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    • TravelerAsien 2024
      Day 87

      Der Eiheiji Tempel Nähe Fukui

      April 10 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 12 °C

      Unsere erste „richtige“ Bentobox gestern Abend… und der Ausflug heute zum friedlichen Eiheiji Tempel, Nähe Fukui. Wir hatten sogar zufällig die Ehre bei einer Zeremonie mit Trommel & Gesang beizuwohnen. Die Stimmung in und um dem Tempel ist sehr besonders. Unbeschreiblich schön und beruhigend. Witzigerweise lesen wir zufällig zur Zeit das Buch des Leitenden dieses Tempels „It‘s okay not to look for the meaning of life“, den wir dort auch gesehen haben.Read more

      See translation
    • TravelerIsekai Travels - Japan
      2
      Day 30

      タコパだった！

      January 4, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 37 °F

      Oh man, alot happened on this day! I'm writing this from about 3 months in the future so my memory might not be as good as it would have writing the day after, but it was extremely difficult getting time to write any time after getting to Fukui. I was too busy doing things!!

      We started off the day by taking a walk to a yakisoba restaurant that was decently close to Atsuya's house. This was my first time having yakisoba in Japan and I think I prefer yakisoba to ramen. I've never been a huge fan of soups and I like how soba is a dry noodle that I was able to dip into a soup-like broth. Once all the noodles were gone, you could add a liquid that was similar to a tea and mix it with the broth. This made the broth change flavors and become more drinkable on its own without the noodles. Apparently the difference between ramen and soba is that soba is made with buckwheat and ramen is made from wheat flour. To me, I find the most important part of the dish to be the flavor of the broth and any noodle will do.

      We finished up at the noodle shop and stopped at a shop that was dedicated to building minature models of various cars, boats, buildings, etc. I had never seen a shop that only had models like this so it felt very surreal. Some of the models seemed overly complex and others seemed overly simple! For example, some of the pokemon models were just a couple plastic pieces that you put together yourself. We shuffled through the narrow hallways of the shop and then made our way back to Atsuya's apartment.

      Later, we went to the fish shop again to take a look and see if there was any more fresh crab than the time before. Ware, Sekki, and Shu had not been here before so they seemed captivated by the variety of seafood that was offered and I think Sekki even ordered some crabs to be delivered to his place in Kasugai.

      While everyone was looking around, I made a stop to the vending machine outside. The vending machines here are dangerous. I feel like every single time I saw one I wanted to grab a drink from it. Maybe it's because everything still felt so new, but I think I would probably still behave this way if I lived here for years 😇 I think the vending machines contributed to my gaining ten pounds while in Japan.

      After getting back to Atsuya's house we began preparing for the takoyaki party. For those not familiar, a takoyaki is a fried dough ball with octopus in the middle and a takoyaki party is a gathering of friends to cook takoyaki dough balls at the center of the table. The pan sits at the center of the table and is oiled up to allow for the dough balls to avoid sticking to the metal. Once they've set in the circular divet long enough, we took small toothpicks and turned the balls to allow for the other side to cook. Eventually, we end up
      with will fully formed dough balls with octopus inside! It's a fun communal experience because everyone is making the food together and it feels more involved than just having a normal meal together. I'm not usually a fan of octopus because of its tough texture but the octupus in Fuki was so good and soft. This was much better than any takoyaki I had before.

      During the party we had a wide assortment of sake and alchohol options provided by Atsuya. I wish I could remember all the names but everything was very delicious. I also discovered sweet potatoe luquor and mixed with milk and in my drunken stupor hugged the bottle and proclaimed my love for the sweet potato. I'm sure I looked like a dork but that's ok, my dorkiness transcends the language barrier. At some point I ended up resting my eyes while laying on the ground because of the amount of alcohol I consumed was making me sleepy. A custom in Japan is to fill someone's drink when they are empty or inquire if they would like more drink. In America, people usually tend to let you get your own drink rather than fill your glass. I think it makes it a bit easier to over drink in Japan because for some reason it's much harder to deny your glass being filled than to deny someone grabbing you a drink from the fridge.

      While I was laying on the ground, I remember sekki taking a picture of me and half-conciously I put up a peace sign. I'm glad I didn't fully go to sleep because after my small nap I was able to come back to the real world and hang out with my friends some more on this last night.

