Off to Kyoto

From what I can tell, Elena seems to be enjoying herself. Most people here are surprised at how much she likes the food. She seems to like anything they ask her to try which always seems to put a smile on their faces.

Wednesday after school, we went to Todoroki Waterfalls in Koyama. This is probably one of my favorite places here in Japan only because it is something I have definitely never done before and live so close to. Unfortunately, it is still a bit too cold to really appreciate taking a dip in the cool (read freezing) mountain water. However, being the daredevil I am, I jumped in a couple of times only to come out extremely quickly because of how cold it was. Perhaps when Cristina's uncle JuanP comes he will join me for a dip and we will stay for longer. We were also going to try to climb to some other tiers but quickly realized that it would be a bit too scary to absail down or slide down. Later that night, we introduced Elena to Tomo-chan and his wife Yoko in Osaki. It was fun to catch up with him. I cannot remember the last time we spoke.

Yesterday, we had the Katos over for dinner. Cristina cooked some really good Arroz con Pollo. I would almost go as far as saying it is as good as my grandmother's but everyone would think (know?) I was lying. Point is, it was excellent and I wish I knew how to make it so well. She also made a huge flan which was a bit of trouble to make because of the lack of large convection ovens. Here they have an all in one microwave/toaster/oven-type thingy. She figured out how to use it though and it came out AMAZING! It was truly a hit and she gave the Katos the recipe so they could attempt to make it on their own. If you are wondering what my contribution was, I made the salad and the salad dressing. You may laugh, but my dressing was a great concoction of garlic, olive oil, vinegar, lemon, salt and pepper. I also began to take some video. Hopefully I'll have some interesting stuff to send home soon.

Today Elena came to Uchinoura and lounged around exploring the surroundings. It is a bit more scenic than Higashi-Kushira. I haven't spoken to her so much since I last saw her, but it seems to be going ok. Well, she did tell me that she refused to climb the mountain because of the huge birds hanging around. Tonight we are going to dinner with Cristina's mechanic and Jill and Laura. His name is Ono-san and he is apparently quite the character. I look forward to meeting him, but I am a bit tired and am feeling a bit unsocial. Let's see how it fairs.

In any case, tomorrow we leave bright and early to go to Kyoto. We will spend a couple of days there sightseeing before going to Kobe for our Recontractor's Conference. It should be fun, but the weather is expected to be horrible. Obviously, Cristina, Elena and I are going. Laura and Osa are also coming too. I can't wait. It really just suddenly creeped upon us. I am not the least bit prepared. I usually obsessively plan trips. I guess we'll just have to wing it! (I just taught that to my Japanese teacher -- wing it.)

As a side note, today I got served tomatoes and raw onions with coffee at tea time -- 10:40 AM. I take pleasure in the little things.

Elena Meets Japan

Last Wednesday we picked up Elena from the airport. It was funny to see someone we know from the States all the way over here. It was really unexpected in a way. Cristina and I were waiting for her in the airport and I was the one that spotted her first. She has cut her hair and dyed it red. It really suits her. Actually, now she looks even more like her mom in this picture that they have in their house. The resemblance is truly uncanny (except for the height). We picked her up and were surprised to see her with two 70 pound bags. She kept on telling us that one was just full of stuff for us, but somehow I found that hard to believe. In any case, we lugged her luggage into my funny looking Kei-car and took her to the restaurant I was taken to when I first arrived. It is really traditional and specializes in noodles like udon and soba.

After being lost for a while on the way back from the restaurant, we finally made it home. Elena was charmed by Cristina’s humble abode and quickly settled in. She opened her bags and indeed one had been completely full of things for us. It seems that we have the Cuban supermarket of Sedano’s in our kitchen now. We will use some of it to introduce the Katos on this Saturday to the tantalizing and exotic taste (at least for them) of Cuban cooking.

