Japan: Day 5 - Tōno

Day 5:
Another early morning to explore Tōno! Even though Tōno is nearly 25,000 people it's very spread out since it's a made up of a lot of farm land! Our first stop of the day was Furusato Village!
This village has seven structures that demonstrate the 'old ways' of life, some with crafts like pottery & tie-dying, and others with traditional L-Shaped houses where families lived with their homes attached to their stables where their livestock was. This is so that their horses & other farm animals were well attended to even in the harsh winter months.
Alex & I got to do some tie-dying, it was so much fun!!!

After exploring the village when then drove to Fukusenji Temple, which was supposed to be closed for winter, but we couldn't resist not hiking up snowy path that had been untouched for several months now! Luckily we didn't get caught visiting this temple on the mountain top, but our footprints were evidence enough… 😁 It was worth the risk!

When then drove to Denshoen Village, where we made little wooden Kappa's with our wishes on the back! Traditionally, you hang the wooden Kappa up in the garden in Denshoen, but we wanted to keep ours, as we have been granted lots of good luck & good fortune on this trip so far 😜 the different houses in this village homed different history's & legends of Tōno! Unfortunately, a lot of it was in Japanese, but luckily Alex knew a lot of the history by memory! Happy to know the significance of some of these landmarks through Alex's knowledge!

We later ate sushi again at a local sushi spot in Tōno where Alex goes all the time! We got $5 worth of sushi…. which goes a long way when you're in small town Japan! We had lots of side glances & giggles at this small hole in the wall restaurant. So funny to literally be the only Westerners in town. We definitely stuck out.

Egg, shrimp, tuna & squid sushi

We then quickly made it back to the apartment in time to meet up with Mami & Haruka, two juniors from Tōno High School! They brought their calligraphy sets & patiently attempted to teach Alex & me a few Japanese characters & our names! They carefully bought special paper & painted examples for us to look at while we practiced.

It was a very sweet experience, as we got to know about their home & family lives, study habits of a typical Japanese student, & their cute personalities! Alex & I took them out to spicy ramen after to thank them for helping us!

This was a history filled day, Alex has continually impressed me with her knowledge about Tōno legends, history & culture!

Japan: Day 4 - Tōno

Day 4:
With an early arrival in Tōno, we walked 1.5 miles back to Alex's apartment surrounded by snow & mountains! It was the perfect opportunity for Alex to give me a walking tour of her town. Tōno is known as the 'hometown' of Japan, so in other words, a very traditional, folklore town home to a common people that hold very traditional Japanese values. Their claim to fame appears to be this book of folktales called "The Legends of Tōno"; you cannot go into any museum in the area without some mention of the author, Kunio Yanagita.
We settled into her apartment for a quick rest before setting out to visit the Nambo Shrine that holds  seven of the deities of Buddha, the Tōno Municipal Museum, & last but not least, Gohyaki Rakan "500 Buddhist Disciples" hike! As the story goes, a famine due to poor harvest led to the deaths of 500 Buddhist priests, who all died of starvation. The only remaining priest dedicated his time to honoring the lives of those lost by carving a Buddha on over 500 rocks on this mountain side! It was absolutely mind-blowing to see all the carvings, which were ancient yet still very visible on the rocks, even though many were coated in snow & moss.

After this hike we slid, quite literally 😿 ,  down the mountain back to the car.
A quick shower & a top bun later, we headed to Keiko's, Alex's Japanese momma, to experience a REAL Japanese Tea Ceremony! Upon arriving we were greeted by three elderly women, who giggled & chattered in Japanese, with Alex translating when necessary. The amount of detail & precision that goes into this art of tea is absolutely astounding...! Every movement, step, stir, turn, & placement is carefully coordinated & calculated, nothing is done unplanned. Alex is practicing to be able to lead a tea ceremony, she took a turn performing the task of entering with the tools & pots, mixing the tea & serving the tea. Keiko led the ceremony while the two other ladies sat on either side of me & Alex to show us what to do. Our movements were just as precise & methodical, but very few compared to the amount that Alex had to do when leading the ceremony. It definitely blew me away, & I am so thankful I got to experience this once in a lifetime opportunity! Wearing the Kimonos & seeing the level of detail & layers (!!!!!) was also very cool & gave me a new appreciation for the time it takes for anyone dawning these on a daily basis!

We parted Keiko's with so much gratitude, exchanging gifts & then slipping back on our shoes to rush back to Alex's to meet up with Hinata to cook Okonomiyaki. This is a traditional Japanese pancake of sorts, made with finely chopped green onions & cabbage mixed into a batter of flour, eggs & water. On top it is glazed with Japanese mayonnaise & a type of teriyaki sauce & cheese. These pancake filled my entire plate & stuffed my tummy! We then exchanged gifts with Hanata & blew out candles to celebrate her 17th birthday! So thankful for her spending time with us to teach us how to cook this excellent Japanese dish! This is one I'll be making when I get home!

