Omi Hachiman

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Today I went on a tour to Omi Hachiman. It is a small city near Lake Biwa in Shiga Prefecture (about 30 minutes outside of Kyoto).it is off the beaten track for tourists. In fact it doesn't even appear in any of the guide books for Japan. However, I was lucky enough to go with a tour group organized by CHIC, an organization which acts as a bridge between international and local residents here in Kobe. I certainly would have never discovered it on my own!

On the train on the way there, I saw the first of many rice fields. Strangely enough, depsite having lived in Japan for 10 months, I'd never seen one before. They were beautiful, newly sprouted with tender shoots of green peaking out of watery fields. 


Hachiman is an old castle town going back to the time of Toyotomi Hideyoshi (1537-1598), who unified Japan after years of war and destruction. His nephew built a castle on Mount Hachiman, and had a town built south of the mountain. He invited merchants and artisans to move there, and helped organize the construction of major roads and canals. The town became a center of commerce, thanks to its location connecting eastern and western Japan and its strategic position as a center of water transport on Lake Biwa. Merchants from the area were known as Omi shonin. 

We arrived at a very modern train station, with a McDonald's and a Starbuck's  on the same block. Despite this, Omi Hachiman was the first Japanese city that I've visited that felt uniquely Japanese. The other cities we've seen have all been very modern, almost indistinguishable from a modern city anywhere in the world.  Omi Hachiman looks distinctively Japanese, even outside it's historic district. While we were there, one of the guides mentioned that the town is often used as a set for historical dramas and movies. Maybe that's why it fit my stereotype of a Japanese town so well!

The historic district is considered one of the highlights of the city. Shinmachi-dori Street runs north-south through the center of downtown, giving a good view of Mount Hachiman beyond it. More than a dozen old residences of  wealthy merchants still stand on both sides of the street. 

We visited two of these homes  which have been turned into museums. The interiors were very severe but beautiful. They were also much bigger than the typical Japanese home. 

Each had a small private garden which was meticulously tended. One was a rock garden, the other a traditional Japanese garden.

Next we walked along the canal system which links the town to Lake Biwa. It is absolutely gorgeous! In fact, it is a very popular spot for painters and we saw many many with easels working along it's banks.

Next we stopped at a traditional Japanese restaurant for an amazing lunch. I chose to have the Omi beef lunch (one of the premiere types of beef in Japan, not quite as popular as Kobe beef, but just as good to my uneducated palate!) It was served with tea, traditional Japanese sweets, rice, miso soup and a variety of small dishes with different types of meat and vegetables and amazing flavors. 

The restaurant was located next door to the Himure Hachimangu Shrine. This was a gorgeous Shinto shrine at the base of Mt. Hachiman. It was less crowded and much more peaceful than many of the other shrines I've visited. 

Next we visited the Kawara museum. It was a museum devoted to the manufacture of roof tiles. Amazingly enough it was really interesting! The various patterns and figures uses on traditional roofs in Japan were fascinating. The grounds of the museum, located along the canal, were also really pretty.

The last part of our trip was a 90 minute boat ride along the canal. It was a bit windy and chilly but it was a very peaceful way to end our trip. 

Musings on Life in Japan - Japanese Bathrooms

Japanese bathrooms are kind of schizophrenic. On the one hand, they are monuments to cleanliness. Most private bathrooms have showers on the outside of the tub, so you can shower before you soak. The floors have drains, so that the whole room can be easily cleaned. 

Toilets, even some in public restrooms, often have bidet functions. The bathroom in our apartment has a whole panel of buttons with different types of functions. It also has a sensor that turns on a night light and a fan. The toilet seat is heated and it automatically flushes. We  have a diagram hanging on the wall above the button panel that explains all of the functions, otherwise our visitors get very confused! 

On the other extreme, many public toilets are pit toilets or squatty potties, as the kids call them. These are basically just holes in the floor that you squat over. In many remote areas, these are the only toilets available. I've never used one, but I've been told that the lower you squat, the less you splash. I have no idea how older Japanese women manage. They must have amazing leg muscles! 

These pit toilets are very common in Asia and are apparently also found in parts of Europe. I'd never seen one before I moved here. I have to say, even the public Japanese squatty potties are much cleaner than those we saw in China. This was one we saw at a high end restaurant in China. The basket in the corner was for used toilet paper. The smell was indescribable!

