end of an era (?)

All right, faithful readers (aka anybody who reads posts on this blog if I don't advertise them on Facebook). If you're out there, I regret to inform you that I've decided to stop using this blog.

But never fear! It's really just that I've decided that having two blogs isn't really ideal, especially since frankly, I started this one purely for the sake of Chiba-kun Ambassadors (to help me get picked and to use if I did). I'm actually still a Chiba-kun Ambassador, but I decided for year two I should just merge this blog with my other existing Japan blog, so that's exactly what I did. All the posts (and comments, thanks Blogger) have been entirely transferred (except for this one), so we can just pretend that I've only had one blog all along!

Anyway, to hear about my second year as a Chiba-kun Ambassador and general adventures in Japan, from now on this is the place to go. If you've already been following both then it should feel like nothing has changed! よろしく〜

yosakoi yosakoi

So last month a joined a yosakoi dance team, and it's slowly but surely taking over my life really really fun! Yosakoi is a type of Japanese dance, and the style that my team is, yosakoi soran, only has two rules: that the dancers dance while holding naruko (clappers) and that the song includes lyrics from soran bushi, a famous traditional song. Other than that, anything goes, so yosakoi teams all have their own unique styles and interpretations.

The team I joined is called Chiyoren Hokutenkai, and I think it's one of the bigger and well-established teams in Chiba Prefecture (though since I've just joined I'm still learning about it). There are probably 50-60 active members of all ages, and it's super fun! Everybody has been very welcoming (apparently I've joined at a time when they manage to recruit lots of new people like college students) and I already wish I'd discovered them earlier!

Anyway, a couple of weekends ago I helped out as staff (since I hadn't learned the dance yet) at a yosakoi event called Yosakoi Kisarazu Buson, which took place for the 13th time this year and included over 30 teams and 1000 dancers! Yosakoi soran originally started in Hokkaido before spreading all over the country, so I think it's pretty cool that there are that many people who do it here in Chiba.



The event took place in Kisarazu, which I don't think I've been to before, but is apparently famous for tanuki (raccoon dogs), judging by the giant statue of one near the station. I was in charge of photography for the day, so I followed the team around during their performances, both on stage and in parade style. I didn't get to see that many performances of other teams, but I did see all of their introductions in the opening ceremony and admire their flags (yosakoi teams aren't just dancers but also include people who wave giant flags around in the background - it looks much cooler than that sounds, I promise).

Anyway, my team made it to the finals and eventually got 1st place, which means we got to take home a grand prize of 1000 packages of nori (dried seaweed). I didn't do anything to help them get there, but I did get to take some too. :D

I think there will be several more yosakoi events taking place in Chiba this summer (actually there's one this weekend but I'll have to miss it), and now that I've officially debuted and can dance with the team, I should be able to post some more exciting updates! Stay tuned. :)

taiwan travels

This year for Golden Week, instead of staying home and dancing all week, I took a trip to Taiwan with a couple of friends! Well, I say 'with', but actually we all had different flights/schedules and only had one day where all three of us were together, but I got to spend the whole time with at least one companion and it was great. :)

Here's how my itinerary ended up:

Day 1:
 - arrival in Taipei in the evening and meeting up with my friend (who was kind enough to take me to my hostel because I am bad at directions, haha)
- dinner at Din Tai Fung (a restaurant famous for its xialong bao, which were amazing)
- clubbing (there was supposed to be an indoor waterfall but we couldn't find it, sad)

Day 2:
- hopping on a train to Tamsui, where we wandered along the wharf, bought street food, shared a coconut, and tried (and failed) to find a certain fabled beach
- stopping by the Taipei Expo Park on the way back and exploring the area around it, which was open and beautiful and included things like an indigenous people's museum
- meeting up with our friend and heading back to Din Tai Fung for round 2 (because we decided the night before we had to take her there), which was just as delicious
- going up to a fancy restaurant/bar near the top of Taipei 101, which used to be the world's tallest building. We weren't at the very top and the only place I could see a view was in the bathroom, but it was still pretty cool.
- wandering around Shilin Night Market! In retrospect I think I should have shopped and eaten more while we were there, but just exploring and seeing all the stands and people was lots of fun

Day 3:
- taking a dubious but persistent taxi driver's offer to drive us up to Jiu Fen, the place that was the inspiration for the town in Spirited Away, where we stopped at a tea house and explored the narrow streets, taking lots of pictures on the way
- going to the Chiang Kai Shek Memorial, which is flanked by the National Theatre and Concert Hall, all in a huge open space, where we also happened to see the changing of the guards and see some exhibits
- a brief visit to Ximen, which was so full of Japanese restaurants and chains it was almost like we hadn't left at all
- going to a puzzle cafe! What a great idea, and such a sense of accomplishment (even though we only did two smallish ones in about an hour and a half)

