Summer Slips In

Ginzan Onsen in Spring

June seems to have run away on me.

On our return to Akita I sent mum and dad on various outings while I was at school. On their last full day here we made it to Ginzan onsen, which had a completely different atmosphere to when I had visited in snowy December with Henry.

Saturday 17^th June

Maruike Blue Pond - Yamagata

Though at some stage during that month, Liam and I managed to hop in the car and head in a general South direction (let’s face it, when you’re Akita, there’s a LOT of South).

Dipping down into Yamagata we caught the Maruike Blue Pond. Surrounded by a grove of trees and aesthetically twisted vines, the 3.5m deep pond was Crystal clear and believed to be home to a deity, making it a sacred area.

Maruike Blue Pond - Yamagata

Following the rugged coastline dotted with small fishing villages, we eventually crossed the border into Niigata. The Siren call of salt sprinkled ice cream caused us to stop just North of Murakami City. The small salt farm-come-ice cream parlour offered a veranda looking out over the glistening ocean, with views of Awashimaura Island.

Sunday 18^th June

5 storey pagoda - Dewa Sanzan - Yamagata

What better way to enjoy the first few stinking hot says of summer, than with a craft beer festival in the city. The warm weather acts as a constant reminder that the departure dates for a number of our group are drawing nearer.

Goshado Shrines - Oga

There is one perk to school’s holding sports tournaments on the weekend (which you are expected to attend), you get the next couple of weekdays off; Which meant that I didn’t have to use annual leave to go up to the driving centre in Akita city. The fact that it wasn’t open on the weekend was the least of my problems – I also had to be at window 50 (sensibly stationed right next to window 19) between 8.30 and 9.30 am.

If you want to read up about the whole ludicrous ordeal that is changing over a license, the Akita JET wiki page has a detailed rundown http://akitajet.com/wiki/Changing_to_a_Japanese_license

Godzilla Rock - Oga

I will limit my rant to the following: When I entered the US 2 years ago, my passport was stamped. However it was not stamped on my departure. This was not a problem until the license centre said they needed proof that I had left the United States (they oggle every single stamp in your passport). The fact that the stamp on entry also had the date by which I was required to leave the US, and that my Japanese visa stated that I had departed for Japan from Wellington was apparently not enough. The officer implied that I would not be able to get a license if I could not prove that I had returned to NZ after this trip and proceeded to ask me if I had the plane tickets at home.

Yes, I brought plane tickets from 2 YEARS AGO WHEN I MOVED TO JAPAN. And I wondered why I was started to fall out of love with this country… One panicked email to a very efficient dad later and I was able fax (not scan, FAX) the evidence through to the centre.

When they had finally decided that yes, I was allowed to drive in Japan I was able to return to the centre on the Monday after sports day and spend 2 hours jumping between windows, eyes tests and fiery hoops, before being sent on my merry way with a (very plain and easy for forge) piece of plastic.

Sealion of Gao Aquarium

As a treat to myself for surviving this bloody stupid circus, I took myself to GAO aquarium in Oga. Sitting in front of an enormous tank, watching various schools of fish flitting around and a turtle cruising in lazy circles near the surface was exactly the downtime I needed.

Coupled with about half an hour of watching the spotted sea lions gliding carelessly through the water, I in a much more reasonable mood that when I had arrived.

40 degrees Latitude

With the only planned activity off the list I followed the signs to Nyudozaki peninsula. Here can be found the 40 degree north latitude line, marked with a stone monument. The wind running over the rolling grass hill tumbling down to a ragged coastline reminded me of Ngawi back home, and I took a moment to appreciate that this is actually a beautiful country, and I’m not quite sick of it just yet.

Reluctant to leave the view of the ocean I meandered down narrow coastal roads before heading up into the hills to find the Goshado Shrines. Local legend says that the river like path composed of 999 stones was laid by demons.　

After enjoying the stillness of the Shrines (and reassuring I a local that I hadn’t encountered any wildlife on my way up) the journey back south along the coast brought me to the world-famous-in-Akita Godzilla Rock. Only in Japan.

