Helloooo.... Long time no post. Sorry about disappearing on you there, you might be thinking "woah, two months of events?! This is going to be a huge post!" But, fear not, I just haven't had a huge amount of fun events happen in quick succession, so I thought I would save them up for a more interesting post (that's what I tell myself anyway 😅). Without further ado my GLOWs (Grace's Loyal Obliging Winners), here is a new blog post.
The month of February, as you may have noticed, I skipped but it was overall pretty chill. The only fun things to note were I judged an English speaking competition, saw a dam, and watched the new Captain America movie with my friends. So let's continue to March shall we?
March had many fun events here and there. The first was going to see a flower festival featuring large fields of yellow flowers. It was very beautiful, and the festival was being hosted by one of the middle schools, so it was fun to participate in their events. Also, we stumbled upon a wedding while walking! We didn't get to close but it was still very cute to see.
The next fun event was a badminton hang out that one of the JET participants in a nearby town put together. There was 7 of us and it was a great time! Who knew that getting together with your adult friends to play simple sports would be so fun😁 It took a while for me to de-rustify and even then I kept missing it but it was nonetheless a great time! After playing, we all went and grabbed some McDonald's for dinner :)
The next event of note was traditional Japanese paper making or Washi making. Kochi prefecture is known for being a large producer and trader of Kochi Washi to the rest of Japan for many hundreds of years. In a nearby town, they have a paper-making museum and a place where you can try washi making. I went with one friend and it was so informative! I learned a lot about the process from start to finish of Washi making, the different plants and ingredients used, the different techniques, and I learned more about Kochi's history and the specifics of Kochi Washi. Washi is made using the fiber of different plants found in mountainous regions near rivers. The different lengths of the fibers play a role in the final texture and strength of the paper. The soak, peel, steam, clean, wash, dry, and soak and break up the fibers in a well-derived process. In addition to the plant fibers for the paper material, there is also a binding agent. This agent is a plant-like syrup, and the quality can have a big impact on the paper. Next, after they have the slurry of fibers and agent, and water ready, then comes the paper formation. Using a long rectangular thing, they scoop some of the slurry and shake the container to spread out the paper. They wait for most of the water to drip out and then lightly press the papers to get more of the water out. They then left the container, leaving just the paper, and took the paper to dry. In the past, they would put the paper on large wooden boards and the sun would dry it, but now they have a large rotating silver triangle that is heated and dries the paper very quickly. It was really fun to make my own and learn more about Kochi and Japan's culture!
Lastly, some of my fellow ALTs are in a local band, and they performed and had a nice show for the end of the school year. I also had a big drinking-eating party for one of my schools to wrap up the school year as well.
(I did have an amazing trip to South Korea and Taiwan 03/26-04-06, but that will be in a separate blog post, so stay tuned!)
To April!
In April, I was pretty broke from my Korea and Taiwan trip, so I didn't do too much, but I did have some good times.
First, I was able to see the last of the sakura, cherry blossoms, and enjoy the warming weather.
Next, we had a couple of home-cooked dinner parties, including Takoyaki and burritos. I'm always thankful for these dinner parties because I get really delicious food, usually for free 😄
Lastly, I went on a really big hike. The JET Alumni Association hosts a Mount Ishizuchi hike every year, and some friends and I took on the challenge. It is a long hike, averaging 6 hours (we took 7 and a half) with some challenging sections to it. There are parts of the hike where there are chains bolted to the side of the mountain, and you climb nearly straight up. But luckily (maybe not so lucky), there is an alternative stair route which I took. The stairs were very tiring, and I almost didn't think I was going to make the last small section to the top, but I did it! It was my toughest hike so far, but the company, views, and weather were all amazing, so it was definitely worth it.
To May!
The start of May meant Golden Week. Golden Week is a week (5 days ish) of straight holidays and days off, so many people travel and rest. Two friends and I drove to Nagoya for the weekend, and I was able to visit my host family after two years! We arrive late Friday night after a long 8-hour drive, which wasn't as bad as I thought it would be. We drove one of our friends to Kyoto, and she is a hoot, so she was able to keep the car a party. I would meet my family at 1:30pm on Saturday, so I had some free time in the morning. I woke up and decided to walk past some familiar sights. I really enjoyed exploring spots I had frequented when studying abroad two years ago, so everything was very nostalgic.
I had lunch at the first spot I ate at with my host family two years ago, a to-die-for Miso-Nikomi-Udon restaurant. I was very nervous to see them again in case it would be awkward, but we picked up a conversation like I had never left. They asked me about my life right now, and I asked about theirs, and we were able to catch up over lunch. After lunch, we headed to the underground shopping streets to pick up some donuts for breakfast and for my host sister's high school underclassmen. There was a coffee event in the park, and my host sister and her classmates started a coffee "company" that sells coffee, and the proceeds go back to the coffee farms in the respective countries. It was nice to see my host sister catch up with teachers and friends, and I was able to learn a bit about her a little bit more vicariously.
Next, we moved to the grandparents' apartment. It was great to see them again too and we chatted for a while. They then moved to preparing dinner: sukiyaki, sushi, potato salad, and more, while I relaxed and watched TV with the grandpa and my host sister napped. It was just like old times. It was then dinner time and I had a lavish and delicious dinner, and I was so happy! Sometimes I feel like they spoil me too much, but I know they spoil themselves too so I don't feel too bad. We ate dinner slowly while talking and then finished up saying goodbye to the grandparents and heading over to my host family's apartment. I was staying the night with them and it all felt very nostalgic. We took our baths and then ended the night by playing a couple of rounds of Mario Kart on my host sister's Switch. They had enjoyed playing Mario Kart on my Switch when I was there two years ago so they bought one for my host sister 😄
I woke up early in the morning, had my donut breakfast, and said goodbye to my host family once again. But, I hope to see them again sooner rather than later 💝
On Sunday, my two friends and I headed to Shirakawago, a UNESCO World Heritage Site. This village is known for its unique roofs as the village gets a lot of snow. It was a two hour drive there (but actually three because of traffic) and we spent a couple of hours exploring the town. It was very beautiful and very interesting, so I definitely recommend it!
After Shirakawago, we drove to an onsen town for a nice onsen and dinner break. I had a relaxing time in the onsen and some amazing grilled beef for dinner. The beef was grilled on a huge leaf with a miso butter type sauce and it was just to die for 😩. We then drove two hours back and headed to bed.
On Monday, we had some free time before having to drive back to Shimanto so we walked around Osu, popular shopping streets next to a shrine. I loved Osu while studying abroad and I found much of it unchanged from when I left. Which means I could go and get my favorite dango ever 😋! After much good food and lots of good eye shopping, we headed back to Shimanto. This drive was a little more chill but we still kept each other engaged with conversation.
No time to recover from my trip, though, because the day after we got back I joined a Smash Brothers gaming hangout. For those who don't know, Smash is a Nintendo fighting game. It was 2 Japanese people and 2 Americans and everyone was pretty good at Smash. I was definitely the weakest, but I was still holding my own! I nearly won twice.
The next weekend, May 9th, my brother arrived in Japan! So, I will post an update in a couple weeks time.
Well, that's all folks. I hope you enjoyed catching up on my life over the past couple of months, only a couple of more months to go! Until next time ✌
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