Good Friends that are Good People...

Tonight my sister and I went over to my good friends Drew and Lindsey's place. It is hard to provide textual characteristics to people like Drew and Lindsey. Both of them are extremely fun. They also are very ambitious but they are quiet about it. Only through questioning do either of them really go into detail about some of the great things they have done. Drew often enjoys informing people that he is quite "handsome" and is very willingly to openly discuss his journey to attain an 8-pack.

We went over to there place. They live in Rockridge. There place is really nice. I don't know how they keep it so clean. Every time I have been to Drew and Lindsey's place it is always super clean. I feel like it has been clean an improbable amount of times.

We hung out and Lindsey made dinner. The food was great. I wish I could remember what one things was called. I know that there was a large type of Macaroni with some cheese on it and some meat was in there too. Bottom-line is that all of the food was insanely awesome.

Lindsey made this really interesting appetizer that was white bean, garlic, and artichoke Bruschetta. It was super awesome.

Later on in the night we out to Ben and Nick's. We hung out and talked. I like hanging out with people like Drew and Lindsey because both of them are inspiring the way they live their lives. I have never meant anyone who is more efficient with his time then Drew. I will never forget when I walked out to the basketball court to see Drew. I sat down next to him. He had his computer open, he was keeping all 60 kids in check, he was writing up the unit plan and lesson plans for an upcoming unit, and talking to me about a paper that we had due in our Masters class. Lindsey is great because she is laid back and just has fun. Plus, she is very smart and she handles her sh&t!

I love being around good people because it makes me want to be a better person.

Fireworks in Tokyo

Me and Mr. and Mrs. Iizuka. They hosted the party. They were wonderful hosts.

I got into Tokyo around 2:00 today. I found my hotel, relaxed and got some groceries. Around 5:00 My friend Mr. Fukuwara came by the hotel. He had invited me to come see the fireworks at a party with him tonight. Before we went to the fireworks he showed me all around Asakusa. It was really busy. There were tons of little shops.

We got to the party around 615. The hosts were Mr. and Mrs. Iizuka. They were both very kind. They told me to make myself at home and offered me beer and lots of food. The food was great. I don't know the name of a lot of the food but it was really good. As the night went on I found out that Mrs. Iizuka was a master at Braille art (art for the blind) for children. I loved seeing her pictures and touching them because all the pictures felt so nice and soft.
Some food at the party!

The mother of Ms. Iizuka is 90 years old. She is a master archer in Japan. She teaches classes. I saw her. I could not believe she was 90. She was extremely aware of her surroundings and had no issues climbing 3 flights of stairs. She had focus and poise. It was amazing to meet her. Unfortunately I was too shy to ask for a picture. I actually felt a little bit star struck to be around a woman of her stature. It was incredible. 90 years old and a master archer that teaches people of all ages. She has been training in the art of archer y for 70 years. 70 YEARS!

Mr. Furukawa was very fun (as I am beginning to believe he always is fun! Lots of fun!). He introduced me to Mr. and Mrs. Tsunashima. They were both very kind and spoke good English. Mr. Tsunashima is 53 years old and had just recently run a half marathon in about 2 hours. He is in excellent condition. Mr. and Mrs. Tsuanashima knew that I was coming so they got me a present. It is a beautiful towel that shows the emblems of different Japanese lineages. At first, I told them I wanted to frame it but they told me that I must use it to wipe off my sweat when I do Aikido. I told them it was beautiful and that I would really like to frame it but they insisted that I use it for Aikido. So from here on out this towel will be used for Aikido.

