Here comes a much, MUCH overdue blog post about AIU's August 31st trip to Lake Tazawa and Kakunodate! XD
For those who don't know what Lake Tazawa or Kakunodate are, they are both rather famous landmarks in the Akita prefecture. Lake Tazawa is Japan's deepest lake and, for those K-pop fans out there, the setting of some of the scenes of the Korean drama, IRIS - you know that drama where Big Bang's T.O.P plays a BAMF assassin guy...
...but only appears for 5 seconds in every episode. - ____ -
Look familiar, anyone? XD
Anyways, at the lake, there is a golden statue of the girl named Tatsuko, which is a reference to a famous Japanese legend that took place at Lake Tazawa. It's rather interesting and you can definitely see why they would place this beautiful statue next to the lake in honor of her. You can read about it here.
Tatsuko-san, otsukare-sama deshita! ^^
On the other hand, Kakunodate is a famous old samurai town where you can explore many of the old samurai mansions and see the old arms and armor, as well as other cool artifacts, that make you think you've gone back in time to the Edo period. :)
Not THAT Edo Japan... - ____ -;;
The reason why I was able to go on such a fun adventure was because it was a trip arranged by our uni. Luckily, because we were international students, the entire trip - transportation and bento lunch included - was free! Once we heard that, we couldn't miss out on the chance! :D
Despite Lake Tazawa and Kakunodate being the main attractions, our day of fun actually didn't start out at either the lake or the samurai village. XD
Instead, our uni took us to visit the Ando Brewing Kitaura Honkan, a store in Akita famous for its soy sauce and miso. :)
The front view of the Ando Brewing Kitaura Honkan from our bus. :)
Everything looked super yummy! ^^
However, despite the samples they put out, I was terrified to trying anything
because I was actually pretty sick at the time....Being sick sucks. >.>
After exploring the very large store for a while, I eventually hit upon this.
But wait, what is a sign with Arashi on it doing here??
Cool friends are cool. :D
I bought myself a small souvenir -
a postcard with a picture of Kakunodate during cherry blossom season. :)
Eventually, my more Japanese-savvy friend told me that the Arashi sign was telling us that Arashi had actually tried the apparently famous soy sauce ice cream here! ^^
Once I heard that, I just had to try it, even with my sore throat! XD
Once I heard that, I just had to try it, even with my sore throat! XD
Good times~~ *cue the Owl City song*
We only had a short time here, so half an hour later, we were back on the buses and headed to our next destination! :)
You know you're on the bus of winners when your bus is the only bus that isn't green! :P
While our bus was traveling toward Lake Tazawa, I couldn't help but marvel at the Akita countryside. It is truly beautiful here, and for some reason, it strikes a nostalgic chord with me. I feel like I've been here before, even though I know that it is entirely impossible. XD
When you're staring out at the expanses of rice fields, you can feel your heartbeat slow and this sense of calmness that only comes with the feeling of being somehow completely safe washes over you. The feeling is only heightened when you are watching all this fly by your window while listening to songs like Parachute's "Kiss Me Slowly" and GROUPLOVE's "Betty's a Bombshell".(What?? I was in a very Sprout mood! XD)
It is truly wonderful! :3
When you're staring out at the expanses of rice fields, you can feel your heartbeat slow and this sense of calmness that only comes with the feeling of being somehow completely safe washes over you. The feeling is only heightened when you are watching all this fly by your window while listening to songs like Parachute's "Kiss Me Slowly" and GROUPLOVE's "Betty's a Bombshell".
It is truly wonderful! :3
Basically, I felt like I was traveling in a Miyazaki film!
It was THAT magical! XD
It was THAT magical! XD
Soon after, we arrived at the beautiful Lake Tazawa! ^^
A truly picture-worthy place. :3
All the students acting like total tourists. LOL XP
Peace! *teehee*
Stone lions are always cool! :)
Some day, I will learn more about how Shinto works...
Picture time in front of the Shinto shrine! ^^
One of my favorite pictures~~♡
Me and the girls!♡
A lovely souvenir shop nearby. :)
Apparently, they sell "Tazawako Beer" (Lake Tazawa Beer) here. XD
My souvenir buys - a nice postcard with Tatsuko on it and a cellphone charm
with a little Namahage on it. I thought since we were getting our Japanese cellphones soon,
it would be cool to have something very fundamentally Akita-esque on it. :)
The prepaid Softbank cellphone in question. :)
So, now I can claim that I have a cellphone from that company SMAP was promoting. XD
You have no idea how badass I feel now...
