Tuesday, April 26, 2011

Nice On

Driving back to the clubhouse, I was sitting in our huge four-person golf cart trying to wrap my head around the fact that I had just shot an 81. It had to be a personal record, no doubt. Later in the lunchroom, while eating my surprisingly good hamburger and fries, I realized that I was just that good. We then finished our lunch, and drove out to start the back nine...

More important than my score, however, which was impressive for the wrong reason, was that I got to spend a gorgeous afternoon with three friends out at Yanai Country Club. Masa and Naito gave Kyle and I an excellent introduction to golf in Japan, and while golf is golf pretty much ever where you go, Japan still had plenty of surprises for us. My favorites were the strict adherence to O.B. rules (see below), the air powered blow off guns to "clean" your shoes before entering the clubhouse, the adaptation of every English golf term in katakana style English (strongly Japanese accented English that sounds nothing like English), the weird practice green and the caddie ladies, who in there massive yellow jackets and huge bonnets looked completely out of place on the course. I was also surprised at how nice the clubhouse and course were. They were very well maintained and felt like any other course you would find in south Texas, with mountains and hills in the background added in for extra scenery. The clubhouse's massive dressing room, hot springs bath and huge dining room gave it a very professional feel. It was clear that the Japanese take their golf seriously. 

The massive four person golf carts

Warming up the ole putter

When the time came to tee-off, I was in the zone. Unfortunately the zone couldn't compensate for my lack of skill, and I shanked my first drive hard to the left into the dreaded O.B. - Out of Bounds. Now I know O.B. is an actual rule that is sometimes used on the PGA tour and other nice courses, but this was the first time I had played O.B. rules. I am used to the public courses in San Antonio where I shank my tee off to the middle of a different holes' fairway, hit it to the tee box of yet another hole, then finally get it back on the grass of the original hole I was playing to put it in. Under the O.B. rule, with the tee off stroke and two shot penalty, by the time you re-hit your shot you are already on your fourth stroke. It turned out to be the bane of my golf existence on Sunday (April 17th), and I racked up at least 7 O.B.s, resulting in 14 penalty strokes. Despite the penalties though the golf was a blast.

"If you hit your tee shot O.B., please take your next shot from the tee ahead of you and count it as your fourth stroke"

Kyle getting ready to blast it

Equally as fun as playing golf was playing golf while using only a foreign language. My and Kyle's quick adaptation and overly-obnoxious use of the Japanese sounding English golf terms probably annoyed Masa and Naito, but we couldn't refrain from using "nisu shato" (nice shot), "nisu on" (nice on) and "bunkaa" (bunker) at every possible opportunity. At one particular moment I had the self realization that I was in the middle of rural Japan, playing golf and yelling out "Sugeijan !!!" (a very slang word for "amazing") at the top of my lungs and I couldn't help but amusingly ask myself how on Earth I got to this bizarre moment in my life.

The culprits

Score wise, I did have a couple respites on the back nine, and actually made par on hole 16. Kyle had a number of fantastic shots, and Naito and Masa played consistent the entire day. In the end though it came down to what Kyle and I called 楽しい第一 (tanoshi daiichi), or "having fun is most important", and in that we all certainly succeeded.

The caddie ladies cleaning our clubs back at the clubhouse

Sunday, April 24, 2011

Apartment

I am really bummed that I waited so long to actually start my blog about Japan. Better late than never I suppose, but I really missed out on writing about a lot of the experiences that we had when we arrived here - the excitment and nerves that we had those first couple months of being here. Luckily, last week we ran out of memory on our video camera and decided to go through and clean things out. As we were doing this we stumbled upon the apartment video that we took only one month after arriving here! Right after we took the video, during the first week of September, we tried to upload it but for some reason were unable to. We then put it aside and completely forgot about it. A nice surprise to be able to take a trip back to when Michelle and I first got here! You can definitely tell the video was taken in the heat of summer, with all of the bug noises and the fans going full blast. Please excuse our bad acting as well!


Tuesday, April 19, 2011

Yakushima

This is my second post detailing our spring break road trip. Please see Aso and Onsens for the first. 

After we left Kumamoto we made the six hour drive south to Kagoshima, Kyushu's southernmost city. Kagoshima, with its relaxed atmosphere, bay area location, hot climate and nearby volcano, made for a very pleasant and picturesque city. We stayed one night near Kagoshima's big ferry terminal before we caught our ship the following morning to Yakushima.

Sakurajima and the Kagoshima Ferry Terminal

Yakushima... When we came to Japan last July, Michelle and I had two things that we really wanted to do during the year that we were to be here. Number two was to go to the Sapporo Snow Festival, which we did this last February. Number one was to visit Yakushima. Sometimes referred to as the "Galapagos of Asia", Yakushima has a reputation of almost mythical proportions here in Japan.

