist. Then we went to the Omachi Alpine Museum and stopped to eat some famous Nagano soba and oyaki before the long journey home. Unfortunately I didn't get to see any of the old Olympic stuff because the Olympics were held in Hakuba which is about an hour north of Omachi. Besides that though, it was a great trip.
And now it's busy, busy, busy until after the New Year. But of course (as is always the case) I have gotten sick at possibly the worst time imaginable. On the first day that all my busy plans were supposed to start, I am bed-ridden with a fever. My body only ever chooses to get sick at the most inconvenient times. So here I am, one day away from 9 days of travel and I can hardly get out of bed. Please send healthy thoughts my way. I have only one night to get better or I am going to miss out on what was supposed to be the best week of this entire trip.
And finally, if I do end up going away (I don't care how sick I am, I am going), this will be my last post until the New Year.

So Merry Christmas and Happy New Year!!

Britt ♥


I miss a hot, fresh pot of tea when I wake up, come home and go to sleep.

It's Beginning To Look A Lot Like Christmas (Everywhere But Japan)

Watching Christmas movies in Japan is like watching Christmas movies in June- you can pretend it's Christmas as long as you're inside but the minute you walk out your door, the illusion is broken and you enter the harsh reality of a Christmas-less day. It's okay, I'm not really that bitter. You have Christmas, I have Japan. It's a fair trade.
The only Christmas I am going to have this year began and ended today with a Christmas Party that we threw in one of our classes. I dressed up as Santa Claus (Sean was home sick and John was too big for the costume) and taught Christmas carols, and John brought gingerbread houses (well, the Japanese version anyway which involve no gingerbread at all...). We also taught our classmates about how we celebrate Christmas with our families. I don't know if they understood entirely, all I know is that I enjoyed talking about it. And that's it for my Christmas this year (besides a slew of Christmas movies that I have lined up to watch over the next 2 weeks). I am spending Christmas Day in Hiroshima. I don't know of a more opposite way to how I normally spend Christmas than by visiting the site of one of the most horrific events in world history...

On a lighter note, this weekend I finally went to Kyoto: my dream come true. It completely lived up to my expectations. What a romantic city! We hardly visited anything and I have completely fallen in love. Surrounded by mountains on three sides with a river running through the middle, it is easy to see why Kyoto has traditionally been the main place for geisha- something so beautiful could only exist in a place of equal beauty. Walking through the streets of Gion was almost like walking through the pages of one of my favourite books, Memoirs of a Geisha (Almost- I never did find the bridge that she was sitting on when she met the Chairman even though I looked!). Gion stretches all the way up the side of the East mountain to Kyomizu Temple from which you can look back on all of Kyoto. In the evening we headed to the West mountain- Arashiyama. When we got off the train it was almost as though we had gone to an entirely new town: a quaint, little mountain town. We walked around with the crowds and then headed to the Bamboo Pathway. This was absolutely gorgeous. We walked along the winding path through towering stalks of bamboo that were all lit up in white and blue (it's not a Christmas thing, sorry). It was like being in a Japanese fairytale. I'm not sure if you remember but a few posts back I mentioned the Japanese saying: In Osaka, one goes broke from food. In Kyoto, one goes broke from shopping. Well I can now honestly tell you that this saying is true. Shopping in Kyoto is fantastic! There are so many great stores in Gion and not just souvenir shops- really interesting Japanese things that makes much, much better souvenirs. I even found a Ghibli store! (Ghibli is the studio that produces some of my all-time favourite movies and is almost solely responsible for initiating my interest in and love of Japan. Without Miyazaki's movies, I would not be here. The thing on my shoulder in the picture is a from one of my favourite Ghibli movies, Nausicaa of the Valley of the Wind.)

Did I lose you? No? Okay, let's keep going...

On Monday, instead of my usual pop. culture class, Yamaguchi-sensei took Sean, John and I to the Hatcho Miso factory. Hatcho Miso produces the finest miso in Japan. So fine, in fact, that the Emperor chooses to eat it. Ipso facto, I ate the Emperor's miso. It was delicious. Then he took us around Okazaki to the library where we looked at a fantastic jazz collection owned by a famous Japanese jazz musician (loved it), and then to two shrines. The first shrine was your average Shinto shrine. Gorgeous, you know, whatever. Next was a beautiful Buddhist shrine and possible my favourite shrine so far. It looked like it belonged in Oku-no-in on Koya-san or even in the woods near Vancouver on account of the tall cedar trees and wet, misty fog (it was raining at the time) that made it, once again, feel like is was amidst a Japanese fairytale. Probably my favourite thing about the shrine was the cute little cat that lived inside the temple atop the long flight of stairs that seem to be a common feature of Buddhist shrines. He was adorable and very friendly. (Is the cat thing getting to be too much? Perhaps I'll stop mentioning it..)

