Epilogue

 

Well I have to say that three years in Misawa certainly went by quickly! If you are just now finding this blog, I hope it helps you in your transition to your new home. If you have been with me the entire way, tried new restaurants, visited new places, I hope you have enjoyed it as much as I have.

I believe that each base is what you make of it. I made this blog not only for my own memories, but to show you that there are wonderful things to discover wherever you go. I also believe the people you meet make a big difference too.

When I found out we were PCSing to Japan, I was extremely excited. I knew I was going to love it. But I didn’t know how many friends I would make working at school, working on base, and volunteering. I now claim Japan as my second home. My heart is there. My friends are there. I had many happy memories, including the birth of my daughter.

This blog is for those of you who are scared (or excited). Even though I was ecstatic to move to Japan, it did frighten me. There were a lot of unknowns. Don’t let those unknowns stop you, don’t let anxiety take over. There is too much to miss out on and so much to see and do and so many wonderful people to meet.  Push back the fear and live passionately.

For those of you wanting to make Japanese friends, find out what is going on at the Misawa International Center. Also, join the Japanese American Friendship Club. Lifetime membership is a one time fee of ¥1000 or $10. To learn more, message me or visit their FaceBook page.

Below is a video I made of my friends saying farewell to us. An American friend of mine once asked me why she has never heard Japanese people say “Sayonara.” Sayonara is not only very formal but used when you won’t see someone for a very long time. So instead, we like to say またね (matane= ma ta nay) which means see you again/later. Because there are no goodbyes in life, only see you laters.

A farewell message from our friends in Japan

 

*Disclaimer for the blog*

Everything on here is up to date as far as I know from June 2010 to June 2013

Nanohana Matsuri: Rape Blossom Festival

 

Each year in May, Yokohama holds their Nanohana Matsuri (translation: Rape Blossom Festival). Yokohama boasts the largest rape blossom field in Japan measuring 109 hectares (approximately 152 soccer fields). These yellow flowers are not just for aesthetics, but are a local crop. The nanohana not only is used in Japanese dishes; each hectare makes about 600 grams of rape seed oil. Nanohana is also used to make honey, ice cream, cream puffs, and doughnuts. We bought some nanohana doughnuts at the festival, they were good!

At the festival, you can go stroll through a nanohana maze while taking in the beauty and smell of this golden crop.

Or if you prefer an aerial view, helicopter rides are available for a fee.

 

Directions to Yokohama:

From the MAIN gate take a right at the second light. Take a right at the third light. Go straight across white pole road and turn left at the T. Take the NEXT RIGHT. You are now on Route 8. Follow 8 until you get to 4. merge RIGHT to get onto4. After two lights turn LEFT to get onto the Shimokita Expressway. Continue till the expressway ends at a T, turn LEFT onto 180. Cross over some railroad tracks and turn RIGHT onto 279. As you enter Yokohama keep RIGHT at the Y to stay on 279. You will see signs for the Nanohana Festival (Nanohana in Japanese: 菜の花). Follow these; the turn will be on  your right.

Drive time: approximately 90 minutes

Karumai Tulip Festival

 

This beautiful park in Karumai Town (in Iwate Prefecture, located just south of Hachinohe) is very reminiscent of Holland. The 16m windmill is not functional, but looks great (it spins by motor). You can enter the windmill (after taking off your shoes) for free to get a great panoramic view of the park. (below).     

      

This year was the first year ITT offered transportation to Karumai for the tulip festival. The garden has over 7,000 square meters of tulips and is located on 24 hectacres of land. There are 42 different types of tulips, in various colors including red, white, yellow, orange, pink and purple. 

 

 

There is a fee of ¥300 for adults and ¥150 for elementary and junior high students to go down into the park to get a closer look at the tulips. (Groups of 10 people or more get a ¥50 discount each)  Free areas of the park include the windmill and the path to this red bridge. There is also an outside shop on the corner where you can purchase tulips to plant at home.

I recommend going on this trip by car rather than taking the ITT trip. I feel it was overpriced for such a short drive. I do’t regret it though, since I had an FSS gift card, it was still free. You can get to the Karumai Tulip festival by following the directions in this map.

Tenshochi Park

 

 

 

This year the cherry blossoms were blooming late, so instead of heading north to Hirosaki, we went south to Kitakami, Iwate to Tenshochi Park. It is one of the Three Best Hanami Spots in Michinoku and was also selected as one of the 100 Best Hanami Spots by the Japan Cherry Blossom Association! There are over 10,000 cherry blossom trees (twice as many as Hirosaki!) and 100,000 azaleas!

