Back from the mountains...

Hi!  It's the three of us together on this one.  We have had a packed three days of sightseeing and fun in the beautiful Japanese "countryside" (there are still big buildings everywhere!)

Our first stop was Mt. Fuji, but unfortunately the famous view was clouded by the even more famous fog.  We spent a little time in the large souvenir shops, tasting more mountain shaped food than we ever thought we would see.  Note:  Be careful of the man who whacks you in the butt with a bell stick before you enter for good luck.

The view from the bus was absolutely spectacular as we drove past the steep volcanic foothills of the Japanese alps.  You could again see the amazing use of space in Japan, as every inch of flat land was residential or farmland, whereas the steep mountains were left untouched. 

Wasabi!  So much wasabi!  Our lunch at the wasabi farm was surprisingly mild considering everything (even the small dessert cake and ice cream) was wasabi flavored.  (Top photo shows a wasabi root)

The farm was beautifully laid out with long curving rows of wasabi plants growing by the river.

Mastumoto Castle:  The last stop of our day (where our legs got a major workout) was an old Japanese castle.  The inside was full of worn wood and steep staircases that you could imagine samurai soldiers sliding down while preparing for battle.  Set in the center of a small city now and surrounded by large mountains (some snow caps even peeked out at us) it reinforced the contrast between traditional and modern that we see everywhere in Japan.

Our traditional tatami mat rooms at the Midori no Mura resort.  The Yukata robes and Obi belts were worn to the bath house at the resort.  The hot springs were relaxing and had an amazing view of the mountains.

Dinner last night!  Fried egg balls of octopus, but we only found that out after we ate them.

Off to the 50th anniversary party!

Until later,

Rachel, Tenzin, Sandy

Exploring Shibuya

After having a 3000 yen dinner the night before, we were looking for a place that was not so costly. We thought a noodle shop would be a good place (price ranging from 300-500 yen). We encountered an ordering machine as soon as we walked in. We handed to the cook our printed receipts and waited for our numbers to be called. As you can tell from the picture, it was DELICIOUS. 

View from Starbucks of the main road in Shibuya.

Note: It's really not easy to find Wi-Fi in Japan. Even Starbucks didn't have it!

Cuteness Overload! Some cute things we encountered in the streets of Shibuya. 

Sandy

Swallowed up by Tokyo: Photo Style!

On our first stroll to wrap our head around the streets of Fuchu, Tokyo we were mainly consumed with attempting to walk properly (on the right or the wrong side of the street) without getting run over by overly energetic bikers. 

We were easily infected with the kawaii virus, which left us quite helpless to finding almost the entirety of all objects in the streets beyond the realm of cute, at which point we were simply squealing - even the boys (*ahem* men). 

On Day 2, I can only describe my feelings of meeting the Techos College students with their overly exuberant laughter and dance moves as they cheered us on as we introduced ourselves after they charmingly persuaded us to walk on a red carpet (a.k.a. Rachel's blog post), no less, as this: 

The Technos students here are so wonderfully talented, specializing in culinary arts, graphic design, hotel management, aviation, wedding planning - we are charmed by their ability to design wedding dresses from scratch. 

 Professor Koven, Sandy, Rachel and I had a little too much fun prepping our skills in hotel management in their mock-bar station which is lit with beautiful lights, handcrafted suits, and wine bottles and whiskey glasses lined up to nurture the art of bartending.

Rachel really wants Sandy to sign up for the hotel...really badly. 

We can never truly end the day without a few funny faces. Nancy (Professor Koven for those of you who don't know her and have yet to have the honor of taking any of her Neurosceince and/or Psych classes with her - which you definitely should!) popped a fuzzy one on us. 

If   you  suddenly find yourself in the path of this little treat,  walk forward, prep your taste buds because you're seriously in for a sour ride. 

Pop one in your mouth. 

Close your eyes and let your nose wrinkle, eyes close on impact and squeal with utter confusion at the sudden change of taste.  

Rachel

Sandy

 P.S. I was a total pro at eating this. :) 

Welcome to Japan!

Until next time, 

Tenzin 

Oh, you've never walked on a red carpet before?...

"Rachel, what's the weather like outside?"

"It's beautiful and sunny, a perfect first day in Japan..."

The view from our hotel room, showing off how well Japanese utilize space in every part of their daily life.

Opening Ceremony:  We were welcomed on a red carpet, students waving our flags and enthusiastic waves of high-fives as we went.  The brief introduction included our names and hobbies shown to the entire campus on a jumbo-tron!

In the afternoon we visited Shinto shrine with Technos students.  Top photo shows a faculty photographer showing us how to properly cleanse ourselves before entering.  Bottom shows a sweet scene of an old couple praying for a wish after 2 bows, 2 claps, and a final bow.

The four of us all speak different native tongues.  Left to right Carolina speaks Italian, Rosa speaks Spanish, Yukino is Japanese and I, well English.  I enjoyed watching Rosa and Carolina teach Yukino bits of Spanish using limited Japanese and English.  The conference is full of interesting backgrounds and random points of cultural exchange.

Our banquet style welcome dinner at a local restaurant helped us get to know all the students much better.  Shouts of "Gan-Bai!" (cheers) rang loudly throughout the evening. 

An assortment of Japanese sodas, coffee and red bean ice cream that our group accumulated over lunch.  The fan in the background was our first place prize for winning the morning scavenger hunt around the college (Go Bobcats!)

Can't wait to head to Mount Fuji tomorrow!
Sandy and Rachel