Me, Mr. Fukuwara and Ms. Tsunashima eating food and hanging out.
Mr. Fukuwara is a great host because of his excitement and positive energy. He is probably about 5 feet 5 inches tall (maybe smaller) 63 years old and filled with tons of energy. He is a master in the art of Jukendo and has invited me to train with him tomorrow. I am very excited (and of course a little nervous). He is also in incredible shape. 2 weeks ago Mr. Fukuwara ran a half marathon. I asked him "how long did you train for it?" He laughed and said "I didn't really train". I said "not at all". He said "Well, I tried to run but I only did once a month". He didn't realize how incredible this was. He said it with embarrassment that he didn't train. I listened with astonishment that this man ran a half marathon with no training.

While all this was going on there was awesome ("sugoi" in Japanese) fireworks going on in the background. I enjoyed my time so much.

At the end of the night they wanted to make sure I made it home safely so they went with me on the subway (even though I told them I was sure I would be fine) and gave me very clear directions on how to get to my location. They went out of their way so much to help me.

Me, Mr. Fukuwara, and Mr. Tsunashima (maybe having a little too much fun)

I am constantly filled with gratitude for all the kindness I have been given while in Japan. Repeatedly I have wished that I could speak Japanese for the sole purpose of thanking people for their kindness. Unfortunately I am always left with only being able to bow and state a brief "Domo Arigato".

New Town, New Friends, and Lost...

My first night in Kyoto I got in around 5:00. I was hanging out in the lobby area and met a couple guys. There names were Rowan and Alex. Rowan was from the UK but is currently living in Melbourne, Australia. Alex is from Quebec, Canada. We decided we would all get dinner together in Kyotos downtown area.

We spent a good hour just walking around and trying to find somewhere to eat. The problem was that it was difficult to find a place that was cheap, offered a lot of food and had english menus with pictures. Eventually we found a place that we thought met all 3 criteria. They had an English menu, the prices were reasonable and we just crossed our fingers and hoped the meals were of good size. The thing about Japan is that sometimes the portions are incredibly small. I would say that in some cases (okay, many cases) the appetizers in the United States are bigger than the full meals in Japan. I have noticed this in particular at more expensive places.

When we got our food we realized why it was so cheap. The food tasted great. But the portions were tiny. I didn't really feel any different after the meal than I did before. So we headed to the local convenient store to get a more substantial dinner.
This is Rowan after he got some food from the convenient store

After that we headed to a bar to grab a drink. I met an Australian named Chris. Chris was 35 years old and this was his first time travelling by himself. He had just finished a mountain bike excursion across Mongolia. On a whim he decided to come to Japan for about a week. I enjoyed talking with him and hearing his story. He had a 10 year old daughter that he said he was beginning to really miss. Him and the mother had separated. He didn't go into detail but I appreciated his honesty and sincerity. We had a good old fashioned man bond.

From left to right (Chris, Me, Rowan, and Alex)

On the way back Rowan thought it would be a good idea to follow the river for a while. I thought this was a good idea too until we got lost. We were walking on the street to head back to our hostel and all of a sudden all of us realized that something just seemed wrong. It was taking way too long. During this time Rowan had been doing most of the navigating. Alex and I had pretty much remained quiet. I had given one piece of advice that turned out wrong. Eventually Alex spoke up. Since he he had remained silent thus far (meaning he hadn't been incorrect yet) I decided to jump on his ship and let him be captain. Eventually we found our way back.

What did I learn? First off always bring a map of my own. Second, never leave navigation up to the guy that got you lost in the first place. Third, always ask the really quiet guy his opinion. Fourth, I like the slang in Australian English.

Good Sights, Good People and an Onsen

Today was my last day in Beppu. I decided I would go see more hotsprings (because hotsprings are awesome). Yesterday I met a 24 year old named Yun. He was from Korea. He came to Japan because he wanted to practice his Japanese. Yun told me that his initial plan was to simply stay in Tokyo but then a Japanese friend had convinced him to come to Beppu. But his friend was busy today. So I invited Yun to come with me to the hotsprings. It was really funny talking to him. He told me wanted to experience and "American party". I told him he saw too many movies. I did share with him a few college stories to heighten his interest. I'm sure these stories only perpetuated the stereotype of the American party.

