Japan 2010, Day 013 & 014 - 愛しき古里へ
Combining the last two days together since the last day was mostly flying home.
Today we headed back to Hikone to visit my ancestral hometown of Hinatsu (日夏町). I had never been here before, so of course I was feeling a bit apprehensive. For me today was that moment of a reality check to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
We boarded JR Biwako line and headed to Kawase station. From there we grabbed a cab to Hinatsu-cho. Hinatsu used to be its own town in the old days, but as the municipal districts increased, it was eventually absorbed into the city of Hikone.
Koujinsan (荒神山) and Lake Biwa overlook the town.
During this trip I asked Grandma about our family history, and why we eventually came to America. Apparently during the late Meiji period, my great-great grandparents decided to go to America to capitalize on the lucrative money to be made there. They all returned to Japan a few years later, except for my great-grandmother, who married and decided to stay (at age 19 x_X).
Anyways, Mama (as we called her XD) married my great-grandfather Torajiro, who came by himself to America. Grandma says he was a big risk taker when it came to business, much to Mama's irritation. XD;
Well anyways, this house is the house my great-grandmother grew up in (which is the side I identify with most).
My great-great grandparents used to run a geta store here. It's used as storage now. My great-uncle later told me that my great-great grandfather was really strict (we come from samurai family, and he was in the Imperial army).
The neighborhood is relatively quaint. There's a lot of gardens and matsus growing.
There's also a water wheel here. :D :D
My great-great-grandparents. Kobayashi Souta and… I don't remember her name T_T;
Anyways, our family line technically ended since the only male heir had to adopt the family name of his wife's. So a descendent of my great-great grandmother's relatives has adopted the Kobayashi name and lives here. They were kind enough to invite us in, even though we totally showed up uninvited without a gift (we remedied this later XD;;).
This is our family crest - Maru ni Ken Katabami. Apparently this is a popular one, particularly with samurai families in the Kansai area.
This cute little boy is their grand-child. He was really happy to see guests, and kept bringing out food to eat. He also made me kanpai with his sippy cup at least 5 times. :D
After my grandma and Toru-san talked for a while, he was kind enough to show us around the renovated house. Grandma told me once that there was an active spring in the back yard. While the water is still pumped up, the well itself is covered since it's considered bad luck. The house is soooo nice now. X3
In many ways, this was a big reason for me coming on this trip (apart from relaxing and healing). Up till that moment, my knowledge of where my family came from was always a big mystery. It wasn't something I was interested in, until after Mama passed away in 1999 - that's about when I started really devoting myself to assimilating Japanese language and culture beyond the usual Nikkei things. I just remember that day, that part of me was so unbelievably happy, almost to the point of tears. This was the hometown of my great great-grandparents, and for me it was the feeling of returning home to a place I had never physically been, but had already known of deep inside.
実は「ただ今帰りました」って言いたかった。それで大声を出した。
It was raining pretty heavy, so we headed back to the station. On the way back was a stop at Azuchi, so we decided to go see the Oda Nobunaga museum.
… … unfortunately it was a MONDAY! And everything was CLOSED!
Bummer.
Azuchi is of course where Oda Nobunaga's castle Azuchijo once stood. It was considered one of the greatest castles to ever exist in Japan.
Though Azuchi is long gone, many of Nobunaga's relics still exist, including his sumo ring. Unfortunately, like I said, it was a Monday so even the museum was closed. It was still raining and we didn't want to walk to Azuchi castle ruins, so we decided to eat at a soba place near the station.
3 ladies were working inside. The higawari teishoku was this:
The fish was fresh caught from Lake Biwa, and was served with warm Sobacha. After talking a bit with the ladies, and telling them about our trip, I bought a bag of sobacha to commemorate the yummy lunch. <3
Even though we weren't going to walk to Azuchi castle, we still wanted to get a good view of it.
At the end of that mountain is where Azuchi castle once stood. Protected by lake Biwa on 3 sides, it held a great view of Kyoto and the surrounding areas.
