Ohayo, everyone!
I hope everyone had a wonderful Easter with family and friends! We had a relaxing weekend and have three days of work before Golden Week (the sought-after spring holiday in Japan) and our trip to Kanazawa with Mindy and Kendall. Kanazawa is famous as an ancient Samurai town, untouched during World War Two, with traditional puppet theater, a strong arts culture, and one of Japan's most beautiful gardens. It's a two and a half hour train ride north of Nagoya so we're staying a few nights. It will be an adventure!
It was a busy weekend. On Saturday evening we attended a school party in Yokkaichi (where Stephen works three days a week and I work on Fridays) at a Spanish tapas bar and hung out with students and coworkers. In true Japanese form, everyone went around the room and introduced themselves and we "campaied" to a great year at ECC. Another night, Mindy and I enjoyed spicy thai food in Tsurumai (at a restaurant owned by a Thai family) and afterwards began ryokan-hunting for our upcoming trip with the boys. On Sunday Stephen and I had a mini Easter celebration with quiche and cheesy toast at one of our favorite neighborhood cafes and relaxed for a couple hours. This cafe serves the ULTIMATE hot chocolate (it reminds me Italy's delectable melted-chocolate approach) and a really nice atmosphere despite the traditional hole-in-the-ground Japanese toilet. To kick off Easter weekend we also enjoyed some midnight Lindt chocolate sent by my parents, who, speaking of, came to Japan a couple weeks ago!
Giving my parents the Nagoya tour and later exploring Kyoto together was a treat. I think my entire family is now officially Japan-crazy (Alec started it, arriving home from studying in the Tokyo-region with suitcases overflowing with arcade stuffed animals). My parents were very impressed at the kind and well-mannered nature of Japanese society and loved the exciting fusion of ancient and modern culture. I won't be surprised if the Hanneses soon migrate to Japan!
One of the highlights of their two day Nagoya stay was our Kaiseki dining experience. My very nice Japanese friend, Natsuki, took us to a restaurant owned by her family friends where we enjoyed the very traditional, course-style Japanese dinner ceremony. Most of the (9?) courses consisted of seafood, the main dishes being sashimi, crab (with delicious crab-brain paste on the side), and eel, and were presented in fine form, sometimes with candles. We kept thinking the last course had been served, but no! The dinner continued on with its tiny dishes until we were stuffed, concluding finally with the sweetest green melon on earth. It was an unforgettable dining experience!
The following weekend, Stephen and I took the Shinkansen after work to meet my parents in Kyoto. We of course enjoyed the ride with chocolate and Chu-hi to celebrate the start of our vacation. My parents booked rooms at the Capsule Ryokan, a nice Japanese-style hotel with fold-out mats and crazy, high-tech showers that made you feel like you were in a tropical rain forest. Our two day excursion was full of checking out shrines and temples in the beautiful Arashiyama district (an hour bus ride into the mountainous countryside and along a river), walking through bamboo forests, enjoying the best sushi yet at a traditional izakaya, and exploring Kyoto's famous market comprising a long line of vendors selling everything from fruit to fish to hand-painted fans. We also ate traditional Kyoto sweets, like green tea wagashi. It was a lot of fun and the weather, pardon the final evening before Stephen and I went back to Nagoya (my parents had already departed for Nara) and essentially experienced a monsoon, was ideal. I'll post photos soon.
In other news, Stephen and I bought natto (fermented soybean) so I suppose we're becoming more Japanese. The first time we tried natto it was difficult to smell, let alone swallow, but I guess dousing it in ketchup is a good first step and soon we'll be gorging it plain... it's one of the healthiest foods in the world and many Japanese people love it.
On the language front, I started Japanese class at the Nagoya City Women's Center (on Wednesday mornings, a short bike ride from our apartment) and I'm so excited! The community of women at the center is very strong and welcoming. The teacher brought everyone printed photos of their hanami party and I was lucky enough to partake in an end-of-term celebration complete with sweets, tea, and review. The teacher was really kind to include me so warmly! We went over material I'd studied in my previous class (which I can't attend now due to my new schedule) and learned vocabulary to describe each of the treats we enjoyed (sweet, salty, sour, etc). The other five Korean and Chinese girls in my level are very sweet. I can't wait for the new term to begin in May!
I'll post another blog and photos after our trip to Kanazawa. Until then, Happy May Day (be sure to ding-dong-ditch your neighbors and leave a bouquet of flowers on the 1st) and have a great week!