I only have 24 hours remaining in Urasa, and I have felt like I'll be barely making it out alive because of whatever stomach bug I have. I planned to make the last weekend uneventful, but something inside me had different plans for me. Therefore, every weekend this summer in Japan has been full of excitement.
Here is my evidence:
Weekend #1 (July 9/10) - my second hike to see the snow bridge of the Mizunashi Gorge
Weekend #2 - the Urasa matsuri & fireworks, the bus tour to Hakkai-san, the winery, and the temple in the town
Weekend #3 - Adam visits, we visit Nagaoka to watch Harry Potter, Adam's infamous bike accident
Weekend #4 - torrential rain and floods, Yoshimi visits, we travel around Niigata from Yuzawa to Kashiwazaki
Weekend #5 - souvenir collecting weekend with Adam, Masumi, and Yoshimi all around Saitama, Gunma, and Nagano
Weekend #6 - my class' dinner party, the international potluck, and the volleyball tournament
Weekend #7 - I fall ill
Perhaps the weekends were too exciting, and my body was telling me to stop it. Well, next weekend I'll be in Iowa taking it easy with my family.
Thank you, Japan, for another exciting visit, but next time please don't mess with my digestive system. The last time I visited you, your oysters messed me up for a long time.
The End
Monday, August 22, 2011
Saturday, August 20, 2011
The Final Week
Although I've ended my summer Text Skills class on a high note with positive feedback from pleased and caring students, I've developed some stomach bug. The peak of these symptoms were Thursday night & Friday morning. For about 4 days before that I had minor stomach problems that did not interfere with my daily routine, but whatever I have made me take notice then. I let the staff and my supervisors know of my condition in case things got worse. Thankfully, administrative director had some medicine that would last me 24 hours. I noticed that, about 30 minutes after ingesting the medicine, I became incredibly thirsty. This made sense as I was tempting fate by not drinking a lot of water for the past week during extreme hot and humid weather.
Unfortunately for me, Friday was the last day of class and the day of the midterm party, which is actually the farewell party for all the short contract visiting faculty like myself. The best food in town was served and I could only enjoy the rice and bite-sized sandwiches. I am happy that my colleagues and my students had a wonderful time. By the end of the party, I was not feeling any symptoms any more. I thought I had gotten past the worst of it.
Now it is Saturday and I am better than the worst of it, but not back to normal. I've put myself on the BRAT diet, with pineapple slices in the place of applesauce (the A in BRAT). I believe what I have is one of two things: 1) a combination of stress & dehydration, or 2) a viral infection. I was definitely stressed and not drinking enough fluids before I got this thing, but it's behaving more like a viral infection. If I still have it by the time I get to Iowa, I'll check myself in at the clinic.
I only have 4 days left here, and I'll definitely have internet connection all day tomorrow. My phone line gets cut on Monday, but I don't know if that applies to the internet as well. All I have planned for tomorrow is to start packing away stuff I don't need for the next 3 days. Monday & Tuesday will be spent returning keys, finishing up all my reports, and getting my final payment and tax documents. Then I'm off to Iowa starting Wednesday morning!
Unfortunately for me, Friday was the last day of class and the day of the midterm party, which is actually the farewell party for all the short contract visiting faculty like myself. The best food in town was served and I could only enjoy the rice and bite-sized sandwiches. I am happy that my colleagues and my students had a wonderful time. By the end of the party, I was not feeling any symptoms any more. I thought I had gotten past the worst of it.
Now it is Saturday and I am better than the worst of it, but not back to normal. I've put myself on the BRAT diet, with pineapple slices in the place of applesauce (the A in BRAT). I believe what I have is one of two things: 1) a combination of stress & dehydration, or 2) a viral infection. I was definitely stressed and not drinking enough fluids before I got this thing, but it's behaving more like a viral infection. If I still have it by the time I get to Iowa, I'll check myself in at the clinic.
I only have 4 days left here, and I'll definitely have internet connection all day tomorrow. My phone line gets cut on Monday, but I don't know if that applies to the internet as well. All I have planned for tomorrow is to start packing away stuff I don't need for the next 3 days. Monday & Tuesday will be spent returning keys, finishing up all my reports, and getting my final payment and tax documents. Then I'm off to Iowa starting Wednesday morning!
Monday, August 15, 2011
Weekend with Students
I dedicated this past weekend with the students since I spent the previous 3 weekends with Adam, Yoshimi, and Masumi. On Friday, I went to a soba restaurant in nearby Osaki, a village closer to Hakkai-san, with my Text Skills class.
Here is a picture of the fancy soba that we ate. Four of us got to split the amount on this tray. Eating more than one row of noodles, I ate enough for three of us. This soba had to be the most delicious soba I have ever eaten. By the way, Niigata is famous for its delicious soba noodles.
Here is a picture of me and the whole class after we had finished our meal. The most memorable events at our dinner was the introduction of loudly slurping the soba noodles correctly. In Japan, it is expected to slurp noodles to enhance their flavor. My Japanese students were assessing our slurping ability by its loudness. They did not bother on telling me how I did, although I'm sure I wasn't loud enough.
