Week 17: Patrick's Visit

Yahiko

After three and a half long months I was finally reunited with my boyfriend Patrick. After him sneeking up on me at the airport, two Shinkansen rides, and some tears, we finally made it back to Inaka where we spent the first half of his visit in my "hometown," of Urasa. I have been really lucky to have visits from both my family and Patrick, it was equally rejuvinating and exciting to be able to explore Japan with people I really care about. 

Yahiko + Newbie Photographer :D

 

After Patrick arrived I took the day off so we could kick off his visit by exploring Japan. We went to Yahiko, a gorgeous coastal area that is known for fantastic fall foliage. In addition to the vibrant red leaves that adorned all of the park trails, there was also a chrysanthemum festival near the temple that was outstanding. 

Other than at Yahiko, I didn't document any other excursions we did in Niigata. However, we still did a fair amount. Patrick was great and jumped into coming to school with me for an entire day at my base school, KJ. He willingly read outload excerpts from the TOEFL for my students, chatted with my teachers, walked briskly in the visitors slippers and held his own the entire time he was being called, "kawaii," under my students breaths (that means he is cute, in Japanese). Plus my TOEFL students told him his jacket was, "really cool," and therefore I think he helped me earn brownie points by having a "cool jacket wearing boyfriend."

Addtionally, I finally hosted an event at my place! The last evening we were in Urasa I invited all the Yukiguni people over for a potluck. I made my Italian meatballs from the cooking class Mom and I took in Rome a couple years back, and they were a huge hit! I was pleasantly surprised with how many people can fit into my apartment, both awake and asleep, and definitely will host more get togethers in the future. I predict, they will be necessary when the streets start being lined with thick walls of snow and I don't want to be alone cacooned up in blankets. 

I realized this was the first time I truly hosted people at, "my place," sans roommates. It was really fun and rewarding to make so many people happy. In turn, having Patrick stay with me, I also realize how incredibly (and probably annoyingly) OCD I am when it comes to cleaning and conserving energy. I guess three and a half months living by myself really turned me into an extreme neat freak since the only person I have to account for how tidy my space is, is me. Luckily, Patrick was extremely calm and patient with me and my crazy cleaning-lady persona and helped me a lot with keeping my place clean. 

I have only been home for four full days, and I noticed immediately how quiet my place is without an extra person around. I've taken to playing music and Netflix in the background even more than I previously did to combat the quiet (cue - I want visitors! And I miss my former roommies! And Sisters! And family!). 

 

Random Happy Findings:
Hello Kitty Grafitti in Shibuya; Sensoji Temple; Sushi

The second half of our trip was spent in Tokyo. We stayed at a lovely Air BnB in Asakusa/Sumida area. We were five minutes walking from the Sky Tree and the fairly new Solamachi mall. There were two train stations within less than ten minutes of us, so overall we loved our location. 

Yet again, Patrick's patience (maybe I should say tolerance?...) with me proved to be off the charts since I was pretty grumpy post-travel, but otherwise we had a really great time in Tokyo together. Despite having asked for lots of reccomendations, as well as having a plethora of lists to reference that I found online, we didn't really do what others suggested and instead created our own routine day-by-day. The best happenings, were all the ones we didn't intentionally seek out. Such as Sensoji temple, and some really good quality sushi in Shinjuku. All of which proved to be positive and fun experiences. Notably the really awesome Hello Kitty Grafitti I spotted while we were eating salads (!! so hard to find real salad in Japan!!) in a cafe that was a few stories above street level.

 

Very Important Side Note: Patrick eats raw fish now! He's probably going to be annoyed by this remark, but when we first started dating and went to get sushi, this guy only ate "baked," sushi rolls so I couldn't be happier that he appreciated all my raw fish and sushi loving obsession here in Japan. 

