Sunday, October 22, 2006

Mount Kurikoma part 2 & a 10km race

go Sabres - 8-0 - I hope this is going to be their year - even though it will be hard to be as excited from way over in Japan as opposed to sitting in the bars in Plattsburgh watching since the cable in the dorms don't carry the channel that plays the games. Go Sabres.

I had yet another wonderful weekend. This weekend was so enjoyable thanks to some of the wonderful folks in my English Conversation Class. I tell you - I am so grateful to experience actually living in Japan as opposed to traveling Japan. Thanks to living here - I get to see and do things that you wouldn't ever know about if only traveling. I did so many wonderful things on Saturday that you would never read about to do in a Lonely Planet nor really have the time to on a rushed schedule traveling the country.

A few weeks ago - the English Conversation Class coordinator - Sakurai - San asked Brian san and I to go to onsen(see link back where I explain onsen in earlier post). Of course - we said yes - but I had not anticipated how much more of Japan I would experience on Saturday! Sakurai - san also brought her husband, mother - in law and another woman from our class - all great people.

The onsen destination was Mount Kurikoma - where I went to last weekend. This mountain is a large range and covers three prefectures(states). We headed up a different way from last week. We were going through Akita - ken* - and I stayed in only Miyagi -ken last weekend. On the way there - we stopped at a place called Nuruyu Gobansho. It was a historic ruins museum basically. The building was 400 years old - and had many antiques inside. Our guides explained all the different items inside the building. I thought the inside was cool because of the structure. We were inside a 400 year old house with 400 year old kitchen Gods, ceramics, kitchen items, living room, etc. We got to go upstairs as well and see 400 year old looms and thread spinners. Outside of this building was a 400 year old Cherry Blossom Tree!
I didn't bring my camera because I didn't realize we were going in. Gomen.

As we neared closer and closer to the mountain, we went through so many beautiful areas of Japan. Goodness, this country is just so beautiful. The natural beauty of it all - is breathtaking. So many cedars, so many mountains, valleys, unique nooks & cranny's of the landscape. I can't begin to put it into words.

As we started gaining elevation - the scenery just became more orange, red, and yellow from the autumnal color change that I was trying to see last week. I was taking it in the best I could - sometimes I think I could just get lost in an area like that - and not want to find my way back.
We stopped at a rest stop to take some photos. Please see below!

On Saturday, I also got to experience some of Akita prefecture's famous ice cream. It really isn't ice cream, per se - but more of like a sherbet. It tasted great - it also reminded me of something that I may have had in my past but I couldn't put my finger on it. It's a yellow and red color and quite sweet and soft.

We made one more stop before getting to the onsen - this time to view the onsen we would be going to from a distance and to see a nice lake. The temperate had dropped drastically and it was so cold now! The picture farthest down - if you look hard enough you can see the onsen we were about to head to.

And then we reached the onsen! This onsen experience was more intimidating than the others one I had been to prior to this. The first two onsen I had experienced - well - it was basically my western friends & me - and then maybe one or two other women. At this particular onsen - there were much more women and I was the only foreigner. But when in Rome...
The onsen really are relaxing and when everyone is naked - who cares? I think it's just such a different concept from most people from Western cultures. There is really nothing back home where you would walk around completely naked in front of complete strangers. Meghann and I discussed it today though - we think there should be. It' s such a healthy way for people to feel more comfortable with their body image. You become much more comfortable with the idea of your body - when you are walking around naked in front of others. Body image is such a huge deal with most women in America - and we think onsen could improve that. It's all environmental - and I hope that if you come visit me - you'd be all about going to an onsen and experiencing it.

Many Japanese people believe it is very good for your health and skin as well. This onsen was beautifully located - situated in the mountains. Sulfuric smelling again -reminding me of New Zealand. We chatted in the outdoor onsen where we got to intake the views of Kurikoma Quasi - National Park. Including the second highest mountain in Northern Japan. I explained to them about "pruny hands" which was funny. They said they had "pruny faces." Haha. Of course - they don't. People in Japan generally have wonderful skin. Women in America look much older and have many more wrinkles than their same aged counterparts in Japan. Maybe - onsen really are wonderful for your skin =)

Feeling wonderfully relaxed we met back up with Brian san and Mr. Sakurai San and we all went to get some lunch downstairs. Lunch was delicious - I had some pasta and it had very tasty sauce.

Following lunch we headed only a few minutes up the street where we entered Iwate Ken.

See the picture to the right. The sign letting us know we are entering the prefecture. The picures on the sign are great - mountains and onsen! We stopped here so they could show us some more outdoor onsen and some of the beauty of this area.















Above: Just a shot from the area we stopped at.





