1.06.2005

New Year's, days 2 and 3

Woke up once Rie turned on the light, and we went downstairs for o-sechi ryouri breakfast. It was all very yummy, though Rie's grandmother noticed that I liked kuromame a lot (I do, actually; it reminds me a bit of the mung bean soup we make for healthiness). We also had sake, which Yidan was able to drink more of than I was (one cup and they laughed themselves silly at the face I made, apparently).

Once we were finished, we went to Hinosaki Jinja (日先神社) for hatsumoude. Instead of throwing in the normal five yen, we were supposed to throw in fifteen yen; the ten yen coin apparently stands for abundance. The shrine was tiny compared to what else I've seen in Tokyo, but still very nice. Rie's mother bought all three of us education omamori, and we went back home for a lunch of mochi and sleeping near the kotatsu.

Woke up about two hours later, where Rie, Yidan and I ate pudding that we'd bought after coming back from the shrine while watching a program that was about...different colored ramen soups. Seriously. There was green ramen (negi ramen, really), black ramen (squid ink and stuff), red ramen (crab ramen or really really spicy ramen) and brown ramen (miso ramen).

Dinner occured later, where we had sashimi and tried sea urchin. Yidan and I both didn't like it; I thought it was going to be salty, and instead it was slimy and bitter. We'd also made green onion pancakes for the Kubotas to try, and that filled us up some good while we watched the New Year's "East vs. West" special. There's something about seeing one half of Debuya (the guy in overalls, all I know is that he's not Papaya Suzuki), dance around wearing nothing but a bathing suit, accompanied by four comparatively skinny and hot looking members of a boy band, while trying to paint the Mona Lisa in an empty swimming pool.

After the special finished, it was yet another lovely ofuro soak before bedtime.

The next day, we got into the car and headed out to Kasumigaura Park, which is on the coast of a lake. It was freezing, but the lake was beautiful, and the view from the windmill was nothing short of spectacular (as you can tell by the accompanying photos). We then piled back into the car to see the castle, where there wasn't much but two monkeys, pigeons bathing when Yidan and I weren't terrorizing them, and a little shrine that I took pictures of after I translated Yidan's description of camellias ("they fall off like human heads!") to Rie.

Afterwards, it was off to the Ushiku Buddha: there was also hatsumoude there, which we participated in, rang the big iron bell before the statue, and then we went inside. There were about three floors we visited: one had glow in the dark Buddhas and an incense burner, and then the second floor talked about how the Buddha was built (with models and diagrams, along with selling omamori on both the second and third floors), and the final floor we went to consisted of tons of golden Buddhas and a prayer service.

Then it was out, pictures near one of the Buddha heads, lunch at Hanaya Yohei (mmm, nabeyaki udon), and home to Tokyo, where we stopped off at Bic Camera to get Yidan a digicam before coming home and collapsing on the bed.

The next day, Rie, Yidan and I did hatsumoude again at Meiji Jingu. I got a hamaya (good luck arrow destroying evil within the home and protecting its inhabitants), a new anti-harm omamori, and an omikuji that implores me to study. We stopped off at Koots, a cafe that is similar to Starbucks in the uniforms and look, but serves green tea in many complicated forms, along with traditional Japanese snacks. After that, we headed to Shibuya to see an exhibit by Takehisa Yumeji (竹久夢二), an artist in the 1910s-1930s who was famous for his pictures of pretty women. It was quiet up on that floor despite it being in the station, and there were a ton of images. I know there's a permanent collection somewhere in Japan, but this was insane. I took some pictures of postcards Rie gave me, so you can have a look at what his style is like. He really really shot off around the 1920s, I think; his watercolor scrolls are the best.

We left and hung out a little at a kimono store before going home.

Next Tuesday, we go back to school for about two or three more weeks. There's not much; four papers due in February, two exams (Japanese and Boccellari-sensei's class), and a speech I need to work on once I get back. Before then, I saw two exhibitions at the Ueno Museums that I absolutely must see; the first is the Mucha Foundation exhibition starting on January 27 and the second, right next door, is a jade exhibit that has started in November and runs until mid-February. Go take a look, I beg of you, for they look awesome.

I've invited Maru-chan and Rie (the former is interested in museums, it looks like, and the latter wanted to go as soon as she found out it was about art nouveau for the art museum), along with a mess of other friends (too numerous to list here). It might be sketchy since the Japanese students have exams, but we'll be going on the 30th, which is when the AIKOM kids are done, for the most part.

After that it's off to Taiwan for two weeks; Apple and I just paid H.I.S. for our tickets and got our re-entry permits this afternoon! We're really going!

Yes, I am excited; this is the first time I've done travel plans by myself.