GSO retreat, Part two: Nagasaki

On the 1st we walked around Nagasaki, visiting the peace park, atomic bomb museum, and Glover garden.

The peace park was the first place we visited. It was built on the exact place as the epicenter of the atomic bomb dropped on Nagasaki. It makes me sad to think of the devastation caused by it. The peace park is a reminder of the some of the devastation. It has part of the old church which was obliterated by the bomb as well as many statues donated from around the world and chains of 100 paper cranes(for peace).

This is a statue of peace.

This is a fountain in the shape of dove wings.

The fountan above is dedicated to all those who couldn't find water after the atomic bomb. It is in the shape of dove wings to represent peace. Not only was the city destoryed but many surrounding areas were damaged and there was not enough food, water, or medical supplies to aid those in need.

We walked to the atomic bomb museum from the peace park, they are connected. We were not allowed to take pictures but it was very shocking to see the amount of damage inflicted. Not even the makers of the atomic bomb knew what damage it could do. They felt regret after making such a horrible weapon to be used on people. What saddens me is that even after this destruction happened and, not only people but also the environment was harmed horribly by it, but people still wanted to use the bombs. Talk about short sited. Sure kill the planet and everything on it, that's one way to stop wars for sure. Anyways, it was a very emotional thing to see and I recommend anyone coming to Japan visit either the Nagasaki or Hiroshima atomic bomb museum.

After this sombering experience we visited the very lovely, Glover garden. It has out door excilaters going up to the part and covered moving ramps up to top so you can walk down from there. It was a lovely day with the sky just speckled with clouds. The park was beautiful with a great view of the city.

This is on the way up to the top.
To the right is a covered ramp way.


This is the view of the city from the top.
There is also an old European style house behind.


There was a place where you could dress up in
old European clothing and take pictures :P
Sadly we didn't have enough time.

The garden was built by the Glover family when they came to visit. It is a really beautiful garden and was a nice relaxing place to go after the atomic bomb museum.

Once we finished up at the garden we headed on over to Kumamoto. We stayed in a cycling inn in the country side, which was in the traditional Japanese style. Once we had all settled in and eaten dinner we headed off to see the lantern festival that was being held in town. It was hard to take pictures, but they were very beautiful.

There are little tea candles inside the bamboo pieces.

This picture only took 4 or 5 tries to get a nice one~
Tea candles on the ground in the bamboo but
lanterns are behind the large paper umbrellas in the back.

Awwww... aren't they cute!
I believe they are made out of little pods of silk.
They are sitting inside a piece of bamboo.

The festival was quite large and there were a lot of people. We were also on a time limit and wanted to make it to the onsen before we had to go back (the showers at the hotel were very, very small.) Once we had finished up we packed back on the bus, made a quick stop by 7eleven to get some snacks and drinks for the group party/announcements thing that night, and headed back to the inn. The group gathering was mostly about the new group of international representatives, a group that organizes going away parties and sports events for the international students, and just to learn everyone's name and get to know each other. But after a long day many people where tired and I think wanted to go to sleep hehe. The next day was going to be another fun filled day.

GSO retreat, Part one: Saga

The weekend after my trip to Fukuoka there was a trip with GSO, Global Support Office for international students, on the 29th of Febuary through the 2nd of March with the other international students. There were 41 of us international students on the trip, so needless to say we took up a lot of room where ever we went and we had a tour bus all to ourselves.

We first headed to Saga. It is a little prefecture in the northern part of Kyushu right in between the Fukuoka and Nagasaki prefectures. We visited the Saga castle which was recently reconstructed about four years ago. In side were also Hina Matsuri dolls which I will talk about later.

Hey guys! It's a hall way.

The castle had exhibits and displays showing how it was reconstructed and it's durability. They sure knew how to made things last back in the day, the castles are built to with stand earth quakes and typhoon. Just don't light a match any where close, they are rather flammable being made mostly out of wood.

Lots of paper and wood....
This castle met is end in flames originally.
Burning seems to be a technique when conquering your foe here.