Another highlight of the dinner was the introduction of natto, a favorite Japanese dish for foreigners to despise. I had hoped to avoid natto this summer, but I knew I had demonstrate that I could eat it although I do not prefer it. Seven of us non-Japanese attempted to eat natto to entertain the Japanese and other victims of natto. I had two bites because I couldn't taste the first bite, and at first, it was tolerable. Successfully I hid my displeasure of the aftertaste from my students. The one student from China had no problems with natto and continued to consume more of it. The show-stealer was my student from Bangladesh who showed immediate disgust for natto. He had us concerned for a while has he was visibly offended by the food.
On Saturday, all the students and faculty of the summer Intensive English Program got together for a potluck put on by the students. It featured eight tables of international food, including one from the faculty. If I can recall, the tables represented food from Japan, China, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and the United States. There was a competition for the best tasting food. Thailand won, which was no surprise to anyone. But Uzbekistan came in second with its pilov or pilaf.
The biggest attraction of the international potluck were its two emcees, who greeted us in suits, but as they were introducing us to the show, they proceeded to take off their clothes and reveal that they were wearing dresses underneath.
On Sunday, I got involved in the student volleyball tournament. I watched Friday's futsal tournament and noticed that instructors were welcomed to join in at anytime. Futsal is like soccer, for which I have no talent, so I decided that I'd join in for volleyball. I intended to join the Urasa Frogs as I was cheering for them to win futsal, which they did. I showed up a bit early to practice with the Frogs, but the Rising Stars were short of players for practice, so they recruited me. It was to my benefit as we won the tournament! Here is our victory photo:
This was the first time that I had played a serious game of volleyball since 1997 when my Beloit College intramural team, the Hempyre, defeated TKE. It was nice to return to the game with another intramural championship. The only regret I playing the whole tournament barefoot. I didn't wear shoes because my only pair of athletic shoes are meant for cooler temperatures, and the high for the day was in the 90s with high humidity.
Looking back I would have prefered to play with sweaty feet then endure the pain I didn't expect to face. I wasn't in too much pain until the game was over. When I started walking back to my dorm, I noticed that I did more damage to the pads of my big toes than I had realized. It doesn't seem to be too bad, and I expect to be walking on my feet without any pain in 3-4 days.
Another highlight of the dinner was the introduction of natto, a favorite Japanese dish for foreigners to despise. I had hoped to avoid natto this summer, but I knew I had demonstrate that I could eat it although I do not prefer it. Seven of us non-Japanese attempted to eat natto to entertain the Japanese and other victims of natto. I had two bites because I couldn't taste the first bite, and at first, it was tolerable. Successfully I hid my displeasure of the aftertaste from my students. The one student from China had no problems with natto and continued to consume more of it. The show-stealer was my student from Bangladesh who showed immediate disgust for natto. He had us concerned for a while has he was visibly offended by the food.
On Saturday, all the students and faculty of the summer Intensive English Program got together for a potluck put on by the students. It featured eight tables of international food, including one from the faculty. If I can recall, the tables represented food from Japan, China, Nepal, Uzbekistan, Bangladesh, Vietnam, Thailand, Cambodia, Malaysia, and the United States. There was a competition for the best tasting food. Thailand won, which was no surprise to anyone. But Uzbekistan came in second with its pilov or pilaf.
The biggest attraction of the international potluck were its two emcees, who greeted us in suits, but as they were introducing us to the show, they proceeded to take off their clothes and reveal that they were wearing dresses underneath.
On Sunday, I got involved in the student volleyball tournament. I watched Friday's futsal tournament and noticed that instructors were welcomed to join in at anytime. Futsal is like soccer, for which I have no talent, so I decided that I'd join in for volleyball. I intended to join the Urasa Frogs as I was cheering for them to win futsal, which they did. I showed up a bit early to practice with the Frogs, but the Rising Stars were short of players for practice, so they recruited me. It was to my benefit as we won the tournament! Here is our victory photo:
This was the first time that I had played a serious game of volleyball since 1997 when my Beloit College intramural team, the Hempyre, defeated TKE. It was nice to return to the game with another intramural championship. The only regret I playing the whole tournament barefoot. I didn't wear shoes because my only pair of athletic shoes are meant for cooler temperatures, and the high for the day was in the 90s with high humidity.
Looking back I would have prefered to play with sweaty feet then endure the pain I didn't expect to face. I wasn't in too much pain until the game was over. When I started walking back to my dorm, I noticed that I did more damage to the pads of my big toes than I had realized. It doesn't seem to be too bad, and I expect to be walking on my feet without any pain in 3-4 days.
Monday, August 8, 2011
Exciting, Exhausting, and Expensive
What a 3-day weekend it was! It started at 8:00 Saturday morning, leaving IUJ with a couple of Nepalese students to Urasa station to catch the shinkansen towards Tokyo. I helped the two guys from Nepal get their tickets to Ueno while I got mine to Kumagaya. We found 3 seats together and chatted about the train system and how expensive Tokyo is. After 50 minutes, I left them and the train in Kumagaya, where I made my connection to the Takasaki line to Kita Ageo station.
With no room to sit, I stood during the short 30 minute trip past my first home in Japan, Fukiage. I got off at Kita-Ageo and met Adam, who shown to have healed very well from his dramatic tumble near the Mizunashi Gorge just a couple of weeks ago. There wasn't much to do in Kita-Ageo, so we met up with family at the station to head to Omiya.
