Labor Day Weekend: Rained Out Edition

We had grand plans to go camping over Labor Day weekend. We even got as far as having the car packed, but when we stopped by Outdoor Rec to rent some equipment, the guy working there said, "just be really careful with the typhoon coming..." All of the sudden, the slightly overcast sky seemed a lot more ominous. Eric and I pushed "pause" on our plans and took time to re-evaluate. We were supposed to meet some new friends who had gone to the campsite a day earlier. They had called around the same time we received the typhoon warning to finalize directions and also to let us know they understood if we were re-thinking our plans in light of the dark sky. They reported that they had already spent one really rainy night under the stars...

Eric and I decided then and there to save camping for another weekend. Suddenly we were looking at a four day weekend with no plans, which almost threw us into a panic as we do not want to waste any time off of work that he has. We were dealing with other things too...mainly, the overwhelming shock of losing my cousin, Michael. We were feeling an intense combination of devastation and desire to live life to its fullest because...you never know. We needed a place to regroup and we still had some sun so we decided to head to the base lake and rent a kayak for some time on the water. We spent an hour or so out on the lake and discussed various ways we could spend the rest of our weekend together.

A couple of Eric road snack selections...

He always chooses the funky-est stuff he can find.

The weekend ended up being a good combination of trying new things and quiet time together. Not the weekend we imagined, but definitely the weekend we needed. Eric suggested that on Saturday we try to jump on, last minute, a tour run by the base of a place called Osorezan. He called and asked the tour office if there was any room left on the bus. They responded that there were in fact two empty seats, but that they were not together. Deciding that we could handle sitting separately for a couple of hours, Eric and I joined the tour.

It rained the entire day of the tour, but we made every effort to make the most of it. Our first stop was at Yagan Valley, a very remote wooded area with a river and hiking paths, which I believe eventually lead to the west coast. We were given time to hike or to enjoy the onsen (natural hot bath) there. Eric and I opted to hike in the rain. In the picture on the left, I am posing with a statue of the famous Kappa. Remember? The colonoscopy fish?

We came back from our hike chilly and wet, but quickly warmed up with huge bowls of ramen at the noodle shop in the valley. The noodles in Eric's ramen were made of squid ink, hence the black color. Remember what I said about funky? After lunch, we rolled up our pants and soaked our feet in a natural hot spring until it was time to get back on the bus. We had to resist the urge to submerge our whole bodies and stay for the rest of the day...perhaps the onsen would have been the better choice...

Back on the bus, we made our way to Osorezan. By the time we arrived, the rain was really falling hard. We walked around taking in the sites and smells. There is a strong smell of sulfur in the air at Osorezan. We stopped as often as we could to take pictures of the remarkable landscape. It reminded me of other wondrous places I've visited (Niagara Falls, the Grand Canyon, Persepolis)...you have to see it to believe it. It almost felt like we'd left our planet and landed on another...maybe this is what Mars feels like?

Osorezan is considered one of the three holiest sites of Japan and was founded in the ninth century by Japanese Buddhist priest, En'nin. Following a dream, he was sent by a holy monk from China to Japan to search for a sacred mountain. The mountain that he found after extensive traveling and many hardships was Osorezan. Osorezan is also referred to as, "The Gates of Hell." This is due to both the landscape (the area is covered by boiling, sulfurous lakes) and the fact that it is the place of worship of the bodhisattva Jizo. Jizo  "vows to suffer hell himself to alleviate the pain of those condemned to hell, to free human beings from the illusions of life and death in this world, and to lead even heavenly beings of the purer world into eternal salvation." (from Osorezan literature). It is said that people in the region believe that all people will go to Osorezan after death. For over a thousand years, people have visited Osorezan bringing prayers and wishes for loved ones. It seemed an appropriate destination for Eric and myself that weekend.

While at Osorezan, Eric and I searched for a spot where we could take a moment to honor Michael. People who visit Osorezan to offer prayers and wishes for loved ones recently departed build little towers of rocks, which serve as bridges or paths to ease their loved ones' journey into the afterlife. We knew that our family was gradually congregating in Arkansas to celebrate Mike's life and mourn our loss. To build little bridges of their own. To hug each other, cry with each other, laugh with each other, and comfort each other. We could not be there, but together we took the time to perform a ritual of our own. To hug, cry, laugh, and comfort each other. We picked a place to build Michael's bridge that we knew he would like: high up on a hill, overlooking a beautiful lake.

