My Side of the Fuji

Photos Here! We didn't get a lot of sleep. On Day 5, by the time we made it back to Yokohama and everything from eating Kaigan curry, it was already past 10PM. On Day 6, we got up extra early. It was very kind and understanding of Masaki and Wayne, that I requested to leave extra early in order to try and dodge the insane morning rush around Tokyo. Because pretty much any train line that passes through the hub of Tokyo on a weekday is going to be crammed to the limit with daily commuters. You can see many videos online of train workers literally shoving people on the train. No, thank you. It ended up working out. We had a more leisurely time travelling, since we weren't in a hurry and gave ourselves plenty of time. Even at 6:30 in the morning, it was still pretty crowded. But after we got to the hub and starting moving away from entering Tokyo, it eased up. Narita airport is pretty far out in the country, actually, so it took a while to get there. We landed in Sappor...

Photos Here! Day 4 - our last day in the Odawara area before flying to Sapporo. We had a relaxing day. We went to one of the shops, Lawson's and got a little breakfast. I picked up what looked like a donut, and bit into it, surprised at how it tasted. It tasted a bit like bacon bits, but healthier. It's hard to describe. It was slightly sweet, but mostly very hearty and kind of meaty, but no meat. It was a donut, but a unique Japanese ingredient, "Kinako" that made it taste that way. We looked it up, and apparently Kinako means "yellow flour" and is a roasted soybean flour that has been in Japanese cuisine for at least 700 years. 700 years ago someone roasted soybeans and ground it up, and 700 years later, I'm buying it in a convenience store. I really liked it. It's very different, but good. Wayne and Masaki didn't care much for it, though. That morning, Masaki came over to our apartment with his Play Station 4, and his new game, Dragonball...

Photos Here! So, the day we landed was February 1st at around 4pm. We landed at  Tokyo-Narita airport. Masaki met us and his dad drove us on the Tomei highway about 2 hours to Kayama Station in Odawara in the Kanagawa prefecture. Masaki's father was very kind to drive us all the way. It was raining, too. We went under a river in a tunnel. Anyway, at Kayama station, around the corner, there is a ramen place that has been there since 1974. Masaki grew up eating there and every time he visits home, he said, it's straight from the airport to the ramen place. So, we were sticking with tradition. It was so good. We had chachu (pork) with Miso broth and the best potstickers I've ever had. They have soy sauce, of course, but also a semi-sweet vinegar you mix with a type of chili oil. The oil is very strong. Only two drops is very hot, but I like spicy. The oil and vinegar with those pot stickers was addicting. There was something magical about that restaurant. They brought us ...

I have learned something about Japan before we even get there. I was listening to Morning Edition about a 4.5 earthquake that caused falling rocks and and avalanche. A person died in the wake of it. This was in Hitachi. This is the same day that the Tsunami warnings were all over the West coast because of the Earthquake in Alaska. So, Wayne told me our plans with the ferry were changed, so I hopped onto my laptop to call my friend. He said, "so, did you hear what happened?" Me: "yeah, I heard about the Earthquake". And he said, "The one in Alaska?" "No, the one in Japan" "there was an earthquake in Japan? Where?" (mind you, he lives in Japan, near Tokyo). "you don't know about that? A soldier died." "oh, that kind of thing happens ALL the time." "people just die in earthquakes?" "Yeah." Me, "Oh... So, I guess the thing that happened is that the ferry got cancelled for maintenan...