After almost a year of living on Hokkaido, I finally took the opportunity to explore a small portion of “the mainland,” Honshu.
Because I was meeting up with my two adult sons, I chose to start in Osaka where there is a major international airport as well as access to the well-known and historic areas of Osaka, Kobe and Kyoto.
On recommendations from the members of my adult conversation class, I included Nara in my plans.
Nara was the first permanent capital of Japan, and its rural surroundings and less dense population sounded like an attractive change of pace from the bustle of the Kansai area cities.
Several of my earlier conclusions were reinforced by this recent exploration.
1. I am not a fan of large cities. A large city is always an interesting experience, but invariably exhausting, with too much noise, and too many lights.
2. I am tall, and my sons are even taller.
3. “Sampler Plate” travel is just too hard. It is better to choose to see less, in more depth, and enjoy it more. The difficulty, of course, is narrowing down the choices. (Kyoto will have to wait until next time).
The three of us all made adjustments along the way.
We figured out how much takoyaki was too much. We confirmed that Kobe beef truly is really, really good (and very, very expensive.)
Josef provided the background information on Japanese history.
Graham became the expert on navigating the transit system, but was bothered most by crowds, small spaces, sleeping and sitting on the floor, and the inability to read.
I realized how accustomed I have become to not understanding the spoken and written language around me.
We agreed that, for our mainland experience, we were happiest in Nara, where accommodations, restaurants, sake breweries and Nara Park with its temples and freely roaming deer could all be found within an easy walk from the train station.
And we were all happy to get to Hokkaido, with the cooler temperatures, closer snow-capped mountains, fresher air, and more spacious feel.
Our Hokkaido adventures included a major league baseball game at the Sapporo Dome, where the home team Hokkaido Fighters (and last year’s All Japan Series champions) lost in front of a supportive crowd dressed in Fighters jerseys and waving yellow signs.
We checked out the Asahiyama Zoo, and were intrigued by the lesser pandas, snow leopards, and birds of prey. We tasted 17-year-old whisky at the Yoichi Distillery, and sampled butadon in Sapporo, Ashoro and two different venues in Toyokoro.
Butadon is a famous local Hokkaido dish of thickly sliced pork served over rice, with a barbecue-style sauce which varies from venue to venue, often based on a secret family recipe.
When the elementary school children quizzed my sons on their favourite Japanese foods, they easily replied “sushi” and “butadon.”
Janet Jory is in Summerland’s sister city of Toyokoro, Japan as the assistant English teacher.