I haven't updated in a while, but that's because this month was the busiest I've had since coming to Japan! January was packed with lots of work, two trips out of the prefecture, and several fabulous New Year parties (not to mention that I finally got a video rental membership with the local DVD rental store...) So, I figured it's about time I updated everyone on what's been happening in Kurobe, Japan!
Matsumoto City, Nagano Prefecture
I realized during the holiday that I hadn't left Toyama Prefecture since I flew here in July, so I decided it was high time for me to take a trip somewhere. Because I am a bit of a Japanese history nerd, my destination was Mastumoto City, home of Matsumoto Castle--one of the three most spectacular remaining Japanese castles--and the country's biggest wood-block print museum. Among, of course, other things.
Matsumoto City is a little under four hours away from Kurobe by car, so I started up Peggy one snowy Saturday morning and away we went. After a small snaggle involving an almost-empty gas tank, I finally found my way to Matsumoto during the early hours of the afternoon. I spent my first day visiting Matsumoto Castle, an old elementary school from the 1800s, and the woodblock print museum I'd been wanting to visit for over a year.
Matsumoto City is a little under four hours away from Kurobe by car, so I started up Peggy one snowy Saturday morning and away we went. After a small snaggle involving an almost-empty gas tank, I finally found my way to Matsumoto during the early hours of the afternoon. I spent my first day visiting Matsumoto Castle, an old elementary school from the 1800s, and the woodblock print museum I'd been wanting to visit for over a year.
All three things were truly spectacular, but I did notice something funny during my tourist wanderings--I no longer feel comfortable being surrounded by non-Japanese people. Is it possible to get proprietary over a country? Because I think I am.
"This is my country, damn it! Go get your own!"
Oh brain...you certainly are enough to give a neuroscientist a lifetime of work.
"This is my country, damn it! Go get your own!"
Oh brain...you certainly are enough to give a neuroscientist a lifetime of work.
Mastumoto Castle is truly an amazing work of architecture, but it's not hard to see its roots as a wartime fortification. From the outside, it's very dark and ominous, jutting up out of the valley floor. On the inside, the staircases are incredibly steep (in an effort to make an attack difficult) and an entire, window-less floor was designed to be completely invisible from the outside. I went to Himeji Castle last summer and was blown away by how light and historic it felt. In contrast, Matsumoto Castle had a palpably dark past.
During my stay in Matsumoto, I spent two nights at a hostel downtown run by a man named Brian, a former JET from Ireland, and his wife Shuko. Sunday morning dawned bright and cold, and I'd forgotten what it felt like to wake up in a house filled with other people. Usually I love living in an apartment by myself--I have a freedom and a responsibility that I've never had before--but there are some drawbacks. I find myself having more frequent disturbing dreams than I did when I lived with Dad, and the noise of the guest house made me realize how much I miss waking up to the morning noise of other people. It was quite nice, particularly since I traveled on a slow weekend and had an entire hostel room to myself for both nights.
Matsumoto was a lovely break from Kurobe, but I was certainly happy to come back. I really do love it, as hard as it is for some people to believe. Rural life is so peaceful and quiet, and Kurobe is bordered by the stunning Japanese Alps to the east and the Pacific Ocean to the west, so you couldn't ask for more beautiful scenery. Going to the city is fun, but at the end of the day I think I'm a country gal.
Hakuba Five Dragons Ski Resort, Nagano
Mid-way through January, I ventured out with a large group of JETs on the yearly JET ski-trip to Hakuba, a ski-resort city in Nagano Prefecture. I'd actually driven through Hakuba on my way to Matsumoto two weeks before, so I was really looking forward to it (even though I hadn't been snowboarding in several years). The snow wasn't great the first day, but it was lovely Colorado-esque powder on the second day, so we all ended up having a good time.
Nice as the skiing was, I think the best part of the trip was finally convincing my friend to try out a Japanese hot spring (onsen) for the first time. A lot of people are hesitant when it comes to onsen because the Japanese versions are a no-clothing zone, unlike most of the hot springs in the US. That being said, the Japanese communal bathing culture is one of the things I missed most when I came back from Japan last year. Onsen are basically giant hot-tubs, and getting to unwind with my friends after a long day was such a relaxing experience. My friend loved it (as I knew she would) and thus I considered our ski-trip a success. Not to mention that I managed not to break anything all weekend! As it turns out, Japanese ski resorts are exactly the same as US ones--only with more Australians.
