Monday, July 14, 2014

Mt. Nakadake in Aso, Tsujunkyo, and Gorogataki Falls

My mother-in-law Patti came to visit us in Japan and we have been up to all sorts of adventures. We've eaten sushi a couple times and tried out our favorite restaurants with her, like our cheap Yakiniku place. As for new and exciting places we went to Aso yesterday (Saturday) and Yamato today (Sunday).

In Aso we went to Kusasenri and went up to the crater on Mt. Nakadake. It was surreal, I didn't expect it to look like that! There was no water in the crater just billowing clouds of sulfur gas. We were able to look down into the crater and see where is was coming from. You are only able to go to see the crater if the winds are blowing in the right direction and the dangerous gases aren't overwhelming. We've gone to Aso three times trying to get to see the crater but the dangerous gases always ruined the plan.

At the top there were these cement shelters so you could run to them in case of a volcanic eruption. Around them the earth was very rocky and everything was shades of gray and brown. The earth looked very fertile even though there wasn't a lot of foliage.


Little shelters to save you from flying mud

The crater with tons of sulfur gas.


Notice the stages of eruption. Kind of scary!

<3

View of the walking area from the crater.


The area was all different shades of brown and gray. It was so beautiful.


Views from the B-1 Section of the crater viewing platform.

Aso Ropeway
 
 
Tsujun Bridge (通潤橋 -kyō) was very interesting too, even though we missed them opening up the water flow (which opens at noon everyday supposedly).  It was raining, but it made the experience more memorable (and wet).
 
We parked and walked around some rice paddies up the side of the aqueduct and across it. It was great to see the view from the top. After looking from the top of the aqueduct we walked down this trail that had the kanji's for Gorogataki Falls... but it also had the kanji's for "risk"... but we took our chances! The path was very risky and slippery but it led down to the waterfall, as well as the maintained path that I didn't initially see. I wouldn't recommend the "risk" path to anyone who wasn't surefooted on mossy steps. I think the path is pretty much closed, so it is better to take the better maintained one. However, it was all part of the adventure! Gorogataki Falls was so amazing, I'm glad we walked down to see it.
 
 
 
Tsujun Bridge - The aqueduct

Ducks!


Top of the bridge.

Amazing views from the top of the bridge.

 

Neat information on Tsujunkyo.

Walking down the risky path!

Gorogataki Falls

There was a red metal walkway near the base of the river which led to a pond.


 "Gorogataki is the largest waterfall in Yamato Town, Kumamoto. The sight of water cascading down from a height of 50 meters into the basin of the falls is captivating, especially when crowned by a rainbow. The area around the falls consists of layers of lava deposited when Mt. Aso erupted. The falls has beautifully carved out the rock walls to the left and right. It is said that when the landlord Aso clan hosted envoys from the Imperial Court and took them to the falls, the envoys goranni-natta (honorific word meaning 'saw') the falls. Goranni-natta was corrupted to gorojita, from which the name Gorogataki is said to be derived. There is a promenade between the falls and Tsujunkyo Bridge. The view of the falls from the suspension bridge before the falls is magnificent."


 
 
I highly recommend the crater in Aso, Tsujun Bridge, and Gorogataki Falls (which is a short walk from Tsujun Bridge). Everything is really accessible by car, and easy to find on google maps.


Here is a link to the Official Aso Geopark Website: http://www.aso-geopark.jp.e.ed.hp.transer.com/geosites/geosite02.html

Information websites for Tsujun Bridge and Gorogataki Falls:
 

Saturday, June 21, 2014

Getting a Driver's License in Kumamoto

Recently I had the pleasure of transferring my International Driving Permit to a Japanese driver's license. To any other foreigner who has had to do this, you know how much of a pain it can be!
 
I went with Rob and his tantosha (supervisor) on Monday. We did a written test of 10 questions, which consisted of the easiest driving questions ever. For example, true or false, when a light is working and indicates green, but an officer directing traffic says stop, you should continue following the traffic signal. A 7/10 is required to pass this test.
 
There was also a bunch of paperwork, all in Japanese, that you have to fill out. I am so grateful to have had the help of Rob's tantosha.
 
