September 22, 2016
Well....we're on our way. I'm sitting on a plane to Taipei as I type this and it is currently 5:15 pm in Sapporo.
Our bus was at the hotel to pick us up at 10:00 this morning and we were at New Chitose Airport by 11:15. Our gate didn't open till 12:30 but given the distance and the traffic the bus line wanted us to leave the hotel by 10:00 knowing that we had a 3:00 pm flight to catch.
China Air allowed us to do a group check in at this airport which is so much simpler (and quicker) than what we had to go through in Vancouver so we were through and on to security in no time. Security was also quick and easy so we all had time for lunch upstairs in the airport right near our gate. Everyone made a point of spending all their coin as it adds up fast when there are 500 yen coins ($5 USD) included in the mix. You can change your paper money back into Canadian but the coins would just be souvenirs if you went home with them.
It's crazy when you think about the fact that our plane left Sapporo at 3 pm on the 22nd and that we'll arrive in Vancouver at 6:45 pm on the 22nd. The crazy bit is that somehow during those 3 hours and 45 minutes we will have spent more than 22 hours in transit!
Sooooo.....sayonara for the final time as we must be out of Japanese air space by now. I'm not sure what the word for good bye is in Taiwan but I know that the next time I type anything on this blog I will be back in Canada.
Till then,
Darlene and Lorrie
Thursday, September 22, 2016
September 21, 2016
September 21, 2016
Well....I told you I was looking forward to a slower day today and that's exactly what it was.
This morning was a leisurely buffet breakfast in the lobby of our hotel where the choices included both western and Japanese and the only thing we had to do was be finished by 10:00.
Everyone had gone their own way today so Darlene and I made our way down to the 100 yen store (our very favourite shopping place) and believe it or not managed to make quite a dent in our wallets at a dollar store! They have so many cute little gadgets here and the selection is enormous and the quality is really very good and yes....items really are just 100 yen (= $1 USD). The last time I was here either the yen was lower or the CAD dollar was higher but either way it worked out to be about 100 yen = $1 CAD so the deals at the 100 yen shop weren't quite as good as last trip but they're still good enough to get excited about. :-)
After we'd pretty much blown our budget at the 100 yen shop Darlene and I hauled our purchases back to the hotel and put our feet up for an hour or so before we headed out again. This time we were off to Odori Park and the Autumn Festival where there are about 10 blocks of food stalls and vendors displaying the harvest of Hokkaido. We wandered the festival from one end to the other and stopped often to sit and people watch along the way. It was just us and about 100,000 of our new best friends in that park....what a busy place! We also managed to find something that caught our fancy for dinner so enjoyed a flaky pastry that was wrapped around ham, cheese and onion along with a glass of Sapporo beer. TASTY!
By the time we'd made it back to our hotel I was done for and so it was a pretty early night knowing that the next day would be a long one.....so long in fact that it would last for almost 48 hours!
Till tomorrow....sayonara for the last time from Sapporo,
Lorrie and Darlene
Well....I told you I was looking forward to a slower day today and that's exactly what it was.
This morning was a leisurely buffet breakfast in the lobby of our hotel where the choices included both western and Japanese and the only thing we had to do was be finished by 10:00.
Everyone had gone their own way today so Darlene and I made our way down to the 100 yen store (our very favourite shopping place) and believe it or not managed to make quite a dent in our wallets at a dollar store! They have so many cute little gadgets here and the selection is enormous and the quality is really very good and yes....items really are just 100 yen (= $1 USD). The last time I was here either the yen was lower or the CAD dollar was higher but either way it worked out to be about 100 yen = $1 CAD so the deals at the 100 yen shop weren't quite as good as last trip but they're still good enough to get excited about. :-)
After we'd pretty much blown our budget at the 100 yen shop Darlene and I hauled our purchases back to the hotel and put our feet up for an hour or so before we headed out again. This time we were off to Odori Park and the Autumn Festival where there are about 10 blocks of food stalls and vendors displaying the harvest of Hokkaido. We wandered the festival from one end to the other and stopped often to sit and people watch along the way. It was just us and about 100,000 of our new best friends in that park....what a busy place! We also managed to find something that caught our fancy for dinner so enjoyed a flaky pastry that was wrapped around ham, cheese and onion along with a glass of Sapporo beer. TASTY!
By the time we'd made it back to our hotel I was done for and so it was a pretty early night knowing that the next day would be a long one.....so long in fact that it would last for almost 48 hours!
Till tomorrow....sayonara for the last time from Sapporo,
Lorrie and Darlene
September 20, 2016
September 20, 2016
Last night Darlene and I located something I haven't had for about ten years. We used to get it at breakfast in Toyokoro but haven't seen it anywhere other than that. It is whipped peanut butter and honey and it is so YUMMY I can't even tell you!!! We brought a little tub of it back to our hotel room along with some bread from the grocery store so for breakfast this morning we had P.B. & Honey buns with coffee at a very expensive price tag of about $3/person for breakfast. Not bad heh?!
Father Manfred and Makoto San arrived to pick us up at our hotel lobby right on schedule at 10 a.m. And now that we've all absorbed enough of the Japanese culture everyone was not only on time but even a few minutes early! Could it be that we'll all go home with new habits? It will be interesting to see just how long those new habits last. :-)
We all climbed aboard Father's little van....well....it just seems little now compared to the big one we had in Toyokoro. On Father's van we even have to use the jump seats that run down the middle aisle of the van so it is a bit like a human puzzle when we load and unload.
With the sun shining down on us and a forecast of 23 degrees we knew we were destined for a great day! We headed northward toward the town of Otaru where we had a couple of museum stops planned and then it would be free time with the option of returning to Sapporo with Father on the van or pushing the envelope a little and taking the opportunity to join the masses of commuters and make our way back to the big city by train or bus later in the afternoon or evening. Darlene and I had already decided that we wanted to do the train so there was no discussion required for us on that front.
Otaru is a city filled with history and it's old district is ribboned with canals that lead out to the Sea of Japan. These canals were used by the fishermen and traders of old as they used ships and waterways to move their goods. Our first stop was at the city museum where we learned a little more about the ways of the First People who lived in this region as well as the animals native to the area. We practiced making fire with bow drills and pump drills and hand drills. Bottom line....none of us were able to get the stick spinning fast enough to make fire! We would be a hungry bunch or happy to shift to a raw food diet. The second museum stop was at an historic fisher mans co-op. More than 120 men would sleep on the first floor (on tatami mats) getting up to fish all day, come back to sleep and then do it all over again the next day. Another reminder of how lucky we are! The view from this second stop was really lovely....gardens around the house and a million dollar view over the Sea of Japan and the fish plants along the shoreline. We could also see an area where sea lions and dolphins are known to play but unfortunately they were not up to their antics during our visit today so we missed out on seeing their show this time round.
Many of us decided to stay in Otaru to catch the train back and so when we said good bye to Father and Makoto we knew this would be the last time we'd see them too. It was another bitter sweet moment as we said good bye to these new friends recognizing once again how quickly they'd found their way into our hearts. Isao, Makoto's son is coming to Vancouver for a year beginning the end of this month and so the invitations for him to come visit were coming at him thick and fast.
