Japan X: Miyajima

Last weekend Hannah and I took a trip to Hiroshima and Miyajima. Most of our time was spent in Miyajima due to rain late in the afternoon on Saturday. After we both got done with work from 9am-12pm and Japanese class 1:15pm-2:45pm, we rode our bikes to Okayama station and bought tickets for the local train bond for Hiroshima at 3:47pm. We both brought our own lunches and dinners in order to save money during the trip.

This was a special tile that was all over Hiroshima's sidewalks. Hiroshima and Miyajima seem to be famous for their maple leaves. One of the local culinary specialties of Hiroshima is momiji-manju or a small cake shaped like a maple leaf. See below for a picture of a momiji-maju cake. Remember, click the pictures to enlarge them!

[Hiroshima at night.]

After arriving in Hiroshima 2 hours and 40 minutes after we left Okayama, we found our hostel and settled in for the night. We both did a tad of exploring before going to bed. The next day, we both made it to Hiroshima station by 8:15am and caught a train that took us to the Miyajima area. Prior to arriving in Hiroshima, Hannah and I made reservations to attend a kayaking tour of Miyajima. After finding the kayak station, we slid into our kayaks and started paddling towards Miyajima. Note, Miyajima is an island. "Jima" in Japanese means "island" in English.

[Paddling around Miyajima]

[Approaching the giant gate]

[Hannah and out tour guide]

 [Getting ready to paddle through the gate]

 After we beached our kayaks, the tour guide took us into town and bought us two momiji-manju cakes and one small cup of tea.Our guide only spoke limited English so I attempted to do as much translating as I could, focusing to pull together the segments of Japanese I know. Speaking and comprehending another language is still one of the most rewarding things I have experienced in Japan, even if my Japanese isn't perfect. For the most part, I can understand a large proportion of what is said to me but it is much more difficult to discipline my tongue to perform properly.

[Momiji-manju. The outside tasted like a pancake and inside was a sweet bean paste.]

 [Hannah enjoying her treat!]

After we stomached our little snack, Hannah and I followed our guide back to the kayaks to return to Hiroshima. Like before, we steered the kayaks through the giant red torri or gate and enjoyed our time on the sea.On the way back, we saw all ilks of jellyfish and skates!

[Thank you Paddle Park!]

Next, Hannah and I headed back to the train station in order to catch a ferry heading to Miyajima. After buying a ticket and riding the ferry, we both spent time relaxing on the island. By the time we had returned to Miyajima, the tide had receded enough for tourists to walk out to the giant torri. The torri itself was constructed in the 12th century and has been rebuilt 7 times since then. As a side note, these giant red torri are indicators of a Shinto shrine as opposed to a Buddhist shrine. The current gate dates back to 1875 and is made of camphor wood. At low tide, many different kinds of oysters and shellfish can be seen attached to the base of the torii. Many people touch the torii for good luck or leave yen pieces in between the shellfish on the torii. I estimated that the high tide around the torii is no more than 5 feet and 5 inches. This ocean side shrine is called Itsukushima Shrine.

[A photo Hannah took of me and the torii at low tide.]

Deer were also present at Miyajima. However, unlike the deer in Nara, these deer were a bit bigger and had darker pelts. However, LIKE the deer in Nara, these deer loved to follow people with food or even paper. Hannah and I even saw one deer that snatched someones map and ate it! We were also fortunate enough to be at Miyajima when many leaves were changing colors. I was able to get a few good photos.

We were going to also visit the Peace Museum and Hiroshima Dome but the late afternoon surprised us with rain.I'll be making a trip back to Hiroshima city though since I teach in Hiroshima prefecture on Thursdays. Overall, I'd have to say that our time in Miyajima was very peaceful! Hannah and I are still very busy with our classes. We both relished having free time to sight see and reflect on how our lives seem so surreal now. Being surrounded by towering pagodas and toriis seemed to have transcendental quality.

More to come later! To all readers and everyone at home, take care! Especially considering this Hurricane Sandy business!

-J

Japan IX

Here's a video that explains some not-so-common knowledge about Japan. Enjoy the fun graphics of this video!

CAUTION: Since I know I have a very diverse group of people reading this blog, here's a considerate warning. This video contains some mildly suggestive content including some slight sexual content. DO NOT watch this video if you think the mentioned suggestive content will offend you.

Here is a video about Japanese rock culture:

https://vimeo.com/1520249


Here's another video about the Japanese diet in comparison to the American diet:

A longer video about Kansai International Airport, the airport I used:

Japan VIII: Nara

...And then I realized I was REALLY overdue for a post.

Sorry for the delay. I've actually sat down multiple times to enter a new post but I've been too busy to finish something worth reading.

Since my last post I've been to Nara, Osaka and a popular shopping district here called Kurashiki. Here are some photos. Remember to click for larger versions:

[Kofukuji Temple]

 [Deer in Nara park]

 [The 2nd tallest pagoda in Japan!]

 [Todaiji Temple, the largest wooden structure in the world!]

