Monday, January 19, 2009

Tonkotsu Ramen and A Baby

Snow. Lots of it. Dreading my drive over a cliffy mountain with 3 feet of visibility to an unheated apartment where toothpaste freezes. Yep.. back in Katashina again after a month of travels. And yep.. its winter… Katashina-style.
Well, let’s start with something a little more cheery. Went home for the holidays. Yes it had “only” been 4 months since I was last back but I HAD to see my nephew as a new baby.. as a lump of rolly polly adorableness with cheeks still puggy and fingers not yet found. It was amazing to see everyone, family and friends, and to celebrate a Christmas that didn’t involve seaweed or curry. Of course it was all too short and, after a ridiculously amazing New Years in NYC, I was heading back to Japan.
But wait! All was not lost.. I was headed to the SOUT H of Japan. For the next week I travelled with my friend (Japanese- limited English) through Southern Japan. First stop was Fukuoka, where one can wear a light jacket still. Fukuoka was .. nice. Some really interesting architecture and museums and the most mind blowing tonkotsu ramen I’ve ever experienced and probably will ever experience. Highlight was definitely going to a Kyotei race course. Surrley old men bet on men racing in itty bitty boats around a man-made pond http://www.kyotei.or.jp/contents/basic_e/. My friend and I were gunning for the 15,000$ pot but missed out.
Our first overnight bus took us to Hiroshima (overnight bus was the way to go as it is waay cheaper than the shink and cuts out a night in a hotel.. not the most comfortable but, as you may know, I end up snoring away no matter the comfort). Our first day was spent in Miyajima, an island with that iconic red gate in the water. It was a beautiful day to hike all around the island and even avoided the teams of obachans that swarmed the trails. That night we had Hiroshima’s trademark food, okinomiyaki with noodles http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okinomiyaki.

The next day was overcast and cool, apropos weather for the sombre day it became. First stop was the Atomic Bomb Dome. This building was directly under the explosion, August 6th, 1945 at 8:15am. As a result it was partially saved from the blast. Next was the Peace Museum- a well designed museum committed to sharing the experience, educating in hopes of eradicating atomic bombs in the world. It was really powerful and informative. Parts of it were horrific and upsetting, but all truthful. With the burning rivers, black rain, melting skeletons and moans of pain, it was truly hell on earth. And to think it was planned, man made, a “strategic” move was all more horrifying. The theories of deterrence or Mutually Assured Destruction that I had studied in class, justified on paper, now seemed ludicrous, insane that causing this hell again was even chanced. I was overcome with emotions and found it hard to speak for a while afterwards.
ANYWAYS… our second overnight bus brought us to Osaka. My friend and I split ways for the day, I ventured to an aquarium on my own (seemingly lonely but just add your ipod and a couple of Air tracks and its actually fantastic) then to a shrine that was readying for a festival the following day. I walked back slowly, taking in the chaos of lights and sounds and the outspoken, social personality of Osaka. Prime example, the ojisan I met on the way back- friendly, a little too friendly when he insisted on holding my hand as he escorted me back to the station. The following day I went to the festival they were preparing the day before. It was for the god Ebisu, the god of good luck and wealth. From what I followed, people bring last year’s lucky branches and drop them in a box at the shrine. Then they go to the shrine front where the priests are displaying branches for the following year. Once they pick the branch right for them they go through a street of stalls with girls selling particular charms to attach to their branch that bring in different types of luck. Then you eat eat eat all the delicious festival food the stalls sell. Oh, and Osaka’s cuisine of choice- takoyaki (octopus fried balls), incredible, probably tying Fukuoka’s ramen for number one.
Next up was Kyoto. Both of us had already been there so we took it easy, not running off to the popular shrines swarmed by tourists. Sanjusangenko, a temple with a long hall filled with 1001 Buddahs. It was impressive, as you might imagine, and please do imagine because I was unable to take pictures. The story is that within those Buddahs was one that looked like you. The next day was more sightseeing. First to Yasaka shrine where I got my fortune for next year (lookin good). Then, Nanzenji: a really expansive temple complex complete with an aqueduct built in the 1860s. My personal favorite was the Eikando Temple. It was set back into the mountains and had fairly few other tourists. We explored most of the temple separately, discovering the hidden waterfalls and peaceful Buddahs. Finally we headed to Nijo Jinya. This is an inn close to the castle that the owner altered in order to host the lords visiting Kyoto in the 1600s. It is complete with secret escapes, fake stairs, and hidden passages. A very cool house (cooler if the tour wasn’t entirely in Japanese). Our last dinner of the trip was yuzu nabe (citrusy hotpot thingy). 9 hours later on a bus and 3 hours on a train I was back in Gunma and the winter wonderland that it’s become.
THE END
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