Nice as the skiing was, I think the best part of the trip was finally convincing my friend to try out a Japanese hot spring (onsen) for the first time. A lot of people are hesitant when it comes to onsen because the Japanese versions are a no-clothing zone, unlike most of the hot springs in the US. That being said, the Japanese communal bathing culture is one of the things I missed most when I came back from Japan last year. Onsen are basically giant hot-tubs, and getting to unwind with my friends after a long day was such a relaxing experience. My friend loved it (as I knew she would) and thus I considered our ski-trip a success. Not to mention that I managed not to break anything all weekend! As it turns out, Japanese ski resorts are exactly the same as US ones--only with more Australians.
January in Kurobe
January is a big month for Japanese people, because the start of the new year is very culturally important. It's a big family holiday, very similar to the way Christmas is usually celebrated in the US. Lots of tasty food is eaten, children are plied with excessive amounts of free money, many shops are closed for a few days, and there's a festive air surrounding everything. The math teacher at my school took pity on lonesome old me and invited me to join in her family's festivities, which was a lovely thing to do. Her mother is a professional kimono dresser (she teaches classes to anyone wishing to learn the art of dressing someone in a kimono) who loves foreigners, so she wanted to get her kimono-wielding hands on me. Other than a few snags along the way (she wasn't sure what to do with my crazy lady hair or with my *ahem* ample figure) it was a pretty fun experience. It's a bit like a corset, I suppose, in the sense that it's interesting to try but certainly would be horrible to wear every day. There were a crazy amount of layers, and the band around the middle seemed to be doing its damndest to death-squeeze all my internal organs.
"Just so you know, don't try to eat. It won't go well."
Never have wiser words been spoken.
"Just so you know, don't try to eat. It won't go well."
Never have wiser words been spoken.
So, that's what I've been up to lately. It was a busy month, but it was probably the most memorable of them all so far. We finally got some snow this week (I've been expecting it since late November) and I do love the snow. I've started walking to school instead of driving, and my morning walk takes me over lovely back-roads covered in fluffy snow. It makes me feel like a bigger part of the community, too, since I can greet the people I pass on my way. In the US, I feel like there's a tradition of acknowledging people who walk by you, whether with a nod, a wave, a "Hello!" or even just a smile. That same tradition does not exist in Japan, but it's something that I brought with me and will stand by until someone slaps me for it. Which will hopefully never happen.
I've officially signed onto the JET Program for another year, I've spent more than six months in Kurobe, and my classes are getting more friendly and comfortable every single day. I really feel like I've settled into my life in Japan so much more easily than I thought I would. All the things I was worried about haven't happened, and I am certainly looking forward to spending another year enjoying my apartment, job, and wonderful new friends.
For those of you who don't know, I am indeed planning on coming back to the US over spring break. I'm flying out of Kurobe on the 19th of March and leaving Denver on April 1st. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone (and looking forward to Ethiopian food and processed vegetarian junk so very much) but I'm no longer worried that I won't want to come back to Japan afterward. Everyone I love in America has a life of their own now, and--for the next few years--I have a life of my own in Kurobe, Japan. It's a good feeling.
For the time being, if you have an interest in checking out some of the pictures I've taken in Japan but haven't put on my blog, feel free to head over to my Photobucket page (click here) where I've uploaded them more or less indiscriminately. I'm really enjoying my new camera (though, I admit to not bringing it on the ski-trip since I didn't want to wreck it) and I get a little trigger-happy when I bring it out. Goodbye for now, and fellow Coloradans: see you in March!
I've officially signed onto the JET Program for another year, I've spent more than six months in Kurobe, and my classes are getting more friendly and comfortable every single day. I really feel like I've settled into my life in Japan so much more easily than I thought I would. All the things I was worried about haven't happened, and I am certainly looking forward to spending another year enjoying my apartment, job, and wonderful new friends.
For those of you who don't know, I am indeed planning on coming back to the US over spring break. I'm flying out of Kurobe on the 19th of March and leaving Denver on April 1st. I'm looking forward to seeing everyone (and looking forward to Ethiopian food and processed vegetarian junk so very much) but I'm no longer worried that I won't want to come back to Japan afterward. Everyone I love in America has a life of their own now, and--for the next few years--I have a life of my own in Kurobe, Japan. It's a good feeling.
For the time being, if you have an interest in checking out some of the pictures I've taken in Japan but haven't put on my blog, feel free to head over to my Photobucket page (click here) where I've uploaded them more or less indiscriminately. I'm really enjoying my new camera (though, I admit to not bringing it on the ski-trip since I didn't want to wreck it) and I get a little trigger-happy when I bring it out. Goodbye for now, and fellow Coloradans: see you in March!