Below are the daily chronicles of my trip to Kyushu. My apologies to everyone who has been checking for updates. I meant to publish these entries yesterday, but uploading photos took too long so I gave up.
March 1
I left last night for my grand journey of roughly 48 hours! To celebrate, I went out to Matsuya with my friends before saying goodbye (I ate bibimbop!) and headed to my capsule hotel in Kinshicho.
Capsule hotels are well-known for catering to businessmen who just need a place to rest between working. In the hotel I stayed at, there was only one floor dedicated to women, of which there was only one (myself). It is quite rare for women to stay at capsule hotels, and I was the only female there The rooms are basically cubbies stacked over one another inside of a wall, spanning about the length and width of a single bed; the epitome of efficiency. But they actually aren’t so cramped, as I was able to stand up enough to put on pants inside the room. It was quite cozy, with a TV, radio, lamp, and yukata that you can wear for the stay. The reception clerk, Hideo, was also really friendly and spoke some English (and gave me a complimentary cup). But I was quite taken with the bath facility provided. While there are several saunas and bathrooms for men, there was one underground that women could access from the outdoors. This bath is open to the public, and you can purchase usage in the form of a ¥300 ticket from a vending machine (from which I could also purchase my room).
To be honest, the pictures on the website were rather off-putting, but I’ve never had the true Japanese public bathing experience, so I thought I would give it a try since it was included with the hotel fare. It was much nicer and relaxing than I imagined! Shampoos and body wash and bath yukatas and towels were provided. You bathe in little cubicle areas and then relax for awhile in a big hot tub with jets. I really wanted to stay in longer, but sleeping was a better idea.
So, my itinerary for Kyushu did not quite play out as expected:
4:15: Wake up at Capsule Hotel
4:40: Check out of Capsule Hotel
4:54: Catch train bound for Ochanomizu
5:00: Hop on the wrong train (instead of taking the Chuo-line to Tokyo, I took Chuo line bound for Shinjuku, also in Tokyo)
5:00-5:10: Momentary panic and confusion as I attempt to re-think how to get to Tokyo to catch the Tokaido and get to Hiroshima in one day. By taking the next train on the Chuo line, I would have arrived in Tokyo at 5:21, a minute after the Tokaido departs.
I ended up taking the Shinkansen in order to catch up with my train at Shizuoka. Which was good; I was able to get ahead of schedule and that came in handy when I missed another train. Either way, I was able to get to the station in time to pick up my final train to Hiroshima. I regret not taking a picture of the shinkansen, so I attempted to do so throughout the remainder of my trip to make up for it (since the shinkansen also runs down to Kyuushu). But shinkansen are quite fast, traveling up to 300 mph, so I could never really capture the pointed front end that they are so well-known for.
So I’m becoming quite acquainted with flexibility and human error! Good life lessons. I’m also discovering that changing plans at the last second generally isn’t the best method to go by. These things are basically obvious, but being a reckless youth I am prone to risk-taking (the name of the ticket by which I am making my 2-day train journey is called “youth 18” after all.
So I’m trying not to blame myself for my poor judgment and lack of common sense too much because I think I can chalk it up to this youthful phase.
My trip was filled with great scenery of the countryside, mountains, and fields growing green tea leaves and fallows (recommended for stews).
As the trip progressed rain began to fall, creating a nice misty atmosphere for cool-photography while waiting for my missed-train in a quiet residential area.
As the day wound down, my last train segment for Hiroshima lasted about 2 hours and 40 minutes. Quite a good time for watching movies on my computer, except I don’t think Japanese would take kindly to that, as even listening to music is frowned upon. According to one of the signs in the inside of the train, what one perceives as a “classical masterpiece” from their headphones is noise to another person. I admire the Japanese for their strong consideration of others. But I can’t get away with the things I’m used to doing in America, especially since the rules are conveniently written in English. But I’m used to standing out as a blond-ish American girl who wears a fluorescent pink coat and awkwardly eats a nori roll at the station before the next train fills up.
It’s also pretty special when you make eye-contact with a adolescent boy on a crowded train of what appears to be middle or high schoolers. There are times when I really want to know what Japanese people are thinking, and there I times when I don’t on the off-chance that I have done something idiotic without realizing it.
I was worried about missing the check-in time for my youth hostel, but luckily I made it with 15 minutes to spare! The only train-related incident was a sudden, unexplained (as far as my Japanese knows) stop for four minutes, after which the conductor apologized profusely. Even still, the train arrived at the destination only about a minute or so late. My arrival to Hiroshima was quite refreshing. All along the gradually increasing nature for my scenery was peeling my stress away layer by layer. I only spent a night at the youth hostel and left early the next morning. This was also my first time at a youth hostel, and all together the accommodations were quite nice. There were only a couple of Japanese girls staying in a separate room, so there wasn’t much opportunity for insightful conversations (my priority at the time was sleeping anyways). The room itself was designed for two people, furnished with a bed, small desk and dresser. Again, there was a public bathing area, and a large dining space where guests could eat meals provided by the hostel or fix their own using the kitchen.
