Wajima- North of Kanazawa

There's a little town?village? North of Kanazawa called Wajima. If you refer back to the earlier map it's on the tip of the peninsula just above Kanazawa. They have a well-known morning street market. J-pop and J-ma bought several things at the market. I say "things" because I'm not sure what they were. This area is also famous for black lacquered boxes and utensils. The place where we ate lunch gave us free lacquered chopsticks! Near Wajima, is the head temple of the temple where we fixed up flowers for Tokuji-san's wife and for J-Pop's grandparents (see earlier entry). It was so quiet and peaceful inside the temple walls.

Inside the temple grounds.

The street market.

An old grandmother peddling her wares!

I love the fountains that are outside of shrines. Okay, you wash your left hand. Then you wash your right hand. Next you are supposed to rinse out your mouth with water from your left hand. You are clean! Proceed to the shrine!

The seaside of Wajima.

So you know how small of a village?town? Wajima is, this old lady is about the only thing that caused congestion. I have no idea why she was walking down the middle of the road. There were about 8 cars behind us.

Kyoto Bound

I'm off on yet another trip. This time, I'm heading to Kyoto. I have a friend coming to visit and we're going to meet up in Kyoto. This trip ought to be interesting. I will be facing the world of Japan without my wife/interpreter. I'll try to take different pictures than I took from my trip to Kyoto two years ago.

Until we meet again.
J-San.

Some Sights on the Second Day in Kanazawa

Kanazawa, like most Japanese cities I've seen, has a river running through it. This entire area of Japan has been largely untouched by war since the 1600s (or close- I can't remember from the pamphlet).

Kanazawa, like Kyoto and Kamakura, wasn't firebombed during WWII. Many old districts survived being destroyed. Above is one such district that has many old storefronts. We went in one that now is a teahouse. We got to see what the rooms may have looked like for people getting entertained by geisha.




We also made it Kanazawa Castle. Much of it has been rebuilt as the first Kanazawa Castle is long gone. Being on top of a hill, fires caused by lightning strikes has repeatedly burned it down in the past. Since the town has survived wars, blueprints existed and so they've been able to recreate it pretty much just like it was. Like most castles, it was designed with defense in mind. The steps in the picture above were made uneven. This made it difficult to quickly rush up the stairs if you were going to storm the hold.

The statue above commemorates the Satsuma Rebellion samurai. They were, in part, inspiration for the movie The Last Samurai.

Here are a couple of shots from Kenroukuen Garden. It's one of the most famous gardens in Japan. It's considered to be in the top three (I think). That's 1st-3rd out of... millions? It's next to Kanazawa Castle and it truly is beautiful.

Sakura Blossoms!

Our First Stop, The Second Day in Kanazawa

We headed to J-Mom's cousin's house. Tomoko-san. They live in the same building that houses the temple. It's kind of a small temple and the outside isn't all grand and ornamented.

Tomoko's husband is the head monk and their son is also a monk. They hang out in the temple in kimonos until business calls them and they take off. He sat and read from three different scrolls, rhythmically banged some wooden sticks together and rang a bell. If I knew more about what was going on, I'd happily tell you. Towards the end of the ceremony, we all took turns bowing at the altar and lighting incense. The wooden box to the left of the frame is what J-Mom now has in her bedroom. I was the last to go and the procedure was like this: Walk up to front. Bow to Monk. Kneel. Bow to front. Take incense. Bow. Put in burner. Repeat two more times. Bow. Return to seat.

The reason for our visit was two fold. Above is a picture of the feast we were to have that night. The kids dressed up in kimonos and one little girl performed a fan dance that she's been practicing. The food was great. There was so much sushi and sashimi there. I was seated across from a guy whose daughter is married to a German and he insisted that we share some conversation. I couldn't understand a word he said. It sounded like "Ne Jory! Ne? [japanesejapanesejapanesejapanese] Ne Jory? Ne!?" Ne kind of means "Isn't that right?" I just kept nodding my head. Also, Tomoko's husband, after a few glasses of wine, decided he could speak English. He went about explaining to me the differences between Shin Buddhism (his sect) and Zen Buddhism. Needless to say, I coudn't follow much of it. Zen reaches satori from inside and Shin gets it from Amida. Also, as demonstrated by both Shin monks present, you can still drink, marry, and have a normal haircut.

A picture of Tomoko and her grandson Rito.

Tomoko, her daughter-in-law, Rito, and .... Rito's sister.