Once we were dropped off in Otaru city proper we broke into smaller groups and in our "foursome" was Hannah, Carmen, Darlene and I. We lunched at Victoria Station where the corn soup was AMAZING, we sat on the shopping street waiting for the steam clock to strike the hour so we could watch it chime and whistle, we listened to the clock tower strike the hour right behind the steam clock, and all the while we munched on chocolate covered freeze dried strawberries....another sweet memory from this land of very good food.
Shopping along this shopping street is endless and there is something for everyone. From Hello Kitty to Snoopy and from kimonos to samurai supplies there was no shortage of 'stuff' to see. In the end, I settled on some Green Tea Kit Kat and grape soda mentos as new taste sensations to bring home to the kids. Hannah treated us all to a green tea confection that we're still not too sure about. It was some kind of marshmallow (I think) and it was thickly coated with Matcha tea. Hannah was the first to give it a try and she convinced me to go for it too. Darlene and Carmen got lucky and were allowed to just try a half piece. The only thing I'll say about that particular confection is that I'm hoping it's good for you (matcha is supposed to be) as that is about all it has going for it!
We found our way to the train station in time to catch the 5:40 train which would put us back in Sapporo at the JR station at 6:20 pm. The train was very comfortable and just 700 yen (less than $10) as well as being a new experience to add to the list for this trip. Once we were underway we wished we'd left about an hour earlier as the tracks run right along the water's edge so it would have been a gorgeous trip had we had a little more daylight. Dusk and dark come early here (as does dawn) so it's a little hard to figure out what time it is based on the amount of light in the sky.
Everyone made it home from Otaru with stories to tell and a new sense of confidence and success that comes from having stretched the comfort zone just a little and lived to tell the tale. It was another great day and we're all really starting to feel tired. Not just tired from the quick pace we've been keeping but also from the constant stimulation and the emotional roller coaster we've been on for the past several days.
It was a pretty early night for everybody tonight as tomorrow is our final day in Sapporo and it is a free day for everyone to do as they please. I know I'm looking forward to a relaxed pace for tomorrow and I suspect there are a few others who share that sentiment.
Till next time....sayonara from Sapporo,
Lorrie and Darlene
Last night Darlene and I located something I haven't had for about ten years. We used to get it at breakfast in Toyokoro but haven't seen it anywhere other than that. It is whipped peanut butter and honey and it is so YUMMY I can't even tell you!!! We brought a little tub of it back to our hotel room along with some bread from the grocery store so for breakfast this morning we had P.B. & Honey buns with coffee at a very expensive price tag of about $3/person for breakfast. Not bad heh?!
Father Manfred and Makoto San arrived to pick us up at our hotel lobby right on schedule at 10 a.m. And now that we've all absorbed enough of the Japanese culture everyone was not only on time but even a few minutes early! Could it be that we'll all go home with new habits? It will be interesting to see just how long those new habits last. :-)
We all climbed aboard Father's little van....well....it just seems little now compared to the big one we had in Toyokoro. On Father's van we even have to use the jump seats that run down the middle aisle of the van so it is a bit like a human puzzle when we load and unload.
With the sun shining down on us and a forecast of 23 degrees we knew we were destined for a great day! We headed northward toward the town of Otaru where we had a couple of museum stops planned and then it would be free time with the option of returning to Sapporo with Father on the van or pushing the envelope a little and taking the opportunity to join the masses of commuters and make our way back to the big city by train or bus later in the afternoon or evening. Darlene and I had already decided that we wanted to do the train so there was no discussion required for us on that front.
Otaru is a city filled with history and it's old district is ribboned with canals that lead out to the Sea of Japan. These canals were used by the fishermen and traders of old as they used ships and waterways to move their goods. Our first stop was at the city museum where we learned a little more about the ways of the First People who lived in this region as well as the animals native to the area. We practiced making fire with bow drills and pump drills and hand drills. Bottom line....none of us were able to get the stick spinning fast enough to make fire! We would be a hungry bunch or happy to shift to a raw food diet. The second museum stop was at an historic fisher mans co-op. More than 120 men would sleep on the first floor (on tatami mats) getting up to fish all day, come back to sleep and then do it all over again the next day. Another reminder of how lucky we are! The view from this second stop was really lovely....gardens around the house and a million dollar view over the Sea of Japan and the fish plants along the shoreline. We could also see an area where sea lions and dolphins are known to play but unfortunately they were not up to their antics during our visit today so we missed out on seeing their show this time round.
Many of us decided to stay in Otaru to catch the train back and so when we said good bye to Father and Makoto we knew this would be the last time we'd see them too. It was another bitter sweet moment as we said good bye to these new friends recognizing once again how quickly they'd found their way into our hearts. Isao, Makoto's son is coming to Vancouver for a year beginning the end of this month and so the invitations for him to come visit were coming at him thick and fast.
Once we were dropped off in Otaru city proper we broke into smaller groups and in our "foursome" was Hannah, Carmen, Darlene and I. We lunched at Victoria Station where the corn soup was AMAZING, we sat on the shopping street waiting for the steam clock to strike the hour so we could watch it chime and whistle, we listened to the clock tower strike the hour right behind the steam clock, and all the while we munched on chocolate covered freeze dried strawberries....another sweet memory from this land of very good food.
Shopping along this shopping street is endless and there is something for everyone. From Hello Kitty to Snoopy and from kimonos to samurai supplies there was no shortage of 'stuff' to see. In the end, I settled on some Green Tea Kit Kat and grape soda mentos as new taste sensations to bring home to the kids. Hannah treated us all to a green tea confection that we're still not too sure about. It was some kind of marshmallow (I think) and it was thickly coated with Matcha tea. Hannah was the first to give it a try and she convinced me to go for it too. Darlene and Carmen got lucky and were allowed to just try a half piece. The only thing I'll say about that particular confection is that I'm hoping it's good for you (matcha is supposed to be) as that is about all it has going for it!
We found our way to the train station in time to catch the 5:40 train which would put us back in Sapporo at the JR station at 6:20 pm. The train was very comfortable and just 700 yen (less than $10) as well as being a new experience to add to the list for this trip. Once we were underway we wished we'd left about an hour earlier as the tracks run right along the water's edge so it would have been a gorgeous trip had we had a little more daylight. Dusk and dark come early here (as does dawn) so it's a little hard to figure out what time it is based on the amount of light in the sky.
Everyone made it home from Otaru with stories to tell and a new sense of confidence and success that comes from having stretched the comfort zone just a little and lived to tell the tale. It was another great day and we're all really starting to feel tired. Not just tired from the quick pace we've been keeping but also from the constant stimulation and the emotional roller coaster we've been on for the past several days.
It was a pretty early night for everybody tonight as tomorrow is our final day in Sapporo and it is a free day for everyone to do as they please. I know I'm looking forward to a relaxed pace for tomorrow and I suspect there are a few others who share that sentiment.