Unfortunately, I couldn’t enjoy a super nutritious-looking vegetable-and-egg breakfast that was served the following day, but I did enjoy my NY soybean bagel that I purchased the night before (do soybean bagels exist in New York? I didn’t think so…)
March 2, 2010
I departed from Hiroshima a little after check-out time (7 AM) and headed to the bus station. This time, I jumped on the first bus that came (which also ended up being wrong… my transportation luck is atrocious). But I still left on my train ahead of schedule. The second day was not as weary as the first, and while I could have saved even more time by staying on one of the trains heading in the same direction I was going anyway, experience had taught me not to trust my schedule more than personal hunches. The station before my final destination, I had about an hour to kill, so I wandered around the city called “Tawagotoji.” There was a street lined with miniature shops that was decorated for “Hina Matsuri,” the doll festival that is popular for young girls in Japan. Dolls mimicking the Heian court of Japan (complete with Emperor, Empress and other members) are arranged on a platform called a “Hinadan” which I guess resembles a diarama.. or a “doll-a-rama” (my humor is also atrocious, my apologies)
As usual, there are superstitions associated with the holiday’s practices. If girls do not put the display away after about a month, they may not be able to get married. Although, according to the woman I met who was preparing decorations that day, all you have to do to remedy this supposed curse is turn the Empress doll around on her spot. There is also some order to the arrangement. I think the men’s dolls are arranged on the left, although this varies depending on the area of Japan you are in. I noticed no such division in Kyushu.
Finally, I returned to my station, where my last train was a very amusing and small yellow “one man car.” It was quite rustic. While on the train, I was approached by two high school girls, who asked to take a picture with me. I amusedly obliged. In one of my Japanese classes, I read an article about an American girl in Kyushu who felt terribly offended because a group of Japanese youth had taken her picture without really asking for her permission first. This girl felt as though she had been violated and that Japanese people thought of her as an exhibition. A Japanese woman wrote an article refuting this, stating that the proper course of action is to make conversation and let her feelings be known. Therefore, I felt rather amused in my situation. From what I hear, Kyushu does not often experience foreigners, so this was not uncalled for. In spite of not wearing any make-up or having properly bathed in awhile, I just pretended that I would not be judged and took a picture with both of the girls, asking what grade they were in.
Finally I made it to Hita, where I met my host father, Umeki-san. He kindly came an hour to the station to pick me up at the station (because I wouldn’t have been able to catch the bus… well I might have..). He then took me out to dinner and then to pick up my luggage. The scenery along the way was amazing though… quite sylvan with tall mountains and fog. Truly the kind of natural experience I’ve been yearning for. Rice paddies and various terraced fields enveloped misty mountains, on which picturesque cedar trees stand with prominent, white trunks. According to Umeki-san, this winter has been warmer than in the past, but because of the mountainous terrain it is a little bit colder in spite of being southern Japan. Still, this season flowers seem to be blooming earlier.
My lodging is a small trailer about 5-tatami mats in size. The restroom is located inside of the restaurant, a small farm café where Umeki-san’s wife prepares meals for customers and the staff. The restaurant incorporates the farm’s rice and vegetables into the menu, as well as handmade blueberry jam. Nearby, there are ample blueberry fields which used to be apple orchards until the need for pesticides arose. Aside from Umeki-san’s wife, there are Umeki-san’s 3 sons, who are 16, 20 and 24. There is also Mattchan, a graduate student studying agriculture in Tokyo, who was once a WWOOFer as well and now contributes to the farm. Sawai-san also works part time at the craft-shop called “Applemint,” where she creates wreaths which are sold with jams and other farm goods. There is also Jay the dog, and plenty of cats, which multiply in the spring. Apparently it is a cat harem, as there is only one, dominant male.
After dinner each day, we go to the public bath (sometimes onsen), which is a nice relaxing way to end what are, for the most part, relaxing days.
I start the day around 9 with the family, having coffee and discussing the upcoming tasks. These include weeding, grocery shopping, picking vegetables, chopping wood, picking wild flowers, doing dishes, processing food, and more depending on whatever needs to be done. Despite the cold, I hope I get the chance to do a fair bit of farming (but I’m definitely not opposed to working with food, either. I look forward to cooking in a kitchen again!). Breaks are fairly frequent, so I think it will be a relaxing time here.
March 3
Today was a fairly straightforward day. I met Kyoko-san (my very genki Host mother) and Mattchan (described by a previous WWOOFer as the “Japanese cowboy”) I was told once again that I do not resemble an American (success!) by Kyoko-san barely after I met her (maybe her opinion will change…?).
After breakfast, I helped Umeki-san prepare soil and planted some herb seeds (tane maki); a light day of work. The restaurant also does not attract a lot of customers on days when the weather is not fair, so as a result I ended up bumming around a little. Kyoko-san prepared a fabulous Spanish omelette with carrot soup, and the prefecture’s prized “takana” a leafy vegetable that grows during the winter in the mountains. “Sansai” which literally means “mountain vegetable” is also grown in the mountains. Everywhere I go I am thankful that Japanese are equally interested in food cultivation, preparation and eating. I was happy to share some of Chiba’s peanuts, which are famous even in Kumamoto, it seems. Included in the tiny packages were flavors such as cheese (more like cheesecake) strawberry, green tea and pepper peanuts. We enjoyed them along with other delicacies at tea time, when we welcomed another WWOOFer from France. He is also a Japanese major, studying in the Tokyo area who came here using the Seishun 18 ticket. Similarities aside, he is 24 and has WWOOFed in Japan numerous times already. I think I must to attend graduate school here in the future (if I study more) simply so I can WWOOF during the summer (and maybe attend Ritsumeikan).