We went to a nearby town called Kannawa. We saw one hotspring that shot out water from the ground. It was cool. The water was about 250 degrees and was shooting out of the ground at ridiculous speeds.

Yun and I in front of the hotspring before it erupted.


A distant view of one of the hotsprings.

Next we went to a hotspring that due to it's temperature creates a perfect breeding ground for crocodiles. So we got to see lots of crocodiles. It was cool. They were way less agile then I expected.
A crocodile

We then went to an awesome onsen. It was at the top story of a hotel. The onsen was outdoors and overlooked the entire city of Beppu. In the distance the ocean could be seeing. It was great.

Then when we got back to the hostel there were some people going to dinner so we went with them. I like meeting new people. I especially like learning about their culture and sharing stories about my own culture. I met two guys from Holland. I liked talking with them. The most interesting thing is that as we talked more I realized how much we had in common. They are a western culture. Of course, there are some differences (just like there are differences in the United States) but on larger concepts like individualism our cultures were on the same page. When I meet new people that I enjoy I always give my contact information and tell them if they are ever in California I'll show them around for a few days. They then always extend the invitation to their country. I love this. I think the best way to get to know an area is to experience it with a local. I have met people from Holland, Germany, Israel, Korea, New Zealand, Denmark and many other countries. The more people I meet the smaller the world feels.

Left to right: Alex (from Holland), Me, Tor (from japan), Danny (from Holland), Ayumi (from Japan), and Yun (from Korea) with his eyes closed.
Left to right: Alex, Me, and Tor

Culture, Kids, Geography and a Festival

I arrived in Beppu on Friday July 23rd. This just happened to be around the same time that Beppu has it's annual summer 5 day festival. This festival is filled with daily markets, dancing, singing, fireworks and interesting cultural displays. There are tons of food vendors. It is just like a farmers market. I like it because I get to see some of the food that Beppu has at a farmers market. It is also really interesting walking around and watching people interact.

Here is a little bit of background knowledge to give some context. Japan is made up of 4 main islands (there are many smaller islands). The 4 islands are: Honsho, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido. The best comparison I could give to the United States is it is kind of like: The west coast, the east coast, the midwest, etc. Except here the islands are very clearly defined. Honshu is the main island where many of the famous cities are located (Tokyo, Nagoya, Hiroshima, etc). Just like in the states (with the west coast, east coast, midwest, etc) each of these islands has its own culture and personality.




Beppu is in Kyushu. I was shocked when I first got to Kyushu because there was actually trash on the ground. Also, in kyushu I have seeing fat Japanese people(Japanese people are very thin). It feels more laid back in Kyushu and a little bit more western. I notice children wearing baggy clothes with their boxers showing. I did not see this in Honshu at all. It is hard for me to understand if the lifestyle in Beppu is like all of Kyushu or simply Beppu. Beppu kind of has a little bit of a Vegas feel to it but less glamorous. There are many Pachinko Slots in Beppu (this is like Japanese gambling slot machines but uses silver balls. I don't quite understand it). There are also many strip clubs in Beppu (I have gone to none!) There seems to be a laid back vibe among the people and culture here.

Back to the original point, the festival has been really cool. Yesterday there was a fireworks display and a huge line of Japanese dancers all dressed in Yukatas (traditional Japanese summer wear that looks like robes). It was really cool. I love watching little children because this provides me with a door to the culture. Kids do as they please, as if no one is watching. I love watching them because they could just as easily be american. I see kids staring at trees and singing to themselves. I see them playing with each other. I see brothers and sisters annoying each other. I see kids getting excited about little things in their environment. It amazes me how similar yet different we all are.

Some of the dancers from the festival

This is rice wrapped in thin beef

f. Some food I got at the festival. I think it was fried chicken...