Most public restrooms in Japan are not heated or air conditioned, have only cold water faucets (not pleasant in the middle of winter!), do not have soap (this is the thing I find most surprising in a country with such a high standard of cleanliness) and have no mechanism for drying your hands. Most Japanese women carry a small towel in their purse to use for this purpose. 

Those that do have western style toilets, usually do have heated toilet seats though and almost all public restrooms are  very clean.  More and more public restrooms are including western toilets, especially in the handicapped stalls, and often have automatic faucets and high efficiency hand dryers. 

Signs in a public restroom for the two types of toilets.

My guess is that the cold water faucets, lack of soap and towels is mechanism for saving energy. Even the pit toilets are supposed to be much easier and more efficient to clean. However, as an American, this is one area where I'm reminded that I'm a foriegner almost every day. 

This is one super efficient model that allows you to wash your hands in the clean water as it fills the toilet tank!

The Other Side of the Adventure

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I can honestly say I do not regret our decision to temporarily relocate to Japan. In the 10 months we have been here, our family has already experienced so much more than I ever could have dreamed.  However, with all of the fun, travels and adventures there are also frustrating, hard and lonely times. Living in a foreign country is amazing, but it is also much harder than it may sometimes appear. 

When we accepted this assignment, we decided to view it as an amazing adventure and learning experience.  I think as an expat you have to have that type of attitude or you may very well spend most days in tears. 

One of the hardest parts is being away from family and friends. Not being there to celebrate births, mourn deaths, help during illness is incredibly frustrating. Not being able to give and get hugs when needed is also very hard. Sure there are email, phone, Facebook and Skype, but it isn't the same. And while I have been able to stay in  contact with friends and family, I still miss them a lot. It is hard knowing that when someone needs an extra shoulder to cry on or a friend to help, I just can't be there. 

Moving to a country where English is seldom used and where the alphabet is totally foreign is incredibly difficult.When I've visited other countries in North America and Europe, even if I didn't know the language, I could at least sound out the word and make a guess at the meaning. Here the writing looks like toddler drawings to me!  Luckily most of the menus have some pictures. Otherwise we'd be making a stab in the dark every time we order! Other than "Thank You", "Hello" and "Excuse Me", I don't even attempt to speak Japanese. No one can understand me.  Imagine trying to do the simplest thing, like mailing a letter, when you have no idea how to communicate "I need a stamp" and "how long will it take to get there?"  Getting directions?  Forget it. Even if they tell us the streets, we can't read the street signs!  (Although we have had some amazing experiences where people have walked us to where we need to go before)

Everyday conveniences turn into work. The way you cook changes due to availability and ease of getting items. The way you shop totally changes. You need Tylenol?  Good luck at the pharmacy. Even if you can communicate to the pharmacist which medicine you want, the dosing instructions are all in Japanese, and the concentrations are different than in the States. Going to the Dr for a sinus infection?  Not as simple as calling, talking to a nurse and asking for an appointment. Instead you go to a clinic, take off your shoes and put on slippers and wait for at least an hour to see the doctor. Many of the doctors speak some English but very few of the front office staff do. Medications like antibiotics are only given in 3 day doses. When your three days are up, you go back to the clinic and wait again to see the doctor, who then gives you the next 3 days, if he feels you need it! Unless someone is sending mail from back stateside or from the school, we never can read what shows up in our mailbox. TV programming is mostly a surprise, since we can't read the TV schedule. Driving anywhere is quite an adventure, especially when it is all done on the opposite side from where we were taught. Most times, our mode of transportation is our own two feet and/or a train.

Sticker shock -- come to Japan and you will have major sticker shock. A gallon of gas is $6. A gallon of milk ranges from $6 - $7. A draft beer at the bar is $8. Apples range from $1 - $1.58 each. A watermelon?  You are looking at $10-$15 easy.  A cantaloupe can easily cost $10. Unless you are buying chicken breast or hard liquor, most items here are much more expensive than in the States. Finding the things you want/need is also much more of a challenge. Where do I go for picture frames? How about shoes in a size 8.5 (a very large size in Japan)? Where do I get the right school supplies or an SD card for the camera? I can't tell you how much I miss Target! It's sort of a running joke with my friends here. Every time one of us goes back to the U.S. we do Target runs, stocking up on items and stuffing them in our suitcases to bring back to Japan!