The blossoms were not fully bloomed when we went but it was still beautiful. In the above photo you can see the outside of the sakura tunnel. The outer trees’ blossoms were beautiful! They had a lot of vendors in the main park selling delicious festival food.

 

One special treat was this “monkey show.” Video to come.

This festival was held during Golden Week. These koinobori or carp streamers, fluttered in the wind over the Kitakami River. It is impossible to miss on your way to Tenshochi Park.

 

You can get to Tenshochi Park by following these Directions from Misawa Airport. Parking is very limited. We were lucky enough to have a nice elderly man let us use his rather large driveway!

The Cement Factory --Junking

 

You are probably wondering why I am writing about a cement factory of all things.  Sounds thrilling, doesn’t it? Well, actually this factory had been closed down and is now a place where used and surplus goods are sold for great prices! It is a great little gem where Americans frequent. My Japanese friends don’t even know about it! This is what the front of the establishment looks like so you know what to look for when you get there.

 

The factory was set up a lot differently that I imagined. There are several “rooms” if you will, with different products inside. For example, there was one section for kitchen items, one section with a lot of things used for restaurants and another with cds and movies.  My favorite room is pictured below. There  were a lot of art pieces, cast iron teapots, clocks, and framed pictures. You could probably spend hours just going through the framed pictures!

I know you are just dying to know what we bought! We ended up getting two heated toilet seats for ¥1500 each. (Heated only, no bidet). And a Hina Matsuri (Girls’ Day) Doll display for ¥2000! You read that right! They usually go for around $400 brand new.  I bought it for my 3 month old daughter. (I’ve actually wanted one since I’ve been here). She is the reason I’ve been on hiatus for 4 months.

 

Map to the Cement Factory from Misawa

美味鲜 (Delicious Fresh) Taiwanese Restaurant

 

美味鲜 is a Taiwanese restaurant located in Hachinohe. (There are 2 in Hachinohe)  It is very similar to this Taiwanese Restaurant in Towada. You get a lot of food for cheap. I liked the food here a bit better, though.

 

Hours: 1100-1500          1700-2400

Telephone: 0178-80-7568

Map to the restaurant from Misawa

World Heritage: Hiraizumi: Chrysanthemum Festival

 

We took a trip to Hiraizumi in Iwate Prefecture to take in the fall colors and experience some Japanese history.

Chuson-ji Temple:

In the latter half of the 11th Century, two bitter wars were fought in Oshu, the northeastern area of Japan. The first Fujiwara lord, Kiyohira, lost his father, wife and children in these conflicts, yet realized that hatred and revenge could never heal the sorrow.

Instead, he constructed Chuson-ji Temple and offered a pledge before Buddha to console the spirits of the dead, whether friend or foe, human or animal.

In June 2011, Hiraizumi’s cultural heritage was inscribed onto the UNESCO World Heritage List. It is hoped that the philosphy of peace espoused by the Oshu Fujiwara family, who ruled Hiraizumin the 12th century, will be recognized worldwide.

Konjikido (Golden Hall) (National Treasure): The Konkikido (Golden Hall) was completed in 1124. The principal image is of Amida (Buddha of Infinite LIght) and the magnificent decoration is meant to represent his Pure Land western paradise. The inlay of work of iridescent shells, the Southeast Asian rosewood and African ivory show the extensive trade network at that time.

The Konjikido is the only remaining example of a building from the Fujiwara-era to be found at Chuson-ji Temple. Between 1962 and 1968, extensive preservation and restoration work was carried out on the Konjikido, returning it to its former brilliance.

The mummified remains of four generations of Fukiwara lords rest inside.

Sankozo (Museum) : The museum contains more than 3,000 treasures from the time of the Oshu Fujiwara. Among them are three massive seated Buddhas, burial accessories from the Konjikido (Golden Hall) and sections of the Chusonji-Sutras.

Chuson-ji Kyo (Chuson-ji Sutras) :

Complete transcriptions of the holy canon of Buddhism on deep blue paper in gold ink o alternating lines of gold and silver ink. Three generations of the Osu Fujiwara devoted their lives to the meritorious act of sutra transcription.

 

Hiraizumi is especially beautiful in the fall. At this time, they were having their Chrysanthemum festival.

We also went to Sahara Glass Park which was nearby. This small “street” had a lot of glassware displayed and there was an entire store full of glassware and decorations. Everything was beautiful and there was so much to see!

