There but for the grace of God go I...

On the afternoon of June 8th, a man drove a white truck into a crowded area of the popular Akihabara electronics district, Electric Town. At an intersection, the man struck five innocent pedestrians, killing three of them. The man, later identified as Tomohiro Kato, exited his truck and proceeded to cut or stab approximately 17 people. Tragically, seven people died that day.

For a full article from the Associated Press please click here

As a travel blog writer, I have the privilege of showing readers the wonders, humor, nuances, beauty of the country that has become my home. But with that privilege, comes the obligation for me to also report on unpleasant and, in this case, horrific events which take place in Japan. I'm not sure what to say about such a tragedy. What insight can I offer that would convey the horror and madness of the situation, and what solace could my words offer to the victims and their families? So I've decided to tell my little story of fate, I may write more about the situation later, but for now this is the best I can do.

I came home from my trip to Kyoto on Sunday June 8th. It had been a more or less wonderful end to an amazing and memorable weekend. The morning and early afternoon had been spent with Valley-chan exploring sites in Kyoto. After a relaxing day and a calm Shinkansen ride home, my whole host family welcomed me home. My host mother, non nonchalantly told me about the tragedy, in the ever aloof and disconnected way the Japanese talk about such matters. I'm sure that everyone who heard about the news was shocked. While the tragedy itself was disturbing enough, I was struck by a realization. Akihabara is such a unique place with such wonderful and interesting things to see, that I go fairly often. But for some reason life unfolded in such a way that the Kyoto trip, which I wanted to do in May, was delayed until June and the weekend of June 6-8 was chosen because Valley-chan's Friday class happened to be canceled. Had I not been in Kyoto with Valley-chan that weekend, there was a very good possibility that I would have been in Akihbara that day.

No jokes or witty and sarcastic comments today, just something I have been thinking about for a few weeks...

~DPN

Hakone-Matata Part II

When we last left off, I was about to unite people from the original Axis powers on a trip with a sole Allied citizen! I picked up Beru-chan that morning from my home station and we left an hour later for our trip. The car ride was about 2 hours, and Beru-chan and I keep alternating between passing in and out of consciousness. After being on the road we stopped for some lunch at a rather secluded soba restaurant. My host father asked me what I wanted to eat, and I proceeded to tell him. He followed his inquiry by asking "what does Beru-chan want to eat?" (of course that part was in Japanese). I couldn't refrain from laughing as the family had been introduced to Beru-chan officially and now knew his actual name. It was then I knew that to my family, he would always be Beru-chan. Before we arrived at the Ryokan, we made two stops. We first went to a hot spring. To cut you off, there was no soaking in the waters involved. We instead hiked up a massive set of stairs to the mountain side to see...well sulfur. On our way back down my host mother treated us to a nice little treat. An onsen tamago or hot spring egg. Basically, its an egg, boiled in the hot spring. But each egg cost around $2.00 USD, so it must be special right? In actuality there is a superstition that an onsen egg will extend your life here take a look:

Nothing more appetizing than a concentrated ball of evil



"You eat one egg, you will increase you longevity by 7 years. You eat two egg (sic) you will increase your longevity by 14 years." However, you eat three egg and your heart explodes...





Following our "egg-citing" side trip to the hot spring, my host father and mother took us to another site, Hakone checkpoint.

In the Edo period, the Hakone checkpoint served as a way to control who entered and left Edo. My host mother also informed me that it also made sure women (the wives of samurai) didn't attempt to flee.
An exact replica of samurai stationed at the checkpoint. Apparently back in the Edo Jidai, the Japanese and their clothing were pasty shade of blue. Actually, the checkpoint does not know exactly what was worn (in terms of colors) by the samurai stationed at the Hakone checkpoint, therefore to avoid being wrong, they refuse to paint the figures...only in Japan.

When we finally arrived at the Ryokan we relaxed for a bit. I'd never been to a Ryokan before, so it was very interesting to be in a more traditional Japanese setting. Being studious students, Beru-chan and I did some homework before dinner. For dinner we were treated to literally a table full of fishy goodness. It was probably one of the best meals I've had since I had arrived.
At first we sat in quiet just enjoying the sight of the meal, but a large beer and several bottles of wine later, we were all much more chatty.Not too much more to be said about this adventure other than it was a blast and this is why I love my host family!

Gambatte,

-DPN