For a little background information, the island is small - about 500 square kilometers. It is located south of the island of Kyushu, and is considered to be the northernmost of Japan's many sub-tropical islands (which also include Okinawa). Yakushima is Japan's wettest area, and usually records a yearly rainfall in the hundreds of inches. The island's claim to fame is that it holds one of the world's last undisturbed ancient subtropical forests. Most of the island is dedicated a UNESCO (United Nations Educational, Scientific and Cultural Organization) World Heritage site, and Hiraou Miyazaki's famous movie, "Princess Mononoke", was based on Yakushima's forests.

Princess Mononoke

For Michelle and I, Yakushima was one of our first completely nature oriented trips here in Japan. Over the three nights and four days that we were there, everything we did centered on some aspect of the island's beautiful natural environment. Also, in one of our better decisions, we decided to pay the extra $100 to take our car along with us on the four hour ferry ride from Kagoshima. By doing this, we were granted a huge amount of freedom in exploring the island. The island is very isolated and rural, and public transportation is almost nonexistent. The few buses that there are come around only every three hours or so, stop running by 4 or 5pm, and cover only 50% of the islands perimeter. Our car allowed us to circle the island and to reach many of the trail heads and waterfalls that are unreachable otherwise. Driving on some of the old mountain roads was a heart-pounding adventure in itself. 

Our first day in Yakushima could be summed up in two words: waterfalls and monkeys. We spent about six hours searching for the island's two famous waterfalls and driving around the stomach churning mountain passes along the island's west side. The views were stunning, but even more so was the island's huge monkey population that meandered along the roads. Monkey road blocks were common.

Senpironotaki Falls

The massive Ohkonotaki Falls - thats Michelle in the bottom right corner

That middle monkey came after us soon after taking this picture

Monkey road block!

Days two and three could be summed up by just one word: hiking. Lots of hiking. The most famous thing to do in Yakushima is to visit the ancient Jomon Sugi (cryptomeria tree) that sits at the center of the island. Visiting it is not easy though, as it lies 11 km away from the nearest road, and the only way to reach it is to follow an abandoned railroad track and forest trail. We were up at 3:30am to catch the 4:40am bus to the trail head, where we started at first light. The round trip hike to the tree and back was 22 km (almost 14 miles) long and took 12 hours, and that was with a furious pace that Michelle, Michael (cool Belgian guy we met and hiked with) and I undertook the last 5 km (3 miles) to make sure we didn't miss our bus back. The reward was worth it though, as we were able to explore a forest whose beauty was enchanting. Day three was more of the same, as we undertook the islands second most famous hike from the Shiratani Unsuikyo Ravine to the top of Wilson's Stump (a huge stone at the top of a mountain), which offered an incredible view of the valley. This hike also took us through the part of the forest where the artists from Princess Mononoke's animation team came to get inspiration for their film.

The morning sun rishing through the forest on our first day of hiking

The trees in the photos all look normal size - we tried to get close to one so one can see truly how big these bad boys are. This is the base of a "normal" size tree in the forest.

We came to the section of forest that Princess Mononoke was based on during our day 2 hike

The view from Wilson's Stump

At the end of our third day on Yakushima, after two days of hiking a combined 32 km (20 miles), we got to relax in what was quite possibly the most amazing onsen that there is in all of Japan. The Hirauchi-Kaichu onsen is a natural hot springs located along the rocky shore line of Yakushima that is only accessible during low tide. There are two low tides every day, and since it is mixed bathing - guys and girls all in the bath naked together - the staff at our hostel instructed us to go at night when it it's dark to avoid the awkwardness of the daytime low-tide. Trying to find the onsen was a little scary, as it lies on the abandoned west side of the island and it was already pitch dark when we drove out to find it. We did eventually find it though, and lucked out too; there was only one other guy there, so Michelle and I practically had it to ourselves. With no moon in the sky, and no light pollution, the stars and milky way were absolutely breathtaking. Here we were, in an onsen at 11pm at night, on a remote island in the Pacific, the sound of the ocean crashing on the rocks beside us, gazing up into the illuminated cosmos. Incredible.

Since it was pitch, changing and packing up our stuff when we were done was difficult, so we forgot a number of items on our way out. We went at the start of low tide the next morning to retrieve them, and because no one was there, we were able to grab a quick photo.

The Hirauchi-Kaichu onsen during the morning low-tide - those small pools you see near the middle of the picture are the hot spring baths

After recovering our items at the onsen, we made one more drive through the monkey infested mountain roads before heading back to the ferry port to catch our ship back to Kagoshima. Yakushima was truly a magical experience.

Tuesday, April 12, 2011

Farewell, Fuyu

To commemorate the first day that I have not worn a jacket to school in six months, I felt that it was only appropriate to write a suitable farewell to my once loved, but now scorned, Fuyu. I was warned of the precariousness of Fuyu before arriving here, but nothing could really prepare me for how mean Fuyu could be. To make matters worse, being from south Texas, where we wear shorts and a T-shirt on Christmas Day, I had no prior experience dealing with a true Fuyu.

