May 31 The Last Day

It’s time to make the most of the last day of the trip and that means shopping, food, more shopping, and more food.  After breakfast we split up into groups and hit the streets of Osaka.  My group headed to the Nipponbashi shopping district, home to some of the most nerdy shops around.  We were on mission. First we headed to the figurine shops (and spent waaaaay too much money).   

I stopped by a used bookstore and bought some manga to take home (neeerrrrrrrd!!!!!).  After a quick lunch at a café it was time to head to a massive department store called Tokyu Hands.   Tokyu Hands = 8 floors of awesome.  The first seven floors contain mostly household or daily use items (so many chopsticks to choose from! @_@).   Seriously though, I spent about 2 hours just browsing.  Then I bought myself a much needed computer bag and moved on to the final floor. The 8^th floor contains the big finale: an arts and crafts store!  Just what I needed.  After staring rather longingly at the giant set of copic markers, I finally found jewelry making tools.  Now you may be wondering why I had been looking for those and the answer to your unspoken inquiry is that at the start of the trip, after we exchanged our US dollars for Yen, I decided that five Yen pieces would make excellent necklace charms.  And so I set out to find latches, links and ties.  Mission accomplished!  I can’t wait to work on them when I get home!

Shopping was a success and it was time to meet up with the rest of the crew to have our final group dinner.  Tonight we were going native and traveling to a different restaurant for each course.  First course = sushi.  The sushi restaurant we chose to invade seemed to place high priority on freshness (made apparent by the large tank of live fish in the front of the establishment.  And it is hard to pace yourself when the food is that good. >_< The second stop was for takoyaki and we did this one street food style. Ah yea, great food at scalding temperatures with a singing octopus overhead. Wait! What? A singing octopus?! 0_0 Yes, there was a giant singing octopus singing about takoyaki to the tune of the Hallelujah Chorus overtop the stand we stopped at.  Bizzare.

Our third stop took a little searching to locate.  The small local restaurant had been highly recommended to us by a bar tender from what was claimed to be that smallest bar in the world.  Struggling with the lack of pictures or English menus was undoubtedly worth the incredible food.  Yakitori, tempora, duck, tofu salad and ginger ale . . . . .  “KAMPAI!!!!”. We were all so full but we had one more stop to make.  It was time for dessert.  We went to a sweets shop called Zing that we had visited earlier in the trip and, after we were all reminded that Hannah had turned 20 on the first day, decided that birthday cake and soft serve ice-cream would be a perfect end to our food expedition.  Jesse then proceeded to fulfill another Osakan tradition: eat until you’re sick.

May 28 - More Adventures in the rain.

Well, we found out that the rainy season in Japan has officially begun, and were caught in the middle of it. It's nothing that will stop us from trekking around Okayama, however. 

 

Our first stop was at Okayama Castle. While not as large as the last one, it wasn't in a box, which was nice to see. Upon entering we explored a little, looked out over the scenerty and played with some of the feudal time toys, and then discovered something wonderful. There was a dress-up area where a lady would outfit you with period clothing to look like the lords and ladys of the time. We had to try it. And the results were amazing. 

We grabbed some Japanese Italian cuisine which was more Japanese than Italian and then moved on to the museum which had wonderful screen paintings which weren't allowed to be photographed. There was even a screen painting which had the charted "known world" on it. The Philippines were noted on the map, but no Australia.  

Next we went to the Okayama gardens. These gardens are in the top 5 of Japan, and let me tell you, they were spectacular. We saw giant lilly pads, large groves of cherry trees (not in bloom *sad face*) and rows of tea plants. We awed by the scenery.  

After our feet grew weary we decided to take a break and feed the coy fish, which was an adventure in itself. Click HERE to watch the video.

Seeing how it was Avigail's last day with us, we decided to buy her a gift. As we were wandering around the city we found this awesome pottery shop with handmade dishes. We found this wonderful tray and decided that this was the gift for her.