A video game in a museum.....?

This exhibit I thought was pretty amazing. I have seen several of these sort of "game" exhibits here in Japan. It is a full virtual model of the castle which you can walk through with a joystick and press buttons to open doors. All they are missing is ninjas and samurai and you would have a full on video game. In a museum in Kagoshima you could play as a young student in ancient Japan. Pretty interesting I think.

Oncer we left the castle we made our way down town to see the hina matsuri dolls. They are dolls that represent the imperial court and are displayed at this time of year. Hina matsuri is on the third of March and is also know and girls day. They are very expensive to buy so most sets that you see are old privet collections or owned by a company. Now heres some pictures~

These are actually in the Saga castle.


These dolls depict an old Japanese folk tale of the princess found in bamboo. (also in Saga castle)


And these are my favorite because they are made of flowers~

Once we finished seeing the hina matsuri dolls we headed down to Nagasaki where we were to stay the night before continuing on our adventure. Once we got there we ate a traditional Japanese style meal and headed over to the China town. I believe Nakasaki is famouse for it's China town and population. For one thing I see a lot of Chinese objects and symbols on Nagasaki omiyage, as well as a few exhibits showing the festivals they have there. It makes since, as it is the area closest to China.

In the morning we ate another Japanese style meal, and headed over to the peace park. Which shall be talked about in the next installment of my blog~

Dazaifu

On Saturday Anthony and I made our way over to Dazaifu. It is a town near a very large and very popular shrine, named Dazaifu. It took about 45 minutes from Tenjin station in the middle of Fukuoka to get there, with one transfer along the way. The shrine is for learning and it was packed! We went around time time of College and High school entrance exams, so many people might have been praying for good luck on their tests. As you walk up to the main temple there are a lot of little shops along the side of the street selling omiyage (souvenirs), and food. To me, it had a bit of a Leavenworth feel to it.

The is the little shopping street.
The crowd is rushing up behind us,
so it looks pretty clear hehe.

We walked around the plum blossoms first before heading to the main shrine. The plum blossoms were just starting to bloom so the branches were spotted with little white buds waiting to open into the warm sun.

This is the Tobe Ume. A famous plum blossom
tree in the middle of the large shrine.

The shrine was full of people and easy to get lost in the crowd. Luckly for me I am easy to spot in a crowd of black hair. Once we tossed the five yen coin into the little shine box and prayed for wisdom we headed off to look around the area. There was a multitude of other little shrines past the main one which were almost diviod of people.

I enjoyed the little shrines better then the large more "comertial" shrine. I just felt like they had more personality then the large ones which everyone flocked to. One in particular that I liked was up on top of a hill over looking Dazaifu. It was peaceful and we only saw a few other people.

This is the walk up.

This is a the little shrine.

This is the walk down.

Once we had explored the area and visited the shrines we headed back to Hakata station where we hopped on a bus heading back to Miyazaki. The whole trip was a great experience and I love traveling and seeing different sides of Japan. From the laid back country side life of Miyazaki to the bustling cities of Fukuoka and Osaka. They each have their charm, but I always enjoy returning to Miyazaki after a busy weekend of traveling.

The Storm of Traveling!

Fukuoka and Nagasaki 2-21-2008 to 2-23-2008

The travel starts at Kibana station. Anthony and I wait in the cold for the train to come at ten to seven in the morning. We hear it coming before we can see it. The ringing of the train crossing guards are easy to hear in the still morning air. Once on board we welcome the heat of the train, taking of scarves and gloves, only to put them on again two stops later when we exit at Minami Miyazaki station. We wander over to Miyako city bus station to wait for the bus to take us to Fukuoka at 7:40am. We pop into a little fast food/cafe in the station to pick up a bite to eat before we catch the bus. We finish just in time and board the bus, showing the bus driver our SunQ bus passes (a three day anywhere in Kyushu bus pass for roughly 100 U.S dollars). On the bus we find our seats and settle in for the four hour bus ride. Anthony drifts off to sleep and I pull out The Golden Compass and start to read. Time flies and re arrive in Fukuoka around 1 in the afternoon.