Adam's family was headed for the train museum, which wasn't too far from Omiya station. This was the first time I saw Anna since she showed Autumn how to walk over a year ago. Anna was very shy, but not too shy for the camera.
Adam and I had as much fun as we could in the urban sprawl of Omiya. Our first stop was the Loft department store, which hasn't changed much in the past 10 years. One surprise for the both of us was spotting a Nova/GEOS school just a couple buildings away. Both Nova and GEOS English schools went out of business a few years ago, but apparently the need for such a school was so great in Omiya that a new owner retained the names and continued the tradition of eikaiwa.
After spending more than I expected at the Loft, we proceeded to the international grocery store connected to Omiya station at ground level. I nearly forgot about that place and I found some Tim Tams to eat nostalgically later. (Actually I just finished the last ones an hour before writing this.) Hunger was striking us so we went upstairs above the station to eat at the old Ninikuya (garlic restaurant) that Jenevieve and I loved so much way back when. I remember being disappointed by its amount of garlic during our Korean years, so the flavor didn't pack any punch. I found it across the hall from its old location and we quickly got a seat. Many of the neighboring restaurants had long waiting lines, so I guess we considered ourselves lucky. I got bibimbap and Adam got pizza with an egg in the middle, sunny side up. We were mildly satisfied.
I asked Adam if he wanted to come to Nagatoro with me and Masumi, but he was so exhausted after getting up early and spending a great deal in the sun and crowds with me that he declined. Back on the Takasaki line, we bid a year's farewell at the Kita-Ageo stop. He will not be returning to the United States anytime soon.
I continued on the train back to Kumagaya, where I easily found Masumi waiting for me at the station. After she bought a dress and we got something to drink, we headed for Nagatoro by car. It was the first time for me to see this part of Saitama on the road. Nothing to impressive until we got closer to our destination.
Nagatoro has a shopping street designed like an old Japanese town. I felt it was a bit authentic probably as much as a Japanese tourist would find Beale Street in Memphis authentic. This picture doesn't let the observer know that it was very hot and humid there.
The best part of Nagatoro wasn't the shopping district for tourists, but the river at the end. Unfortunately we arrived just as the last raft and boat rides down the river were heading out. Since pictures do better just than my tired explanations, here is a picture and a video.
After spending some time walking along the rocky coast of the river, we headed back through the shops, which were closing up, and towards the shrine.
I was surprised to find the temple freshly painted dragons.
Our hunger drew us away from the shrine and out of Nagatoro back towards Kumagaya. For most of the drive, we were trying to decide on a good restaurant. I think Masumi really wanted to impress me as she wouldn't settle on mediocre ideas that I had. We ended up at a place in downtown Kumagaya called Arigato that had an eclectic menu of fresh and organic food. I had one of the best meals I've eaten in Japan this summer, seared tuna on a bed of rice with balsamic vinegar. The flavor was quite explosive, much better than the subpar bibimbap in Omiya. Masumi had some unique soy sauce base ramen, but what interested me more was that she ordered apple cider vinegar...to drink. Apparently fruit flavored vinegar is all the rage in Japan for health. If this is the case in the United States, I've been oblivious to it.
After my horrible 4:15am nightmare and my long day, I was about to fall asleep. Masumi took me to my hotel between Kumagaya station and the nearest Mister Donut. I found the hotel to have great service and a continental breakfast which Hotels.com denied it had. (Now I am only 1 night away from 2 free nights somewhere.) After blogging about my horrible nightmare, I went to sleep to have a much milder nightmare not worth mentioning.
If Saturday seemed to be a perfect day, Sunday proved to be even more perfect. This rarely happens to me. Being that I am so exhausted from this trip, it's hard to convince you of the blissful state I was in during the whole weekend. But here I go anyway.
I left the hotel with about an hour before I had to catch the train to meet Yoshimi at Honjo station. I looked down the sunny and deserted street to see Mister Donut beckoning me. I went in and got myself a few doughnuts, but what shocked me was that they still had Pingu in their advertising campaign. I got so excited for Autumn that I grabbed one of the advertising pamphlets to make sure it was true.
I ate my doughnuts on the platform at Kumagaya station and that's when I started to feel like I was back at home, my second home in Japan. This feeling lasted all day! After the train delivered me to Honjo, I relaxed a little bit until I noticed that Yoshimi was running late. This 15 minute period was the only time I felt anxious the entire weekend, but I knew I could depend on her and she showed up so we could hurry to Karuizawa.
Karuizawa is one of the most famous mountain resorts at the Gunma-Nagano border. Yoshimi and I were here once before together with Jenevieve, Barney, and Emma. Yoshimi was surprised at my memory as the drive brought so much of it back. It was so good that we concluded that this trip took place on a Tuesday. Karuizawa is much more developed than it was the last time I was there, but we weren't there for sightseeing. We were there for the Ghibli store!
Since Yoshimi used to work in Karuizawa, she knew the best place to park and we got a spot very quickly. I was so surprised because there was a traffic jam for about 20 minutes all the way to the town. Once parked, we got a bite of freshly made gelato. I got a double scoop of watermelon and chocolate. There isn't much difference in the taste and texture of watermelon and watermelon gelato.