Tony (a fellow californian that is travelling around the world), Mathew (a hilarious German who has primarily gotten around Japan by hitchhiking) and I went to the farmers market and explored. One of the funny things is that we went to a convenient store. Mathew grabbed beers for all of us. When we got outside Mathew opened his beer up and started drinking. Tony and I looked at each other and said "you can do that?!" Mathew said "do what?" Tony and I quickly said "we got to take a picture of this!" Mathew started laughing. He said in Germany you can have an open container (just like in Japan) in public. To him it was no big deal. To us it was novelty.

Mathew Tony and I showing off our beers in public


Mathew saw these woman and told them "we must take a picture with you because of your beauty"

New Friends, Hot Springs, and Onsens in Beppu

Yesterday while I was in the Lobby I met a guy named Tony Sun. Tony is from Orange county and had recently quit his job to travel the world. Tony has traveled for the past 4 months all around Asia. He has been to Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam and now Japan (I am sure I am forgetting some of the other countries he has been). I asked him how long he plans to travel. He said he thinks it will probably take him about a year and a half to go all the places he wants to go. Tony inspired me because of his story. Tony had a good job back in the states. He has his MBA. He is 31 years old. He told me that he found himself getting a feeling in his gut this year that said "isn't there more out there then just this." He made the decision to quit his job and to travel.

Today Tony and I went to Kanawa (a nearby town of Beppu) and explored their hotsprings. The hotsprings are called "Jigokus". The translation of Jigoku is hell. They are called this because of their heat and color. We saw two hells. They were awesome to look at. One of them was a light sea blue. The other one was a deep red. The cool thing about these is that they are completely natural. The coloring occurs due to different chemical compositions of the ground and the water. Each Jigoku has it's own story. There are 8 different Jigokus but we only had time to see two of them. One of the really fun things was trying to find the Jigokus. They were fairly far apart from each other so we walked around the town quite a bit. This is a very small town and it was really interesting to see the town.

Tony and me in front of a jigoku

Me in front of a jigoku


This is a view of Kannawa

Of course after we went to the Jigokus we went to an Onsen. The onsen had 6 different types of baths. It had indoor onsens and outdoor onsens. The outdoor onsen was awesome. At one point it began to rain a little bit while I was sitting in the outside onsen. I love sitting outside in a warm onsen when it is raining… Yes I'm addicted.

The Kawahara Family

I am right now in the train station getting ready to head to Beppu. I am leaving Shimonoseki City. It is hard to put into words an experience that has never existed in my life. From the second I stepped foot into Shimonoseki the Kawahara family treated me like family. I did not know I could be made to feel so at home so far away from my home. The family is so warm and kind. They live in a beautiful and very big home. They did every little thing to make me feel welcome. Both the mother and father had me call them "Mama" and "Papa". They called me Izzy-san. I think the direct translation of this is "Mr. Izzy". This made me smile. In the house there was Mama, Papa, Miyu (pronounced Myou), Taka and myself.

They were so kind to me and so welcoming. I will miss them very much. I feel that they gave me more than simply an experience to remember. They gave me friendship and warmth that can only be given by a very good heart. Taka showed me all around Shimonoseki. He showed me all the beauty that Shimonoseki had to offer. He took me to Japanese gardens, an Acquarium, Tsunoshima (Masanao, If I spelled it wrong please correct me), an Onsen, and so much more. Miyu was friendly and her positive spirit put me in an even better mood. She is so funny that her humor manages to surpass the restraints of language. Even though, her English was limited she still had me laughing constantly. Mama made sure I was comfortable at all times. She always made sure I was well fed, the temperature was good, and that my clothes were clean. Also, her kind spirit could be felt so strongly that it made me feel very welcome. Papa taught me about Japanese history. He also explained to me many things about Japanese culture. He was very interested in American culture. I loved having drinks with him every night. We would drink and talk about Japanese culture and American culture. His love for his family emanates in all his actions.

This is me and Taka about to eat Fugu fish!


