Winter Illuminations in Tsukuba

We've truly entered winter here in Tsukuba. Not only the grass, but even the air seems to have developed frost. Even when I'm breathing through my nose, the air steams up.

Another sign that winter has come in Japan, is the appearance of illuminations. Here are some shots of Tsukuba centre at night.

National Aikido Convention

Today at the Japan Martial Arts Stadium, the 2014 National Aikido Convention was held. I went with four other members from the Tsukuba University Aikido Club. Being a first year, I was involved backstage in directing the flow of people. 

Here are some pictures from the day :)

The sign says "54th National Student Aikido Convention".

Below is two senpai's from Tsukuba university represent.

We received a bento and a bottle of tea as a sign of thanks for helping out on the day. I accidentally ate one onigiri before remembering to take a photo...

View from backstage

A demonstration by the current successor and guardian of the Aikido technique and son of the Aikido master.

Tsukuba marathon 2014

The time was last Sunday, 9:40am. I had just left the dormitory and was on my way to church. As I neared the crossing, this sight met my eyes.

Then I realised, this must be the Tsukuba marathon that was being advertised all over the city for the past two weeks!

As you can see from the photo, there were heaps of people. Doing a bit of research, I learned that there were apparently 13,763 participants this year. And they just so happen to run almost full circle around the block upon which my dorm is situated. At the time when church was about to begin, on the day I just so happened to be running late. I took these pictures while standing there at the crossing, waiting 5 minutes for an opening to cross. I must say, it was a sight to behold. Maybe I'll join in as a participant one year. 

Down, but not out.

My dad and I made a meal together for a change. I made the pork and cabbage dish, my dad grilled the mackerel and made the soup. We make a great team. Also, I'm loving Japan. 

I am so sorry for failing to update my blog >.< I genuinely mean it when I say that contrary to what the deadness of my space appears to indicate, each time I did something or went somewhere, I always thought "I just have to share this!" It just so happens to be that somewhere in between that thought coming to mind and getting myself to actually put my thought into action, that link is broken. Well, I have decided, that will happen no more. Gesta non verba. Walk the walk. Faith in practice. I realised that no matter where I went, the message remained the same. What has changed during  is my perception.

One catalyst for the change has been from my dad. I have always sought to build a quality blog. That has been a major obstacle to me beginning the writing process, because needles to say, perfection takes time. So I couldn't bring myself to start. But my dad pointed out that having something is better than nothing. So I was persuaded. I'll start with quantity, and then move towards quality. Diamonds weren't made in a day, and books (usually) aren't composed overnight.

From now on, less talk, more walk! You'll hear from me again soon. 

Trip to Nikko

Road trip to Nikko, Tochigi. My dad and I have been to Nikko before, but there were a few places we didn't get around to visit. Also, my mum went for the first time. Our primary purpose for visiting this time, was to enjoy the natural surrounds of Nikko.

Day 1

Took the Iroha zaka to get there. This stretch of road featured in Tokyo Drift. Having said that, we were a bit more careful with the rentacar.

On the way, we came across a fleet of Ferarris.

A quick stopover for some mushroom soup, made from mushrooms sourced locally.

On the other side of Iroha zaka, we were greeted with this beautiful scene...

And beautiful dishes like this. I ordered roast rainbow trout, caught in the lake featured above (which so happens to be right next to the restaurant where we ate lunch at)

After lunch, some hiking around the highlands. Arguably, the landscape looks better in spring or summer.

"Dragon falls". Can you spot the dragon?

Next stop, Yudaki Falls. Vehicle entry cost 500 yen, motorbike entry cost 100 yen, bicycle and pedestrian entry was free. For the way they kept and managed the site, the contribution paid was almost too little.

There was a 40-minute hiking course around the surrounds of Yudaki falls. Apparently there are deer and bears in the area. They say if you come across a bear, don't make any sudden movements. And definitely don't approach a baby bear, or else be prepared to fight for your life with an overprotective mother bear who is bound to be nearby. Fortunately we didn't come across any bears. Unfortunately, we didn't come across any deer either.

It actually started lightly snowing while we were hiking. After coming back, we indulged in some more of the regions specialty, mushroom soup.

At night, we stayed over at the Sachinoko Hotel. I loved it. It was right next to the lake, and although at night we couldn't see anything, the view that greeted us in the morning was excellent. And the early morning lakeside stroll before departing was refreshing.

What topped it all off was the dinner time menu.

Nikko is famous for its "Yuba" - simply put, tofu skin. In the dinner menu, there was Yuba in virtually every possible cooking form included - deep fried yuba, yuba sashimi, yuba in miso soup, yuba and crab meat roll, stewed yuba, you name it. There was even a rainbow trout thrown in for kicks. They didn't hold anything back. And we didn't order it specially either - this is what they offer to all their guests apparently. Which got me wondering - if you played all your cards in the dinner on the first night, what do you do about successive nights? I actually asked them that question, cause I wanted to find out. The person serving us sheepishly replied that they just make do by changing the variety somehow. Something along the lines of using the same ingredients to make different dishes. Having said that though, most of their guests tend to be one nighters anyway so it's not that big of an issue. We also only stayed for one night. And I would be happy to come back and stay here again.

Day 2

This was a part of the view that greeted us from out the window when we woke up the next day. Red leaves right next to the lake. The lake was behind me in this photo.

After leaving the hotel, our first stop was Kegon falls. It's famous for its size. Apparently a hundred metres long.

There is a free viewing deck where you can look at it from a distance from the top down, but in order to view it close up, you can purchase a ticket to ride the lift that takes you to the bsae of the waterfall. I don't think they offer a walking trail to get down there. To build the lift, they actually drilled 100m down into solid bedrock. There must have been a reason to bother with so much effort.