We made our way back to the bus absolutely drenched and vowing to return to Osorezan again so we could have more time to take it all in.

The rest of the weekend was restful, quiet, and perfect. The only other "reportable" event that took place was our visit to the Misawa McDonald's. If ever we stop at a foreign McDonald's, we order two #1s and attempt to rate how they stack up to others we've tried. We have a veeeery short list of competitors at this point. We have our work cut out for us...though it is hard to stop at McDonald's when you are traveling in new areas and are determined to try as much of the local cuisine as possible. Anyway, here are the current rankings in our Big Mac Challenge: France > Misawa > USA. France wins because beers came with the value meal for the same price as soda or water. Japan should win because the craftsmanship of the sandwich was far superior to any of its competitors. And the USA would win if more people took pride in craftsmanship....and if beer was a beverage option. As you can see...our standards are quite rigorous and the rankings are very firm.

Micky D's: Paris version

Misawa McDonald's

It took me a lot of time and tears to get through writing this entry...and it seems funny that it ended up concluding with my memories about our Big Mac Challenge that weekend. I suppose if I look for some kind of deeper meaning I could say that it is symbolic of life. Life is not always fair and sometimes it is downright painful, but it does go on, doesn't it? One Big Mac at a time.

Just a jaunt to Korea...

Last week a couple of friends invited me to go shopping with them....in Korea! The plan was to take a military hop from our base to Osan AB in Korea. We would leave on a Monday morning and return to Misawa on Tuesday afternoon. The cost: free (with the exception of what we spent shopping, food, and lodging). The catch? Nothing, really, with the exception that because you are flying space-available (like standby), you run the risk of not getting a seat on the return trip. If this happens you either have to pay to fly commercial or you can decide to wait it out and try to get a ride home on the next week's flight. You would have to be crazy not to take someone up on an invitation like this one so, of course, I was all in.

Just as planned, we left Misawa on Monday morning. There was quite a bit of waiting around in the terminals before we left Misawa and once we arrived in Korea, but the flight itself only took about two hours. After getting through customs in Korea, we went to the hotel on the base to try to get a room, but all the rooms we booked. We hopped in a cab and drove from hotel to hotel until we found a place with room vacancies. I think we had success on about our third stop. The guy working the reservations desk at our second stop walked us over to a hotel that he knew had vacancies after he told us he could not accommodate us that night. Talk about customer service!

Our hotel on the horizon.

We dropped off our bags and started shopping! Most of the store owners spoke English pretty well and it also seemed like they accepted either Dollars or Won. Bartering was a-okay and I tried my hand at it, but I think not speaking Korean ourselves put us at a disadvantage in that department. The shopping area reminded me of a combination between an outdoor mall and a bazaar or open-air market. I probably only saw about one square mile of Korea (maybe even less), but I had a great time! I got a couple of dresses, got to spend time with really fun people, had an excellent Thai dinner, and became familiar with the process of using military hops for travel. After a great little 24 hour getaway, we were back on base in Misawa and going on with our week!

I have to mention that while we were on our way to/in Korea, I couldn't help but be reminded of the similar getaways I went on with my girlfriends in Altus. The times my friends and I traveled to Dallas (and spent the night) to be able to make it to Trader Joe's, Whole Foods, and Costco. Nothing like an overnight trip for groceries!  

I am already looking forward to planning future trips to Korea. I would definitely be up for more short trips like the one we took, and I can't wait to do an extended stay and some traveling/sight-seeing with Eric...what an amazing opportunity!

Rest peacefully, sweet cousin

Michael Gover. Devoted son. Loving brother. Adoring uncle. Mr. Wonderful. Everyone's best friend. Larger than life. The life of our party. He left our world yesterday, leaving a space seemingly impossible to fill. His smile could brighten a room, his laugh utterly contagious. His bear hugs...irreplaceable. And the ever-present twinkle in his eye...

Things will never be the same without you, Mikey, but we were all lucky to have you while we did.

Here are some words that are not my own, but are too good not to share. They were written by one of his many friends, and if you didn't have the privilege of knowing him, this gives you a taste of what made him so special...

