Home Stay With The Kudo's

Though unfortunately I only had the opportunity for a brief home stay of Three days, it was a lovely three days nonetheless. I was paired up with the Kudo's who lived in Takarazuka (A suburb between Osaka and Kobe, also the location of my hotel). The family is comprised of Yoko and Keisuke and their children Miki (8) and Heroko (4). The mansion, as Keisuke called it, was a Three Bedroom Apartment that over looked the end of the Rokko Mountain range.

After picking me up from KGU they brought me home and made me some Osaka style Okonomiyake which I much prefer ove the Okonomiyake I tried in Hiroshima. The later style has noodles squished between two pancakes wheres the former is more like a pancake with onions and cabbage mixed in. After lunch they took me to Arima, the home of one of Japan's oldest onsens (Hotspring). Arima is a small village nestled between the Rokko mountains. When we first arrive the whole village was quite busy with tourists. We walked around for a bit and tried a special type of cracker only made in Arima.

We then headed up a big hill to the Onsen. As is the Japanese custom you get to know each other while naked as it allows there to be no barriers between you. I suppose this works and you get use to the sight of naked old men everywhere. After about an hour or so of trying all the different types of baths I went into the Sauna for a final sweat. The Japanese tradition is to soak in cold water after sauna. I quite like this as it woke me up from the nearly comatose state I had attained over the last hour. The onsen was the perfect first day considering I was just recovering from the previous night.

On Sunday after a traditional japanese breakfast we decided to head to the Osaka Expo. Unfortunately, Yoko could not come as she had to go to work. We headed off with Kids in tote. After about a 25min drive from Takarazuka we arrived at the large park. On the far side of the central pond stood the famous sun tower. It kind of looks like a giant seal with a golden satellite where its face would otherwise be.

We headed over to the Ethnology Museum which one of the Expo's largest attractions. The building host a very large exhibit contrasting the ethnicities of the world. It was quite interesting to see ethnicities from the perspective of a museum in Japan. After the museum we took a walk around a Japanese garden inside the expo though the kids soon got tired so we decided to call it a day.

When we home, Yoko had returned from work. After having some appetizers on the balcony, we had temaki (handrolls) for dinner. What was different about their handrolls than anything I had had before was the inclusion of a leaf into the roll which added a lemongrass like flavour to the rice and fish. I quite enjoy the meal especially with beer.

On our last day we decided to head out to Nara an ancient Japanese capital in a valley to the east of Osaka. After a western breakfast of pancakes, we headed off on the one and a half hour car ride. Our first temples was the Todai-Ji. The temples size is immense and barely comprehensible from a picture. The main building house Japan's largest buddha. On the backside of this building there was a hole in one of the pillar which was reportedly the same size as the Buddha's nostril. I unfortunately did not fit through Buddha's nostril. They will have to build a bigger buddha so I can fit through his nose.

After a lunch in the park, we headed out to the next temple which was a good half hour drive. Founded first in 607 AD the Horyu-ji temples house some of the oldest wooden buildings in the world. The complex include a five story pagoda, the original temple in addition to a museum which holds numerous cultural artifacts. It was incredible to be an numerous building that were more than 1000 years older than almost any Canadian building.

After an incredible day we head back to Takarazuka where the Kudo's dropped me off at the hotel. Hopefully I will see them again before leaving.

Update On 2000 Yen Challenge

Just an update, though it is some what delayed. So it turns out I ruined the whole competition. After two days of the fasting techniques, granola and grape fruit diets, and Facebook food feast taunting everyone seemed somewhat fatigued by the competition. There was increasing discussion of the poor layout of incentive structure. It also became evident who was still in the running and who was not. I decided that the incentives were no longer worth the reward (also I was hungry). I announced my withdrawal and within one hour the whole competition had been canceled much to my astonishment. I had not considered that I might have that much social clout. Perhaps my withdrawal broke the illusion of social commitment.

2000 Yen Challenge

So I have agreed to a 2000 Yen ($25) challenge. I can only spend 2000 yen between this morning and Friday afternoon. Supposedly this is a challenge though I don't think it is very hard. If I had a kitchen it wouldn't even be a challenge yet a large component of the challenge  lies in having to eat out for every meal or pick up something from a grocery store. Though unfortunately a grocery store is not al that cheaper for prepared meals than would be a restaurant. In a stroke of luck, I have 1 kilo of granola acquired from a trip to Costco on Saturday.

Kyoto

Sorry for the lack of posts. Everyday I ponder the possibility but am always put off by the ever increasingly growing task of recounting the trip so far. Everyday the task grow dauntingly larger.

To avoid this never ending cycle of intimidation I have chosen to just start at yesterday and then back track from there.

At 7am we made way for Kyoto on a charter bus. We were going on the expressway so we had to strap in with seat belts yet a on a previous trip to Hiroshima we had no such requirement. Perhaps only bus rides to the Imperial city need be safe. 

Our first stop was the Golden Pavilion. The park is not that large with the loop around the pavilion only being about a 10 minute walk. The Golden temple itself is oddly surreal, almost plasticy from a distant. It kind of looks like someone supersized a Japanese charm bracelet charm and stuck it in some nice gardens. Though I suppose I shouldn't diminish the awe of a gold leafed building. Apparently, I outpaced the rest of the group making it to the end much quicker than everyone else. 

The next stop was Toei Uzumasa Eigamura (Kyoto Studio Theme Park). Supposedly a movie studio that produced many of Japan's most famous titles prior to the predominance of American cinema. Though perhaps a somewhat kitschy attraction, the events were entertaining nonetheless. Including a ninja sword fighting demonstration and a Ninja drama. I also found a family of face cuts outs to use for me Facebook profile.

Next stop was the Imperial Palace. Occupied until the Meiji Restoration in 1868 when the Emperor was moved to Tokyo the palace was the home of the Emperor for the previous 350 years during the Tokugawa period. Apparently visiting the palace is a big deal as we required a security check to get in. This was a nice bonus as the palace was empty except our tour group and it made the experience feel a little more unique.