The city being surrounded by mountains densely packed with trees is something my pictures cannot do justice! The snow that accumulated made for some incredible pictures, but also my childlike heart loved simply stomping through the inches of dust below my feet! Definitely something I'm not used to!

Time for bed, as tomorrow is yet another busy day!

Japan: Day 3 - Tokyo

Day 3: Tokyo
Today began early, getting up & out of the door by 6:30am to store our luggage at the Uedo Train Station, which is where we would be taking the overnight train to Tōno at 10:30pm later in the day... a long day ahead of us!
We hurried to the Tskuiji Fish Market where the noise bustling people filled the air, not to mention the smell of all sorts of aquatic animals, dead & alive!!! Foreigners & natives alike came early to get the freshest fish; the best always goes first! Knowing that what we were eating had literally been swimming in the ocean just a few hours ago was a strange feeling until you chomped into a huge bite of nigiri that literally changes every impression you've had of sushi... ever! Raw salmon, tuna, and cooked shrimp atop a layer of wasabi & rice: heaven. Many people are mistaken to think that raw fish is will be extremely fishy, in actuality, it's the least fishy of all! Fresh, raw fish has an incredible texture & taste that pairs so nicely when prepared in correct proportions of rice &/or wasabi.

Alex taught me some important customs of chopsticks & sushi, such as eating sushi ALWAYS in one bite, flipping your sushi over to dip into soy sauce (as to not saturate the rice & destroy the flavor) & to never poke or prod your food, to always pick it up properly, as it's seen as disrespectful to pick at the food set in front of you.
Next stop, we traveled to the famous SkyTree Tower in Japan! This is a shopping mall that has 12 floors of shopping & food; Japan's version of mall of America :P We tried to visit at least each cloor of SkyTree, but visiting every shop? Impossible...! Too many to even imagine! We next ate a snack at Nana's Green Tea, a popular chain of matcha drinks & ice cream! I got iced matcha latte with mochi & matcha ice cream! It was sooo good,... if you like matcha!
Boasting 634 meters tall, we took an elevator to one of the tallest sight seeing spots on the SkyTree Tower that overlooks Tokyo! It was an incredible view!
We then made our way over to Asakusa Shopping street, which was shops on shops on shops of trinkets, clothes, bags, & souvenirs. Then began the rain... :) We decided to move forward with our plans for the day, because, why not? It cleared out of some of the crowds, haha!
We continued onward to Sensoji Temple, Tokyo's oldest Buddhist Temples! Seeing people come to worship & engage in the rituals before worship was incredible; I always love to see other religions in practice. Of course, Alex & I couldn't let them have all the fun, so we tried to find our own luck in the popular form of Omikuji. You take a metal box full of bamboo sticks & shake out a numbered stick. You then match the number to a drawer & inside will be a fortune! If it is good luck, you keep the fortune :) If it's bad, you tie it to a post & leave it behind. Alex left her bad fortune in Sensoji :)

We then doddled in the rain, trying to decide a plan of action since the rain spoiled many of our outdoor plans. We stumbled upon an udon shop, which had huge thick noodles with a variety of styles/meats to choose from! This small, lovely shop had a row of stools that faced the window outside, which was apparently extremely entertaining for the locals who gawked & giggled at two Americans who seemed to be out of place & very off the beaten path :P

We then went to Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building, where we avoided rain & used free wifi on both the North & South Observation decks! Oh, & we enjoyed the view of Tokyo as well ;)

Then we had dinner at a restaurant in Ueno Station before catching our overnight bus to Alex's hometown! Whew.... I'm glad I have Alex to navigate the city, buses, & metro. Did I mention that Alex successfully routed us on EVERY metro we took? Never a wrong stop or an incorrect ticket. Color me impressed. Despite all the metros, we somehow managed to walk 9 miles under our shoes! Thankful for the opportunity to sit on a bus, even if it is for 8 hours :P
 Next stop: Tōno!!!!

-Allie

Japan: Day 2 - Tokyo

Day 2:
Luckily we got to sleep in! We woke up at a leisurely 9:30am & Alex made us tea :) We finally got ready to get up & go. First stop, Owl Cafe! Japan is famous for themed restaurants, you name it, they probably got it. Alex found this SUPER cute Owl Cafe, so we took the metro to Chuo district to made reservations early. Once we made our reservation, we stopped in small take-away food stop. I ordered a Bento box & Alex ordered Korean noodles. I had no idea what half the things in the Bento box were, lucky Alex knew the names/animals of everything I was attempting to eat :D

The Owl Cafe we such a unique experience!!! You walk into a small one room cafe, that must have nearly two dozen owls sitting on perches. Once we ordered our drinks we then got a briefing of how to handle the owls & then were set loose to pick which owls we wanted to hold on own hands, shoulders or heads hahahah! There were owls a small as 100g to ones that were twice the size of my head! They also had these Harry Potter robes which Alex & I enjoyed a little too much :)

After wayyyy too much fun with all the little owls we made our way to the Bunkyo district by metro to Tokyo Dome! Tokyo Dome is a huge shopping, amusement park &, the most exciting, famous Japanese onsen ;) THIS is what I've been looking forward to! Anyone that knows me knows how much I love my R&R, & this type of traditional Japanese bathhouse is a 'must do' for my list here. It's something I would recommend anyone that visits Japan to do, but I know most will find it very uncomfortable instead of relaxing. 