 

Tokyo Sky Tree

The Sky Tree area became our stomping grounds on this trip. Ironically, even though I know Patrick doesn't like shopping and I didn't intend to go that much, we did spend a fair deal of time in the Solamchi Mall. Mainly looking around, but also enjoying all of the different departments they had to offer. Notably, the mall was decked out in Christmas decorations, despite it still being over a month away. There was an adorable German beer garden right at the foot of the Sky Tree that we both enjoyed spending time in our second night in Tokyo. Also, we both went "super-Gaijin," and freaked out at the sight of Cold Stone Creamery, and immediately ran inside where the staff sang us their version of a Christmas song while making our cones. In turn, the color of the Sky Tree changed daily, obviously Purple was my favorite. All in all, we loved our location.

Splurge Day

Good Eats at the Sky Tree and Lots of Selfies

 

We also celebrated our one-year anniversary together during this Tokyo Trip. Although it was a bit premature from the actual date, it was fun to really go all out and spoil ourselves an entire day in Tokyo. We wanted to have a picnic in the park near us, but the rain pushed us to find covered ground and probably a better spread than we intended. 

Solamchi has a lot of really nice shops, including some special eateries like the Cheese Yard, where we had been shamelessly making the point to pass every time we walked to the train station to get a sample of their cheese cake. We knew we wanted to actually buy a slice at some point of this trip and instead we bought the entire cake. Determined to eat real food, Patrick insisted we find some sushi to go. Instead we discovered that Solamchi has an amazing food vendor seciton where you can buy all kinds of food for varying prices and sizes. As seen in the photo above, the spread came from five different shops and was probably one of my favorite, "meals," we had. The "to-go," sushi in particular makes me regret ever buying it from a supermarket in the States - to which Patrick calls me a food snob, which I admit to being 100%.

We planted ourselves outside of the sky tree underneath an awning, played some Frank Sinatra and feasted for the afternoon. I'm sure we got some amusing looks, but I've learned to be "less-sensitive," about people staring when I'm in good company and frankly having a great time. 

Later that evening, we went out in Roppongi to a club called Feria. It being a Tuesday, may have not been the best choice to "go-out," in Tokyo. However, we basically had the entire five-story venue to ourselves. We took lots of goofy selfies on their outdoor patio, ate a really good dinner in their restaurant and got some free Sake from the Australian Bartender whose DJ name is "Swiddy." All and all a really great day and night, that helped us set the tone and make expectations for being "long-distance." 

Harajuku

Top Photo Credit to Jenny

 

Our last day and night in Tokyo we spent in Harajuku. Patrick helped me pick out some really nice and warm clothes for the snow form Arcteryx. I've been wearing two out of the three items I bought religiously (the third is a waterproof-insulated jacket that would be a tad obnoxious wearing inside my apartment) and they have been great and secretely I wish I could buy out their entire supply.

We met up with Patrick's friend Jenny for dinner. Jenny is studying in Tokyo, and last year spent a year abroad at UCSD. They are friends from I-House where Patrick was an RA. Although she and I had never really spent time together, Jenny possesses a personality that is extremely warm and bubbly that it made me feel like I was seeing an old friend from home. We went to a random Izakaya, that proved to be extremely delicious. The sashimi was incredibly! As well as all of the fried goodies. It makes such a difference going with someone who can read the entire menu. Thanks Jenny for a great last meal in Tokyo :) 

Overall, it was an amazing ten days. They went by way too fast, but were also some of the best I've had in Japan. However, we'll be celebrating Christmas and the New Year together in Taiwan, where I will probably be extremely enthusiastic to escape the snow. I look forward to spending the holidays with someone from home. It'll be hard for both of us to be away from our families, but hopefully we can recreate some Christmas traditions even abroad (I already have an idea for our Xmas menu).

I realize how silly I've been by not traveling as much since I've arrived, and how my efforts to go places and see more people really make living here much more enjoyable and easier to cope. I'm actually off to Korea next weekend to see one of my lovely AEPhi Sisters Becca, who is teaching English in Korea and I am extremely excited! Expect the next blog post to be about my first excursion out of Japan!

Week 14: Mom and Aunt Trace's Visit

View from Uonuma no Sato 

A coupe of weeks ago my Mom and Aunt Trace traveled to Japan! It was great timing, both because of the pleasant Fall weather and me finally feeling somewhat comfortable in my surroundings. The two of them flew into to Tokyo, and immediately boarded the Shinkansen the following day to spend some time in Urasa. 

