Oya Quarry, Edo Mura, etc.

Monday of last week we were able to visit the Oya stone quarry. At the quarry is an old Buddhist temple with images dating between 700 and 800. There were no pictures allowed in the building so I only have images of the building itself. It was amazing to stand and look at something so old. There was a small fee to get in, but it was worth it to see the carvings.

Also at the temple was the most extreme example of a restroom with insufficient blinders that I have seen to date. This restroom is for both male and female use. Kate said it was a bit awkward to walk through to the stall with the men standing there.

At the back of the temple was a pathway that we walked up to explore. There was a great view of the surrounding hills with the Oya stone as well as a sheer drop off. We stayed a bit, but only Kate, the children and I walked up the path so we didn't want to hold everyone up. It looked like the path continued on from where we stopped.

I took grandma and grandpa down into the quarry to explore a little. This time I was able to take a few better pictures of the mines to attach to the blog.

The old way to carry the stone out of the mines was on workers backs up a wooden ramp in the mine. Each stone is about 180 lbs. Looks like a lot of work.

The mines are huge. I found a map of the caves and it looks like less than a quarter of them are open to the public.

Outside there was a shop selling ice cream. While eating our ice cream a gentleman offered the children to try carving the stone a little. They were give chisels and a hammer. From watching the children it really does look like soft stone. In a short time they were able to make decent progress on the carvings.

On the way home we stopped at some burial tombs from the 7th century. There are 60 tombs at this sight. Now they are all open, but it is thought that originally there was possibly stones at the end of each tomb to seal them. Each tomb also contains a carving of a figure. It is thought that the carvings were added at a later date and were not part of the original tombs. It was a free stop and just on the side of the road. We had seen them before, but never stopped.

On Wednesday we went for dinner at the Okonomiyaki restaurant that we met Miyazaki san at. I had a successful round of tako yaki making. Now I am pretty confident that I can make them after we return to the states. We ordered Osaka style and Hiroshima style as well as a pizza style. Everyone enjoyed the food and environment. Next time I will order one more food item for a group this big. When we got home I was still a little hungry. The staff here are so nice and helpful. I will be glad to go back again.

On the weekend we decided we would go to Edo Mura. It is a village close to Nikko that re-enacts what life was like during the Edo period in Japan.

It is very theatrical. There are a number of different shows to attend, and different activities to do. First up was the Ninja show. No pictures were allowed during the show, but I was able to get one after. The show was fun to watch and the actors were very athletic. Liam said it would be cool to be a Ninja.

There were also characters milling about the village to help with the environment, like this gentleman I snagged a picture of the children with. Others had different costumes and some had musical instruments.

There was also a ceremonial parade of the top Geisha in the village.

I didn't think just a picture could do it justice so I attached a short video.

I am thinking Kiss stole the idea of the shoes from this woman.

One of my favorite shows was the Japanese lantern show. I couldn't get great pictures, but there were 4 people behind a screen with old style projector lanterns. They would move the images around the screen by pointing the lanterns were they wanted the image to go. Along with that movement there was simple animation of the characters (not sure how they did that). An older gentleman narrated the story. He did a great job of giving life to the characters. I was only able to follow about half the story, but it was really fun to watch. The story was about Daruma. A Japanese figure typically with no arms and legs.

There was another show we went to that was about a rich man of the Edo era. I read in the pamphlet that an audience member is picked to play the part of the rich man. As the show was kicking off I was thinking "don't pick me, don't pick me...." He stopped and asked were I was from and then moved on. I thought I was in the clear, but he came back. Sure enough I ended up on stage. I really struggled to follow the conversation. The speaking was so fast and not so clear. For my parts I was given flash cards, but when they gave me my costume they took my glasses and I was not familiar with the words, so it was not easy to read. I think maybe that is part of it.

In the story, I think the Geisha was trying to strike some kind of deal with me, but I kept turning her down.

At one point they asked if Sake was OK to which I responded "mondainai" or no problem. I heard a little laughing from the audience and a huge bowl was poured for me. I figured it was part of the act and just water, but when I lifted it to drink I could smell that it wasn't. In the end Kate ended up driving most of the way home...

The village was really nice. Some of the exhibits were getting a little tired and maybe could use a little dusting, but I really enjoyed the shows and the environment. It does give you a little insight into what life must have been like years ago.

On the grounds was a Ninja trick house. We have these in the states, but I haven't been to one. It is were the walls are built crooked to throw off your perspective. I can say that it really messed with my balance.

Here is Ninja Kate.

The children entering the building.

Me defying gravity all Ninja like.....

On the way home we stopped at the world famous Chinese restaurant. We figured how could you go wrong with world famous... Actually the food was pretty decent. Everyone picked a meal that they could enjoy and now we can say that we have eaten at the World Famous Chinese Restaurant..

