Okinawa: Manzamo

 Another part of our delightful bus tour! I actually really wanted to see this, but others... Not so much. (Them: So what is it again? Me: It's a rock. A cliff. Shaped like an elephant. Them: ...And?) Well, sometimes that's enough! Geez! I mean, look at it!

IT TOTALLY LOOKS LIKE AN ELEPHANT!

Oh, the sea's really pretty too.

I have to say that while the view was AMAZING, it wasn't the kind of place that we could freely explore. I've heard something about tourists not being allowed on the cliff itself, but I can't specifically remember any signs. There was however, something like a designated walk-way. Our visit was fairly hit and run. There are some stalls set up in the parking lot; there is the cliff, which you can take pictures of; and you can walk around and take pictures of a bit more things. And then you go. No climbing, no hunting for cool never before seen areas... Maybe you could if you were not on a timed bus tour. It looks like a beautiful place for a nice picnic. Or a game of tag!

Provided you don't fall down one of these, of course.

The name, Manzamo, doesn't mean "This Cliff Totally Looks Like an Elephant, Check It Out", unfortunately. Apparently, in the late 18th century the Ryukyuan king Sho Kei visited the area, saw its grassy expanses, and said, "Man, 10,000 of my peeps could chill here!" only probably in much frillier language, as kings so often speak. So the name means something like "place where 10,000 men can sit".

King Sho Kei: I'm not even exaggerating, there's like, so much space!

Why would a king latch onto this comparatively mundane aspect in the face of the cliff's obvious elephant likeness? Actually it may not have been so obvious in the late 18th century. The cliff is made of limestone, which is very easily eroded away. All the more reason for you to stop by, especially if you have a leisurely picnic planned; it may be not so amazingly elephant-like for long. I suppose the area may not even be as big as it was when King Sho Kei first saw it. Nevertheless, it still is a beautiful place to see.

 

 

I was wondering about this picture below... What's the rope for?

Okinawa: Ryukyu Mura

The other day I received an email from my host sister. They had gone to Okinawa and taken a picture in front of Shisa. Of course, I haven't told you readers much of Okinawa. So here is another installment, very belatedly. Welcome to Ryuukyuu Mura.

 
This was part of our bus tour. Ryukyu Mura is a park showcasing the culture and traditional homes and crafts of Okinawa, or the Ryukyu Islands. The Ryukyuan people are the indigenous people of Okinawa, who had their own kingdom prior to being brought under Japanese control. The kingdom was officially dissolved in the Meiji period, but had actively engaged in trade with China for a long period of time. They have their own language, which is related to Japanese, and a distinct culture. The homes in Ryukyu Mura were taken from throughout Okinawa and reassembled in the park, which offers musical shows and skits for the entertainment of guests, besides providing a cultural education.

 

There is also a snake show, featuring the Habu, which fights mongooses - not in the show, of course. Due to our time constraints, we were unable to see the show, but it plays on a schedule throughout the day. Incidentally, the habu, which is poisonous, gets put into sake.
 

 The little elves in the tree welcome you into the village.

 

There are displays of Ryukyu fashion, like above. Ryukyu Mura also showcases their clay-working skills (below). You can buy many clay trinkets and cups, etc, which are made on location. I bought a pretty turtle necklace for my aunt. 

You'll also be able to see dances (they encourage participation).

Martial arts demonstrations can be seen too, but we unfortunately missed them. We did, though, manage to catch a short skit:

Near the exit of the park, the brown sugar mill operates, still run by a water  buffalo, just as it was in the old days. The brown sugar is used to flavour many things, including the cookie-biscuits which are often seen in souvenir shops, said to have been the food stuff of kings.

There are little food shops, as well as souvenirs of all sorts. The food vendor that had this lovely fellow out in front of her window sold a delicious coconut drink, which Doro happily partook of. Mmm, coconut!

This is a must-go place, in my estimation. There is an ample variety of things to do and see - we did a lot of seeing, but guests are encouraged to try their hand at Okinawan crafts as well - and the area itself is quite beautiful, full of flowers and lush vegetation. It was a hot day but very cool in the shade of all the trees.

I will また来る！I will!

On Returning to America, and my Study Abroad Experience

Well, it has been about a month since I returned from Japan, and I think I have thought about my feelings at the time enough to sort them out. Oh yes, the handkerchief that my kind neighbor Mrs. Yamada gave me - "it's very absorbent," she told me, before she started crying - really came in handy on the plane out of Nagoya. But honestly I started missing Japan, and all the people I'd met there, long before it was time for me to leave. If you want to stop reading here, let me say that my general advice, whether you want to study abroad in Japan or elsewhere, is "Jump in, no regrets". Simply taking the plunge and going to a new country is part of that, whether you achieve all you set out to do or not.

Nomikai・のみかい･飲み会

So one of the things that I enjoy in Japan is the NOMIKAI. Having joined two clubs I got to participate in a few, and I have to say that they are one of the things I will miss.


