The Soba Challenge

We departed Hiroshima right on schedule and I thanked my lucky stars that our lovely travel agent had booked a hotel immediately adjacent to the shinkansen station as it was a very early start and with a train change to make along the way, we were determined to meet up with our coach bus in Himeji on time. Everything went smoothly once again (yay, team!!) and we were finally aboard a bus bound for Izushi, an ancient castle town famous for the Izushi Soba noodle. It was a fairly long ride and many of us napped after the rushed start to the day. Upon arrival in Izushi we were met by the staff of Hyogo International Association, who took us to an Izushi family restaurant where the owner had an area set up to teach us all how to make soba. We all got in it up to our elbows and concentrated hard on making the perfect shape and texture. I can tell you it wasn't nearly as easy as it looked and required quite a bit of muscle to knead the dough! Once the noodles were all completed we then moved on to another restaurant where we had our own noodles cooked as well as the restaurant's own home product. I would like to say that I couldn't tell the difference between the two, but I suspect the Japanese in our group may not quite agree. The restaurant policy is to award a prize to the person, who eats the most plates of soba, and on this occasion the award goes to.....Shingo!! Who else?? :) I think he had close to 30 plates. Actually, Yuki came pretty close, but I am afraid the rest of us put in a pretty poor effort. With full tummies we then took a guided walk around the beautiful town and admired the sheer enormity of the famous clock tower.

As the tour's end draws near, a rainbow appears

Ok, ok, I realise I have let some of you down by not updating the blog over the last few days, but truly you can't believe the schedule that we have undertaken. We have been from Hiroshima and Miyajima to Izushi and Kinosaki in northern Hyogo, then to Kyoto, Nara, and Mie Prefecture in just a few days. There was certainly something to be said for having a home base rather than having to pack up your suitcase each morning!! I will upload some photos soon, but rest assured that we are all ok, we have finished all scheduled activities, and are now headed for our final hotel in Osaka tonight. Sadly we said farewell to Team Member, Clare, this morning as she has now headed up to Shizuoka. Team Member, Tony, also left us just after lunch in Nara to continue on his journey. It feels very strange after two such wonderful weeks together that the time has come for people to start going their separate ways. Of our group of 15 eight team members will remain in Japan for varying lengths of time and with their own schedules. Seven of us will depart Japan tomorrow with amazing memories, wonderful new friends, and I suspect several extra kilos of both luggage and body weight!! This picture does not do it any justice, but as the tour draws to a close, we have just witnessed the most amazing full rainbow from the windows of the bus. Honestly, the colours were absolutely incredible and it really looked like you could see the full arc touching the ground at either end. What a wonderful feeling and a really apt image for our tour group.

The Highs and Devastating Lows of Technology

I had been worrying about this day for some time as we were due to catch the 8:59am shinkansen bound for Hiroshima and I really had some doubts as to our ability to check out of the hotel on time, get all our luggage to the station, then all jump on the shinkansen together with our luggage in the orderly, efficient manner that the Japanese achieve these things. Until now we have been so spoilt as apart from the homestay, we have had a single base at which we could leave our luggage and just pop in and out each day. However, from here on in we are on the move and carrying our luggage as we go, making things a tad more tricky to coordinate. Nevertheless, our fab team did not let me down and we achieved our task with military precision, much to the relief of our lovely travel coordinator, Kazu-chan. For many it was the first ride on a shinkansen and I think everyone was suitably impressed although the Japanese in the group immediately all fell asleep as only Japanese can do as soon as they take a seat. We arrived in Hiroshima and immediately transferred into a bus, which took us to the Peace Park and museum. There we were met by two wonderful volunteer guides, who took us around for a good few hours and shared their wealth of knowledge with us. At the Peace Memorial Terrena was able to leave her string of origami cranes that had been lovingly made by her students. Overwhelmingly our guide claimed that some 30 million cranes were delivered to the site each year from all over the world. How absolutely wonderful that Sadako's story still lives on so strongly both domestically and in the international arena. Time spent in Hiroshima left everyone a little quiet and lost in their own thoughts as we boarded the bus again bound for the ferry to Miyajima. It was strange to see our normally robust, chatty group so transformed by the experience, but I certainly don't think there were any regrets. A quick stop for some of Hiroshima's famous okonomiyaki at the ferry terminal well and truly satisfied our hunger pains before the quick ferry trip across to the iconic Miyajima. While the beautiful red shrine gate is often best seen at dusk and when it seems to be floating on water, it was still a majestic sight in the mid afternoon. We wandered with the deer and enjoyed a lovely afternoon although this was our first time to feel like real tourists as there were crowds at every turn. Returning to Hiroshima on the ferry I suddenly felt a twinge of sadness as it felt like we had made a turn towards the end of the tour. What a week and a half it had been so far!!