It all started in late October - I remember it as if it were yesterday. Honestly, our relationship was a thing of beauty in the beginning. Fuyu finally came blowing through our small little island village; a deliverance from the oppressive sub-tropical heat and humidity. Like a brash teenager, I fell in love at first site. The first weeks together were great, filled with laughter and happiness. It wasn't long, however, before Fuyu's temperament began to change. Fuyu started acting differently. At first I brushed her behaviour aside. Fuyu will be Fuyu after all, I figured. But these small mood swings became more and more pronounced. My co-workers all told me to not be so harsh on Fuyu, that this was a special year for Fuyu, and that normally Fuyu wasn't this bad, but they were uttering only empty words. By the end of November, our relationship was over, and by mid-December, alas, war had been declared.

A look of dismay from Michelle after realizing our olive oil had frozen solid overnight, the work of Fuyu

Our apartment is an engineering marvel. When Fuyu was raging, the apartment found a way to be colder inside than it actually was outside. By mid-December, things were dire. The temperature was regularly below freezing, and the apartment was like a damp cave. We adapted as best as we could. Heat-tech thermal underwear, ten minute scalding hot showers, electric heaters, three layers of jackets, eight layers of blankets on the bed - all helpful but not enough. We had no answer for Fuyu and the cold was becoming unbearable. As we were poised on the precipice of succumbing to Fuyu's onslaught, we were introduced to Sekiyu Hi-Ta-. I am here, writing this today, because of what Sekiyu Hi-Ta- did for us. During the darkest days, the bone chilling nights in January, when it looked like Michelle and I were smoking in our bedroom because our breath was evaporating in the frigid 25 degree apartment air, Sekiyu Hi-Ta- stepped in. Even though Sekiyu Hi-Ta- extracted a high price, over 100 liters of kerosene and the constant threat of either blowing the apartment up or poisoning the air, it was unquestionably worth it. Thank you, Sekiyu Hi-Ta, for your wholesome warmness.

Meeting Sekiyu Hi-Ta- for the first time

Sekiyu Hi-Ta became a part of the family quickly

In mid-March, Fuyu's will to fight started to wane. She had finally had enough. As Fuyu finishes her slow retreat from our island, I stand here beat down, tattered and emotionally scared - but intact and without jacket. Even though it didn't work out with Fuyu and I, I will always remember back to our relationship, one that started so promising but ended in heartache... For all the bad, I will try to focus on the positive, like the amazing view of the mountains from our apartment after a fresh snow. Farewell, Fuyu.


*In case you didn't pick up on it, Fuyu (冬) is the Japanese word for "winter".
 Sekiyu Hi-Ta- (石油ヒーター) is Japanese for "kerosene heater".

Sunday, April 10, 2011

Hanami

I have several posts that I want to make to cover the rest of our road trip and a couple other experiences that we have had here recently, but I had to interrupt the flow of things to write about the hanami party that we had this past Saturday, Aprith 9th. The sakura, or cherry blossoms, are extremely popular in Japan, but only stay in bloom for about two weeks in the first half of April. During this time, Japanese flock to the sakura to hold drinking and eating parties underneath the falling petals. These sakura viewing parties are known as "hanami", and my fellow ALTs and I, in true Japanese fashion, decided to hold our own hanami in Iwakuni, a small town located about an hour north of where we live. Iwakuni is home to arguably the most famous site in Yamaguchi Prefecture, Kintai-Kyo, a five arched bridge that crosses the Nishiki River. The banks along the Nishiki are covered in sakura trees, and for two weeks every April it transforms into one of the most beautiful and popular hanami locations in western Japan. We laid out a couple tarps, brought our nabe (Japanese soup) pots, and spent a good six hours this past Saturday drinking, eating and enjoying each others company and the great spring weather underneath the sakura.

Kintai-Kyo with Sakura in the distance

Hanami under the Sakura



Hanami parties lining the street

Our ALT Hanami

Making Nabe under the Sakura





Hitting up Yozakura - nighttime Sakura viewing

Tuesday, April 5, 2011

Aso and Onsens

The first destination on our road trip was Mt. Aso, the largest active volcano in Japan, located in Kumamoto Prefecture. Mt. Aso is actually a series of five mountains, and the caldera they from is massive - the circumference is almost 80 miles long. One can hike around the entire caldera and most of the peaks, but the main highlight is the smoldering crater of Mt. Naka, which emits smoke almost 24/7 and whose lava can be seen from along its rim, which is accessible on most days depending on how the volcano is behaving.

