Catching up...

A couple of posts may have gotten lost in the mix since they were done out of order: (a) Misawa and Hachinohe tours, (b) Our trip to Iowa, and (c) Matt's trip to Oklahoma.

Enjoy!

Quake II

We felt another earthquake today that felt stronger and longer than the last. We heard that it was a 5.0 at the epicenter, and 4.7 where we are, barely considered light to moderate as earthquakes go. It's such a new and bizarre feeling that it took us a few seconds to realize what was evening happening! We received our shipment of household goods and are in the process of setting up house, so this was a good reminder that we need to take this periodic shaking into account when we are putting up picture frames and other breakable items!

Shipwreck Beach

Today our friends invited us to join them at Momoishi Beach, more commonly known to Americans as "Shipwreck Beach," in Noheji Town, located north of Misawa (still in Aomori prefecture) on Mutsu Bay . It was a beautiful day with temperatures in the mid-70s and a mild breeze, perfect for a relaxing walk on the beach looking for sea glass (see below).

Korakukan Theater

Today we took a bus day trip to Korakukan Theater to see a kabuki show, a traditional form of Japanese theater, originating in the Edo period (1603-1868) and popular among townspeople rather than the very wealthy. The Korakukan Kabuki theater was built in 1910 in Kosaka Town (southwest of Misawa in Akita prefecture), making it the oldest wooden playhouse in Japan.

Before the show, we toured the theater, including former gakuya (dressing rooms), hayashibeya (orchestra pit) backstage, and naraku (literally translated as hell, but referring to the area below the stage), including the mawaributai or revolving stage that can be operated by four people.

In addition to a revolving stage, actors can rise up to the stage using a suppon (snapping turtle) trap door and enter and exit the stage through the audience using the hanamichi (literally translated as flowery path, but referring to the footbridge pictured below). The main stage of the theater is behind the deer curtains and slightly sloped seating is located on the floor in front as well as on the sides of the footbridges and in the balcony above. Although thin cushions are provided, we are not as accustomed to sitting on the floor as many Japanese people, so it wasn't the most comfortable way to view two 45-minute halves of a show!  

The first half of the kabuki show was a dramatic presentation of a story while the second half was a series of dance acts. Originally, kabuki plays included both male and female actors; however, due to off-stage prostitution by women in the late Edo period, the government eventually banned women from the stage and male actors began to play onnagata (female roles).  Apparently traditional kabuki shows in Tokyo still follow this male only practice. The show we saw did include two female actresses, although the lead male actor who played a very masculine character in the first half of the show did dress as a female for several acts during the second dance portion of the show.

Lead male actor dressed as a male...

The same lead male actor dressed as a female, complete with white oshiroi base makeup worn by Geishas...

As we are getting down to the final weeks of the pregnancy, this was probably our last planned day trip before the baby arrives. We were happy to have experienced a kabuki show, especially before having a baby, but it was a once in a lifetime experience for us (no need for an encore).

On our drive back to Misawa, we stopped at Lake Towada, but it was an extremely rainy day, so we spent most of our time having a ramen and curry lunch, and later, some apple flavored ice cream. Before arriving in Japan, I had read about the Japanese way of eating ramen, which includes tilting/lifting the bowl toward ones mouth, using chopsticks to bring the noodles to ones mouth, and unapologetically slurping the noodles from the bowl to ones mouth in the shortest time possible. Well, we experienced this for the first time at lunch, and it was distracting to say the least! Next time we choose our seat, I will definitely keep an eye out for who has a big bowl of ramen in front of them!

Shirahama Beach

We made our first trip to the Pacific Ocean today! Shirahama Beach is located about 40 min away in Hachinohe and although it was extremely hot on land, the water was the perfect temperature for swimming. After a picnic lunch with friends, we spent about 2 hours at the beach and then stopped on our drive home to capture some coastal views.

