Trip to Iwate Prefecture

LAST WEEKEND, THE DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE AT YAMAGATA UNIVERSITY HOSTED AN OVERNIGHT CULTURAL TRIP TO IWATE PREFECTURE. THE TRIP COST 5000 YEN, WHICH EQUALS OUT TO ABOUT 50 DOLLARS. IT MAY SEEM A LITTLE EXPENSIVE BUT I ASSURE YOU IT WAS WELL WORTH THE COST. DURING THE TRIP, WE VISITED A YAKULT FACTORY, A LIMESTONE CAVE, A BEAUTIFUL HOTEL, MIYAKO CITY (THE DESTROYED CITY OF JAPAN'S 2011 TSUNAMI), AND TONO FURUSATO VILLAGE.



~ Iwate Prefecture ~




~ Iwate Prefecture ~



~ Ready to go! ~



THE FIRST STOP ON OUR TRIP TO IWATE PREFECTURE WAS AT A YAKULT FACTORY. YAKULT IS A IS A PROBIOTIC MILK-LIKE PRODUCT MADE BY FERMENTING A MIXTURE OF SKIMMED MILK WITH A SPECIAL STRAIN OF A BACTERIUM. IT WAS CREATED BY JAPANESE SCIENTIST MINORU SHIROTA.CLAIMS REGARDING THE BENEFITS OF YAKULT CONSUMPTION INCLUDE: MAINTENANCE OF GUT FLORA,MODULATION OF THE IMMUNE SYSTEM, REGULATION OF BOWEL HABITS AND CONSTIPATION AND HAS ALSO PROVEN EFFECTIVE AGAINST SOME GASTROINTESTINAL INFECTIONS. WHEN WE ARRIVED AT THE FACTORY, WE WERE SHOWN A MOVIE AND GIVEN A TOUR OF THE PRODUCTION ROOM. WE WERE ALSO GIVEN FREE SAMPLES! I HAD NEVER TRIED YAKULT BEFORE, BUT THE OTHER INTERNATIONAL STUDENTS SAID IT WAS VERY POPULAR IN THEIR COUNTRIES. IT WAS REALLY GOOD!



~ Yakult ~



~ A giant Yakult bottle made of little Yakult bottles ~



~ Yakult throughout the years ~



~ Countries that Yakult is available in ~



~ American Yakult ~



~ American Yakult Commercial ~



~ Watching a video ~



~ Our group ~



AFTER WE VISITED THE YAKULT FACTORY, WE HAD A VERY NICE LUNCH. WE WERE GIVEN THE CHOICE BETWEEN A SET MEAL OR ALL YOU CAN EAT SOBA. MOST OF THE STUDENTS PICKED THE SET MEAL BUT THERE WERE TWO GUYS THAT PICKED THE ALL YOU CAN EAT SOBA. THEY THEN HAD A CONTEST TO SEE WHO COULD EAT MORE BOWLS!



~ My nice lunch ~



~ Fresh sashimi ~



~ Eating lunch ~



~ Soba eating contest! ~



THE NEXT STOP ON OUR TRIP, WAS AT THE RYUSENDO LIMESTONE CAVE. RYUSENDO CAVE IS ONE OF THE THREE GREAT LIMESTONE CAVES IN JAPAN AND A NATIONAL NATURAL MONUMENT. THE PORTION OF THE CAVE WHICH HAS BEEN EXPLORED STRETCHES OVER 3,100 METERS; IF UNEXPLORED AREAS ARE INCLUDED, THE ENTIRE CAVE IS ESTIMATED TO BE OVER 5,000 METERS IN LENGTH. YOU CAN TAKE A TOUR OF THE CAVE, WHICH TAKES ABOUT 30 MINUTES. IN THE CAVE, FRESH SPRING WATER FORMS DEEP UNDERGROUND LAKES; THE MOST IMPRESSIVE IS THE THIRD LAKE, WITH A DEPTH OF 98 METERS AND BEAUTIFUL EMERALD-GREEN WATER. YOU CAN ALSO SEE UNIQUE FORMATIONS SUCH AS STALACTITES AND STALAGMITES, AS WELL AS RARE LONG-EARED BATS.



~ Cave map ~



~ Cave map ~



~ Underground lakes! ~



AS SOON AS WE ENTERED THE CAVE WE WERE STRUCK BY A VERY COLD BLAST OF AIR. ALTHOUGH THE CAVE WAS VERY COLD, I WAS ABLE TO GET USED TO IT AFTER A FEW MINUTES. THE CAVE WAS ALSO VERY WET! IF YOU ARE PLANNING TO VISIT THIS CAVE, I RECOMMEND THAT YOU WEAR A HAT. I DID NOT WEAR A HAT AND MY HAIR BECAME VERY WET FROM THE LARGE AMOUNT OF DRIPPING WATER.



