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Published: March 11th 2014
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Okonomiyaki
Hiroshima-Style On Tuesday, I went to Ellen’s visit school at Takehara. While she does most of her teaching at Hiro, a city close to Kure, where she lives, she travels one a week to Takehara high school in a more rural location. I met the principal and teaching staff, and I gave omiyage of Bluebird Chocolate to the teaching staff for inviting me. The honey that I gave the principal was well received, and he either said it was his favorite food or his favorite gift to have been given. A lot of times I'm not really sure, but it's still a nice thing to say.
Japanese high schools are currently in their testing weeks at the end of a school year, so it was pretty quiet in the morning, but after testing, I was asked to speak before an English class. It was a casual language practice event, but it was also an interesting cultural exchange as many of the students were surprised to learn of Japanese traditions alive in the United States, such as taiko, Japanese festivals, and Japanese food.
Ellen’s supervisor, Yuko, oversaw the event and acted as a translator. She often prodded the students to speak
Ellen and I with Okonomiyaki
Lunch with Ellen's supervisor, Yuko. as they would usually not volunteer to talk on their own. When they did talk, they would usually consult a nearby friend about what to say or how to say it. She explained that in Japan, no one wants to be the nail that sticks out. It rally wasn’t surprising behavior for American high school students either, though. The formality of the Japanese high school, though, is notably different than back home, with dress codes and in the way the class greets the teacher together.
Some of the students even stayed later, wishing to talk to me. They asked me if I had a girlfriend, asked me where I got my shoes, and asked me how much they cost. They were about 50 U.S. dollars, roughly 5000 yen, which they found surprising. But I couldn’t tell to which end their surprise fell. They soon rushed off, only to leave a message with the mathematics teacher, who also came to speak with me, that they hoped to talk again sometime.
Pricing is a little hard to get used to, not only because of all the zeros they contain. Some things are noticeably more expensive, like produce, while other things
Saihoji Temple
Saihoji, Takahara are cheaper than back home, not surprisingly Japanese food. Small things seem to be overpriced, because the 100 yen piece tends to be the go-to piece. But larger meals seem to be reasonably priced, although portions are a bit smaller. I was bracing for a high cost of living, but in the more rural outskirts of Hiroshima, it’s actually not bad.
Vending machines are everywhere, and you can get both hot and cold drinks from them. When I was young, I used to really like vending machines, but Dad eventually trained me to avoid them. They’re not a good deal for your money. So at first, I just avoided the vending machines, but I’ve started to try out the different drinks to experience Japanese vending culture. When it’s cold out, it’s pretty nice to get a warm drink at a street corner.
What I can’t get used to is the UFO machines, those games where you try to grab some doll with a suspended claw. They’re pretty popular at game arcades. Maybe if they cost 10 yen, I could begin to understand, but they all cost 100 yen. So if you win on the first try, you might
Hiking The Cemetery Trail
The mountainside was a huge cemetery with steep trails. win something barely worth 100 yen, but that’s almost never the case. It’s no secret here that they’re rigged either. Attendants walk around, open the cases, and reset the locations of usually one to three winnable pieces. They even tell you the strategy in some places, and some of the strategies involve numerous attempts at inching the doll closer. It wouldn’t be an issue except that Ellen likes to play these games. But I guess what you’re paying for is the excitement of winning and the experience. It the value that you give the doll from the experience, I guess, that the doll becomes more than a cheap toy and stands for the experience you shared with someone. That’s important to remember because that pink bunny cost me like 1000 yen.
We played those UFO games on our recent trip to Kyoto and Osaka. Ellen took vacation days and we left on Wednesday afternoon and came back on Sunday night. We stayed Wednesday and Thursday at a Kyoto hostel and Friday and Saturday at an Osaka hostel. It was cold during our visit, snowing on Thursday and Friday. It was a light snow that didn’t stick, but added to
Overgrowth
Saihoji, Takehara the scenery. Ellen, who lived in Kyoto during a summer study abroad, was not happy with the cold, though, and we cut back on some of the sightseeing and did some shopping and arcades instead to appease her.
In Kyoto, we visited the Kinkakuji (golden pavilion), Ginkakuji (silver pavilion), Heiyan shrine, and Gion district. In Osaka it was the castle, the Ferris wheel, and the Sky Garden. I went to the Zoo, too, on Sunday morning while Ellen elected to sleep. (I'll add pictures as soon as I can.)
After having Okonomiyaki in Hiroshima and Kyoto, I have to say that I enjoyed the Hiroshima style better. It’s layered and not all mixed up like a pancake.
On Monday, I went back to Kyoto during the day and visited the Nishi Hongangi and Higashi Hongangi temples, the mother temples of Jodo Shinshu Buddhism. Unlike many of the other shrines and temples, they didn’t sell charms, have fortune tellers, or have a cover charge. It was much more like the Buddhism I’m familiar with. The temples were huge, beautiful wooden buildings, though, and it wasn’t crowded, so I had time to just enjoy them and oshoko. I also
Fallen Lantern
Saihoji, Takehara went to a temple up in the hills called Tofukuji, though the main temple had already closed. (Most temples close around 4:30.) I got lost in the hillside village for awhile, which prevented me from making it on time, but it was a nice experience, too. While I was looking around the other buildings at Tofukuji, a snowstorm started up although the sun kept shining. It was a beautiful sight and the cheerful snow continued as I made my way back to the Kyoto station.
The shinkansen are pretty fun to ride. The terminals are a bit like airports, but with lots of food vendors. The JR Pass has already well paid for itself and allowed me to take trips I would have not normally considered. With my pass I can ride in the unreserved section or reserve for free if done ahead of time. On the way back from Kyoto, I had a Grand Kirin and watched the sun set out the window. I meant to continue studying from Ellen's Japanese textbook that I borrowed, but that moment on the train just felt so good and I just relaxed from a day of walking around. The mistake was
Takehara
View from Saihoji. getting an Asahi at the transfer at Osaka. Two beers put me to sleep.
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