Till next time....sayonara from Sapporo,
Lorrie and Darlene
Wednesday, September 21, 2016
September 19, 2016
September 19, 2016
Headed down for our last breakfast in Toyokoro a little early this morning so we wouldn't have to feel rushed to be back in time to have our luggage all ready to load on the bus by 8:30. Was reminded of the challenge in being able to simply receive a gift when Sharon was faced with a couple of Snoopy themed gifts from the ladies in the kitchen this morning. Watching Sharon struggle with simply saying thank you and knowing she couldn't do anything to reciprocate was such a powerful reminder for me. I've been faced with this learning myself on so many occasions and each time I know I get a little better but always I'm reminded at how much of a challenge it can be to simply stay present and say "thank you" and let go of the feeling of indebtedness or the need to somehow pay it back. It is these moments of opportunity for learning and personal growth that are the core of my addiction to travel.
The other part of my addiction to travel is the people you meet and the friends you make while "on the road". The friends we're saying good bye to this morning are some of the most special people I've ever had the good fortune to know and I thank my lucky stars that I'm getting to have this experience yet again!
Before we knew it the time had come....the bus arrived and our luggage was loaded onto the bus and into the vehicle that would carry the overflow of baggage back to Sapporo for us. In addition to the busses arrival....there seemed to be half the city out to bid us farewell too! The mayor and his wife, Josh (former AET at Toyokoro who is now posted at the northern most town on Hokkaido), Janet (current AET), people from the town hall, sooo many people from the Sister City Committee, Takai, Anda, Koji, Mrs Sato, the home stay families, Masumi, Shima, Tanaka (always taking photos), Hirose, Masato, and so many more. There were tears all around....tears that were half happy and half sad. People who' d never even met a few days before were now saying good bye to dear friends. Young people who' d been living with host families were now saying good bye to their Japanese "mom and dad". Darlene and I were saying good bye to friends we've made over the past 20+ years for perhaps the final time....yes....it was an emotional scene as we smiled through our tears. I was again reminded of the ability of these people and this culture to be so very very present and in the moment. That presence really is a gift and one of the life lessons that I have as my "take away" from this visit.
We waved out the windows and our Toyokoro hosts waved from the parking lot until our bus was completely out of sight. Masato and Shima San came with us all the way to Sapporo only to have to turn around and make the trek back to Toyokoro the same day. The fellow driving the bus and the one driving the extra luggage vehicle must have been so tired! The trip takes about four hours each way but the roads are really good so that makes it a little easier to take I'm sure. A couple of interesting things from along the way between Toyokoro and Sapporo include: There are tunnels....loooonnnnggggg tunnels and lots of them! It really is a puzzle for me as the hills they're going through aren't all that high...there is no reason the road couldn't go over the hill rather than spend whatever exorbitant amount it would have cost to build that 4 km tunnel through it. There are signs warning of "fox crossing"....can't say I've ever seen those before! We passed a couple of amazing looking ski resorts along the way. They sure know how to do ice cream here! Today this clever country is celebrating a national holiday that is called Seniors Day....yep.....they're celebrating every person who is a senior!
Once we'd arrived back at the Mercure Hotel in Sapporo the whole group of us stood on the sidewalk out front waving like madmen until the bus and the last of our Toyokoro friends were completely out of sight. Now our transition in the direction of home begins as we shift from the cozy embrace of our Sister City into the hustle and bustle of Sapporo. Just three more sleeps and we'll be on our way back to Summerland. But...that's still three sleeps away and that's plenty of time for more adventure so....till next time....sayonara,
Lorrie and Darlene
Headed down for our last breakfast in Toyokoro a little early this morning so we wouldn't have to feel rushed to be back in time to have our luggage all ready to load on the bus by 8:30. Was reminded of the challenge in being able to simply receive a gift when Sharon was faced with a couple of Snoopy themed gifts from the ladies in the kitchen this morning. Watching Sharon struggle with simply saying thank you and knowing she couldn't do anything to reciprocate was such a powerful reminder for me. I've been faced with this learning myself on so many occasions and each time I know I get a little better but always I'm reminded at how much of a challenge it can be to simply stay present and say "thank you" and let go of the feeling of indebtedness or the need to somehow pay it back. It is these moments of opportunity for learning and personal growth that are the core of my addiction to travel.
The other part of my addiction to travel is the people you meet and the friends you make while "on the road". The friends we're saying good bye to this morning are some of the most special people I've ever had the good fortune to know and I thank my lucky stars that I'm getting to have this experience yet again!
Before we knew it the time had come....the bus arrived and our luggage was loaded onto the bus and into the vehicle that would carry the overflow of baggage back to Sapporo for us. In addition to the busses arrival....there seemed to be half the city out to bid us farewell too! The mayor and his wife, Josh (former AET at Toyokoro who is now posted at the northern most town on Hokkaido), Janet (current AET), people from the town hall, sooo many people from the Sister City Committee, Takai, Anda, Koji, Mrs Sato, the home stay families, Masumi, Shima, Tanaka (always taking photos), Hirose, Masato, and so many more. There were tears all around....tears that were half happy and half sad. People who' d never even met a few days before were now saying good bye to dear friends. Young people who' d been living with host families were now saying good bye to their Japanese "mom and dad". Darlene and I were saying good bye to friends we've made over the past 20+ years for perhaps the final time....yes....it was an emotional scene as we smiled through our tears. I was again reminded of the ability of these people and this culture to be so very very present and in the moment. That presence really is a gift and one of the life lessons that I have as my "take away" from this visit.
We waved out the windows and our Toyokoro hosts waved from the parking lot until our bus was completely out of sight. Masato and Shima San came with us all the way to Sapporo only to have to turn around and make the trek back to Toyokoro the same day. The fellow driving the bus and the one driving the extra luggage vehicle must have been so tired! The trip takes about four hours each way but the roads are really good so that makes it a little easier to take I'm sure. A couple of interesting things from along the way between Toyokoro and Sapporo include: There are tunnels....loooonnnnggggg tunnels and lots of them! It really is a puzzle for me as the hills they're going through aren't all that high...there is no reason the road couldn't go over the hill rather than spend whatever exorbitant amount it would have cost to build that 4 km tunnel through it. There are signs warning of "fox crossing"....can't say I've ever seen those before! We passed a couple of amazing looking ski resorts along the way. They sure know how to do ice cream here! Today this clever country is celebrating a national holiday that is called Seniors Day....yep.....they're celebrating every person who is a senior!
Once we'd arrived back at the Mercure Hotel in Sapporo the whole group of us stood on the sidewalk out front waving like madmen until the bus and the last of our Toyokoro friends were completely out of sight. Now our transition in the direction of home begins as we shift from the cozy embrace of our Sister City into the hustle and bustle of Sapporo. Just three more sleeps and we'll be on our way back to Summerland. But...that's still three sleeps away and that's plenty of time for more adventure so....till next time....sayonara,
Lorrie and Darlene
September 18, 2016
September 18, 2016
Toyokoro is crying today as it is our last day here! :-(. Well.....for the first time since our arrival we're facing a day of drizzle so I'm gonna go with the crying concept.