First thing on our agenda is food. We head over to the canal city near Hakata station and, after looking through the extremely expensive restrant side, settle on a KFC and Basken Robbins for dessert. The Japanese Basken Robbins has some of the most awesome flavors and they all rotate through the year. Half of their coolness is the names which are all slightly odd but fun.

There were also a bunch of small fountains and things around the
area as well as a water show with music.

Whew enough of that writing style~ After we explored the Canal city for a while we headed toward a Robot museum. Sadly when we found it it had been closed down :( So we headed off to our hotel. After a few buses and a subway ride we arrived at the hotel. We were a bit confused at first because there are four hotels in the area all starting with the same name. But we found the right one and set our stuff down before exploring a bit more.

Once rested up, we headed over to the Fukuoka botanical garden and zoo. It was fun to see the animals, but sad because non of them had enough room or interesting things to do. Some of the animals were shows signs of boredom by walking in the same path over and over. This is the second zoo that I have been to in Japan. I really with that I could help the zoos here by becoming an animal behavior specialist and work on habitat enrichment for the zoos. But that must be put on the end of my list of things I want to do in life.

This snake was doing some pretty
nifty acrobatics

After the busy day of traveling we headed back to our home base of heiwadai hotel for the night. We watched some Japanese TV which is always interesting... and a little odd... It was about two guys fishing in the snow and ice in Hokkaido I believe. Just kinda an odd TV comedy/talk show thing that there are a lot of here in Japan.

Nagasaki

On Friday we headed to Nagasaki. It is about an two and a half hours south east of Fukuoka. After grabbing getting our bearings and grabbing some lunch in the main station, we started out sightseeing. We had an all day pass for the tram, kinda like a train that runs on the road, so we were able to ride with out paying each time. We first visited Dejima, the island where the Dutch stayed when they came to Japan. It was quite interesting to see the mixing of Japanese and European architecture.

European on the outside......
(awww look it's Anthony :)

Japanese Tatami mats on the inside~

We also visited several temples and China town while we were there. Sadly we didn't have enough time to visit the peace park and the atomic bomb museum because they were on the other side of town :( The China town was interesting though. It is different from the China towns found on the west coast I think. I also asked a few of the Chinese exchange students about what they thought, and they said it is very different from China. They said it had more of a Japanese taste to it, kinda like the U.S has more of a U.S taste to it I guess.

This is kind of the main street into the
the China town.

After exploring around for quite a few hours we hoped back on the bus to Fukuoka. We arrived back in Fukuoka at night and visited a few of the more busy night parts of Fukuoka, particularly Nakasu Kawabata. I haven't been to any of the super flashy night places in the U.S like Vegas or something, but this was pretty intense. (See Anthony's blog for more pictures) We walked to the river front and saw plenty of signs for hostess bars and "soap lands" they weren't trying to hide what they were, a specially when they have their prices underneath the name of the banners. I don't think a bath would cost over roughly 200 dollars with out a few extras :P (The average price for an onsen, Japanese public bath usually around hot springs, is about 500 yen including soap). It was a pretty neat experience walking around though, but not what I would be drawn to every night. There were the little ramen and odon shops along the river with people packed in and a long line waiting. It was the other side that can't be seen during the day.

These are the little stalls, the people waiting in
line are way back in the back of
the picture.

Once we walked around there for a while, we headed back to the hotel to get rested up for the next day's adventure to Dazaifu.

Next entry: Dazaifu and the return home.

The calm before the storm

Recently it has been rather relaxing around Miyazaki. I am done with classes until March and the weather is getting nicer. Anthony and I are planning to use this time do to some traveling through Kyushu. But that will come next week!

On Wednesday we met up with Kaori and headed to Udo jingu. While it has been the third time for me to visit, I still find it most spectacular and inspiring. The weather was gorgeous and the birds were chirping in the bushes. We visited and prayed at the shrines as well as tried to throw the clay balls into a small pool of water, I have yet to succeeded at this but I hope to have more chances.