After getting back to Kyoto, we headed to Kiyomizudera so Grandma could get her ojuzu.
I don't think I've ever NOT been to Kiyomizudera when I visit Kyoto. It's one of my favorite places, and I always buy an omikuji every time I go. I got daikishi this time~. XD
Mask of El Presidente between two Hotokes.
Part of the temple was under reconstruction.
Kiyomizudera has a nice view of the Kyoto metropolitan area.
Can see Kyoto tower!
After heading back to Kyoto station, we did something we had never done in all the times we'd been to Japan. We ate at the expensive restaurants at the Cube!!!
The Cube is basically a part of Kyoto Station. It's a massive shopping mall (with Isaten) that goes to the height of Kyoto Tower. When it was built, it was rather controversial since it was kinda large and contrasting to Kyoto in general.
See! Kyoto Tower!
The view down. We're actually standing on top of Isaten.
Didn't believe me when i said 90,000 yen rice cooker eh?
View of Shimogamo.
At the top of the Cube is a bamboo garden.
There are two parts to the Cube eating areas. One is for cheaper food, the other is for the really expensive food. Guess where we went. ;D
English menu of what we ate for dinner.
View from our table.
SOooo oooooooo oooooo good !!! I love Kyo food! I love Tofu! And tofu is this city's specialty! >w<
Night time at Kyoto Station.
Later we went downstairs for dessert. Maccha shaved ice with kinako and azuki!
Eat your heart out Tokyo (except for your ramen)! I'm a Kansai boy for life!
Final shot of the night.
-----------------------------------------
Last Day:
The last day was rather uneventful since it was mostly airport waiting. I had my last meal of rice, miso soup, fish, soft tofu, tsukemono, umeboshi, and all the wonderful Japanese breakfast~. ;-;
In front of Kyoto station was a shuttle to go to Itami airport.
Took a few photos of Kyoto and Osaka on the way to the airport.
At Itami, we had lunch.
Then our plane took off to Narita.
At Narita I tried to use up the last of my spare yen.
I've LOOOOVED these since I was a kid. MILKY CARAMEL! >w<
Last shot before heading home. And with that, my 2010 trip came to an end.
As far as Japan trips went, this one was probably one of the best. I went to way more places, and saw way more sights than I could have ever hoped to imagine. >w<
日本よ〜 ありがとうね！いろいろお世話になって、この二週間のすべてが最も楽しかった！全部楽しかった！多くの初体験があったり魂は元に戻したりして最後の最後まで歓喜だった！
またいつか遊びに行ける日を楽しみに待っていますよ！ぜひ！
Today we headed back to Hikone to visit my ancestral hometown of Hinatsu (日夏町). I had never been here before, so of course I was feeling a bit apprehensive. For me today was that moment of a reality check to make sure I wasn't dreaming.
We boarded JR Biwako line and headed to Kawase station. From there we grabbed a cab to Hinatsu-cho. Hinatsu used to be its own town in the old days, but as the municipal districts increased, it was eventually absorbed into the city of Hikone.
Koujinsan (荒神山) and Lake Biwa overlook the town.
During this trip I asked Grandma about our family history, and why we eventually came to America. Apparently during the late Meiji period, my great-great grandparents decided to go to America to capitalize on the lucrative money to be made there. They all returned to Japan a few years later, except for my great-grandmother, who married and decided to stay (at age 19 x_X).
Anyways, Mama (as we called her XD) married my great-grandfather Torajiro, who came by himself to America. Grandma says he was a big risk taker when it came to business, much to Mama's irritation. XD;
Well anyways, this house is the house my great-grandmother grew up in (which is the side I identify with most).
My great-great grandparents used to run a geta store here. It's used as storage now. My great-uncle later told me that my great-great grandfather was really strict (we come from samurai family, and he was in the Imperial army).
The neighborhood is relatively quaint. There's a lot of gardens and matsus growing.