Just around the corner was the Ghibli store that had an ample amount of Ponyo goods for Autumn. It was also an indication of the difficulty level of Jenevieve's wish list. They had her top 2 items, thankfully for her, but that was about it. After making the first of many purchases for Jenevieve and Autumn with Yoshimi, we walked down the main shopping street to Yoshimi's first part-time job after Jenevieve and I left Japan. Yoshimi looks up to her old boss like a father and he apparently offers her solid advice about business and other topics.
Since we didn't want to waste anytime, we quickly left Karuizawa after that to head back to Takasaki. We had some great mountain views on the way back, mostly of Myogi. It was very difficult to get a good camera shot of our spectacular views, but here's a sample.
Shortly after we passed Mt. Myogi, one of the 3 Jomo mountains (Haruna & Akagi are the others), we passed Popo Town in Yokokawa, Gunma. Jenevieve and her parents visited Popo Town with the Sekiguchis way back in 2000, but I had never seen it. I got a glimpse, and it was bigger and busier than I had imagined it.
And just around the corner was...
Kamameshi! It's the signature dish at a popular highway rest stop between Gunma and Nagano. I was last here with Jenevieve, my parents, and the Sekiguchis. I remember not being too fond of it the first time, but it tasted much better this time. I ate it all up very quickly.
Our next stop was going to be the Takasaki matsuri, but I wanted to make a stop past our old stomping grounds in Yachiyo-cho. I could still fairly give directions to Yoshimi, so she could take us to...
Pearl Mansion 3! There in the top middle of the picture was our old balcony in room 303. While we were headed back to Yoshimi's car, I was wondering if the Sekiguchi's still owned the property. I spotted a gaijin coming out of the apartment complex, which was a good sign. Before he zipped away on his bicycle, I asked him if the Sekiguchis still owned Pearl Mansion.
They do! We met up with them at their new office on or near the site where the old Karaoke Station used to be. It was demolished about 4 years ago and was replaced by a parking lot and an office/apartment building. The first floor is comprised of offices only, one of which is theirs.
We had some beverages and snacks at a nearby cafe pictured above. Because my Japanese isn't so good and the Sekiguchis' English isn't so good, most of the talking was done in Japanese, but Yoshimi didn't have to translate too much. I forgot how much the Sekiguchis like to talk. We were there for at least 2 hours while the Takasaki matsuri was being drenched by a thunderstorm.
After our lengthy talks, Yoshimi and I left on foot to explore downtown Takasaki and the matsuri grounds. Just like our time in Yuzawa, it started with rain, then drizzle, and then it finally stopped. A lot of the downtown area has been redeveloped with much of the shabbier parts removed. For me, the biggest change was the street behind Vivre and Takashimaya, which used to be a quiet street. It was turned into the main street running parallel to the station. Parts of it reminded me of the Hongdae area of Seoul, so I felt a bit strange that Takasaki felt like a favorite spot in Korea.
With no room to sit, I stood during the short 30 minute trip past my first home in Japan, Fukiage. I got off at Kita-Ageo and met Adam, who shown to have healed very well from his dramatic tumble near the Mizunashi Gorge just a couple of weeks ago. There wasn't much to do in Kita-Ageo, so we met up with family at the station to head to Omiya.
Adam's family was headed for the train museum, which wasn't too far from Omiya station. This was the first time I saw Anna since she showed Autumn how to walk over a year ago. Anna was very shy, but not too shy for the camera.
Adam and I had as much fun as we could in the urban sprawl of Omiya. Our first stop was the Loft department store, which hasn't changed much in the past 10 years. One surprise for the both of us was spotting a Nova/GEOS school just a couple buildings away. Both Nova and GEOS English schools went out of business a few years ago, but apparently the need for such a school was so great in Omiya that a new owner retained the names and continued the tradition of eikaiwa.
After spending more than I expected at the Loft, we proceeded to the international grocery store connected to Omiya station at ground level. I nearly forgot about that place and I found some Tim Tams to eat nostalgically later. (Actually I just finished the last ones an hour before writing this.) Hunger was striking us so we went upstairs above the station to eat at the old Ninikuya (garlic restaurant) that Jenevieve and I loved so much way back when. I remember being disappointed by its amount of garlic during our Korean years, so the flavor didn't pack any punch. I found it across the hall from its old location and we quickly got a seat. Many of the neighboring restaurants had long waiting lines, so I guess we considered ourselves lucky. I got bibimbap and Adam got pizza with an egg in the middle, sunny side up. We were mildly satisfied.
I asked Adam if he wanted to come to Nagatoro with me and Masumi, but he was so exhausted after getting up early and spending a great deal in the sun and crowds with me that he declined. Back on the Takasaki line, we bid a year's farewell at the Kita-Ageo stop. He will not be returning to the United States anytime soon.
I continued on the train back to Kumagaya, where I easily found Masumi waiting for me at the station. After she bought a dress and we got something to drink, we headed for Nagatoro by car. It was the first time for me to see this part of Saitama on the road. Nothing to impressive until we got closer to our destination.
