New Years in Tottori

We just got back from six days visiting friends in the countryside of Tottori, where I lived and taught English 10 years ago. It was nice to show Lori the Japan I feel like I know -- a stark contrast to the chaos of Tokyo. We started early on the 31 and the trip took about seven hours. On the way down we finally had a good view of a snowy Fuji-san from the train.
My old friend "Mike" Makihara, who I taught English with back in the day, picked us up at the station in Yonago and brought us to his home, where we spent the first two nights. Mike and his wife Yumiko, along with Mike's pop, were so kind to us.
On New Year's Eve, we ate soba, or buckwheat noodles, a traditional dish for the occasion -- long noodles equate to a long life -- and on New Year's morning they served osechi, a wild assortment of dishes, each with a special significance for the new year. Nothing like a standard American breakfast but delicious just the same.

We spent New Year's Day a lot like we might have in the US: watching sports on TV (an annual ekiden), going to church (Mike & Yumiko belong to SGI), going for a long walk (they live a short walk through a pine grove from the Japan Sea, with a clear view of Mt. Daisen), and just plain relaxing (went to the local hot spring for a bath).
On the 2nd, we drove to my old principal Kawamoto-san's home for a feast. Endo-san was there, too, and afterwards, Kawamoto-san drove us back to Endo-san's place in Saihaku town, where I used to teach. En route, we stopped off at Hosshoji Middle School, where I taught, and walked around for a bit. We spent two nights at Endo-san's place, which is a 100 year old farmhouse in the mountains. Luckily, they'd recently built a new building and put us up in our very own suite. During our stay, we made handmade soba and pounded rice into mochi (see pictures). His daughter, Toshie, one of my old students, still lives at home, and it was great to see her again. Surprisingly, she actually enjoys learning English these days!

Soba & Mochi

During our stay at Endo-san's place, we made handmade soba and pounded rice into mochi (see pictures and movie below).


Endo-san's place is in Saihaku town, where Pete used to teach English. En route to his house, we stopped off at Hosshoji Middle School, the school where he taught, and walked around for a bit. We spent two nights at Endo-san's place, which is a 100 year old farmhouse in the mountains. Luckily, they'd recently built a new building and put us up in our very own suite.The tilted building below is this crazy spot near a lake, where the whole building is at a sharp angle - very weird feeling when you step inside and try to stand up straight. The last pictures are from a wonderful dinner party Endo-san's family threw on our last night there. They made nabe (a delicious pot of stewed meat, seafood and vegetables) and a great deal of alcohol flowed freely.

Trip to Matsue

During the final leg of our trip we headed to Matsue, a quaint seaside town in Shimane prefecture about 25 minutes from Yonago by train. The big attraction in Matsue is the imposing castle in the center of town. Built in the early 1600s, the castle is high on a hill, surrounded by a wide moat, and continually circled by large kites nesting nearby. We also visited a nearby samurai house that's been preserved as it was and walked by Lafcadio Hearn's house and museum. After lunch we headed to Owl Pottery studio to visit with Pete's friend Hara-san and his cat Tao. Next stop was our hotel and a relaxing onsen bath. On our last day we spent the afternoon at Kashmir Darbar, the Indian restaurant where Pete spent many hours in Yonago with great friends back in his JET days. We had a fantastic meal and a great visit with Hiroko-san, Tim, and Zack. Great trip!