Our day started with a walk (in the rain) over to the lodge where as always our breakfast was served by the two lovely ladies in the kitchen. Each day they manage to make the buffet look beautiful and today it was made even lovelier by a gorgeous bouquet in the middle of the table. One of the women had picked the flowers from her garden and honestly the arrangement looked like it had come straight out of a magazine! As always our breakfast included a wide array of choices from eggs and bacon or sausage to fruits and salad. The toast and endless supply of coffee were popular options as well. The peanut butter came in tiny jars that were branded "Snoopy" which happens to be Sharon's absolute favourite character and so those little jars were washed out each time another one was emptied. By the end of our visit Sharon will have quite a little pile of them! It will be interesting to hear how she decides to use them back home. :-)
After breakfast it was a full morning of cooking and our collective results turned out to be delicious as the plan was that we'd enjoy the fruits of our labour for lunch. We made pork patties simmered in a light gravy, tofu donuts, tofu wrapped in bacon and fried till crispy and golden then wrapped in a lettuce leaf and drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce, and of course there was the ever present rice and nori so we could custom make our own sushi at the table. (I will add here that the tofu donuts were amazing! They consisted of tofu, pancake mix, a beaten egg and enough milk to make a dough that could be rolled into balls and deep fried to a golden hue then rolled in sugar while still warm.)
Once we were all sufficiently stuffed it was off to a ceremonial tree planting to commemorate the 20th anniversary of our Sister City connection. It was literally "all umbrellas at the ready" and the ceremony managed to come off with barely a drop of rain making it through the ceiling of umbrellas that covered the area.
Today was another full agenda and so the students hurried off with their home stay families and five of the women in our group joined Mrs Sato and were treated to the experience of a formal traditional dressing in the kimono. At the same time as they were being "dressed" Masumi (librarian) entertained them with a samurai sword demonstration! Masumi is a tiny little bit of a thing and that sword is almost as big as she but she sure could wield it! In the end, all five of the women looked amazing in their kimonos! The kimonos had been selected especially for them...to compliment their colouring.
Park Golf had been in the plans but due to the drizzle that had to be cancelled so some folks went to the library where there is wifi access, others headed off to the gym, and a couple of us took the opportunity to put our feet up for a couple of hours before the Sayonara Party tonight. Three guesses who might have gone to put their feet up and the first two don't count. :-)
Sayonara Party tonight was amazing as always! Carmen had decided she'd like to keep her kimono on for the party and so she arrived in full traditional Japanese dress. She was gorgeous and all of the Japanese men simply uttered "WOW" when they caught first sight of her. The price she paid for wearing the kimono was that all she felt confident enough to eat was two grapes for dinner! Fear of food slipping from her chopsticks and falling onto the silk dress was just too great....but.....it was worth it and she carried off that kimono like she'd worn one all her life! :-). As well, her decorative obi meant that there was no learning back on the chair and the rigid brace round her mid-section meant there was no slouching either. Aggghhhh the cost of beauty! :-). At one point Carmen's obi started to unravel but Mrs Sato was at the ready and had it repaired in a flash so all was well in the world of kimono catastrophes.
The Taiko drum team opened the evening and took my breath away as they always do. It's hard to believe that this little town can have such an amazingly talented taiko group. They performed a piece that tells the story of a family watching fireworks in the sky. Each section of the taiko group tells a different part of the story and by the time they're approaching the end of the piece all the drums are playing together. When the number ends and the drums all stop in unison the vacant space that is left as the sound ceases is as loud as any drum beat had been prior. It is that kind of manipulation of the beats and the spaces between the beats that gives me goosebumps every time! That....and the fact that there are so many drums playing in a relatively small space is actually beyond description that does it justice. Included in the taiko team tonight were the seven junior players as well as the adults. It is great to see that the next generation is keeping up this tradition and doing their town proud!
Later in the performances tonight all six of the youth in our delegation joined those seven junior taiko players to surprise us with a performance they'd worked on since our arrival. It was great to see and actually very good too! :-)
Other entertainment for the evening included: a young woman with a karate demonstration, the four Summerland Royalty performing a dance, Summerland Princess Kush doing a traditional Indian dance, Hannah playing the piano and singing Hallelujah, the Toyokoro ukulele troupe, and the ceremonial exchange of gifts between the town representatives and the sister city committee chairs. Dinner at the Sayonara party was delicious and was topped off by the official cutting of the Sayonara cake that we all managed to make short work of once it had been cut.
As is always the case....the party was over right on time as planned and we were loaded back onto the bus for the return trip to our lodge. Of course....as is also always the case there was the 2nd party to look forward to and in short order most of our group and many of our Toyokoro friends had gathered in a room at our lodge for some less formal fun and laughter. It was during this 2nd party that somehow a bag of something that looked like dried bugs but that they tell me were baby squid found its way into my hands. Supposedly these things are very expensive and a great delicacy. No one else in my group wanted to try them so of course I couldn't let the opportunity pass. I tore open the bag and discovered that while the flavour was at best "interesting" the texture wasn't half bad. Much like beef jerky actually. Once I'd broken the ice, Carmen was next in line to give them a try (yeah! The Forde girls kicked butt on this one!) and then once she'd survived too....a few more decided to give the baby squid a go before the bag made its way to Koji's end of the table where it stayed till it was empty.
It was another great day and fun filled evening where great memories were created and friendships formed or deepened. Hard to believe we'll be leaving here in the morning. Our time here has flown by and I will miss these people and this great little town.
Till next time,
Lorrie and Darlene
Toyokoro is crying today as it is our last day here! :-(. Well.....for the first time since our arrival we're facing a day of drizzle so I'm gonna go with the crying concept.
Our day started with a walk (in the rain) over to the lodge where as always our breakfast was served by the two lovely ladies in the kitchen. Each day they manage to make the buffet look beautiful and today it was made even lovelier by a gorgeous bouquet in the middle of the table. One of the women had picked the flowers from her garden and honestly the arrangement looked like it had come straight out of a magazine! As always our breakfast included a wide array of choices from eggs and bacon or sausage to fruits and salad. The toast and endless supply of coffee were popular options as well. The peanut butter came in tiny jars that were branded "Snoopy" which happens to be Sharon's absolute favourite character and so those little jars were washed out each time another one was emptied. By the end of our visit Sharon will have quite a little pile of them! It will be interesting to hear how she decides to use them back home. :-)
After breakfast it was a full morning of cooking and our collective results turned out to be delicious as the plan was that we'd enjoy the fruits of our labour for lunch. We made pork patties simmered in a light gravy, tofu donuts, tofu wrapped in bacon and fried till crispy and golden then wrapped in a lettuce leaf and drizzled with homemade BBQ sauce, and of course there was the ever present rice and nori so we could custom make our own sushi at the table. (I will add here that the tofu donuts were amazing! They consisted of tofu, pancake mix, a beaten egg and enough milk to make a dough that could be rolled into balls and deep fried to a golden hue then rolled in sugar while still warm.)
Once we were all sufficiently stuffed it was off to a ceremonial tree planting to commemorate the 20th anniversary of our Sister City connection. It was literally "all umbrellas at the ready" and the ceremony managed to come off with barely a drop of rain making it through the ceiling of umbrellas that covered the area.
