The Weekend Review - Chiba & Tokyo

As the band finished their last number and the 28th Takanan Cultural Festival drew to a close, I grabbed my overnight bag and hurried off to the train station. I met Jess in Sannomiya to take the Portliner to Kobe Airport, but we had extra time, so we just window-shopped in the new Kobe Mint Building and talked. It was fun. At the airport, we picked out our Kobe omiyage (welcome present) for Molly, the friend we stayed with. Ironically, Molly and I went to St.Olaf together and Jess used to live in her apartment, so we each had our own connections. It’s actually really random considering Jess and I played soccer together when we were eight and have never attended the same school.
“This is CHIBA!”
We arrived in Togane, a small town in the 'boot' of Japan, about a 15-minute drive from Japan's third most popular surfing beach and an hour-and-a-half from Tokyo by train (40 min from Narita/ 30 from Disneyland) around 9pm that night. The flight was short and bus ride from Haneda Airport was easy, as Jess knows the routine, that old pro. Once the bus dropped us off, Jessica's Japanese friends, Atsuko and Ai, met us at the Togane station and we drove together in Atsuko's new car to Molly's apartment. While I know the experience was a lot more surreal for Jess than it was for me, it was definitely strange being back in Togane, the place I where I first found comfort in this crazy country I now reside in, back when I was fresh out of college, still a tourist here, and before I had embarked upon my experiences in corporate America. I think I have changed a lot since that time, but there was something reassuring about coming back and knowing a place, especially in a country that I now have a more intimate connection to. The first evening was spent catching up on stories, meeting Molly's friends (who were absolutely enamored with the movie they just saw, "300" (the echo of them repeating "THIS IS CHIIIIBA" and pretending to kick people down a well all night will forever ring through my memory), and consuming some rather large drinks and a lot of meat-on-sticks at the local yakitori. I was pretty tired from the week and passed out on my futon, in the middle of the floor, pretty much before everyone else (there's picture proof...great), but I am glad I got some rest because the next day was a long one.
The Original Running Buddy
We had originally made grand plans to get up early and spend the afternoon exploring Tokyo (I've already done most of the major tourist sites at least once, but it's fun to shop/look around), but when we woke up several hours past the target time, a few adjustments to that plan were necessary. It was a beautiful, sunny day outside, so Jess and I decided to go for a run rather than rushing to the city. I was really there to hang out with her and Molly, not to go to Tokyo, anyways, so the quality time was good. Running has actually been a shared pastime for Jess and I for a long time. We used to run together in Plymouth, around Lake Calhoun in Mpls, and we even went running when I visited her in Houston (wow, was that horrible! - it was really humid and I was wearing sweat pants!). I guess it makes sense that we'd add Japan as another locale. Anyways, we decided to run to a local lake on the other side of the small, downtown area. I recognized the bike shop where we had gone to get Jess's new bike fixed three years earlier on the way and was a little mystified by what a cute, small-town feel the place had. It just seems so different from where I live, although I think I've been very lucky to be living where I do. Kansai has a different culture, but it's a really good fit for me. Anyways, back to the run. So after what seemed like minutes, we approached the lake, surrounded by cherry-blossom trees (not in bloom) and with a small island and temple in the middle. On either side of the lake stood massive temples, their graveyards, crawling into the forests and hills in the background. I was happy when Jessica agreed to let me explore. As we jogged through the stone pillars of the first graveyard (not exactly tombstones - the stones look more like large lanterns), Jessica pointed to a hidden bunker from WWII in the woods(built by the government when they intercepted information that the local beach was to be invaded by the Americans). We crisscrossed through boughs and branches before realizing we still needed to get food and get ready for the evening, so we ran to the local mall (Jusco) for the end of our run. We grabbed some box lunches and went back to Molly's to get ready for the birthday party we were going to.
The Birthday Bonanza on Tokyo Bay
So when Molly and Jessica asked me if I wanted to go to a birthday party while we were all in Chiba, I thought that it could be fun, but just wanted to make sure I got time with Jess, right? When they told me it would cost just shy of $100 per person, I was a little more attentive and wanted to know exactly what kind of birthday party this was going to be. Well, it turns out it really was worth it - this party (a "25th - plus 5" party for a girl named Kay) was actually a boat cruise (with dinner and drinks) on Tokyo Bay.
