Road Trip With the Boys

Friday, October 5
I caught the train up to Tamba in the evening. Chris met me by car, and we had dinner at Para Para, a favorite spot for pepperoni pizza and a large salad.

Saturday, October 6
Chris was a judge in the district “English Oratorical Contest.” As he listened to speeches, I attended the local “Sasayama Aji Matsuri” (Sasayama Flavor Festival). The flavors of the region include kuromame (black bean), chestnut, imo (potato), and beef.

Beautiful weather for eating.

ONE I started with chanko nabe, a soup brimming with chunky vegetables and meats meant to fill up sumo wrestlers. In fact, the soup was being served up by two such men.

TWO Yaki-mochi. These women grilled the rolled rice cakes, brushing them with soy sauce before serving. The crisply toasted outside resembled senbei, but the inside was soft and chewy.

Looks like a big turd.

THREE Kuromame soft serve.

Between eating, I found a Showa-era glass bottle at a local antique shop. For my flowers, I prefer simple containers such as cups and milk bottles over vases. This find is perfect.

FOUR Kuromame gelato. I ate on the sidewalk, where I chatted with the woman seated next to me. She asked why I didn’t speak the local dialect and inquired where I was from. Besides complaining about her ne’er-do-well son, she taught me more about the kuromame, and advised me to pick up a large bag of the edamame that everyone was carrying around. So before I left, I bought myself a sack and carried my finds back to the speech contest.

After the contest, Chris and I drove to Kasai, where we met Ryan, Chris’s college roommate, who is now a JET in Akita-ken. He had arrived on Friday for a visit, staying overnight with Clay, but as Clay had an enkai to attend, and we took charge of playing host. We made plans for Clay to meet us at my place in the morning. In Miki, we ate at Sagami, where I idiotically ordered an enormous meal. After my gastronomic adventures of the afternoon, my giant teishoku left me painfully sick. Chris rushed me home, where I passed out in bed. I woke maybe an hour later, showered, then returned to my blankets.

Sunday, October 7
I woke to Clay at my front door. 大変! Ryan, Chris, and I had planned to be ready to leave before Clay arrived. We hurriedly dressed and packed up the car. Clay and Ryan squeezed into the tiny backseat while I sat up front as navigator. Naturally, Chris was driver.

Our road trip destination was Hirakata City, located in Osaka Prefecture, where Chris and Clay studied abroad. We arrived at the home of the Shirakawas, Clay’s former host family, with whom we would be spending the weekend. Kazu and Keiko ushered us into their home, and their three young children Mizuki, Kou, and Mako immediately latched themselves onto Clay.

The crew drove to a local farm, where we dug for sweet potatoes, pulled edamame bushes from the ground, drank fresh milk, and pounded mochi. Farms like these are in abundance in Japan, offering visitors the chance to collect fresh produce for minimal cost. We paid 200 yen for a kilogram of sweet potatoes! In other fields I watched women gather armfuls of sunflowers and cosmos. We followed the farm outing with a visit to a nearby onsen.

Ryan with an edamame bush!

Clay with Mako, Ryan with Kou.

The lode.

For dinner, the four gaijin crowded into the kitchen to help Keiko prepare okonomiyaki and takoyaki (good Kansai food). I'd expressed interest in learning more about Japanese cooking, and she explained every step of the process for me. I’ll be sure to try her recipes, though I may be too afraid to follow her advice to mix squid innards into the batter. The meal was delicious, and Keiko even catered to my cheese love by sprinkling a heavy dose of mozzarella on the last batch of okonomiyaki.

Mako and Kou.

After the children fell asleep, the adults ended the night with beers and the Japanese sweets I had brought.

Monday, October 8
Though the boys slept through the morning, I woke to the shouting of children. I dressed and helped Keiko with breakfast. As I chopped ham and cucumbers for a salad (a common breakfast item in Japan), she recited for me the primary ingredients for Japanese stewed dishes. I chatted with Ben, the Shirakawas’ foreign student, who had been on a trip to Tokyo when we arrived. The children ate leftover mochi from the previous day and drank mugs of thick veggie-fruit juice that Keiko had blended herself.

In the afternoon, with the boys awake, we drove to the Arashiyama Monkey Park, located in Kyoto. I love any animal adventure, and despite the rainy weather, I raced up the mountainous incline with Kou in hand. He eventually gave up on me, however, as I began to huff and puff. I was rejected for Clay and Ryan. The red-faced monkeys lurked around a small building at the top of the mountain, chattering and fighting over nuts. Despite their cute factor, however, signs warn “Do Not Stare at the Monkeys.” Little Mako couldn’t take her eyes off a fat one, and it nearly attacked her.

The whole group with the monkey boss.

Baby!

At the base of the mountain, we met Lauren and Tyler, two Lewis and Clark grads. We next walked to Tenryu-ji, a World Heritage site. Along the way, Keiko stuffed me with 八ツ橋 (yatsuhashi) samples.

At the temple, Kazu, Keiko and little Mako waited outside while we foreigners, along with Mizuki and Kou, wandered through the spacious halls and gardens. Sightseeing was a completely different experience with children in tow. With small hands in mine, I took even fewer pictures than I usually do!

Mizuki played photographer.

I love this moment between Mizuki and Ryan.

Chris and Clay.

After the temple, we said goodbye to the Shirakawas with promises to meet again soon. Ben returned with the family to study for an upcoming exam, and our “JET Team”—as Keiko dubbed us—drove to Kyoto Station. Yes, we drove to the massive city hub, where we found parking underground. We had dinner at the nearby Donguri, where as true Kansai-jin, we ate even more okonomiyaki. We later chatted over Starbucks coffees and sweets before saying goodbye to Ryan and Lauren. Clay, Chris, and I settled back into the car and finally reached Miki at 12:00 am.