This relaxing time is the calm before the storm of traveling set up for upcoming weeks. I will blog about that more once it happens!

A summary and reflection of my time, so far, in Miyazaki

This is a quick over view of my experiences and thoughts of Japan so far. Please enjoy~~

I arrived at Miyazaki airport around 10pm on October 4^th, after a good 17 hours of traveling. It was dark but rather warm and humid. Kaori, Hirase-sensei, and Iwamoto-sensei were all at the airport to meet me. My first experience of Miyazaki was driving from the airport to the university, noticing how dark it was. There was just open expanse of darkness, no light of buildings or street lights. The hills and fields were dark. It was so unlike anything I had seen around the Seattle/Olympia area. There, one can always see the lights of houses in the hills or buildings. Once we dropped off my luggage at the dorm, Kaori and I went to the nearby Joyfull. Once I ate and returned to the dorm, I unpacked some of my items and settled down for my first night at Miyazaki.

My first few months were full of new experiences, sights, sounds, and smells. It was a little hard to adjust all of it at first, but after about a month I felt as though I had gotten used to my surroundings. I was able to meet my tutor, who helped me set up accounts, apply for alien registration, purchase a cellular phone, and just be an all around great friend. I decided from the very beginning that I am going to make my experience the best it can be. Miyazaki and Japan are new and different places. Life here has its own rhythm it follows. I take things as they come, always working toward my goals, and experiencing life here to the fullest.

After meeting with Hirase-sensei, the professor in charge of the exchange students, I set up a class schedule for my Japanese language study and environmental studies. I decided to take all of the elementary level and one of the beginner Japanese courses, a total six Japanese language/culture studies classes. For environmental science, I was able to work with my professor, Iwamoto-sensei, and his students on field studies and an environmental conservation class. The environmental class was in English and was comprised of other international students. During the last month of the quarter, the environmental conservation class turned to Japanese, which was a good challenge for me and my Japanese language skills. Even in Japanese I was able to understand most of the class, with my trusty electronic dictionary next to me for the difficult times.

Outside of class, I have met many of the other exchange students and Japanese students, participated in Japanese cultural events, and visited many sightseeing areas. The students living on the same floor as me (the fourth floor) have all been very kind and understanding. They helped explain how to clean on the group cleaning days, and how to sort and take out the trash. I always enjoy learning and talking to people while making dinner and lunch in the communal kitchen on the fourth floor. As for events, I attended a Kimono festival with exchange students from China and Korea. We were taught how to wear a Kimono and had the opportunity to wear one in a contest. Another community event I was invited to join by my Tutor and her family was a soba wheat harvesting festival. It was a great community event in a little town north of Miyazaki city. People came from many areas to assist in harvesting the soba grains. The tools used were tools invented back in the Edo period, but still work extremely efficiently. There was no need for gas powered machines or extension cords, the tools were powered by the people using them, and used simple things such as wind and gravity. After the harvest, we gathered in the community center and shared our thoughts and gave thanks to those who helped and gave their guidance. Throughout all these events and meetings with people, I have noticed a flow of information, whether it being a person wondering how to speak another language or someone being curious about the world around them. I am glad I can be a part of this flow of information. I am happy to share my experiences and thoughts about America as well as absorb information and knowledge about Japan as well.

Traveling has been another part of my experience in Japan. I have traveled to Kobe, Osaka, Kyoto, and Kagoshima. Each city has its own unique personality consisting of the people who live there, the architecture, and the surrounding landscape. Through the books I have been reading and the documentaries I have watched, I have been noticing the great impact that the natural environment has on the people of Japan. It is so deeply rooted in their culture, but as large cities and industrialization happen, I am afraid that this respect and awe for nature may be shunted into the background. But one can always see little bits of it pop up in modern culture. Take Hayao Miyazaki’s movies for instance. Many of them have environmental messages which are trying to be conveyed to people today. I believe there is still hope for the environment and nature in this ever growing world.