Uonuma no Sato

Although there isn't too much to do in Inaka, there are a few hidden gems in this area. One of them being Uonuma No Sato, located in Itsukamachi, which is just a town over from mine. Fairly new and modern for Inaka, this is a complex of gourmet shops and restaurants tucked away from the main drag. Mom and Aunt Trace went to town shopping for Omiyage, but I am happy they were able to find local foods and items to bring back to their friends, family and co-workers!

Crafts at Uonuma No Sato

All of the shops have their specialties, this one has a great assortment of gorgeous fabrics and special handmade cards and money envelops for special occassions, such as weddings and birthdays. Both Mom and Aunt Trace spent a long time deliberating which cloths to buy, but I'm happy they were able to buy new things for their home and others successfully!

View from Royal Park Shiodome Hotel

Aunt Trace left shortly after our shopping expedition to head off to work. The remainder of the week, I did my best to entertain my Mom with random excursions (admittedly most of which were also shopping related in preparation for the winter time) post-work and stay warm in the chilly autumn evenings. 

We finished off the trip with a weekend getaway to Tokyo, where we stayed at a magnificent hotel. The photos of Tokyo Tower were taken from our hotel windows!

Meal at Pignon

Mom and I got into Tokyo late Friday afternoon, before Aunt Trace. Earlier in the week we made reservations at a fabulous French Bistro called Pignon. Notably, I successfully asked the woman over the phone in Japanese if she spoke English and the conversation went smoothly (for once!). Upon my request to eat at some non-Japanese restaurants while we were in Tokyo, Mom did her research well and read about Pignon in the Japan Times. A Japanese chef, trained in France, my stomach and I were equally pleased. 

Chef Rimpei Yoshikawa's dishes were unlike any French restaurant I have ever been too. Like the article says, his menu items feature dishes from other cultures which was even more exciting for my foodie self. We followed the recommended specials and indulged in Yoshikawa's signature guacamole and merguez sausages with homemade harissa (the latter is not pictured because it was consumed too fast) which were both unbelievable. The guacamole was silky and tangy paired with delicious toasted bread, and the sausages melted in your mouth with a slight kick from the harissa. The meal's momentum continued, as what seemed like a simple eggplant and carrot salad turned out to be jam-packed with flavor, Mom and I kept "mmmm-ing," after each bite. Followed by a bacon-potato quiche, with a side of Japanese mushrooms was surprisingly light and not heavy despite its size. Last, we concluded with a cheese board. Even though I was tempted by desserts that had the words, "chocolate and pumpkin," in them, Mom and I were set on the cheese plate even before we ordered our main dishes. Simply because we both love cheese, and I also haven't had "real," cheese for the past three months. Needless to say, there were five cheeses, dried figs and even more delicious bread to conclude our meal. 

This place was stellar and the best non-Japanese restaurant I've been to in Japan. In turn, the servers were extremely patient and kind to us, and took the time to make sure they were translating the menu for us in English. Even if the food hadn't been amazing, their service and kind attitude to us foreigners would be enough to make me want to come back, luckily the restaurant had both. It is a must in Tokyo, and definitely worth another visit in my book! 

Shopping in Kagurazaka

The following day was filled with more shopping and food. A fun highlight was walking around Kagurazaka in Tokyo. This area looks like Kyoto and has a lot of great shops. We all appreciated this senbei shop, for its variety and fun packaging.

Obviously, we did a lot more than what is photographed in this post. Unfortunately, I was either too focused on what we were doing or didn't feel that everything needed to be photographed. Overall, it was great to see and spend time with family in a different part of the world. I think it was really important that my Mom see where I live now and have the chance to view my work place too. Not only do I think it will make it easier to explain stuff in the future, but now folks from home can ask her questions and she can relay a more accurate picture on my behalf. :)

I am expecting another visitor in less than two days, my boyfriend Patrick, and am equally as excited. I suspect the next blog post will be after his visit, so hold tight for the next two weeks for the next update!