Sunday was Oarii beach and fish market. I have posted pictures of the market on here before. We went to the sushi restaurant that has the miso and crab soup. Unfortunately it was crazy busy and they were out of the soup for the day. That only left sushi for everyone to eat. Kate, the children, and I enjoy sushi so that is no problem for us, but it looks like it is not our guests favorite. I was laughing because Colleen asked for a piece of the cooked shrimp sushi and I had to tell her that none of it was making it past Aunt Mary, Grandma, and Grandpa on the conveyor..If you look at the plates you can see the evidence.

As you can see Liam really enjoyed the giant fish heads at the market.

To finish off the day we hung out at the beach. The children played in the waves while the adults relaxed and walked around. The fresh air and waves were very peaceful. I could sit and listen to the waves for hours.

I have to say it was really nice to watch the children play and have fun together.

Hope everyone has a good week.

Grandma, Grandpa, Aunt Mary arrive...

This week Grandma Horrocks, Grandpa Jack, and Aunt Mary arrived in Japan for their visit. They were originally supposed to arrive on Wednesday, but due to a number of complications (one involved being given a key to a hotel room that was already occupied by a dude in bed) they didn't arrive until Thursday evening. They were able to successfully ride the bus from the airport to Utsunomiya where I met them. Kathy was surprised to see me waiting for them at the station..

After arriving at the car I had everyone pose for the official arrival picture. They look pretty alert for running on little to no sleep..

We went to Genki sushi for our first meal out. The chopsticks were a bit of a challenge, but everyone was able to eat enough to be satisfied. On Saturday we loaded into the car and we went for a drive in and through the mountains. The first stop was a temple along the road on the way to Nikko.

Kate, Kathy and the children were invited in for a prayer ceremony. They all said it was interesting to sit and watch. I only heard the chanting and drum from the outside as I straggled behind and was not invited in. While waiting I took a picture of the huge iron water bucket. These are popular at the temples and I am told they are used in the event the temple catches on fire. They are filled with water by gutters from the temple roof.

Next stop was the temple in the mountains with the koi pond. I took this picture on the way in, I believe it is a guardian of the temple.

I really enjoy the gardens at this temple. It is so well taken care of and peaceful, the mountain setting just adds to the beauty.

We also drove on Irohazaka to get up to Nikko Lake. This whole area is very scenic and one of my favorite areas to go. Currently the traffic is not so bad, but I have been told that next month everyone will start going to Nikko to see the leaves change colors. When that happens it can take more than 2 1/2 hours to get to the top. To put that in perspective it takes me less than 1/2 hour to ride my bicycle to the top.

We drove past the lake and stopped at a foot onsen for everyone to enjoy the invigorating hot spring water on there feet. It really does relax the feet for the rest of the ride.

This time we discovered that the heat varies depending on the pool and location that you sit at. Liam selected a really hot bath and Kate and the children picked the hottest spot in that one. It was too hot for me. My location was hot enough to make my feet red and leave a red ring around my leg.

From there we decided to head for dinner. I am not exactly sure why, but the town of Nikko seems to shut down supper early. After trying unsuccessfully a number of times to find an open restaurant we finally discovered a Korean restaurant that was open. The menu looked like we could find something for everyone so we went in. We were the only people in the restaurant, which can be a bad sign, but in the end we were pleasantly surprised. The food was really good and the owners were so nice.

They invited us to stay and watch TV with them, but we were tired and ready to get home. We asked them if we could take a picture and then we were on our way.

Sunday I was out the door at 6:00am to go on a bike ride. I got back around lunch and then we headed to Utsunomiya. The first stop was Utsunomiya castle. The original grounds were built in the 11th century (1001-1100AD) The one standing on the grounds now was reconstructed in the 1800's. There was a cutaway showing the construction on the ground floor. It must be a tremendous amount of work to make a wall like this. There are something like 11 layers of building material in each wall.

After looking at the display we took an elevator to the top so we could walk around and view the grounds. The facilities are staffed with volunteer workers. They were so nice and really went out of there way to walk us around and explain things to us.

This image is of the turret building. I believe it was where the weapons were stored.

It is funny, I just found out about this castles existence last week. I stumbled on it in a book and decided we should give it a go. Even though 3/4 of the grounds are no longer present what is there is interesting to see and the staff was so friendly I will plan to take other visitors there to see it.

Next stop was Futaarayama shrine. It is the big shrine in Utsunomiya city. This shrine is somehow affiliated with the shrines at Nikko. It was made about 1600 years ago. Nothing says the original burnt down, so I am assuming this is the original..

While sitting and enjoying the sights and sounds we decided to feed popcorn to some of the pigeons. There was popcorn all over the ground for them to eat, but the size was big and they were having trouble eating it. Myself and the children broke it up in our hands and fed some of the pigeons.

It is always interesting to look at the woodwork at the shrines. Typically the carvings are elaborate and many are put together without nails. I really liked this one so I snagged a picture while waiting for everyone to finish.