Day 4:
- visiting the National Palace Museum, where we lined up for 20 minutes to see a jadeite cabbage (among other interesting and beautiful things)
- trekking out to eat beef noodles, which were great (though I think my mom could give them a run for their money)
- visiting Longshan Temple, which was full of people who all knew what they were doing (unlike us)
- making another special trip to go find a certain pineapple cake shop, where everybody who goes there gets to sample a cake and enjoy a cup of tea (before buying pricey but actually very tasty pineapple cakes)
- wandering around the area, which was full of little and interesting stores and cafes - if I lived near there I would definitely want to explore more thoroughly (though I suspect it's a rather expensive place to live)
- getting some frozen yogurt at Taipei Station before heading out again to some new night markets in search of omiyage for our coworkers

And then I got up super early to go back to Japan, with a decent amount of Taiwan dollars left over - proof that I should have bought/eaten (mostly eaten) more while I was there, but also an incentive to go back sometime! Definitely a great trip. :D

drums drums drums

So last month I went to Narita for their plum blossom festival, but this month I found myself back again, this time for their drum festival! I heard about it last year too but couldn't make it, so this year I managed to go on the second/last day, and it was great. :D

I heard from a friend of mine that the opening event for the day was not to be missed, so I dragged myself out of bed early and ran into some friends who were also on their way to the festival at the station. We got to the main area about a half hour before it was supposed to start, but there was already a big crowd. I couldn't see them at first, but all the taiko/drumming groups that would be performing during the day were all gathered in front of the main temple (with their drums), which was more than 600 people. After some speeches by some people, they introduced each of the groups one by one, with each group playing a short sequence.

Then it was time for the main performance, which was all 600+ drummers performing the same song together. Even before they started making noise, the moment when they all lifted their drumsticks in the air at once was really cool, and then they started! Needless to say, it was pretty loud, to the point where I could feel the vibrations, but it was awesome. Totally worth getting up for and definitely the highlight of the day.



From then on it was just going from performance to performance, as they were happening all day at various stages all along the path from the station down to the temple. The first group we went to was actually an African drum group from Ghana, which was pretty cool, followed by a group that had piqued my interest during their introduction at the beginning. They're apparently a pretty famous group that does tours around Japan and the world, and their performance was super energetic and exciting.

Next it was time for the parade, which I think was supposed to be the big wrap-up event. We got to see a lot more groups pass by, including one where everybody was dressed like some sort of bug (I think maybe they were ants? Or fireflies? Unclear) and one with steel drums. It moved a lot more slowly than most parades I've seen, but it was pretty interesting/impressive to see/hear all the groups playing different songs so close to each other without getting confused.

After that I went to see my friend's performance with his local taiko group, which was also cool. Plus they had little kids performing, who were all super cute. :)

And that was the Narita Taiko Matsuri! I was pretty tired after and my ears were happy to get back to my quiet apartment, but all in all it was pretty great.

narita plum blossom festival

So one thing I've learned since coming to Japan is that they have festivals for everything! Last weekend I went to the Narita Plum Blossom Festival, which was a small celebration that took place inside Naritasan Park, which is also home to Shinshoji Temple. I've been there before, but it really is such a beautiful place that I could go there just to sit on a regular basis and probably wouldn't get sick of it. :)


Anyway, the festival had been going on for a few weeks and this was the last weekend, so I'm not sure if the timing was too late or too early, but there weren't as many blossoms as I expected. Which is not to say that the ones that were there weren't pretty, though! It was also a really gorgeous day out, which was perfect for wandering leisurely outside, which is what we did.


Highlights of the day included getting to participate in a tea ceremony outdoors, which I've never done before! An elderly lady who apparently used to be an English tour guide came up and talked to us, explaining that this is the only time of year when you can drink tea outside under the plum blossoms, so they do it for free at the festival. I have to admit I was more interested in the kimonos they were wearing than the tea ceremony itself (partly because I never know what to do at the tea ceremony so it's always just kind of awkward), but it was pretty awesome to drink hot tea outside on a sunny but slightly chilly day.


We also got to hear some live tsugaru shamisen performances, which were really impressive. It was pretty mesmerizing to watch their hands and fingers move so quickly while playing, and there were a couple of solos where the performers got really really into it. Intense.