When we arrived at the town of Aso, located at the base of the mountain, we unbelievably ran into our friend Allison, a fellow Texas native who came over with us to Japan from the Houston Consulate group back in July of last year. We hadn't seen her since arriving in Japan and had no prior communication about Aso beforehand, so we were both shocked when we literally bumped into her after coming around a corner in the hostel. It was a great surprise too, as we all got to travel together for the three days that we stayed in Kumamoto Prefecture.

At the hostel we stayed up until 2am hanging with other travelers, which made the following morning's 7am alarm painful. We tried to sort ourselves out with a coffee run, and then took off up the mountain in our tiny car. The drive was beautiful, and the nature and vegetation within the caldera stunning. We finally made it to the parking area and took the trolley up to the top of the mountain. There was a pretty high air quality alert, so only one viewing platform was open. As soon as we walked out of the trolley the thick sulphur in the air immediately caused breathing problems, and the sounds of everyone coughing was almost humorous. We got a quick glimpse of the crater and hightailed it out. On the way out we stopped at some of the other smoldering lakes that dot the caldera, and then returned to the hostel for lunch.

Crater at Mt. Naka

In the Caldera with Mt. Naka in the background

In the afternoon, we decided to drive up to the town of Kurokawa, a famous onsen (hot bath) village located about an hour north of Mt. Aso. The drive to Kurokawa was also beautiful (and terrifying - one lane mountain roads for most of the way there), and upon arriving we purchased the rotemburo meguri (bath tour pass), which allowed us to visit three of the twenty-four outdoor baths in the town. What makes the onsens so famous in Kurokawa is that they are all set in very natural surroundings outside. Some are even built into nearby rivers and waterfalls. The onsens were incredible - after spending four hours going between three of them it was a miracle that we all stayed awake enough to drive back to Aso that evening. 

One of the three onsens we visited in Kurokawa

Kurokawa at nightfall

We crashed at the hostel in Aso one more night, and then set out for the city of Kumamoto the following morning. Kumamoto is one of the larger cities on the island of Kyushu, and is actually the sister city of San Antonio. We were lucky because we hit Kumamoto right during the peak of the two week cherry blossom season. The cherry blossoms in full bloom around the castle and park that we visited were fantastic. After we bid farewell to our friend Allison, Michelle and I set off to try Kumamoto Ramen and 馬刺し (basashi). Basahi is actually raw horse meat, eaten in a very similar fashion to sashimi. Honestly I'm embarrassed to even admit that I ate basashi (and Michelle refused to even taste), but since it's a very special local delicacy, I thought I would partake just a little. The thought of it was disgusting, but it tasted very similar to beef.

Cherry Blossoms lining the road to the castle

Kumamoto Castle

Michelle's awesome pic of a cherry blossom at a park in Kumamoto

After a nice Mister Donut desert, we crashed back at the guesthouse. The next portion of the trip was what we were most excited about - Yakushima!!

Sunday, April 3, 2011

Road Trip

I haven't posted in a while, but for good reason. For the past 11 days Michelle and I have been on a crazy road trip adventure across Kyushu, the southern most of the four main islands of Japan. Overall the trip was a great success - we had an absolute fantastic time together. One of the things that made the trip so much fun was that we had no set plan. We picked up a road map at a convienance store on the way out, and for a majority of the trip we only had the next day planned. Most of the hostel reservations we made the day of, and in one instance actually showed up in a town at 5:00pm and spent an hour trying to find somewhere to stay that night. We took advantage of the flexibility, and constantly changed our plans on the fly. If we liked one location a lot, we stayed an extra day. If a place wasn't that good, we immediately packed up shop and headed out.

Kyushu Island

Some of the highlights of the trip were Mt. Aso, an active volcano near the center of Kyushu, Kurokawa, a beautiful onsen town and Yakushima (known as "Asia's Galapagos"), home to the most beautiful nature we have ever seen. We ate a ton of different foods and local delicacies, including three different kinds of ramen (Hakata style, Kumamoto style and Kagoshima style), raw horse meat (a delicacy in Kumamoto - I only ate a little and I felt horrible at eating that...), and Kagoshima bar-b-que. In Miyazaki Prefecture, we even dined on Mexican food and attended a Japan pro league basketball game!

For a majority of the trip we drove everywhere using small, one lane back roads. This was mainly to avoid the expensive tolls that the highways charge, but also to see and experience many of the small and sleepy rural villages that dot Kyushu's landscape. Prior to leaving my co-workers were a little concerned that we were taking our tiny "K-Car" (economy sized vehicle) the entire way, but our car served admirably. In total we drove a whopping 2,100 kilometers (roughly 1,300 miles), which from San Antonio would have gotten us all the way to Chicago!

Crisscrossing Kyushu!

While it feels nice to be back home in Oshima, we really had a great time in Kyushu, and had a ton of crazy, fun and weird Japan experiences along the way. I will definitely highlight some of the more interesting ones in future posts!