お節料理! Osechi Ryori! (New Years feast!) I tried my best to label things that readers wouldn't know by sight maybe. The main focus of the dinner was the crab, but there were many delicious foods! We did make a few things, but mostly it comes in a large stacked box resembling a set platter of food! We separated it into smaller boxes too.

Kamaboko: Processed fish cakes made into loaves and are pretty colors! They have a festive look, don't they? (Left)
Takoyaki: Is a ball shaped snack with a wheat flour-based batter. On the inside is octopus! (Right)

Kinpira Gobou: Carrot and Burdock root (gobou) sauteed together in soy sauce. We made this! Very easy and tasty! (Burdock Root, Left)
Karaage: Basically fried chicken, famous in Oita! (Right)

Tamagoyaki: It's basically scrambled egg made into a loaf and cut in an aesthetically pleasing manner. (Left)
Edamame/Kuromame: Beans! Kuromame are sweet black beans. Edamame are soy beans.

Mochi and Dango: I typically eat it when it's in a sweet/candy form, covered in, or filled with something sweet, but it can be used in soups, or grilled, basically anything. Here is what Wikipedia has to say: "Mochi is Japanese rice cake made of mochigome, a short-grain glutinous rice. The rice is pounded into paste and molded into the desired shape. In Japan it is traditionally made in a ceremony called mochitsuki."Dango is made from a mochiko, related to mochi. Both are very chewy and glutinous!

I drank sake out of a crab head. Apparently that's a thing. According to my host family, crab and sake go hand in hand and I can assure you, they do. Hot sake is best. For the new year, of course there were fireworks. Always fireworks. In Arao, there is an amusement park that shoots of fireworks. We didn't go into the amusement park, but we went to a shrine near it and watched the fireworks from there. They were short, but very pretty. After that we visited the shrine we watched from and asked for good luck/health/fortune for the new year.

On new years day we visited a local shrine. Yotsuyama Shrine which was built nearly 1000 years ago. It's a shrine that has a god for small business owners. So at the beginning of the year many shop owners go there to pray for a good year. It's a small shrine up a small mountain. It's a steep walk, but many elderly people still made it with ease. By elderly I mean like 80 and 90 years old.

Yotsuyama Shinto Shrine

In front of a 5 yen coin!

I prayed for a happy new year for my friends and family, as well as good health! I hope I got that, because the fortune I got said I'd have a bad year with money. I got the worst one for money. Go figure! I hope everyone had a lovely New Years!

Today was the day of getting lost. I got so lost, so often that I started thinking: "Well, it could be worse. At least I am in the right country."

I went to Shinjuku, Harauku and Shibuya today.

Shinjuku and Shibuya has the famed, terribly busy crossing that we think of when we see Tokyo. It's used in movies, almost as a symbol of Tokyo. In my whole time in Japan, the most homeless people I ever saw was here, and there were two. (Or maybe they were just passed out drunk, I don't know.)

Yes I walked in it, but no, I didn't stay for long. I took this from the window (you can see the X shadows from the window) from the station.
Shinjuku station is also famous for Hachiko (the dog who waited at the station every day for his owner even after he passed away). It's the number 1 meet up spot in Japan. (And of course it took me forever to find the damn exit)

After getting lost, and more lost, and so very lost. I ended up taking a train to Harajuku to see Takeshitadori which is a street known for shopping, crazy clothes, music and youth. Many people cosplay here, dressing as their favorite anime character. The latest trends are said to come out of this street, but sometimes the fashion seems a little too wild. (Or maybe I am being old.)

Takeshita Street

Half of them are foreigners

A typical storefront

You crazy kids (and the foreigner taking a photo with you)

The fun didn't stop there. After I was done with the crazy crowded youth, I went to Meiji shrine. It was hot. I mean, really hot. The sky was blue, but it was so bright that it looks bright white. My sunglasses were not enough. The walk is beautiful and rather long. It was high noon so not much shade.

THAT IS ALL SAKE

BEAUTIFUL SAKE

Less crowded and so beautiful

I did a loop around the shrine, out the back, went back through Takeshita street the back way, then went across the street to Yayogi Park. I didn't stay long because there were many mosquitoes and it was getting late afternoon. It's a beautiful active park, filled with joggers, kids playing catch, or the occasional students doing homework.

Oh. And these rockabilly groups who, despite the painful heat and humidity, still danced for us foreigners.

I had maps, I had train tickets, I prepared everything, but still got lost. I constantly got turned around and spent a lot of time wandering. I was able to do all of these in a day, but it was definitely tiring. I came back a little early to shower, get dinner at a small restaurant and went to bed early.

Why early?

Because tomorrow...

DISNEY LAND!

From Osaka, I took a bus to Tokyo. It was an experience, but also very cheap! It's an overnight bus that left around eleven at night and arrived at six. The arrival time was perfect because it was before rush hour and therefore I could sit on the metro which was a little confusing at first, but if you follow the crowd off the bus, chances are they are going to the train station too. Then the subway maps are color coded.

I took Willerbus, which has really cheap bus rides. There are many buses to choose from. The big thing I like is that only women sit next to women! (If you are alone.) Married couples of course sit next to each other, but only women will sit with women. This bus was about 25USD and put me right at Shinjuku station.

