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bspargo · 4 years

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Language Section

Here are the new words I learnt in Japan.

1. 干す (Hosu) - To dry

I learnt this word during my homestay when Yoshiko (Grandmother) was placing a tarp over the kaki tied on strings.

(その柿を)干してる

2.じゃんけん - Rock, paper, scissors

I learnt this word at Kirinoya ryokan.

First you pick between the three 最初はグー、じゃんけんぽん , then if you lose you need to redo while saying aikodesuyo! あいこでしょ!

3. すっぱい - Sour

I learnt this word in Nikko after trying an umeboshi (Pickled plum)

すっぱい！

4. あたためる - Warm up

I had to ask for a meal at the konbini to be heated up.

あたためてくれませんか？

5. 熱燗、冷酒 - hot sake and cold sake

I learnt these at separate times but both while out ordering drinks at an Izakaya.

冷酒お願いします

6. ししおどし - Bamboo fountain

I learnt this with my host family when I mentioned Wild boars. They said the random hard drop of the bamboo makes a noise that scares away any animals from the garden.

7. ご利用ください - please use

This was signage for condiments at a breakfast chain.

8. 救急車 - Ambulance

I learnt this from Tomio (Son) from my host family. He said the Kyuu Kyuu in the word きゅうきゅうしゃ is like the onomatopoeia for the siren.

“その音何だったか？”　“救急車だったよ”

9. 発車する - Tram is departing (contextual)

I learnt this word from the conductors of the Nagasaki trams when they were about to leave the station.

発車します！

10. 両替 - Exchange

I learnt this word from the money exchange near the Gachapon machines and in arcades. Luckily I remembered it because I needed some 100 yen coins for my washing and I only had notes.

両替できますか

11. ママチャリ - Bicycle

I was told by another member of the tour this meant bicycle, but I never heard a local say it once...

12. 火山 - Volcano

My host father told me about the volcano near amakusa that was sill active and exploded or “Baaaaaan” as he put it, apparently it went off around 25 years ago?

Here are some of the words I learnt and used on the tour!

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bspargo · 4 years

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Final Post#10 Tokyo 東京都

Day 1

We finally arrived in Tokyo the final destination of the trip, after a flight from Ishigaki and a train ride from Narita, we made it to Ours Inn Hankyu in Shinagawa just south of Tokyo. After we prepared for dinner and the group left for Shibuya to meet at the famed Hachiko. A statue of a loyal akita dog that waited over nine years (at the station) for his owner to return after he had passed away at work.

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bspargo · 4 years

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Post#9 Ishigaki石垣島

Day 1

After a short flight to Ishigaki we got off the plane to a hot, humid climate even though it was during winter. After a bus ride to our hotel I went exploring the local area. After we had dinner at an Izakaya with a huge lazy Susan and tried a variety of dishes.

Day 2

Next morning the group had breakfast provided by the hotel and we got on the bus for Kabira bay to ride a Glass bottom boat. The boat held the entire tour group, overlooked the huge amount of corals as it moved along the bay. We seen a huge variety of fish including giant clams. After we did some exploring around the bay and had lunch at a local restauant. There was a notable condiment at the restaurant it was awamori the okinawan spirit, with a whole chili inside the bottle. After we got back to the hotel it was free time, so we decided to stop at the Don Quixote on the way home. I spotted a huge fireworks section to my surprise as fireworks are banned in Australia and fireworks are supposed to be a summer activity, but since Okinawa is a tropical island I guess they sell year-round. We got back into town and searched for something new for dinner, we had Japanese cuisine every night so the group decided to have A&W for dinner.