Thankfully there is a wonderful community of expatriate families here. I thought that all of the fwomen here would be huge adventurers or gung ho company wives. Most of them are just regular moms, each of them who ended up here for the same kind of reasons we did. Since we are all away from home in a very foreign land, people become each other's "family". A good support system is an important key on those days when you just want to crawl under the covers, click your heels three times and hope to be back in the security of what we know. They are the people we rely on in times of sickness or emergency or just when we need a sympathetic ear to vent to. 

The hardest part of this lifestyle is that most of us have "expiration dates."  We are here for a certain amount of time and when that time is over we pack our bags and head home or on to the next adventure. Nathan and Laura have both had close friends leave and so have I. This summer we'll be losing quite a few more families from our community. So one minute you have have 20 people to lean on and the next they are gone.

 

I often feel like I live in a bubble. I have no real clue what is going on all around me and I feel very separated from things back in the States. Life is just very different. It helps to know that we will be back in the U.S. this summer and next. It keeps us from getting too disconnected from "real" life. Even though I'm really glad we've had this opportunity and we're trying to take advantage of every minute of it, it definitely feels like a trade off. However, I don't regret it and wouldn't change our decision. 

Miyako Odori

Today I went to the 138^th  Miyako Odori, a traditional spring dance festival held each April and performed by
the geisha of the Gion district in Kyoto, Japan. (The poster for the dance is above). The first performance in 1872 was promoted as a way to promote Kyoto after the city began to decline when the capital of Japan was moved to Tokyo in 1869.  It is now one of the most popular events in Kyoto.


This is the outside of the theater. Behind the building was a beautiful tea garden. 

The event started with a tea ceremony. It was presided over by two apprentice geisha.

It wasn't a traditional tea ceremony though! We were herded into a room with many low tables with small stools. We wedged ourselves in and started taking photos, (since this is the only part where we were allowed to do so). However, we were told several times to sit, as they needed to get through the ceremony. We were then served green tea and sweet bean paste "cookies".

We were swiftly herded back out of the room, so that they could seat the next group. We did get to keep the plate as a souvenir though!


Photos and videos were banned from the performance this year, this is a picture of the stage and audience before it started. 

Here are some photos that I found on the internet that give you a sense of what the performance looked like.
   

This is a video from the 2007 performance that really gives you a sense of what it was like. It make take a few seconds to load. http://www.flickr.com/photos/michael-c/2403630715/

I'm glad that I went. The performance wasn't like anything else I've ever seen. Geisha dance is very subtle, stylized, and controlled. It uses small steps and slow movements. The movements each have meaning and a few gestures can tell a whole story to those who are familiar with them. The dance was accompanied by traditional Japanese music played by geisha musicians. The primary instrument was the shamisen. It looks a bit like a three stringed banjo. The sound is very somber and melancholy as it only uses minor key notes. They also used a flute, several ko-tsuzumi, (a small, hourglass-shaped shoulder drum) and the taiko (a large floor drum). The music reminded me a little bit of middle eastern chants that I've heard. It was almost a wail.

The entire performance, while gorgeous, felt very alien. Although most of modern Japan looks very much like any western city and we feel amazingly comfortable here, this dance brought home the fact that we will never truly understand, much less be a part of the culture. I know that I completely missed all of the complexity and subtle meaning and history of the performance. Japanese culture is so controlled but so intricate. I'm not sure anyone not born here could ever truly assimilate. 

New Baby, International Food Festival and the Cherry Blossoms at Oji Zoo

We had an amazing weekend, full of new experiences! My favorite part was getting to witness the birth of baby Kloe. Kloe was supposed to be born via planned c-section on Monday. However, she couldn't wait! Her dad was out of town and her grandma wasn't due to arrive until that night. So another friend and I took her mom to the hospital. The doctor was able to slow down the contractions, but Kloe was insistent that she wanted to be born on Friday! Therefore, my friend Kelly (who is fluent in Japanese - very important since none of the nursing staff spoke English!) and I were there to witness Kloe's birth. It was an amazing experience, definitely the most memorable of my of my time in Japan! Both mom and baby are doing great and I feel so grateful to have had a tiny part in such a miracle!

