My host mom dubbed it the 大人になる旅, which translates to "The trip where I become an adult" but that doesn't sound as cool in English as it does in Japanese, so I'm calling it "The Ru-chan grows up trip!" I really did need to do something like this. I think I rely on people too much and haven't developed a strong sense of independence and self-reliance yet, so I was looking forward to all the different things I'd experience by myself. It was a challenge, but I was ready.
As my time in Tokyo wound down, I tried countless times to plan out my itinerary, or at least draw up a list of things I wanted to see, but this proved all too overwhelming for my lazy self. The day before I was to move out of my host family's house, I decided to start off at the top--no literally, the top, Japan's northernmost island--Hokkaido!
Though the near-constant rain dampened my opinion of it, Sapporo is a nice city. It was the first city I'd traveled to besides my beloved Tokyo, so I couldn't help but compare the two. The first thing I noticed was how much less crowded the subway station was. It depressed me a little. Where was everyone!?!
I walked by the Sapporo TV tower, which was meh.
I visited the Sapporo Beer Museum, where I learned about beer!
I walked through Susukino, supposedly the largest entertainment district north of Tokyo. I only saw it during the daytime, but its sleaziness reminded me of Shinjuku's Kabukicho.
From Sapporo, I made a day trip to Hakodate, stopping at Onuma Quasi-National Park (haha not too sure why it's a "quasi" national park) on the way.
Like the good Catholic girl that I am, I visited one of the oldest Catholic churches in Japan, but it was closed for the day unfortunately.
I did get to say hi to the Virgin Mary, though!
Then I made the trip up to Mt. Hakodate to see one of the so-called three best nightviews in Japan. 'twas beeeyootiful.
Though I didn't get to see close to all of Hakodate, I did get a feel for the small city, and it's weird to think I could have spent my summer there instead of Tokyo. What with all the confusion concerning the 3/11 earthquake, tsunami, and subsequent nuclear disaster, I wasn't sure Sun Academy would still be going on, so I accepted HIF's offer of admission. While it's a nice little city (but bigger than I'd imagined), I think I would have felt suffocated if I were there for 2 months.
I did have a scare earlier that morning when I thought I'd lost my JR Pass. I haven't yet explained the wonders of that little pass, but it allowed me unlimited access to all JR services, which meant I could ride the shinkansen (those can cost you like 100 bucks) for freee. It was worth the ~$450. Without it, I would have been stranded, well not really, but it would have been expeeeensive traveling back to Tokyo.
I told the lady in charge of the hostel I was staying at about my dilemma, and she called the police. I witnessed firsthand the efficiency of Japan's lost and found system. They ask you for all your information and keep records of everything lost in Japan. It really amaaaazing. But I was so so so luckily because I found my pass lodged in one of my little notebooks. よかった！
From Sapporo, I traveled to Sendai. Even though it was pretty close to the epicenter of the earthquake, I couldn't tell. Everything seemed pretty normal. There were a lot of volunteers staying at the guesthouse at which I stayed, helping with tsunami relief in nearby harder-hit towns. though. But it's a nice mid-sized city that doesn't get enough credit, I think. It's not too big, nor too small, and has enough of the traditional clubs and bars and restaurants to keep one entertained. Plus, there's beautiful nature nearby, something Tokyo lacks (BUTISTILLLOVEYOUTOKYO).
I traveled to Matsushima Bay, famous for the pine-covered islands that dot the seascape. It's also"one of blahablah in Japan." I don't know much about sightseeing in Japan, but this was the one place I was the most excited to see. It's famous because the 17th century poet Matsuo Basho was rendered speechless by the beauty he witnessed, simply writing: "Matsushima, ah!/A-ah, Matsushima, ah! Matsushima, ah!" It's also one of the "Three Views of Japan." Unfortunately, some of the islands sustained damage from the 3/11 earthquake and tsunami, but for the most part, it was still breathtaking.
I crossed the long red bridge to Fukuura-jima, one of the islands open to the public. There happened to be an earthquake as I was walking the trails, the biggest I've experienced since I've been here. Shortly after, a woman's voice blasted from some loudspeaker, talking about a tsunami but I didn't really understand since it was all in Japanese. I checked with these 2 ladies, who told me it was okay to still be on the island. So I returned to my quiet little hike, but noticed that the island had completely emptied. As I made my way back to the bridge, I saw a lady hurriedly walking across it, the lady from whom I'd bought an ice cream cone before crossing the bridge. She said that they had evacuated the island because of a tsunami warning. It was a bit alarming, but it was all for naught.
I visited the nearby Zuiganji, a Buddhist temple, before heading back to the train station.
Trains coming in from Sendai were stopped and people boarded buses to get to their destinations instead. I was lucky because I was able to get back to Sendai without a hitch, if not a little late, but it was interesting to see how emergency procedures go and what precautions people take in during a tsunami warning.
After all that excitement, I'd worked up an appetite for none other than french fries; not the skinny McDonald's fries, but some big steakhouse fries. I let my stomach guide me through the streets of Sendai, hoping to find some semblance of a burger restaurant. I stumbled upon a little burger bar that was completely empty. Apparently it was famous because there were pictures of all these famous golf players (that naturally I'd never heard of). But I got my fries and a burger, so I was content. A middle-aged man walked in and ordered scotch on the rocks and we became friends.
Hashimoto-san is a 58-year-old man born and raised in Tokyo, but moved to Sendai because of his work, which is friggin' awesome: he works as a game engineer for Sega! I asked if worked on Sonic the Hedgehog, but he works on hardware (still cool!). He seemed like a jolly and harmless guy, so I accompanied him to a nearby club he frequents.
Let me just say this was one of the weirdest experiences of my life. It felt like I was transported to a different era. Imagine a club that plays nothing but American songs from the 1950s/60s, full of people over 30 years old. And drunk salarymen doing the twist. When the band came on, Hashimoto-san was the first one on the dancefloor.
That's Hashimoto-san right there in the striped white shirt.
I had to work really really hard to stifle my laughter, because the Japanese band, truly dressed the part, sang in entirely unintelligible English (they get an A for effort, though!); and all these Japanese people doing the twist and other oldies dances.
It was...surreal. From my almost 3 months in Tokyo, I've learned that the "all Japanese people are serious" stereotype is indeed false. Hashimoto-san convinced me to dance by saying that no one will remember the next day so we did the twist and slow danced to "Unchained Melody." It was undoubtedly a weird experience, but Hashimoto-san said he wanted me to have good memories of Sendai and said the next time I was in Sendai, I should drop by the burger bar. After that, erm, interesting night? Definitely.
"大人になる旅：Week 2" coming soooooon.
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