We paid a few fees, and BAM we were set to take the driving test. The test was at 1 pm, so we had a couple hours of waiting time where we snacked on conbini food. In addition, at 12 pm you are allowed to walk the course. There are 2 courses.  You should probably memorize the course before the actual test to help you when driving.
 
 
 
The kanjis on the left side say gaimen, AKA gaikokujin course.
It will have a number indicating the course of that day.
 
 Panorama of the driving course.
 
 Course 2
 
Course 1
 
 
However, even after walking the course and studying the map we still failed. We were not close enough to the curb and didn't check our blind spots appropriately. We had to rewrite some of our documents for the next time we would try.
 
On the first day you have to be at the Menkyo center quite early and have an appointment, but for future attempts no appointment is necessary, just show up at 11:30 and check in.
 
 
I failed on Tuesday. *Sigh* So I decided to go to driving school! It was 5,900 Yen for a 1 hour lesson, but well worth the money. When I went back on Thursday to try again I passed! I couldn't believe it, but it totally happened.
 
Rob went to driving school on Friday, then took the test and passed.
 

 
 
 Rob driving at the Toyofuku Driving School
 
 
The internet is filled with horror stories of ALTs and other foreigners not passing, even after 5 times. However, I now see that there is a little bit of logic to the madness. The test does not seem to necessarily test your driving skills in life, instead it tests how well you can drive the course. The easiest way to do this is to go to driving school. I know two people personally who passed on their first try, it IS possible. The driving test and overall experience will go much better if you don't fight it, but instead accept that it is a necessary evil of driving in Japan if you choose to stay long term.
 
My first two attempts I said "hai" every time I looked in a new direction. My third try I said migi-check and hidari check. I think that this was more helpful than saying "hai" 50 times. Also, I didn't always remember the course, but the police officer was more than happy to tell me were to go, usually in Japanese. Masugo - straight, migi- right, hidari- left, tomete - stop. It is also extremely important to drive in the correct area of the lane. When turning right you should be very close to the right line, when turning left be very close to the left line. When you go straight, you should be about 50 cm from the left line.  
 
If there was only one piece of advice I could give to someone taking this test, I'd say go to driving school and  while you are there, buy one of their 800 Yen maps which tells you exactly when to turn, turn on turn signals, check blind spots, and merge lanes.
 
 
Links:
http://www.toyofuku-jikyou.jp/ - Toyofuku Driving School website
 
http://kumamotojet.com/Driving--and--Cars.php#IDP - Kumamoto Jet Driving and Cars section has a lot of useful information regarding procedure and specific paperwork you will need. 

Monday, April 14, 2014

Bamboo Shoots

It has been a really long time since I've posted anything! We got really busy after the holidays, especially because I started working more (YAY!) We have been up to many fun things but just for the sake of getting the blog back in order, this will be a quick one about one of our latest adventures.

Last weekend we went to one of our student's houses and had a picnic/lunch where we also dug up bamboo shoots. The only time I have ever bought bamboo shoots was from a can, so it was quite the learning experience. I loved it even though it was really hard work.

First you have to dig a circle around the shoot, then you dig deeper on one side. After, you have to take the hoe/half pick ax and chop/pull it out.


These bamboo shoots have a short season, but they grow like CRAZY when they are in season. So we got a lot of them. They are absolutely delicious if you cook them the right way!



Tuesday, January 21, 2014

Repurposing Household Goods

Between adventures, work, and volunteering I like to do a variety of things. Recently I've started "pinteresting" hardcore to get my crafting ideas flowing. Here are a few recycling things I have come up with:
 
A pen holder from an empty Hershey's syrup bottle. I cut off the top in a rounded angle and hot glued magnets to the back of it. Inside I put a cut up  towel so that the pens would stick out a little more and so the ink wouldn't get all over the bottom of the holder.
Alternatively, you can cut a hole in the top back and hang it somewhere instead of gluing magnets on it for the refrigerator.
 
Super simple, and super cute.
 
 
A holder from my lightweight bathroom items.
I cut off the bottom of a Listerine bottle and hot glued it to the actual mirror plastic because it is old and it should peel of easily if I don't want it there anymore. It is really simple to do and I was able to save $1 by now buying a holder for the items.
 
 
 
Food organization boxes.
 