      My friends also explained to me the concept of 匂わせ選手権。This phrase literally translates to "the smell of victory/championship title". Apparently, this is the idea of showing a photo that alludes to the fact that you are happily in a relationship but does not explicitly say so. An example of this is the deer in Aggretsuko who takes photos that allude to the fact that she is with a guy in the photos. We then proceeded to have a competetion on who could take the most 匂わせ選手権なpost. I've attached the entries to this journal post 😸      Read more

    • TravelerIsekai Travels - Japan
      Day 27

      New Years Day

      January 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 45 °F

      After an eventful night, I woke up to eat another amazing meal courtesy of Atsu's family. I've really appreciated their hospitality and bringing me into their home. It felt super special to be able to be a part of not only a special occassion in Japan but a special gathering within Atsu's family. I believe showing appreciation is something I want to work on a bit more in Japanese because I don't think I was able to properly show how much I really was moved by everything they included me in. I get a little shy even in English around new people but not being perficient in Japanese makes it a lot more difficult to get how I feel accross! For example, I'm never really sure when I should bow or when I should bow to show appreciation. Everyone was extremely kind and did their best to communicate with me even though I can only understand a very small portion of what they were saying.

      It's a tradition to eat mochi during the morning of new years. Eating this mochi was extremely difficult! The texture of the mochi is almost similar to the thickness of peanut butter and the elasticity of chewing gum. Biting off a piece was difficult without having a long string of mochi hang out of your mouth. Even chewing the mochi is difficult, everything about it was a struggle! While I was eating the mochi, Atsu let me know that every year people actually die from eating this unsweetened mochi. After eating some of the mochi, I completely understand how someone could die from eating it. Every swallow took effort and if it got stuck in my throat I would have probably became one of the mochi-eating statitistics. A couple days later, we actually saw that there were people who died this year eating mochi. When eating leftovers of the soup, Atsu's mom kindly left out the mochi and saved me from certain death. I'm glad I got the experience of a traditional Japanese New Years morning but I think the mochi will be one custom I'll try to avoid from here on 😆

      After eating breakfast, we all headed out to the shinto temple to participate in what one could call a cleansing ceremony. I need to do a bit more research on the meaning of everything I experienced, but the general idea is to remove the impruties from your spirit in preparation for the new year.

      It has been raining quite a bit, so Atsu handed me an umbrella with the writing "fushigi kasa" on it which translates to "mysterious umbrella". I think 不思議(fushigi) has become my favorite word in Japanese. It's used much more often and casually than in english so it's really fun to be able to describe things I don't quite understand as fushigi. We found out later that this umbrella has some cool designs that show up only when it's wet. Super fushigi if you ask me.

      We went up several flights of stairs to reach the temple enterance. I noticed the skyline of Fukui as we walked up and the view of the mountains in Fukui is truely breathtaking. Growing up in Ohio, I haven't had many mountains on the skyline. It's always been super flat so being able to walk around and see a bunch of mountains feels a bit surreal! I'm sure it's super normal for residents here but I think they're really lucky to have something so cool in the backdrop of their everyday lives.

      Before entering the temple, we waited outside next to some cauldrons with a super calming fire inside of them. Atsu's family gave the priests his name and we waited for the next ceremony to begin inside the temple. After entering the temple, there were signs informing us that taking pictures was not allowed. Atsu was telling me that it was because the kami or god could be present in the room and taking a picture of them would not be okay. It's always interesting to learn about ceremonies such as this because it means without being there in person I would not have been able to understand or even see pictures.

      The priest started speaking with a sing-songy voice and walking all accross the room. At one point he picked up a pole with various papers on the end and waved it around. At another portion, he waved a pole with metals that sort of worked similar to a wind chime. All this time, he has been saying things I can't understand in the sing-songy voice.

      We were eventually called up by family name to do the traditional giving respects to the shrine. This is bowng twice, clapping twice, then bowing once more and making a wish or leaving a message for the kami. I didn't realize we would be getting up and standing in front of the whole room to do this before entering the ceremony. Atsu leaned over to me during the beginning of the ceremony and told me to follow whatever actions he did. Since I didn't know what was coming, I was a little nervous 😅 We were the first family to go up so I wasn't sure what was about to happen.

