Tomorrow Gordon and I are going back to America to visit family and for our wedding ceremony. Even though we are coming back to Japan to stay for another year, our friends have been wishing us luck, stuffing our faces and giving us gifts. It feels like we're leaving forever when we'll only be gone for a month!
Our first stop was at Mikyo-san's house on Saturday night. She made a wonderful dinner for Gordon and I and gave us a few gifts to bring back to the states. She also introduced us to her new kitten, Mint!
Our feast! Cucumber and crab sushi, boiled corn, fresh tomatoes and miso soup.
Mikyo-san also made miso ramen for Gordon.
Mint! My hand scared her.
Time to rest and clean. :)
Mint was almost thrown into a river by the person that found her. Luckily Mikyo-san saved Mint without a moments hesitation. I don't know who would want to get rid of a kitten, especially one that cute! (Mikyo-san names all her cats after food: Sesame, Melon, Parsley and now, Mint!)
The next night we went over to Yashiro's house where his mother whipped up our favorite foods: tempura pumpkin and inarizushi. This was an unexpected surprise that Yashiro requested from his mother.
Yashiro and his mother showing us how to make tempura.
Yeah! Food!
Close-up on the tempura, inarizushi and edamame. I'm getting hungry just thinking about it!
I love inarizushi. Inarizushi is basically sushi rice (sometimes with chopped, cooked vegetables) inside a fried tofu skin that has been soaked in sugar and soy sauce. My mouth is watering. I WANT IT NOW!
Anyway, we sat down to dinner with Yashiro and his mother and father. We talked about America, food and traveling. It was so comforting sitting down to a meal with a family. I felt right at home.
Next on the agenda was lunch at my friend Ayano's house. We ate yakisoba and Korean pancakes. All the kids were there because of summer vacation. It was quite the adventure. During lunch, Naomi gave me calligraphy to display at our wedding.
Kose, Miki, Chino and Yuna cooking yakisoba.
Cute little chefs!
Yummy food! (the bottle was for Chino... not the adults.)
Naomi's calligraphy. It has Gordon's and my name in Kanji and Kanji characters that mean strong relationship or marriage knot.
I will miss these women while I'm away!
So, we got our fill of Japanese hospitality this week. I always love spending time with people over great food and drinks. I'm glad I have something to look forward to when I get back!
Last week I went through training for American Language School in Funabashi. Funabashi is only a short train ride from Tokyo and has many shops, restaurants and things to do. One of Funabashi's main attractions is LaLaport. LaLaport is essentially a mall, but reminds me more of a maze of shops. There are two buildings, each 3 floors high with a variety of shops, restaurants and a movie theater inside. LaLaport is Chiba Prefecture's biggest shopping mall. How big is it? Its SO big it even has TWO Starbucks :)
One day after training, I spent about 2 hours walking around LaLaport. The Japanese are serious about their shopping and it showed by the sheer numbers at LaLaport and the huge summer sales. I got lost several times (I think that's the point) and didn't really buy much because I couldn't decide what to buy. It was information overload!
You can find just about anything you want at LaLaport: food, clothing, soaps, cosmetics, shoes, electronics, outdoor gear, books, pets and the list goes on. They even have a cute little doggie park area with a doggie bath for your furry friend to cool off!
My favorite area was between the two buildings of LaLaport. There is an outdoor walkway where you can access restaurants and shops. I, of course, went to Starbucks and relaxed at a table outside while sipping an iced Chai soy latte. Pure bliss!
Our first tour as CHIBA+KUN ambassadors was to Choshi. Choshi is a sea-side city only 30 minutes away from Tonosho. Choshi is known for it's Yamasa soy sauce factory, moist rice crackers, its lighthouse and beautiful rocky coasts. I've visited Choshi several times (Choshi has the closest mall to Tonosho), but was excited to experience Choshi again with the other ambassadors!
Choshi: the eastern-most tip of Japan. I can see America from here!
We started our tour at Choshi City Hall. We all gathered out front and a group of men, each wearing a happi (short robe) and hachimaki (headband), was there to greet us. We were then asked to put on happis that had Choshi's mascot on the back!
Then, to our delight, we got a private taiko drum and flute show. The men played several traditional Japanese songs, including one Osakan style song.
So cool!
The most impressive part was when the men started dancing around while holding and playing the drums! Check out the video below.
After the show, we got to try out the instruments for ourselves!
Playing the drums.
The flute was more difficult than the drums. It was funny watching everyone attempting to play it.
All together now! We didn't sound too great :( Maybe we need some more practice. We'll call ourselves "The Ambassadors"! I like it! Is that band name already taken?