Day 3

The tour group caught the ferry to the tiny island of Taketomi. We rented bicycles to explore the island. We stopped for lunch before taking off and immediately I noticed the walls all over the island. I seen some workings using the corals from around the island to make them. We stopped at a beach nearby (everything was nearby) and went for a swim in the south china sea. I noticed how shallow the water was in Taketomi, in fact most of Okinawa’s beaches looked like this. The beach had no waves, crystal clear water and was full of sea cucumbers. The sand was full of dead coral, and the water was surprisingly warm. We went to visit another beach on Taketomi know for it’s “star sand”. I already prepared my own vials to fill and take home as a gift. We then rode back for some kakigori and seen a huge water buffalo pulling a huge rickshaw full of at least 15 people. We didn’t have time for my much anticipated kakigori (Shaved ice with flavouring), so we left for the ferry. The group had dinner at the same Izakaya from the first night, ordering a large variety of food to share. I finished the night with a small group and went out to a local bar that had live music, the band was really fun and sung local songs with the entire restaurant singing and dancing together.

Day 4

I got up early to prepare for my most anticipated day yet. After breakfast at the hotel I waited just outside for the local dive shop to pick me up for a day of scuba diving! I met two Americans and both from the navy, Okinawa’s mainland is host to the majority of american bases which in itself is a concern for the islanders. Although Ishigaki didn’t seem to have any American presence maybe due to the small size or proximity to it’s neighbouring country. I began the dive with a debriefing in the docks. I was so surprised to find the ship itself was the dive shop! From making payments to having the newest gear on the shelves it had it all. The crew were so efficient, as they debriefed one other member was preparing the gyudon, (Meat bowl) one of my favourites. We left for the dive site, I took in the amazing views of the island while talking with the american couple about living in the navy. We reached the site and I geared up, my diving instructor showed what rare fish to look out for and brought his own underwater camera and writing board, to give me the name of the fish underwater which was a first for me. As I jumped off the boat and pierced through the water I could see an underwater paradise full of colour and life. The vastness blew me away, there was such a huge variety of fish and corals and some of the weirdest fish I have seen in my life. We made our descent 10 metres down for a better look and drifted over the reef at a slow pace. From tiny incredibly bright slugs to poisonous sea snakes (that came too close for comfort) Ishigaki’s reefs were amazing! After almost breaking my neck from trying to look at everything my diving instructor pointed ahead of us and I seen the biggest coral I have ever seen I later found out it was 10 meters in height and 70 meters in circumference making it one of the largest coral colonies in the world. After we surfaced I had lunch on boat with the Americans as we shared stories then changed locations for the next dive. Altogether I had three dives around 50 minutes each although my last dive was cut down to 30 minutes due to the depth (Oxygen is compressed so more is used). I finished all three dives and the charter headed back while I slept, exhausted. After my ride back to the hotel I asked the receptionist a recommended place for fireworks, then I got a group together and we left to get the fireworks I seen at Don Quixote. We also got a bucket to put out the fireworks and meet up with some others on top of the huge bridge leading to the park. We found a quite park table overlooking the sea and prepared only to be surrounded by a huge amount of cats that tried to eat our fireworks. After letting off a few we scared them away and had fun launching the explosives. Reminisced about my childhood as we used to have fireworks when I was young, although you needed a license for them, it was still accessible. When we finished cleaning up the group left for a yakiniku restaurant I found, it served the famous Ishigaki beef. Although it was expensive it was worth the price, defiantly one of my favourite foods! To finish the night a small group of us went out to a collection of small Izakaya all connected together (Similar to Hakodate) called Ishigaki island village. We ended up at a standing bar and struck up a conversation with a local. He then bought us some drinks and the best oden I’ve had in my life. As I was looking for the communal restroom I seen the two american’s I met while scuba diving, they were at the bar just across from us so I stopped in to say hi. They later joined us for a few drinks and we made some more local friends. We then we left for another bar without the american couple. It was a strange Mexican style bar a favourite of our new friend, we played the didgeridoo and drank tequila. Next stop was karaoke we were joined by another small group and after a few songs we said our goodbyes and the karaoke was paid for before we had a chance! A great way to finish the night.