Today was another full agenda and so the students hurried off with their home stay families and five of the women in our group joined Mrs Sato and were treated to the experience of a formal traditional dressing in the kimono. At the same time as they were being "dressed" Masumi (librarian) entertained them with a samurai sword demonstration! Masumi is a tiny little bit of a thing and that sword is almost as big as she but she sure could wield it! In the end, all five of the women looked amazing in their kimonos! The kimonos had been selected especially for them...to compliment their colouring.
Park Golf had been in the plans but due to the drizzle that had to be cancelled so some folks went to the library where there is wifi access, others headed off to the gym, and a couple of us took the opportunity to put our feet up for a couple of hours before the Sayonara Party tonight. Three guesses who might have gone to put their feet up and the first two don't count. :-)
Sayonara Party tonight was amazing as always! Carmen had decided she'd like to keep her kimono on for the party and so she arrived in full traditional Japanese dress. She was gorgeous and all of the Japanese men simply uttered "WOW" when they caught first sight of her. The price she paid for wearing the kimono was that all she felt confident enough to eat was two grapes for dinner! Fear of food slipping from her chopsticks and falling onto the silk dress was just too great....but.....it was worth it and she carried off that kimono like she'd worn one all her life! :-). As well, her decorative obi meant that there was no learning back on the chair and the rigid brace round her mid-section meant there was no slouching either. Aggghhhh the cost of beauty! :-). At one point Carmen's obi started to unravel but Mrs Sato was at the ready and had it repaired in a flash so all was well in the world of kimono catastrophes.
The Taiko drum team opened the evening and took my breath away as they always do. It's hard to believe that this little town can have such an amazingly talented taiko group. They performed a piece that tells the story of a family watching fireworks in the sky. Each section of the taiko group tells a different part of the story and by the time they're approaching the end of the piece all the drums are playing together. When the number ends and the drums all stop in unison the vacant space that is left as the sound ceases is as loud as any drum beat had been prior. It is that kind of manipulation of the beats and the spaces between the beats that gives me goosebumps every time! That....and the fact that there are so many drums playing in a relatively small space is actually beyond description that does it justice. Included in the taiko team tonight were the seven junior players as well as the adults. It is great to see that the next generation is keeping up this tradition and doing their town proud!
Later in the performances tonight all six of the youth in our delegation joined those seven junior taiko players to surprise us with a performance they'd worked on since our arrival. It was great to see and actually very good too! :-)
Other entertainment for the evening included: a young woman with a karate demonstration, the four Summerland Royalty performing a dance, Summerland Princess Kush doing a traditional Indian dance, Hannah playing the piano and singing Hallelujah, the Toyokoro ukulele troupe, and the ceremonial exchange of gifts between the town representatives and the sister city committee chairs. Dinner at the Sayonara party was delicious and was topped off by the official cutting of the Sayonara cake that we all managed to make short work of once it had been cut.
As is always the case....the party was over right on time as planned and we were loaded back onto the bus for the return trip to our lodge. Of course....as is also always the case there was the 2nd party to look forward to and in short order most of our group and many of our Toyokoro friends had gathered in a room at our lodge for some less formal fun and laughter. It was during this 2nd party that somehow a bag of something that looked like dried bugs but that they tell me were baby squid found its way into my hands. Supposedly these things are very expensive and a great delicacy. No one else in my group wanted to try them so of course I couldn't let the opportunity pass. I tore open the bag and discovered that while the flavour was at best "interesting" the texture wasn't half bad. Much like beef jerky actually. Once I'd broken the ice, Carmen was next in line to give them a try (yeah! The Forde girls kicked butt on this one!) and then once she'd survived too....a few more decided to give the baby squid a go before the bag made its way to Koji's end of the table where it stayed till it was empty.
It was another great day and fun filled evening where great memories were created and friendships formed or deepened. Hard to believe we'll be leaving here in the morning. Our time here has flown by and I will miss these people and this great little town.
Till next time,
Lorrie and Darlene
Monday, September 19, 2016
September 17, 2016
September 17, 2016
This post will be much shorter than the last! Today we spent the day in Obihiro where shopping took priority and resulted in new rubber boots for some, new shoes for others, some damn fine whiskey for a few more, and lots and lots of little knick knacks for most of us from the 100 yen store.
The 100 Yen store is like a really good dollar store. Made in Japan product means high quality and there are lots of Japanese products in the 100 yen shop.
Lunch and dinner in Obihiro today were both served in traditional Japanese style restaurants which means sitting on the floor. The good news is that both places had holes under the table for our feet - whew! Lunch was good but dinner was really fun as it was a smorg that included everything you can imagine and there was a grill in the middle of every table so you could cook whatever you wanted to eat. It was basically an all you can eat in 90 minutes deal and everyone had lots of fun trying things they had never seen before. Add to that the fact that all signs are in Japanese....there was no way even to try to read what it was you were choosing. It was all good though and we left there well sated!
In between lunch and dinner we made a stop at the horse races where the fourth race had been named the Summerland Cup. We all placed our bets (based on pure science I'm sure) and then it was time for the horses to take the post. Now....I should tell you that this is like no other horse race. These are Percheron Draft horses and they're pulling a sled weighing up to one ton. They have to pull that sled over two hills and along the track to win. First horse that has their sled completely across the line is the winner. Tonight horse number 6 came in first followed very closely by number 4 and number 9 not far behind that. The really exciting news is that Carmen had bet on those 3 to place so her 500 yen bet yielded her 7100 yen! Not a bad payoff!! After the race Janet, Leanne, and the royalty ambassadors presented the prizes to the horses owner and the winning jockey. Everyone posed for photos and again....much fun was had by all.
Tonight I was back in my room just after 8:30 and here it is already 10:00 so I'm going to sign off and take advantage of an early night. Until next time....sayonara,
Darlene and Lorrie
This post will be much shorter than the last! Today we spent the day in Obihiro where shopping took priority and resulted in new rubber boots for some, new shoes for others, some damn fine whiskey for a few more, and lots and lots of little knick knacks for most of us from the 100 yen store.
The 100 Yen store is like a really good dollar store. Made in Japan product means high quality and there are lots of Japanese products in the 100 yen shop.
Lunch and dinner in Obihiro today were both served in traditional Japanese style restaurants which means sitting on the floor. The good news is that both places had holes under the table for our feet - whew! Lunch was good but dinner was really fun as it was a smorg that included everything you can imagine and there was a grill in the middle of every table so you could cook whatever you wanted to eat. It was basically an all you can eat in 90 minutes deal and everyone had lots of fun trying things they had never seen before. Add to that the fact that all signs are in Japanese....there was no way even to try to read what it was you were choosing. It was all good though and we left there well sated!
In between lunch and dinner we made a stop at the horse races where the fourth race had been named the Summerland Cup. We all placed our bets (based on pure science I'm sure) and then it was time for the horses to take the post. Now....I should tell you that this is like no other horse race. These are Percheron Draft horses and they're pulling a sled weighing up to one ton. They have to pull that sled over two hills and along the track to win. First horse that has their sled completely across the line is the winner. Tonight horse number 6 came in first followed very closely by number 4 and number 9 not far behind that. The really exciting news is that Carmen had bet on those 3 to place so her 500 yen bet yielded her 7100 yen! Not a bad payoff!! After the race Janet, Leanne, and the royalty ambassadors presented the prizes to the horses owner and the winning jockey. Everyone posed for photos and again....much fun was had by all.