The best part of Nagatoro wasn't the shopping district for tourists, but the river at the end. Unfortunately we arrived just as the last raft and boat rides down the river were heading out. Since pictures do better just than my tired explanations, here is a picture and a video.
After spending some time walking along the rocky coast of the river, we headed back through the shops, which were closing up, and towards the shrine.
I was surprised to find the temple freshly painted dragons.
After my horrible 4:15am nightmare and my long day, I was about to fall asleep. Masumi took me to my hotel between Kumagaya station and the nearest Mister Donut. I found the hotel to have great service and a continental breakfast which Hotels.com denied it had. (Now I am only 1 night away from 2 free nights somewhere.) After blogging about my horrible nightmare, I went to sleep to have a much milder nightmare not worth mentioning.
If Saturday seemed to be a perfect day, Sunday proved to be even more perfect. This rarely happens to me. Being that I am so exhausted from this trip, it's hard to convince you of the blissful state I was in during the whole weekend. But here I go anyway.
I left the hotel with about an hour before I had to catch the train to meet Yoshimi at Honjo station. I looked down the sunny and deserted street to see Mister Donut beckoning me. I went in and got myself a few doughnuts, but what shocked me was that they still had Pingu in their advertising campaign. I got so excited for Autumn that I grabbed one of the advertising pamphlets to make sure it was true.
I ate my doughnuts on the platform at Kumagaya station and that's when I started to feel like I was back at home, my second home in Japan. This feeling lasted all day! After the train delivered me to Honjo, I relaxed a little bit until I noticed that Yoshimi was running late. This 15 minute period was the only time I felt anxious the entire weekend, but I knew I could depend on her and she showed up so we could hurry to Karuizawa.
Karuizawa is one of the most famous mountain resorts at the Gunma-Nagano border. Yoshimi and I were here once before together with Jenevieve, Barney, and Emma. Yoshimi was surprised at my memory as the drive brought so much of it back. It was so good that we concluded that this trip took place on a Tuesday. Karuizawa is much more developed than it was the last time I was there, but we weren't there for sightseeing. We were there for the Ghibli store!
Since Yoshimi used to work in Karuizawa, she knew the best place to park and we got a spot very quickly. I was so surprised because there was a traffic jam for about 20 minutes all the way to the town. Once parked, we got a bite of freshly made gelato. I got a double scoop of watermelon and chocolate. There isn't much difference in the taste and texture of watermelon and watermelon gelato.
Just around the corner was the Ghibli store that had an ample amount of Ponyo goods for Autumn. It was also an indication of the difficulty level of Jenevieve's wish list. They had her top 2 items, thankfully for her, but that was about it. After making the first of many purchases for Jenevieve and Autumn with Yoshimi, we walked down the main shopping street to Yoshimi's first part-time job after Jenevieve and I left Japan. Yoshimi looks up to her old boss like a father and he apparently offers her solid advice about business and other topics.
Since we didn't want to waste anytime, we quickly left Karuizawa after that to head back to Takasaki. We had some great mountain views on the way back, mostly of Myogi. It was very difficult to get a good camera shot of our spectacular views, but here's a sample.
Shortly after we passed Mt. Myogi, one of the 3 Jomo mountains (Haruna & Akagi are the others), we passed Popo Town in Yokokawa, Gunma. Jenevieve and her parents visited Popo Town with the Sekiguchis way back in 2000, but I had never seen it. I got a glimpse, and it was bigger and busier than I had imagined it.
And just around the corner was...
Our next stop was going to be the Takasaki matsuri, but I wanted to make a stop past our old stomping grounds in Yachiyo-cho. I could still fairly give directions to Yoshimi, so she could take us to...
We had some beverages and snacks at a nearby cafe pictured above. Because my Japanese isn't so good and the Sekiguchis' English isn't so good, most of the talking was done in Japanese, but Yoshimi didn't have to translate too much. I forgot how much the Sekiguchis like to talk. We were there for at least 2 hours while the Takasaki matsuri was being drenched by a thunderstorm.
After our lengthy talks, Yoshimi and I left on foot to explore downtown Takasaki and the matsuri grounds. Just like our time in Yuzawa, it started with rain, then drizzle, and then it finally stopped. A lot of the downtown area has been redeveloped with much of the shabbier parts removed. For me, the biggest change was the street behind Vivre and Takashimaya, which used to be a quiet street. It was turned into the main street running parallel to the station. Parts of it reminded me of the Hongdae area of Seoul, so I felt a bit strange that Takasaki felt like a favorite spot in Korea.
We encountered the matsuri as this daruma mikoshi was about to be raised and paraded through the streets. It was the first time Yoshimi and I have ever seen a daruma mikoshi. After walking through the rain soaked matsuri for a little while, we decided to look for the Pelican, an Iranian restaurant, under Jenevieve's orders as it was a favorite of hers. If we weren't able to find the Pelican, we would stop at the new Turkish restaurant called Red Lion.
This parking lot marks the spot where the Pelican once stood. In disappointment, we headed back to Takasaki station to find Red Lion. Yoshimi wanted to make sure we could find it quickly, so she asked the police at the station koban for directions. During this time, I waited outside and saw a large group of police, about a dozen or so, standing around close together. Out of nowhere, they apprehended one bosozoku member, perhaps the leader. Five officers had to hold him together and force the rowdy young man into the police car. It was just yesterday that I was told that the bosozoku have disappeared from Saitama and now isolated to Gunma only in the Kanto area.
