Now that we're into summer - and the heat and humidity have amped up and are rather oppressive...
which has me spending a bit more time inside and under the AC unit than I'd like...I've finally had time to reflect on the happenings of our second spring season here in Japan. Highlights definitely include another beautiful sakura (cherry blossom) season and visits from three absolutely amazing friends who made the long trek to experience Japan life with us! It's crazy to think that we have just about six months left in Japan...time seems to be going so quickly and so slowly all at the same time!
~*Happenings*~
China - As mentioned in its own blog post, we took a trip to China with friends for a long weekend at the end of March. The trip was a lot of fun and was definitely full of new experiences!
Sakura Season - Beginning in April, sakura began to bloom all over Japan - filling the trees with beautiful pink flowers and the parks with tons of hanami parties and picnics. This year, peak bloom was delayed about two weeks due to a colder winter - and luckily coincided with my college roommates' visit to Japan. So, in addition to Nagoya, I was also able to enjoy sakura season in Kyoto, Kamakura, and Tokyo this year...definitely a once in a lifetime experience!
Robin and Sarah Visited - In April, my amazing college roommates and friends, Sarah and Robin, made the long journey to come spend ten days with us in Japan! One of the coolest things about having family and friends visit Japan - in addition to getting to spend some quality time with them - is getting to see and experience Japan through their eyes! And to know that important people in our lives were able to share in this adventure with us! Our trip started out with a traditional ryokan/onsen stay and trip to Odawara and Kamakura, followed by a few days exploring Tokyo, some time experiencing daily life in Nagoya, and we finished up with a day-trip to Kyoto to explore the traditional temples and shrines. Here's a few pictures from their trip!
First Dragon's Game - Since Japan doesn't celebrate Easter, Kaz and I decided to celebrate by going to our first Dragon's Game. The Dragons are Nagoya's professional baseball team; and even though they don't have a very good record....we still had a great time! One of the first differences we noticed between a baseball game in Japan and a baseball game in America was that you can bring in your own food and drinks! We thought we were getting our tea taken away from us - but the workers simply handed us a paper cup and asked us to pour the contents of our bottles into the cup. They did this with everyone who came through the gate - whether they had water, tea, juice, or beer.
It seemed like using the paper cups helped to cut down on presence of bottles and cans to collect and recycle later. Another difference was that -
in typical Japanese style - there were coordinated cheers and songs throughout the entire game. There was a dedicated spot for the "cheer section"and those fans had instruments, signs, and more. The opposing team also had a dedicated cheering section and the two teams took turns performing their cheers and songs.
And, actually, I don't think either fan section ever cheered over the other!
Nabana no sato - On a sunny afternoon in April, Kaz and I visited Nabana no Sato. Nabana no Sato is a flower park that is part of a larger amusement park/spa/resort complex. During the day, visitors can enjoy beautiful flowers...
some of the biggest and most perfect flowers I've ever seen. And, at night - the park
and flowers are illuminated and visitors can enjoy the flowers in a totally new way.
Thailand and Cambodia - This year, for Golden Week, we spent time exploring both Thailand and Cambodia. See previous blog posts for even more details of our Golden Week adventures.
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| Tea bushes |
Tea Picking - Uji is a small town near Kyoto that is famous for tea - specifically matcha. My friend, Nicole, who is currently taking classes to learn how to perform traditional Japanese tea ceremony, invited me on a trip with her sensei and some other expats to learn more about Japan's tea culture and to try my hand at tea leaf picking. One of sensei's student's families actually owns a tea farm and he invited us to tour the factory. During the tour, I learned many interesting things. One was the difference between green tea and matcha - as you hear both terms used almost interchangeably here. Matcha is actually ground up green tea leaves that are mixed with water (
like a powder) and then drunk; whereas, green tea refers to the leaves when they are seeped in how water and then drunk.
Now I know why matcha is so much stronger and more potent than green tea. I also learned that green tea seeped in hot water does contain caffeine, while green tea seeped in cold water does not. This is because the hot water somehow activates the leaves to release caffeine.
After touring the factory, the family graciously invited us to their home - where we were able to try our hand at tea leaf picking in the fields behind their house. I learned that the tea leaf picking season is actually quite short - only about thirty days. And, I learned that one can tell when the leaves are ready to pick because they are shiny. Once the leaves become dull - they can no longer be used. Later, during lunch, we were all able to try using the stone grinder to grind the tea leaves into matcha powder. I was surprised how much arm power was needed to grind the tea!
On our way home, we made several stops. The first was at the famous Byodoin Temple. It's a World Heritage Site and is also on the back of the 10 yen coin. The temple sits on an island in the middle of a pond, and is said to have been designed with the image of the Buddhist Pure Land (Heaven) in mind. The second was a site that was featured/described in the famous Japanese novel - The Tale of the Genji. And the third was to Mimurotoji Temple (aka - Flower Temple), which is known for its gardens. May is azalea season in Japan - and this park had more azaleas than I've ever seen in one place. Another win for Japan and its amazing flowers!