Tonight I was back in my room just after 8:30 and here it is already 10:00 so I'm going to sign off and take advantage of an early night. Until next time....sayonara,
Darlene and Lorrie
Sunday, September 18, 2016
September 16, 2016
September 16, 2016
Well....I knew it would likely be days before I'd be able to post online to this blog again but I sure didn't plan on it taking this much time for me to be able to get back to writing my notes! The last couple of days have literally flown by and by the time you finally get to read this you'll understand what I'm talking about.
I guess I should begin by telling you that the island of Hokkaido was hit by several typhoons over the past few weeks and the worst of those was on August 31 and centred in the Tokachi District - right where we're headed! The good news is that no one was injured and the bad news is that there is extensive damage (wind and flooding). Consequences of that flooding are many and one that will affect us and our trip is that the train tracks we planned to travel on have been washed away in places which means we have an opportunity to embrace the adventure of travel and "roll" with a change in plans. Our friends in Toyokoro jumped to our rescue and sent a bus to Sapporo to pick us up at out hotel so we were not long without a plan and on the morning of the 14th we made our way down from our rooms and found our bus waiting for us ahead of our 10:00 a.m. scheduled time. Not only had they sent a bus to rescue all of us but they'd also sent an additional vehicle to transport the overflow of our luggage! Those vehicles had left Toyokoro at 5 in the morning and here we were turning around to drive right back across the same roads again. Now those are some mighty GOOD friends!
The drive from Sapporo to Toyokoro across the island (west to east) was both beautiful and sad in the spots where we could see the damage caused by the extreme weather. We stopped along the way to stretch our legs and snap a few photos and before we knew it we were rolling into Toyokoro town and City Hall where everyone was lined up to meet and greet us. I cannot describe the feeling of seeing all of those men and women in business suits lined up to meet us....I'm thinking it might be the closest any of us will ever come to being celebrities. Well....in Toyokoro I guess we kind of are celebrities for this week anyway!
In addition to a tour of city hall facilities, our welcome reception included an official tea ceremony. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that one of our friends in Sapporo has only ever experienced the tea ceremony once in his life and here we are all being treated with that ancient art and the honour that goes with it. As part of the ceremony we each had a beautiful little sweet bean cake that was of a design created just for this 20th anniversary and our visit! When it was our turn to receive a bowl of tea we learned how to receive it in our left hand and turn it with our right. When the bowl of tea is presented to us the tea maker has determined the most beautiful part of the design on the bowl and she turns the bowl until that beautiful part of the design is facing us and then once we've appreciated the design it is our job to turn the bowl so the design is again pointing away from us so others can appreciate it too. Like so many traditional customs the world over, the tea ceremony is filled with subtle symbolic elements that are too complex for us to understand without spending the years of study required to learn them.
From the traditions of our ceremonial reception we were off to our accommodation at Aisin Lodge. The lodge is right in the heart of this tiny town (population just over 3000) and is owned by Toyota, who also has a fairly large testing facility nearby. The lodge is used to house the Toyota employees when they are working here and luckily Toyota and Toyokoro are able to make arrangements for us to stay here too. Our rooms are compact but comfortable and as they have only single sized beds in them each of us has our own room, even the married couples. For many of us (perhaps especially the couples) the novelty of a room to ourselves is a welcome surprise. :-)
Our Toyokoro hosts have kept us busy and as usual everyone is enjoying themselves far more than they'd anticipated. From tie-dying activities to town tours and Daikon processing to the autumn salmon harvest in Otsu harbour there hasn't been a dull moment! Touring the schools was another highlight. There are only 5 kids in the elementary school in Otsu and there are just 26 at the pre-school (ages 1-5). The elementary school in town and the Junior High boast much higher populations but still there is opportunity for individual learning support. One example of that is the Assistant English Teacher that Toyokoro employs from Summerland. At present Janet Jory has just begun her two year term as AET working with kids ranging from pre-school to Jr High. She also teaches adult classes for community residents and is kept busy in any spare time she has from all of that working on her own Japanese.
One new building we visited this trip is the Hidamari Cafe (council of social welfare for the town operates this space). It is a great space where anyone and everyone can make use of the facility and where special programs link the very young with the very old and where their cute little coffee counter is always serving (well....at least during their hours of operation).
We also visited the town pool (adjacent to the Jr high school), the farmers market, and the fire hall where we learned that their emergency response team is called out at least once daily on average. That seems a lot for a small town but....I'm sure they know their stats and if they're called out that often then it's a good thing they're here at the ready! Takai San was used as a demo dummy on the ambulance stretcher and in short order was ensconced in the back of the ambulance and ready for transport to the hospital had that been needed. A moment after Takai was off the stretcher Hannah took a turn to try it out too and everyone had a good laugh when the emergency team went to tighter her straps on the gurney only to be instructed (quite aggressively I might add) not to tighter her chest straps!! Now it's not that Hannah did anything wrong at all....it's just that those straps went right over her bust and in classic Japanese conservatism they chose to err on the side of caution...much to Hannah's relief I'm sure. :-)
Darlene and I have had a couple of extra special treats this trip too. While the rest of our group was enjoying a fantastic lunch hosted by the Toyokoro Lions club, we were being hosted at the home of Mr and Mrs Hirose. Our private lunch was in celebration of the original people who are still involved after 20 years of sister city activities so included: Hirose and his wife, Kanagawa san, Anda san, Darlene and I, and then Shima san joined us for dessert. It was a really lovely couple of hours and one thing I will always remember from that day was the friendship that bridges communication gaps and the gorgeous driveway leading to Hirose's home. That drive is long and straight and lined on both sides by countless white birch trees that are like natures version of an honour guard for any who should pass that way.
The second special treat we enjoyed was dinner with Mayor Myaguchi and his wife, Takai San, Yoshida San, and Kaori (Kato San). This dinner was like nothing I've ever experienced before! We went into Obihiro to a fancy restaurant that only the mayor had visited previously. We were seated in a private dining room and then the courses started to arrive. Each one was an elaborate work of art on the plate and the only thing I regret from this whole trip is that I didn't have a camera to capture the progression of plates that arrived at my seat. The first was an array of exotic appetizers ranging from squid with uni to tiny tempura fish and sesame tofu with crab to a seaweed something or other. There were other little bites on that first plate and I ate them all and they were all really quite delicious. They were also all absolutely brand new to my palate. They were setting a stage for the dinner that was to follow and there was not a single bite that I'd ever tasted or seen before. The second plate was actually more like an upside down triangle bowl that was filled with ice and topped with sashimi. There was eel tail, white fish, tuna that had just been flown in from Tokyo, and a prawn that was standing up looking at us. Again, it was all delicious and a perfect example of the Japanese intention that we should eat with our eyes before we put anything in our mouths. The eel tail had an interesting story attached to it. The belief is that the tail represents the progression of anything moving forward as the eel goes from skinniest at its tail to widest at its head. Our third course was paper thin slices of Hokkaido beef that is so marbled it is barley pink in colour. Also on that plate were several vegetables. We were also given a bowl of water over a very hot flame that we were to place all the veggies into to cook. While those veggies were cooking we would take the beef piece by piece and swish it in the water to lightly cook it and say shabu shabu in imitation of the sound it makes as it hits the boiling water. That beef literally melted in my mouth! There were two sauces to choose from. A sesame cream sauce and another that was soya and citrus. Both were delicious but at the end of that course I could see that my bowl of sesame sauce was almost empty so I think it was my favourite. The next course was another work of art in the form of oysters wrapped in pastry topped with foi grois and slivers of crispy burdock. I'm pretty sure this was my favourite course....it was unbelievable! That is all I can say about it! The next course was sushi....yes.....now we were on to sushi! We were all sooooo full but we did our best to chow down on perfect mounds of sushi rice covered with all the same fish we had in our sashimi course. There were also a couple of gorgeous rounds of avocado roll on that plate. This course was followed by a bowl of delicious miso soup and our final course to end the meal was a perfect ball of black bean ice cream that was again as beautiful to look at as it was to eat. The entire meal was absolute perfection....I honestly can't do it justice with any description I might provide so I'll just leave you with this.....I will NEVER forget this dinner!