      Afterwards, we went outside where amulets and various charms for new years good luck were for sale. We also did a おみくじ which is sort of like a fortune telling of your year to come. I thought it was a bit funny that even in temples, there is a sort of gatcha game ritual. This fortune is a bit more meaningful that the nomral fortunes you can get throughout the year, since it's the first one and even has a different name for being the first of the year.

      This experience has made me want to learn more about the religions within Japan as well so that my next visit I will have a better understanding of the traditions and what is going on during these ceremonies. Next time maybe it will be less fushigi 😄

      Later that night, we exchanged some American sweets (Buckeyes, Cookies and Creme Hershey Kisses, and Cookie flavored M&Ms) that I brought and some various japanese snacks that Atsu's family put out on the table. It was fun talking about how America and Japan were different in respect to sweets and other various subjects. While eating the sweets, a popular show was on TV where contestants guess whether choice A or choice B is correct. I was wrong every time but the kids were correct so maybe I've lost my edge 😅 Japanese TV is so much different than American television for a variety of reasons, but this day has so much information in it I will leave Japanese TV for another section!

      https://www.cbsnews.com/news/mochi-choking-deat…      Read more

    • TravelerIsekai Travels - Japan
      Day 26

      New Years Eve

      December 31, 2022 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 41 °F

      We had another large meal at the Ryokan for breakfast then headed to Atsu's house to celebrate New Years. Atsu works in a family business and his offices are on the first floor while the living quarters are on the second. It seems that everyone I've visited in Japan so far has a non-typical living situation. I have not encountered the legendary 狭い(semai; narrow) living space. Atsu had cleaned out an entire room for myself and other guests arriving later to stay in. I really appreciate the effort that was put into preparing for everyone to visit! I don't know what the room looked like before but I guarantee it wasn't empty 😅

      Between the hallways, living room, and this guest room there was a little outdoor garden. It is winter so the was not a ton of flourishing plants but it was really cool to see something like that especially on the second floor. The center garden is one of my favorite pieces of Japanese architecture design. I've seen many pictures of houses where near the center there are trees and greenery to be observed as you traverse your house. I like how it creates scenic views not just on walls facing the exterior of the house, but also walls facing the interior. I have a small garden on my balcony at my apartment but it's off in the corner of the aparntment where it's an active effort to go view and check on it. If I had the choice, I would integrate this type of Japanese central garden into my future home if possible!

      Having the center garden also meant that from other rooms people could see into the room I was staying in. Since I hadn't met anyone yet it felt a bit like I was an animal a zoo 😂 Special Limited Exhibit: 白人. Dinner was being prepared and most of Atsu's family was in the living room. This was my first time being welcomed into a Japanese family's home so I was extra on edge regarding how I should act or what I should say. I get nervous is social situations around new people alot and meeting someone's family amplifies it! However, once I did get to meet them, every single person was very nice. Atsu's uncle greeted me with his one trusty english phrase and we celebrated my comprehension of what he said 🎉

      One example of contstant social anxiety in Japanes for myself is choosing which formality to use. Everyone in Atsu's family was using casual speech which is to be expected when with family. However, I was very uncertain on whether I should also be using casual or formal speech. I worried that formal speech might sound too stuffy. Atsu's uncle was even using the word "omae" to refer to people which I've only ever heard in anime and is super casual and blunt. So, I ended up switching to casual pretty fast. I'm not sure if I was supossed to but I just did what I felt was right! I suppose since I've been invited to their New Years it might be rude to keep the emotional distance similar to if I were constantly using sir or mam in English.

      The food was amazing and honestly better than anything I had eaten up until this point in the trip. The sashimi was much fresher than the sushi restaurants in Tokyo and the octopus was much softer and tastier than the octopus I had eaten at the Osakan takoyaki places. I was suprised about the sheer amount of food! There was so much declious food! This was a continuous trend of new years.

