My Week: Around and About

These photos are a really random selection! I've re-starting taking photos of all the random things I find. I'd stopped doing it, but then I've just started re-noticing all the Japan-y thing! Plus, it's summer, and so people and things and nature are all prettier and just clamour  to be photographed! 

"You can be a drag queen" for the bargain price of ¥100!

Pikachu smiling at us from the opposing train

Rurousha and Lina, this one is for you! 

I bought a yukata, to be worn to tanabata :)

My Japanese tutor decided that we could have a summer break yesterday, and so we made this gorgeous book instead of studying!

And then she fed me pomegranate juice and macaroons!

The rice and the greenery are both growing fast!

A funny dancing bird/castle, advertising a festival in Aomori

Our friend moved into a new apartment, and we went round to see it...

...and cook and eat Mexican food!

Matsushima Bay

Matsushima Bay, as I think I've mentioned before, is a bay full of pine covered islands. The kanji for the name kind of give this away, since they're 松-pine tree and島-island. It's one of Japan's '3 most scenic views'. I'd hate to be disloyal to Miyagi, but, well, I don't think it's exactly deserving of it's ranking. It's nice and peaceful and pretty enough, but I think Matsuo Basho must have been looking through some rose tinted glasses (or smoking something too strong) when he penned the haiku;

Matsushima ah!

A-ah, Matsushima, ah!

Matsushima, ah!

apparently because he was lost for words at the beauty! Hmmm.

 John and I had a lovely day though, wandering around the islands and exploring the edges of a nearby shrine. 

The biggest elm in Miyagi prefecture. What an accolade!

Walking over this bridge to Godaido, an island temple. Apparently you're supposed to look at the water to centre yourself before you reach the island so you can worship with concentration.

Out to sea from Godaido

Inside are 5 enshrined deities (go=五＝5), but if you want to see them you'll have to wait a while...they're only displayed to the public once every 33 years! The last time was in 2006, so you've still got 27 years to wait. Bad luck.

Bridge to Fukuurajima

I love looking out to sea.

Cool rocks on Fukuurajima

Apparently crossing this bridge allows you to have new relationships...was it good or bad that we crossed separately?!

Good spot for a bento picnic lunch! 

Shrine on the island

The island is covered with walks and lovely views across the bay.

I'm all for fresh sashimi, but I think this is taking it a bit too far! 

This cheery chappy is outside Zuiganji temple. The temple itself is supposed to be lovely, but it'll have to wait for another day. It's ¥700 to get in, so we thought we'd save it for when we come with parents.

A strange tree

Caves near the temple, full of statues

Thanks for a lovely day Matsushima! We'll be back, just don't expect any haikus! 

It's Summer at Last!

Hurrah! It's finally summer! There's still the odd downpour (and by odd I mean about every other day), but there's been a lot of sunshine inbetween and we've finally got out and about enjoying it!

Picnic in the park! 

Izakaya nights

Anti smoking sign.

A co-worker left (to cycle across America of all things), and so we had a leaving party. It involved roast turkey dinner (not pictured), cake...

...and a human pyramid, naturally.

Strange building on the way to one of my schools.

Lazy afternoon alone in the park :D

Pika pikaaaaaaaaa

YUM.

Recycling plant at Kuzuoka. 

Waiting in the sunshine for the train.

We joined some Tohoku University students to share and play playground games. It was really fun! 

The Next 5 months

It was a difficult decision, made for lots of reasons, but John and I have decided to limit our stay in Japan to one year after all. The main factors are not feeling very satisfied with lives here (too much free time and it's been impossible for us to find worthwhile activities to get involved in) and an increase in competitiveness for the Masters course we want to do on return to the UK (Social Work). So, we'll be heading back home at around Christmas time.

In the meantime, we still have just over five months left in Japan. We've managed to fit a lot into the last 7 months, but there are a lot of things I still really want to fit in before we go. Both sets of parents are visiting in the next couple of months, so we're hoping to do lots of these things with them. 

Things local to here

• Climb Mount Zao - We've skied down this gorgeous volcano, but now I want to hike up it and marvel at it's lovely lake.
• Visit Yamadera - A temple on a mountainside, only 20 mins by train from our house. It's a disgrace that we haven't been yet, but we haven't. It'll happen!
• Visit Matsushima Bay - We did this today. Photos coming soon!
• Visit Zuihoden Mausoleum - Sendai isn't exactly chock-a-block with historic buildings, but Date Masamune founded the city, and is buried here. Since I have had a love of him and his onigiri head since I first got here, I think I need to spend an hour or two 

See what I mean about the onigiri head?!

