Last Sunday in Miyada

So after my mom and Hayley left, I was feeling a bit homesick and kinda depressed that summer break was over. The first week of school was pretty easy because I didn't have many classes, but just getting back into the swing of things has been a bit challenging. Especially last week when I came down with the same kind of flu or illness that I had back in July.

Anyway, last Sunday (it's Sunday as I'm writing this) I decided to venture outside of my cozy little Lake Suwa area and go visit my friend and fellow teacher, Max, in his small town of Miyada. Actually, Miyada is so small, it's classified as a "village." The full name is Miyada-mura, mura meaning village. Conversely, my town is actually a town, Shimosuwa-machi (machi meaning, you guessed it, town). It seems that Japan has 3 distinctions for size, mura or village, machi or town, and shi which means city. I guess English is sort of the same, although "town" and "city" are often used in the same way. But I digress!

Miyada-mura is a very picturesque Japanese countryside village, situated neatly in a valley between two sets of the Japan Alps. I believe the North and South alps, but it's a bit confusing, so I won't get into that. Basically, I live in one valley stretching NW from Tokyo. There are two other main valleys that connect the southern coastline with central Japan, and Miyada lies in the middle of the three valleys.

Anyway, to get to Miyada, it was about an hour ride from my town. The train station is so small at Miyada that I had to literally pay a conductor after getting off and hold up the whole train. :P Well, it was only two cars, so not really a very big train. Haha. Anyway. I met Max outside the "station" and we began our trek to the golden statue. He had told me about it before, but basically, it's just a golden statue of Kannon (Buddhist Bodhisattva or person who helped others to enlightenment before gaining it themselves) situated on the hill so you can see it from most places in the village. We walked uphill alongside rice paddies, traditional buildings, and finally woods with signs warning of bears (and forest fires, don't smoke in the woods!!) before reaching the statue. It was about a 50 min walk. It was cool out, but so humid that I was drenched by the time we made it to the top. The views of the valley were amazing, though. It was worth it!

After making our way back into the village, we waited for the next train (tiny station = not very frequent trains) and took it to Ina, the closest city. Ina is kind of spread out so I don't really know where it begins or ends, but anyway, there's an arcade there that Max frequents, and I was interested to see if they had a game called Taiko Drum Master that I have been wanting to try. It was quite the happening place when we got there, but nobody seemed to be playing TDM, so I tried it out. I've played the game on PS2 back home, but the real thing is a lot harder! You have to hit the drum pretty hard... :P Well so I played that for a little while, then I watched Max do what he really comes there to do- Dance Dance Revolution. He was soooooo good. O_O I did a few songs with him, but I did normal mode while he did "super mega insane ridiculous challenge" mode. Yeah... so I went back to TDM. Unfortunately he does taiko in real life, so he kinda beat me at that too. <_< Oh well, it was fun.

By the time we made it back to Ina station, I was feeling really tired and it was about 7, so I hopped on the next train (which was actually a really new-looking, comfy train!) and was back in Shimosuwa in less than an hour. It was a good day, but we walked so much, and I didn't realize the shoes I wore would be so bad on my feet... I ended up with one cut-up ankle, blisters on both feet, and one purple toenail that I don't even know how that happened. :P But I survived!

Walking to the statue

View from on the hill

The golden Kannon

Random traditional housing

Close-up of rice

The DDR machine at the arcade

Hayley & Mom in Shimosuwa (8/15-16)

The 15th was really fun but very tiring. It started in the early afternoon when Amy and Momoko came over to my apartment to help us dress in yukata (summer kimono). Momoko is really good at dressing people, so we let her do most of the work. Haha. Once we were all ready, we joined the rest of our group (the guys who DIDN'T dress up) and walked to the train station. Everyone we passed, literally, whether they were walking or in a car, had to look at us. It was kinda funny. Well, there were five of us dressed in yukata, so we probably did look pretty cool. :)

Anyway, we took the train to Kamisuwa, where the fireworks would be set off from that evening. The place was completely packed with people. It felt like being in Tokyo again! We walked around, very slowly because it was so crowded, observing all the food stalls. It was really hot, unfortunately, so I wasn't feeling too great after walking for a long time. We came back to Shimosuwa around 6 and we decided to change into comfortable clothes for watching the fireworks.

