Nikko Roadtrip

This weekend the traveling extravaganza continued with a visit to Nikko, one of Japan's major tourist attractions. The site has a long history of religious significance dating back to the 8th century, when it was a famous training center for Buddhist monks. After declining into obscurity for many years, it was chosen to become the location of the mausoleum of Tokugawa Ieyasu, the shogun who unified Japan and whose successors controlled the country for about 250 years. The shrine was built in the 1630s by Ieyasu's grandson and is the most splendid of all the shrines in Japan - splendid to the point of gaudiness, some say. All the same, it was intended to inspire awe for the wealth and power of the Tokugawa family, and it sure does the trick.

The weekend was a rainy one, which gave the whole experience an atmosphere of mystery and meaning. Six of us (Rosalind, Steph, Grace, Johanna, Simone, and I) set out from Niigata on Saturday morning and arrived in the town of Nikko after about four hours and some very windy mountain roads (when they post signs counting the number of switchbacks, that's a bad sign). That afternoon largely consisted of shopping, eating, and generally goofiness, in addition to a trip to Yashio-no-yu Onsen (I got a massage - yay!). Sunday we wandered the Nikko shrine complex, which included Shoyoen (a Japanese strolling garden), the Tokugawa Treasure House, Sanbutsudo (Three Buddha Hall), Rinnoji Temple, the Toshogu Shrine (including the tomb of Tokugawa Ieyasu and the "hear no evil, speak no evil, see no evil" monkey trio), Yakushido (it has a dragon painted on its ceiling that "roars" if you use the accoustics properly), Futarasan Shrine (built to honor mountain deities), and Taiyuinbo (where Ieyasu's grandson is enshrined). The place was fraught with history and complexity, some of which I cover in the comments to my full photo set. On the way back, we hit Kegon Falls and stopped shortly to gaze at Lake Chuzenji (where we met a very friendly fisherman). Here are some of the visual highlights (though we couldn't take pics of some of the best stuff):


Room #3, Daiyagawa Youth Hostel
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.


Shin-kyo Bridge, Nikko
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Pathway, Shoyoen, Nikko
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Yomei-mon, Toshogu Shrine, Nikko
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Hear No Evil, Speak No Evil, See No Evil
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Kristi, Kegon Falls
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Fishermen, Lake Chuzenji
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Click here to see my full photo set from Nikko.

ALTs go to the movies...

Yeah, so after a trip to the gym and some Pizza Hut indulgence, eight of us met up at the Tsubame Warner MyCal theatre to see The Da Vinci Code last night. I enjoyed the book, so I was interested to see the film version. I thought Tautou was excellent (and beautiful), and Ian McKellen was quite entertaining. It was nice to get out and see a movie.

Anyway, we totally made fools of ourselves getting print club pictures beforehand. Here are a few for your viewing pleasure:


Niigata Surprise!
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Bubbly Fun
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

A Motley Crew
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Good times. Work and life have been incredibly busy lately. I finally perfected my "asking the way" lesson today - the 3rd year students (9th graders) really loved it. Only thing was, the new version was incredibly high-energy for the team teachers. I totally wanted to pass out after three straight classes. But then I had two more lessons to prep and fax for Monday, a composition workbook to write, and a million other miscellaneous things to deal with... Funny, I feel suddenly comfortable here, with the people and the way of life. And I have less than two months left.

Anyway, I think I'm going to have some tea and try to do something productive. I hope I get some down time tomorrow. Saturday and Sunday will be spent touring Nikko with the ALT crew, so small girls must get their rest.

Omi Shrine Festival

So, I promised that I'd post pics from the snippet of the Omi Shrine Festival that I caught this weekend, after my triumphant return from Okinawa. There were apparently a lot of costumes and a parade, but I just saw the ceremony at the end, where they dismantled the portable shrines and had a short bout of flute/drum music and dancing. I'll let the pictures speak for themselves.


Omi Shrine Festival, Kamo
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Omi Shrine Festival, Kamo
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Omi Shrine Festival, Kamo
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Omi Shrine Festival, Kamo
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Lanterns, Omi Shrine Festival, Kamo
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Okinawa in Review

So, as I mentioned before, Star and I ventured out to Japan's southernmost set of islands this weekend - and wow, what an amazing time we had. Sight-seeing, relaxing, shopping, perfect weather, quality time with a good friend - how much better could it get? Friday afternoon was spent shopping on Kokusai-dori (International Street) and trying to locate Coco Shanti, the charmingly (and affordably) hippie place we called home for the weekend. We got to know this street quite well during our stay and probably walked its length 20-30 times before our departure.


Kristi, Kokusai-dori, Okinawa
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

On Saturday morning, we woke up bright and early to pick up our rental car from the airport and our real adventure began. We started off by heading to the southern tip of the island to check out some of the war memorials. Okinawa suffered heavy losses during the last days of WWII, both military and civilian, with many people committing suicide on its coastal cliffs. We visited Himeyuri-no-To (the Cave of Virgins), a memorial for a group of about 200 women and children who lost their lives, and the Okinawa Peace Memorial Park, which contains the Cornerstone of Peace. The latter monument records the names of all who died in the Battle of Okinawa (Japanese commanders, civilians, and foreign military personnel alike), arranged in striking waves of black stone tablets.


