Rain, Rain GO AWAY!

3 Fun Days in Tahara

Day 2&3

Our second day in Taraha started out much rainier than the first. As we got up to get ready for school we made sure to grab our umbrellas and pull up our pants because we were walking to school. All of the students are required to walk or ride their bike to school, especially once they are in the upper grades, and we were no different. As in Japanese culture, we were required to remove our shoes at the front door and put on school appropriate shoes or indoor shoes. Mine were borrowed and thus were over sized slippers that made walking up and down the stairs quite difficult. Unlike in America, where the student change classroom, the teachers move from class to class not the students. From a teachers standpoint, that makes a MAJOR difference in teaching styles. It doesn't allow you to reference material that may be placed on the wall or even the board. Since we were at the middle school, all the kids were in cute sailor looking uniforms; the girls in skirts and the guys in pants. They all looked like American Navy soldiers about to go off to war. On this particular day they were reciting their show and tell speeches in English; there were some that were quite impressive.

Despite the Japanese/ American differences I couldn't help but notice the similarities with the Chinese classrooms I'd been in. The way the room was set up, their material and workbooks, and even their school supplies. As in China they eat in their classroom at their desks and not in a cafeteria or common room. It was neat to see the kids serving one another and very diligently cleaning their plates and their mess. In Japan it is rude to leave food and be wasteful and you can eat only when everyone has everything; leaving only a 5-10 minute window to scarf what they've put in front of you. Once their speeches were complete the students had fun asking me all sorts of questions like: did I have a boyfriend, did I like Japanese food, and how was I able to come to Japan? They were all very surprised to learn I was married and LOVED the food. It was a fun experience and kept us out of the rain for a couple hours.

After school we had a few options: go back to the apartment and hang out, head out and get and stay wet all day, or break the day up in spurts with time to dry in between. We decided to take time to dry in between because it's not really all that much fun walking around soaking wet all day! We stopped at the Tahara Castle since it was on the way home. We then sloshed into the apartment to dry off and rest before heading out again. Later we walked to the library that was closed for holiday, the park that had a foot of water surrounding it, and then on to the 100 Yen store and the grocery. We came home to dry off and eat dinner and then headed back out that night for some Karaoke with another English teacher, Nathan.

My final day of tourism in Japan Jen and I headed to the local coffee shop to borrow a bike. It didn't cost a thing, we just gave them our name and they gave us a key; I wish people were that trust worthy in America. The bike ride was TOTALLY in my top 3 favorite things about Japan. We rode through the countryside down to Long Beach. The ride was about 45 minutes and gorgeous! I had a hard time keeping my bike straight with all the looking around I was doing. I couldn't get over the unique features of the mountains and the green tea and rice fields. It all looked so beautiful.

Before heading home Jen offered up a detour; since we had already biked about 16km we went ahead and stopped at Takigashira Park, I thought what's another couple km? The park is covered in Cherry Blossom trees that although they are no longer in bloom they were beautiful. The whole park was gorgeous. We hiked about half way up the parks mountain to see the waterfall shrine. Although we were tired, hot, and hungry it was well worth the hike and detour to see the park and shrine.


That night we met up with many of Jen's Japanese friends for a dinner party. The group showered me with gifts, which was very unexpected since Jen had forgotten to warn me, and asked a ton of questions. The food was marvelous and the conversation was fun. They all get together about once a month to practice English and go out for karaoke. It was a great way to end my trip to Japan.


The next morning I got up and packed my things and prepared for the trip back to the US. Jen took me as far as she could and then I was on my own. I had two trains I had to catch with out her and she was more than nervous about leaving me alone. Considering my ability to get lost no matter where I am, I didn't harbor any hard feelings toward her for feeling nervous. I didn't feel nervous at all; I was feeling adventurous and ready to prove that I could do it on my own. I had no problems finding my trains or getting to the airport. It was such a clear day I even got to see Mt. Fuji from the train; something even Jen has never been able to see despite her 4 attempts. The flight home was empty so everyone took their own row of seats to sleep; it was peaceful and relaxing and before I knew it I was running towards Brandon for a much needed hubby hug. It was an opportunity of a life time to travel to Japan and I throughly enjoyed every second of it.

Maybe one day I'll get to go back! :)

My 3 Favorite things in Japan:

3. Odeo Onsen

2. Bike Ride to Long Beach

1. Getting to see and spend an ENTIRE week with Jen!!!