Tomoko was extraordinarily nice. I'm sure she appreciates me checking in on her dad (Tokuji) but you could tell she was just kind-hearted. After the dinner party, her son and his friend leaped up to say goodbye to me (we didn't speak the entire party). One kept feeling my arm and forced me to feel his arms and back. They both also backed up to me to find out who was the tallest. The friend was the same height and the young monk was a touch taller. They were both tall by Japanese standards. I forgot to mention that both young men were extremely inebriated. This caused them to be very gregarious and loud. The young monk escorted me to the taxi all the while massaging my lower back, while repeating, "be good! be healthy! take care!" I tried to walk faster to detach his probing fingers but he stayed attached. Five arigatous and I finally made it to the taxi.

Earlier in the day, we went walking and I noticed a good deal on a bok-to (wooden sword- see other blog). It was about half the price of the ones in Yokosuka so we bought it for Noriko. I didn't carry it out to the taxi so I didn't know where it was. As I sat down (in the front), I asked Noriko and parents "Bok-to ga arimasu ka?" Do you have the wooden sword? To this, the driver chuckled loudly. I didn't know, but while the young monk was escorting me out they had been asking (more appropriately described as 'carrying on'- they can be noisy) each other "Where's the umbrella? ( I had it).

Rito feeding the pigeons.

Lunchtime

Ahh. I kind of remember what work is. Sort of.

I just got back from my first private English lesson. I almost forgot what it's like to perform a service and then have someone give you money for it. At least one lady I passed on the street noticed the spring in my step. It's a group lesson and the rate I charge is about half off what I advertise (and most other people). But I still make a nice hourly wage. Now, all I have to do is fill in the rest of the days of the week. It's a group of 6-7 "older" people. I'd say 40-60ish is the age range. There is one man and the rest are ladies. The class is two hours long so I was kind of worried about how much material to cover. I was surprised that I had material from my lesson plan left over. At least, I can use it for the next time. I have to go find a cubbyhole for my stash now. Or, give it all to J-Pop and J-Ma for last week's food. Anyway, it felt good and I feel more motivated to get back on the prowl for more students after my upcoming Kyoto trip.

A sakura tree on the way back from my class at a nearby zen temple.

On my way home, I passed the little koi creek (from an earlier post- it's name is Iwato River). The last time I tried to feed them, the koi in the uppermost pool were very skittish. I'd throw crumbs at them and they'd freak out, flitting about underwater. Today, with a spring in my step, I found out why. I rounded the corner to witness three young boys throwing rocks at them. I said (translated from the Japanese) ,"Aha! Now I understand!" One little boy scrammed and the other two circled each other not knowing whether to stick around or not. "Now I see. Somtimes the fish are afraid! It's because you have been hitting them with rocks!" One boy said, "Sayonara!" and they both split. Punks. It's rough being a superhero, eh UJ?

The First Stop of the First Day to Kanazawa

We headed out last week for Kanazawa. J-Mom's cousin's husband is the head priest at a temple and J-Pop hired him to handle some kind of ceremony for J-Mom's father (He passed away four years ago). From my very limited knowledge of Buddhism, I think the spring solstice is one of the days when you go to the cemetery and pay your respects. I'm guessing that's why we went around March 21st.

Here is a view of the cemetery at the nearby temple. This layout is Japanese style. Nobody is buried here. Cremated remains are kept under the stones.

Here is a picture of Tokuji-san's wife's (J-Mom's aunt) marker. He hadn't been there, yet, so we washed it off, put in some fresh incense, flowers, and water.

Here is another view of the cemetery's layout.

The J-Units straightening up the appearance of Noriko's great grandparents' markers.

Our next stop was the Ooyabe (our neighborhood name) Cemetery. This cemetery has two functions. One we already know and the other is as a park. There's this huge grassy square with a fountain in the middle. In the spring, many people with their families congregate here to enjoy the weather. You can't really see many graves from here, because of strategically places shrubs. The entire area is finely manicured. The only thing that breaks the serene scene is the almost constant sound of crows cawing. The cemetery is located within a ring of wooded hills so plenty of birds call it home. Considering crows are supposed to be the spirits of the deceased it's kinda fitting in a disturbing way.

So, you carry this little bucket and ladle to the headstone, wash it off, put some flowers in a vase, and light some incense.

Here we are posing with J-Pop's father's grave. He's the only family member at this cemetery.

Bumper Sticker (I'm back!)