"Gover was a man among men. He told inside jokes..to total strangers. He once won a staring contest with a photograph. He would often open his fridge and tell his milk when..and if to expire. Sometimes I knew Gover to mail something and forget the postage..and it would still get there. Gover and I once played a game of poker..and he won using only UNO cards. Often Bigfoot would try to capture photos of Gover and it was rumored that Werewolves were jealous of his beard. When the local safari was closing, Michael opened his beard up and used it as an ark for the residence of the misplaced animals. And most recently I have been told Sharks have devoted a week just for him." -Jason


"When you are sorrowful look again in your heart, and you shall see that in truth you are weeping for that which has been your delight."  -Kahlil Gibran

Misawa Summer Festival

The Misawa Summer Festival is a four day celebration, which takes place at the end of August. The festival consists of a drumming competition and a ton of parades to include: costume, traditional Bon dance, Mikoshi, and two float parades. The parade route either started or ended right outside the Main Gate entrance to Misawa AB, which is super convenient for all of the base-dwellers (such as ourselves). We could park our cars at the shopping center on base and walk right out the gate to enjoy and take part in the festivities. Eric and I ended up getting to see all but the drumming competition, which is definitely on our list of things to do next year after hearing the drumming in the parade. The competition would certainly have been pretty amazing to see.

I did some googleing to try to understand what exactly the festival is celebrating. I couldn't find the history of the Misawa Summer Festival itself, but could find some information on the different parades.

During the Bon dance parade, (what seems like) hundreds of dancers dressed in light-weight kimonos perform the traditional Bon dance down the street. Bon dance is a style of dancing performed during Obon (a Japanese Buddhist holiday). Obon is a family-reunion type of holiday during which families commemorate their ancestors by visiting graves, making food offerings, and guiding the spirits of their ancestors home by hanging lanterns outside their homes. At the end of Obon, lanterns placed in bodies of water float away guiding the spirits back to the spirit world. This celebration has been observed in Japan for over 500 years. Bon dancing (which is called Bon Odori) was traditionally meant to welcome the spirits of the dead, but over the years has come to be associated with summer. Dances and music differ from region to region, but the dance is always performed in unison by the dancers. (Props to Wikipedia- a very reliable source- for lots of this information...to be fair, I cross-referenced it with other sources and with information given by our tour guide during our cultural briefing).

 

The Mikoshi parade is a parade of mini-shrines. The shrines are believed to transport and temporarily house deities. There were only a handful of Mikoshi during the parade at the Misawa Summer Festival, but it was interesting to see that at least one of the was made to resemble a cartoon character, which makes me wonder what kind of deity it housed... The people carrying the Mikoshi bounced the mini-shrines up and down, spun them around in circles, and tilted them from side to side. Wikipedia (again) tells me that this is done to give the deity a thrill. Well, the deity wasn't the only one getting a thrill, the crowd loved it and it seemed like the people carrying the shrines were having a great time, too!

The Mikoshi are carried by the beams.

So far I have not been able to find much specific information on the floats in terms of their history or what they are meant to represent. They were huge, beautiful, and elaborate. Each float appeared to be themed and each float also carried a large drum (played by an adult drummer) and a line of smaller drums (played by children). The drummers as well as those pulling the float sang and chanted along with the drums. Some people walking in the parade played flutes. The sound was as beautiful as the floats. Eric and I thoroughly enjoyed this parade, but were dying to know more about what was going on. During the parade it became obvious that Misawa is a small, close-knit community as people participating in the parade jumped out from time to time to greet and chat with people observing the parade.

As the float parade started, I felt myself getting a little emotional. I don't know if it was the beauty of what we were witnessing, the fact that the drumming and singing reminded me of pow-wow, the hormones, or the fact that I was feeling just so fortunate to have the unique opportunity to live in and be part of such an entirely different culture from our own. It was probably a combination of all the above, but Eric and I commented all night about how lucky and happy we are. We have to keep pinching ourselves to remind us that this is our real life. We don't intend to take any of it for granted. We grinned ear-to-ear throughout the entire parade. Here are some pictures of the beautiful floats...

 

Of course no festival is complete without great fair food. Eric and I walked around and checked out all there was to offer. Later, in a google-sesh about traditional Japanese fair food, we learned that all the fair-food superstars were available at the Misawa festival. Eric ate a lot of (and loved) Takoyaki, which you can read about here, but are basically octopus fritters. We tried two different types. One I would describe as the mass-produced, fast food version (octopus chunks were smaller), and one I would describe as the handmade, legit version (large octopus chunks). I preferred the smaller chunks of tentacles, Eric the larger ones. We sampled various other delicious fair foods, but got too full to try it all. Now we have a list of must-try's for next time!