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bspargo · 4 years

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Post#8 Fukuoka福岡市

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bspargo · 4 years

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Post#7 Nagasaki 長崎市 @ Belleview Nagasaki Dejima ホテルベルビュー長崎出島

Day 1

After a ferry ride

oura church 大浦天主堂(てんしゅどう) Ōura Cathedral

After breakfast he headed for the Nagasaki’s Peace Park

and the Atom Bomb Museum

walked upstairs

Chinatown

Daisy Hill

day 2

The next day we bought a tram pass and left for the 26 Martyrs Memorial & Museum. There were a number of artifacts, including the remains of the original Martyrs themselves. Next was the Dejima Museum, created in memory of an artificial island that served as an old dutch trading post. A to scale model was made to show off Dejima as it was the only trading port of it’s time that dealed with western culture. The group then split up and had lunch, I tried Whale katsu a schnitzel style whale steak that I quite enjoyed. Similar flavour and texture to veal but with slightly fishy taste. The group was left free to explore so I caught a tram around Nagasaki, then I did one of a favourite things to do in Japan, went searching for Sakaya’s to find some rare old whiskies. I picked a direction and stubled upon a tiny sakaya. The shopkeeper was so nice I tried my hand at conversation and she was very willing to talk with my patchy Japanese. I asked about a few things, then she brought out some small bottles of whisky I recognised straight away, after asking for and purchasing two of the three she had available. She then offered me the third for free. These bottles were older than myself and priceless to some people. Japan is filled with so many tiny local shops rather than large warehouse style supermarkets. It is unheard of in Australia to have such small shops that rely on locals. After receiving my gift she then went on to mention her shop would be closing some time next year. The shop was quite far away from main streets so I didn't run off much tourism sales and the local sales were not enough for rent. I left the store bittersweet hoping Japan doesn't turn to large warehouse style stores. I returned to the group for dinner and caught the free shuttle bus up to ふくの湯温泉 Fukunoyu Onsen. We started with an amazing buffet with a beautiful view over Nagasaki atop 稲佐山 Mt Inasayama, then proceeded to the onsen. It had a large variety of baths and even a salt sauna, but the attraction to me was the view. As you soaked in the hot bath you could see Nagasaki lit up from the city lights a great way to finish the night.

Day 3

late start

went shopping in small group

had coco ichiban curry for lunch

went out to dinner with uni students

Day 4

眼(め)鏡橋(がねばし) Spectacles Bridge

originally built in 1634 and so-called because the reflection of the arches in the river looks like a pair on Meiji-era spectacles.

went shopping in s small group caleb and alex

met leigh crossing the street want to go to island

went to 2 onsen and had aweomse sushi at local restaurant

caught ferry back biguasu known for its large stern

chinese confusious temple

Dinner will be at a restaurant on the boardwalk overlooking the beautiful Nagasaki Harbour tonight.

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bspargo · 4 years

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Post#6 Amakusa, Kumamoto prefecture 天草、熊本県 @ Homestay

Day 1

After a huge day of travel I met my host family Tamio at the bus terminal in amakusa. Tamio drove me to his home to meet the rest of the host family, Miwa his wife, Kotomi his daughter, Sumito his son and Yoshiko his mother. The family had prepared a beautiful sashimi dinner for me to which I was very grateful for! After dinner they ran a bath for me and I slept on a futon in the spare room.

Day 2

Next day I was so grateful for the amazing breakfast (I was obsessed with their furikake, a rice seasoning) I couldn't ask for coffee as it felt selfish but without asking Miwa had bought a canned coffee and had it ready in the car as she dropped me off at the Amakusa technical high school, for the start of an English camp. I was so blown away by this small act of kindness I didn’t even say I drank coffee! At the camp we introduced our tour group to the class and vice-versa. Some of our members made a presentation about their interests and the students showed a presentation on what their school offers which left me very impressed at the skills they learnt considering the age of the students. We crafted kites together and flew them on the school grounds. After I regrouped with my host family, I went to do some pottery at a local place. On my clay cup I drew the frog and rabbit from a famous old manga my host family showed me the night before. I got to see all the kilns that made the pottery and some local wares at the pottery shop. Next was a beautiful drive to Tomioka castle, it had an amazing view over the ocean and than we finished the day with a trip to Sazanami onsen and a Nabe dinner with fried local sweet potato on the side.