~ On the way to the cave ~



~ Bridge to the cave ~



~ Bridge to the cave ~



~ Tickets ~



~ Drinking fresh cave water ~



~ The cave was so cold! ~



~ Beautiful clear water ~



~ The cave was lit up with colorful lighting ~



~ Me in the cave ~



~ Going to the first lake! ~



~ It was breathtaking! ~



~ The deepest lake! ~



~ Lights were lowered into the water so you could see ~



~ Climbing out ~



~ My cold glasses meet the hot outside ~



~ Delicious yogurt made from rocks ~



WE THEN HEADED TO OUR HOTEL WHICH PROVIDED A BEAUTIFUL DINNER AND A NICE HOT SPRING. I SHARED A ROOM WITH THREE OTHER GIRLS. THE ROOM DID NOT HAVE BEDS, BUT INSTEAD THERE WERE FUTONS LAID OUT ON TATAMI MATS. AFTER WE GOT SETTLED IN, WE WENT DOWN STAIRS AND HAD A VERY BEAUTIFUL DINNER. THERE WAS ALSO A KARAOKE MACHINE SET UP AND SOME OF THE STUDENTS AND TEACHERS ENTERTAINED US WITH SOME SONGS. AFTER DINNER THE GIRLS AND I HEADED TO THE HOT SPRINGS. IT WAS VERY RELAXING AND THE FUTONS IN OUR ROOM WERE VERY COMFY!



~ Our hotel ~



~ The entrance area ~



~Our futons ~



~ Tatami mats ~



~ Our yukatas ~



~ Hot spring entrance ~



~ Guys going to the men's hot spring ~



~ The women's hot spring ~



~ The women's hot spring ~



~ One piece themed karaoke sign ~



~ It's dinner time! ~



~ A karaoke machine ~



~ What a beautiful meal ~



~ Our food was heated right in front of us ~



~ My yukata ~



~ My yukata ~



~ My yukata ~



IN THE MORNING, WE HAD A BUFFET STYLE BREAKFAST AND GOT ON THE BUS. WE THEN HEADED TO MIYAKO CITY. MIYAKO CITY IS THE CITY THAT WAS DESTROYED DURING THE 2011 TSUNAMI IN JAPAN. AS WE WERE DRIVING UP TO MEET OUR TOUR GUIDE, WE PASSED THROUGH WHAT LOOKED LIKE A GRASSY FIELD FULL OF WEEDS AND ROCKS. WHEN I LOOKED CLOSER, I NOTICED THAT THOSE ROCKS WERE ACTUALLY THE FOUNDATIONS OF THE BUILDINGS THAT WERE DESTROYED BY THE TSUNAMI. BEHIND US THERE WAS A LARGE WALL THAT WAS BUILT TO KEEP TSUNAMIS OUT OF THE CITY. WE WERE TOLD THAT THE WALLS USUALLY WORKED, BUT ON THAT DAY THE TSUNAMI'S WERE LARGER THAN THE WALLS AND SO THEY DID NOT HELP.



~ Miyako City: Before ~



~ Miyako City: After ~



~ The mess left behind ~



~ Nothing but weeds and foundations ~



~ This area used to be packed with houses ~



A FEW DIRTY TOYS WERE PLACED IN FRONT OF THE WALL, MOST LIKELY HAVING BELONGED TO ONE OF THE TSUNAMI VICTIMS.



~ A memorial for the victims ~



WHEN WE CLIMBED THE WALL, WE WERE TOLD FACTS ABOUT THE DAY OF THE TSUNAMI. AFTERWARD, WE HEADED TO A HOTEL THAT WAS HALFWAY DESTROYED BY THE TSUNAMI. IN A ROOM ON THE SIXTH FLOOR WE WERE SHOWN FOOTAGE OF THE TSUNAMI THAT WAS TAKEN FROM THAT VERY ROOM. IT WAS VERY SHOCKING.



~ Our tour guide ~



~ The tsunami was so strong, it left scratches on the wall ~



~ Nothing is left . . . ~



~ The 1st and 2nd floors of this hotel were completely wiped out ~



~ Watching the video ~



~ The view from the hotel room ~



~ 4th Floor ~



~ 3rd Floor ~



~ 2nd Floor ~



~ 1st Floor ~



Size Comparison: I'm 5'6.

Some of the waves were as big as this pole!



~ Temporary housing for the Miyako City residents ~



~ The sea ~



BEFORE WE LEFT THE CITY, I SAW A BOOTH SET UP THAT WAS SELLING SALMON CHARMS. I THEN LEARNED THE HISTORY OF MIYAKO CITY. BEFORE IT WAS KNOWN AS "THE CITY DESTROYED BY THE TSUNAMI" IT WAS KNOW AS "THE CITY OF SALMON". THIS CITY USED TO BE VERY FAMOUS FOR SALMON AND I HOPE THAT ONE DAY, IT CAN BE KNOWN BY THE WORLD ONCE MORE AS "THE CITY OF SALMON".