After Yoshimi got her directions, we found it within 5 minutes. Red Lion was actually a British-style pub, so we walked on because the officers told her that we would also find a Turkish flag, which wasn't flying over Red Lion. Down the street at the end of the block, we found the Turkish flag flying over a corner shop selling kebabs as fast food, almost like the same one I liked in Hongdae. Since there was no seating inside, we decided to skip past it and head back to Yoshimi's car, parked in front of the Sekiguchis' office.
Halfway there, we ran into Mrs. Sekiguchi again. We did our best to resist an offer for dinner that day and settled on having lunch together the next day. Our conversation was mostly about food and planning Jenevieve's visit next year. Mrs. Sekiguchi explained that the Red Lion has taken the place of the Karaoke Station as the gaijin bar. Supposedly the owner had lived in England and the place is stocked with imported beers from around the world. We then learned that the Pelican owner left Takasaki after he divorced his Japanese wife. He married another Japanese woman and relocated somewhere in Chiba. Mrs. Sekiguchi was so sad because it was her favorite restaurant too. The Turkish place and another Persian restaurant do not compare.
When we finally got to Yoshimi's car, we did some evening shopping on the way to Isesaki as another huge downpour struck the area. By the time we finished our shopping for the evening, the rain had also stopped, and we were very hungry. Yoshimi took me to one of her favorite katsu restaurants and they had some fantastic ros-katsu. I forgot how good ros-katsu tasted. After finishing our dinner, we both felt like we could have fallen asleep right there on the tatami floor of the restaurant.
We weren't too far from Yoshimi's place when her friends called telling her that they have been waiting outside her house. Apparently they had miscommunicated, so we rushed to Yoshimi's house to meet them. For about an hour, we chatted over tea and TimTams., but they could tell that Yoshimi and I had a long day, so we agreed to meet the next morning.
Being the great hostess she is, Yoshimi supplied me with ample futon bedding so I was able to have the best sleep I've had since I arrived in Japan this summer. The next morning after we both got ready for another long day, I tried to catch Yoshimi up with our lives with all the photos on our Macbook. She was most interested in seeing Autumn, Jenevieve, and our time in Korea and La Crosse.
Her friends arrived a little after 10am, and Yoshimi and I helped her friend Hiroko purchase some goods from her favorite band, the Hives. Nobody there had much experience shopping online, especially through a Swedish website that used English predominantly. The process of shopping took longer than expected because of technological glitches, translation problems, and Japanese credit cards. Finally we met with success.
For the rest of the morning we were on a mission to buy more goods for Autumn and Jenevieve, but we ran into many dead ends. Items on Jenevieve's wish list were either not available or they were but at the same price if not more than in the United States. We were able to grab a few great things off the list before meeting the Sekiguchis for a two-hour lunch. The food was good and cheap and very filling. I ate enough to last me through the rest of the day.
After that, we said our goodbyes and was nearly time to drop me off at Takasaki station so I could head home to finish marking my students essays. Before I left, I got to more photos. One of Yoshimi and her friends, and the other of Jenevieve's old employer brought back to life on the other side of the station.
Goodbye Takasaki! See you next year with Jenevieve!
Saturday, August 6, 2011
The Worst Nightmare in Years
Two nights ago, in the early morning of August 6th, I had the worst nightmare I've ever had as an adult. It frightened me so much that it shook me from my sleep around 4:15am and it took me about 45 minutes to calm down and convince myself that it had no connection to reality at all.
The nightmare began when I was Skyping Jenevieve and Autumn. They were in Maryland and it was Christmastime as they were showing me the new decorations in the Nelsons' house. I felt a little strange because time had passed so quickly, then I noticed that Autumn was about a year older. After Jenevieve dropped enough hints that it was December 2012, I started to freak out.
I remember yelling, "Why is it Christmastime? What year is this? How much time has passed?"
Jenevieve obviously didn't like being yelled at, and she gave me a look as if she's gone over this many times before with me. I was beginning to get a sense that I was crazy, and she began to talk to me in that way. I can't remember what she said, but I was demanding to find out what was wrong with me. However, I do remember her saying, "If I tell you, you're just going to forget again tomorrow and yell at me again." And this is why we were separated. This feeling of separation made me feel even worse: I am losing my mind, I am losing my family, and I have no idea what is going on.
After telling her the last memory I had was being in Japan, she finally told me that's when I started showing symptoms of a late onset of adult autism, which in reality doesn't make any sense. But because I was already told that I was crazy, I knew I couldn't rely on my logic anymore. So I took her word for it. Jenevieve then gave me a look like she was done talking with me and wanted to get off Skype.
Our conversation ended, and I was left alone to deal with this awful situation. I began thinking, if I were crazy, then why is nobody taking care of me. I finally realized that I was not in Japan nor Iowa. I was in Kenosha, so I guess some relative nearby may be looking after me from a distance. I began to feel like Taylor at the end of planet of the apes, completely isolated and devastated.
