My friend Matthew from upstate New York who teaches at a whole whack of junior high schools outside the Ohtawara City area--and who lives five minutes away from--has come up with a plan for us today as we're on vacation.
We've decided to go to Nasushiobara-machi (It's now known as Nasushiobara-shi... a city after merging with Kuroiso-machi and Nishinasuno-machi in 2005). By bicycle.
It seems like a great idea. I have no idea where it is actually, except that it's north of my apartment building... somewhere in those mountains in the photo up above.
I'm lousy with directions--both here in Japan and back home in Canada. I get lost constantly. But this time have sided with Matthew who speaks more Japanese than myself by far, we should be okay. Besides... he knew how to get there.
A mutual friend, Kevin, who worked for an American company that had an exchange program with its Japanese parent company, had provided Matthew with some instructions.
Despite it being July... this time I was smart enough to suggest to Matthew that it might be cold up in the mountains... Matthew's response was: "D'uh." He knew already and was prepared with a windbreaker and jeans--pretty much what I was wearing.
So... without much fanfare, we were off. It was a nice day... cool in the morning, but we knew that riding would make us warm, but being up in the mountains, it could be cool and windy. We didn't bother taking food or drinks with us, as we correctly surmised that we could find what we needed at a vending machine for drinks or at a restaurant or convenience store for food.
It wasn't long after leaving my place - maybe 30 minutes or so, that we figured we were lost. Totally lost. we were riding through a field (not a rice field... which was how we knew we weren't in Ohtawara... as that name translates into Big-Rice Field-Field). We had both pretty much only ever seen rice fields here in our city...
Still, we knew where the mountain was. North.
It didn't matter. Matthew seems to have a innate sense of direction.. and we enjoy the ride... watching as white cars drive at us only to swerve at the last second and honking at us to let us know that they saw us:
"Hora! Gaijin-da!" (Look! Foreigners!)
It would be bad form to hit two gaijin (foreigners) at once... especially two mildly famous ones in the Prefecture.
We stop off at a vending machine and grab a drink. I get a Coke... and a Georgia Coffee (cold coffee in a can manufactured for the Asian market by Coca-Cola... Matthew gets some Japanese drink. I swear that boy is more Japanese than the Japanese sometimes.
We stop off at a 7-11 and get some onigiri (Japanese rice balls)... with the most awesome packaging... It's a triangle of rice about four inches along each plane and one inch thick. Inside it in the very middle is a dollop of white tuna or a umeboshi (sour plum) or some veggies.
It is sooooo delicious. I usually have three to fill me up as a whole meal. I always get the sea chicken and mayonnaise style... Sea chicken is white tuna meat. The Japanese never really used to east white tuna meat (only red tuna meat) until maybe 20 years ago, as it was considered the garbage part of the tuna.To differentiate it from the red tuna, the name "Sea Chicken" was concocted for the Japanese market. The Japanese don't know why.. and neither do most gaijin.... but back in Canada, I used to watch these television commercials that asked: "What's the best tuna? Chicken Of The Sea!"
Yes, Chicken Of The Sea was a brand of tuna in a can. I ate it all the time back in Toronto. So... for the Japanese... sake (pronounced "sha-kay") is red tuna meat... and white tuna (pronounced "she chi-con") is based on a brand of canned tuna.
Back on the bike... I only had one gear working on my bicycle... and the chain was groaning and creaking like my grandfather's knees. I guess I should have oiled it at least once since getting the bike a year ago.
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| Matthew at Mt. Nasu |
After 1-1/2 hours there, we head for home. But we decide to race... because we're in our mid-20s and in such great shape... right.
Matthew has more speed than me thanks to the lack of any gear shifting, but when he has to coast to catch his breath, my bicycle catches up thanks to its superior gliding power. No matter what he does, when he stops pedaling, I stop too, but I catch up and actually have to hit the brakes to avoid getting too far ahead.
We ride on to Nishinasuno-eki (Nishinasuno Train station) and park our bikes and head onto a local JR (Japan Rail) train for a ride down to Utsunomiya-shi, the capital of Tochigi-ken.
There we catch the movie Robin Hood (Kevin Costner's)--which we both agree is pretty decent.
Back home, I relax and do a bit of my puzzle and watch some more videos. I step back out onto my bicycle and head over to one of the three 7-11's near my apartment and get some more onigiri for my dinner.
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| Andrew at Mt. Nasu |
I should be in pain tomorrow.
Somewhere tomorrow came early,
Andrew Joseph
Today's blog title is by Pink Floyd: GERALD. It's a real old one
PS: I love Matthew's sense of adventure. My wife does that sort of stuff, too. I probably wouldn't go anywhere for fear of getting lost if it wasn't for people like this. As a result of Matthew's get up and go, aside from the leg and back muscles hurting, I got to see stuff I have already seen, but I did so from the perch of my bicycle and got to experience the sights, the sounds and the smells of Japan.
PPS: Okay... the photos of Matthew and myself are actually from another trip we did from Mt. Nasu in the same area. I think.