• Celebrate Tanabata - Most of Japan celebrated tanabata last week, but the biggest and best is yet to come! Sendai has the most famous festival in Japan, held at the start of august. It conveniently falls on my birthday, and I planning to celebrate hard! 
• Go to the statue - It's a little know fact that Sendai has the 6th tallest statue in the world. It's of the  Buddhist bohisattva (enlightened person), Kannon. However, it was built for tax avoidance, rather than religious motives and so people don't like it. It's not mentioned in most tourism info, and is apparently surrounded by pachinko parlours. Sounds like it has the potential to be an amusing, if not enlightening experience!

Others

• Buy LOTS of stationary/origami/bento/craft items and send them home - I love all these things, and Japan is a paradise for them. I plan on buying a good few years supply. Good thing my parents have a big attic!
• Play pachinko - It's loud, it's garish, it's expensive, but it's apparently regularly played by 1 in 6 Japanese people, makes up 40% of the Japanese leisure industry (including bars and restaurants) and it's revenue is 4 times that of all the casino gambling in the world. It seems to be an essential Japanese experience. 
• Take couples purikura - I love purikura. John hates it, but I just need to get a few beers in him, and I'll have some photos that will make all the Japanese people I know go kawaiiiiii for about an hour!
• Stay in a love hotel - Not as sleezy as it sounds. They're not all about prostitutes here, but provide privacy for couples living with extended family, plus they're a cheap and convenient place to stay. another random only-in-Japan thing! 
• Visit Tokyo Disneyland and Disneysea - I love Disney. I plan on going in November, on a school day. Hopefully that way I can have Mickey (and Duffy) all to myself.

source

• Get a good view of Mount Fuji - Climbing Mount Fuji was on my list of things to do before leaving Japan, but I don't think I'm going to have time during the open season, plus various blogs about it make it sound less enjoyable than a lot of other climbs, so I've given up on the idea. It's gorgeous and iconic though, and the small glimpse I got from the Shinkansen isn't enough. I want to go and revel in the view sometime.
• See the Pandas at Ueno Zoo - Panda's are cute, and there aren't any in England. 

Anyone got any other suggestions? I think it's a fairly achievable list so far. There are a few other things I ideally want to do (visit Hiroshima and Nara, climb Mount Iwate, visit Kinkasen island (it's pretty close, but I don't know if you can get there post tsunami), visit Hiraizumi, see the 5 coloured lakes), but I'll see how I go. 

Weird Things I Found in the Supermarket

I'm hesitant to post this, because John's parents are coming to visit in under 2 months, and mine less than a month later, and they're all already convinced that Japanese food is weird and strange and they're all going to starve. As we know, and they'll soon realise, most Japanese food is delicious and safe and not scary at all. However, there is some very strange stuff lurking around. Evidence:

I think these are hearts. Or some kind of bizarre innards anyway.

Chicken gristle

Freaky sea monster.

Sea urchin. It'd have to be a lot cheaper than half price to tempt me.

OK, so this was at a sushi bar, not the supermarket, but it's massive octopus tentacle sushi. We actually ate this one (as opposed to all the ones above). It was tasty enough but too chewy and the suckers kind of popped as you bit them. Gross.

Typhoon

Last week, there was a typhoon. John tried to tell me that by the time it got here it was just a storm, but despite meteorological semantics, it was a LOT of wind and rain. We were slightly worried our flimsy little apartment would blow away, but when we awoke we weren't in Oz, so it appears it survived! However, the next morning, as we looked out of our apartment, this was the view outside our window...

Lots of diggers moving lots of dirt.

Where did it all come from, I hear you ask? Well, a quick look up the road revealed this...

BOOM!

How we didn't hear this explode in the night is beyond me, but obviously the rain drumming on the roof drowned it out. Our best guess is that the water pipe somehow exploded, but if anyone has a better guess, I'd love to hear it! 

But by the next evening, all was peace and happiness. 

There was a lovely sunset (I hate wires)...

...and the road was completely sorted out.