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Saturday Feb 1,  2003 ....

Once  again  I   hopped  on the  Shinkassen (bullet  train)  to  head  1  1/2  hr.  from Hiroshima
to  Osaka.  I exited the train  platform  area and  I  ordered  a  Japanese  lunch  at a restaurant  in
the  station  after  ensuring  that  there  was no  seafood  to  be found  in the  dish.  I located the
English information office and  they  gave  me  some  pamphlets  about Osaka.  I  read  one  and
I  learned  that  Osaka  prides  itself  on  being  renowned  as  the  city for  culinary  delights  and
entertainment.  I learned  that  they  also have  a street  full of  Culinary  Shops  all close together
that I would  have  to  investigate.  Since  I  had  2  hours  to kill  before  I was  to  meet  my
friend  Toshi  I explored  the  bottom  floor  of the  train  station  and I  found  many shops  that
I  would  return  to before  I  left  Osaka  in 3  days  to  continue  my  trip.  Of  special  interest
to me  was  a international  store  that  had  a  much bigger  variety  of western  grocery  items
than  you  could  normally  find elsewhere in my  travels.   I bought a bag of Kraft  caramels  and
1  or 2  other  items.

At  around  4 PM  I met my friend Toshi.  Toshi is 48, and married  with 2  teenage sons. he has
been a nice friend, and  he is  the organizer of  an English  group mostly  based in Osaka.  I  have
been  corresponding  with  him  and  correcting  some  of  their assignments for the last 9 months
or so.  We  got  into  Toshi’s car  and  we headed out  into the countryside.  Toshi  had
suggested  that  I have the  opportunity  to  view some country  living  since  almost  all of  my
time  was  spent  in  cities.  It  worked  out  nicely  because  Toshi also had  an  errand  to  run
back  in  his  hometown too.  So we drove about 100  Km  into  the  countryside  as  it  snowed
and  got  darker.   We  pulled  off  the  main  road and  onto a  snowy  side  road  and  we  started
to  climb  it  into  the woods and  hills.  At some  point  it  got  pretty  slick  and  we  stopped and
Toshi  got   out  his  chains  for  his  front  tires  and  it  took us  20   minutes  to  install  them.. I
grew up hearing about tire  chains  but I  never  experienced  them  in New York  because  they
are  illegal  or  at least  strongly  discouraged because they rip up the roads.  Just  as  we  finished
installing them  another vehicle  came  down the  narrow  hilly  snowy  road  and  we  had to
maneuver  the  2   cars  so  that  we could  pass each other on the 1 lane road.  

We  drove  for  about  10  more kilometers  and   we  stopped  at  an  Onsen  in the  near by
town  close  to  where  Toshi  grew up.  We  went  inside  and  there was  a  group  of  younger
guys  in  their  teens  and  early  20 ‘s  hanging  out.  From  what  I  gathered  this  Onsen (hot
spring)   was  started  maybe  only  6  years  before,  when they  tapped  into  a local thermal
spring.  Since  this  was  a  small  town  this  might  be  the  place  for  the  youth to congregate
before they find mischief to get into.  Toshi  paid  the  small entrance  fee  and  we  went  into
the  changing  area and  we each  put  our  belongings into  a  locker.  The  we  proceeded  into
the  next  area  only  with  the  small washcloth towel  that  toshi  had  brought  for  each of  us.  
As  protocol  has  it  we  sit  on  the  really  small  stool  and  scrub ourselves down  before
entering the  indoor  hot spring  for a  soak.  After  a  little  while  we  both  went  into  the  out
door  hot spring  area  as  the  snowflakes  drifted  down  next  to  us.  it  was  nice  and  relaxing
but  it  was  strange  for  me  to  be  soaking  naked  with  a  friend  that I  had  only  met 2  hours
earlier.  but  there  goes  the  puritanical  upbringing  again.  I  had  read about  these  Onsen
procedures  so I figured  when  in Rome ...  this  is  how  it  is  done.  

I  asked  about  the  segregation  of  the  sexes  and  sure  enough  you  could hear  women  and
children  in  the  other side  of the  wall  enjoying  their  time  soaking.  I think  up  until  maybe
30 - 40  years  ago  it  was  commonplace  to  find  mixed  sex  bathing  but  now  in  modern
times  I  think  it  is  very  rare  to  find  this.  Though  the  sexual libidos  might have be  there in
olden  times,  I am  rather  confident  that not  too  many  children  have  been conceived  by
hanky  panky  in  the  Onsens  as  the  water  is  quite  hot  110 F ( 35 - 40 C),  but  maybe  I  am
wrong.  we  went  indoors,  1  more  time  to  soak  and  then  wash  off  and  dress.  I  took  my
camera  outside  to  take  a  picture because  it  was  a nicely  scenic snowy  almost  garden like
setting with the decor (there  was  another  male  patron  indoors so I  couldn’t shoot there).  But
the  picture  came  out  steamy  and  hazy.  I’m  not  sure  if this  is  due  to  the  night  time
exposure  or  the  steam  generated  from  the  hot spring clouding  up  the  shot.    We  dressed
and  I  joked  quickly  with  an older  gentleman  in the  reception  area who  was  amazed  at
how  big  and  tall I  was  before we left  We  drove  another  15  KM.  feeling  all relaxed  until
we  got  to  Toshi’s  parents house.  somehow  during  our  driving  we managed to  avoid  hitting
a  smaller deer  standing  in  the  road  as  we  rounded  a  curve.