May Blues feat. Parental Supervision

The past month or so has seen many an ALT slump into a state of niggling worry and inexplicable melancholy.

What we didn’t realise was that there was a term to describe our woe: gogatsubyou “The May blues”.

With many people starting new schools and jobs in April, prospects for the future bloom as brilliantly as the spring sakura. However, like the evanescent blossoms, this innocent optimism dissipates into the rear view mirror along with the shining beacon of hope that was golden week.

Reality check: this is your life.

The bouquet of Tempura we attempted to
conquer in Dogo

Fortunately there were a few of us lasses to get together for a good old-fashioned girls night for a mutual moping session, and of course mud masks. With some stressing about the ludicrous process of changing from an international driver’s permit to a Japanese license (me), the JLPT (Japanese Language proficiency test – also me), the GRE (Graduate Record Examinations – definitely not me) and others preparing to head home in a couple of months, it was definitely the perfect time for a delectable shakshuka (Priscilla’s masterpiece), margaritas (inspite of my being horrifically hungover from a stint on the nomihoudai with the Honjo boys the night before) and a lot of talking.

The reason for my blues was mainly the fact that since saying goodbye to Henry after our week in Hong Kong, I had been holding on to the fact that mum and dad were coming over soon. Needless to say once they had left Akita it was straight into mope mode.

HOWEVER
Happy tears at Itami airport when after 9 months I finally saw mum and dad again in Osaka.

That night I had a hotel room that was about twice the size of my flat. Massage chair and all, we all felt like royalty (mum and dad being mysteriously upgraded to the “VIP” suite.

Friday 19^th of May, 7 years after my high school exchange there, we touched down in Matsuyama. I quickly realised that my host dad hadn’t changed a bit and my host niece Ai, who I hadn’t met before, was a determined little bundle of energy. We stopped in at mdy host grandad’s house for tea and snacks and watch Ai-chan running circles around everyone. My host mum joined us for a drive to one of the temples of the Shikoku 88 temple pilgrimage.

That night we chanced upon a restaurant that sold locally brewed craft beer to accompany our mountain of tempura.

As an exchange student, I had been absolutely enchanted by the ginger cat that could (without fail) be found curled up on a scooter parked in the arcade in Dogo. You can imagine my excitement when, seven years later, I discovered that the cat was still there.

The cat in question

After reuniting with the Dogo cat I met Jordan and Joy, a couple of Wellington JETs that are based in Ehime. They introduced me to a quirky little café full of peanuts (snoopy) paraphernalia and styled in the era that the owner had been born. Discussions about re-contracting, life in Japan, and what our opinions of the incoming JETs were (in the past couple of months the incoming JETs 2017 page has exploded with questions from the newcomers).

A couple of my old school mates, Clara and Akari, took me to visit our old school. They explained to me on the way that the girls’ high school had recently become co-ed and now had a baseball team, cue daydreaming about what it would have been like to go to high school with boys…

The instantaneous greetings of ‘Kuro-chan!’ when the teachers still recognised me after 7 years left me concerned as to what sort of impression I may have left.

In a school that was once dominated my Sailor Moon uniforms and ‘kawaii’ bowties, it was a shock to the system to be acknowledged with abrupt masculine greetings of ‘cha!’ (Abbreviated from ‘konnichiwa’) from the baseball team as we left the grounds.

Clara guided us to an oshare (stylish) café and gave us recommendations on which of the hundred and something coffees to order.

Reunited with mum and dad I attempted to guide us to a craft beer bar that Joy and Jordan has recommended, only to remember that my sense of direction is virtually non-existent and the corner that it was on was actually another couple of blocks away.
Sitting outside in the evening sun we enjoyed a selection of local brews and eats.

A couple of girls that were also at the bar had heard me ordering in Japanese and as gaijin are a relatively uncommon phenomenon in Matsuyama (though not quite to the degree of Akita) they decided to come over for a chat.

