Golly wolly, these months have been flying by super fast! I can't believe it's almost May! I have seriously been behind on these blogs. To my faithful readers, I'm so sorry! I will try and do better! :)
March came and went like my pink phase as a child. Why did it fly by you ask? I was priviledged to have family and friends from Hawaii visit me throughout the month. It was the perfect timing too, as I was slowly creeping into a "I'm sick of this cold weather I want to crawl into a hole and disappear" mode.
Fukuoka meets Yamaguchi and then runs away to Hiroshima
Jamie, Lena, Me, and Jonjon enjoying some purikura magic
Three of my favorite people in Fukuoka came to visit during the first weekend of March, Lena, Jonjon, and Jamie. They were troopers. On Friday after work, the three of them jumped on a shinkansen and endured the 1.5 hour ride to Obatake Station. It was pouring rain when I met them at the station at about 10pm. We then began our adventure in search of the great Sanzoku restaurant of Kuga, a famous Japanese restaurant known for their large cuts of roasted chicken served on long, wooden sticks, and their giant musubis filled w/3 different fillings (ume, tuna, and seaweed). After a quick stop at a gas station and Jamie saving us w/her amazing Japanese-speaking skills, a beacon of light emerged from the vast, dense darkness of the night. It was an incredible sight amidst the pouring rain. We had made it just in time and enjoyed a night of fun, food, and yes, "beverages." (Well, not me...drivers can't drink :P)
The next day we headed for Hiroshima (a 1 hour train ride from my place). There, we enjoyed shopping, okonomiyakis, shopping, shopping, and more shopping!!! At night, we met up w/some fellow Guchi JETs for a night full of "beverages," food, fun, and dancing! It was a great night, which ultimately ended w/us all sharing a small hotel room (yes, 4 people CAN fit in a king-sized bed!) I remember waking up in an intricate configuration. We looked like human tetris pieces, sprawled out on the bed.
Me, Jonjon, Lena, and Jamie on the infamous Kintaikyo Bridge!
On Sun, we returned back to Yamaguchi, where we enjoyed yet another rainy day touring the Kintaikyo Bridge in Iwakuni. It was my first time actually walking across the bridge (it's 600 yen to do it, so I would always cross the free, non-special one...I know, I'm cheap hehe) and it was such an amazing experience! Long ago, only samurai were allowed to cross the bridge. (Not sure how pesants got across?) We also took the ropeways up to the castle and enjoyed the view from the mountaintops. At the bottom, we enjoyed some weird flavored ice creams, including curry, ume, and ramen ice cream!
Father-daughter time
My dad came to visit me the following weekend in the middle of his business trip to Tokyo. He arrived at Obatake station on Sun and we met up with my friend Mr. Ueda (the vice principal at my favorite school) and his family. They are such amazing people! They drove us to see the famous caves in Yamaguchi City (Akiyoshidai) and the famous pagoda (Rurikouji). We ate lunch at...Sanzoku (where I took my Fukuoka friends..hehe) and dinner at this amazing Japanese restaurant in Kuga. The Ueda's are such hospitable people, I don't think I could ever fully repay them for all the kindness they have shown me since I arrived in Yamaguchi.
Mr. and Mrs. Ueda and their adorable kids :)
Dad and Me in the famous caves of Yamaguchi
The next day, I brought my dad to the BOE where I work so he could meet my coworkers and supervisor. It was neat to see him talking with the people I previously descibed via skype. I was scheduled to work that day, but for some reason, I didn't need to go to a particular school. When I introduced my dad to the BOE head honcho, Mr. Hirata, he told me I could take the day off and show my dad around! AMAZING!!! (They are usually super strict w/my vacation days...) So thanks to Mr. Hirata, I was able to spend the whole day with my dad. And where did I end up taking him? To KINTAIKYO BRIDGE! Hehe...yup, we went yet again, but it was a lot of fun. It was still raining, but just to hang out and catch up with each other was really nice.
The umbrella is blocking it, but we're in front of the Kintaikyo Bridge!
Hiro in the Guch
The following weekend, my amazing friend Lori made her way to Yamaguchi. I met her at Shin-Yamaguchi station and we had dinner at this cool kaitenzushi restaurant (like Genki Sushi except BETTER because you order sushi w/a remote that kinda looks like the remote in karaoke rooms, and the food is brought to you by a little shinkansen on train tracks!). My friend Eric was kind enough to let us stay over at his place that night. The next day, we picked up my friend Seb and we all drove up to Nagato (north-west coast of Yamaguchi) to go exploring and to help celebrate our friend Tom's birthday. We toured Nagato's beautiful beaches, played at one of the cool playgrounds (which includes a slide consisting of rollers that you slide down w/the provided foam board), and ate at a make-your-own-okonomiyaki restaurant for dinner.
Lori enjoying some Nagato playground fun. (Not sure how these things get safety approval...)
Luckily, it was a three-day weekend, so I awoke Sun morning w/lots of energy and excitement for the adventures yet ahead. We drove back to the east side of the Guch and enjoyed some tempura at a restaurant in Tokuyama. After getting lost and more driving, we eventually reached our destination...I'll give you a hint to where we went...it's a bridge. YES! KINTAIKYO BRIDGE! It was already kind of late, so we crossed the bridge but didn't go up to see the castle. Then we walked around Iwakuni for a bit before returning home. For dinner, we went to an all-you-can-eat-shabu-shabu place on my island Oshima. DELICIOUS! We ate so much meat...I bet the cooks were thinking "WHAT!? All those platters were going to the table w/those 2 GIRLS!?" Hehe ;) After a long day, we got to my house and went to sleep :)
The final visit to...you guessed it! Kintaikyo Bridge!
I wasn't scheduled for a school on Tues, so I took the day off and Lori and me caught the train to Hiroshima for a day of okonomiyakis, shopping, and fun. The okonomiyaki stand that I usually take my friends to (and which is arguably the BEST okonomiyaki stand in Okonomimura) was the only one open! (The owner said it's usually empty after a holiday.) I had been there 2 weeks before w/Lena, Jonjon, and Jamie (and countless times before) so the workers knew me well. We ate and chatted about Hiroshima and Hawaii. After walking down the entire shopping arcade, we returned to Yamaguchi. We arrived just in time for dinner, and there was a place I wanted to take Lori...yes, you guessed it, SANZOKU! This was the first time driving to Sanzoku from Iwakuni, however, so it was a new adventure. Again, the beacon of light shown through the darkness, and we found ourselves enjoying our last meal together. Chicken on a stick and huge musubis never fail :)
I am so blessed to have family and friends willing to visit me here in the middle of nowhere. It really brought my spirits back up, after having tasted a bit of my Hawaii. I've noticed that people from Hawaii have a certain comfortableness, a familiarity that I can quickly pick up. To Lena, Jonjon, Jamie, Dad, and Lori...it was great seeing you! I hope you had an amazing time in Yamaguchi! Thank you for the wonderful memories! To my friends and family back home, you are welcomed here anytime. And if you do visit, we will most likely go to Kintaikyo Bridge and yes...Sanzoku :)