The night before, some of my apartment friends had taped off an area for us to sit during the fireworks display, so after we changed we walked to the lake and found a whole picnic awaiting us at our spot! There was so much food, and I had just been expecting snacks. :) It was really nice. Then the fireworks themselves were, of course, spectacular. They were really amazing. The American fireworks that I've seen just don't compare. There were color-changing ones, ones that fell down like a waterfall, ones shaped like hearts, etc. They were supposed to go for two hours, but unfortunately it began raining a little over an hour in, so we had to quickly pack up the food and everything and walk back to the apartment in the rain.

On the 16th, we walked to Seiyu (a grocery store owned by Walmart) to get some souvenir crackers and things. It decided to pour on us on the way back, and I had been trying to get my bike fixed but the shop was closed, so things just didn't seem to be going our way. -_- For our last dinner, we went to Denny's and got fancy desserts afterward. Overall, it was a really fun time, and I'm glad that Hayley and my mom came! I'm looking forward to the next time I get visitors. :)

Momoko and I :)

Mom and I ready to go!

Lol at Junta and Neko-sensei in the background :P

The pre-tied obi (shhh, it's a secret) that I wore with my yukata. And Hayley snuck into this picture!

Denny's - Butter chicken curry

Denny's - Omelette rice ("omuraisu")

Denny's desserts - Mini chocolate sundae. It was soooo good!

Hayley's dessert at Denny's - some kind of pudding with brownies.

Hayley & Mom in Shimosuwa (8/13-14)

These three days we were more busy than our first few days in Shimosuwa. On the 13th, we took the train to Kamisuwa, the next town over. We wanted to ride the swan boat that goes around the lake. First we stopped at Tully's in the station for some coffee. Then we walked to the swan boat port. It's a bit spendy to ride the boats, but I think it's worth it. The ride was very peaceful and the views of the cities around the lake were very cool. After riding the swan boat, we went to a soft serve place beside the lake which offers about ten interesting flavors. I got vanilla & green tea, mom got melon, and Hayley got mixed berry. We visited a souvenir shop briefly before heading back home on the train.

The next day, we headed to Okaya in the late afternoon for the big taiko festival. 300 people play taiko drums, flutes, and dance on the stage. It was really amazing to see. They even had like pyrotechnics and smoke that would come out now and then. Some of my friends came to the festival too. Brendan and Justin from my town, as well as Max who also came to the Matsumoto taiko festival. Amy was there, too, but she was actually participating in the dancing, so we only got to chat for a minute. It rained some at the festival, which was kinda disappointing, but oh well.

Interior of the swan boat

View of the alps from the lake

An egret or heron stalking in the grass :P

The taiko festival stage was so big!

I really want to play that big drum, haha.

Hayley & Mom in Shimosuwa (8/9-12)

I'm really sorry I've gotten so behind on the blog, but before September begins, I want to get caught up. Anyway, in order to do that, I'm going to condense the week my mom and Hayley spent here in Shimosuwa (after Tokyo) into two or three posts.

We arrived back in Shimosuwa on the 9th, but we were all really tired, so we didn't really do much. The next day, the 10th, we stayed around the apartment mostly because a typhoon was passing nearby (the day before, as well).

Anyway, finally Monday the weather was better, so we rode the train to Matsumoto. It was really hot but we managed to do a lot. We walked to the castle, rested there for a while, then went back to the station to get lunch at MOS Burger. They have a really good coffee shake that I wanted to get. :) After lunch we did some more shopping before heading back to Shimosuwa. We were really tired by the time we got back to my apartment, and since we didn't really feel like going out, we decided to try ordering a pizza on the phone. I had heard that the company Pizza-La had English support, so we ordered a couple pizzas through them. I thought both were really good- one was a Japanese teriyaki chicken and the other was Hawaiian. :) It's a bit expensive to order through them, so I probably won't do it much, but it's nice to have the option!

On the 12th, the weather wasn't great again, so we just went to Aeon and did some shopping there for souvenirs and stuff. I got a new kitchen mat that is really cute. :) For dinner, we went to Cafe Gusto, which is one of my favorite restaurant chains here. They have a $2 drink bar that I really love. Okay, well, that's enough for this post. Onto the next one!

A wedding at Matsumoto Castle

Teriyaki chicken w/ corn and mayonnaise

Hawaiian- my fave!!

My dinner at Gusto. The hamburger has cheese inside. :)

Hayley's traditional Japanese meal at Gusto.

Mom's dinner was a cheesy shrimp gratin.

Tokyo Day 4: Japanese garden & Odaiba again (8/8)

Sorry I'm so behind on blog posts, we've been pretty busy every day and I just haven't taken the time to sit down and write. I'll try to get caught up in the next couple days.

