Metal Goods and Autumn in Kyoto

Saturday, November 3
We woke to a cold and foggy morning in Tamba for Hikami High School's 文化祭 (cultural festival). I arrived in thick and fuzzy layers, but as the sun rose, the temperature warmed.

We visited the ostriches. We wandered through displays of student art, attended a mini rock concert, and attempted to visit a haunted house (the ghouls were on lunch break). Chris sang along to “Hey Jude” with a guitar-playing イケメン. All the above occurred between eatings.

I’ll skip to the good part.

The Eats

• キムチなべ (kim chee soup) Spicy broth filled with thinly sliced pork, cabbage, and daikon. Perfect for keeping warm in cold weather.
• ベビカステラ (round, miniature cakes) The cakes were cooked in molds on a grill and served in assorted flavors, passed out in paper bags. I loved the green tea flavored cake.
• そばせん (soba-sen, short for soba-senbei) Warm yakisoba sandwiched between thin, crisp shrimp-flavored wafers.
• たこせん (tako-sen, short for takoyaki-senbei) Small, round spheres of octopus-stuffed grilled dough sandwiched between thin, crisp shrimp-flavored wafers. We also shared the usual takoyaki, served in a plastic tray and drenched with sauce, mayonnaise, and ao-nori. Eat with toothpicks.
• 鮭なべ (salmon soup) The class used Hokkaido salmon for the large pots of soup. I preferred the offering from last year. And the fish was overcooked.

We arrived late for the main event, the “Daikon Dance”—the annual spectacle in which the agricultural students jump, jive, and boogie with fat white radishes in each hand. We nearly missed out on the distribution of free daikon, but with a good amount of pushing, we made our way through the throngs of greedy old women to snag a package. We also took home a box of nori-shio potato chips from Hokkaido. Cultural festivals are delicious.

Sunday, November 4
In the morning, we returned to Miki, where we attended 金物祭り, the Metal Goods Festival famous to my town. Though tourists flock to my friend Jamie’s city for savory ramen, mine is best known for kanamono, metal goods such as saws, scythes, or knives.

(Long pause.)

Chris and I skipped the festival last year, and despite that I have no interest in metal goods, I was happy to see my town’s most notable event this time around. Booths selling food, antiques, and of course, kanamono filled the spacious parking lot adjacent to City Hall. I hunted for a good kitchen knife, but instead left with an enormous bunch of bananas for 200 yen, and a cheery, apple-red soup pot (used) for 1300 yen.

The festival mascot.

After the festival, we requested pricings on tickets to Hawaii at a travel agency in Miki. Not quite satisfied, we drove to a JTB (Japan Travel Bureau) in Seishin. JTB offered us a far better deal, and we booked with them. We spent the rest of the evening at the mall, eating Freshness Burgers for dinner.

Saturday, November 10
In the afternoon, Clay appeared at my place, and he, Chris, and I drove north for Tamba! Along the way, we visited the “belly button of Japan” in Nishiwaki City.

I'm standing on the belly button. Japan has an outie.

I love the park surrounding the belly button, with its abundance of green grass, wide spaces, and abandoned cats. I made friends with one of the love-deprived creatures. We skipped the park’s quirky science and art museums due to lack of time, but we raced down the roller slides and ran through the playgrounds until sunset.

We spent the rest of the evening at YouMe Town and crashed at Chris’s place.

Sunday, November 11
Happy Birthday Heather!

Our trio woke up “early” and set off for Kyoto on our usual mission for 道の駅 stamps and World Heritage Sites. Go!

One of the best stations I’ve seen, with glass ceilings, a library, art and cooking classes, and a flea market day. I could spend all day.

The water mascots love me as much as I love them.

Further along our journey, we visited 高山寺(Kozan-ji), a World Heritage Site. All around, signs of autumn were subtly appearing.

Horrible shots. For better ones, view Clay’s or Chris’s. I admired the changing colors, but according to the Japanese, the 紅葉 won’t be truly beautiful until they have all transformed.

We were confused as to whether this building was the main temple.

Japan's oldest tea field.

The history is far more impressive than the sight.

Dango, in the local flavor. Mochi grilled crisp, yet soft beneath the surface, surrounding a center of sweet anko.

We next drove into the city, attempting to see 東寺 (Tou-ji) for a special event. Traffic, however, delayed us, and we were turned away at the entrance. Instead we met Lauren at her nearby apartment and had dinner at Kurama in Kyoto Station. Family, we ate here together, remember?

What I love about Japan is its abundance of seasonal foods, with a wealth of seasonal methods of food preparation to match. My set meal included kamameshi with mountain vegetables and warm, silky tofu that slipped down the throat.

After dinner, we window-shopped at the station department store, and found dessert at a Lipton Café. I ordered a rich banana-chocolate pie and a luscious Uva Ceylon tea.

The fragrance and taste were as rich as the color.

We all took pictures.

After dropping Lauren off at home, Chris, Clay, and I returned home to Hyogo.