I'm back from my midweek trip. But, you'll have to wait for pictures. In the meantime, check out this statement being made on a bumper sticker. What do they have against Chevrolet? I haven't even seen a Chevy since I've been in Japan. I wonder if eating worms is a really bad thing in Japan. Frankly, I'd rather have a Chevy. At least it's in English and not Engrish. (Notice this thing has a whopping payload of 1000kg! How many worms can you fit into your Chevy!?)

Going to Kanazawa

It's going to be quiet around here for the next few days. We are going to Kanazawa for the weekend. It's the vernal equinox and I guess that's kind of a memorial day over here. We'll be going to the cemetary of J-pop's J-pop in the morning and then heading out on about a 6-7 hour drive. The daughter of Tokuji-sama lives in Kanazawa and her husband is a monk there. His temple is where we're having some kind of ceremony for J-Ma's father. The map is messed up but the red wording says Kanazawa. The word on the right says Tokyo. I live south of Tokyo. As you can see, it will be from one side of Japan to the other. I will see you in a few days!

Mie, Myself, and Noriko

Mie and Noriko

We dropped by and saw Noriko's friend, Mie, today while running some errands. She's my new favorite Noriko's friend. She saw me my second day in Japan and now two months later, saw me and said, "Eh? What happened? He looks different! Did he lose weight?" Dear, sweet Mie.

Engrish Lesson: That'll be the day!

I was walking by too fast to actually see what was in this store. I think it was sporting goods. I'm thinking about going back until i can find out when "THE DAY" is.

The Oldest Bonsai (as requested)

J-pop was holding his country dancing class in the living room, today, so I decided to make myself scarce. Today's dance was "Urban Grace." It's done to Keith Urban's For the Grace of God. I had Aikido at 3pm so I took off early to walk to Tokuji-sama's house. I had a couple of his towels to return and J-Ma gave me some food to give him. He answered the door with a smile and invited me in. My Japanese must be improving. We talked about his cactus and bonsai collection, the differences between Japanese, English, and Russian (he was in Russian for three years- part of the time as a POW!). We compared our upcoming busy schedules. We also talked about J-Ma's cooking and he gave me some tsukemono (various pickled items) to take back to her. And those are just the topics I remember!

When I get the chance, I take requests. Saur, from the "Uncle Tokuji" entry, wanted to know about Tokuji-sama's oldest bonsai. The three bigger ones on this top shelf are somewhere between 50-100 years old! He said he didn't know for sure their ages. He just added that after he's dead they'll live on.

My mom always asks me, "Son, is everyone being nice to you?" Other than the clandestine group that punctured my tires, the answer is "Yes." On the way back from Tokuji's house I decided to take a shortcut. Of course, I got turned around. I saw some lady on her knees in her garden and asked her to point toward the Supa Great (my landmark). Instead of pointing, she jumped to her feet and walked me halfway to it! I felt so bad. She was wearing slippers and was covered in soil. I kep telling her not to worry, that I knew my way now, but she wouldn't have any of it. Finally, she pointed to the building. I repeated my apologies and gratitude and she answered in English, "It is my preasure!"

Two days ago, an old lady bowed for my attention to ask me if I was cold. She was wearing a jacket and I had on a t-shirt. She was excited by my reply of "I'm ok." and exclaimed how "genki" I am (genki- good, healthy, doing finE: depends on context).

Also, many kids run by yelling, "Harro!" after they pass.

So, yes. People are being nice to me. I haven't tried entering any "Gaijins not allowed" strip bars or "Japanese Only" geisha houses, yet. If I have any run ins with the long arm of the yakuza, I might change my opinion.

Back to Tokuji-sama. At dinner, last night, I told Noriko that he is one cool dude. J-Pop wanted to know what about him? Isn't he one cool dude, too? So jealous!

Uncle Tokuji

A few weeks ago, after our snow and ice, J-Ma's cousin called to ask us to check on her dad. He had slipped on the ice and hurt his leg. The cousin lives across Japan in Kanazawa. Her dad, Tokuji Ohira (last name, first name) lives less than a mile from where we live. We dropped by and found him moving very slowly. He's 78 years old so I really didn't know how fast he normally moved. He was cute and seemed cozy in his blue long johns. He is a retired fireman. I think J-Ma's dad was a fireman too. He was also in WWII. All I know he went to Russia. He could still remember how to say "Thanks." He had about 100 bonsai in his front yard. He also had a little greenhouse that was full of cacti. I had never (and have yet to) seen so many bonsai in one person's yard. Many houses have anywhere from 1 to 20 arranged around their yard. I can't wait to see some of his when Spring comes and they bloom. Yesterday, we went to see him again. After I posted about that visit in my other blog, I was reminded that I had these pictures. To see more about Tokuji and see his picture, click on the following link:

http://aikisearch.blogspot.com/2006/03/tokuji-san-family-heirloom.html

Mikasa, su casa.