Home Away From Home...Homestay thoughts by Team Member, Tereena

Sunday morning at the Kobe Hotel saw a chatty group of Australians sharing their amazing experiences with their host families. Tales of interesting meals, generous hosts and a wide variety of activities were shared. The host families lived in a variety of apartments and houses, both inner city and in the mountainous countryside. We were able to experience relaxing in Japanese おふろ (deep baths) and sleeping on ふとん in たたみ rooms. Walking around the local neighborhood and sharing information about everyday life and tourist attractions in both Japan and Australia, I personally found that I could speak and understand more Japanese than I had expected. I could converse easily with the children, who were very excited to practice their English skills. I played card games and Wii, watched soccer training and TV, shared photos and videos from Australia. Many of us had lessons in cooking Japanese dishes, and even shared the idea of using avocado in makizushi (unheard of in Japan!). I am sure many of us have made friends with whom we will continue to maintain contact. Homestay has definitely added a valuable extra dimension to the tourist experience. A side note from Melissa: the host families were voluntary and coordinated by Hyogo International Association. We extend our heartfelt thanks to HIA and all families involved for their warmth and generosity.

A Date with Astro Boy and Go the Mighty Hanshin Tigers!

Welcoming everyone back from homestay on Sunday morning I really wasn't sure what to expect, but I was so relieved to see the big smiles and excited chatter as everyone shared their stories. It was time to get on the road once more so we boarded the bus bound for Takarazuka, home of the famous all female revue. Our initial intention had been to see the revue, but despite our best efforts the tickets had sold out within a matter of hours when first released so we were left to find an alternative plan. We started with a lovely lunch at Takarazuka Hotel although I must confess personal disappointment that our meal did not include the chocolate fountain that grabbed our attention both by sight and amazing aroma as we walked in the door. From there we walked to the Tezuka Osamu Museum, which shows all of the wonderful character creations of this godfather of anime. After a walk around the museum and a thousand photos with Astro Boy it was time make our way to the ball game. Yes, baseball is one of the most popular sports in Japan and a little bit of drizzle was not going to dampen our excitement. The famous Hanshin Tigers were playing at their home ground Koshien Stadium and it was easy to see that the Tigers fans far outnumbered the Swallows'. Team Members, Tereena and Vince, got kitted out somehow just as we were walking to the stadium - that truly was shopping efficiency! Once inside the atmosphere was electric. There was constant clapping and cheering going on, but not in a random, haphazard manner. The clapping routines and cheer songs seemed to be automatically understood by the entire audience and we quickly fell into step. At the end of certain innings the entire crowd blew up balloon whistles, which were then released on cue to a loud roar. I must confess to knowing only the very basic details of baseball, but I found myself getting well and truly caught up in the feverish excitement. Dinner was a sushi extravaganza followed by a stroll through Kobe Harbourland, the perfect spot for any romantic at heart. Ahhh...I feel a twinge of sadness as I now think of leaving Kobe, which has been home for the last 8 days. What a beautiful city and what amazing hospitality we have received. PS: Congratulations to Jemma for surviving her day in the sash...she was not at all comfortable being on display, but we thought she looked like Miss Australia... :)

