Winter Wonderland

January 12^th-February 4^th

I didn’t expect to come back from Hokkaido to find Himi looking the same as the north. It has snowed so much here. We had well over a meter of snow. One cool thing that Himi does is that in order to help clear the streets they have installed little sprinklers down the middle of many of the roads. I originally thought they were spraying salty sea water but when I asked around about it, I was told that it’s actually just normal ground and river water. I would have thought that this would cause more problems with ice but it really seems to do a pretty good job. There is a noticeable difference between the roads that use them and the roads that don’t. Regardless, I’m slowly adjusting to driving in snowy conditions and *knock on wood* I’ve yet to get stuck.

The sprinklers. Sometimes they spray more powerfully than this and can be very annoying to dodge while on my bike or walking.

This is what a rice field looks like covered in snow. This is one of the many fields I pass on the way to school...I don't even remember which school I was on my way to when I took this.

This is one of my Elementary Schools. Kume ES is the farthest from central Himi and one of the ones that easily shows the population crisis of Japan. Despite the size of the buildings the whole school (1st-6th grade) is only 56 students.

Kume ES from the front.

The winter view from my apartment. I like the dichotomy between the snow and beach.

The weekend after I got back from Hokkaido John, Katie, Aaron (Katie’s visiting boyfriend), Mariko, and I went to Toyama City to try our hands at glassblowing. I was surprised by how much we were able to do ourselves. There was always someone holding our hand through the process but we participated in every step along the way. We got to design our own cups, including shape and color. I attempted to make a stemless wineglass. ..shocking, I know. It actually came out really cool! I put bubbles in the glass and a swirl of red near the top. I’ve already broken it in with a glass of cabernet sauvignon.

Katie was the first ALT to go.

John put a cool bottom on his.

I was shocked to find out the special tool for this step of polishing and shaping was actually just some folded up, wet newspaper.

The actual blowing of the glass.

Shaping the glass.

Ta-da! Not bad right?

This was the inspiration behind my glass. Not quite the same but they'll both get the job done.

I’ve mentioned before the fish that Himi is famous for, the buri or yellowtail amberjack, but what I haven’t mentioned is that because of its fame throughout Japan it can be rather pricey. This year, because of some strange currents there have been a lot more buri than usual. Masa, our sushi chef friend, sent us a message saying that they had bought a whole buri for the cheapest he and his father had ever seen in their careers. As friends and regular customers this was reflected in the price of the sushi Masa was selling us! Needless to say, I went to Manyo many times to take advantage of this. Even before buri season I have come to realize that Himi has the BEST SUSHI I’ve ever had in my ENTIRE LIFE!!! I’m probably completely ruined on sushi from anywhere else.

Masa hard at work at Manyo.

The head of the buri. Look how big it is!

Buri donburi. Thin slices of buri over a bowl of rice.

Of course nigiri is one of the best ways to eat it. These are both buri just from different parts. The fattier the better!

Masa says right by the fin is the most succulent part of the whole fish and he grilled it up for me and Alex. This picture is literally the best cooked fish I've ever eaten. It was juicy, tender, perfect.

So we don't just eat sushi at Manyo. Masa takes special requests and also surprises us with other dishes that we can try at times. Nabeyaki udon.

Fried oysters.

Calimari and he made three sauces to go with it.

Unfortunately the rest of January ended with me getting sick. It wasn’t very bad but with the flu going around like crazy at many of the schools (at one of my smaller schools I had a class canceled because 7 out of 8 students were home sick and at another one whole grade was told not to come to school) they did not want to risk me spreading anything. My experience with the doctor was a little annoying because the second time I went to get the approval to go back to school, the doctor didn’t do anything but ask if I was ok (we didn’t even go into an exam room) and write a form saying I could go back to work, but I got charged the same as the first time I went and he put me on Tamiflu. Usually healthcare is very cheap in Japan, but apparently that only applies to actual medical procedures and not filling out forms.

I did have one other fun experience in January. Alex, Joe, Cody, and I all went to a local sake (rice wine) brewery. We got a tour and got to sample some sake. I’ve been on many winery tours which made this tour interesting because of how it was similar and different to that at the same time. At the end I bought a small bottle of sake that I planned to drink in honor of Gregory’s 21^st birthday though that didn't actually happen.

The little shop right at the entrance.

Fermentation vats.

We were all wearing those stylish boots.

After the tour he took us upstairs and was showing us some other stuff. This was the most interesting to me. It is a sake glass that was given to every soldier is WWII before the left to go fight.

Here is the sake I bought and the glass they gave us at the end.

OH! My last bit of news is that I officially submitted the paperwork to stay another year! Anyone who has been reading this can tell I’m having an amazing time but aside from the fun I’m having I’m also studying and I can tell my Japanese has really improved. I’m still only intermediate and there is so much more I want to learn! Wish me luck on another year in the land of the rising sun ^.^ The pictures below show the view that helped make me fall in love with it here. Absolutely beautiful.