From there I went straight to Asakusa. I couldn't check into my hostel at first so I put everything in a station locker (which are very convenient and safe) then I went around Asakusa. I was a little tired and in need of a shower sort of. It was early, about eight am when I got there.

Many would call Asakusa "Old Tokyo" because the look and feel of Asakusa is old. I felt comfortable there, as it was easy enough to figure out and small enough to walk around pleasantly.

Sensoji Temple

 Right off the station I walked past a quiet Sensoji Temple. Last time I came to Japan five years ago, this temple was under construction so I couldn't see the front of the main building. There were many people there last time. But this time it was quiet (as it was very early) so the shops leading from this gate to the main building were all closed.

Second gate

So that's what the main building looks like!

Main building close up

 There was also a small park to the left of the temple which was a short cut to my hostel (I figured that out after walking the long way and realizing it was a giant square).

After some breakfast and more wandering around, I found my hostel and checked in. I went back to get my luggage from the station and was finally able to take a shower and comfortably walk around.

Some magical reflective building

Never too far from home

 I decided to check out KappaBashi, which was only a few streets back from my hostel. KappaBashi is a street that is known for it's many kitchen stores! Aside from funky kitchen things, takoyaki machines, cookie cutters of every shape and kitty cat spatulas, it is known for plastic food! Every Japanese restaurant has plastic food on display that looks good enough to eat! (I was unable to take pictures inside the small stores, as the cashiers were staring at me the whole time.)

This is a Kappa

 A Kappa is a turtle like thing in Japanese legends. It's favorite food is cucumbers! The street wasn't named after a Kappa on purpose, but later adopted the Kappa as it's mascot because why not. This is Japan.

Because Japan

 After some browsing, didn't buy much because this was day one. I came back to my hostel to find there was a somen party! Free food! Somen is a very thin noodle. (Udon being the thickest, then soba, ramen, then somen is the thinest). Typically eaten cold therefore a popular summer food. To have more fun and difficulty they put it down a slide made of bamboo. A hose was set up at the top and a trashcan held the water. You catch it with chop sticks and dip it in soyu (sorta like soy sauce, more watered down). Sometimes they put down mini tomatoes, tiny fish and cheese!

There was a filming here during this party and I made Japanese Tv. It cannot be put on youtube nor can I download it. I'll try to find a way to get a hold of it, but those not in Japan cannot view it right now.

Summer break started a month ago actually. To start off I went to Arao to see my host family. They are so sweet. Since my host mother is retired she is often free and can spend time with me. This does not mean she does nothing. She has climbed mount fuji and plans on doing it again. She often meets with friends at a community center to do pottery and crafts. She is very active!

Hiroko

Tatsuo

Every day I woke up at around 8, and she was already up, did laundry and walked around the block with ankle weights. Yet she did not go to bed until midnight or later. I cannot for the life of me figure out when Japanese people sleep and how they are so active.

At Kifune Shrine

We went to a small matsuri (festival) and a ceremony was held. The very decorated woman is Himiko, a queen. I will have to do some more research, but she is supposedly a descendant of queen Himiko whose domain is still in debate. It was a beautiful ceremony with dancing. In the picture above, they are drinking sake (alcohol) out of that massive barrel. Yummm.

And then there were fireworks that topped the Boston 4th of July fireworks. This was a tiny festival. America needs to figure out how to use fireworks better. Every day there is a festival somewhere in the summer time. Japan knows how to party.

Are quite possibly the best families other than your own.

They help you adjust into a culture. They WANT to help you adjust to a culture. They are NOT teacher, nor are they professionals. They might not speak your language, they don't even know who you are until you arrive. Despite all of that, they WANT to spend time with you and show you their culture.

In a previous post I mentioned how I went to pottery with my host mother! Well, I got a package this morning with the finished product! (The mug and rice bowl had to be fired, which takes a little while.)

They also sent me cookies. (Which I was in dire need of), some pictures of the lots of sake we had and a letter (written in Japanese.)

Japanese class has been hard. But as soon as I opened up that letter, I realized again why I wanted to learn Japanese.

Not only this loving host family, but my host family from Sendai. I want to talk to them in Japanese, I want to write them letters, I want to communicate, to have fun, to cook with them and to enjoy my stay in Japan.

While you are still young, go somewhere, anywhere, and stay with a host family. This is the second time I've stayed with a host family and the experience was the best in the world.
I mean, look at how cute my host mother is!

Stay with a host family!

Do it!

Today we had a day with our home stay families!

First, I went with my host mother (Hiroko) to a pottery class! We made a bowl and a mug each! In a month the fired product will be sent to APU! I love working with clay so I enjoyed myself! My host mother doesn't speak English, but we are good with communicating. I understand what she is saying most of the time, but I am not good with responding.

After that we went to lunch at a Chinese restaurant... which is nothing like in America. The food was delicious! The dessert was my favorite! Very sweet!

We then went to a お寺 (temple). Renkein Okunoin (Link), home to the largest temple bell! There were many sakura (cherry blossom) trees, but only a few were in bloom, like this one! Very very pretty! In a few weeks more will be in bloom!

To end the day, we went to an onsen! No pictures of course since we were not alone. It's a public bath, like a spa. Very very relaxing! There was a small outdoor section too which was beautiful!

For dinner we made curry and gyoza. I am enjoying sake very much! Hot sake is delicious! A friend of Hiroko's came over later with her adorable dog named Fukumaru! Very sweet shiba inu!