Adventures in Fukui

Long time no update, everyone. Enjoy what will surely be a deluge of posts. I've got a month's worth to share!

Thursday, May 29
Heather, Kel, and I got together for Meat Night in Akashi. At a favorite yakiniku spot, we ordered the family set for 4-5 people, along with enormous bowls of rice and seaweed soup.

Kel showing off the plate of beef and veggies.

Heather and I holding the plate of seafood.
Fierce aprons, huh?

Friday, May 30
I caught the train up to Tamba.

Chris picked me up at the station, and we ate at YouMe Town. He had a large plate of reimen (cold noodles), one of his favorite dishes.

Clay arrived in Tamba later in the evening, and the three of us clambered into Chris's Corolla, beginning a long drive to distant Fukui Prefecture. On our previous attempt to collect 道の駅 stamps in Fukui, Chris and I faced the dangers of heavy snow. (We've done anything for these stamps, right?) For our next (and final) attempt, we waited for the arrival of summer.

Since we wanted to begin our Fukui trip early, we set out on Friday evening and spent the night in the car, parked at a service area along the expressway. We somehow made it through with Chris and Clay in the front seats and me curled up like a spider-legged cat in the back.

Saturday, May 30
In the morning, we filled up with the freshly baked メロンパン (melon bread) famous to the service area.

Crisp, biscuit-like exterior. Crusted with sugar.

Soft, sweet interior.

Our first stop in Fukui was this castle.

The boys were tired, and we were the only visitors in the rainy, early hours of the morning, so they lounged on the floor for a bit.

Not all 道の駅 are a thrill to hear about, so I'll spare you by throwing in only the other things we did.

Okay, this station deserves a mention. We drove nearly an hour along a winding road to reach the remote location, but we were rewarded by the sight of these two. Fukui Prefecture is (relatively) well-known for its dinosaur findings. As you'll soon discover, it would be A Very Dinosaur Day. Oh yes, and Mom (or Dad?) and Baby-saurus roared and made sounds!

Of course we stopped at the Fukui Prefectural Dinosaur Museum.

Excited to learn about dinosaurs!

This raptor was found in Fukui!

I imagined that my brother, a HUGE dino fan back in the day, would've loved this place. Not to mention my forever-a-dino-fan father. The exhibits all included thorough explanations, even in English, along with displays such as enormous television screens through which you could "interact" with the beautiful creatures.

We ate a late lunch at the museum cafe. Oh-em-gee foodissogood.

Before we left the museum, we all took pictures with this raptor (?) professor sitting atop a hill. Check out our shots.

"Oh you're so smart, Professor!"
(Why'd I do the dumb chick pose?)

"I see what you're saying. Hmm."

"Whaaat?"

The next stop in our increasingly tight schedule was 永平寺, a beautiful temple complex.

We were held up at the entrance behind this group. Young monks study and live at the complex. This group had returned from some outside adventures and said lengthy prayers before entering. I took this shot only shortly before reading a sign asking visitors not to photograph the monks. Oops.

The grounds are tranquil, and I imagine that for a trainee monk (referred to in Japanese by words meaning "light cloud"), it must be an inspiring setting in which to study.

We left the temple late and had to pass the 道の駅 (most close at 5:00 pm) along the way to our hotel for the night. We made a bathroom stop at this one, however, and happily discovered that it was open. The station is known for its gorgeous sunset view, which we all enjoyed over soft creams.

After checking into our hotel, we explored the local area. We had dinner at a darts cafe, then caught the latest Narnia movie.

Coming Soon! A cinematic special for Hana Yori Dango, one of my favorite Japanese dramas.
(At this point in time, I've watched it!)

Me and the poster form of Oguri Shun, one of my favorite Japanese actors. I wish Chris had told me to angle my head.

Sunday, June 1
We began the morning by back-tracking and collecting the 道の駅 we had missed the previous day. Along the way, we caught a few other sights.

A re-constructed village at castle ruins.

It's rice season.

Apparently Murasaki Shikibu (author of The Tale of Genji) spent some time in Fukui. This park is dedicated to her.

This station is right beside the water!

The original plan was that we would conclude our trip in Kyoto, where I could see an exhibit celebrating the millenium of 源氏物語 (The Tale of Genji) at the Kyoto Cultural Museum. Unfortunately, we wound up far behind schedule, and by the time we arrived in the city, the museum was closed. I tried not to be too disappointed, and Chris promised to take me again the following week, just before the exhibit ended on June 8th.

With my Genji plans foiled, we saved the evening by meeting up with Lauren for dinner.

Oh yum, Chinese food.

We then drove back to Tamba, where Clay collected his car and drove home. Chris and I went to sleep!