Our skin has seen so little sun this summer, thankfully our friends were willing to share some of their Baby 50 SPF sunscreen with us...

It's pretty surreal that we live so close to the ocean- we will definitely be back!

Hiraizumi Tour

In an effort to get some sightseeing in before baby day, we signed up for a all-day bus trip to Hiraizumi (in Iwate prefecture, about 3.5 to 4 hours south of Misawa) to see the Chusonji Temple and Geibikei Gorge. The drive down and back made for a very long day (7:00 am to 8:00 pm to be exact), but it was worthwhile to see the sites and scenery along the way.

Our first stop was the Buddhist Chusonji Temple founded between 850 and 1100. One of the most impressive parts of the temple grounds is the Konjikido (Golden Hall), a mausoleum housing the remains of four generations of Fujiwara lords. The structure was completed in 1124 (restored from 1961-68) and is made of wood covered in gold leaf as well as Asian rosewood, mother of pearl, and African ivory. 

 
The golden structure once stood outdoors, but is now sheltered behind acrylic glass in the concrete building pictured in the background...

In addition to the Kojikido (Golden Hall), the Chuson-ji Kyo (Sutra Repository) pictured below survived from the original Chuson-ji Kyo complex and contains various sutras, or transcriptions of Buddhist canonical scriptures.

This is the Hondo (Main Hall) where Buddhist services and rituals take place. 

When the Japanese adopted Buddhism, they adopted Buddhist teachings as well as the Zodiac calendar (known as Kanshi or Eto). The twelve animals of the zodiac (known as Juni Shi) came to be associated with particular Buddhist deities. This temple had a  collection of stands where people could ring the bell of their zodiac, clap (thought to get the attention of their particular deity for protection), and bow in prayer. Our daughter will be born in the year of the tiger...

This particular temple was surrounded by these really pretty bamboo groves. We later learned that this is common for  Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, as bamboo is thought to be a barrier against evil.

This view from the temple grounds reminded us of the landscape in Germany...

More of our favorite photos from the temple complex...

From the temple, we drove about an hour to take a boat trip through the Geibi or Geibikei Gorge.

 
Kyomei-Gan (Mirror Rock)

 Bishamon-kutsu (Bishamon Cave) and a shrine to Bishamon-ten, the god of treasure.

Some of the cliffs are 328 feet high

The shallow water was filled with both dull and brightly colored koi fish (Japanese for carp).

On the return trip, our driver sang us the Song of Geibi:
As I pole my boat on the clear waters of the Satetsu River, the clouds that dull my heavy heart are dispelled by The Lion's Snout. Come see for yourself in Old Iwate, this wonderful sight, unrivaled elsewhere. Take the Ofunato Line. It's not for from Ichinoseki.

Random Sights

The 80s are alive and well in Japan, or at least with respect to cartoon inspired toys. I wasn't really surprised to see that Care Bears are all the rage here, but was extremely surprised to see Popples. Any other children of the 80s remember these lovable, wanna-be Care Bears? I had a Popples sleeping bag as a kid and even a couple of stuffed  animals, so they hold a special place in my heart. Random factoid- did you know that both Popples and Care Bears were nothing more than a creation of American Greetings to sell greeting cards? I wonder if the creators  had any idea that their brainchild would have such a profound impact on  generations of children around the world. 

Additionally, Kewpie dolls seem to be fairly popular here, but only in miniature form, like as a cell phone toggle. We've seen Kewpie in a peanut shell and Kewpie with a mustache and dressed like a Samurai, but I have only seen two "regular" sized Kewpie's in an antique store.  I haven't noticed them for sale in America in my lifetime, and only know about them because my Aunts had a few of the plastic dolls. Apparently they were popular in the 1900s and the plastic versions were first created in 1949. The only connection I can find to Japan is that Kewpie was a logo for Q.P. Japanese mayonnaise.Who knew? 

And lastly, this reminded us of a Quilted/Japanese/Kimono version of a Snuggie...