Day 3

Over dinner on my first night with my host family I mentioned my interest in fishing, so Tamio had prepared the fishing gear and esa (bait) for a 5am start. The early morning walk was the coldest I have ever been! I was not prepared but thankfully Tamio’s mother Yoshiko had won a local golf tounament and her prize was a pack of pocket warmers! She gave me a pack of five and I felt so much better to have them. I also grabbed a two hot canned coffees from a vending machine that was seeming placed in a random location close to the family’s house. After a small but freezing walk we got to a pier and had an awesome fishing session. We brought home our catch, I couldn't wait to have it for dinner. Yoshiko was tending to her garden and brought over the strangest looking vegetable (If it was a vegetable) that I have ever seen. Her garden was amazing it had a huge variety of vegetables and she even had kaki (Persimmon) hanging from some string drying outside, everyday before sunset she would cover it with a tarp. After Sumito brought out his calligraphy set and began practising with his brush so I joined in using the most difficult kanji I knew 響 (Hibiki) meaning echo or resound. I impressed them with my knowledge and stroke order but I didn't mention it was my favourite Japanese whisky. Kotomi drew the same kanji after I finished and her hand movements were so perfect and graceful, the finished product was so much better than mine and all confidence I had in calligraphy was gone again. As it got later the whole family took me to a local souvenir shop and showed me the local products. A huge dried out octopus was on display it was flattened and stretched out which made it look like very alien. I got to see lots of strange food products a few of which I bought. After I took the family dog or “wanchan” as Miwa put it, for a walk with Sumito. Her name was Sakura and she was terrified of me. It took a long time for her to warm up to me just to go for a walk and even then she still wouldn’t come near me. As we finally started walking Sumito told me about the area and mentioned his father had seen wild boars. We finished the short walk and I prepared for a tradition meal called oden. A soup stock with fishcakes, eggs and daikon raddish.

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bspargo · 4 years

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Post#5 Kyoto @ 宿や平岩旅館 Yadoya Hiraiwa Ryokan (3 nights)

Day 1

The tour rode a Shinkansen to Kyoto, although we did arrived at the hotel rather late so we just had time for a little sightseeing, dinner and a nightcap. As we alked to the ryokan we spotted a woodfired onsen, it’s considered a rare sight in modern times. We did some sightseeing after leaving our bags at the ryokan and split into groups to get some dinner. Our group stumbled upon a standing bar where we had some binbiiruu, bottled beer. Another group passed and a few of them decided to join for Yakiniku Tabe-Nomi-Houdai, All-you-can-eat and drink Barbequed meat.

Day 2

We started our huge day with a trip to Kinkakuji, the golden pavilion. After a few photos, we browsed the stalls full of souvenirs then we left for Nara to visit Toudaiji temple home of the great Buddha. We had a quick stop to see Kofukuji, the 5 story pagoda and a pleasant stroll through Nara park, famous for it’s huge population of shika deer. We finally make it to Toudaiji, the giant Buddha of Nara quickly became one of the most breath taking shrines for me as I looked in awe at the sheer size and intricacy of the buddha and surrounding buddha’s as I contemplated how it was constructed. Row’s of students had lined up to squeeze through the buddha’s “nostril”, a huge wooden pillar with a hole in the middle representing the huge buddha’s nostril bringing good luck to whomever can pass through it. Next up Osaka, a massive city that feels more laid back than Tokyo and has a thriving food culture. After some shopping and Jiggly cheesecake, Ruby and I leave to catch up with some of her old friends Bonnie and Taylor. Bonnie decides on a Yakiniku restaurant where we tried an assortment of drinking snacks, including my a new favourite of mine fried spaghetti. After an intense dinner, Bonnie paid the bill and we got one last beer for the train home. Since we caught the last train we missed the subway and had to walk home in the rain, but we had a great view of the Kyoto tower and the riverside walk in the rain was a beautiful sight.

