It's been a while,
everyone.
What
an eventful and worthwhile month it has been! With the transition from May to
June came Hikone’s rainy season, and the new school routine into which I have
settled. Almost on a whim, I accepted a friend’s invitation to join the tennis
circle on campus. Now, I have never played tennis before in my life and it
definitely shows. Despite my ineptness
for all racket sports, the time I spend playing is mirthful and carefree. It gets me active, spending time with a
different crowd, and lets me practice and work-through the many kinks in my
speaking.
Another
pastime which delightfully presented itself was the opportunity to weekly
partake in English conversation with interested students, to help them improve
on their abilities. I really value this experience, especially since I have
spent time as an international student, because textbooks and instructors
typically cannot prepare one for the
colloquial speech they will encounter. Hey, classroom resources are solid tools,
but at the end of the day they lead to a person sounding too rehearsed and
formal for daily communication. Besides, I have realized most slang and
shortened-speech a person can only learn by experience.
Fortunately,
the rainy season has not hampered my adventures.
At the end of May I went to Kyoto with my
buddy Daiki.
The first place we hit-up
was Fushimi Inari Taisha on Inariyama, my first mountain.
This Shinto shrine is dedicated to the god
Inari, known for rice (along with its derivative, sake) and prosperity. Most of
you may be familiar with the red
Senbon Torii, or “1000
gates”, which line the path connecting the outer and inner portions of the
shrine. The trek was peaceful as we slowly meandered along, enjoying the shade
cast by the many torii and trees. Several prayer and grave sites were speckled
here and there, the smell of burning incense sometimes wafting our way. Many
statues of kitsune (foxes) also inhabited important landmarks on the route, as
they are believed to be the messengers of Inari. It maybe took us a good 1-1.5
hours to make our way to the top, with many sightseeing detours and rest stops
along the way. Of course, after reaching the summit we took a picture of the
sign and prayed at the innermost shrine.
Next, we
took the local line to travel into the inner-city where we ate sashimi for
lunch and did a little shopping. After our tanks were refueled we set-off by
bus to Kinkaku-ji, a Zen Buddhist temple. This is a common spot for foreigners
and locals alike to visit, because--as its common name alludes to--Kinkaku-ji
is covered in gold (“kin”). Unsurprisingly, the common visitor is not allowed
inside the temple. Actually, the common visitor
is not even allowed close to the temple. I can only suspect the reasons. Seeing
as the surrounding grounds were not very expansive, it did not take us long to
find ourselves back at the entrance, me with a few souvenirs in hand. While
waiting for the bus which would take us to Kyoto Station, we grabbed a sweet
bite to eat at a café strategically placed within two steps of the bus stop. After
getting off at the station, we dropped by Starbucks to see a friend who was
working and then had something similar to okonomiyaki at a restaurant on one of
the upper floors of the station. A few
hours later I was home and satisfied with how my last weekend in May had been
spent.
The
following weekend I found a public event right up my alley. The Ramen Grand Prix being held near Viva
City pit all of the local restaurants against each other. Meena and I met our good friend Tenshi
Kawashima close to where the competition was being held, and then together we
agreed to chip-in on the 5-meal ticket package, so we could sample a good
portion of the many different ramen stalls.
Looking back it seems crazy we decided to purchase steaming bowls of
ramen on the blazing hot day that it was.
But, eating together in the shade with two good friends is always
refreshing. My first ramen had a light-base
with plenty of veggies. The second bowl was very heavy with pork, and I liked
it best because of the hearty taste. When finished, our crew stuck around to
see who was declared champion. Despite
the different stalls we visited, none of us had tried the 1st place dish. I suppose we didn’t have 5-star taste.
About
one week later I went on a Friday school trip to the Shiga Prefectural Police
Headquarters in Otsu. For most people
this would seem like a very bland destination, but I was really interested in
whether or not they had a forensics lab and how it was managed. While they do have a lab, we were not permitted
to see it or be told too much about it. Some pretty neat facts I did learn was
how there were only 8 murders within Shiga prefecture last year—all of them
solved—and around 74 motorized vehicle accidents. It is easiest to think of a
prefecture as a state, with several cities inside each prefecture. Hikone, the city inside Shiga Prefecture in
which I am living has a population around the size of Columbia. I find these particular
rates of occurrence astounding.