Kaz's birthday weekend trip to Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Naoshima - May is one of the best weather months in Japan. The sun is usually shining, there is little rain, and the temperatures are warm - but not hot...making it the ideal time for weekend trips! This year, we spent Kaz's birthday weekend exploring Hiroshima, Miyajima, and Naoshima. I've been to Hiroshima and Miyajima three times already with visitors and it's definitely one of my favorite places in all of Japan. Kaz has not been since he was little - so we traded roles and I actually was able to play tour guide for a change. I really enjoyed being able to show Kaz around and watching him enjoy new places and new experiences. The highlight of our time in Hiroshima and Miyajima was definitely hiking Mt. Misen. Mt. Misen is also known as "Virgin Forest Misen" because of the primitive plants which still exist on the mountain.
The next day we took a boat to Naoshima - a small island famous for its contemporary art. Visitors can rent bikes and ride around the island - visiting small art museums as well as free-standing art. Look for a future blog post with even more information about this part of the trip!
Dawn's Visit - In mid-May, my friend Dawn came and visited us in Japan. Our trip started out in the small town of Kanazawa, which was beautiful! We were given "Welcome to our Town" cards by some local students and we ate ice cream covered with gold leafing. We then continued on to Nara (
where we got 'attacked' by the bowing deer) and to Horyu-ji (
where we saw Japan's oldest wooden buildings). On our way home, we stopped in Osaka for some okonomiyaki and then headed back to Nagoya. From Nagoya, we took a day-trip to Kyoto and then ended with a few rainy days in Tokyo. Kaz and I are sure lucky to have such wonderful friends!! Here's a few pictures from Dawn's trip.
Onsen Trip - In mid-June, right before rainy season began in Japan - we took a weekend trip to an onsen on Awaji Island. Highlights of the weekend included eating biwa ice cream, viewing the suspension bridge (
which reminded me a lot of the Mackinac Bridge), exploring Awaji Hana Sajiki Garde, visiting Izanagi Shrine (
Japan's oldest shrine - and where Japan is believed to have been founded/formed), eating a huge dinner feast, taking in a beautiful sunset, soaking in the onsen, and spending Sunday morning exploring the Naruto Whirpools as well as two of the temples on the Shikoku Temple Pilgrimage Route (
which consists of 88 temples).
~*Kit Kats*~
I've realized that Japan has a set number of Kit Kats that must be considered "regular" - as they can be found rather easily with some searching. In addition, they must release a few new seasonal flavors each year. Since we've tried most of the "regulars" by now - it's becoming much more rare for us to find new flavors. But we did manage to find a few over the last three months.
- Sakura and Roasted Soybean
- Pistachio and Grapefruit
- Hira Izumi Yogurt
~*Reflections - Victories, Sunny Moments, Challenges, Cloudy Moments...all in one!*~
If I had to choose a phrase to describe Spring here in Japan - I think I would have to choose..."in the groove." Followed by the word - "busy" - which may have been apparent by the decrease in the frequency of my blog posts! In March, I mentioned that I was feeling a bit more settled here and this feeling has continued in many ways. Another reminder that it takes time to get settled...
and a reminder I'll need to remember come January. Work continued to get busier and busier - especially as we neared the end of the school year. Between my time at the school, home visits, reports, meetings, and paperwork - I found myself working close to thirty hours per week! And really feeling like I was continuing my career here in Japan. Then, if I add in Japanese lessons/homework and some other professional projects - I'm right back at working as much as I was at home!
Kaz and I settled into a routine...
an even busier one than before...and with that came even more of a feeling of normalcy.
In many ways, life during the week here began to resemble life during the week at home...aside from those every day reminders like language, not seeing family and close friends, etc. At times, thoughts would creep in - causing me to reflect on how I was 'using' these two years. So many people had referred to this as a 'two-year vacation' for me...and I don't think even I had realized the massive differences between vacationing in a place and living in a place!!
They are completely different experiences! I'd set goals for myself when we first arrived (
expectations, perhaps). Things like...reading more books, researching more about stuttering, taking online courses, studying Japanese, exploring Japan as much as possible, running and working out regularly, meditating daily, etc. And while I have done some of these things - it's been more in spurts than on a regular basis. I definitely gave in to these expectations a bit - and began to feel the stress and worry of 'not using this time as well as I could' or fearing that I would look back and regret not doing this or that.
I even had to limit the amount of time I spent on Facebook because when I would see all of the things that other expats here were doing...I would start to compare and feel like I was failing/not doing as much as I 'should.'
After some thought and reflection...I've come to the realization that even though my life looks a bit different now...I'm doing what I can.
In fact, I've done and accomplished A LOT in these last 18 months...even though those accomplishments may look different than I'd originally thought. I've also come to realize that it's probably impossible to do everything all the time!
