Nate Oyama

Pokémon Jet

Feb. 24, 2007 ― Let me talk about my experience while I was returning to my house in Tokyo by plane.

When I arrived at a gate at New Chitose (Sapporo) Airport, the gate connects with a Pokémon Jet. Then I confirmed my flight ticket again and again. But the gate was exactly where I was going to ride. At that time I just knew that the airplane was an ANA's B747. Other passengers were also surprised. Most adults were laughing and few kids were very glad. I didn't know that Pokémon Jet doesn't require special reservation or extra cost.

However, inside the plane was quite ordinary. Flight attendants wore their ordinary uniform. Yet the head cover on the seats were special. During the flight they served a cup of soft drink, and its cup was also original. They also gave tinny Pokémon toys to kids. If I was an airplane fan like I used to be, I would order that toy.

Visiting Hakodate as School Event

Today we, almost all the student in university visited Hakodate.

Our buses stopped near Goryokaku Park. Goryokaku Park is one of the newest castle that was built in Edo period, so there are traditional but Westernized Japanese scenery. Their autumn leaves were quite beautiful, so we, ten boys in my cluster walked there for a while.

Some of them wanted to visit the Goryokaku Tower — modern giant tower opened in April 2006, and others didn't. Personally I a little bit disappointed this tower since it breaks their beautiful scenery. Others and I left there by streetcar.

It was about 11 o'clock, but we were getting hungry. So we went to Asaichi (Morning Market) near Hakodate Station, and sought a seafood restaurant. Some friends chose noodles restaurant, and we three chose kaisendon, a bowl of seafood and rice restaurant. Their bowl was about 20cm (8'') across while it was about 2,300 JPY (20 USD,) so first we thought this restaurant was something fraud. But it was VERY TASTY. We really enjoyed our lunch very much.

WHALE MEAT! Hakodate is one of the famous Japanese place for foreigners, so I really surprised that whale meat was sold as usual! Some people, especially German, criticize eating whale. They insist that eating whale can cause the extinction of whales, though it was scientifically proved that the number of whales are increasing too much, and as a result whales eat too many fish. That's why Japanese people describe them as uneducated, and ignore their criticism. I don't know eating whale is good or bad, but at least complainers should be rational and insult it scientifically.

So I'd like to eat whale meat. But it was expensive, and all of them were fresh and raw, therefore I couldn't eat whale meat.

RECOMMENDATION: WHALE — Japanese Food Culture

• Sliced Bacon Whale: 3,500 JPY / 150g (30 USD / 5.3 oz.)
• Frozen Minke Whale: 350 JPY / 100g (3 USD / 3½ oz.)
• Salted Whale: 580 JPY / 100g (5 USD / 3½ oz.)

Finally all the students gathered at the bus terminal at 4:30 PM, and went to the top of the mountain to see the night scenery of Hakodate. Hakodate is very famous for their night scenery and our main purpose of visiting Hakodate is viewing it. We were waiting for getting dark. The night scenery was exactly beautiful. Some friends took their digital camera for me to take night scenery, as they believed I was good at taking a picture.

Anyway the thing most incredible is, its cost! University took us to Hakodate in only 1,500 JPY (13 USD) including several pack of snacks, four bottle of juice, and two cup noodles for dinner!

Visiting Whiskey Factory and Otaru as School Event

Today we had a school travel to a Whiskey factory in Go (city) and Otaru. While We were going there by bus, I had a sudden attack of stomach ache. It was very difficult to be patience, but I didn't want to stop the buses only for my emergency. So I moved my the body on a seat  to increase the length of  my bowel. When the bus stopped at a service station, I ran into the restroom as if I was an athlete.  Some guys pointed at me with laughing. "He's fast!" In the restroom, I screamed "NUMBER ONE!"

Finally our bus stopped at the factory of Nikka Whiskey in Go City. Japanese freshman is mostly 19 years old. In Japan, drinking is illegal for 19 or younger children. This school event was very funny. Anyway their garden was large and beautiful. Inside the buildings were also elegant. They had a sample drinking counter, so I had a little whiskey, but I was too young to evaluate it. Some guys drank very large amount of it, and got drunk. I bought their whiskey and sent to my mom and dad.