After the float parade ended, Eric and I popped into a liquor store to check out the selection. They sold beers individually at this store so you could piece together a custom six-pack (or more). They had a lot of really unique beers and Eric got a couple to take home and sample. I stood there and whimpered. But the highlight of the trip was really this, which I am considering purchasing specifically for the purpose of a table centerpiece. I think it would really help future guests feel at ease in our home... what do you think?

Who doesn't like snakes in their liquor?

Cheers!

Oirase is Gorges (and other little tidbits of fun)

Shameless silly selfie

Over the weekend, Eric and I set out to visit the Oirase Gorge near Towada (the gorge was a little over an hour away from Misawa by car). The gorge was created by the Oirase River, which is the only outlet draining GIANT Lake Towada into the Pacific Ocean. Lake Towada is the largest crater lake on the Honshu Island (where we live) and is over 1,000 feet deep in some places. The fact that it is a caldera lake scares me to no end as I believe many of you are aware of my...some say irrational...fear of supervolcanoes...but it was beautiful nonetheless! Lake Towada is also the home of the mythical Kappa...yes, the fish whose "hobbies include challenging passerby to sumo wrestling matches and giving swimmers impromptu colonoscopies with their webbed fingers," according to one of our many reference books on Japan. We were not prepared to swim so, unfortunately, we did not run into any Kappa...a sumo match might have been fun! Colonoscopy on the other hand...well, that could be....interesting? On the day we visited, the sky was very overcast so it was difficult to see the steep rim of the caldera. We have heard that a good way to the tour the lake is by boat so we will have to return again on a clear-er day to do that. 

Lake Towada (this picture in no way does the size of the lake justice)

We spent our day hiking the path along the Oirase River. A 9ish km trail follows the river through the gorge. Oddly, a road also follows the river and the trail. So...on one side, you see a picturesque river with waterfalls and rapids and on the other you see cars and buses. Luckily, the sounds of the rapids and waterfalls mostly drain out the sounds of traffic and you can almost forget that it is there.

Eric and I had initially planned to hike the whole trail, but for a variety of reasons, that did not occur. The legs of the trail are measured by distance between waterfall attractions. We hiked the two longest stretches of the trail, which ended up being about 12km round trip. It was a good long walk and we were pretty tired and hot by the end of it. We were also being swarmed by gnats, which becomes surprisingly upsetting when it goes on for prolonged periods of time. But aside from the heat, humidity and nagging gnats, it was truly a beautiful place to be and experience. We've heard that the Oirase Gorge is an especially hot travel destination during the autumn months because of the fall foliage. We're excited to go back when the leaves have started to change color.

 

 

  

Eric insisted I include these last two pictures, which document the system I developed to keep the gnats away from  my head, ears, and eyes. He took these, unbeknownst to me, as he laughed about the psychosis I developed after hours of being swarmed and pestered. My "propeller bag" did a superb job of keeping my personal bubble free and clear of nature. I tried to confine use of the propeller bag to wooded areas where we were alone on the trial. Eric kept reminding me that I am an "ambassador of the United States, gnats or no gnats" and giving helpful advice like, "be one with nature!" I fully admit (in hindsight) that my behavior was ridiculous...

Now, after all that hiking...and bag propelling....we had worked up quite an appetite. We had read about a brick oven pizza place near the lake, which we wanted to try, but found out they had very limited hours and were already closed. There is also a brick oven pizza place near Misawa AB, so we decided to give that one a try instead. The bad part of this plan was that the base was still over an hour away...and we were veeery hungry. By the time we made it to the restaurant, we were well on our way toward unraveled. Luckily, the pizza was well worth the wait and immediately improved our blood sugar and our moods. This restaurant has a legitimate brick oven and only stays open as long as the dough lasts. Pretty impressive! The pizza in the background had hot Italian salami and green chilies on it. For some reason when we ordered it, I had an image of canned green chilies in my head. These chilies were not in fact canned green chilies. I am not sure what kind of chili they were, but I can assure you they were no joke. And we love hot foods! Restaurants in these here parts serve drinking water in teeny tiny glasses, which is usually enough drink to get us through a meal. The green chili pizza was so hot that it required us to call in the reinforcements. Eric ordered a beer and I...a ginger ale. The drinks cost more than the pizza in the foreground, but were well worth it. My mouth is on fire just thinking about it.