Without a doubt the hardest part of being in Shimonoseki was having to leave. I will miss Shimonoseki and the Kawahara family.

The Kawahara family has made my experience in Japan one that I will never forget. I thank them for that. It is hard to find people as kind and warm as them in the world. I feel so lucky to have met them, to have stayed with them and to have them as my friends. I look forward to the day they come to California so I can show them the beauty of my town.

I will go more into detail about my experience in Shimonoseki in future posts. I wanted to put up this post to express my gratitude and to let my friends and family know I am still alive (as I haven't posted anything in a few days).


This is Papa and me

Japanese Barbeque with the Kawahara Family

On my last night in Shimonoseki the Kawahara family had an awesome barbeque. Papa made many different types of food. We had Yakitori, vegetables, beef, Craw, Miso soup, Udon and many other foods. We all hung out had some drinks and lit fireworks. It was very fun. At the end of the night they made a little sign for me on the cement portion of their outdoor patio.

The food was so good. One of the many stereotypes about Americans is that many of us are fat. Well, I can promise everyone that if I were to stay with the Kawaraha family I would likely become very fat because all of the food they cook and eat is very good.

Below are some pictures from the barbeque.

Shimonoseki City Day 1

I got to Shimonoseki around 12 pm. As soon as I got there I was greeted by Taka and his mother. Right at the exit of the station was Taka holding a sign that had written on it "Welcome to Shimonoseki Izzy". Immediately I felt welcome.





From there we went to Tsunoshima island. It is a very beautiful beach that is on the northwestern portion of Honshu (the main island of Japan). Taka and I went swimming. The water felt great because it was very hot. It is always an awesome feeling swimming in the ocean.

After that we went to a very beautiful location to see the ocean. I am not sure what this area was called but it was close to the island.

From there we met Papa (Taka's father) for lunch. We had a Japanese buffet. The food was excellent. It also was nice being with the family. I was surprised how comfortable I felt with them. I think this says a lot about how welcoming they were.



Then later in the day when Papa and Miyu (Taka's sister) got home we went out for Korean Bar-B-Que with Papa, Miyu, Taka and some of Miyu's friends. The food was awesome (to put it lightly). Papa handed me a menu and pointed at a food item. It was raw beef with a raw egg on the top. He said "do you want to try?" I said "yes." He gave me a surprised look and said "are you sure?" I said "I love all food." He got it for me. It was actually really good. After I tried a few bites of it I gestured for Papa to try some. He gave me a gross face and said "nah!" Dinner was fun. We talked, we hung out, we had drinks.

To the left is Papa, me and Junya at dinner.

Below is a picture of the raw meat and egg i ate. It was good!










After that we all went bowling. Papa beat everyone by a long shot. I don't remember his score but it was way higher than everyone else's.











Then when we got back home Mama brought out some snacks and drinks and we all hung out together (myself, Miyu, Taka, Mama, and Papa). I showed them pictures of my family and my life (via facebook). It was a wonderful first night.










Taka and I back at the Kawahara home.

A funny side note: I have learned that Japanese people love to eat food. I guess all cultures love to eat food but I am shocked by how thin Japanese people are considering they eat so much. I love to ask Japanese people "what is the stereotype of Americans?" So far everyone I have asked has included in some way or another "Americans are fat." Compared to Japanese Americans are fat.

Acts of Kindness

Yesterday I got back from Miyajima around 10 pm. This meant that some of the trains were no longer running. I had to figure out a route to get back to my hostel that was different from what I had initially planned. I took a look at the subway map and realized rather than taking one train I could do it by taking 2 trains with a transfer. I figured that was easy enough.

