In Japan, there is a zero-tolerance alcohol law for driving. If they find even 0.01% of alcohol in you when they pull you over, your license is revoked. For JETs, this means getting kicked out of the program. Not only do you feel the hit, but people who may have been around you that night are also subject to a penalty, such as the bartender serving you and even your friends drinking with you. Accountability is key here in Japan. If you see your friend about to drive home drunk, it is your responsibility to stop them or else you yourself may be in trouble. With this in mind, my coworkers arranged for a bus to pick us up from work and take us to the restaurant. Then a family member would pick them up, drunk, after the party. So awesome I tell ya!
Silver Week is a string of holidays in September, which happened to fall consecutively this year (Sept 19-23). It was an awesome break to a busy month.
The Kamikubo's were the greatest EVER! (L to R: Mika, Shinji, Mina, Uncle Shoji, and Me!)
The Kamikubos are the most hospitable, friendly people EVER!!!!
Some friends and I stayed over at a family friend’s house, the Kamikubos, in Hiroshima from Saturday to Monday. They were so welcoming and hospitable! My father once did a home stay with the YMCA program back when he was in college. He stayed with the Kamikubos and became friends with their son, Shoji. My father and Shoji have been friends ever since, and it was Shoji (now Mr. Kamikubo) who let us stay at his house. He has three children: Mika (29), Shinji (27), and Mina (24). His wife made the best food EVER! We had such a great time seeing all the sights of Hiroshima, including the Peace Memorial Park, the Atomic Bomb Dome, and even Miyajima Island!!! We ate at an enormous kaitenzushi (rotating sushi bar), went futon shopping (hooray!), and did a lot of sightseeing.
By folding 1,000 paper cranes, it is said that one wish of yours will come true. Sadako Sasaki was a little girl who suffered from cancer following the A-bomb. She began folding 1,000 paper cranes in hopes for a full recovery. She did not reach her goal, and passed away on Oct. 25, 1955. Her classmates persisted and finished folding all 1,000 cranes.
The Peace Memorial Park was an amazing experience. I think everyone should go to it at least once in their lifetime. When we were walking in, a kid was running out screaming; the images can be quite traumatizing--especially for little kids. It was really crowded, it being Silver Week and all, but I managed to see a majority of the exhibits and displays. I thought it was incredible that they were able to salvage things from that dreadful day. The walls were lined with stories, stories that gave life to the antiques encased with glass. Looking at a tiny worn-down shoe, I had to remind myself that a little girl or boy was wearing that shoe when the bomb hit. Thousands of people died instantly, some suffered from unimaginable burns and wounds, others suffered with the pain of searching for lost loved ones, and many suffered from diseases decades after that faithful day. It was a true blessing to go and pay respect to the life of Hiroshima.
In low tide, you can actually walk to the torii gate!
We also went to Miyajima, a small island off the coast of Hiroshima, which is known for it's famous torii gate (it's built amongst the ocean!). It was AWESOME fun, complete with wild deer and MONKEYS! We took the rope ways up to the top of Mt. Misen, where the monkeys were waiting! Apparently you're not suppose to look directly into their eyes, or else they'll charge! There were so many! Seb and I hiked it 0.7km up to the top and when we came back down the monkeys had disappeared! I still don't know where they went to this day...
I caught this guy giving his friend a massage :)
This was my first time seeing a deer in person! This guy was munching on a pack of cigz...hope he's not addicted.
The Kamikubo family is amazing! They took really good care of us and were really generous. THANK YOU SO MUCH KAMIKUBO FAMILY! I HOPE TO SEE YOU ALL AGAIN SOON! :)
My cool travel buddies: Sebastien (Canada) and Daryl (England)!
On Monday, Daryl, Seb, and I REGULAR-trained it to Kawatana, Shimonoseki (Daryl’s part of town), instead of Shinkansen-ing it, which was a BIG mistake because it was about a 5 hour transit! We all passed out on the train after a “deep bonding conversation.” Once we got to Kawatana, we ate at Joyfun (kinda like a Denny’s) and then went to a nearby snack bar (which meant alcohol, karaoke, and snacks!) It was a great night full of Green Day, shochu, and “Barbie Girl.” Daryl and Seb can truly “rock the mike” so to speak. Green Day watch out!
We were cruising it in Hakata and saw another haole guy! He was standing outside this chicken restaurant...odd?
On Tuesday, we trained it to Kokura for some shopping with Rachel and Ryan! We ate at an Indian restaurant (they even had an Indian guy making Indian bread in a glass room!) and explored the enormous department stores near the station. Kokura has this super cool monorail system stretching out of the train station, making the town look like something in Back to the Future or the Jetsons. Hawaii is so behind the times man!
Wednesday was used for recuperation and laundry ;) It was a great Silver Week, which yielded 2 coats (one of which I bought for 990 yen—about $10!), an uber comfortable futon, a hairdryer, and some omiyage for home and work. Now it’s time for me to save money for the next big vacation: Thailand! :)
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