Akita

August 3-5 2007

I am now in northern Japan, in Akita prefecture. It is very different from Tokyo, and a welcomed change. Everything up here is lush and green as well. The hillsides are dotted with rice fields, and fog covered mountains loom around every turn. This is what they call “inaka” in Japanese, meaning “countryside.” Most of the Japanese delegates had not even been up here, so it has been a new experience for us all! I just arrived back at Akita International University (which is brand new I might add. The dorms we are staying in were finished literally days ago and they are eco-friendly and beautiful!) from 2 nights of homestays with local families. I stayed with the Nakajima’s, who live in Happo-cho (Happo town), a quaint seaside village surrounded by the Shirakami mountains (World Heritage site). Until yesterday I could barely see the scenery, except for an angry and mean looking coastline. This, of course, was due to the typhoon that followed us up north! I was a little scared, since the warnings said there would be rain, high winds, and possibly a tsunami. It turned out to be just a lot of rain, which sort of spoiled our hiking plans. We did visit Juniko (12 lakes) and hiked around and were introduced to local plants. It was beautiful, not unlike the forests of the great northwest.

The people of Akita are so excited to have us here and have gone to great lengths to ensure a joyous experience. For example, because it was raining so much, they went out and bought my group blue ponchos and matching blue galoshes. We tromped through the forest in matching attire. It was very memorable. My most memorable moment was at the end of the hike, when we reached a stream that had the Shinto water purification trough thing with a Kannon statue next to it. Kannon is a Buddhist bodhisattva, my favorite for several years. She looked beautiful in the rain. A small hut offered us hot bitter green tea, which we shared. It felt very magical and warming.

My homestay with the Nakajima family was wonderful. Mr. Nakajima is an organic farmer in his late 60’s (I think), who also runs a carpentry business. Mrs. Nakajima stays at home – judging from the feasts that were lavished upon us, I think she must cook all day long! They have a beautiful home – very traditionally Japanese, although some of their appliances are more modern than we have in the states (i.e. toilet). They have a dog, Musashi, who is one of the cutest I’ve ever met (excluding Ruby of course!). One of their sons lives next door with his wife and two children. We went to their house as well, and it was very modern. The door even opens itself!

It was great to eat good food (so much good food!) and drink beer and the wine I had brought from Washington and just see what day to day life in Japan is like. Of course, they spoke absolutely no English, so my fledgling Japanese was put to the test. Overall, I think they were impressed, but some of the time I would say something in Japanese and Mr. Nakajima still did not understand! Their dialect is pretty heavy here, and they speak very fast, low, and almost slurred at times.

The dishes I can recall from Mrs. Nakajima are:

Tempura shrimp

Fried chicken wings

Fresh tomatoes on ice (Dan eat your heart out!)

Okra with bonito (fish flakes – taste like bacon!)

Tamago (kind of sweet egg square – my favorite I think)

Miso soup (of course – a staple at every meal)

Rice (duh – very good here, though. Akita is known for its rice)

Sausages and sugared ham (both at breakfast)

Soy sauce flavored seaweed strips (eaten by themselves, a little strange)

Spinach with bonito (yum! Okaasan (Mrs. Nakajima) says they make you like popeye!)

Kiritampo (Akita famous dish – rice balls (mochi) in a stew with chicken, fish, veggies, broth – so gooood!)

Shake (salmon, so good in the morning!!)

Pickled cucumbers, onions, and Japanese eggplant (very different and much better than American pickles – not nearly as sour!!)

Ogen ( Think it’s called that – stew with veggies and boiled eggs. Good, but I think it made my stomach hurt)

Ozushi (sushi rice covered in fried Tofu, sooo good)

Lots of fresh fruit (peaches, watermelon, pineapple, pear, etc. the fruit in Japan is delicious)

Umeboshi (really sour plum like things – zutto suppai!)

Sushi rolls (that you don’t dip in soy sauce – I was laughed at!)

Kabocha (squash, yummy)

Cake for dessert that was very sweet for Japan, but just perfect to me

Beer and wine, of course, and lots of barley tea

We also visited an onsen, which is a hot spring. There are hundreds of onsen in Japan, and the Japanese are crazy about them! The one we visited was right by the ocean and had multiple baths of differing temperatures. There was also one outside. It was great and relaxing. Mr. Nakajima picked us up (did I mention there were 3 JASCers at the homestay – me, Asako from Japan, and Gurpreet from UPENN) and we headed home for yet another feast.

I am now back at Akita International University after a long day of RT talks. Our group really works well together, although religion and gender studies seem to be the stickiest issues (Japanese people really swear they are not religious!!) but I am glad I am here representing things I really believe in.

For pictures, please check out my photobucket at photobucket.com. My login is “L2418d” and the password is “vail99”.