Click  HERE for a bonous clip of some singers we found in the subway.

Tonight we have planned to watch Spirited Away while dining on a course of Japanese food prepared by the students!

Only a few more days left!!!

May 25- Rest and Relaxation at the Onsen

Moving on, today is the day we get to go to the onsen, (which is basically like a vacation hotel with hot springs), awesome!

We had our final breakfast at the hotel we stayed at which consisted for me of Chinese noodles(?) rice, orange juice, fish and a lot of other delicious stuff. We got to watch a weird Japanese TV show about eating food, flying in tiny helicopters and saving the rain forest while doing so. 

 After break fast we had some free time so some of us (Hannah, Buehler and I) went down by the bay (where the water melons grow) since we were already by an ocean and it would be really cool. On the way we saw a gigantic fish that was a part of a café (like five stories tall). When we got there, it was nice and refreshing. Looking at the ocean while still being able to see the mountains behind us, it was quite a spectacle. We sat down and chatted leisurely for a while as Chris transformed into lobster man. We were actually at a place called Earthquake Memorial Park with spacious surroundings, weird structures and a pirate ship.

 

Leaving for the onsen at noon we took a long ride up the mountain where we had nice scenic views of the rice fields. It was pretty long so most of us dozed off.

 Our rooms were traditional Japanese style again, and we had the nicest view. While on the balcony, someone was playing a flute as we gazed at the mountains ( it was Hannah’s Japanese lover calling to her).

The onsen was huge, commercial looking and relaxing. The entry way was really western looking but it had a nice garden we could walk out into. I’m proud to say that I wore my yukata all day and like most everyone, went quickly into the baths. It was the ladies’ day for the big baths so we soaked to our hearts content. The open air bath had such a nice view of the mountains. With the cold air mixing with the warm water, it was really refreshing.

 

Later at night we had another group dinner like that at Koyasan but more delicious. Eating back in America will never feel so whole again. After eating, we finally got our group picture with everyone in full Yukata gear. The hostess took our picture and told us we looked like a choir and asked us to sing. We sang Rocky Top and danced around, and I quote from her,” ah, to be young.” After dinner, most of us took another refreshing dip.

 

Everyone just got really silly at night as we visited everyone else’s rooms. In the boy’s room we learned how to burp, talk while breathing in, play big booty,  remember hand clapping games and act like Japanese ghosts with hair in our faces (mostly just Rochelle with a little Amanda on the side). Bernice almost stabbed Rochelle in the face with an umbrella, and Amanda made cat noises inside a closet.

 

Walking back to sleep, the beds were folded out so nicely in the dark, with a lone lantern guiding the way, I love onsens.

May_22 The first day of rain.

(click to elnarge images)

Waking up this morning, the sun wasn't shining, for we had the looming clouds over head. Noticing this sudden change in weather we all ran and grabbed our rain gear before heading to the Silver Pavilion. 

Upon arriving at the Silver Pavilion, we were greeted with deep, deep sand raking that looked almost dug out of the earth, instead of the typical ones which seemed to be made using a garden rake. A few moments after we arrived on the Pavilion grounds, first came the thundering of the school children, followed shortly by the thundering of rain. The whole pavilion area was soon covered in both, with the two noises sharply…"contradicting" each other. 

 After a now hasty walk around, we left the Pavilion, and started off to look for a tea house. This adventure was cut short by the squishing of socks in shoes and it was decided the course of action would be to head to the International Manga Museum a few hours earlier than we had planned. 

Lunch was bought from Fresco's grocery, which was eaten before we walked down to the International Manga Museum. By now the rain had thankfully stopped, and it allowed us to see a rare site. Behind the walls of the Museum, in it's courtyard we saw Japanese Cosplayers.  For those of you not familiar, a Cosplayer is simply one who dresses up as a character from their favorite animated TV show, film, or video game. None of us had expected to see them there in the courtyard and we were all awed at the level of detail and craft that was put into these costumes. 