      Atsu's family asked me some questions about American culture and trivia such as what do they call a corn dog in english 😆 In Japanese, a corn dog is called an "American dog" which I did not know until I started studying Japanese. Similarly, what we english speakers call French Fries is simpled Fried Potatoes in Japanese. It's interesting how a separate country can relate a food to your own country without you even being aware! They also asked me why a hot dog is called a hot dog. Lots of questions I had not thought about before. I think that for future visits I need to research my American trivia so I can answer these hard-hitting questions about English and American culture.

      They also asked me how people in America play rock, paper, scissors. In Japanese games, it's called Roshambo most the time so I thought that would be what it's called in Japanese. However, I was wrong and apparently that's an American colloquialization. Attached is a video of everyone showing me the ropes in Japanese rock, paper, scissors and how to handle ties. This was a very wholesome and kind moment really made me feel welcomed 🥺 Atsu really has a great family and again I appreciate their hospitality more than they could possibly understand!      Read more

    • TravelerIsekai Travels - Japan
      Day 28

      Sekki Sensei Joins The Battle!

      January 2, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌧 39 °F

      Today, we set out to grab Sekki from the airport and have some free time in the morning. However, we both slept in today so the free time ended up being mostly sleep. In Japan, it's common to exchange business cards when meeting a new professional contact. At Japanese furry conventions specifically, this practice is adapted to be a way to show off your character and exchange contact information during the con! I commissioned an art piece to use and Atsu informed me that I could use his printer to bring my cards to life. Our free time essentially was "try to make Ritz's cards" time 😅

      While making the cards, I was showing Atsu this cool pen I purchased from the store that allows you to erase pen similar to a pencil. Atsu then warned me not to leave it in the car or a hot place because what causes the ink to erase is actually heat! To test it, I held my note pad up to the heater and sure enough the ink started to fade away from the paper. I'm grateful Atsu imparted this information onto me because I now I know I probably shouldn't use the pen for anything I plan on storing a hotter room! I also would have definitely left the pen in my car sometime and wondered why all the ink is gone 🖋️☀️

      We then drove about an hour to the airport to get Sekki. I really like the time where it's just myself and Atsu in the car because it's really good Japanese practice! It's harder to act things out or look things up when one of the people is actively driving. It also forces the one on one conversation. I was able to write these journal entries while I was traveling on the shinkansen but it has gotten harder to do that with how active all the events have been and also that travel is now filled with conversation. I wanted to make sure that I was utilizing my time to the fullest so I didn't want to sacrifice any time with friends for the sake of journaling. So, most of the journal entries from New Years to the end of the trip are written by future me! It's a hard choice between living in the moment and capturing the moment. The act of capturing the moment should not alter the moment's experience itself in an ideal world.

      While driving back, we had a funny conversation about a statue in the Pittsburgh airport. Pittsburgh is known for its vast number of bridges, so there is a statue constructed out of many replicas of Pittsburgh bridges. However, in Japanese the word bridge(橋；はし；hashi) and the word for chopsticks (箸；はし；hashi) is pronounced the same. The only difference between them is the tone you use at the beginning and end of the word. Bridge starts from a low note and ends on a high note while chopsticks starts on a high note and ends on a low not. This made Sekki and Atsu question if I really meant to say " A statue made of bridges" or if I meant to say "A statue made of chopsticks". A statue made of chopsticks sounds more believable so they were asking many clarifying questions to confirm I meant what I was saying 😆 It felt rewarding tho that I did use the correct pronounciation/tone to get the meaning I intended accross tho! Japanese is filled with homonyms like this and sometimes the tone changes depending on the region! As a learner in a foreign country, I try to stick to the Tokyo accent. I'd like to learn a different accent but the lack of study materials related to other accents demotivates me to do so.

      Once we got Sekki, he gave me a very Japanese attempt at a hug, or what we would call the side hug, and we set off back to Atsu's place. Tonight was the first of many nights spent at Atsu's place drinking with friends! We talked about many things, especially differences in language and about animal idioms. Atsu had a book about different english sayings and I attempted to explain what "curiousity killed the cat" and "like herding cats" idioms meant in English. Idioms is one of my favorite parts of learning languages! It's always so fun to talk about.

      After drinking a sufficient amount of alcohol, Sekki and I set out our futons in the guest room and prepared for the day of sightseeing and friends on the day to follow!      Read more

    You might also know this place by the following names:

    Fukui-shi, Fukui, 福井市

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