 [The Daibutsu Buddah inside Todaiji Temple]

 [Sarusawa Pond]

 [One of my high school senior students]

 [One of my freshman classes at the OUS festival]

Galen also visited last week. We had a great time in Nara and since he had to spend so much money on a plane ticket, he stayed for about a week. Aside from Galen's visit, I've been very busy teaching at all my various schools. The weather has also FINALLY started to cool down. Lately we've had a high temperature of 75F. The trees are also just starting to show slight autumnal shades. It's odd to think that as of this coming Monday, I will be at the halfway point of this internship. Here's a look at my regular work schedule:

MONDAY --> Junsei Nursery 10:45am-11:15am

TUESDAY --> Kurashiki University 11am-4:30pm

WEDNESDAY --> Okayama University of Science 10:55am-11:30am and Kibi International University 3:50pm-8pm

THURSDAY --> Eisugakkan Junior High School 10am-2:30pm

FRIDAY --> OUS High School 9am-12pm

Occasionally I help with English classes on Saturdays at Eisugakkan. My favorite classes are the university classes by far. Surprisingly, I'm also having a bunch of fun with the Junsei 5 year-olds! 

Here are a few interesting or odd things that have happened to me:

• I bought milk that was lemon flavored on accident at the store...
• I spent nearly three hours desperately trying to find an internet connection in Osaka with Galen. Japan really is the place of no wifi, even if the restaurant says it provides free wifi.
• I witnessed some high school boys get in a fight at my school. The fight was actually a little unnerving since I couldn't really understand what the two were yelling at each other. The two boys sounded like monsters!
• Almost everything imaginable went wrong in one of my middle school classes a few weeks ago. The students wouldn't listen to anyone, they made the Japanese teacher irritated and one girl had an asthma attack at the end of class while the other students proceeded to make fun of her. Young Japanese students can be very cruel to each other I've learned.
• I've experienced the remnants of two typhoons but not one full, healthy typhoon.
• I've mastered riding my bike while holding an umbrella in one hand! This is extremely common in Japan.
• While Galen was here, we ate at a Japanese McDonalds. To me, the food tasted the same but Galen swore he could taste soy in his hamburger.
• I've rode the shinkansen (bullet train) a few times in order to travel long distances faster. The inside of the shinkansen is really similar to the inside of a really nice airplane. 
• I've also stayed in a ryokan or a traditional Japanese hotel!

Next week Hannah and I have a trip planned to visit Hiroshima and Miyajima Island. We are also registered to attend a kayaking tour around the island!

***

[Some methodical thoughts that are not based on proper surveys or samples]

On an anthropological note, the is a stark difference here between young adults and older citizens here. I mean, of course there is a difference between age groups anywhere but in Japan, the difference in behavior is quite vast. Most young adults are what people refer to as Westernized. Instead of following more Buddhist or Confucian values (I suppose), many people are more interested in adopting Western patterns of behavior. For example, many Japanese people aren't getting married until their mid or late twenties. Some Japanese are also abandoning the idea of marrying in order to please parents. One of my university students told me that many Japanese couples will get married out of high school or early in college but then perhaps divorce three years later. The majority, according to studies I've read, are marrying later in age but this trend of impulsively marrying and then divorcing is becoming more common. Though it's not a recent change, eating meat aside from fish is also due to Westernization. Something that still perplexes me about young Japanese students is that the students can be very shy but also very mean at the same time. After observing my high school and middle school classes, I'm amazed at how cruel some students can be to other students. 

Also, it seems that most Japanese people aren't exactly monogamous. Extra martial affairs are very common and accepted, according to one of my students. Most Western people would find this shocking, at least, I did. It seems to me that Japanese have a more scientific understanding of the world around them unless of course the Japanese person in question is a serious practitioner Buddhism or Shinto especially. Though it is not often talked about, people don't care here if a same sex couple wants to be together. I'm not sure if a couple is allowed to be legally married though. Japanese people are also not ashamed of the human body. Things like nudity or even discussing more personal body parts are not treated with the same kind of sensitivity you see in the USA. To me, it seems that Japanese see the human body and its desires as something that is just there and they accept it as opposed to fighting it or hiding it. 

***

Something I've enjoyed while living in Japan is actually being able to use my Japanese language skills. While there are many kanji I can't read and many things I do not know how to say, I still really love being able to communicate at a very basic level. I can often understand what people say to me but finding the right words and arranging them into the proper sentence structure is difficult! Being able to understand what a waitress or sales clerk says to me makes me feel like the culture I'm immersed in currently isn't so different than my own. I'm also finding that I am too busy to read all the books I wanted to read while I am here! I'm only 72% finished with the towering 1Q84 and which means I don't have permission to start my book about Zen, Thoreau's Walden and 20 something Nietzsche books. GAH! Hopefully this will change. OH! Quickly before I go, here's a video of me riding the train in Japan. Almost everyday I ride the train to work so here's a snippet for you:

To any reader and everyone at home, take care and enjoy the rest of this blog!

-J