To the left - these people are stopping to dip their feet into the onsen. Very cool. These are the types of stops we made - that you would never know to do from a Lonely Planet book! Then below is where the cool air meets the hot onsen creating a lot of steam!






Following that little pitstop - we kept driving and driving through more of the beautiful mountain range until we reached a gorge. This gorge is called the Geinbikei Gorge. It was a fun stop - got to see the gorge but also this really cool restaurant. This area is famous the for the Dango. According to Wikipedia, a Dango is...Dango (団子?) is a Japanese dumpling made from mochiko (rice flour), related to mochi. It is sticky and filling. Then they put like a sauce like substance over it. Well up and over the gorge there is this one restaurant that is famous for selling them and they have a most unique way of doing that! Basically - the restaurant sends down a basket to this little picnic area where people can order and get drunks from then. After finishing - they place the dirty items back into the basket - to be brought back up to the restaurant. It was really cool and a unique way to do business - kudos from me - the Marketing major. See the picture below of the basket experience and of the beautiful gorge!




















To the left is our English Conversation class members!
Well - we had originally wanted to do the basket dango experience - but the restaurant was hanging a red flag which means they are sold out. Since - it was sold out we went to another restaurant to have some. I have tried the Dango once or twice in the past. I have in the past tried the GOMA or Sesame flavor sauce. I liked it but I want to try as many things as possible here. I tried the wal-nut kind on Saturday and I loved it! I also tried Brian's soy sauce flavored one - but I didn't really care for his.

After the dango/gorge place in Iwate - we started heading back. I loved every minute of it - from ancient ruins, to spending time with the women from my class, to ineffable scenery, to steamy onsens, inside and out, a delicious lunch, dangos and gorges. Certainly a day I won't forget.

I got home and headed to bed quite early since I had my 10km race today. Today was such a blast! Meghann and I have been anticipating this day but I don't think either of us expected to have as much fun as we did. In Japan, there is this saying "Gombatte". It literally means "try your best". But - it's a phrase that we hear nearly daily in all and everything we do. It's just a part of the culture - but we find it funny that we just hear it so much. We parked our car at the ALT apartment building in Ishinomaki and were walking to the race to register our numbers.

I am going to try to explain this as best as possible - but I think it's one of those things that a reader can't really understand unless they have themselves lived in Japan and experienced the incessant use of "gombatte, ne". Meghann was expressing to me how she believes we will just hear that phrase over and over - and how funny it will be. Of course - we were giggling about it, when sure enough a man in the street stopped us - and asked if we were going to run. We told him yes and the next thing he says to us is "Gombatte, ne!" Where we agreed with him and then turned around and just started cracking up. It was certainly just the most perfect timing for him to say that. We were still laughing about it a few minutes later, when he drove by us and yelled it out his window again. It was such a wonderful start of our day.

We registered ourselves and then headed back to the car because we still had nearly two hours before it was our time to run and it was freeeezing this morning. We sat in the car and looked at our goody bag - a free sports drink, towel, food ticket, and the race program. We really didn't know what we were doing - I mean we didn't know where the race started, ended, etc. After spending some time in the car - we headed back to the race start area where we watched the opening ceremony. I was on the look out for the man who told me about the race from conversation class named Mitsuhiro san. Finally - he spotted me and I spotted him. I love this man - I really do. He is so happy and full of energy and friendly. He is just such a lovely person. He doesn't speak much English but I fully enjoy his company. I introduced him to Meghann and he brought us over to introduce us to his friends. We met them all and chatted small talk. Mitsuhiro explained the route to me a bit more and I was fully aware of it. Then it was getting a bit closer to the race so we went our own way to warm up. We warmed up - figured out the signs for where the ten kilometer women over age 18 went to . And thank goodness because shortly after we were being led to the beginning of the start. I was standing between Mitsuhiro and Meghann.

We saw some of the people who work at our top Board of Education who we rarely see. They were all very friendly and happy to see us partaking in the Ishinomaki Seaside Marathon - 20th anniversary. They were all very suprised to find out we were running in the 10km as well.

I was really nervous to run this 10km because when training - my feet go numb and it's been a big problem. I was really scared I was going to have to stop half way through and walk a bit until I got feeling back in my feet. I have tried all sorts of things that people have suggested to me - none of which worked. So - I went out there kind of laughing.

It was quite funny because Meghann and I just felt so unprepared to run - these people were hardcore runners - matching track suits, seriously short shorts and running get up. I was running in my old soccer shorts from like 12th grade, and this old tye dye that I have no idea where I even bought with long underwear underneath. Meghann - really in the same idea of clothes. The gun goes, and we start. We were in the front of the pack, but within seconds we were in the back of the pack. We laughed - we were seriously going to be dead last .