I wrapped a couple unused tea boxes and am now using them for spices and candy. It was easy and could be done with either glue or tape. I will be working on repurposing more boxes and cans as they become available because every home needs some organization. ^_^
 
 
Repurposed an empty jar for other spices and taped the labels on the jar so that they will remain fresh.
 
 Pen/Pencil/Market Holder
In Japan, most of the bleach bottles are small and are a light teal color. After peeling off the label, cutting off the top and giving it a good scrub it is a perfect writing utensil holder for a desk.
 
More to come...

Friday, January 10, 2014

Owl Family in Osaka

On our vacation, we went to visit an Owl Cafe. I have experience with cat cafes, but I did not expect that one could interact with the owls in the same manner. The cafe we went to was called Owl Family. We showed up a little before 1 and hovered around the door, not sure what we should do. The windows had blinds down with pictures and a video playing of people petting and holding owls. We were also trying to decipher the sign because it looked like they were closing at different times due to the New Year. I think someone inside heard us speaking in English and poked out with a signup sheet. After signing up for 1 PM we walked around a shopping arcade; people were outside a restaurant pounding mochi with a giant hammer, which was neat to see. Time flew by and we quickly walked back to the cafe.
 
The same woman popped out and started calling names from the list. Finally, we went in. It cost ¥1,000 per person for 1 hour. We sat at tables that were very close together and listened to the instructions and rules (in Japanese) while we tried to follow along on our directly-translated paper. Rob and I figured it was best if we just watched what everyone else did to figure out what we should do (which was obviously the best move). We got up when everyone else got up and walked over to the owls. All the owls had a rope around one leg to prevent them from flying away which was good because some tried to fly away. Staff members monitored all the owls while they helped customers.
 
[ OWLS! ]
 
I know owls as predators with sharp beaks and talons, but the other customers were not at all nervous about handling dangerous predators. I was shocked! We could pet them and hold them on our forearm, shoulder or head. I monitored the situation before I would let these raptors near my arms and face. Once I deemed, it safe I stood in line to hold the big owl. I told the lady “watashi wa kowai” which means I am scared, with a big nervous smile on my face. She showed me how to pet the owl but this owl had a little bit of an attitude so I figured posing for a picture was a much safer bet. Rob then held the bird, pet it, and posed for a picture, like a boss.  

[Rob holding the big owl like a boss]

[We got to hold other owls too!]
 
We were able to hold a bunch of owls and snagged some cute pictures. It was an amazing experience! I think the owls are all for sale, but holding them for an hour was enough for me (although I would definitely go back). It was safe and the staff were very helpful.

I would definitely do it again, and I would recommend it to anyone who has some free time in Osaka.

 

Friday, December 27, 2013

Tokyo

In December we went on a trip to Tokyo. The main purpose was so I could take the LSAT, but we figured why not have fun too!

We stayed at Sakura Hotel which was lovely! The room was small, but it was cheap, clean, and safe.  We had dinner at a no name salary man restaurant. Basically it's a restaurant that serves food that is easy to eat very quickly so that salary men can eat something after work.  Our first night we turned in early on account of my exam.

The next morning we made our way to Temple University. Rob wished me good luck and went to take on the town. The test was hard, I didn't study enough, and I felt ill. Hopefully I did well. Lol

After I met with Rob and he told me he had spent the morning in Akihabara. So we decided to go back there. We bought a delightful heated toilet seat, as well as some other small shopping. Akihabara had an interesting array of stores which mostly consisted of adult shops and technology stores. Mixed in were the navi establishments, maid cafes, and restaurants. Oddly enough it didn't feel seedy.

The next day we hit up Shinjuku and went shopping. We sat at the Starbucks above the main pedestrian crossing which was so busy! Then we went to Ginza to look at the Christmas lights and check out the Sony showroom. They had all these new cameras and TVs and I want all of them! Also Rob wanted to go see the Nissan Blade Glider car. After a busy day we went to Tokyo skytree. It is the tallest free-standing structure in the world! At the base of the tower there were shops including a Ghibli store! 

We had a blast in Tokyo! There were so many gaijin compared to Kumamoto! We ate at krispy kreme, many McDonalds, and many salary man restaurants. I can't wait to go back!