Thoroughly Japan (now with pictures!)

The last few days have been exhausting! For the first time since we arrived in Japan the travel and all the activity has started to catch up with me. (So... because of that I'm going to be lazy and not post pictures. I'll update soon). Something else that's happened in the last few days - it seems our experiences have become more and more authenticly Japanese (well... most of them).

Wednesday we left Tokyo and headed to Nikko. The landscape was very different - we entered mountain country. We visited one of the best tofu factories and sampled A LOT of tofu cooked many different ways. Some of it was a struggle to get down... some of it tasted amazing! Who knew you could make donuts and cheese cake mousse out of tofu? After lunch (of more tofu) we toured a huge shrine in Nikko.

Then... one of the highlights of our trip so far (ok... I know everything seems to be a highlight, but I'm SERIOUS.) We arrived at a ryokan... a traditional Japanese style hotel. When our bus pulled up we were greeted by 4 staff members at the door (in kimonos no lesss) and immediately whisked into a sitting room for sweets and green tea. Then they took our bags up to our rooms for us - traditional japanese style with multipurpose rooms, tatmi mats and slippers so you don't wear your shoes inside - and made tea for us and showed us how to put on our yukatas - casual cotton kimonos. While at the Ryokan you wear your yukata EVERYWHERE - in the lobby, to dinner, to the bathouse (a whole other story)... it was AWESOME. I loved the yukata and will definitely be buying one before I leave to replace my bathrobe.

Yukatas:

A shot of my room: You can see my futon bed on the floor, and a massage chair (yeah... I had two!) behind that.

After we got settled in, all the girls went to the communal bathouse. (The boys did too, but I definitely don't know those details!) We were a little nervous, but we were the only ones there, so it was perfect for our first time. We were definitely more modest than the Japanese, but we LOVED the hot tubs - two inside and one outside.

Dinner was served in a private room and was amanzing - and 100% japanese. Some of it was fantastic - for the first time I sincerely ENJOYED my raw tuna (and a whole baby trout - eyes and all - see below) and some of it was harder to stomach with a smile.

After dinner we had an oragami and calligraphy lesson from Chieko - we had so much fun hanging our with her and learning from her!

Oragmai:

We went back to the bathouse after that and that night I slept on the floor on the futon mat and tatmai mats in my yukata - with the balcony door open so I could hear the running water of the stream outside - and it was the best sleep I've had yet. I could seriously go on and on about this experience...

The next morning we took to nature and visited two beautiful waterfalls and a crystal clear lake in the mountain area. It was really cool to see some of the natural beauty of Japan:

Then we went to our first FFJ school visit. It was awesome - the students were so friendly and excited!

National FFA and National FFJ presidents:





Yes, they even wear slippers in school!

We went back to Tokyo for the night and ate dinner at a famous Indian restaraunt near in Ginza (ok... so not everything is Japanese!) I was nervous because my one experience with Indian food was not a pleasant one, but it was FANTASTIC!

Today we took the bullet train to Nagoya. Sadly, we all fell asleep and totally missed passing Mt. Fuji. In Nagoya we went to the port where they import hundreds of thousands of tons of US grain every month. It was very cool. Some pictures of us at the port:

This afternoon we visited another school with FFJ members. They had a party for us where we ate many food products prepared by the students and played games. Then the officers left with their host families, where they will be for the next two nights. What an exciting experience for them!

Riley at the party, helping make dumplings:

Paul and his host brother, Riley meeting his host brother, and Regina with her host sister:

The adults are staying a hotel in downtown Nagoya. Tonight we get some extra (and much needed) rest. We'll meet up with the officers and their host families tomorrow for a farm tour. For now... I'm getting some sleep. Sayonara!

There are no words...

A quick recap of yesterday:

We started off the morning at the US Embassy where we were briefed on the state of agricultural trade and affairs between the US & Japan. We spent the afternoon and evening at the headquarters of Mitsui, our sponsor for this trip. After our meetings with Mitsui they hosted a reception where we got to meet and hang out with several of their junior staff members, who are close to my age. It was fun to visit with them and learn from them.

I tried a sushi roll with salmon eggs. My Mitsui friend was very nervous for me, but I ate it like a champ.

Mitsui Junior staff

TODAY

Today was a very special day - one that I think will be hard to top! I think it's hard to describe what we experienced today in words, but I'll give it a stab. (That's why there are lots of pictures, which also don't do the day justice).