On Thursday, we took Elena to meet the Katos. They were excited to see, meet her and introduce her to some Japanese culture and food. As always, their cooking and hospitality was amazing. We also got to play with 1-year-old Yume before she returned to Okinawa with Kokoro. Although Yume was hit like always, I believe the true hit of the night was Elena’s frequent tastings of the squid caught in the Uchinoura Bay. Since foreigners in the past have not liked squid, they assumed that she wouldn’t either. They were also surprised that she likes mochi (sticky rice thing) just like her older sister.

Friday I was in a bit of a panic. I had spent the past two weeks planning for this bonfire party in the secluded beach of Hetsuka. My main concern was actually that there was not going to be enough wood to last the entire night. In any case, I went there after school to mark the hard to find roads with inflated rubber animals and some cones. After arriving on the beach, I set up our tent and began to gather some more drift wood and dig a pit for the bonfire. Jill arrived early with a back seat and trunk full of wood that we had spent gathering the entire week prior. As we were lugging that down, Cristina arrived with Elena and some more supplies and helped gather some more wood. Before we know it, the beach is filled with over 20 more guests that are setting up their tents. As darkness began to fall, we lit the fire. At that moment, I felt proud. Those two years in the Cub Scouts had really paid off. I had made shelter and fire for me, my woman and countless others…. GRUNT, GRUNT, GRUNT. Everybody had a great time and kept on thanking me. People had their laughs, kebabs and plenty of marshmallow s’mores. I, on the other hand, had too much beer and passed out just a little past midnight. Apparently, on the way back from putting me in my tent, that’s when it happened. Heather saw a someone passed out a bit further up on the beach. Alarmed, some people went a bit closer to it. Was it a dead body? Someone who we missed? IT was a sea turtle. Bona fide ginormous, barnacle-backed loggerhead sea turtle. I got to see the pictures and I guess that I can go back to the beach to see it again if I want. However, I was really bummed and had to settle for seeing the tracks the next day. The turtle had dug a pit, but did not lay any eggs. According to Fergus who knows about these things, it was a practice round. They do not begin to lay eggs until next month. I have to remember to tell my elementary schools that I want to go with them to collect them and help them tend to their hatchery. I also want to be part of the release in mid-August.

Saturday morning was pretty much spent sunbathing. Some people played by the shore, but the waves were very dangerous. At about noon, we packed up camp and I am proud to say that we left it cleaner than how we found it. Later that afternoon, we went to Tarumizu for a gallery opening of one of the ALT’s husband who had been to the bonfire the previous night. If you want to check it out, his site is www.scrapingby.com.

Sunday, we took Elena to Kanoya to introduce her to 100 yen shopping, purikura (print club) and the Blue Bird Tea Room.

Zip Line Relays and Wet Pexiglass Doughnut

As it turned out, it was very cloudy with a big chance of rain on Saturday, so we didn’t end up climbing Mt. Kaimon. However, we still did wake up very early that morning to catch the first ferry to the Satsuma peninsula. Cristina, Laura, Jill and I loaded up in my Daihatsu Move and boarded on the voyage across Kinko Bay at 9:00 AM. It was the first time I took my car on the ferry, and I was very excited. Thirty-five minutes later, we got to the other side and we met up with Jolene and other ALTs. We headed over to her house to pick up the others and then went to Chiran to do some touristy stuff. Unfortunately, I was not that impressed by the Samurai houses of Chiran, one of approximately four things listed in almost all Japan tour books under Kagoshima prefecture. Luckily, most of the people accompanying us, felt the same way. So we settled for embarrassing ourselves in front of Japanese tourists and taking funny pictures in the different house gardens.

After the Samurai houses, we headed to Lake Ikeda. Ikeda is known for its monstrous eels. Although you cannot see from the shore, you can see them in a tourist center where they are kept in tanks. Strangely enough there is also an ostrich farm in the back of the complex. Those are some crazy birds. The best part about Lake Ikeda was the playground. Just to paint a picture: There were eight of us adult foreigners, two Japanese girls, and only two zip lines. These Japanese girls casually left the zip lines to allow us to use them. I don’t know, but I think it was the staring that intimidated them to leave. Later they would return with who appeared to be their mother to tell her something and point at us. Other than that, they don’t play any more parts in our story. Once the zip lines were ours, w had a few practice runs before coordinating a relay race. The race was by far probably the most exciting thing I have done this past week. I would highly recommend that this gets added as an Olympic sport. In any case, we have video and pictures that we can share as soon as we get home Internet access again.