I know it seems like there is a lot of talk about food in this blog post but I guess that is because they feed us a lot of really great food. From the ladies in the kitchen who serve us breakfast every morning at our accommodation to the Yakatori house we went to in the park tonight...food is a common theme. I wish Summerland had a Yakatori house - what a great way for people to connect in a new and unique way! Everyone sits around a long brick BBQ and cooks their food and eats their food and drinks their drinks and visits while they cook and eat and drink. The Yakatori house is screened in to keep the mosquitos at bay and I can attest to the fact that the place was rocking with fun and laughter tonight! After dinner we played Bingo and there were prizes enough for everyone to win so we all went home winners in every way.
Tonight after the Yakatori house it was back to Aisin where 2nd party was soon underway and the laughter and fun continued. There is almost always a 2nd party in Japan. There will be slightly fewer people at 2nd party than there were at the first one but there is no shortage of fun and laughter at either.
Some of my observations this trip already include:
Shoes come off and slippers are donned inside every building; even city hall, schools, and other public spaces.
The people and this culture could not be any more welcoming.
Cars drive on the left hand side of the road.
Most cars are white in colour.
Toyokoro crops include: sugar beets, daikon radish, potatoes, corn, soy beans, and carrots. In addition there are several dairy farms in the district.
The sun has been shining since our arrival even though the forecast was for rain before we got here!
Cranes are black and white and HUGE! When you're lucky enough to see one it will bring you good luck.
The Toyokoro bakery has the best cream filled donuts in the world!!! In fact, everyone I know who has ever visited here talks about those donuts long after they return home and I for one look forward to enjoying them again at every return visit.
It gets dark here by 6:30 pm and is completely light by 5:30 am. This seems strange as its only the middle of September and the latitude here is actually south of Summerland.
School is in session Mon-Fri full days and 1/2 day on Saturday. School is closed for 25 days winter break and 25 days for summer break in this region. All students are required to participate in one club activity outside school hours. Club activities range from sports to choir. Almost all janitorial work in the schools is done by the students themselves (beginning right from kindergarten). They believe that by caring for their schools in this way the students will feel more ownership and that coordination of the jobs to be done fosters cooperation and leadership. (I tend to agree with them and can tell you that their schools and their community in general is spotless)
There is no vandalism and crime is quite rare.
Shrines are Shinto and Temples are Buddhist (usually). Shrines are for celebrations only (weddings, births, etc). Temples, churches, mosques, etc are accessed for those same celebrations and also are where people go for funerals.
Okay....that's enough for tonight....I am dead tired and tomorrow is another full day.
Sayonara,
Darlene and Lorrie
Well....I knew it would likely be days before I'd be able to post online to this blog again but I sure didn't plan on it taking this much time for me to be able to get back to writing my notes! The last couple of days have literally flown by and by the time you finally get to read this you'll understand what I'm talking about.
I guess I should begin by telling you that the island of Hokkaido was hit by several typhoons over the past few weeks and the worst of those was on August 31 and centred in the Tokachi District - right where we're headed! The good news is that no one was injured and the bad news is that there is extensive damage (wind and flooding). Consequences of that flooding are many and one that will affect us and our trip is that the train tracks we planned to travel on have been washed away in places which means we have an opportunity to embrace the adventure of travel and "roll" with a change in plans. Our friends in Toyokoro jumped to our rescue and sent a bus to Sapporo to pick us up at out hotel so we were not long without a plan and on the morning of the 14th we made our way down from our rooms and found our bus waiting for us ahead of our 10:00 a.m. scheduled time. Not only had they sent a bus to rescue all of us but they'd also sent an additional vehicle to transport the overflow of our luggage! Those vehicles had left Toyokoro at 5 in the morning and here we were turning around to drive right back across the same roads again. Now those are some mighty GOOD friends!
The drive from Sapporo to Toyokoro across the island (west to east) was both beautiful and sad in the spots where we could see the damage caused by the extreme weather. We stopped along the way to stretch our legs and snap a few photos and before we knew it we were rolling into Toyokoro town and City Hall where everyone was lined up to meet and greet us. I cannot describe the feeling of seeing all of those men and women in business suits lined up to meet us....I'm thinking it might be the closest any of us will ever come to being celebrities. Well....in Toyokoro I guess we kind of are celebrities for this week anyway!
In addition to a tour of city hall facilities, our welcome reception included an official tea ceremony. I think I mentioned in an earlier post that one of our friends in Sapporo has only ever experienced the tea ceremony once in his life and here we are all being treated with that ancient art and the honour that goes with it. As part of the ceremony we each had a beautiful little sweet bean cake that was of a design created just for this 20th anniversary and our visit! When it was our turn to receive a bowl of tea we learned how to receive it in our left hand and turn it with our right. When the bowl of tea is presented to us the tea maker has determined the most beautiful part of the design on the bowl and she turns the bowl until that beautiful part of the design is facing us and then once we've appreciated the design it is our job to turn the bowl so the design is again pointing away from us so others can appreciate it too. Like so many traditional customs the world over, the tea ceremony is filled with subtle symbolic elements that are too complex for us to understand without spending the years of study required to learn them.
From the traditions of our ceremonial reception we were off to our accommodation at Aisin Lodge. The lodge is right in the heart of this tiny town (population just over 3000) and is owned by Toyota, who also has a fairly large testing facility nearby. The lodge is used to house the Toyota employees when they are working here and luckily Toyota and Toyokoro are able to make arrangements for us to stay here too. Our rooms are compact but comfortable and as they have only single sized beds in them each of us has our own room, even the married couples. For many of us (perhaps especially the couples) the novelty of a room to ourselves is a welcome surprise. :-)
Our Toyokoro hosts have kept us busy and as usual everyone is enjoying themselves far more than they'd anticipated. From tie-dying activities to town tours and Daikon processing to the autumn salmon harvest in Otsu harbour there hasn't been a dull moment! Touring the schools was another highlight. There are only 5 kids in the elementary school in Otsu and there are just 26 at the pre-school (ages 1-5). The elementary school in town and the Junior High boast much higher populations but still there is opportunity for individual learning support. One example of that is the Assistant English Teacher that Toyokoro employs from Summerland. At present Janet Jory has just begun her two year term as AET working with kids ranging from pre-school to Jr High. She also teaches adult classes for community residents and is kept busy in any spare time she has from all of that working on her own Japanese.