That
same weekend I went to the Hikone’s old Ginza district with Tenshi to check-out
an extensive craft bazaar being held. We
arrived right as everyone was packing up, so after walking around for 30
minutes to peruse the wares still around, we decided to grab dinner. I suggested the nearby takoyaki restaurant I
had been to before close to Hikone Castle.
While our meal was tasty, it was not enough. So, it was mutually agreed upon to visit the
okonomiyaki restaurant we had passed on the way. Tenshi and I share a love of
food, so two meals seemed more than appropriate. To finish the evening, a
little extra excitement was added to our bike ride home when we were greeted by
one of the first summer showers of the rainy-season.
Two
weeks ago was USP’s Spring Kofūsai. In
front of the campus many people from the community held garage sales which provided
quality thrift shopping. Also, within the court space outside of the library
there were many carnival-type activities for little ones. The main action was found on and around the
central quad, which had food stalls and a performance stage. Foremost, I enjoyed several new dishes along with
music and dance shows from the different campus groups. There were even two highly amusing contests,
one being similar to a most eligible bachelor competition, and the other for
most believable male impersonating a female (attire, make-up, speaking—the
whole shebang). I also took my chances
traversing a haunted classroom maze. I
ended the day by participating in a traditional dance and gazing at fireworks.
The
following day, Meena and I were taken to Tenshi’s house where we spent the day
cooking, eating and playing games with her family. I somewhat learned how to make temakizushi,
though to confirm I will need to practice on my own. Playing the game of LIFE
was also a first for me, and I faired pretty well for not taking a job at the
beginning of the game. Before we went home, Tenshi’s mother let us borrow a few
children books for reading practice and had even prepared take home meals for
us. I earnestly hope to one day be as gracious a host as both my family and
Japan have taught me.
Finally,
this past Friday I joined another school sponsored trip--this time, to Shigaraki
inside Shiga Prefecture. We started with
a village which used to be inhabited by real ninjas! The grounds now contain a
museum, buildings with many clever secrets, and several ninja challenge
courses. Of course, the museum we started with had many artifacts to include
mysterious scrolls and writings, various armors, and an assortment of weapons. After,
we were ushered to the ninja-equipped house by means of walking and optional
underground tunnel. Inside the house is when I learned I would not make a very
good ninja (at least back in the day) because of my height. The ceilings were
kept especially low, to prevent sword fighting inside. Numerous traps and tricks would plague any
uninvited guests. Right inside the entrance there was a leg trap meant to bust
one’s shins when they rushed in. In compliment, there was a concealed ledge
above this trap where a ninja could hide and unleash his swift fury down upon
anyone caught in said trap. Next, a trick wall was demonstrated to show how a
180-degree rotation of the wall would immediately deter and confuse any
pursuers. After, a trick door which actually opens from a side panel and not
the two fake central panels was also demonstrated. Inside the kitchen/dining
room there was a hiding spot underneath the ground fire pit which could be
accessed even if a fire was burning. The ground fire pit was actually contained
inside a tray structure would could be slid to the side to grant access to the
hole underneath. Following the house tour, we were able to do many of the ninja
challenges around the village. This included scaling a rock wall, moving
against a fake wall on a narrow plank, and traveling along a log wall with
small notches cut-out for gripping. Oh!
Not to forget the pond course we had to cross by balancing on floaters
and pulling ourselves along a rope.
Lastly, some of us tried our hand at throwing shuriken (ninja throwing
stars), and I am proud to say I got a bulls eye.
After
receiving our official ninja certification scrolls and eating lunch, we
traveled to the nearby ruins of what used to be the Shigaraki Imperial Palace. All that remains are a small shrine, a few
informational displays, and the gigantic rocks which acted as the foundation
for the pillars supporting the many building structures. The emperor at the
time, Emperor Shomu, had moved the capital at least three-times within a five
year period and Shigaraki was one of the locations. It was an ideal place for a
summer getaway because of its higher elevation and seclusion, definitely a good
place to retreat. When we were done rummaging around the ruins, the bus took us
to our last activity of the day, pottery.
Though I have to wait a month to see the final results, I am pleased
with how my first attempt went. Pottery
may seem really random and out-of-place in the day’s activities, but really
Shigaraki is most famous for the ninja village and the many pottery shops.
Phew,
that was a lot! I apologize for the
word-dump, but hope you enjoyed reading none-the-less. Until next time, all.
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