No, you guys, this is not because I am an alcoholic. I don't drink in America, mostly because it is still not legal for me, and partly because I think beer smells terrible. Actually, the funnest part (the part that is most fun?) of the nomikai is the 会　(the meeting).

Takayama and Hida Village

Read in Japanese

A few months ago we went to Takayama (Gifu Prefecture 岐阜県) for a day trip (aka a couple-hours-worth-of-trip, if you include travel time), which was unfortunately not quite long enough to explore all we could. As you can see at their website, they have a lot to offer, from morning markets, to a squirrel park, to museums and shrines.

高山･飛騨の里

英語で読む

数週間前、岐阜県の高山に行きました。サイトで読むとおり、りす森、買い物、博物館、神社の他にも、色々がありますので、時間があれば、観光をたくさんできます。

あいにく、学生に配れた地図によると、リス森、昆虫の館、テディベアエコビレッジ、飛騨国分寺とか、私たちが行きたかった場所には料金があるようだったから、けちな私たちは、高山の道を歩いて、お土産の店や料金がないものを見ることにしました。大後悔！お金のことを心配すぎ！

 一日をゆっくり過ごして、面白い博物館などを見たいから、いつかまた高山に行きたいと思います。今度お金のことを心配しない！リス森を絶対見ます！

飛騨の里も料金がありましたが、そこには入りました。ひだの里は、民人の古い家が保たれている、民芸品が作られている博物館です。色々な民芸品の製作を経験ができます。

池にすんでいる魚にえさをやれる。
えさは１００円。 

無料で、着物やかさを借りられて、ここにポーズして写真できます！

家も、工場も保たれています。

 家に入ることができます。
脱ぎやすい靴をはいてください！ 

飛騨の里はとても面白くて、静かな場所でした。そんなに大きく見えないけど、見るのはけっこう時間がかかります。ここにもまた行って、もっとゆっくり見たいです。中のお土産は大体手作りなので、値段はちょっと高いだけど、飛騨の里の外にも大きなお土産屋さんがあります。

Some notes: 

Tokyo Sevens Festival

 Read in Japanese

On the 25th of April I went with the Nagoya Ladies to take part in the Tokyo Rugby Sevens Festival! No, I didn't suddenly get amazing at rugby - I went as the help (otetsudai・おてつだい・お手伝い). The Ladies only had one side and a couple subs, so everyone had a tiring three games. But they won every single one of them! You can see the scores for the women's side of the tournament here, on the Nagoya Ladies Blog. Some photos...

東京セブンスフェスタ

英語で読む

四月２５日、名古屋レディースと一緒に、東京セブンスフェスタに行けました。いや、私は急にラグビーが上手になったわけじゃなくて、ただお手伝いとして行きましたよ！レディースは、人数が少なかったので、きっと大変疲れたのに皆さんは三つの試合にも出なければならなかったですけど、全部勝ちましたよ。 名古屋レディースのブログで、得点が見えます。それに、ここで写真を少しだけ載せます！

最初の試合。

試合中。

観衆。

ハーフタイム。 

こんなに大きいトーナメントを観るのは、初めてでした。男子選手は、体がでっかッ！皆巨人でした。そして、日本のU-23代表チームの女子も強くて、インテンスな（っていうか、熱情的な？）人たちでした。でもフェスタのスターは、レディースだね、と思いました。すごいキック、すごいタックル、すごいフットワーク。すごいチームワーク！その日、レディースが元気よくラグビーをやることを観ると、昨日の夜は車の中に寝たと思わないでしょう。でも本当に、皆さんは車に寝て寒い夜を過ごしたよ！

適当な服などがなくて、貸してもらった私は、きっと迷惑をかけたと思ったけど、さすがに皆さんは心温かくてフェスタに誘ってくれました。行けてとてもよかったと思います。

チャンピオン！

Some notes...

Bamboo Shoots

Read in Japanese

The other day my host father, brother, and sister took me out to an acquaintance`s house to go digging for take no ko (bamboo shoots). We carried shovels and trowels and I felt very quaint thinking I would be digging up food that I would later eat myself. (I like to delude myself with illusions of self-reliance.) If I ever end up without food in some place which happens to be plentiful in bamboo, I am prepared. I feel like I have become more adult.

We went a bit early in the morning, before I had rugby practice. The sun was out, but where we were digging was very shaded (what with all the bamboo), so my camera did a bad job of capturing the scene (also I was very busy digging), and I have only a few very low quality pictures.

 Take no ko in the ground

So what you do is find the shoot poking out of the ground. My host brother is especially adept at this. Once you find one, you begin to excavate the dirt around it. Basically you dig around the shoot and wiggle it about every once in a while to determine if you can try and pull it out yet. My host sister and I had a fun time doing this together. The thing to take care of is that you don`t break the shoot until you hit these tiny red, knobby, bead-like things at the bottom.

Digging!