Wednesday, we had a few chores to do in the downtown area so we had many hours to kill. I found a couple of shirts on sale and we had lunch with J-Pop. Below is scooter, bicycle, and motorcycle parking outside of the big shopping center (which can be seen in a previous post). I think the areas can be rented.


There's also a large public park near the city hall building. It houses the famed Battleship Mikasa from the Russo-Japanese War of 1905. It ain't the Batfish! Pat tried to take Noriko to see the Batfish but it was closed. She said she also always wanted to see inside the Mikasa, but nobody would take her. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Japanese_battleship_Mikasa There's the link for those interested in the ship and not Noriko's childhood regrets. She still wants to go inside the Batfish, too.



We were still in "town" by the time Noriko's parents got off work, so we ended up eating out. The top floor of a big shopping building (More's City) is full of various restaurants. The food was really good but I enjoyed the view the most. It was fun to watch the early night life down below. There is an elevated plaza above the intersection that connects two shopping centers to the Yokosuka train station. There are usually many people standing around and sometimes I see some picketers. I never know what they're picketing and Noriko always steers me clear of them.

Pizza Guy

I went on another hike today with the nature lovers. This time we hiked up a beautiful mountain stream. Above is a picture of a Japanese pizza guy. They ride motorized tricycles. I haven't had any Japanese pizza yet- it is about $30 for one. We're still saving. There will be no hiking pictures from today. I am way too exhausted. I wish that pizza guy would come to my house.

My other blog comments are now turned on.

FYI, I just noticed that my other blog (for aikido and iaido- see link to the right) didn't have the comments turned on. I've been wondering why I get visitors there but nobody says stuff like "hey cool!" or "take my picture off!" or "it's the eighties and i'm sticking with the ladies!"

Sorry about that!

Engrish Lesson, For Mature Audiences

Would anyone like me to give them some Homo Sausage? I really don't need to say more. But I will. This tasty treat is about 6" long and as big around as my thumb. It comes in an appetizing, fleshy shade of pink. Either way you decide to translate "homo" it doesn't make for a pleasant thought. Does eating this make me "curious" or does it make me cannibal? As far as I can tell, it's really made from fish. Which parts of the fish, I couldn't say. Actually, I think you can buy it in the Korean Market in Tulsa but they call it Seafood Sausage. Anyway, Jpop introduced it to me today. We each ate half during breakfast.

I hate it the most in Japan.

Pictured to the right, is the thing I hate the most in Japan (well, right after vandals with icepicks). You might not even know what you are really looking at. You are looking at the dreaded right-hand turn across incoming traffic. First of all, I'm on the wrong side of the road. Second, THEY are all on the wrong side of the road. The stoplights are horizontal instead of vertical. The light is blue and they call it green (or maybe it's green and they call it blue). You ease out into the middle of the intersection, remember to "keep left" and when there's a break, gun it! "It" being your 660cc engine. For this manuever, I have to turn off the radio and look over my sunglasses. It takes all of my driving powers.

Busy Morning

I went outside this morning to get the car ready to take Noriko to the station and noticed that all four of my tires were flat! I was a little shocked. I coudln't see any puncture marks or nails and all the valve stem caps were on tight. Also, all the other cars parked on the side of the street (illegaly- like mine) were just fine. My first thought was that it was a racial attack! I got a very minor feeling of what it might be like to be singled out for race alone. I occasionally ponder this as I meet and see Japanese people. Anyway, J-Pop was pretty sure the tires were just old. A couple of cracks could be seen in the tire creases. At any rate, the neighbor was washing his car and he came over to have a look. The towtruck driver was giving his inspection. Three street workers came over to look. It was pretty busy. I guess they found out that J-Pop is the master of things below the street (his job as a civil engineer at city hall) and he followed them off to give some advice on whatever they're about to do, below our street.

UPDATED: So we're back from the tire place. They said all four were punctured in the sidewall. I knew it! I'm gonna be hiding outside with the family heirloom tonight! Well the neighbor claims it has happened to him more than once (a suspect!). We'll see.