A Sisters Visit
On Sunday my sister and her boyfriend came to Japan . I met them at Kansai Airport . Their flight got in at 8.20am, and they were through customs by 9.30. I hadn’t seen them since January.
We got a train to Osaka and drank beers in a wine bar/café/cakeshop next to Umeda bus station. At 12.50 we got a coach bound for my town – Nodogawa. They were feeling the effects of the journey from London and the beers helped them sleep on the bus.
After freshening up at my house we followed the sound of drums toward a local festival. The rural Japanese festivals are unusual enough to seasoned Japan ex-pats but to fresh off the planers they must seem crazy. The Japanese guidebooks are of little use if you are looking for a celebration of this nature. While advertised widely in the locality international visitors are distinctly rare at these events. My sister and boyf were treated to a side of Japan that few foreigners get to see.
The sights, sounds, food, drink and kindness on show combine to glorious effect. I knew many people in the crowds and was able to introduce my guests. They were offered beers and food at every stop and interrogated by giggling school girls as to why they weren’t married yet.
We were at the Migochi matsuri, a scaled down version of the famous Gion matsuri in the geisha district of Kyoto. The term matsuri is best translated as festival but on occasion Japanese folk refer to it as “carnival.” As the Migochi matsuri carries on well past dark it does not feel inappropriate to label it such. Festival, carnival, whatever - the Migochi matsuri is one of my favourites and I’m glad they could witness it.
That night they slept for 15hours and woke up at 2.30pm on Monday. We spent a lazy afternoon doing almost exactly nothing and then met my yank pal Lyle for some food and drinks in a local izakaya. Yajikita has beautiful gardens, quirky food and a lively atmosphere. It is run by parents of a student at my school and I know one of the chefs – a great place.
A ten second walk from the izakaya had us in Locazzita – one of the best bars in Japan . While quiet at first we were soon joined by two other groups both of whom I knew and one of which contained a player from my football team. A crazy night that went on way past the 2am last taxi was enjoyed and many drinks drunk. The ¥14,000 bar bill a sure indicator of a good time.
On Tuesday we woke up in varyingly hungover states. We visited Amanohashidate, a jutting sandspit that is rated one of Japan’s top three views. The water was too cold for swimming but we lazed upon its beach. It is tradition to eat rice cakes and red bean paste after a visit here. The fresher foreigners in our party did not find these most Japanese of delicacies enjoyable.
After cakes we drove up a mountain, past an old temple to the famous viewpoint. The vista is superb. On our journey down we rolled all the way to Mineyama and kaiten sushi. The joys of the conveyor belt were much better appreciated than the red bean rice cakes.