It was such a lovely run with Meghann. It was also great - there were surpisingly a lot of people on the sidelines - gombatte, neing us the whole way. We chatted probably for the first 30 minutes. We were really a team - just out there - being in the community - getting in some good exercise along the water. The route was a lovely run, right next to the pacific ocean. Got to see some parts of Ishinomaki that I had not seen yet. Of course - my feet had hurt - but I said screw you feet! I am finishing this!

Basically - what happens is my left foot goes numb - it starts tingling and eventually loses all feeling. It basically feels like what your arm or hand feels like if it falls asleep. You know that tingly feeling? Well - I guess I just need to run it out because after some time - it started feeling a little bit better. It kind of left my left foot and balances out to be uncomfortable in my right foot as well. Either way - it was uncomfortable but I pushed myself. Really - towards the end of the race, all those gombatte's being screamed to us were really helpful. It wasn't until the end where Meghann and I separated. I was feeling really awesome - and just had to go - and I didn't think she would mind so much (cause Meg - you're awesome). Well, I turned the corner and I thought that was the last leg - so I gave it all I could. I was running, sprinting, doing my best. I turned the corner and damn it - I wasn't on the last leg. So, I gave my oomph too early - ha! No worries - I still finished!!!!

We didn't know what our times were or anything. Mitsuhiro came over to congratulate us. He himself had placed third! He's a great runner, apparently! He did it in around 42 minutes I think he said! Awesome! We went over to get some water and stretch - when our big top, head Superintendent man came over to talk to us, named Abe. Abe asked us how we did and we said we weren't sure because there was no clock. He took us over to this one tent where we got our times. I ran it in 55 minutes and 56 seconds and Meg finished less than twenty seconds less than me.

It turns out I placed in sixth place. Abe explained to me that I was getting an award! It was actually quite funny - because I figured it would take me an hour and a half to finish the race and that I'd be in dead last place. Here I am standing there - with an awesome time (in my opinion, not that I know if that is good or not), and placed 6th. Then, we ran into our Supervisor - Yamada Sensei where he congratulated us. (Talk about good public relations for the JET programme, ne?). Mitsuhiro came over as well and gave both Meghann and I gifts. I tell you - Japanese people are the most giving people in this world. He was just so happy for us and so proud of us. Then, while in this circle - Abe comes back and says the newspaper wants to interview Meghann and I.

Apparently, Meg and I are the first ALT's ever to run in the Ishinomaki SeaSide Race. The man comes over, and asks us the same questions and we answer. He asked why I ran and I explained that Mitsuhiro told me about the race and since this is something I like to do at home - I wanted to do it in Japan as well and be a part of the community. He asked what i liked most about the race - and I told him I loved running alongside the ocean and how the community was cheering me on the whole way. I don't remember what else he asked but I think there was one more question. Miss feminist Meghann got in her words about more women need to run in both Japan and America. Haha. I love you, Meg =). He took a "candid" shot of us and took our countries and where we are living now. So - I'll probably be in the paper tomorrow - I hope I get a copy of it. I love it. I absolutely love this country.

The free food for runners was miso soup - which seems silly to us because it is so salty and hot for after a race. It was really delicious though. Mitsuhiro shared with us his onigiri and some fruit and drinks. We had lunch together and then it was the awards ceremony. I got to go stand up since I placed 6th. I won a bunch of sashimi or raw fish. Actually quite funny but sensible since I'm in Japan and running a seaside marathon. I plan on bringing it to school tomorrow to give to my school as a gift for helping me with so much. Good public relations, yet again. I

After the race, Meg and I were just so pumped and in such a great mood. We plan on signing up for another mini marathon that is held the first week of December. It's not 1okm but we had so much fun with this one - we are just avid on doing more. Mitsuhiro I am sure will continue to inform me of more races. He took pictures for me - so hopefully he'll send them to me so I can post them up here.

On the walk back to the car - a man started speaking English to us which was quite interesting. Turns out he lives right near me here in Monou. But - I think he got kind of freaked out when we started asking him his age, if he has kids and things like that. Typical questions in America for a meet and greet but in Japan - some questions aren't totally okay to ask - your first time meeting someone. We then met Katie and Akira for lunch.

What a lovely day! I came home and did some more cleaning. My house is always a mess - if it's clean - it's because I have too much time on my hands =) Just like my dorm room haha.

That was my weekend. As always to see more pictures from my trip - click on the link to the right and look this week for photos named Kurikoma Part two. And I just got the pics from the race in - look for them under Ishinomaki SeaSide Marathon.

Splendid weekend.

1 comment:

ollie said...

Sara,
You're amazing!! You have a very healty attitude about participating in ALL that your surroundings have to offer.
Can't wait to see the pics. You are a celeb. and now the kids have all the more reason to crowd around you! Maybe an autograph?
much love as always AA xoxo