I needed a breath of fresh air, so I ran outside and almost slipped on some ice covered by a thin blanket of snow. I remember seeing my breath. (This is how lucid and very convincing the dream was.) Looking up in the night sky for solace, I spotted a square shaped UFO flying through the sky. That's when I believed I was crazy, and then I shuttered to wake up.
Now awake, I felt glad that I was back in August 2011, but I was still under the strong effects of the dream. Was the dream my first symptom of this alleged autism? Now that I am sane, I dismissed that diagnosis. Still not thinking clearly because it was 4:15am, I remember having nightmares as a young child and making connections to reality. Perhaps the same was true now, I thought. Perhaps instead of mentally losing Jenevieve and Autumn, I have lost them in another way. I panicked realizing that something awful may have occurred on their trip to my mother's house.
I went online to check any news. I discovered that Masumi finally responded to my plans for later that day, but nothing about my family. I tried calling my mom's house, but Google finally caught on to the fact that I was making free calls to the United States. During this instant, my mind was becoming more logical and was starting to convince me not to make the call. The last fight I had left was logic versus the responsibility of a concerned father and husband, but logic finally one thanks to Google telling me I had to register my account in the United States.
I went back to bed and began being comforted that the whole thing was in my head and that the probability of Jenevieve and Autumn being safe was much greater than not. I was only a little freaked out that I brought some of the crazy from the dream into reality for about 5 minutes. That delay scared me but not enough to keep me awake any longer.
The nightmare began when I was Skyping Jenevieve and Autumn. They were in Maryland and it was Christmastime as they were showing me the new decorations in the Nelsons' house. I felt a little strange because time had passed so quickly, then I noticed that Autumn was about a year older. After Jenevieve dropped enough hints that it was December 2012, I started to freak out.
I remember yelling, "Why is it Christmastime? What year is this? How much time has passed?"
Jenevieve obviously didn't like being yelled at, and she gave me a look as if she's gone over this many times before with me. I was beginning to get a sense that I was crazy, and she began to talk to me in that way. I can't remember what she said, but I was demanding to find out what was wrong with me. However, I do remember her saying, "If I tell you, you're just going to forget again tomorrow and yell at me again." And this is why we were separated. This feeling of separation made me feel even worse: I am losing my mind, I am losing my family, and I have no idea what is going on.
After telling her the last memory I had was being in Japan, she finally told me that's when I started showing symptoms of a late onset of adult autism, which in reality doesn't make any sense. But because I was already told that I was crazy, I knew I couldn't rely on my logic anymore. So I took her word for it. Jenevieve then gave me a look like she was done talking with me and wanted to get off Skype.
Our conversation ended, and I was left alone to deal with this awful situation. I began thinking, if I were crazy, then why is nobody taking care of me. I finally realized that I was not in Japan nor Iowa. I was in Kenosha, so I guess some relative nearby may be looking after me from a distance. I began to feel like Taylor at the end of planet of the apes, completely isolated and devastated.
I needed a breath of fresh air, so I ran outside and almost slipped on some ice covered by a thin blanket of snow. I remember seeing my breath. (This is how lucid and very convincing the dream was.) Looking up in the night sky for solace, I spotted a square shaped UFO flying through the sky. That's when I believed I was crazy, and then I shuttered to wake up.
Now awake, I felt glad that I was back in August 2011, but I was still under the strong effects of the dream. Was the dream my first symptom of this alleged autism? Now that I am sane, I dismissed that diagnosis. Still not thinking clearly because it was 4:15am, I remember having nightmares as a young child and making connections to reality. Perhaps the same was true now, I thought. Perhaps instead of mentally losing Jenevieve and Autumn, I have lost them in another way. I panicked realizing that something awful may have occurred on their trip to my mother's house.
I went online to check any news. I discovered that Masumi finally responded to my plans for later that day, but nothing about my family. I tried calling my mom's house, but Google finally caught on to the fact that I was making free calls to the United States. During this instant, my mind was becoming more logical and was starting to convince me not to make the call. The last fight I had left was logic versus the responsibility of a concerned father and husband, but logic finally one thanks to Google telling me I had to register my account in the United States.
I went back to bed and began being comforted that the whole thing was in my head and that the probability of Jenevieve and Autumn being safe was much greater than not. I was only a little freaked out that I brought some of the crazy from the dream into reality for about 5 minutes. That delay scared me but not enough to keep me awake any longer.
Wednesday, August 3, 2011
Nostalgia
This morning I had a dream that took me back to the summer of 2001, when Jenevieve and I started our new married life together in the Carriage House apartment on North Bend Road in Baltimore. The dream consisted of me getting a campus and vicinity map of UMBC, and figuring out how to get around. I'm sure this dream was brought on by my talk with Jenevieve last night about my pointless nostalgia about Japan and one of my educational psychology assignments (about interviewing young children) at UMBC.
My dream has freshly informed me that perhaps dreams bring on this sense of nostalgia. It was quite lucid as if I were really there and in that time period, and I woke up with that yearning. This caused a brief melancholy signifying that those were happier times. But my return to Japan has shown me that those time were not really happier times. Perhaps I have misplaced my yearning to be with my family to being at another place in time.