So to wrap up, I walked through the streets of Gion like Memoirs' Sayuri, I ate the Emperor of Japan's miso, pet a Buddhist cat and dressed up as Santa Claus. Enough for this week? Maybe. Now I am going to try and stay up until midnight to watch the Geminid Meteor Shower. If you read this in time, it should be visible over Canada around midnight tomorrow.

Happy star gazing!

Britt♥


I miss baking.

I'm Turning Japanese (I REALLY Think So)

Since I have been in Japan for 10 weeks now, it's no wonder I am adapting to the lifestyle. But perhaps I've gone a bit overboard, you decide.
How I have turned Japanese:

1. Contrary to what John and Sean think, I can actually converse in Japanese. I can comfortably hang out with my Japanese friends and make conversation for long periods of time. Sure, it's pretty broken Japanese and I repeat a lot of what I am able to say (I've probably told my friends that it was -10° in Vancouver a couple weeks ago about 15 times now) but they don't seem to mind.

2. I like my rice plain. I'll use soy sauce if it's there but really, a bowl of plain white rice is just perfect.

3. I have a new found love for all things cute, furry or cartoon. In class today, the words "kitty-chan" (Japanese name for Hello Kitty) came out of my mouth in a rather shockingly high-pitched tone during pictionary. (We were teaching games from Canada at the time.)

4. My clothing seems to be reflecting Japanese fashion more and more everyday, and I am really liking it. Jean shorts over black leggings, lace-up high-heeled booties, puffy shouldered shirts, ect. I even (dare I say it) find myself wanting a pair of Crocs even though I swore I would never wear them. (Don't worry, just thinking about it. I haven't crossed over yet!)

5. I've stopped craving Western food. I crave tako (octopus), ika (squid), kimchi (spicy cabbage) and mochi (glutinous rice cake). Tempura soba and kaiten-sushi are all I crave at lunch time. Forget British tea-time, I'll take hot or cold Japanese Milk Tea in a small milk carton with a straw from a vending machine any day (or 3 times a day). (On second thought, I want an eggnog latte. I'd kill for an eggnog latte.)

6. Riding my rusty, pink, one-speed bike to school from the train station is the best part of my day. It just feels right.

7. I love Pocky. Chocolate, strawberry, matcha, anything. Give me all the Pocky in Japan. Or all the Toppo (Pocky's inside-out relative where the flavour is on the inside of the cracker stick thing!). Yummmm.

8. I have completely taken to the bath/shower system here. It goes like this: Shower first then get into the hot bath water that everyone in the family uses before the tub is drained. I know it sounds disgusting but I mean, think about it, at least everyone cleans themselves first. Usually, I have the first shower anyway, and the bath water never lasts more than a day. And, you know, showering is a lot of work. You deserve a minute to relax after all that lathering, rinsing and repeating. (Get over it, I live in Japan. I'll be clean when I get back to Canada.)

9. My Japanese cell phone has a Hello Kitty charm with a bell. I can text in Japanese.

10. I part my hair in the middle now.

11. I am entirely over my hatred of all things pink. I love the colour pink. (I had to buy a new glasses case- my new one is sparkly and pink.)

12. Yeah, I took those Japanese photo booth photos that make you look like an anime character. I am doing the 'peace' sign in every one.

13. My chopstick form has greatly improved. When they see me (watch me) use chopsticks, all Japanese people say, "Jooozuuuuu," which means basically, "You're so good at using chopsticks!" I think they labor under the impression that Western people can't use chopsticks at all so they are shocked and delighted my poor excuse for chopstick form. (I have to say though, I find it a little primitive that they use two sticks to eat everything with. I don't mean it really offensively; after all, they really can do anything with those things.)

14. I find it strange if a restaurant doesn't require me to remove my shoes upon entering.

15. I successfully went clubbing the Japanese way. You go to a club and stay until after the last train has gone and then either move from club to club until the morning or find a manga kissaten to sleep in. Manga kissaten offer a small cubicle with a large reclining computer chair or private karaoke rooms. Neither make particularly good beds, but sometimes you'll really take anything (take my word for it). It costs a small sum but it's a warm place to sleep until the trains start running again at 5am. (Me? I got home at 8am.) Oh by the way, clubs in this country are amazing. 5 stories and cover comes with 4 drinks.

16. What's a tan?


Of course there are still a million things unique to Western life that I could never live without but I think I am adapting quite well, don't you? Or have I gone too far...

Jaa ne,

Britt


I miss absolutely everything (every tiny little corny detail) about Christmas.