Observations

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bspargo · 5 years

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Post#4 Hakodate 函館 Toyoko inn 東横イン

(2 Nights)

Day 1

We arrived in Hakodate and went to British consolute for high tea. Then went to the orthodox church and wandered around the backstreets for a fantastic view. The group walked to the hakodate ropeway that we rode up Mt.Hakodate. The view atop the mountain was breath-taking. After a few photos we rode the ropeway back down and had dinner at Kanemori red brick warehouse. After I broke away in a small group and headed for Daimon yokocho a series of small alleys packed with tiny 居酒屋 Izakaya’s only able to seat small groups of people.

Day 2

The next morning the group left for 函館朝市 the Hakodate morning market, a fresh seafood market full of locally caught products. King crabs were on display at many stalls as they were in season. We got breakfast at the market, I had マグロ丼 then had some free time to browse. Next up was 五稜郭 the Goryoukaku or Five-sided fort, a fort built to withstand the predicted Russian invasion but it never came to fruition. Inside the fort was the Hakodate magistrates office, a very traditional style building that acted as a museum with examples and videos of how it was constructed and why. To get a better view of the tower the tour group went to the top floor of the Goryoukaku tower. It gave an amazing 360 degree birds-eye-view of not only Goryoukaku but the surrounding Hakodate area. We had some free time after so I left to go investigate a shop I spotted closer to the hotel, a whale butchery. For dinner a small group of us went out where we had nomihoudai (all-you-can-drink) and a variety of sashimi. After a few of us returned back to the same izakaya the night previous and have a fun conversation with locals and drank 男山酒, an amazing sake. We finished the night with the best mojitos in Japan.

Observations

Tradition and Modernity

I noticed many buildings in Hakodate seemed to have foreign influences. There were many churches from a variety of religions. Around the waterfront area near the dock there are several red brick warehouses, relics of the past reconstructed into a shopping district. Hakodate was among the first ports to be opened for international trade after Japan’s long seclusion from the world and these old warehouses add charm and history to the city.

Economics

Food

The meals today were very influenced by other cultures. The high tea quite obviously being British, but dinner at

メロン

For dinner I tried Reishu and hotate sashimi (Scollop)

Structure (how it was made (mostly joints))

Huge tower

Yellow tree ぎんこう

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bspargo · 5 years

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Post#3 Noboribetsu 登別 @ Dai-ichi takimotokan 第一瀧本館 (1 night)

Day 1

After an entire day of travelling, reaching nearly 1000km of collective travel distance. The tour group finally arrived at Dai-ichi takimotokan, to enjoy the best onsen in Hokkaido. The onsen boasted 5 different mineral springs to pick from sulphur, alum, ferrous sulphate, salt and sodium. I put on my yukata and went straight for the bath. We tried sake in the outdoor onsen, I got to try both Atsukan 熱燗 (hot sake) and Reishu 冷酒 (Cold sake) then proceeded to try out each mineral bath, the sauna and cold bath, a waterfall bath and even a carbonated bath. After we had an amazing baikingu (buffet dinner) with an impressive amount of dishes.

Observations

Tradition and modernity

Japan is by far a modern developed nation, but it always has an emphasis on tradition. Going through noboribetsu huge oni (demon) statues are situated on the streets. In the foyer of the huge Daiichi Takimotokan hotel, traditional taito drum players performed for the guests. Yukata’s, traditional Japanese clothing is supplied for guests to wear throughout the hotel. Japan has a very strongly held traditional feel in most aspects of everyday life.

economics

Japan’s infrastructure for public transport

The train systems run like clockwork and everything is well maintained and clean. It always surprises me how well everything flows from going through a ticket gate to having numbered signage for each train car on the platforms. It’s so much more efficient to catch a train in Japan that it’s actually faster to catch a train than going through an airport and flying to your destination or driving a car and paying more in fuel costs and the chore of operating the vehicle as opposed to reading on a comfy shinkansen.