From Serenity to Shopping Frenzy

We decided to take a little more relaxed approach to our day in Osaka on Friday so cancelled all scheduled arrangements for a free shopping day. This meant leaving the comfort zone of our tour bus and getting everybody on and off the local trains. It was a great experience although a little tricky trying to keep everyone together in the crowds. After a long week the call of "real coffee" was too much for some and we had to make a stop at Starbucks to replenish the caffeine cravings. Team Member, Diane, was a great sport and proudly wore her sash everywhere after receiving it as a result of her prowess at karaoke the night before. After a week of sightseeing and minimal time to explore any shops the team members were all excited by the massive shopping arcades suddenly in sight and I think quite a few souvenirs and gifts were purchased. Before we knew it, it was time to head back to Kobe where most of the team members were meeting with their host families with whom they would spend Friday and Saturday night. There was a bit of nervous energy amongst the group, but everyone was excited to see what the next couple of days would hold. As for me....it will be a catch up on sleep!!!

Serenity, Sake, Soak, Slumber

You could be forgiven for thinking I was still soaking away in the onsen since it has been a while since I have posted. Sorry! To be honest, Thursday was just such a magical day that it has been hard to think of the appropriate words to explain it. We were greeted at the hotel by my wonderful friend from Hyogo International Association, Mr Nishiguchi, who announced that he had a special treat for us. He had arranged for us to visit an old, family operated sake brewery in the Tamba district of Hyogo. We arrived at the brewery, Ichijima, and discovered that the owner, Mr Yamana, was the seventh generation of his family to run the brewery and they had been producing for 296 years. Mr Yamana explained the production process to us in great detail and then showed us around the facility, which is also his home. After that we enjoyed sake tasting and of course ended up buying many products, particularly the Yuzu variety, which is a type of Japanese citrus. Upon departure Mr Yamana presented our group with a huge bottle of one of his finest and told us to enjoy it on the bus. We thought it was a joke, but in fact the bottle was opened as soon as the bus took off and we were once again very merrily on our way. The next stop was the Hyogo Prefectural Museum of Ceramic Art. It is the only museum in Japan dedicated to ceramic art and it showcases both special exhibitions and the works of the 60 ceramic artists in the surrounding area. The grounds are absolutely exquisite and there is even a magnificent tea house where people can join in tea ceremony while admiring the view. Many of us felt like we could just spend a day in that environment...it was almost like we had come across an oasis in the middle of nowhere. I suspect this is not a stop for the average tourist as it would not be the easiest place to reach so we all felt very privileged. However, it was time to stop just admiring and start doing so we headed off to the home of one of the local ceramic artists, who so kindly invited us in to show us how the pottery is made. Then it was our turn to have a go and while Team Member, Tony, worked up quite a sweat, you can see that Team Member, Neil, was very proud of his creation. It may be appropriate at this point for me to explain the sash that you may have noticed in some of the photos. I started announcing our Team Member of the day each evening at dinner based on certain achievements each day. A few days in I realised that a simple announcement was not enough so I decided to go and buy a sash, which basically says "Person of the Day". In good spirits the recipients for the first few days spent a few hours each wearing the sash to the great amusement of the Japanese people at the places we visited. Congrats to Gladys, Terrena, Jay, and Neil, who have all had their moment :) After drinking up sake, immersing ourselves in nature, then trying our hand at pottery, it was time to head to Arima for a gorgeous banquet and onsen at the famous Arima Grand Royal Hotel. Wow! What an experience!! Fortunately it was all a little rushed so there was no time for shyness amongst the ladies (not sure about the men), but we all got our gear off and got into the hot spring, which is located on the top floor of the hotel. There is not only an indoor spring, but also two outdoor ones, each with different properties to make us beautiful and healthy. Not that I felt particularly beautiful with a beetroot red face, but it was still worth it. Following the bath we were served course after course of exquisite food to the point that I felt like just rolling off my chair and going to sleep on the tatami mat right then and there. We all felt so tired, but in a really wonderful, totally relaxed and satisfied way.