Ryusendo Cave

 

Ryusendo Cave is one of the Three Great Limestone Caves of Japan; the cave and its bats are designated as national natural monuments. The portion of the cave which has been explored stretches over 3,500 meters, 700 meters of which is open to the public. If one were to include the unexplored areas of the cave it is estimated to be over 5,000 meters in length. In the cave, fresh spring water forms deep underground lakes. The most impressive are the third lake, with a depth of 98 meters, and the fourth lake (closed to the public), which is the deepest in Japan at 120 meters; they are some of the most transparent lakes in the world. With the beautiful deep blue water of the lakes, often referred to as “Dragon Blue,” and stalactites that are like works of art, Ryusendo Cave is a world of mystery created by nature. Before entering the cave, you can drink the cave water from a spring. They also sell it in bottles at the shop!

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There are five species of bats that dwell in Ryusendo Cave. In 1938, the bats, along with the Ryusendo Cave, were designated as national natural monuments; hence, they may not be caught without permission. If you find a bat, view it from a distance without getting too close. (We didn’t see any). In the bat cave live numerous bats, especially the Little Japanese Horseshoe Bat (Rhinolophus cornutus). At sunset, they fly out of the cave in swarms and head for nearby forests and streams, where they catch and eat hordes of insects, and return to the cave by sunrise. The bat cave is a special protected area where bats, which dislike light or human presence, can live in peace.

Hours: Open every day 0830-1700 (*May-Sep- Open until 1800)

Admission: Adults 7 - ¥1000

           children - ¥500 (6-15)

Directions:

1. Take the Tohoku Expressway from Misawa to North Hachinohe (¥350 toll, one way). Exit Hachinohe-Kita I.C.

2. Continue on Rte. 45 until you come to a T-intersection with Sega World in front of you.

3. Proceed about 49.1 km and turn left at the intersection where there is a Circle K to your right.  (Kuji)

4. Proceed about 31.7 km from there, and turn right to stay on Rte. 45 (Fudai)

5. Stay on this road about 9.9 km; turn right onto Rte. 173 and continue about 2.7km.

6. Turn left to stay on Rte. 173, and continue about 10.6km.

7. Turn left onto Rte. 7, and continue about 1.3km. Ryusendo Caves will be on the right.

Hinano

Hinano is a buffet style restaurant located in Hachinohe. (It is next to Yamada Denki which is next to Toys R’Us). It is famous for its organic dishes and, of course, chocolate fountain! You will find Chinese and Japanese cuisine here and sometimes more! (Last time they offered lasagna!) The food is very fresh, tasty and not too heavy.

Here is a sampling of the buffet, Nabe, udon, fries, salad, greens and tempura!

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

 

I’m usually not a fan of buffets, but I really like Hinano!

 

Hours: lunch: Sunday to Saturday:      1130-1630 (They stop refilling the buffet at 1430)

            dinner: Sunday-Thursday:       1730-2200 (stop refilling at 2030)

                Friday and Saturday:   1730-2230 (stop refilling at 2100)

Directions: Enter the toll road or take Route 45 from Misawa. Exit the toll road at the Hachinohe exit and make a right at the stoplight. Continue down Route 45 until you get to Sega World and make a left (you can either go left or right). Go through two stoplights and the Pia Do sign is at the left corner of the second stoplight. Toys R’ Us is behind Pia Do and Hinano is to the right of Toys R’ Us and Yamada Denki.

Kawayo Green Farm

 

If you are looking for a nice restaurant for an anniversary, birthday,Valentine’s Day, Mother’s Day, etc. try Kawayo Green Farm. As the name suggests, Kawayo Green Farm located on a farm which not only has a farm, but a Youth Hostel, Information/Gift Shoppe, Golf Course and is a popular place for wedding receptions. Prices on meals vary depending on what you order (sets start at around ¥1,360 up to ¥8,000. You can also get “light meals” for cheaper. )

After lunch, we took  leisurely stroll on the farm grounds.

 

Directions: Go straight out the POL gate. After Universe you will see a Lawson’s on your right and after the Lawson’s is a sign for Kawayo Green Farm. Keep going straight under the overpass. Take a left at the traffic light (you will see Shanghai Ryu on the corner. When you take the left, Ho-Oh (Phoenix) Ramen will be on your right. Keep going down this street. You will come to a fork in the road and there will be train tracks in front of you. Bear left. Kawayo Green Farm is on your left.

Hours: Lunch: 1130-1430 (last order 1430)

            Dinner: 1700-2100 (last order 2030)

Telephone: 0178-56-3981

Website: http://kawayo.net/