Traditional Japanese Garden

Today Okaasan and I went to a traditional Japanese garden. It was a local park, so it was free to go to. However, we arrived when it was about to close, but due to me being foreign, we were allowed to quickly circuit it. Ah, the pleasures of sticking out like a sore thumb...

I never knew how many spiders inhabited a tiny garden like this one. I actually didn’t take any pictures, but the webs were huge. Also there we saw something that Okaasan called “wild turkeys.”

Okay, I live in Wisconsin. For me, wild turkeys are these:

However, in Japan (according to Okaasan), wild turkeys are these:

…yeah, I don’t get it either. The word I know for “duck” (あひる), is apparently only used for domesticated animals, and I didn’t have my trusty electronic dictionary to help me.

In spring, there would be a patch of irises here. I find it interesting that they're all labeled with their names. Yes, each specific flower has a name. Isn't that cute?

The little coats (like the traditional straw raincoats) on the pine trees are to protect them from bugs. Aren't they adorable?

These rocks are designed to look like mountains. Japan just seems to love mountains, don't they?

 Ah, Japanese nature gardens are really enjoyable, aren't they?

She's Back!

So, you all may be wondering why I was out of touch this week....well, it's not that much of a long story, so I will tell you (and then update! update! update! all the blog entries that I've been missing).

To start it off, there was Halloween and the contest I entered, rendering me useless to do homework until 11 at night--and I had conveniently forgotten that I had a powerpoint due the next day. Needless to say, there was no sleep the night of Halloween! Then there was the culture festival, which was a wonderful distraction from just about everything--including schoolwork. Following that was a frantic haste to finish up my midterm paper for my anthropology class--I wanted it done by Friday (though it was due Monday) so I could relax over the weekend.

And then it happened--the weekend. First I went to the Royal Palace in the pouring, then had a belated birthday (2 months!). At this point, I was a little fatigued, and had slept weirdly so my throat got kinda dry at night. The next day I (finally!) went to Fushimi Inari which resides on top of a mountain with no elevator. >.< I had a blast! And then it happened.

DUN DUN DUN.

I got sick. Being sick in Japan is srs bsns (serious business). If you’re sick, you need to buy some horrendously overpriced otc meds (much like in America), but you also need to buy a medical mask. I have no idea why (maybe Japan just doesn’t want to see dripping noses or just wants to stop contagion), but if you’re sick in Japan (or part of the punk subculture…), you wear a medical mask.

Example A: Sick person wearing medical mask

Example B: Part of the punk subculture

Currently, I'm still sniffing along, and Okaasan has unfortunately caught it as well. :(

We're both healing, and look forward to hearing more updates from me~!

The thing about timezones is...

...some places, like Japan, don't have them!

So, Japan doesn’t take Daylight Savings into account…I should have realized this before trying to call my family at 6 in the morning their time…Sorry Dad! Sorry Mom! Sorry Em!

Sick!

So today I went to school and made it through one class before deciding that I should have stayed home sick. So, I notified my teachers, got on the bus, and slept for about five hours. I may have also watched some My Little Pony: Friendship is Magic.

During dinner, Okaasan pulled out some home remedies that she had made and grown herself—some sort of pickled kumquat juice. It was fermented—I can tell you that—but the taste was some sort of bitter sour/sweet combination that I have never ever experienced before. I just miss my peppermint tea. I need to search the shops to find it!

Fushimi Inari

Me, Hanae, and Mo

Today I went with Moe and her friend Hanae to see Fushimi Inari, one of the most famous temples in all of Japan. Fushimi Inari is the main temple of the fox god who is also in charge of the harvest. It is famous for its many tori (red beam gates) and I have been waiting for about six years to visit it. It was amazing and full of foxes.

The starting gates of Fushimi Inari

The first thing we saw when we got off the train, was a sign welcoming us to Fushimi Inari. Of course it was both red and had foxes on it.

 

Fushimi Inari is on a mountain, and the very top of the mountain is where the main shrine is (I think). There are many other shrines on the way up, but—hey!—I walked up a mountain to pray to a fox god! Life is good.

The mountain was so quiet, and with the morning mist rising, it felt like I was in another realm. Despite the atrocious amount of steps (and steepness) required for my mountain trek, I really had an enjoyable time. Walking through the forest, which seemed to have an aura of purity and nature, was an awe-inspiring experience. Coming across random groves of shrines was fun as well. The sheer amount of gorgeousness and mystique in one place is almost enough to bowl you over. I was in my element and ever-so-happy.

One of the many waystations along the trek upward

There was this awesome tree, devoted to a certain god, which if you stood close enough, you could see your breath. I have no idea what is behind this phenomena, but it was around 60 degrees or more, but I could see my breath like I was waiting for the bus in high school!

 The company was fun, the scenery was breathtaking, and my dream has been achieved. I also have an adorable fox plushie to cuddle forevermore. And I got to try egg udon.

Yum. An interesting fact to note is that all chopsticks made in Japan will have the hiragana おてもと on them. According to Wikipedia, "otemoto (おてもと) or o-temoto, [is] a phrase commonly printed on the wrappers of disposable chopsticks. O is honorific and temoto was euphemistic jargon invented by the clique of the ladies in attendance at the imperial court meaning that which is within your reach. More fundamentally, te means hand and moto is related to the kyo of kyoka (permission)^."

I also got to experience my first taiyaki, which is a fried biscuit-like crispy thing that is stuffed (traditionally) with red bean paste. It was all that I ever wanted to experience, and more, but I think I'll stick to the slightly saltier dorayaki. The way you tell if something is taiyaki is by how it is shaped. If it's shaped like a fish, it's taiyaki.

Now here's a fish I can gladly eat!

The Royal Palace and a Belated Birthday!

Today I visited the Imperial Palace and had a very belated birthday party! I went with one of my friends, Catherine, to walk through the palace. It’s only open to the public twice a year, so I was very excited to go. Of course, my excitement was not hampered by the fact that it was pouring. The gardens were so tranquil, I felt like I was stepping into a fairytale. 

The architecture was astounding. It’s really hard to believe that this was all created around 794—and it’s still around today (with tons of upkeep and replacing and rebuilding, of course!).

Then, for lunch, I had a hamburger sandwich and a cup of tea. They were delicious.

In a fancy teacup, too!

After returning from Kyoto, it was time for the party. And let me say, the birthday party was a blast!

I invited some of my friends to come and everyone, except Caroline and Marion, were able to make it. We walked back from the local train station, in the dark, to arrive at Okaasan’s house where she treated us to a mighty feast, starting with these delicious bento boxes, following up with ginger-laced yakisoba, and following with a cake that was so fluffy and light, I swear it was made with walnut flour. They were garnished with purple chrysanthemums, which were edible! 

The Group (clockwise from the lower left): Machi, Alexa, Erin, and Margaret

And delicious, they were!

Okaasan also made party favors for holding chopsticks. Mine reads 私のかわいい”サラ”　いつもありがとう！, which translates as "My Adorable 'Sarah' I am eternally grateful!" 

 

I had a blast and Okaasan was very happy to be able to meet my friends.

Culture Fair

So, there's this little holiday in Japan called "Culture Day." It also happens to be a time when the schools go crazy and host school festivals, run by the students, with free markets.

I have no regrets from going to Kansai Gaidai's School Festival. It was awesome and delicious!

 So, the school fair was fairly crowded (pardon the pun!) with all the families of the students streaming in.

Lots of people came, but cannot be seen from this angle

One of the culture club's booths

TEMPURA ICE CREAM IS THE TASTIEST THING IN JAPAN