When we finished walking around we decided to take everyone to what we have dubbed the junk store. It is a kind of recycle center and if you take your time and walk around it is possible to stumble on to some really cool things. We spent at least an hour at the shop before going to dinner.

For dinner we first tried to go to the Okanomiyaki restaurant, but it was too busy. We finally decided that Kazan (ramen shop) would be fun to go to. The ramen at this shop is placed into heated stone bowls, as a result when you get the bowl it is recommended that a placemat be held in front of you to prevent burns.

Here is the initial pour into the bowl.....

And an instant later....

Since the stone bowl is so hot the liquid in the noodles continues to boil for minutes after the liquid is added. The bowl also keeps the food hot while you are eating. I think the experience was enjoyed by all.

That wraps up this post.

Have a good week.

Takanezawa Sports Day.

Sports day at the children's school was originally planned for Saturday. Unfortunately it was raining on Saturday, so the event was postponed until Sunday. The weather on Sunday was beautiful. So, what is sports day?. Sports day is when all the children from the school come together to compete against each other in a number of different events. The kids start practicing weeks before the big event. The school is split into two teams, one is red and the other is white. Both Liam and Colleen were on the white team. To start the day and to signal that the event will happen, fire works are set off from the school at 6:00 am. The children go to the school at the regular time 7:30 am in there walking group and the parents arrive around 8:45.

The opening ceremony kicked the event off. The children were all assembled in the courtyard and the parents had set up tables and tarps around the perimeter to watch. It really is exciting for both the parents and children. We really enjoyed the whole event and are glad our children were able to participate!

The opening ceremony was followed by organized warm up exercises to get the children ready for the competition.

Fairly quickly after the warm ups the events were kicked off. The whole event is like clock work. It is amazingly organized. Actually I was watching an event and then I realized it was Liam running by on the track. I was barely able to get the camera turned on and get this picture. He took 3rd place in his group to give the white team some points. It looked like a 100 yard dash but I am not sure what the actual distance was.

Cheer squads were present from both teams to cheer everyone on. This is a short video of the white team cheer squad.

Colleen's first event was also a race, but hers was more of an obstacle course. During the event the children wore tadpole and fish hats.

First was the hurdle jump over the hoola skirts tied together.

Next was the summer sault followed by the balance beam.

After the balance beam it was time to navigated the strangest obstacle in a race that I have seen......the Junkin (rock paper scissors) playing crabs. You had to win around of rock paper scissors against the crabs before you could proceed to the finish line.

Colleen was able to over take one other student at the Junkin crab to take 4th or 5th place in her group.

Throughout the day there were both competitions and dancing. It was interesting to see the children participating in all types of activities. The school children were really involved in running the event as well, from announcing to event set up, they participated in everything.

Another event was honoring the elders. Actually I don't know at what age you become an elder, but Liam was selected to give one of the older woman flowers.

Before the flowers were given, other children were assigned to give the elders back massages. The respect of elders is just one of the many things that are taught in the schools at a young age.

While walking around to take photos I saw this great Radio Flyer. I don't know if you can buy them this way or if you have to make them. Pretty cool regardless.

At noon there was a break for lunch. All the children went to the parents picnic area. Some of the lunches the parents bring for the children are very elaborate bento boxes. We just stuck to lunch meat sandwiches and snacks.

After lunch the parents were invited to participate in a game to help the children. It was a ball toss into an elevated basket game. There were 4 teams competing at a time, we mustered a 2nd place.

Next up for Colleen was the Disney themed relay race with a giant ball. The music played was the Little Mermaid theme song. In this race the white team cruised to an easy victory. At this point they were still far behind the red team in points. It looked impossible for them to have a chance at victory.

Liam's class followed with a dance routine. Colleen class did a dance routine too but it was on the video camera. Too long to put on here. :)

Slowly the white team clawed back into the competition through the remaining events. Leading into the final event (tug-o-war) the white team was 14 points down to the red. There were three tug-o-war rounds. The way this tug-o-war worked is the younger children started at the rope with older children lining the perimeter of a circle away from the rope. When the gun was fired the younger children started to tug while the older children scrambled to get to the rope quickly and start pulling.

The video below is of Liam and Colleen's class tug. Colleen started on the rope and Liam on the perimeter. White team pulled off the victory in this event. Of the three tug-o-war rounds white team could win 2 of them.

Final score........red=404 white=410..

An amazing come from behind victory. The score was visible all day on the side of the school and all day the white team trailed, except for the final...

The victors were given the winners cup with the team leader accepting it on everyones behalf. I assume to keep until next years competition.

Everything was wrapped up with a closing ceremony. I was able to locate Liam in the crowd and snap a picture as they were standing at attention.

I could also find Colleen in the crowd to take her picture. Looks like she saw me as well.

As a result of the sports day being postponed to Sunday we missed our rice field harvest. If we are around next year we will have to go to that and post up pictures.

That wraps this week. We were all tired from the heat, sun, and exercise.

Have a good week...