I remember my friend Tlell talking about her "To Do" list in life - and how things got added but never really removed - they just moved up and down in importance depending on what life looked like at the time! SO true! Eventually, as you settle into a place...there is a portion of life that does become routine. And, routine doesn't mean boring or monotonous...it just means that you are spending time doing things that you enjoy and that are important to you...at that moment!
And...yes, sometimes that does include things like cooking, cleaning, shopping, etc.
At the same time, I have also made it a point to not allow all of our travels and adventures to become routine and normal. These two years are truly a once in a lifetime experience - and even in those challenging moments (
and there are a lot of them, believe me) - I'm so grateful for this opportunity. I know that when we return to the United States - we probably won't travel and explore at the intensity that we've done during these two years in Japan; however, being here has definitely made me realize that I have barely explored my own country. Plus, new experiences don't always have to involve going somewhere - so many new experiences, lessons, and realizations happen in our day-to-day life...even if we may not realize it at first.
Over the past 18 months, the amount of time that I spend alone has also become a bit more normal...
err, comfortable to me. I'm someone who values connection with others and has been blessed with an extremely close family and group of friends who've - over the years - become family. These are people who I enjoy spending time with and also people who I talk to about anything and everything...victories, challenges, etc. Since being in Japan, I've had a lot of time to myself. Sure, I see Kaz in the evenings, clients and coworkers at school, and, new friends from time to time; however, there are days where I may go eight to ten hours without talking at all.
Hard to imagine, right?! I've realized just how much we talk to those we see on a regular basis - and just how much often comes out in those conversations -
even if they seem quick. And, while I keep in regular contact with family and friends via phone, email, and text...and know that they are always there for me...it's been a new experience to not have someone around to talk to at the moment when I most feel the need to talk. In these moments, I've gone through a plethora of reactions...from sitting with the thoughts/emotions to bottling them up to doing something completely different to distract myself. I definitely haven't found the perfect answer for dealing with these moments; however, I know that I've made some realizations...
even if I haven't processed them yet. And, I've also realized that I enjoy these quiet moments to myself more than I thought.
Spring has also brought with it reminders that these feelings of increased normalcy and routine are also temporary. We've had some friends leave Japan to move back to their home countries...and we've also started to think a bit more about what comes next for us when we return to the US at the end of the year. Lots of wrap our minds around for sure!
Perhaps summer will bring lots of opportunities to better my abilities to 'live in the present moment'!!
Lots of love, sun, and clouds!
~Jaime
Last weekend, Kaz and I FINALLY took a trip to Hakone. Hakone has been on the top of my "Must Visit" list since last summer. We'd actually planned this trip several times, but were forced to cancel due to poor weather. Hakone is one of the top recommended day trips from Tokyo as it allows visitors to get away from the hustle and bustle of the city and enjoy some the outdoors. Hence the desire for nice weather! Hakone is famous for its hot springs (Japan loves its onsens!), beautiful views of Mt. Fuji (if the mountain is not in a finicky mood), and numerous outdoor activities.
Owakudani also had a small museum, which I found super interesting! Bear with me for a minute as I have a geeky moment and tell you a bit about what I learned. Ever since we've been in Japan, I've heard numerous times that Mt. Fuji is overdo for an eruption...about 100 years overdo. The thought is absolutely terrifying - especially with Tokyo's close proximity to the volcano. If you look at the image below - you can see that there is a gap between tectonic plate A and tectonic plate B. Mt. Fuji is on top of this gap - and was actually formed by the movement of these two plates thousands of years ago. Plate A is the one that scientists are most worried about - as it has been moving and increasing the volcanic activity of Fuji-san and the surrounding volcanoes. In 2016 alone, there were more than 10,000 earthquakes in this area. While most of them were small and went unnoticed by the general population, one large earthquake could awaken Mt. Fuji and cause the feared eruption to occur. 
Our last stop of the day was walking part of the old Tokaido road (which was lined with giant cedar trees) and ending at the Hakone Checkpoint. The Tokaido linked Tokyo to Kyoto (during the Edo-era) and was Japan's first well-policed road. Before the Tokaido, travel was dangerous and reserved only for bandits and samurai; so, the road made tourism and commerce possible for all - thus transforming Japan in the process. The Hakone Checkpoint has been recreated and includes a prison and lookout tower. When we were standing near the lookout tower, we heard probably the cutest question I've heard in a long time. A little boy was looking around - and asked his dad if Mt. Fuji used to be here hundreds of years ago - like the checkpoint! Because it was cloudy and the mountain wasn't visible that day! :)
We ended our trip with a stop at a traditional Japanese restaurant for some yummy noodles and treats before heading home. Even though Fuji-san was stubborn, we still loved our trip to Hakone. There is just something magical about getting out of the city and spending time surrounded by natural beauty. The town was quiet, the people were friendly, and the sites were breathtaking. During some moments, I felt almost like I was in a small lake town in northern Michigan. I would say that Hakone is definitely a doable weekend trip from Nagoya - and seems like a place that can be enjoyed during any of the four seasons. We're definitely planning another weekend trip in the fall to enjoy foliage if we can squeeze it in! 