After dinner (a feast of shabu shabu), the family headed to the onsen (hot spring) at the local ryokan (Japanese-style inn) to bathe. Last night we went to a public bath, but having never been to an onsen before I was looking forward to tonight. I did not know, however, that it would be a rotenburou, or an open-air public bath. While in my dorm, I always braced myself for the cold when getting out of the shower, anticipating it would be good training for WWOOFing during the winter. I didn’t think that preparation would be for stripping outside in late winter to take a bath. But the steamy onsen certainly makes up for the chilliness, which one barely notices upon getting out. Hot springs are very common in this area, so I wanted to experience it at least once. Had I gone to Ritsumeikan, I would have had my fill by now, and too much of a good thing is never good. Nevertheless, I am getting spoiled.
March 4, 2010
Today was another relaxing day, thanks to the rain. After breakfast we headed to the greenhouses to start some more seeds. This time we planted flat after flat of chamomile. In the afternoon it wasn’t too busy, so we stayed indoors and organized receipts (I think March is tax month in Japan).
In spite of the scenery being enhanced by the rain and the many blue shades of clouds, I think it might be making my mood a bit dismal. I could just be perpetually plagued by things I think I could have done better. This morning and last night, for instance, I was dwelling on an essay about biodiversity that I could have written for my environmental class. Although I didn’t feel particularly inspired at the time, I really wish I could have delved into permaculture because I think it would come in handy now. I also started thinking about how much more I could do as a WWOOFer here if it were summer when the major tasks arrive. I’m reconsidering my initial plan of staying for a month. I really do not want to be a burden or a freeloader, since I feel like I am just eating delicious meals prepared by Kyoko-san for the most part. The saying “killing someone with kindness” has some merit. But I wouldn’t want to leave early either, because it might imply that I do not like it here, which couldn’t be more wrong. And then I started to contemplate graduate school a little more, as well as WWOOFing in Chiba during Golden Week in May.
All of my contemplating amounts to me worrying that I’m not getting enough out of my year here. But of course, that depends on my own initiative. So I want to get into a routine and I work hard.
March 5
So the weather is affecting my mood after all! In spite of this morning’s failed attempt to make rice pudding for breakfast (America’s lack of the metric system poses unexpected quandaries and my unfamiliarity with gas stoves caused me to burn a pot, but not the pudding this time), I am satisfied with my contribution to the day’s events. Today was nice and warm and I got to do some hands-on farm labor, so I felt more accomplished and less guilty about being here in the winter. While I won’t get to see the fruits (and vegetables) of my labor, at least I’m assisting their propagation, so someone else can enjoy them.
This morning, we bottled sake (and got to taste some). Sake is surprisingly spicy to those who have never tried it and dislike spicy things. First, Umeki-san skimmed the rice from a large vat of sake. This rice will be added to “karintou,” a Japanese confectionary of crunchy fried dough. The rice-wine flavor is reminiscent of yeast, so I gather that it will have a bread-like essence. Over the next few days, we will be producing amazake, which is sweet rice wine (consumed for New Years and Hina matsuri).
In the afternoon, we returned to the field to plant gyoza no ninniku, a vegetable that smells like garlic (the name literally translates to garlic of gyoza, a Chinese dumpling called “potstickers” that you can buy at Safeway. During my last homestay adventure, I found out that people eat garlic cloves whole with gyoza, although this variety is different). Afterwards, we headed for the onion patch to weed, which took up the rest of the afternoon. Organic farming calls for a lot of hands-on labor, which I enjoy, but is time consuming. According to Umeki-san, there would not be as much of a problem if the mulch from the previous season’s rice husks had been applied more heavily. The soil underneath was incredibly healthy looking, though.
Afterwards we enjoyed red-bean paste cakes and strawberry daifuku with some friends of the Umeki’s. Everyone is friendly and knows each other—it’s a nice small-town atmosphere that I kind of miss, and definitely more laid back than the efficient Tokyo area. As a result, I can imagine that foreigners also make for small-town gossip. It’s endearing and country-like.
One of the women we chatted at tea-time speaks English as a result of her global travels. She spent a year of high school in Michigan, lived in England with her husband for 10 years, and then moved to Australia, where she visited neighboring islands. The other woman is an artist who dated a French-Italian, whom she spoke English with. From then, the conversation progressed to various aspects of intercultural dating, how Italian mothers can be overprotective, how my French companion is an ikemen, how French in general is romantic, and how Japanese guys are shy among other things.
I’m so grateful that I chose a WWOOF host who does a variety of things, since I can see so many facets of Japanese life. It’s also nice to nonbiri, or relax and chat with the family and friends of the family for extended periods of time.
0 comments:
Post a Comment