Those pretty men are promoting MY cellphone. XP
After taking pictures on this shore of Lake Tazawa, we piled back onto the bus and drove to the other shore. There, we had a bunch more fun in the sun. :)
On this shore, there was much more to do...
I really love how happy she is in this picture! ^^
Our school-provided bento. :3
And the guys head for the water!
Fun, fun!
We set off after our fearless leader to wade a bit in the lake. :)
I feel like this looks like a scene out of a movie, for some reason -
like one of those idyllic teen summer flicks. XD
like one of those idyllic teen summer flicks. XD
A new addition to our wading party!
I just love all the happiness here! :D
Duck/swan boats galore! XD
:D
Walking around barefoot was such a fun experience. :)
Group pic! :D
Feet pic! XD
It was just calming to stare out at the scenery. :)
Near the end of our time at the lake, we decided we wanted to try going out in one of the boats.
Instead of ending up in a swan boat like we were expecting,
we ended up in a flaming purple rocket ship! XD
The drivers. :)
Fun in the back! ^^
The view from our boat's window. :)
A short while after setting out, we noticed these fish swimming alongside of us!
It was quite the magical moment! :3
Super-pedaling! XD
LOL ^^;;
Boat racing~!
However, after we had gone out on the water for about half an hour, we had to go back to shore and start heading toward our next destination. XD
Hello, Kakunodate! ^^
All the architecture here is so interesting! :)
I can already tell how it would be beautiful here during cherry blossom season. :3
They even had rickshaws! :D
Even the shops look special. :)
Our first samurai mansion destination, the Aoyagi samurai manor! ^^
Although you usually need to pay for tickets, the school had already hooked us up. :3
A helpful English-language guide they gave us at the door. :)
Have I ever mentioned how much I love arms and armor?
Well, if I haven't...
...let's just say that I really love it!♡
Symbolically cleansing my hands... :)
:3
Wood crafts! ^^
More military stuff!! ^^
The Aoyagi samurai manor even had a small musical exhibit. :)
More shrines. :)
Beautiful. :)
Our next destination, the Ishiguro samurai mansion! :D
Inside. :)
I really love these little dolls. :3
And more samurai arms and armor! ^^
We stopped by a ice cream shop to get a breather after a day of excitement. :)
Love.♡
Cool friends being cool again. :D
If you're wondering why a sick Jessica is about to eat another ice cream, let me explain. XD
This is called a "Baba-hera", and apparently it is a specialty here in Akita.
It was quite tasty and so pretty too! :3
LOL. Again. XD
We decided to spend the remaining 15 minutes or so
exploring the lake shore near the buses. :)
It is quite beautiful here too...
Basically, after merely exploring two samurai houses, our party was entirely tired out! Our day seemed so long and we had done so much! It was definitely an amazing experience that I am so glad that our uni arranged. It definitely showed us a different side of Akita. ^^
Now, you may be wondering about the title of this post! *cue obligatory Johnny's-related explanation*
Well, this title is actually a reference to a film called "Chonmage Purin" or "Samurai Pudding", starring one of my favorite Johnny's, Nishikido Ryo of Kanjani8. ^^
Yes, I know he doesn't look his best here,
but he's known among my friends back home as "Super Hot Guy" for a reason!! XD
"Chonmage Purin" is hands down my favorite film, beating out the Lord of the Rings trilogy, which had been my favorite since middle school. (I will not link to LOTR because if you don't know what that is, you should be ashamed of yourself! >.>) The film is about a samurai who gets trapped in modern society and ends up being a skilled pastry chef - a stupid-sounding premise, I know, but it's awesome! I SWEAR!! ^^;;
Anyways, I chose this reference because we had visited Kakunodate, the famous samurai village, and the soy sauce part comes from our visit to the Ando Brewing Kitaura Honkan. XD I thought it would be cute...I couldn't figure out how to fit in a Lake Tazawa reference, though. X_____X;;
Anyways, thank you for reading! I promise I'll try to be better about updating now! XD
Please look forward to my next post on school life here at my uni in Akita! :D
Bye-bye for now!
No comments:
Post a Comment