Molly, Jess and I planned to just meet everyone at the station near the pier, but we ran into probably 15 people on the train ride over. About an hour or two later, the group (of about 25 people) was assembled and we walked together to the pier to load our boat.
We didn’t go very far on our little boat tour, but rather made our way into the main part of the bay and stayed there for about 3 hours, long after the gorgeous sun had set under the backdrop of the famous Tokyo Rainbow Bridge. I’ve been on the bridge probably 6 times (it’s on the bus route between Narita and central Tokyo) and have always been really fascinated by the harbour, so it was fun to actually be so close. Inside the boat, it essentially looked like a floating izakaiya (Japanese pub), with low tables (4 per table), tatami floors for us to sit on, and a bar at the back. There were 3 staff members who served us course after course of Japanese food (sushi, shashimi, tempura, soba) and made sure our glasses never emptied. Not too bad. After eating a bit, most of the party went to the deck (on the roof) to watch the sunset and wave at the other boats going by. If you know Tokyo, we were pretty close to the Fuji Building, under the Rainbow Bridge. Absolutely stunning. When the boat party ended, some people stayed out for an all-nighter at the clubs, but Jess and I headed back to Togane. We sat up and talked for a while, going to bed in the wee hours of the night. Molly actually stayed out, which was sad for me because I didn’t get to see her before I left, but I think it might have been a good thing after all. It gave Jessica some last moments in her old apartment – her old home – to just reminisce. All three of us are from Minnesota, so it was a little ironic that there was a Minnesota flag hanging on one wall (love what Molly has done with the place – super cute couch from Ikea!!), but it was touching seeing Jess picture it as it had been as she left.
A Friend from Spain
Despite the late bedtime, we were up at around 6am the next day. Our friend Shinya arrived at 7am to bring us to Narita Airport, so we could pick up Jessica’s Spanish friend Noami. Well, we arrived a bit late and Naomi was pretty shaken up when we arrived (it’s her first time here, she doesn’t speak a ton of English and she thought we forgot about getting her, poor girl!). Once we were all calm, we took a long drive through the countryside, and stopped at an open-air museum called Busso no Mura, depicting life in Japan during the Edo Period (sort of the mid-1800s, before mass-westernization and when the Samurai were still around). It was fun walking around and seeing the various recreated shops and stalls, a middle class samurai house (literally out of Last Samurai) and a stereotypical Japanese farm (7 buildings). I took some video, but I’m not sure how to post it here…
After the museum, we went back to Shinya’s house (where Noami and Jess would be spending the night) to drop off luggage, hangout with Shinya’s parents and just relax.
Dumplings, Taiko and the Trip Home
We spent the remainder of the afternoon at a cooking class, organized by Shinya. To be honest, it was a group of Japanese people around our age – all of whom were amazing at English – cooking and us watching. They seemed to know what they were doing (more excuse for a get-together than a class), and we were enjoying ourselves, anyways. While we were waiting for the gyoza, or Chinese dumplings, one of the guys invited us to take a taiko class in another room (we were in the kitchen of a large community center). It turns out his father is a taiko master, so he patiently taught us the main rhythm for the local style of taiko. We practiced over–and-over again, first through repetition, then with music, and then with some little jumps and tricks. It was actually my first time doing taiko, but I think I picked it up pretty quickly and I am now anxious to try it again sometime soon. Molly was supposed to join us (she came home too late and couldn’t make it out), but I am curious to hear more about her experiences with it. The girl loves it so much she actually spent a few hundred dollars on her own taiko drums (I am sure her neighbors will love her)!
I would have loved to spend the whole afternoon making gyoza and hanging out with such a fun, young and international group of people, but, alas, I had a plane to catch. Jessica, Shinya, Noami and Shinya’s friend escorted me to the station to catch the airport bus as I bade them farewell. I think one of them asked me why I was crying as I was about the get on the bus, but as I’ve mentioned before, it’s hard leaving good friends that you only see once a year. Jessica and I will be home at the same time in August, so I know I’ll see her soon, but...yeah.

Once I got home, I basically headed up, did some email catch-up from the week before and went to bed! Gotta say, it was a bit of a transport, but one of the best weekends I have had in a long time!