We felt so welcomed by the city of Choshi and were ready to see the rest of the city. Our next stop was at a local Japanese restaurant for a sashimi and tempura lunch. I had tempura (shrimp, egg plant, pepper and fish) with rice, miso soup and japanese pickles. What is the best thing to eat after a meal? Dessert. Everyone was talking about the soy sauce ice cream (shouyu ice cream) available at a souvenir shop close by. So we all headed to the shop and very cautiously tried the famous treat. What does soy sauce ice cream taste like? Well, we all had different opinions and we were all right. It tasted like a combination of several things. Here's what everyone said: coffee, caramel, cheese cake, chocolate and butterscotch. But, to be honest, it didn't taste like soy sauce. We actually saw them making another batch of soy sauce ice cream and yes, they do add soy sauce to the ice cream mixture... about 3 cups worth!
Trying soy sauce ice cream. A very confusing, but delicious treat.
Fresh off our sugar high, we walked to the train station to ride the local Choshi electric train or Choshi Dentetsu. This is a very old train which runs along the tip of Choshi. Its a great way to see the city and stops at several sightseeing spots.
Choshi Dentetsu route.
Waiting for the train. Our train tour guide, Yuko, is standing to the right.
About to get on the train. Retro.
Some of the fellow ambassadors enjoying the ride.
Our tour guide, Yuko, described the various sites and scenes along the train route. We got to see the beautiful rural areas of Choshi and some of the old stations that line the route (most were build in the 1920's!) Once we arrived at Inubo Station we got off to head to the famous lighthouse Choshi is known for, Inubo lighthouse (Inubosaki).
The lighthouse is over 100 years old and you can climb up the 99 steps inside to get an amazing view at the top. Definitely something you have to do when you're in Choshi.
Beautiful. See that white post box? Its the only white post box in Japan! All the others are red.
View from the top. I found this reflective material at the top of the lighthouse. Such a great view from the top!
We had plenty of time to take in the beautiful coastal views and enjoy the breeze off the ocean. There are also plenty of places to explore around the lighthouse. You can have a picnic on the green grassy area next to the lighthouse, walk down to the beach or stop in the shops next the lighthouse for something to eat. Look at what I found at one of the shops...
Chiba-kun section! I couldn't decide if I needed Chiba-kun socks, pen, folder or key chain. So much Chiba-kun stuff, so little money!
Our next stop was the Ocean View Observatory. This observatory is located at the top of Atagoyama hill and provides a wonderful 360 degree view.
On the way up to the observatory there was a large variety of beautiful hydrangeas (ajisai).
The ambassadors at the top. The 360 degree view allows you to see the curve of the earth.
View of the Inubo lighthouse from the observatory. On a clear day, you can see Mt. Fuji.
CHIBA+KUN ambassadors unite!
Our day was drawing to a close, and before we left the observatory, we thanked our 3 Choshi volunteer guides. They gave us interesting facts and information about the lighthouse, the observatory and Choshi.
Arigato gozaimashita! I got the chance to speak a little Spanish with the man in the middle. He lived in Mexico over 30 years ago.
Want to find out more about Choshi? They have an English webpage!
I learned and experienced so much about Choshi that I had never known before. I'm excited about the next tour with the CHIBA+KUN ambassadors and can't wait to explore another city in Chiba. Until then... sayonara!
YEAH! Gordon and I were so happy to be traveling to Matsushima in Miyagi prefecture to volunteer for the second time! We fell in love with this beautiful area last time (see our past blog about volunteering in Miyagi) and were excited to go back and do some more work!
Here are some pictures from our trip...
Gordon, I and Hiyashi ready to start!
Headed to the beach.
Picking up lots of sticks and debris. Another beautiful day in Matsushima!
Sticks. And more sticks. Oh, did I mention there were lots of sticks on the beach!
Where'd he come from?!
More surfers! I enjoyed watching them surf while I picked up sticks!
During a water break, I looked for sea shells near the water.
Other volunteers working hard gathering sticks.
Lunch break! We hopped back on the bus to eat lunch and head to our next volunteer site. Today's bento: hamburger, rice, egg, broccoli, pickles and spaghetti.
Debris and water left from the tsunami.
A makeshift landfill; where all the debris gets dumped.
Our next task was to weed around baby sunflowers. This is the sign we put up next to the hill of sunflowers.
Hiyashi, Gordon and Fumiko taking a break.
The sign going up! All those green leafy things will be beautiful sunflowers soon!
After we were done with our work, we went into town for a short visit. Gordon and I saw this temple (Godaido Temple) from the street and had to check it out!
This bridge leading to the temple is supposed to be unlucky. HAHAHA! Gordon and I laugh in the face of danger!
On second thought... this is kind of scary!
The temple.
The view. :)
Gordon and I had yet another wonderful experience volunteering. The work was a little harder this time, but that just makes it feel more rewarding after a long day. I hope Gordon and I can show our friends and family Matsushima one day. Its definitely one of the most beautiful places in Japan.
Gordon and I already saw progress being made since our last visit. Remember last time we saw this house being built?
Well, now that house is almost finished! Its amazing how fast people can turn around, work hard and rebuild!