One new building we visited this trip is the Hidamari Cafe (council of social welfare for the town operates this space). It is a great space where anyone and everyone can make use of the facility and where special programs link the very young with the very old and where their cute little coffee counter is always serving (well....at least during their hours of operation).
We also visited the town pool (adjacent to the Jr high school), the farmers market, and the fire hall where we learned that their emergency response team is called out at least once daily on average. That seems a lot for a small town but....I'm sure they know their stats and if they're called out that often then it's a good thing they're here at the ready! Takai San was used as a demo dummy on the ambulance stretcher and in short order was ensconced in the back of the ambulance and ready for transport to the hospital had that been needed. A moment after Takai was off the stretcher Hannah took a turn to try it out too and everyone had a good laugh when the emergency team went to tighter her straps on the gurney only to be instructed (quite aggressively I might add) not to tighter her chest straps!! Now it's not that Hannah did anything wrong at all....it's just that those straps went right over her bust and in classic Japanese conservatism they chose to err on the side of caution...much to Hannah's relief I'm sure. :-)
Darlene and I have had a couple of extra special treats this trip too. While the rest of our group was enjoying a fantastic lunch hosted by the Toyokoro Lions club, we were being hosted at the home of Mr and Mrs Hirose. Our private lunch was in celebration of the original people who are still involved after 20 years of sister city activities so included: Hirose and his wife, Kanagawa san, Anda san, Darlene and I, and then Shima san joined us for dessert. It was a really lovely couple of hours and one thing I will always remember from that day was the friendship that bridges communication gaps and the gorgeous driveway leading to Hirose's home. That drive is long and straight and lined on both sides by countless white birch trees that are like natures version of an honour guard for any who should pass that way.
The second special treat we enjoyed was dinner with Mayor Myaguchi and his wife, Takai San, Yoshida San, and Kaori (Kato San). This dinner was like nothing I've ever experienced before! We went into Obihiro to a fancy restaurant that only the mayor had visited previously. We were seated in a private dining room and then the courses started to arrive. Each one was an elaborate work of art on the plate and the only thing I regret from this whole trip is that I didn't have a camera to capture the progression of plates that arrived at my seat. The first was an array of exotic appetizers ranging from squid with uni to tiny tempura fish and sesame tofu with crab to a seaweed something or other. There were other little bites on that first plate and I ate them all and they were all really quite delicious. They were also all absolutely brand new to my palate. They were setting a stage for the dinner that was to follow and there was not a single bite that I'd ever tasted or seen before. The second plate was actually more like an upside down triangle bowl that was filled with ice and topped with sashimi. There was eel tail, white fish, tuna that had just been flown in from Tokyo, and a prawn that was standing up looking at us. Again, it was all delicious and a perfect example of the Japanese intention that we should eat with our eyes before we put anything in our mouths. The eel tail had an interesting story attached to it. The belief is that the tail represents the progression of anything moving forward as the eel goes from skinniest at its tail to widest at its head. Our third course was paper thin slices of Hokkaido beef that is so marbled it is barley pink in colour. Also on that plate were several vegetables. We were also given a bowl of water over a very hot flame that we were to place all the veggies into to cook. While those veggies were cooking we would take the beef piece by piece and swish it in the water to lightly cook it and say shabu shabu in imitation of the sound it makes as it hits the boiling water. That beef literally melted in my mouth! There were two sauces to choose from. A sesame cream sauce and another that was soya and citrus. Both were delicious but at the end of that course I could see that my bowl of sesame sauce was almost empty so I think it was my favourite. The next course was another work of art in the form of oysters wrapped in pastry topped with foi grois and slivers of crispy burdock. I'm pretty sure this was my favourite course....it was unbelievable! That is all I can say about it! The next course was sushi....yes.....now we were on to sushi! We were all sooooo full but we did our best to chow down on perfect mounds of sushi rice covered with all the same fish we had in our sashimi course. There were also a couple of gorgeous rounds of avocado roll on that plate. This course was followed by a bowl of delicious miso soup and our final course to end the meal was a perfect ball of black bean ice cream that was again as beautiful to look at as it was to eat. The entire meal was absolute perfection....I honestly can't do it justice with any description I might provide so I'll just leave you with this.....I will NEVER forget this dinner!
I know it seems like there is a lot of talk about food in this blog post but I guess that is because they feed us a lot of really great food. From the ladies in the kitchen who serve us breakfast every morning at our accommodation to the Yakatori house we went to in the park tonight...food is a common theme. I wish Summerland had a Yakatori house - what a great way for people to connect in a new and unique way! Everyone sits around a long brick BBQ and cooks their food and eats their food and drinks their drinks and visits while they cook and eat and drink. The Yakatori house is screened in to keep the mosquitos at bay and I can attest to the fact that the place was rocking with fun and laughter tonight! After dinner we played Bingo and there were prizes enough for everyone to win so we all went home winners in every way.
Tonight after the Yakatori house it was back to Aisin where 2nd party was soon underway and the laughter and fun continued. There is almost always a 2nd party in Japan. There will be slightly fewer people at 2nd party than there were at the first one but there is no shortage of fun and laughter at either.
Some of my observations this trip already include:
Shoes come off and slippers are donned inside every building; even city hall, schools, and other public spaces.
The people and this culture could not be any more welcoming.
Cars drive on the left hand side of the road.
Most cars are white in colour.
Toyokoro crops include: sugar beets, daikon radish, potatoes, corn, soy beans, and carrots. In addition there are several dairy farms in the district.
The sun has been shining since our arrival even though the forecast was for rain before we got here!
Cranes are black and white and HUGE! When you're lucky enough to see one it will bring you good luck.
The Toyokoro bakery has the best cream filled donuts in the world!!! In fact, everyone I know who has ever visited here talks about those donuts long after they return home and I for one look forward to enjoying them again at every return visit.
It gets dark here by 6:30 pm and is completely light by 5:30 am. This seems strange as its only the middle of September and the latitude here is actually south of Summerland.
School is in session Mon-Fri full days and 1/2 day on Saturday. School is closed for 25 days winter break and 25 days for summer break in this region. All students are required to participate in one club activity outside school hours. Club activities range from sports to choir. Almost all janitorial work in the schools is done by the students themselves (beginning right from kindergarten). They believe that by caring for their schools in this way the students will feel more ownership and that coordination of the jobs to be done fosters cooperation and leadership. (I tend to agree with them and can tell you that their schools and their community in general is spotless)
There is no vandalism and crime is quite rare.
Shrines are Shinto and Temples are Buddhist (usually). Shrines are for celebrations only (weddings, births, etc). Temples, churches, mosques, etc are accessed for those same celebrations and also are where people go for funerals.
Okay....that's enough for tonight....I am dead tired and tomorrow is another full day.
Sayonara,
Darlene and Lorrie
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