We  arrived  at  Toshi’s  boyhood  house  which  was  over  100  years  old.  he  explained that
when  he  grew  up  the  house  was  located  somewhere  else  nearby  but  that the  house had
been  moved to where it is  now.  The  house was  similar to the  Kagoshima  hotel  that  I  stayed
in  with  many  sliding paper doors blocking  off  different  portions.  Toshi’s  parent’s  house  is
actually  connected  to the  house  where  his  brother,  his wife  and  4  teenage  daughters  live.  
Toshi  got  a  portable  butane  burner  stove  like  we  use  for  our  omelet  stations  at  work
and  he heated up a  pot  with  oil.  we proceeded to cook  our own  dinner  of  Sukiyaki
periodically  adding  in  ingredients  and  a  sweet  soy sauce ?  to  the  mixture  as  we  went
until  we  were  full  from eating  all  of  the  beef, cabbage, mushrooms and other various
vegetables.--- Hai, Oishii  desu ! ---  yes  it  was  delicious.

The  house  was relatively cold over  all  and the  average  person from  here  in  California
would  have had  a  hard  time.  But I  grew  up  sleeping  in  an  unheated bedroom upstairs  and
Ole  Jack frost  would  really  paint  nice  murals  on my  windows  back  home  so  I  was
somewhat  used  to  it.  As  I  discovered  many  parts  of  modern  Japan  are not  privy to
centralized heating.  many  small businesses  I  observed would sometimes  have  open  exposure
to  outside  with   only  a  small space heater keeping  the  merchants warm.  The house  had  a
Kerosene  heater in the  living  room to help out  but  they  also  had  a built  in pit in the  floor
to put  your  legs  with  a  table  with  a built  in blanket  for  the  sides  to cover  this  pit in the
floor.  So  you  would  sit  at  this  table  with  your  feet in the  pit  and the  blanket  would
drape  from  the top sides of the  table  over  your  lap  and  onto the  floor.  Toshi  and  I  sat
there  trying  to  load  a  computer  program  onto  his  brothers  laptop  computer for  him.  at
about  10:30 his  brother  and his  family arrived  after attending  a  Chinese  new years  party  as
it  was the  1rst  of  February.  it  was  kind  of  interesting  to  see  the  4  girls sheepishly  say
hello  to uncle Toshi  and  the  huge  American  sitting  next to  him.  I  am  sure  the  don’t  get
very  much  exposure  to  foreigners living  in the  country.  They quickly went  off  to  bed into
the  adjoining  house.  Soon  afterwards  we  also  decided  to  turn  in  for  the  night  and  I
slept  on  a  futon with an  electric  blanket  in  a  spare  room.

The  next  morning  the  house  was  abuzz  with activity  I met  some  of  the  girls  again  as  we
had  breakfast. some  of  them  left  to  do certain  family activities.  but  I  had  the  opportunity
to  show  one  of the  middle teenage  girls  pictures  of  Santa Barbara  and  some  of  the  pastry
brochures I  had  picked  up.  If  I  am  able  I  will  try  to  do  some  research  in  home stays  as
the  oldest  girl  is  interested  in  staying  in  America  or  Canada  for  a year  after high school
to  improve  her  English.  Then   before  I  knew  it    was 10 30 - 11 am  and  Toshi  and  I  had
to leave to  drive  back to  Osaka  because  we  had  a  lunch  Date  with the  English  group for 1
PM.  Being  the  mountain  person  I  am  I  really  enjoyed the  scenery  as  we drove  through
the countryside back  to  the  city.  It  reminded me of Vermont.

 

##########.

... in response to Japan Journal  # 11, posted by Windmill Boy on Mar 11, 2003

Hey WB,

If I'd known you were going to the Onsen, I would have leant you my purple G-String. ;o))) Hearing those ladies on the other side...did you think about trying to swim under or climb over the wall? :o)))

Dave H.

... in response to Japan Journal  # 11, posted by Windmill Boy on Mar 11, 2003

Outdoor onsen in the snow, castles, old fashioned Japanese country homes with kotatsu (table with heater underneath and down comforter to drape over your legs,) Japanese style toilets, the REAL Japan. Glad your trip wasn't restricted to cities, western hotels, Starbucks and MacDonalds.

Quick note on finding directions in Japan. There are no named or numbered streets in Japan, just progressively smaller, named districts, prefectures, wards, townships, and neighborhoods. That's why it's so difficult to find addresses in Japan. For instance your address might be: California, Santa Barbara county, Eastern District, Coastal Ward, Seacliff Village, 15th house - so someone looking for it would have to know where all that is. Like Kanji, it's traditional, but cumbersome in a modern world. Just explaining why your taxi driver had so much trouble finding the hotel. If it were 121 Main Street, like here in the US it would be a snap.

For you guys who's wives complain you never ask for directions, it's doubly worse when married to a Japanese woman, since the standard method to find anything is to ask passers by several or even many times hoping they're a local and are familiar with where what you're looking for actually is.

Good stuff, Eric, keep it coming!

- Jeff