Yuusuikyo

Thursday night Chigusa and Yukari were able to visit from Kumamoto City and stay the night with us. We had a great dinner, made by Hisako, then played Settlers of Catan. It was the first time for both of them to play, and I think they really enjoyed it.

The next day, Friday the 17th, Hisako made a huge picnic lunch and we all four went to Yuusuikyo, an outdoor park of sorts. It is a river-based camp area and park. The riverbed itself is unique in that it is a slab of rock. In other words, it is not rocks, pebbles, or mud, but one large slab of rock on which people can walk. The river flows fast but is only 2 or 3 inches deep. This means people can walk the length of the river, against the flow if you want. It's quite a unique experience and is different from any other river I've been to.

The most fascinating thing about this place is that if one thinks about it too much, it could be seen as very dangerous. Small children are free to run around on a gently sloping riverbed in water that is fast and a surface that is slippery in places. This means kids often fall, sometimes hitting their heads. If I were a parent, I would like to think that I would relax and let my children run wild. However, I can imagine a parent wanting to constantly watch, as if waiting for a train wreck, constantly yelling, "Don't run, don't push, be careful, don't walk over there, look out!" But here, kids play in what some would consider a high risk place, and parents sit back and let them play. There are no lifeguards, no safety precautions, no rules. It was wonderfully refreshing, both the cold water on my feet and watching kids play like kids. I told the others that this place would be shut down in minutes in the U.S.

Here is the webpage for Yuusuikyo: (in Japanese) http://www.yado.co.jp/camp/kumamoto/yuusuikyo/

Here are some photos of the river and our lunch.

Heat wave

As the temperature nears 100 in Kumamoto City, it is time to escape to Oguni. Thursday our friend Yukari came to visit us. Later in the evening Chigusa came as well. Along the way we stopped at Kitayama, overlooking the Mt. Aso caldera. Everyone enjoyed some freshly grilled corn and the magnificent view. After we returned home, we went to lunch at an all-organic restaurant nearby. I had the fried rice, which was made with brown rice, garlic, and onions. Hisako's curry had a unique flavor and was composed of 20 spices.

It was hot in Oguni, too, but not nearly as terrible as Kumamoto City, so we were all glad for the relief.

Oguni farmers market

Each Saturday morning there is a small farmers market in Oguni, just 10 minutes from our home. Here, one can find fresh flowers, fruits and vegetables, and fresh-made sweets.

On the way home I stopped to observe the rice growing in the fields. It will be harvested in about 2 months and makes for a beautiful landscape of green to enjoy while we're here.

A new apartment

After a year of happily living in Oguni, we're moving to Kumamoto City. This will put Chris closer to a library and a quiet place to write and Hisako closer to job opportunities that suit her experience. After looking at a few places and working with several agencies with our limitations (only 4 months), we think we found a place that will suit us downtown.

It's about 20 years old, and no one has lived in it for at least a year, enabling us to make a deal with the owner. This boring wall will hold a large map of Kumamoto and some other colorful objects to make it less bland. The kitchen is small but manageable and clean. The view from our small balcony is of a large tree and a school beyond. The apartment has some traffic noise, but is located in a nice neighborhood with some small parks. It will be a short bike ride to school and just within walking distance to downtown if we go out late at night.

On the way home we stopped to enjoy the view of the Aso caldera in the late afternoon sun. Simply beautiful.

Fun with tea!

On Thursday night we were invited to experience tea ceremony at the home of our friend Mayumi. It was a lot of fun to dress up in our yukata and spend time with friends. After arriving we were taught how to enter the room, walk, and sit properly. There were so many rules that we messed everything up, of course. But it was interesting to experience it for an evening. Mayumi's sister Noriko (one of 5 girls in the family!), who owns and operates a cake shop in Kurokawa, made most of the tea for us. However, Mayumi taught Hisako how to make tea once. After a while our legs fell asleep while waiting for tea and sweets, but it was very fun.

After tea, we sat down for a huge meal with Mayumi's new husband and parents. Her parents were so interesting - her mom loving 60s music and her father regaling us with hilarious stories of raising five daughters. It was a great evening that we will never forget.

Dinner at Sano's

Since we'll be leaving in a few weeks, we are doing our best to see all of our friends before the end of the month. On Tuesday we were invited over to Sano's home for dinner. We've been close to them for around 6 years now, as they were instrumental in helping me when I first started studying in the area.