We didn't know till we arrived, but apparently if you go around 8-9am, you can see a rainbow formed by the angle of the sun coming in and the spray from the waterfall. We were glad we visited early in the morning. The rainbow was already beginning to dip, but we caught it just in time. It was amazing.

After that, we went to another waterfall, Kirifuri falls.

For some reason, this is the closest vantage point you're allowed to reach. The view was spectacular, though. And also, entry was free :)

On our way back we stopped over at this amazing site. It's the Grand Kinugawa tateiwa suspension bridge. It actually connects to several other popular sightseeing spots within walking distance, but due to recent avalanche activity, the road was blocked off.

Picture taken from the bridge. Can you see the face formed by the rock feature?

While looking around for places that appear good to visit, we came across a place called Edo Wonderland. Just the name itself sounds pretty exciting, doesn't it? We decided to check it out, and see what exactly makes it a Wonderland.

We arrived at the entrance, and this sight greeted us.

Still doesn't give away much about what it is, does it. We found out that in fact, this place was more like a theme park. Think Disneyland or Universal Studios. The theme for this theme park, was Edo Japan.

We would have gone in, except the entry ticket was priced comparable to (although considerably cheaper than) Disneyland. Even with a price like that, during the 15 minutes or so we wandered around, a lot of people purchased tickets and entered. I guess there's value for money. After a bit of research, I discovered that you can do dress ups and become a ninja, common townsfolk, samurai, rounin, geisha (women), daughter of a warrior class family (women), and many more. There are performances, DIYs, and various attractions. It appears that this is a place where you come to not so much for rides and an adrenaline rush, as much as to experience traditional Japan. By the looks of the visitors, it's popular with Japanese and foreigners alike.

Outside the theme park was a place selling various merchandise. I got a photo with the shopkeeper who was dressed like a townsfolk from the Japanese olden days.

A little tip for those driving to Edo Wonderland. The parking fee the site charges is 870 yen. It's not unreasonable, but there's a cheaper option just down the road. Look for the Palladium giant maze. From memory, parking there was 300 yen. It's literally just down the road from Edo Wonderland. I don't know how Japanese people work out their economics. To a foreigner, from a competition point of view, the price difference in parking fees is just nonsense. There's no obligation to go visit the maze if you park there, by the way. Although by social etiquette, it makes sense to drop by if you use their car park. The entry for the maze is 800 yen for adults. I would much prefer paying 800 yen for participating in a maze than for using a car park. They have a challenge where if you can complete it within 20 minutes, you get a prize. The next time I go by car, I'll park at the Maze site, complete the maze in 20 minutes, then go to Edo Wonderland.

So that's a rundown of our trip to Nikko. Aside from the places we went to this time, Nikko is famous for its three World Cultural Heritage Listed sites. We've been there before, just that I never posted about it.. Hope to gather the photos together from the previous visit some time.

(ad)mission: complete

It's been a while since I published my last vlog. To be precise, the last time was when I moved into my new accommodation. And so was the time before that.

So in continuing that tradition, here is my fourth vlog, about… you guessed it. I'll let it do the rest of the explaining.

Happy Japanese New Year!

Before I know it, it's been one year since setting foot in Japan as Australia represent, as a foreign student. If I'd remained in Australia, I would have been currently two-thirds of the way to becoming a high school teacher at UNSW, still involved in CBS and at my church back at ALLC. I probably would have still learned and grown much, but the things God has taught me this year in a foreign country, separated from all my friends and Christian brothers and sisters, has been beyond comparison, and acquiring a new language is only the tip of the iceberg. I've been able to spend more time with my parents, my dad in particular, than ever before (in my conscious memory), learn and teach the gospel in Japanese, make friends with excellent people from all over the world (34 countries in my program alone), and been challenged in my walk with God separated from my Christian brothers and sisters who have been such a crucial element of my growth in my faith. It's been an unforgettable year, and it fills me with anticipation for just what God has in store from here.

With the beginning of April comes the beginning of a new year in Japan. The calendar year here begins on January 1st like anywhere else, but in Japan, April is when the academic year and the workplace year is regarded to begin. And as a side note, this year the consumer tax also rose (three per cent, from 5 to 8) beginning April 1. The lines at the shops on March 31st were unbelievable, everywhere I went.

Anyway, the reason why April is the unofficial first month of the year, is because that's when the cherry blossom trees bloom. Traditionally, cherry blossoms have been an iconic symbol of Japan. The flowers of the cherry blossom tree are famous for blooming before the leaves appear, and then falling off a mere few days after bloom. The beautiful but short life of the blossoms have been traditionally associated with mortality, a concept closely tied with Buddhism and with traditional Japanese philosophies. More lately though, it's more wrapped up in pop culture, with pink coloured goods appearing ubiquitously in the spring time under the pretense of a cherry blossom theme, all the way from rice cakes and red bean buns, to McDonalds burgers and Starbucks.

Photo of a cherry blossom themed burger from Maccas - photo taken from http://wonderfulrife.blogspot.jp/2014/03/mcdonalds-sakura-teritama-burger.html

My mum and I took a stroll down our nearby Ebigawa River, known for having the most cherry blossom trees in the entire Chiba Prefecture (500 trees along the riverbank).

Cherry blossom trees blooming, on land and in the water. There were large numbers of large sized koi swimming around too.

Cherry blossom trees in Chiba Prefecture still havent quite reached full bloom, but they were beautiful nevertheless.

Curious noses meeting for the first time!

The local turtles have also come out to greet the new year.

Happy Japanese New Year!