I'm glad that I got to see more of the park than last time, including some ponds I didn't know where there before. (I also realized that giant koi freak me out a little bit, though I'm not sure why exactly...) All in all, it was a very pleasant way to spend a Saturday afternoon!

chiba zoological park

This post is a bit late, but last month I finally made it out to the Chiba Zoological Park! I've been hearing about it every since I came to Chiba City but never actually went - until now, that is. I must say, I didn't have super high expectations for it (the last zoo I went to in Japan just depressed me a little), but we were both pleasantly surprised!

To start off, maybe because it's called a zoological park instead of a zoo, I was expecting it to be pretty small, but actually it's quite big! After asking around a bit it seems that the reason for the name is that it's not only a zoo, but also a park (as in, there are areas without animals that are meant to just be enjoyed as they are, like a huge lake and a promenade with flowers and benches). Makes sense!

I also learned the other day (via the mayor's Twitter, haha) that the Chiba Zoological Park has no meat-eating animals, which I assumed meant that everything would be pretty dinky, but again I was proven wrong! The zoological park is split into several small areas, including a monkey zone, lake area, children's zoo, origin of farm animals zone (...? Like actually, that's the name, and I seem to recall it including reindeer and bison and other things that I guess are the ancestors of farm animals?), a little amusement park (which we didn't go to, though I kind of wanted to), and more. And they actually have quite a large variety of interesting animals (not just farm animals and their ancestors, haha), so all in all I was impressed.
 
Anyway, we got there via the Chiba Urban Monorail, using a weekend day pass, where you can ride the monorail as much as you want for just 600 yen! Considering it can cost up to 400+ yen to go from one end of the line to another (and the starting fare is 190 yen), the pass is really a great deal. Plus it gets you a discount to places like the zoological park, Port Tower, the Chiba City Museum of Art, and more! My companion for the day had never been to Chiba City outside of work before, so of course I had to take him on the monorail (besides the fact that it's also the only way I know how to get to the zoological park), and he seemed pretty impressed. :D

When we got to the zoo, our first stop was the monkey zone, which was not so bad, considering I am terrified of monkeys. (Though it didn't help that my companion kept pointing out how easily it looked like they could escape...-.-') There were big monkeys and little monkeys and medium-sized monkeys (those are the scary ones), including a mandrill, and we got to see them right around feeding time.

Other highlights include: finding birds and a sloth in the tropical/jungle area, bats and bushbabies and a slow loris (it really moves so slowly it's hilarious, I couldn't stop watching it) in the nocturnal area, and finally seeing the red pandas that they PR like crazy! We couldn't figure out which one was Fuuta-kun, who is (I think) the Chiba Zoological Park's mascot (he's even on the monorail day pass) and is famous for standing up on two legs and just turned 10 last year, but they were pretty cute, it's true. (Random fact - in Japanese they're called 'lesser pandas' for some reason.)

All in all, it was a lovely afternoon filled with cute/interesting/scary animals, and I'm glad to have finally gone! The mayor was tweeting about how the zoological park is considering acquiring some meat-eating animals in the future, so who knows, it could have even more to offer soon!


Chiba Zoological Park
Address: 280  Minamotocho, Wakaba-ku, Chiba-shi, 264-0037
TEL: 043-252-1111
Hours: 9:30AM - 4:30PM, closed Mondays
Admission: 500 yen for high school students and older (200 yen discount available with a monorail day pass), 100 yen for middle/elementary school students
Access: just outside Chiba Urban Monorail Dobutsukoen Station
Website (Japanese only): https://www.city.chiba.jp/zoo/index.html

fourth and final chiba-kun ambassadors tour!

So a couple of weekends ago was our very last Chiba-kun Ambassadors tour, aww. Our term lasts until June though (I think), so you'll still be getting updates from me, never fear. This last tour was very chill and relaxed (due in part to an accident on the Choshi Railway that prevented us from riding it as planned), and it felt like a good ending to our joint adventures.