The Sanos' eldest daughter (not pictured here) recently married a local boy, but moved to Osaka in March. The Sanos will visit her next week.

Gochiso! Sano-san made a lot of food this night. This is not unusual for a dinner at a Japanese home, but tonight's food was especially good. In addition to sushi, there were great vegetables of all sorts, as well as proscuitto ham and cheese rolls. Thank you to the Sanos!!

Suwa Lake and Katakurakan

On our last night in Nagano we stayed at a ryokan near Suwa Lake, Aburaya Ryokan - http://www.aburaya-ryokan.co.jp/. The sunset from the outdoor bath was stunning, the food good, and the water itself the perfect temperature. It was a small treat for us. It wasn't the best ryokan I've ever been to, but I would definitely recommend it for anyone in the area.

The next morning we went for a long walk alongside the sizeable lake. We think that it would take 3-4 hours to walk around the entire outside, if one were inclined to do so. We weren't. We walked for awhile, running into this small herd of sculptured sheep along the way. They made for a picturesque photo setting.

Before leaving Suwa we were sure to stop at Katakurakan - http://www.katakurakan.or.jp/. This is a fascinating public bath modeled after a Czech hot springs resort that the builder/owner visited on a long trip to Europe in 1923-24. He was so moved by the resort, Carlsburg, that upon returning home he purchased land next to Lake Suwa and had Katakurakan built, in 1928. The interior is truly original for a Japanese public bath. I was too shy to take photos while inside. In the bath with me included a professional body builder and a man with a large tatoo, both incredibly rare sights at a public bath. I decided that it would be too strange to take photos, but the building can be seen at its website.

Hiking in Nagano

The highlight of our trip to Nagano was a long trek around Kurumayama. After taking two ski lifts to the peak of what is a popular ski area in the winter, we hiked through the hundreds of others at the top, took a quick photo at the summit, then started on the long way downhill. We passed a lot of beautiful flowers, and some hikers, too. The trails were narrow, surrounded by tall green grasses. We were even able to see Mt Fuji from atop this mountain. The hike down to the parking lot took 3+ hours, but it was incredibly worth it. I wish we did this sort of thing every day.

Nagano

A few weeks ago we spent a few days in Nagano, in the center of the main island of Honshu. The weather was sunny, but much cooler than in Kyushu. It was a great relief to get away. We were fortunate enough to stay in a friend's second home. It is built on the side of a mountain, taking some twisty driving to reach. It was wonderful stay that we won't soon forget. One day for lunch we had very good soba, and on the way out the door we bought the onsen manju, a sweet steamed over a natural hot spring. The next day we saw this huge swan boat, a disturbingly common sight around the tourist villages of Nagano. They are not migratory birds, so I don't think we'll be seeing any in Kumamoto any time soon.

The beginning of a long farewell

Sadly, we are about to move away from Oguni after a year of wonderful memories. We made many friends over that time, and in the weeks to come we will have to slowly say farewell to all of these great people. There is always a chance that we will meet some of them in the future, especially those who live in and around Oguni. However, for those friends who are only living in the area for a short time, such as for temporary work, this may be our last goodbye.

Last Sunday night we hosted a small party for some friends, hopefully not the last before we leave. Hisako made a lot of food, including a very spicy Thai curry that she thought no one would be able to eat. It was gone before the night was over. The party ended just before 2:00, with us whispering our goodbyes in the parking lot.

We cannot thank people enough for their kindness to us while we've been here. We'll never forget their smiling faces and the memories we've shared.

Nose hair

One of the last photos we took before Xav and Jen left was this. Xav and I wanted to show everyone our nose hair for the future.

A Contemplative Mood

In the middle of our walk in Kyoto we passed through this Shinto shrine, called Yasaka (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yasaka_Shrine). There were first entered the large gate, then washed our hands, before walking around and admiring the hanging lanterns. We all made an offering of some change (after ringing the big bell) and said a small prayer. It was a quiet place to relax for a few minutes during our walk around the city. It wasn't very crowded, and there were a lot of trees to make it feel peaceful.

Huge Shaved Ice!

In Kyoto we found a great place to stop for a snack. Look at this huge shaved ice that Xav had. It was strawberry flavored, and he was able to eat it all with no problem. Jen had one, too, but her's was green tea flavored. We also walked around the city that was Japan's capital for 1000 years. Among the highlights on our walk was this cool circular door. I wonder if it was specially made for a gigantic sumo wrestler?