~ The salmon charm booth ~



Father, mother and baby salmons.

These flags represent a family



~ Baby salmon ~



THE LAST STOP ON OUR TRIP WAS IN TONO FURUSATO VILLAGE. WHEN WE ARRIVED WE WERE TREATED TO A BEAUTIFUL LUNCH. AFTERWARD, ALL OF THE STUDENTS CROWDED AROUND AN OLD JAPANESE WOMAN, AND SHE TOLD US OLD JAPANESE STORIES.



~ Tono Furusato Village ~



~ A very old Japanese house ~



~ Lunch in the old house ~



~ Listening to stories ~



ONE OF THE STORIES WAS A SCARY STORY ABOUT KAPPAS. KAPPAS ARE RIVER MONSTERS THAT LOOK LIKE A MIX BETWEEN A TURTLE AND A HUMAN. KAPPA ARE USUALLY SEEN AS MISCHIEVOUS TROUBLEMAKERS OR TRICKSTER FIGURES. THEIR PRANKS RANGE FROM THE RELATIVELY INNOCENT SUCH AS LOOKING UP WOMENS KIMONO'S, TO THE MALEVOLENT, SUCH AS DROWNING PEOPLE AND ANIMALS AND KIDNAPPING CHILDREN. A LONG TIME AGO, KAPPAS WERE OFTEN BLAMED FOR DROWNINGS AND KIDNAPPINGS. KAPPAS HAVE A BALD HEAD FILLED WITH WATER AND I WAS TOLD THAT IF YOU WERE TO EVER COME ACROSS A KAPPA, YOU ARE SUPPOSE TO BOW TO IT. THE KAPPA WILL THEN BOW BACK AND SPILL THE WATER FROM IT'S HEAD. THIS WATER IS THE KAPPA'S SOURCE OF LIFE AND ENERGY WHEN IT IS AWAY FROM A WATER SOURCE. THEREFORE, IF THIS WATER IS LOST, THE KAPPA WILL DIE AND YOUR LIFE WILL BE SPARED. ALTHOUGH THEY ARE TRADITIONALLY DEPICTED AS SCARY MONSTERS, KAPPAS HAVE RECENTLY BEEN DEPICTED AS CUTE, SILLY CREATURES. I COULD NOT HELP BUT GET SOME CUTE KAPPA MERCHANDISE ON MY WAY OUT.



~ Scary Kappas ~



~ Cute Kappa keychain ~



AFTER THE STORIES, WE MADE TRADITIONAL JAPANESE CRAFTS. WE WERE GIVEN THE OPTION TO EITHER DYE CLOTH, OR MAKE A HELICOPTER-LIKE TOY OUT OF BAMBOO. I CHOSE TO MAKE THE THE BAMBOO-COPTER OR "TAKETONBO". IT IS ALSO KNOWN AS A BAMBOO DRAGONFLY. IT IS A TOY THAT FLIES UP WHEN ITS SHAFT IS RAPIDLY SPUN. IT WAS VERY HARD TO CARVE BUT I EVENTUALLY GOT THE HANG OF IT. IT WAS ALSO VERY HARD TO GET IT TO FLY, BUT SOME OF THE STUDENTS DID IT VERY SKILLFULLY.



~ Our supplies ~



~ Learning how to carve the bamboo ~



~ Playing with the example ~



~ It was VERY hard to carve. . .

and the band aid was for comfort ~



~ All done! ~



~ Making them fly! ~



~ Making them fly ~



~ The other group made these ~



OVERALL THE TRIP WAS VERY FUN AND WORTH THE 5000 YEN THAT IT COST. I LEARNED ABOUT THE FAMOUS "YAKULT" DRINK AND HOW IT IS MADE. I WALKED THROUGH THE MOST BEAUTIFUL CAVE THAT I HAVE EVER SEEN. I STAYED AT A WONDERFUL HOTEL AND ENJOYED A RELAXING HOT SPRING. LEARNED ALL ABOUT THE 2011 TSUNAMI IN JAPAN AND SAW UNFORGETTABLE FOOTAGE. AND FINALLY, I TRAVELED TO TONO FURUSATO VILLAGE, WHERE I HEARD STORIES ABOUT KAPPAS AND MADE BAMBOO DRAGONFLIES. ALSO, ALONG THE WAY, I HAD SO MANY BEAUTIFUL, DELICIOUS JAPANESE MEALS. I AM VERY GRATEFUL TO THE DEPARTMENT OF LITERATURE FOR ORGANIZING THIS TRIP AND I HIGHLY RECOMMEND THESE PLACES TO ANYONE WHO WOULD LIKE TO VISIT IWATE PREFECTURE IN THE FUTURE.
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