It's been a while since i posted, and truly, we have a lot of adventure and fun times. sometimes i don't realize how much we actually do until i reflect on it. i've been lazy lately and haven't been writing much in my own journals, but the blog, you know, because all my eager readers are waiting, keeps me writing at least a little. it's just so great to have the multitudes' patient ears. the rice-growing season is in full swing, and the fields are lush green. this photo was taken a few weeks ago, and now the stalks are much taller, and the water is usually not as pond-like, and more muddy. i am always amazed at the vegetation in japan. it is rampant! i'm surprised that it doesn't burst through pavement and swallow houses up.
I guess it was two weeks ago now, that a few of us went to two little villages on a bus tour. my japanese teacher, Nobuko-san, arranged it all and came with us. we met her at the Hekinan train station, but ended up running late. in the panic, all i thought was, "here's a good photo op".
I had often wondered what it would be like to see a traditional japanese village. and here it was, right under my feet. it did not disappoint! everything was still there, the way it must have been for hundreds of years. however, the locals understand that throngs of curious folk want to have a gander at their heritage, and are capitalizing on it, lining the narrow cobblestone roads with souvenir shops and tourist services. it feels half real and half theme-park.
the views were real and beautiful. i always like the tiered fields. there are not many level spots to farm on, so they build the fields up level. or dig them level, not sure which.
i loved this thief-deterrent device. beer cans. i bet it keeps the foxes out. yesterday we saw a really freaky scare-crow system. there were some mannequin heads stuck on the tops of these tall poles, poking out from the bushes they were guarding. a bit disturbing. i guess people do what they must to protect their hard work.
we walked from one village, called Magome, about 9 kilometers through the forest to another village called Tsumago. they are famous old villages and always go together when people talk about them, so they become like one place, "Tsumago-Magome". the kanji is almost identical for them.
we stopped at a waterfall to refresh ourselves from the hot humidity. if you enlarge this photo, you'll see a stone that looks not unlike a gorilla creature sitting and looking at Megumi.
lunch time! the lady on the bus tour talked our ears off the whole of the 2 hour trip to Magome, talking about all the things we would see, how far we would go, what we would eat for lunch, over and over and over! it was annoying because her voice was really loud. we wanted to look out the windows in peace, but nope. we had to hear about the bento lunch we would all really enjoy and exactly of what that lunch consisted. it all went as expected, so she did her job thoroughly. thankfully, she was less talkative on the return trip.
this is some kind of memorial or shrine thing, but i don't know for sure. i do really like the photo for some reason.
as we walked, we crossed the border from Gifu prefecture into Nagano prefecture, and we spend some minutes jumping from one to the other, and declaring into which one we had jumped. it was vastly entertaining. not as thought-provoking as 5 corners or whatever that famous place is, but still fun.
here is an old building in the forest.
we passed many interesting fields and houses on the way. lots of tiers! just so many. there's our pal Megumi again.
i don't know why a person would glue straw to a horse, but here it was, a straw-glued horse. maybe it's rain gear. anyway, the poor thing could hardly move, or see.
Mandy among the tiers. i think she was looking for frogs at the time.
Well, where else in Japan would you see two old guys chatting?
I guess it was two weeks ago now, that a few of us went to two little villages on a bus tour. my japanese teacher, Nobuko-san, arranged it all and came with us. we met her at the Hekinan train station, but ended up running late. in the panic, all i thought was, "here's a good photo op". 
I had often wondered what it would be like to see a traditional japanese village. and here it was, right under my feet. it did not disappoint! everything was still there, the way it must have been for hundreds of years. however, the locals understand that throngs of curious folk want to have a gander at their heritage, and are capitalizing on it, lining the narrow cobblestone roads with souvenir shops and tourist services. it feels half real and half theme-park.
the views were real and beautiful. i always like the tiered fields. there are not many level spots to farm on, so they build the fields up level. or dig them level, not sure which. 
i loved this thief-deterrent device. beer cans. i bet it keeps the foxes out. yesterday we saw a really freaky scare-crow system. there were some mannequin heads stuck on the tops of these tall poles, poking out from the bushes they were guarding. a bit disturbing. i guess people do what they must to protect their hard work.
we walked from one village, called Magome, about 9 kilometers through the forest to another village called Tsumago. they are famous old villages and always go together when people talk about them, so they become like one place, "Tsumago-Magome". the kanji is almost identical for them.
we stopped at a waterfall to refresh ourselves from the hot humidity. if you enlarge this photo, you'll see a stone that looks not unlike a gorilla creature sitting and looking at Megumi. 
lunch time! the lady on the bus tour talked our ears off the whole of the 2 hour trip to Magome, talking about all the things we would see, how far we would go, what we would eat for lunch, over and over and over! it was annoying because her voice was really loud. we wanted to look out the windows in peace, but nope. we had to hear about the bento lunch we would all really enjoy and exactly of what that lunch consisted. it all went as expected, so she did her job thoroughly. thankfully, she was less talkative on the return trip.
this is some kind of memorial or shrine thing, but i don't know for sure. i do really like the photo for some reason. 
as we walked, we crossed the border from Gifu prefecture into Nagano prefecture, and we spend some minutes jumping from one to the other, and declaring into which one we had jumped. it was vastly entertaining. not as thought-provoking as 5 corners or whatever that famous place is, but still fun.
here is an old building in the forest.
we passed many interesting fields and houses on the way. lots of tiers! just so many. there's our pal Megumi again.
i don't know why a person would glue straw to a horse, but here it was, a straw-glued horse. maybe it's rain gear. anyway, the poor thing could hardly move, or see. 
Mandy among the tiers. i think she was looking for frogs at the time.
Well, where else in Japan would you see two old guys chatting? Yesterday we went to the beach. i didn't bring our camera, but other people brought theirs, and so maybe i can steal photos from them to post on here. my memory of the day is preserved in my mind and in my sunned back and shoulders. it's a bit tender today...
Today we're relaxing. Mandy's ambitious though, and our kitchen is a salsa/ice cream/sushi factory. I should help her because the burden of chopping veggies is a heavy one. I can help!
Perhaps shorter entries would help my readership, but sometimes a long entry is necessary to weed out the non-committal types.
1 comment:
Rodney, that bus tour sounds like fun! I haven't don't one yet so maybe I should try that out. I would have loved to help the salsa, sushi, icecream making festival you had in your apt last weekend!
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