Mondays - Shikama night classes, Aikido
Tuesdays - Ieshima, Sleep
Wednesdays - Ieshima, Dinner with Dan, possibly Kudo
Thursdays - Shikama, Dinner with Ken
Fridays - Shikama, Party it up in Himeji
Dinner plans subject to change depending on whether Dan or Ken actually come to Shikama (which is their visit school), and the amount of work they have that week. I also have Koto/Shamisen lessons - dependant on availibility - cooking classes, cooking in general, restaurant searching, visiting the Aioi JETs, visiting Wendy 'n Dan, visiting Ken's onsen place, and biking on the menu. As well as club activities (swimming and basketball for the time being).
Unrealistic? Very much so. But I digress. The focus is what I do on the weekends, which, I believe, is the more interesting question. Almost all Japanese public holidays (all 20+ of them) are moved around such that we get three day weekends EVERY MONTH except August, which is now thankfully behind us. Plenty of time to travel, no?
With sunsets like this though... who needs to leave?
So in true Nickistoolazytoupdatefrequently fashion, I present to you: where I went the last three weekends.
Weekend #1 - Miriam's place
This car is BAMF
If you ever have cravings to see rural Hyogo, Ikuno is the place to go. 90 minutes north of Himeji by train, Ikuno is a small lazy town with a population of... whatever is tiny enough that you can see the edges of town (yes ALL of them) from the train station. While it's not the tiniest village in Hyogo, it is plenty rural considering it's surrounded on three sides by gorgeous emerald hills, bounded by vast blankets of rice fields to the south, and pierced by the pristine river which flows through town.
Oh and there's a silver mine there. Miriam won't stop talking about it.
Also, temples and forests abound
If you are looking for a bit of hiking and exploration, there are plenty of trails in the hills, as well hidden temples. The hills are teeming with wildlife during the summer, color during autumn, flowers in the spring, and snowdrifts in the winter. Basically a beautiful place to visit any time of year. The recommendation from your guru, though, is actually autumn, since it's harvest season. The golden fields, many festivals, and finally-bearable weather really does bring out the best of rural Japan. (though Obon - in mid August - is also a good time to be up in the villages)
If you ever head up to Ikuno, there's a popular waterfall just 20 minutes out of town by car. There, you can escape from the drudgery of city life completely (the most likely reason for visiting the countryside in the first place) with a nice, quiet picnic in the hills. Test your courage by taking the 3 meter drop of faith into the water, it's fun, I promise!
Food suggestions: Ayu, Yassai. (sweet fish and mountain veggies)
Yes that's me in the middle
Weekend 2a: Kobe
For your information, "Kobe beef" is not actually made in Kobe. These wagyu cows are actually farmed/grown in the northern part of Hyogo in the Tajima region. But they had to call it "Kobe beef" because Tajima was apparently too difficult for the gaijin to remember. Kobe is an industrial city. There are no cows there, got it?
You should have seen their faces after they realised... no Kobe beef
The city.... oh the city. If you're ever there for a day trip, you will mostly likely end up in Sannomiya, the main JR hub. It's gaijin central, and it is the largest city in Hyogo. It's position on the map, however, often means that Himeji is actually favored over Kobe for JET gatherings. Or so I'm advocating, at least. All your department stores, arcades, food and lodging needs can be easily satisfied in Kobe. For partying, however, Osaka is the place to be.
There's your western bar
Expensive karaoke
Since there isn't much I can recommend in Kobe since I was there for all of one day, I'll use this space to discuss lodging.
Hotels in cities are expensive, which is why your options are often limited to capsule hotels, love hotels, or netcafes.
Capsule hotels: are ~2500 yen inclusive of the Japanese bath, but you sleep in a cubbie hole the size of a double bed. Not bad, but it's literally just the bed, with enough space to sit up. And there's free porn on the TV. Mandatory checkout time is 10am. You won't have to check out since you pay at the door. They'll wake you up and kick you out. (Cost: 2500; Sketchiness factor: 4)
Love hotels: in most cities are the cheapest form of lodging, AND most teachers understand that ALTs are trying to save money. On the other hand, running into any teacher at a love hotel will undoubtedly lead to awkward questions about why THEY are there. However, most places will require you go in with a girl, so make sure you balance the sex ratio. In Kobe, these places are hell expensive, but it's always an adventure staying at one of those rooms, regardless of whether you end up getting down and dirty (Cost: 4500; Sketchiness factor: 7)
Internet/manga cafes: are everywhere, and often have cheap all night rates. Popeye, for instance, has an all night rate of 2100 yen for a mat room (below), inclusive of shower, all drinks, internet, and access to their manga and movie collection. Downside is that you can't turn the lights off, and you occasionally are sharing the place with a horny, loud couple. Ummmm. Two couples in the case of this particular weekend.
We weren't smiling once the noise started. We were laughing our asses off
Weekend 2b: Gunma
Here's the golden rule of traveling: if you have the time, knock down most of your traveling. Just do it. Screw planning, be spontaneous. It's more fun that way. And that's how I ended up in Kanna, Gunma visiting Katie.
The one thing that is the same all throughout Japan
And that's where I discovered Miyazaki's inspiration for Princess Mononoke. But you'll have to take my word on it because I was too gobsmacked to take pictures.
Anyways, if you ever decide to chance the arduous hour-long drive up into the mountains of Gunma, Kanna and Ueno are the places to be. These single street towns are literally perched on the side of the mountain, mere feet above a white-water-rafting-worthy river. You can fish in the summer, hike in the winter, and really dig deep into rural Japanese culture. A word of warning: they do NOT speak English up there, and you'll be the only gaijin for miles.
Speaking of digging, there is a very nice dinosaur museum nearby. Apparently the tectonic movements pushed up fossils and dino footprints up into the hills there. The finds aren't too spectacular, but it is a large source of local pride (like Ikuno's silver mine), and the animatronics are VERY impressive.
I hope it's a replica x.x
Rawr offer me your children as foodddd!
Nabeyaki Udon Set
I should also mention that food in Kanto blows food from Kansai OUT OF THE WATER. T.T
The Shink
.... is hell expensive, but oh so convenient. Once you decipher the schedule. I figured it out in about 10 minutes, so it's doable. Good luck.
No cellphones in the cabin by the way.
Train bento lunches are lavish and amazing
Next up: Report on my first week of school, and Japanese FOOD
No comments:
Post a Comment