Anyway, for our fourth & last full day in Tokyo, we went to a traditional Japanese garden called Kyu-Shiba Rikyu. It was only like a 5-10 minute walk from our hotel. It was really hot and humid that day, but the garden was very peaceful, and there was hardly anyone around.

After the garden, we cooled off at the hotel for a bit before heading back to Odaiba. There's so much to see and do on that island, and since we hadn't gone on the ferris wheel the last time, I really wanted to go on it this time. The ferris wheel is around 300 feet tall and was at one point the tallest in the world. It was a leisurely 15-min ride looking out at Tokyo Bay. We could also see the Tokyo Tower, the Sky Tree, and other famous buildings as we rode. Going up is always a little scary to me, but I really enjoy going down. Haha.

Then we headed to another part of Odaiba to a shopping complex called AquaCity. There we did some shopping, but the main event was a food court theme park of ramen from around Japan. It was basically a big room with 5 different ramen stands, very Japanese decor, and taiko music. I got miso ramen from Sapporo while my mom and Hayley chose a spicy ramen from Chiba prefecture (to the east of Tokyo). Instant ramen can't compare to the real thing- it's so good, and even on a hot summer day, a bowl of steaming ramen is amazing. Of course it helped that the place was air-conditioned. :P

I have to say that Odaiba might be my favorite area of Tokyo. Next time I go, I want to explore even more of what it has to offer!

The garden

He totally posed for me!

Lunch - bento from a convenience store

View from the ferris wheel

My miso ramen

Hayley's spicy ramen

The Statue of Liberty replica on Odaiba

Tokyo Day 3: Yokohama Hakkeijima Sea Paradise (8/7)

Today we went to Yokohama to visit the Hakkeijima Sea Paradise. We rode a train to Yokohama and then transferred to an unmanned train called the Seaside Line. It had some nice views of Tokyo Bay. When we got to the station, we had to walk across a bridge to get to the park. The wind was incredibly strong as we walked across and air smelled like being at the ocean. It was actually quite pleasant, because even though it was hot, the wind helped us feel cooler.

The Sea Paradise is half amusement park, half aquariums. We got a pass for just the aquariums. The first aquarium was like a traditional one, but with animals like a polar bear, walruses, seals, sea lions, etc. The second aquarium was really just a small building with a few dolphins and a sun fish. Then the last "aquarium" was an area of the park with some open air tanks where you can touch dolphins and belugas. I really wanted to touch a beluga, but it kept swimming just out of reach. <_<

We got back to the hotel close to dinnertime, so after cooling for for a bit, we headed out to a nearby Denny's to get the true Japanese experience. :P There was quite a line to get in, so we waited outside until it was our turn. I got a curry cheese doria (rice) with a hamburger patty on top. Hayley got pasta with a creamy sauce that had tiny fish eggs mixed in. And finally, my mom got veggies, fries, a hamburger patty, and a fried shrimp. It was a really good meal! We were too full to try any of the desserts, but there's a Denny's less than a block from my apartment, so we'll be checking them out soon enough. ;)

Had to get a picture with this, lol.

The main aquarium at the park

Whale shark!!

One of the biggest tanks

Turtle!

They had a marine mammal show that was pretty cool.

The doria that I got at Denny's.

Tokyo Day 2: Harajuku & Odaiba (8/6)

Today we went to two districts in Tokyo, Harajuku and Odaiba.

Harajuku is famous for a shopping street called Omotesando, which has been compared to Champs Elysees in Paris. We went to a couple souvenir stores. It was nice to walk along the street because there were many trees, which blocked the sun (it was a really hot day). The first shop we went to was Kiddyland. They sell pretty much every kind of Japanese toy or character you can think of. I found a bunch of Frozen stuff there and ended up getting a Frozen mug. :) The next store, Oriental Bazaar, is one I went to last year. They sell all kinds of Japanese souvenirs. It's geared towards foreigners. The cashier started to speak English to me and then switched to Japanese when I spoke some to her, haha.

Later in the day, we headed to the main-made island of Odaiba. There are many malls and museums on the island and it might be my favorite area of Tokyo. We went to one particular mall called Venus Fort, where I went last year, that has a couple floors made to look like a European city. We walked around the mall for a while and then had dinner at a katsudon (cutlet bowl) restaurant. I think it might have been the best katsudon I've ever had. :D Perfect end to the day!

Harajuku Station

Omotesando shopping street

On the train going to Odaiba

My next car at the Toyota showroom! :P

At the fountain plaza in the mall

View from above

Chicken katsudon dinner