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bspargo · 5 years

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Post#2 Nikko 日光 Turtle inn タートルイン (2 nights)

Day 1

To start our first day in Nikko the group walked from the Turtle Inn to the Daiya river 大谷川. Dotted along the river were Jizo Statues, boddhisatva statues created to represent the guardian diety of children. We then decided to walk to Gusto (a family restaurant) for dinner passing the Shinkyo hashi a famous traditonal woodern bridge colored a brilliant red. After a small group stopped by the Kanaya hotel that dates back to 1873 to have a drink at the bar.

Day 2

Next day we went to see the Rinnoji temple, home to the largest woodern buddahs in Japan and the original “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” monkeys. The temple dates back 1200 years and was well maintained considering the large crowds that swarm to the temple. Surprising there were a large amount of school children on excursions. We then got on a bus to Edo Wonderland, a theme park based off old Japan known as the edo period. We seen two live shows, walked through the themed streets and went through the ninja house and maze. We caught a bus back into Nikko and prepared for our dinner at Gyoshintei where Kaiseki Ryōri, a traditional Japanese multi-course haute cuisine is served by waitresses in kimono.

Observations

Our first day in NIkko I noticed how old the houses were, with some dilapidated. I’ve heard that most young people find the larger cities more attractive for job prospects and lifestyle, maybe this speaks for the lack of development. Although I do not see Nikko as a small town, it has much to show for in ways of tourism, but job prospects in a tourist town seem very limited.

At the Kaiseki Ryouri restaurant, Gyoshintei I tried my first squid sashimi style along with my first white fleshed fish (saba/mackerel) sashimi style. The squid had such a strange melt-in-your-mouth texture and the saba, which I was worried about the strong fishy odours was actually so fresh when served then with wasabi and soy sauce made it amazing.

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bspargo · 5 years

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Post #One Narita成田 Kirinoya Ryokan 桐之家旅館 (2 nights)

Day 1

After staying with my friend in Chiba City 千葉市 I caught the train (電車) to narita station (成田駅) so I could meet up with everybody at the Traditional Japanese hotel (旅館) for some dinner and a good nights rest. We met at the McDonalds and decided to go out drinking while we waited for the rest of the group. The bar tender gave us some weird games to play while we drank. Whoever lost had to drink Senburi tea, which in my opinon was the worst tea/drink I have ever had it was extremly bitter!

The streets actually looked quite fancy with a heavy feel of traditional Japanese architecture. It had mainsteam shops but as we walked it became more traditional looking. There were bars that was obviously catered for weary travellers that had travelled to Japan by plane as well as Narita's mascot which was a cute little plane character. The rooms in our ryokan have a very traditional feel, as the entire floor was covered with tatami matting (bamboo mats) and the beds were just futons (mattresses) on the floor. As everybody eventually gathered together at the ryokan we had a very late dinner. It had the normal rice, miso and tea with extras like karage (Fried) chicken and a huge prawn(ebi), but the most interesting for me was the 柿 (persimmon). It was my first time eating one and it was delicious! After we went out again to celebrate the beginning of the trip at two different 外人バー Gaijin (foreigner) bars.

Day 2

The next day after a traditional breakfast we visited the Naritasan kouen 成田山公園 guided by our host from Kirinoya, Katsumata. We finished the tour at the calligraphy museum then walked to the aeon mall for lunch. After some shopping we caught the bus back and had dinner at the ryokan. Katsumata generously gave the group weapon’s and relics passed down his family’s generations more than 300 years old to appreciate and take photos with. A larger group gather for after dinner drinks, we returned to the gaijin bars and made a special friend, a Japanese comedian named Nami.

Language:

表参道/おもてさんどう

Street leading to shinto shrine

Phrase of the day:

- 荷物を預かってくれませんか？

- Will you keep my luggage?

成田山新勝寺/しんしょうじ

成田山公園

表参道/おもてさんどう -

- 之/の

Kanji for の radical