I will continue to do my best throughout my remaining time here in Japan. I am planning to do an independent research project on the bird populations in different ages of forest surrounding Miyazaki. I will continue to enjoy myself while I am here as well, since I believe that enjoying oneself is an important part in gaining the most out of an experience.

The Trip to Kagoshima

(Above: Mt. Sakurajima)
Today was the day Anthony and I made our little day trip to Kagoshima, on the southern tip of Kyushu island. We had been planing this trip for about a week, and decided that today was the day to go. We struck out on our all day adventure around 6:20 in the morning, after giving a rather energetic Shiva his breakfast and medicine. The train brought us to Minami Miyazaki station where we would catch the highway bus to Kagoshima city. We were hoping that the Mister Donuts near by would supply us with our rations for the adventure, but sadly they did not open in time. Once we boarded the bus, we settled down for the two and a half hour bus ride and prepared to rest for the busy day a head.
Once we arrived at our destination, we sought out the Kagoshima visitor information center for directions. After receiving some pamphlets and an all day city bus ticket for only 600yen (including discounts to many major museums visitor sights, we used our poor sense heading skills to try to find the first museum we wanted to visit. After a few moments we decided to give up walking to a museum and took the bus instead, upon which we found we were walking in the opposite direction. Our first destination was the Museum of Meiji Restoration, or the Saigo Takamori Museum. It was a very interactive museum, with lots of information about the beginning of the Meiji restoration. They had a "videogame" where one would walk around in Kagoshima city back in the mid 19th century as a young boy training to become a samurai. They also had a drama/history presentation which talked about Saigo Takamori's history and the other major people in the Meiji restoration. The museum seemed to put a lot of thought into the different displays to make them informative and interesting to many people.
(Below: Anthony with Saigo Takamori and Okubo Toshimichi)


After we explored the museum, we headed to our next destination. It had started to drizzle by this point but because we are good seattlites we paid no heed, at first. We took a picture of the Saigo Takamori statue at our next stop, then headed off to find some nutritional foods. We found a yummy ramen shop to rest in and fill our bellies. When we prepared to leave how ever, we noticed the rain had increased in intensity. We took refuge in a little gazebo in a park near by until the let up a bit and our was about to arrive. We rode the bus to the cave where Saigo Takamori hid. It was a bit smaller then I had imagined it to be... but still neat!


Then after I hopped off at the wrong bus stop, Anthony and I wandered around looking for the Saigo Takamori memorial park. Anthony asked for directions from some people so we were able to find the memorial with out too much problem. The memorial was for all the samurai who had died in the Satsuma Rebellion in 1877. It was a beautiful park over looked by Mt. Sakurajima. It also had this nifty looking phone booth!


After we visited the memorial we headed off to the Kagoshima City Aquarium. I must say, Japan has really good museums and aquariums. I have been reading a book lately, and it mentioned that many of the large companies give money to create and build these attractions. Anyway, back to the aquarium! The Aquarium was four stories high, with a fifth smaller landing which served as a place to rest and had a nice view of Mt. Sakurajima. The exhibits all had very informative explanations and a list of species with their names and pictures next to each tank. Through out the aquarium there were also little bits of environmentally conscious writings. It was really moving to see these sorts of things, and they were all conveniently translated into English for us :) They seemed to be aimed at adults to help inform them of current environmental issues, in a nice subtle way.


<---This one was probably my favorite. (bellow: red sea turtle)

And here are some really cute fishies! It was fun to see how excited all the kids were to see the animals.











(bellow: Some cute fishies in the sea annenamies)















(bellow: very large crabs)


After buying Omeyage for everyone, we started off back to the bus station to catch the bus back to Miyazaki. When we arrived at Minami Miyazaki, we grabbed some dinner, and then headed back to the college. After such a long day, I am going to snuggle up with a sleepy Shiva and sleep soundly.

P.S Shiva has figured out how to clime all the way up the screen door and hop on top of my dresser and then walk across the curtain rods... He is a very talented kitten.