The red spaceship looking thing is the brick oven

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Here is a *quick* (ha, you know I'm never quick) rundown of some other shenanigans...

We put our toes into the Pacific for the first time a couple of weekends ago. The first beach we visited was not a swimming beach, but there was evidence that it is a popular spot for things like beach bonfires and fire crackers. We were surprised by the fact that there was a lot of trash on the beach, especially because most other parts of Japan that we've seen are squeaky clean despite the distinct absence of public trash receptacles. A few days after our first beach trip, a friend of mine invited me to go with her to the swimming beach. That beach was definitely cleaner, but it was still very different from beaches at home. Huge jetty like structures that looked like they were made of giant jacks (like from the game) blocked off the swimming area from the rest of the ocean. This meant that the water was still...as in no waves. It was odd to stand in an ocean without waves. I am assuming that the jetty structures are there to help with the effects of tsunamis, but I am honestly not sure what the purpose of those things are. 

A view of the Pacific at the non-swimming beach.

My visit to the Japanese grocery store was a solo expedition. It was a Monday and I had nothing in the refrigerator to make for dinner. The commissary is closed on Monday so, thinking I could get most of the items I needed by recognition, I decided to try my hand at the Japanese grocery store. I also thought that if I had any trouble there was a good chance I'd run into another American there who would appear to have done this before and kind of know their way around. Wrong. I honestly think I was the only American in there that day, which was fine, but not very useful when I realized that the vegetables I needed were probably the only items on my list I could get by recognition. The hardest part was the soy sauce. I stood for what felt like hours in front of about 1,000 bottles that appeared to be soy sauce-like liquids. I finally got the courage to ask a guy stocking the shelves for help. I knew how to say "excuse me" in Japanese to I used my smartphone to Google the Japanese word for "soy sauce." I then walked over to the employee and said in Japanese, "excuse me, soy sauce" and pointed at the shelf (I pointed in English). He jumped up, said yes, and proceeded to do the best he could to help me pick out regular old soy sauce. He was so nice and we both got a good laugh at the two of us working together in there. I really enjoyed walking around the store! It was a great and interesting cultural experience. It also gave me a lot of time to reflect on what it must be like to be a non-English speaker in America...where we are even less inclined to be bilingual and able to help out the person who gets up the courage to ask. I managed to get everything on my list with the exception of chicken stock and honey. I'm sure they were in there somewhere, but after about an hour and half of looking, I gave up. To complete my list, I stopped at the Shoppette (quick shop) on base to see if they had honey...they did! And to get my chicken stock, I bought three cans of Healthy Choice chicken noodle and strained out the chicken and noodle. I'm so smart. My mother must be proud...For dinner that night, I made Japanese Curry and it was absolutely delicious!

Friends have taken me on a couple of other adventures around Misawa. I have visited the 9's day market (farmer's market held on calendar days with 9 in them) on two occasions. Both days were rainy so I think the number of vendors were on the slim side. I bet in nicer weather there are more vendors and a bigger crowd of shoppers because it is a great place to get fruit, veggies, flowers, and all kinds of other random goodies. Friends have also taken me to two 100 Yen stores in Misawa. The 100 Yen stores are kind of like Dollar stores, but a lot nicer. More like Dollar store meets Michael's meets Bed, Bath & Beyond. I have a feeling those stores will be regular stops for me...you can pretty much get anything there. The last notable trip I made was to the mall, which is in another city about 30 or so minutes away from Misawa. It's a big mall with a movie theater, bowling alley, and lots of shopping options. It was fun to walk around and check out the fashion. I haven't been to Tokyo yet, but the clothes seem much more casual here than they do in the pictures I've seen of Tokyo. I had an opportunity to try Japanese-style fast food in the food court. The restaurant was called Pepper Lunch and the food (steak, rice, veggies) was served on a hot cast iron-type bowl. When they hand the bowl to you, the steak is still raw, but cooks quickly on the cast iron. It was really delicious! I want to find bowls like that I can use in my kitchen...and learn the technique. 

Well, I think that's all for now!

"What? So soon?" you say. 

I know...I should really work on being more verbose...