Ishinomaki and Manga Land

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Today has got to be one of the most interesting days I have had in a while. I decided to head out of historical japan and jump into some pop-culture and it was one of the smartest ideas I have ever had. It has lead to one of the best meetings I have ever had.

Yesterday it rained all day, so last night I checked the weather forecast and saw that it was going to be a beautiful day and kept with my semi-plans of heading to Ishinomaki for the day. I've read a lot of my LP and Ishinomaki was way out of the traditional box that most of Tohoku is under. Its claims to fame are that Bashou and his assistant Sora stopped here and that a Manga Museum that is dedicated to Shotaro Ishinomori is there. Ishinomori is the creator of Cyborg 009 and the Masked Rider. Now this museum is, really, the main reason why I went. As great as historical japan is and how beautiful is can be, I am a huge fan of japanese pop-culture and manga is a pretty close bet with pop-culture in japan.

So this morning I did some laundry, set it out to dry and then headed out to the station with my LP and dictionary. Then had a small adventure in trying to get money out of the ATM. Now, my card is suppose to work in any ATM at the station so, I went up to one and tried to figure out how to do that. I found the way to deposit money...and then none came out. Then I saw that somebody was waiting outside for the ATM and I just headed all the way back to the 711, where I knew my card works. On my way there I ran into some of my students sitting in the park and eating. Taiki, Rinntaro, and their mom were all enjoying a quick snack by Kakyoin Square. Rinntaro had finished the english test at amity. Which made me remember that I was going to take them, the JT's, snacks for having to work on a weekend. So I ran to 711, grabbed some money and food, ran it upstairs and then headed back to the station. Where I found Taiki, Rinntaro, and their mom buying tickets for the train. It was almost like I was stalking them.

After I stood around to make sure that I was buying the right ticket, I was off on the Senseki Line to Ishinomaki. I, sadly, caught a local train so it took me almost an hour and a half to get there and not the hour the LP made it think it would be. It was also about 100yen cheaper then the LP said. The trip out was beautiful though. We ran right along the coast. I arrived at around 12:45 and set out to museum. All along the road on the way there are statues and murals dedicated to Ishinomori's work. It also made for some great fun with me standing around and trying to figure out what some of them were. It did make for an excellent walk though. I was constantly looking for murals and new statues to take pictures of.

The museum itself is a giant UFO sitting on the inlet in the river. It has to the newest thing in the city and a little expensive at 800yen to get it. I have never seen Cybrog 009 or any of Ishinomori's works but that museum made me really want to see them. The first floor is dedicated to dioramas that he made of everyday life in Japan. They were of weddings, funerals, old pictures, and the summer festival. I got some illegal pictures of 1 of them with my cellphone. That floor alone was worth going to the museum. There were people pulling out magnifying glasses to see them in more detail and I wished I had one too. They were so amazing and interesting. I even got to trace one of his characters on the 3rd floor and color it in. The whole museum was a lot of fun. Yes, it was a little kiddy but I thought it made it all the better.

After the museum I went for a little walk around the inlet. Saw the oldest wooden church in japan and then walked a little away from the museum. I saw a small inari shine and stopped by to check it out. While I was there this couple struck up conversation with me, in Japanese. We stood there and chatted for a while. They asked where I was living, how long I had been in Japan, and mentioned how good my japanese was; which really made me feel good because I know how low it is. The Chiba's are the most amazing people I have met. We were just chatting about the weather and talking about the US, they lived in Pennsylvania, when all of a sudden they wanted my number and to give me theirs so that I could come and have coffee with them sometime. Then it progressed to an invitation to Mr. Chiba's native city where his mother, who likes to cook traditional food to travelers, would let me sleep over for a night and then we would head to a country matsuri where I could participate. This is why this day was the smartest idea I have ever had.

Mrs. Chiba asked if I had been up to the Hiroyama-Jinga; which I hadn't, and then they walked me to the entrance and then up the many steps to get there. The Jinga is situated right at the opening of the river and the Pacific and is just beautiful. There are some great views of the city and some statues of the civil enginer who straightened out the river and then of Bashou and Sora. I have read Bashou's 'Road into the Interior' and told them so; which got me a picture with Bashou and Sora. I learned the Japanese word for praying Mantis, kamekiri, which means axe cutter because of the arms. After the jinga the Chiba's went home, told me they would call with the schedule or the train on saturday and then were gone. I still cannot believe that I barely knew them for an hour and they were totally ready to let me come and crash at their parents house. They are amazing.

I walked around Ishinomaki for a couple more hours, mostly searching for a place to eat. I sat on a bench to wait for this one yakitori place to open when I spied another place down a side street. As I walked I passed an older lady and greeted her. While I was reading the menu she told me, 'Its very delicious', and I just walked right in. Got some yakitori and some great potato salad, I think thats what it was anyway, and then headed to the station to get back to Sendai. A couple stops in this young guy gets on the train, the funny thing is that he said hello to me while I was walking around town. We chatted for a little while and then I put my headphones back in and stared out into the night really. I swear though, that kid stared at me the whole time he was on the train. He was pretty cute but man he was starting to make me uncomfortable. He even changed seats to stare at me while I stared out the window. I was almost about to change cars when he got off and waved at me a couple times. I couldn't help but laugh. I have never had that happen to me before.

i made it back to Sendai and dropped off the DVDs that i didn't watch to tsutaya, rented the CD's of the girl i heard singing at the Apple store last week. i got back and ripped them and started downloading pictures off my camera and then got started on this entry.

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Photos

Cyborg 009
These statues were leading the way to the museum

Ishinomaki Orthodox Church
oldest wooden church in japan

Comments

[Iris]

that's awesome :O i'm jealous!!! it looks like the weather is pretty nice there too :D i'm just running around slowly because of all the state troopers sharking the high ways right now T_T