The good news is that I don't feel depressed. I just feel busy...in isolation. I'm discovering a few things about myself. The most important lesson is that I shouldn't really act on my nostalgia. I should just enjoy the dream or fantasy of nostalgia and then move on to living the present moment. Nostalgia was one reason for returning to Japan, but I'm getting nothing out of it. My final test of getting something out of it will be when I walk around Takasaki, where I lived for 2 years.
Another thing I am learning about myself is that my brain finds significance in 10 years gone by. When I was in high school, I had a strong nostalgia for my early childhood. I was 18 dreaming about being 8. When I was in Korea, I was hit for a few months of a strong wave of nostalgia for Beloit College. Those periods of my life were separated by 10 years. And now it's Japan and I'm in Japan, and I'm really staring straight down this nostalgia.
However, I believe I've been nostalgic about Japan more than any other country I have visited. But I am coming to understand that it's not about Japan. It's about the last days of my youth. Japan was the last place I lived before marriage, before a graduate degree, and just before I decided to make my current job my career. Basically, I was the most independent I ever was in my life. Now I'm the most responsible I have ever been in my life, but with no regrets. It helps me see more clearly the relation between responsibility and anxiety.
The best thing about nostalgia is that informs me that I have lived a full and enjoyable life, and I am only 35 years old. Nostalgia also does a great job of erasing the bad memories from days gone by. "Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra" - Jimmy Scott-Emuakpor.
For the science & psychology of nostalgia:
My dream has freshly informed me that perhaps dreams bring on this sense of nostalgia. It was quite lucid as if I were really there and in that time period, and I woke up with that yearning. This caused a brief melancholy signifying that those were happier times. But my return to Japan has shown me that those time were not really happier times. Perhaps I have misplaced my yearning to be with my family to being at another place in time.
The good news is that I don't feel depressed. I just feel busy...in isolation. I'm discovering a few things about myself. The most important lesson is that I shouldn't really act on my nostalgia. I should just enjoy the dream or fantasy of nostalgia and then move on to living the present moment. Nostalgia was one reason for returning to Japan, but I'm getting nothing out of it. My final test of getting something out of it will be when I walk around Takasaki, where I lived for 2 years.
Another thing I am learning about myself is that my brain finds significance in 10 years gone by. When I was in high school, I had a strong nostalgia for my early childhood. I was 18 dreaming about being 8. When I was in Korea, I was hit for a few months of a strong wave of nostalgia for Beloit College. Those periods of my life were separated by 10 years. And now it's Japan and I'm in Japan, and I'm really staring straight down this nostalgia.
However, I believe I've been nostalgic about Japan more than any other country I have visited. But I am coming to understand that it's not about Japan. It's about the last days of my youth. Japan was the last place I lived before marriage, before a graduate degree, and just before I decided to make my current job my career. Basically, I was the most independent I ever was in my life. Now I'm the most responsible I have ever been in my life, but with no regrets. It helps me see more clearly the relation between responsibility and anxiety.
The best thing about nostalgia is that informs me that I have lived a full and enjoyable life, and I am only 35 years old. Nostalgia also does a great job of erasing the bad memories from days gone by. "Ob-la-di, ob-la-da, life goes on, bra" - Jimmy Scott-Emuakpor.
For the science & psychology of nostalgia:
Sunday, July 31, 2011
Niigata Highway Adventure
It started at 8:30am at the entrance of my university. We exchanged gifts, Gunma snacks and American macaroni-and-cheese-in-a-box, before we headed out to our first destination: Okutadami Lake, which is up in the high mountains near Urasa. Unfortunately this region suffered from 3 days of heavy rains. Many mountain roads were washed out with debris, including the road to the lake.
Plan B was to head for the Hakkai-san ropeway. Last weekend, Adam received a discount ticket from a friendly young monk at the Hakkai-san shrine but couldn't use it because of his terrible fall. Yoshimi called to check if the ropeway was open. Indeed it was, however the road leading to the ropeway was closed.
Plan C was to head for another ropeway in Yuzawa, and you can tell from my introduction that we made it there without a problem. Unfortunately, as we were about to get on the ropeway, it started pouring out. By the time we got to the top of the mountain, the pouring rain changed to steady rain. About 10 minutes later, it turned to a drizzle and then a mist. Finally after 30 minutes, the rain cleared and the temperature shot up by at least 10 degrees.
Here's a very short video of the mist rising from the quickly heating mountains:
And here is the view towards Urasa, which is nearly as far you can see the valley. The university is behind one of the smaller mountains or foothills on the right. Beyond the mountains in the background and to the left is the city of Nagaoka, where one of Japan's largest fireworks will be held this Tuesday and Wednesday.
After we got back down to Yuzawa town, we decided to go get some fresh sushi...by the sea. So we took to the expressway and headed for the East Sea (or Nihonkai). Half of the trip was surrounded by these tall mountains, and the other half was either flat rice fields or the seaside. It was my first time seeing the East Sea since Jenevieve and I visited Sokcho during our last romantic autumn vacation in Korea to Seoraksan.
Actually the seaside tourist spots of Niigata felt very similar to the seaside restaurant area of Sokcho. Here is a picture of the resort area where we spent most of our time eating and shopping:
Heading back to Urasa, we got a quick deluge of rain...again. But finally we got to see this for the first time. It actually got a little bigger then this after I snapped the photo.
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