And we moved to Otaru. I'd been there once, during my alone trip in this summer (I will talk about it later.) so I was familiar with there. When we sought a sushi restaurant, a taxi driver strongly suggested us  to go to his favorite restaurant, so we entered there. While we were waiting for our sushi's coming, we were chatting about the taxi driver. How much the restaurant pay for him in a month? But the meal came 1 hr. 10 min. later from our order. Yet it was very tasty.

 

 

While Going to Dorm in Oshamambe

September 22 - After leaving from the hotel, I went to Toya Spring Bus Terminal and rode on a bus to go to Toya Station. And I got on their local train for Oshamambe, instead of an express train. I spent about one hour, so it wasn't tiresome for me, and besides it saved 600 JPY (5 USD.)

But I arrived there much earlier than I expected, so I had lunch at a restaurant nearby the Oshamambe Station. Then I had soba, traditional Japanese noodle made from buckwheat. In fact soba is my least favorite Japanese food, and I had never had soba for 12 years. I forgot hot to eat it but their waitress explained it for me. They says their soba was most famous in Japan. Yes, it was soba.

And I went to my dormitory by taxi.

Leaving from Lake Toya

It is the last of my trip in Hokkaido (I will write about while of this trip later.)

Then I'd been staying at Toya Sansui Hotel, near the Lake Toya, since yesterday afternoon. The hotel was very affordable because of the off season rates. 8,300 JPY (70 USD) per night, including dinner and breakfast!

Last night I slept in a futon, Japanese traditional bed. It was the first time for me to sleep in a futon in this three years. I woke up and had breakfast. It was large amount, but very tasty.

After the breakfast I went to their hot spring which was different from one I took last night. Their wall was made with Japanese tree "hinoki," and that made it very good smell. Their hot spring was huge and great, but there were no other guest!

While I was checking out from the hotel, an old woman came with me.

"We're very glad to see you, sir. I was the first owner of this hotel. I'm sure you are satisfied with our hot spring. It's a genuine hot spring unlike the other hotels around here. Can you guess how old am I? 85! Thanks for the hot spring, I've never caught a cold for 40 years!"

Going to Furano

This morning I left from my house at 10 o'clock, and went to Haneda Airport by train. All seats on the train were occupied, so I had to be standing for an hour. As I wrote it last time, I didn't go to bed last night, so it was not easy for me.

Haneda Airport was more crowded than I expected. Many flights for south of Japan had been canceled for Typhoon No. 13. Our flight for Sapporo were also crowded. The sky above clouds were very beautiful -- I've never seen such a beautiful scenery. Unfortunately I couldn't take a picture at that time.

After arriving to Sapporo Shin Chitose Airport, I went to Japan Railway (JR) Green Counter to get the cheapest train tickets during this trip. And I bought "sura ben (a sky lunch box)" which is most popular there, and had it on the train for Asahikawa. It was very tasty typical food in Hokkaido. When the train stopped at Sapporo Station, all the passengers apart from me got off from the train, large number of other passengers rode on, and rotate all seats front to rear! A junior high school girl also rotate my seat! I got confusing and asked her "is it usual in Hokkaido?" Then she replied "yes" with smiling. The scenery through a window was great. There were huge golden field like American countryside (and in fact Hokkaido was pioneered by American engineers.) I felt it was farther than the United States, though Hokkaido is one of Japanese island.

When I arrived at Asahikawa Station, a train Furano Line was stopping. It was only one car, and some station staff jointed another one car. To my surprised, about ten passengers were waiting on the train! It is very unusual in Tokyo. But later, I found out an important thing: we had nothing to do but waiting! So I was also waiting for leaving on the train for a half hour.

Finally I arrived at Furano Station. At first I planed to buy something as dinner in a convenience store near the station. But there were no store! So I had to be walking for fifteen minutes with pulling my trunk. I found a lunch box restaurant and I bought one. And I went to a resort inn I stayed in by taxi. The taxi driver was surprised at me because I arrived at Furano from Tokyo in only one day. It was a little bit far from the station, so it cost 1,000 JPY (9 USD) and 10 minutes.