This morning we left our hotel at 5 am for the Tsukiji fish market - the largest market of its kind in the world! The place was already busy when we got there way before dawn. As we walked down the streets of Tokyo we could smell the fish several blocks away from the actual market. We arrived and walked through a maze of allies packed with small shops like the one below: already open and preparing for a busy day.


Then we made our way to a warehouse. As we stepped in we saw a floor that was lined with fresh tuna ready for auction:

There were men running around everywhere, examining the tuna closely and taking notes on which ones they wanted to bid on:

It also seemed like a social affair as many of them visited and laughed together. It's clear they work together often. But then, the bells started ringing and things got serious. Everyone started dashing for the lines of tuna they wanted to bid on and the auction started. As they auctioned it sounded more like a song or tribal chant than our auctioneers.
Below: an auctioneer with a bell.

After that we made our way to another warehouse full of frozen tuna:

As we left that warehouse I heard a guy talking to a japanese man about how the acution worked, and I looked up and one foot away from me was Zac Effron! No kidding! And then I looked to my left and there was Vanessa Hudgens! I was being pushed out the door and didn't get to say anything or get a picture, but we saw them again later in the market and Regina snapped a couple photos of them.

This is where the tuna goes: (this market is right outside the warehouse)

In the alley/market place there were small restaraunts. We went into one and the 12 of us litterally packed the place - there was only a bar to sit at. We had a very expensive breakfast - tons of:

Sushi. Yeah - kind of strange at 6:30 am, but I ate a lot!

This afternoon we went to the home and farm of the Hagiwara family. This is Mr. Hagiwara, a 13th generation farmer!

He and his family were absolutely wonderful. We met the whole family, including his son Aaoi:

When we first arrived they showed us how to make "sticky rice" balls - a very traditional food in Japan. Here is his mom steaming rice (this is in their front yard):

The rice was put in a stump that was carved into a big bowl:

Then we took turns pounding it!

Then we went inside their home (a very traditional and beautiful Japanese home) where Mrs. Hagawara prepared lunch for us (including sticky rice balls made out of the rice we helped make outside). It was very special - the food was wonderful and everything we ate came from their farm (and was all organic). They definitely welcomed us as family at their table.

They also showed us many family heirlooms that are very old, including this pipe below:

Then we toured the farm - the grow a number of things there, including organic vegetables and herbs. I really liked this old van that had been converted into a storage place for tools:

We spent several hours walking around their farm, and down neighboring paths. We visited with the family and especially played with Aaoi who was so fun and energetic. He was such a great reminder that people are the same no matter where you go. He had no idea that we were Americans trying to learn a new culture - he just climbed in our laps, ran, and played with us all afternoon.

Aaoi and his grandma:

One of their neighbors working on her farm: (I think she thought we were crazy for taking pictures of her) She rattled on in japanese to Nessie and I as if we could understand even when we kept shrugging our shoulders - but she just smiled and kept talking.

We made our way to a playground where the officers had a lot of fun:

We were all very sad when we had to leave. It's incredible how quickly you can bond with people - even people very different from you - when you have open hearts and open minds.

Viva Tokyo!

Today was fabulous! We spent the day sightseeing in Tokyo. Here is a snapshot of what we experienced:

In front of Imperial Palace:

The largest shrine in Tokyo. First you walk through the gate & you are purified mentally and spiritually. Then you cleanse your hands and mouth with water to purify physically.

We took part in a traditional Japanese tea ceremony. This ceremony dates back five hundred years. I was chosen as the guest of honor :) and sat to the left of the host, was served first and gave a speech on behalf of our group.

Some of my favorite photos are ones I took of the locals:

I dont know what this place was called. Our guide Chieko just called it `the large paper lantern and place with 100 shops`. It was very cool.

The Japanese believe smoke has healing and beautification powers, so the stand near it and waft it in their face. This is Hannah and Nessie trying to get beautiful.

Inside you could pay $1.00 to get your fortune. If it was good you took the paper with you. If it is bad you tie it to the pole and leave it behind. Nessie was sad because she got a bad fortune. (mine was a `regular` fortune).

The architecture here is very unusual. The building on the left is the headquarters of a beer company and is designed to look like a glass of beer (with the foam on top). The building to the right is meant to be a flame of peace.

This evening we took a short cruised down the river that leads to Tokyo bay. We crossed under several brideges. These are some of my favorites:

This picture shows several Tokyo skyline highlights: Japan`s own Statue of Liberty (yes, they got one from France too... who knew?); Rainbow bridge, and the bright structure behind the bridge is Tokyo tower - the tallest structure in Tokyo (it slightly taller than the eiffel tower and up close looks similar).

Sayonara for now!