It turns out that they were friends of Joy and had actually heard about her ‘friend from Wellington’ that was coming to visit. Small world. After we had sampled a few of the beers on the menu we caught the tram back into Dogo where we graced a restaurant that Akari had recommended for dinner (more beers were consumed).

Sunday 21^st May

The Deer of Kashima Island

We navigated ourselves out to Kashima Island, close enough to swim to from the port but also accessible by a small ferry with a deer perched on the roof.

One sweaty haul up the hill later and we were on top of the island with view of the mainland and of the small cluster of rocks crowned with a torii gate and sacred rope (Shimenawa).

Iwakura at Kashima

The sense of anthropomorphic deities was not prevalent in early Japanese culture and the divine was instead felt through nature. Yorishiro are objects which attract a kami (god) and provide it with a space to occupy. Iwakura are rock formations that are considered holy ground as a kami is invited to descend there. Shimenawa ropes are often found at such places as they are thought to ward off evil spirits and are a symbol of a pure or sacred space. Shimenawa are often seen around trees which are believed to be inhabited Kodama (tree spirits), which are depicted in Princess Mononoke (1997).

Shimenawa bound tree in the
Oyamazumi shrine complex

We walked a full loop of the island, relishing in the sense of summer that washed over us, with mum and dad coming from Wellington’s dismal summer and the harshness of the Akitan winter still fresh in my memory, the warmth of the sun and the crystal blue waters were embraced.

My host family met us back at the port and drove us North across the series of bridges and islands that connect Shikoku to mainland Japan. We stopped at Omishima, home of Oyamazumi Shrine. The shrine was not only preceded by a torii gate and flanked by komainu (guardian dogs) but also by a Temple gate, usually found at Buddhist temples.

The small rice paddy inside the complex plays host to a rice planting ceremony during which a mortal will battle a god in a sumo match (which I imagine would be quite an entertaining spectacle), the winner determines the bountifulness of the harvest (or at least that’s what I managed to comprehend from my host dad’s explanation).

Kodama - as depicted in Princess Mononoke
picutre: http://studio-ghibli.wikia.com/wiki/Kodama

The Shrine complex was home to a museum of national treasures, holding Samurai armour, swords, weapons and other such relics that had been in use long before New Zealand was even colonised. The rich history of it all really hit when we stumbled upon a painting of the complex from centuries ago. Depicted in the courtyard was the rope bound tree that we had passed on the way in. While generations of people had come and gone, while the island had gone from almost inaccessible to part of a chain connected by miles of infrastructure, the tree had remained for two and a half millennia.

Gate guarded by Komainu -  Oyamazumi

On the subject of time and all things doomed, my host dad explained the significance of the komainu dogs that guard the shrines. Despite originating from Buddhist culture, they are found guarding Shinto shrines, one dog with its mouth open, the other with its mouth closed. These poses are symbolic of the first and last letters of the Sanskrit alphabet a and um respectively, representing the beginning and end of all things.

Everyone was a little quieter and worn out on the drive back, though I still sat in the middle row of my host family’s seven seater so that I could interpret conversations between my parents and host parents more easily. Shin fell asleep on his mum’s lap in the back seat and at that stage looked a lot more like the 7 year-old that I had known 7 years ago.

Close encounters at the petting zoo

Back in Dogo we wandered to a local restaurant which served locally brewed craft beer (does it show that I was enjoying not having to worry about drinking and driving?) and ordered a number of dishes off of the menu, including puffer fish skin.

Monday saw the closing of our time in Matsuyama. We took one last stroll through the arcade that morning, had one last pat of the cat on the scooter, and found a café where we could sit in a small garden and indulge in coffee and ichiroku taruto.

My host parents collected us from the hotel and took us to a mall where I was absolutely thrilled to discover a petting zoo. I certainly got my fix of fuzzies after holding rabbits, hamsters and a baby sugar glider. I also had my first experience with skin nibbling fish.

There may have been a few tears shed when I finally had to say goodbye to my host parents at the airport.

Peaceful final morning spent in Matsuyama.