Himeyuri-no-To, Okinawa
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Cornerstone of Peace, Okinawa
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Then we moved on to Shuri Castle, the former seat from which Ryukyu kings ruled before Okinawa was subjected to mainland rule. The architectural style was much different than that of the mainland, with the Chinese influence really shining through. The most famous gate, Shurei-no-mon, appears on the Japanese 2,000 yen note.


Star & Kristi, Shuri Castle, Okinawa
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Shurei-no-mon, Okinawa
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

With two major sites under our belt, Star and I stopped at an A&W restaurant for lunch - it was a drive-in, so you could actually pull in, order, and eat in your car (though we opted for the air-conditioned interior). Hamburgers and root beer were in order. After that, it was off to the Motobu Peninsula, where I visited the Churaumi Aquarium while Star napped on Emerald Beach. I thought the aquarium was really fascinating - and huge! I hadn't been to one in years, so it was quite a treat.


Whale Shark, Churaumi Aquarium, Okinawa
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Emerald Beach, Okinawa
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Our final mission of the day was to drive along the Okinawan coast to the northernmost tip of the island, Cape Hedo. The scenery was stunning (Star has all the pictures though, since I was driving), and it was well worth the time when we got to the rocky cliffs and saw the bird statue we'd been looking for.


Statue, Cape Hedo, Okinawa
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Two hours later, we were back in Naha and back on foot. We continued to sample Okinawan cuisine, which Star became quite fond of during her homestay seven years ago, and which I actually enjoyed as well. During our weekend, we had Okinawan soba (different from mainland soba), yakisoba, rafti (pork stew), zenzai (shaved ice with sweet bean), and chinsuko (yummy cookie). We also sampled Orion Beer, the local Okinawan brew. Anyway, we pretty much passed out after dinner.

Sunday morning we made time to shop along Kokusai-dori and Heiwa-dori, collecting the necessary omiyage to be able to return to our respective workplaces without losing face. Our mascot for the trip requires an introduction though - meet Goya Man (or Super Goya, as Star and I like to call him):


Goya Man
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

The goya is a bitter melon that is very common in Okinawa and Okinawan dishes. Rosalind and I actually cooked goya champuru in our cooking class. Anyway, the goya memorabilia gave us no end of laughs along the way.

Sunday afternoon marked our returns to Niigata and Tokyo respectively, and I came home to find the Kamo Spring Festival winding down (which was curiously similar to coming home and finding my roommates throwing a party). I managed to see some fun stuff there, but I think it's best left to another post. This one has come to an end. :) Click here if you want to see the full set of photos from our fabulous weekend in the sun.

There and back again

Okinawa was incredible. So much fun. So many adventures. Details to come.

By the way, did you know that Crystal Geyser is the water of America?


Crystal Geyser, Water of America
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

The mundane, the wonderful

I took a drive out to Sanjo today, to go to the gym and buy some groceries. But along the way, I took the time to stop and photograph some of the sights that grace my regular errand-running. There are the things that aren't special enough to take pictures of, but I have a feeling they'll be the ones I miss most once my time here has come to an end. I love the landscapes right now - all of the rice fields are flooded for spring, and it makes Niigata seem like a surreal sort of floating world. Here are a few of the snippets from my day:


Rice Field Reflections, Sanjo
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Roadside Shrine, Sanjo
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

Shrine in the Rice Fields, Sanjo
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

That little shrine in the last shot really charmed me for some reason. Perhaps because it seemed so elegant in the water, and it was just sitting there, amidst a sea of houses and agriculture... Anyway, yay for Niigata.

I should do some writing before this weekend is over. Hope everyone is doing well. And Happy Mother's Day!

Back to Niigata (via Tokyo)

I woke up at about 4:45 am this morning. Why? Because the sun came up at 4:43 am, which I consider terribly early. Still, it'll continue to inch earlier yet before hitting about a 4:25 am sunrise in mid-June. I really need to find a way to darken my room a little more in the mornings. Sitting at my desk today, it somehow seems like I never left - it's amazing how consistent the routine of the Japanese school system can be. It's comforting, actually.

I just returned from hanging out in Tokyo with Star, one of my friends from UW and a fellow Japanese major. She's living out there doing science research and kindly let me stay with her for a while. We mainly took it easy, treating ourselves to massages, shopping in Shibuya, and a rather leisurely schedule. Grace joined the fun on Saturday. I took a break from picture taking during this trip, but still managed to get one of the more amusing shots of my collection while walking through Shinjuku. A tanuki (raccoon) in a pig's mask:


Incognito Tanuki and Kristi, Shinjuku, Tokyo
Originally uploaded by kristi-san.

The owner in back adds a lot to the picture.

Sufficeth to say that I had fun. I always enjoy Tokyo - hopefully I'll make it down there a few more times before my contract is up in July. Things are starting to fly by faster and faster. This weekend, I'm thinking of heading out to Takaoka to see their daibutsu and do the Tateyama Kurobe Alpine Route, two weeks from now is Okinawa with Star, four weeks out is Hiroshima/Kansai with Maria, followed by Tokyo five weeks out... and then I'll have about a month left in Japan, so I imagine I'll be desperately trying to pack and squeeze things in.

Anyway, I think that's enough for now. More adventures soon!