After removing our shoes & stowing them in lockers outside the main entrance of the Spa LaQua, Alex & I were given electronic wristbands that would keep track of our expenses within the onsen. You pay for all the services used at the end. We then set foot into the women's 'locker room' where we were given a choice of three spa outfits to wear. We then figured out how to use our wristbands to open our lockers where we changed into our little dresses. Photography is absolutely not allowed, but Alex & I snapped these quick ones; we couldn't resist!

We then walked towards the signs leading to the baths, where we stepped into a room full of little cubbies where everyone was removing their clothes... so what's the point of the little outfits we were given?!? Alex & I were a little hazy on the order of events at this point. There were a few english signs but any with enough information to help us understand precisely the etiquette for this whole things was. As luck would have it, we came across an english speaking Japanese women who told us to use the little towel to 'hide yourself' if we wanted but to go clean our skin/bodies before entering the baths. We definitely chose to 'hide' ourselves with the small hand towel that was provided!! Definitely wasn't made for American girls who are not 5'0'' & 105 lbs....

We walked into a mass of low set 'stalls' of cleaning stations, where there was a small stool equipped with shampoo, conditioner, makeup remover & body wash. We washed our bodies, while trying to discretely watch what everyone else was doing so that we could follow suite. FINALLY we were ready to enter the baths. All the baths are mineral infused ranging from 20ºC to 42ºC (68F-107.6F) & a sauna that was 120ºF!!!! We tried it all, trying to climb into the water as quickly as possible to keep ourselves covered. As modest, southern girls, we were definitely out of our comfort zone, as ladies from 13 years old to oldest of grannies just walked around, unapologetically naked. After spending a few hours, we then got back into our spa clothes & explored the rest of the facility, which included segregated men & women's lounges & also a unisex lounge. These lounges were basically hundreds of recliners equipped with personal TVs, blankets, magazines just to relax or sleep. It was so strange to see everyone enjoying this type of communal yet personal relaxation.

After seeing everything there was to see at Spa LaQua, we put back on our normal clothes and explored the rest of Tokyo Dome! 

It was time to meet up with Alex's friend Owen, a Taiwanese guy who had just finished a six-week internship in Alex's town. Alex made reservations at yet another themed restaurant: Alcatraz ER! We removed our shoes before entering the jail cell, & ordered weird drink concoctions that were all medical themed.

Our waitress was a nurse & there was a 'show' midway through dinner where they shut off all the lights so it felt like a prison break gone wrong! It was actually so scary :(

Owen then wanted to take us to an Irish bar in Shibuya! We got to walk across Shibuya Crossing, which is the largest street cross in the world! It felt like the NYC of Japan! It was such a cool experience to be with the hundreds of people trying to cross the street in a million directions in this one spot in Tokyo.

Finally, we made it back to the Air B&B! Time for bed, as tomorrow we have to get up EARLY to hit the Tskuiji Fish Market! The earlier the better!!! Goodnight!

-Allie 

Japan: Day 1 - Tokyo

Day 1: Tokyo
After a 13.5 hour flight from NYC, I finally made it Japan!!! I landed in Tokyo around 3pm & found Alex immediately after customs and immigration.
We made the commute to our Air BnB from Narita Airport to the Shinjuku district of Tokyo. Tokyo is the largest city in the WORLD, claiming 13.6 million residents! Our Air BnB was in a great location just minutes from the metro.
Alex explained to me some of the cultural do's & don'ts, which I quickly became sensitive to, but am still having to be gently reminded of at times :) A perfect example is the removing of shoes to enter homes/certain rooms. Upon arrival to our BnB, there is a small entry way & then a step 'up' with two pair of slippers at the bottom. This 'step up' is a cultural queue to remove your shoes before entering & to change into the slippers provided. This is very traditional in Japan & it observed in ALL house holds, many restaurants, & even different slippers many be provided to enter the water closet!!!

Our first stop was the Samurai Museum, which was just a quick walk to from our BnB. It was a small museum that boasted many ancient swords, sensei & general uniforms & some of the first Japanese made guns, many of which were modeled after the Portuguese guns but had their own distinct Japanese flair. I learned so much about the history of the samurai & their role in Japanese culture & history! My first public place to have to remove my shoes to step onto the 'tatami mat' which is a woven straw material. It is very hard to clean so it's important to remove your shoes & just wear indoor slippers or socks.

After the museum, we walked through the Shinjuku district & decided to walk into a fried chicken shop! Clearly throwing my vegetarianism out the window for this trip, I ordered chicken fresh to order & ramen. It was SO delicious.

We then made our way back to the apartment & turned in for the night. Excited for Day 2, as it's going to be a busy day!!!