getting to + around Iwami, Tottori (the town that inspired Iwatobi in Free!)

[furiosity]

I tried to be as detailed as I could, but if anything is missing/unclear, please feel free to comment, inbox me, or email my tumblr url @ gmail, and I'll add it in if I know the answer or let you know if I don't. Please note that this guide thing only includes the town of Iwami -- not the Tottori Sand Dunes featured in the ED or the school in

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[furiosity]

No problem at all - it was a lot of fun to retrace our steps. ^^

We didn't encounter that many locals due to the time & season, but the ones we did encounter were by and large very friendly and some chatted with us. We got a few hellos from middle school kids coming back from club activities (even though lessons go on break in April, club activities still continue) but not all of them -- some pointedly ignored us and I think a couple of the girls might've rolled their eyes when they saw our maps. ^^; The questions we got from everyone we did talk to -- the mobile bakery guy, the tourism office clerk, the souvenir shop attendant, an elderly man who chatted us up while we waited for the bus in Tajiri Port, and the bus driver -- was where we were all from and whether we liked anime (or if we had come because of Free!).

[This is actually an interesting moment -- we got asked if we liked anime/Free! even though we were obviously carrying on over the location maps a lot of the time and getting super flaily over posters/photos we spotted. I noticed that people in Japan generally won't assume you like something even if you are, say, carrying a bag/wearing a shirt with the liked thing/person on it; they will ask you if you like it, and once you say yes, they might just go on their way, content to have had you verbally confirm their assumption, or they might ask you follow-up questions (or wait for you to ask them if they like it too -- I'm really bad at reading this particular sign /o\).]

Anyway, I don't think foreigners are that much of a novelty in Iwami because it has some of the local sights (a hot spring resort and Uradome Beach, which leads to Uradome Coast) that are advertised by the National Tourism bureau's site, so while wandering foreigners are probably not an everyday occurrence, we're certainly not an out-of-this-world one.

[airisu7425]

Oh thanks for the details on this, too. :3 It is indeed a bit strange asking about whether liking anime or not, given the circumstances, but maybe it is a starting question for them. Or just as you suspect - they want you to ask back. XD I'll try it in September.

What about speaking English in that area? Could you only communicate in Japanese? My Japanese is pretty weak. *blush*

[furiosity]

I'm not sure about English -- we didn't try communicating in anything other than Japanese (all three of us speak it), but I imagine that you would be able to make yourself understood at the tourism office and the shops even if it was a mix of Japanese/English. The whole "most people in Japan speak some English" thing isn't true; it can be quite hit and miss. Sometimes you'll be in the middle of a teeny village with your big tourist map looking for Hiking Trail A and a local will approach you and offer directions in flawless English, and other times you'll be at Tokyo Station and a senior staff member will need to fetch a colleague to give you directions to the shinkansen tracks. ^^;

If you're not confident about your ability to communicate, if I were you I would brainstorm potential things you might need to ask/say and compile a phrasebook so if all else fails you can show the person your question/comment written down in Japanese, and ask to speak slowly in response. (But you've got plenty of time until September to brush up a little on your Japanese, too! :D)

[airisu7425]

Just got back from my trip in Japan which included a 2-day stop in Iwami. It was an amazing experience, all the locals were super friendly and we were also lucky with the weather. I already want to go (and move) back. >.< Thanks again for your report - it helped a lot to find our ways around. :) And I could even use my limited Japanese and they understood me. XD

Oh gosh, I'm so full of impressions and feelings after my 11-day trip which even included a the Splash dj event this past Sunday and could watch ep12 in our hotelroom right on TV... Yeah, a dream came true for a Free!dom girl like me. :3

[furiosity]

Ahh, that sounds so fantastic, I'm so glad you had an amazing time!!!!!! :D :D Yeah Japan is just one of those places, you either are content to go just once or you always want to go back (I'm planning my third trip already). ^^

[airisu7425]

LOL - I am also planning my second already. XD OK, will only be able to go in the spring of 2018 but I already can't wait. When will you go next?

Fell in love even harder with the country than I did from the distance... :3

[furiosity]

I recently just came into a bit of money so my next trip has moved up from 2016 to fall 2015 if I can get the time off work. I'd go sooner but I probably have to make a trip to Hungary to take care of some family matters. Japan is amazing. There is just so much to see and do and try, omg!

[airisu7425]

I am so happy for you! You only have to wait one year to go back. :)

You're coming to Hungary? We must meet then! Of course, only if you want and have time. :)

There is definitely more in Japan to explore for us. This time we could only see a part of it, especially Osaka since our flight was delayed (we actually had a detour to Yekaterinburg since a passanger died onboard) by 7 hours so missed half a day we planned to do and see there. So yeah, we had an unusual trip, right from the start (we left on 9/11 and guess what our room number was in Tokyo - 911...), but would repeat it right this moment.

[furiosity]

I've been giving some thought to maybe trying to spend a couple of years living & working in Japan, though it's not serious thinking (like, I haven't been doing any research, just idly entertaining the idea). It's definitely nice to think about, at least.

Ahh it would be great to meet you, for sure!! I'm not sure yet if I'm going to go or not -- my dad might end up going instead. We still have to discuss it.

Wow that sounds terrifying??? somebody died??? ;-; wow. well I am glad that it went well despite the weirdness!!!!

[airisu7425]

Unfortunately, for non-native speakers like me and without a researcher or scientific background it is impossible for me to find a job there. *sigh* But it would be fun to live and work there.

OK, we'll see - let me know if you'd be the one to come. :)

Actually, we only got to know the reason after we got there, through someone we know who works at the airline we flew with. We were only told someone got in a critical condition and needed to taken to the nearest hospital which was hard since we were already mid-way above Siberia and the closest airport was a 90-min flight. It was frightening because we did not know any details, how long we will stay there etc. Anyway, I feel sorry for that person and the family.
Yep, despite the weird start, we had a blast. :)