I got onto the number 8 train and then shifted over to the number 3 train. After a few stops I realized that I was on the 3 train that was going in the opposite direction of my hostel. At this point it was about 11 pm. I got off at the next stop. As I became aware of the problem I stood up and moved around the train quite a bit. I was looking for maps. It must have been apparent that I was lost because when I got off the train a Japanese woman got off with me and said "are you okay? Are you lost?" I smiled and told her "I'm fine I just have been going in the wrong direction. I just need to take the 3 train going the other way." She said "are you sure?" I said "Yes I'm fine". She went on her way and I went over to check the schedule. It said that a train should show up in the next 15 minutes. A train didn't show up… I then took a look at the schedule again. Next to the time that it was supposed to be there was a blue mark that was written in kanji (japanese characters). I later learned this meant that the 3 train only went one direction at this time (not the direction I was going).

The next train that came I asked the person if the 3 train was supposed to come. He spoke a small amount of english. He said "3 train" then crossed his arms. In Japan crossing ones arms means no. It's like when we shake our head. I said "chuden mae". That was my stop that I needed to get to. He said "come". So I got on. I then went to the back and asked the conductor in the back "does the 3 train hit any of these stops?" He said "no". I then walked away and went to look at the map. As I was looking at the map he came over to me and said "where are you trying to go?" I was relieved because I could tell his english was good. I told him and he said "Oh. Okay, you need to get off here and get on train 0". He then explained to me exactly where we were and the number of stops until I got off. He then also explained to me the number of stops it would take until I reached my Chuden Mae. Then when it came time for my stop he got out of the train and walked me over to the other train. All of this was done out of pure kindness. In case there are some doubters I do want to explain that concept of tipping does not exist here (so he wasn't doing it for that).

Then today when I got into Fukuoka city I was walking and this old man saw me looking at a map. He said "you going hostel?" I said "yeah". He smiled and said "by my house. I walk with you." We talked while we walked. He is a chemist. He walked me right to the corner where my hostel was.

Then when I got to my hostel I asked the person at the counter "Do you know of any Aikido dojos in the area?" He said that he didn't but his friend did Aikido. He then pulled out his friend and called him. He handed me the phone and I spoke with him. His name was Shun. Shun told me that he would come to the hostel tomorrow around 10 and he would take me to his dojo.

These are all examples of some of the kind deeds that have happened to me along the way of this trip. I have just been shocked by some of the kindness I have received from the Japanese people. The thing that continues to impress me is how much people have gone out of their way to help me.

Nagoya

In short I had a wonderful time in Nagoya. I was able to go to a Japanese school, see the sights in Nagoya, go to a sumo tournament and make many new friends. On the last night in Nagoya we were able to meet up with my friends from Israel that I met in Takayama (Noa and Matis). We all met and had a superb dinner. It is so much fun when people from all around the world come together and through the simple characteristics of kindness, appreciation, curiousity, and sincerity are able to enjoy one each others company. At dinner we had people from 4 different countries: Israel, Japan, Berma and the United States. Most of us had met one another within a week. Yet, we talked like old friends… This just blows my mind.

The farmers market In Takayama

Yesterday morning I was sitting in the lobby of my hostel and I began conversing with some people. It turned out they were from Israel. There names were Noa and Matis. They were husband and wife and had been travelling all around Japan together. Like so many other Israeli's I have met they were very friendly and very easy to talk with. After conversing for a while we decided to head to the local market together.

The farmers market was held right next to a large river that crosses through the town. The river is very powerful and very scenic. The farmers market had a whole foray of different foods. I got a hida beef bun (similar to a pork bun but had beef instead) and I also tried some marshmallow thing.

This market was obviously very used to tourists because the owners at many of the stands were very friendly. They weren't freindly in an agressive way where I felt obligated to buy something. Instead they just enjoyed conversing. There english was limited but good enough for general conversation.

It was really fun meeting some new people and going around the town with them. I might meet up again with them in my travels. They invited me to come to Israel and I as well returned the favor and told them if they ever come to northern california I can show them around. The best part of all of this is that Noa had a great camera and I asked her to take some pictures. Also today I plan to get a camera.