After the zip lines, we went to a Somen restaurant. Somen is a type of angel hair noodle that is only eaten in the summer. Thus, the restaurants are seasonal. This restaurant was I believe the first or on of the first of its kind built. It was down a valley under a huge wooden canopy. There was a water garden throughout the place that was used to keep the koi they killed for their meals. The tables are not ordinary. They have something that appears like a pexiglass doughnut with water constantly swirling around it. When you get the somen noodles, you dump them little by little into the pexiglass river to cool them down and separate them. Then, you pick them out with your chopsticks and dip them in a bowl full of sauce. It was such a neat place, that now I really want to check out the one in the town to the south of Uchinoura.

After somen, we drove around for a bit and then proceeded to get drinks and snacks to take to Jolene’s for the night. At this point, I was getting tired. So, I suggested that we do a Chinese fire drill for a second wind. Surprisingly, the girls complied and we did one. I felt like a kid again as we waved at the Japanese people in the restaurant and other cars after finishing.

The next day, we were all very tired from the previous long day that finished in drinks. However, we were determined to take the first ferry back to make it to the Kanoya Air Memorial Show. It was so early, that we realized we still had time to actually catch some McDonald’s breakfast in Kanoya. So, we did. After waiting in sitting traffic for about 20 minutes, we finally made it to the check point. They stopped our car to check the contents. When the air base people opened the trunk, it was apparent that lots of stuff was going to fall out, so they closed it quickly and waved us through. The air show was definitely not as great as we thought it was going to be. It was really hot and I was really tired. We ended up leaving by 1PM. The highlight of our visit was me getting a huge inflatable sword for under $3.

This weekend I have organized a big bonfire party at Hetsuka Beach in Uchinoura. Let’s see how it goes. Hopefully we don’t have to postpone it due to bad weather. All the Kagoshima ALTs were invited and many have already said they are coming. It should be an all-night affair so people are bringing tents and we are camping out.

Cristina and I are also really excited about her sister Elena coming over. She will get to Kagoshima on Wednesday and will stay for almost a month. So, look forward to hearing about her in the upcoming entries.

Golden Week!

I meant to write Monday after our arrival back from Yoron, but surprisingly enough it wasn’t an office day. I had to go to Kishira Elementary School, which I didn’t mind since it is my favorite school. As for our long vacation, we were celebrating Golden Week. Golden week falls on the first week in May and it is called that because there are so many days off. Friday, April 29 (Green Day); Tuesday, May 3 (Constitution Day); Wednesday, May 4 (National Holiday); and Thursday, May 5 (Children's Day) were all national holidays. So, Cristina and I only had to take two days off from work in order to have such a long holiday. Friday, April 29th, we left from Kagoshima City to Yoron. Yoron is the southernmost island in Kagoshima Prefecture just north of Okinawa. It took us 20 hours by ferry to get there.

The ferry was cheap, but we can see why. It wasn’t that bad, but we did have to sleep in a big, full room on tightly crammed futons. Knowing our luck, Cristina and I got placed next to the two loudest snoring people in the room keeping over half of the others in the room awake. The other negative about the ferry was that I got a real bad cramp or ache above my stomach, which scared me a bit especially after the ferry employees informed me that nothing can be done until we reach the next port 3-hours away. Luckily, it passed.

The positives about the ferry was that we had plenty of time to read and watch for sea life. I finished reading three books after all the ferry rides we took: Carlos Eire’s Waiting for Snow in Havana, Doug Coupland’s Life After God and Sara Backer’s American Fuji. All were extremely interesting and easy to relate to in some way. As for the sea life, we saw tons of flying fish, a couple pods of dolphins, a couple sea turtles and a whole mess of man-o-wars. Cristina was definitely not as keen as I was about all the sightings.