My wonderful husband filled in for me and left work early. He picked up the kids from school plus an extra friend who came for a play date.  He made dinner and watched another one of the kids' friends while his parents were at a concert at the school. He didn't even complain!

The next morning we headed to the International Food Festival at the kids' school. Both Laura and Katie were a part of the opening ceremonies. They were supposed to dress in a costume from either their own or another country. Laura chose to dress in her dress from China. Her friend went as a cowgirl from the U.S.A. and Katie wore one of her favorite dresses. It has a vaguely Mexican/Spanish look. They sang two songs to start the event and were incredibly cute!

Matt and I both volunteered at the American booth for an hour. Then we were free to eat! The food was incredible! There were booths from Korea, Thailand, India, China, the United States, Japan, Germany, Canada, Philippines, and an international booth with treats from many different countries.The food was made  and served by parent volunteers. It was sooooooo good! We ate until our stomachs hurt. They also had beer/wine, strolling clowns, balloon animals, and face painting. We saw lots of people we knew, both from the school and the larger community. We all had a great time!

On Sunday we decided to head to the local zoo. I was tipped off by friends that the cherry blossoms at the zoo were gorgeous and they were right! The zoo is kind of small and the enclosures are smaller with more animals in each pen than we typically see in the States. However, we were able to get much closer to the animals too. They had some animals, especially those from Australia and China, that the kids had never seen in person before. They also had a small amusement park, which the kids loved. 

All in all, it was a really fantastic weekend!

Tokyo 2010 Race report - from Matt

AAfter much procrastination, here is my Tokyo Marathon 2010 race report. I was hoping to have pictures available, but the official photos aren’t going to be posted for at least another week – so text only.

First the bottom line, I finished in 3:14:11, which is my second best marathon, edging out my previous second best at Columbus by 6 seconds. The weather in Tokyo was horrible. Only Boston 2007 could be worse, but I think Tokyo was worse than Boston. The temperature was in the high 30’s – low 40’s with plenty of rain. The real problem though was the wind. On the upside, my hotel was basically RIGHT AT the starting line, which is a much better deal than suffering in Hopkington before race time.

Overall, this was a well organized and well attended race. I was able to leave my hotel pretty late and wait under an overpass on the final potty line. Many of the pottys in Asia are Squaty Pottys – and you really haven’t lived until you’ve used a porta squatty potty. And after that, you don’t want to.

The starting line was jam packed, but otherwise typical. The pre-race announcements were in Japanese, but were introducing some of the elite runners. EVERONE then sang a song. I am not sure what it was, it did not seem like the Japanese anthem. Then the gun and we were off. For some reason, after the gun the PA started playing “Gloria” by the Dixie Midnight Runners.

 I did manage to get in under 3:15 and logged my fourth Boston Qualifier. And for those of you who are curious, I got my finisher’s medal (which is in English for some reason), a towel, a banana and an orange, water, some kind of power bar thing, and Onigiri. Also, there was an indoor place to pick up your bag (already sorted by number) and to change.

This was only the 4th Tokyo Marathon, but it was VERY well organized. Even with the rain and cold and wind, the spectators and volunteers were numerous and enthusiastic. The course was well chosen both for viewing and for passing interesting areas of the city. I am now convinced that it is almost impossible to run a great time in a very large field race.

 So that’s it for this season. I had a half-marathon in Kobe in November (1:31:30), and a marathon in February. I might do Hawaii in December, but haven’t yet picked my next race.

Thailand - Bangkok and Phuket

Our trip to Thailand was probably a little to soon after the trip to China, we were only home for 4 days in-between. We were sort of worn out but we still had a really good time! Bangkok is an incredibly vibrant city. It pulses with life! The temperature was in the mid-90's and the humidity was  100%! Looking out from the windows from our hotel we could see skyscrapers stretching out as far as the eye could see, punctuated by swaths of greenery. Traffic was constantly congested. Bright pink cabs blew their horns at the motorcycles weaving in and out of traffic with white faced tourists clinging to the back. Tuk-tuks (three-wheeled, open sided cabs) rode underneath the utra-modern Skytrain tracks. Bangkok is riddled with rivers and canals, so boats are everywhere too.

Tuk Tuks waiting for passengers.

The country is rapidly developing and the contrasts between the rich and poor are very stark. 5 star hotels are next to tin roofed dwellings. Designer stores are on streets lined with food vendors. Pedestrian malls full of every kind of item you can imagine are staffed by barefoot young girls.