Our destination this time was Choshi, the town where my parents actually stayed for a couple of weeks when I was in high school! My dad had a business trip there and my mom went with him, to my intense jealousy, haha. Anyway, it was my first time there, so it was pretty cool to finally go to the place whose sushi my mom still raves about. :)

After a brief rest stop amidst some falling snow (!!), we arrived at our first destination, Hayashi Strawberry Garden (?) for some all-you-can-eat strawberry picking! I've always thought of strawberries as a summer food, but here in Japan they grow them in greenhouses and so the time to go strawberry-picking is January to early May. This particular destination in Tohnosho was famous for a type of strawberry called 'ai-berry', which is apparently not often sold in stores, but whose berries are sweet and tasty whether they're big or small. Basically you just go to the garden and you get half an hour to pick and eat as many strawberries as you want, then and there! They also give you a little tray with some condensed milk to dip them in, which is amazing. We all got fuller faster than we expected and had lots of fun both eating strawberries and taking pictures of ourselves doing it, haha. :)



Hayashi Strawberry Garden
Address: 1120  Sasagawaro, Tohnosho, Katori-gun, Chiba Prefecture
TEL: 0478-86-1614
Hours: 10:00AM - 4:00PM
Fee: 800-1700yen, depending on the month
Website (Japanese only): http://w01.tp1.jp/~a273350079/index.html





Next we tried our hand at Choshi chijimi indigo dyeing! Choshi is apparently famous for this type of fabric, which is only made here and is an intangible cultural asset of Chiba Prefecture. We got to make tie-dye-style handkerchiefs, by first wrapping a handkerchief around a chopstick and strategically tying rubber bands around it.  Then we trekked outside to where there were three big vats of indigo dye, steaming and giving off a distinctive smell. Our instructions were to dip our handkerchiefs inside, slowly count to 50, and then vigorously wring and rub the fabric until it changed color. The fabric starts out yellow once you take it out of the water, but as it touches the air, some sort of chemical reaction happens (oxidization? Not sure) and slowly it turns blue! But you have to work the fabric pretty well to make sure that the color is uniform and dark, so apparently you can tell who is slacking by the color of their handkerchief...unfortunately mine didn't turn out very dark, but I swear I didn't slack! Anyway, I'm pretty happy with the end result. Definitely a fun and unique experience. :)

Choshi Chijimi Traditional Craft Center
Address: 3-228  Matsugishimachi, Choshi, Chiba Prefecture
Access: 5-minute walk from JR Matsugishi Station, 15-minute drive from JR Choshi Station
Hours: 10:00AM - 3:30PM
Fee: 1575 yen
Website (Japanese only): http://www.choshikanko.com/ccd/try/013.html

Having worked off all the strawberries by then, it was time for lunch! We went to a restaurant overlooking the ocean, which was a gorgeous view. Choshi is the easternmost part of Japan's main island, which means it's the first place to see the sunrise on the New Year and also right by the ocean, hence lots of delicious fresh fish. Which was the main part of our lunch! To be honest I don't know really know what most of it was as far as type of fish was concerned (sashimi of some sort, tempura of some sort, boiled (?) fish of some sort, miso soup with seafood of some sort), but it was certainly delicious! I don't think there's much that can beat eating yummy food while watching seagulls hanging out on rocks by the sea.

Ichiyama Ikesu
Address: 7387-5 Kurohai-cho, Choshi, Chiba Prefecture
TEL: 0479-22-7622
Access: 20-minute bus ride from JR Choshi Station
Hours: 11:00AM - 3:30PM (lunch), 4:30PM - 8:00PM (dinner)
Website (Japanese only): http://www.ichiyamaikesu.co.jp/index.html

Fourth and finally, our very last stop was the Inubousaki Kankou Hotel, for a dip in the onsen (hot springs) there! Apparently if you stay at the hotel you can get into the hot springs in the morning to see the sun rise from the bath, and since Choshi is where the sun rises first in Japan, it's probably worth it! The hotel has open-air baths that overlook the sea, and frankly, it's heavenly. In Japan people go into onsen without bathing suits, which can take some getting used to, but once you do, the feeling of being in essentially a warm bath while gazing out at the ocean and the nearby lighthouse is pretty sublime. From what I can tell, the hotel itself is very nice, too! They had ice cream and an assortment of exercise equipment available right outside the bath (including some sort of machine that is supposed to be like riding in a rodeo? Not sure but it was weirdly fun), so you can either try to gain weight or lose it right away, haha. Still, the exercise machines were all in front of some giant glass windows facing the ocean too, so I could see myself spending some time getting fit and enjoying the view at the same time.

Inubousaki Kankou Hotel
Address: 10293 Inubousaki, Choshi, Chiba Prefecture
TEL: 0479-23-5111
Website (Japanese only): http://www.inubou.co.jp/index.html

And so, we ended our last tour on a very relaxing note. It's not the end of our time together as Chiba-kun Ambassadors (we still have a presentation coming up next month too), but it was still kind of sad to think that it was our last tour, because they've all been really fun and I've enjoyed getting to know everybody else better. Still, I suppose all good things must come to an end, if only to make room for new ones!