Upon arrival, we were greeted by David, the Yoron ALT, who offered his services as host during our stay. We were able to sleep over his place and get the first-hand tour of Yoron. The second night we were there, David threw us a welcome party with many of his friends and people from his office to introduce us to Yoron kempo. Yoron’s main crop in sugarcane; thus, they use sugarcane to make their scent-free liquor called Yu-sen. Kempo involves the host pouring himself yu-sen in a bowl and tasting it after saying a short speech. Originally, this practice evolved from the host tasting it to ensure his guests that the yu-sen is not poisoned. However, since it is no longer made at home, that is not the case. Now it is simply for fun and to get drunk. After the host finishes drinking, he pours it for the honored guest. He then makes a speech and drinks from the bowl. The bowl is then given back to the host who pours for the next person. Once all have drunk from the bowl, the bottle is passed to someone else to play the role of host. There are other rules involved as well to make this game a bit more fun.

Yoron was absolutely breath taking. It was just like the picture on the cover of a magazine that sits on a rack outside my office. The island is about 20 km in circumference and is surrounded by coral except in the parts they blasted to make room for a port. Thus, the beaches are usually calm and crystal clear. You can see the fish, rocks and your feet with your head above the water. We went swimming most days we were on the island and exploring its different coves.

Besides going to the beach, we went to a couple museums showing the history of Yoron. It wasn’t ruled by the Satsuma Clan like the rest of Kagoshima, but it wasn’t part of the Ryuku Kingdom (Okinawa) either. Yoron had its own language, but has obviously adopted Japanese. It was really interesting to learn all of this. We also visited a cave embedded on a cliff-side where many people on Yoron died. About 100 years ago, Yoron had some type of disease or plague that claimed the lives of many people. Since they did not recognize what it was or how to cure it, the people inflicted with it went to this cave to live out the remainder of their days. Today, the cave is full of bones and human skulls.

As for food, we were happy to discover that Yoron had an Ai-Shop with a bakery just like mine in Uchinoura. I was ecstatic about this and we ate there almost everyday for lunch. For dinner, we usually ate at a very cool restaurant called Seaside Avenue, which had lots of beach/ocean type things to build an ambience and, of course, a view of the shore. On our last night there, we also went to an izakaya (a Japanese pub) to eat some of the local specialties and do some more kempo. After, we went to see a local band play some Okinawa music in a small bar. It was really nice and I would have bought the CD if it weren’t about $30. Cristina and I were taken up to the front of the stage more than once.

The middle three days, we went with David to Okinawa for a bit of American food and city life.　Naha, the capital of Okinawa, is a 5-hour ferry ride from Yoron. Technically, because two of the days were spent traveling, we really only spent one full day there. Anyway, we stayed of the main strip, Kokusai Dori. It was full of restaurants and shops. The first night, we ate at Sam’s Maui Steakhouse, which is a lot like Beni-Hana’s where they cook steak in front of you. The restaurant was Hawaii-Tiki themed that really made us want to go to Hawaii too. The second day, we went to the Okinawa castle, Shuri-jo, that was a lot better and bigger than I expected. I had always seen pictures of it and thought it was a temple. I was surprised to find out it was a full blown castle complex. In the afternoon, we ventured to American Village to see what we could find that would remind us of home. Surprisingly enough, not much. Besides the Tony Roma’s we ate at and an A & W that’s all over Okinawa there wasn’t anything else that we saw. We did visit America-ya (American Store) that included lots of army surplus stuff including ejection seats and used parachutes for about $25,000. After walking into a few shops and along a beach boardwalk, we went to the movies and Baskin Robbins.

This week has been full of school visits until today. This is my first day in the office where I get more that 20 minutes to myself. I never thought I would actually look forward to these. Tomorrow is likely to be the same since all the kids are going on a school picnic which I can’t go to because of “insurance”.

This weekend Cristina and I are going to climb Mt. Kaimon, which is the miniature Fuji of Kagoshima. We also plan to go in the famous sand baths nearby in Ibusuki. On Sunday, we are coming back to watch an air show at the (Japanese) Kanoya Air Force Base.