Food vendors line the streets. These vendors were in front of our hotel at 6:30 a.m.

Thailand is a constitutional monarchy and the king is revered. We saw huge portraits of the king, framed in gold leaf  displayed every few blocks. This one was billboard size.

Thailand is also a very religious country. About 85% of the people are Buddist.The temples and palaces are decorated in intricate mosaics and gilt. Enormous golden statues of Buddah are major tourist attractions, but small spirit shrines are found on every block. These are intricately carved and decorated. People stop at them to leave offerings and ask for favors, providing gifts such as bananas or bottles of orange soda as offerings. Often the gilt of the shrines is in stark contrast to the surroundings. However, all of them, even in the poorest areas are extremely well cared for and maintained.

That being said, after our adventures in China, we made no attempt to see the cultural or historical sights of Thailand. We just didn't have enough time and demonstrations against the current Prime Minister were ongoing, so we didn't want to spend a lot of time in the city. Instead we took the kids to the Samphran Elephant Grounds and Zoo, about an hour drive away. I had read several reviews praising its cleanliness and care of the animals and the elephant show was supposed to be a highlight. The kids loved it but Matt and I found it kind of depressing. It was clean, but the cages were just that, small cages with no attempt at a natural habitat. Maybe in the States we're just kidding ourselves, but watching the monkeys in those tiny cages made me want to break them all out!

However, the elephants did seem well cared for and Laura, Katie and Matt got to go on a 20 minute elephant ride! Getting on was the scariest part for them. For me, it was the lack of any sort of safety belt! Being terrified of heights, I decided not to go. Nate thought about it, but changed his mind at the last minute.

The alligator show, the magic show and the elephant show were really good! The elephant show was my favorite part. Not only did they show off the elephants' physical abilities, but they also showed the ways that elephants have been used in Thai culture. In the past they were used in warfare and for transportation. More recently they've been used in logging. Today, tourism is their primary occupation. None of the kids approved of warring with elephants. We had to reassure them that it wasn't very common any more!

Our absolute favorite thing about Bangkok was our hotel pool! I've never seen such a pretty pool. The pictures don't really do it justice. It was a cool oasis in the middle of the heat, grime and energy of Bangkok.

After 2 nights in Bangkok, we headed further south to the beach. We went to Phuket, an island that is one of the most popular tourist beach areas in Thailand. Our resort was on one of the less crowded beaches and set in an area that had been a banana plantation. Walking to our cabin involved walking over wooden bridges through the jungle. The resort was decorated in traditional Thai style with lots of dark carved wood and subtle  gilt.

The plants were incredibly lush and gorgeous!

The pool area was fairly small and plain compared to some of the resorts we've seen, but the jungle setting was beautiful! The kids loved it, even though it didn't have any slides or play areas. It also didn't have any life guards, so Matt and I didn't get much lounge chair time.

The restaurant facing the pool where we had most of our meals.

We spent most of our time at the beach. Thailand's beaches are justifiably famous. The sand is powdery soft and make a perfect gradual descent into deeper waters. We also had several rock formations nearby. Nathan has discovered snorkeling and LOVES it. He's planning a career in marine biology so that he can snorkel all over the world.

The girls loved body surfing near the shore and digging in the sand.

We accidentally ended up at a resort frequented mostly by Europeans. That meant that despite Thai customs forbidding it, the beach goers were often topless or sporting Speedos! I was a little worried about Nathan's reaction. He never mentioned it and one day Laura asked me "Mommy, are girls supposed to wear tops to their bathing suits?" Nathan immediately responded "Of course Laura, that is a private area and girls always cover it up!" This was after two days at the beach....he really didn't notice! Matt claims that it was because there wasn't much to see!

There was a 2 year old elephant named Nadia that came to visit us at the resort. She was very cute and loved the bananas that the kids fed her. Nadia was trained to take money for the bananas in her trunk and hand it to her trainer. The trainer handed the kids a bag of bananas. Once it was empty, Nadia would pluck it out of their hands and give it back to the trainer. She was a very tidy elephant!

We really enjoyed our trip to Thailand, even though we didn't really see all of the things I would have liked to. The heat and humidity were intense after our snowy trip to China but it was really nice to spend some time in the sun!