 

Later, we had a few hours of free time, then we met up for a group dinner. I think one of David's favorite stores is Takashimaya, for that is where we've had quite a few rendezvous points. After we had all met up we found a nice little japanese restaurant where everyone had their fill of raw fish, Okonomiyaki, octopus and (some) sake. Seeing how David has more than one sweet tooth for desert, we promptly finished dinner and set out for what I know is David's favorite store in Japan. 

Now, when I say this store has the most epic Ice Cream I have ever seen, I am not joking. On display were over 50 kinds of ice cream, ranging from leaning towers of soft-serve, to giant, $100 bucket delights of sugary goodness.  Just one parfait was, well…amazing. When we were served we had our breaths quite literally taken away with the sheer awesomeness of the dessert placed in front of us.

After that day and that dinner, we waddled back to the hotel, quite content. 

~Buehler, Andrea, Alicia 

 

May 19_Sleeping in Capsules

Much to our misbelief, it was time to change hotels again! And that means it’s another morning of dragging luggage in and out of trains and subways.  This time we went from Osaka to one of Japan’s most traditionally rooted cities: Kyoto, and it's quite warm.  After a longer-than-expected walk from the train and dropping off our bags at the 9hour capsule hotel, our first destination of the day was the craft museum.

The theme of the day was craft.  Kyoto is well known for its craftsmen and this museum is dedicated to them and their work.  Videos and displays highlighted the beauty of  the finished product as well as the awe inspiring process that led to it.  Some craftsmen were actually working in the museum! One of the craftsmen was working with gold leafing, and we all thought his gold exacto blade would make a fine prize/ trophy for any design student (maybe when they graduate or something of the sort). 

Our second stop was Kiyomizu temple.  The temple and surrounding neighborhoods were unexpectedly busy and filled with oodles of Japanese tourists and school children from varying schools. It was supposed to be quiet and contemplative, but it was still very exciting. The temple was a beautiful sight to behold and it was good to see one so lively and filled with people. We also were able to drink from the lucky fountain. Our assignmet here was to pick a detail on a shrine and photograph the same detail on varying shrines to see the change.

  Several of us got to help some children practice their English and make a few friends along the way.  Speaking of which, Jesse’s been a bit under the weather recently and this morning he decided to go native with a face mask. The people here seem to wear them quite often if they're sick because everyone is in such close contact with each other.  Said mask seemed to make our sick friend immensely popular because he got a declaration of love (repeated quite a few times mind you) from some of the little ladies, and the rest of us got a good laugh.

After visiting the temple we spent a few hours touring the nearby shops and further enjoying Kyoto’s craft.  Some of us probably spent a little more than we should have. Many of us got souvenirs and appreciated how the stores were laid out in a very zen manner.

Our final event of the day was a walking tour of Gion, a small neighborhood in Kyoto well known for its beauty and its geisha.  We hit the neighborhood right at golden hour (also known as sunset). I can’t begin to recall how many times my breath was stolen by the gate ways to small gardens that can’t be seen until they’re right next you.  The picturesque scenery was completed as we saw an elegant geisha walk down the street and into a tea house.  The moment was almost reverent as we all stood taking in the experience; no word spoken, no photographs taken. Kyoto is a place where the wealthy and the geishas can come and relax. Our group supposedly saw about 5 geishas out of the maybe 60 in Japan. A geisha is a very high class entertainer, and very widely respected for their singing, dancing, good conversation, arts and music. It was very lucky that we saw them.

Getting back to the hotel was quite an experience since it was a capsule hotel. Each bundle of floors is dedicated to either men's or women's where we would sleep in capsules in a wall. It was simply stunning. The capsules were actually quite spacious, private and comfy. I'm pretty sure most everyone had a good night's sleep (because in the morning, everyone slept through their 6 am alarms and woke everyone around them up *cough*cough*).