I arrived at the hotel, The Pension Young House. To my great surprised, my room had three beds! I sat on a sofa with a sigh, and I found it was a sofa-bed.

Preparing for Visiting and Moving to Hokkaido

September 16 - Our college starts on September 22, but I will leave my house in Tokyo earlier to visit some places in Hokkaido as a sightseeing. In Japan generally teenager students and white collar workers have summer vacations in August. That is to say, the middle of September is off season!

I planed this trip with the Internet. But it was no problem; it's off season, so I could make reservations for hotels easily. Besides they offered reasonable plan for their off-season crisis!

Yet I was anxious about it as it was my first time for me to plan to trip alone. As a result, I couldn't sleep at all this night.

I Hate Hanami

It is true that I enjoyed the hanami party. We did it for a couple of hours. I drank only a beer. As I went there by bike which I borrowed from university, I had to bring some of our garbage to university. It was about 2 kg (4.5  lb) of a plastic bag.

To my surprised, when I unlocked my bike, two crows attacked my bike, and stole the garbage bag! The garbage inside the bag was scattered on a small river! I ran into the river and the crows left immediately. Furthermore I dropped a key of the bike into the river and missed it. So I cleaned the river, put them into another plastic bag and go back to university on foot.

I told about it to the security center.
"So how's the bike?" said the man.
"I left it in the park,"
"Then bring it here."

If only I had a car! I went to the park on foot again and brought the bike to university on foot.You may say bringing a bike is not so hard, but it's wrong. It is impossible to drug an unlocked bike, because drugging can damage its tire.

My teacher told me that a certain man said "A TUS student with sunglasses cleaned the river in the Oshamambe Park! He's a fine boy!"

I felt it was longer than the hanami party. I was so tired, and I decided to buy a canned beer. This would be my first time to buy alcoholic drink. But I didn't. I drank a canned nutrition supplement drink.

Well, the title is joke. I love hanami. Oops, why don't I drink? Umm, someday I'll talk about it.

Climbing Mt. Shaman Dake

Today all the students went to Mt. Shaman Dake by bus. Since I heard that there were cold and sunshine is very strong, I bought sunglasses and a sunscreen yesterday, and wore many clothes.

Sunshine was truly strong, but it wasn't cold. Mt. Shaman Dake is close to Oshamambe Town and it's 498 m (1,634 ft.) above sea level. A Shinto priest held a ceremony for its opening to climbers for this year. This traditional Japanese ceremony was interesting for me, and it was about ten minutes.

Some teachers and climbing experts wore sunglasses, but no students except for me did it. They laughed at me, but I'm sure sunglasses are important in such a situation.

Some path were steep, but it wasn't hard for me to climb. I climbed with a kid. The scenery was beautiful and air was fresh. When we reached its top, we did a U-turn.

And we had genghis khan party. A genghis khan is a mutton barbecue and popular in Hokkaido. However, as I arrived there late, I ate only two piece of meat, while my friend ate twenty piece of it!
"Purpose of climbing the mountain is to eat genghis khan. So I climbed the mountain as fast as possible. First come, first served!" said the bad guy.

Hiking in Oshamanbe Park

It's quite fine and warm today. This noon, one of my friend suggested us to hike in the Oshamanbe Park, and we four decided to go there. University lend us about twenty bicycles, but all of them had already been used by other students. So we went there on foot. I surprised there were a few beautiful flowers outside! "I'd believed someday spring would come here," I said. The air was fresh, the sky was clear, and the green was beautiful.

The Oshamanbe Park is about 2 km (1.2 mi.) from our campus, and there were narrow river and forest. Some people were playing there too. We were separated into two parties and walking in the forest. It was cool and calm.

Then we were chatting and singing all the time, to avoid for meeting with a bear! We are familiar with a bear; when you walk in forest, especially when alone, you should be making a sound all the time. A bear is so cowardly animal that she must be frightened of your sound. When you meet with a bear, you must not run away! You should look at her eyes calmly, and step back slowly.

After all, we were walking for thirty minutes and met with the other party, played Frisbee in their garden, and went back to the dorm. Well, I took some nice pictures, so I'll print these pictures and send to mom and dad.