There's also a water wheel here. :D :D
My great-great-grandparents. Kobayashi Souta and… I don't remember her name T_T;
Anyways, our family line technically ended since the only male heir had to adopt the family name of his wife's. So a descendent of my great-great grandmother's relatives has adopted the Kobayashi name and lives here. They were kind enough to invite us in, even though we totally showed up uninvited without a gift (we remedied this later XD;;).
This is our family crest - Maru ni Ken Katabami. Apparently this is a popular one, particularly with samurai families in the Kansai area.
This cute little boy is their grand-child. He was really happy to see guests, and kept bringing out food to eat. He also made me kanpai with his sippy cup at least 5 times. :D
Click to viewAfter my grandma and Toru-san talked for a while, he was kind enough to show us around the renovated house. Grandma told me once that there was an active spring in the back yard. While the water is still pumped up, the well itself is covered since it's considered bad luck. The house is soooo nice now. X3
In many ways, this was a big reason for me coming on this trip (apart from relaxing and healing). Up till that moment, my knowledge of where my family came from was always a big mystery. It wasn't something I was interested in, until after Mama passed away in 1999 - that's about when I started really devoting myself to assimilating Japanese language and culture beyond the usual Nikkei things. I just remember that day, that part of me was so unbelievably happy, almost to the point of tears. This was the hometown of my great great-grandparents, and for me it was the feeling of returning home to a place I had never physically been, but had already known of deep inside.
実は「ただ今帰りました」って言いたかった。それで大声を出した。
It was raining pretty heavy, so we headed back to the station. On the way back was a stop at Azuchi, so we decided to go see the Oda Nobunaga museum.
… … unfortunately it was a MONDAY! And everything was CLOSED!
Bummer.
Azuchi is of course where Oda Nobunaga's castle Azuchijo once stood. It was considered one of the greatest castles to ever exist in Japan.
Though Azuchi is long gone, many of Nobunaga's relics still exist, including his sumo ring. Unfortunately, like I said, it was a Monday so even the museum was closed. It was still raining and we didn't want to walk to Azuchi castle ruins, so we decided to eat at a soba place near the station.
3 ladies were working inside. The higawari teishoku was this:
The fish was fresh caught from Lake Biwa, and was served with warm Sobacha. After talking a bit with the ladies, and telling them about our trip, I bought a bag of sobacha to commemorate the yummy lunch. <3
Even though we weren't going to walk to Azuchi castle, we still wanted to get a good view of it.
At the end of that mountain is where Azuchi castle once stood. Protected by lake Biwa on 3 sides, it held a great view of Kyoto and the surrounding areas.
After getting back to Kyoto, we headed to Kiyomizudera so Grandma could get her ojuzu.
I don't think I've ever NOT been to Kiyomizudera when I visit Kyoto. It's one of my favorite places, and I always buy an omikuji every time I go. I got daikishi this time~. XD
Mask of El Presidente between two Hotokes.
Part of the temple was under reconstruction.
Kiyomizudera has a nice view of the Kyoto metropolitan area.
Can see Kyoto tower!
After heading back to Kyoto station, we did something we had never done in all the times we'd been to Japan. We ate at the expensive restaurants at the Cube!!!
The Cube is basically a part of Kyoto Station. It's a massive shopping mall (with Isaten) that goes to the height of Kyoto Tower. When it was built, it was rather controversial since it was kinda large and contrasting to Kyoto in general.
See! Kyoto Tower!
The view down. We're actually standing on top of Isaten.
Didn't believe me when i said 90,000 yen rice cooker eh?
View of Shimogamo.
At the top of the Cube is a bamboo garden.
There are two parts to the Cube eating areas. One is for cheaper food, the other is for the really expensive food. Guess where we went. ;D
English menu of what we ate for dinner.
View from our table.
SOooo oooooooo oooooo good !!! I love Kyo food! I love Tofu! And tofu is this city's specialty! >w<
Night time at Kyoto Station.
Later we went downstairs for dessert. Maccha shaved ice with kinako and azuki!
Eat your heart out Tokyo (except for your ramen)! I'm a Kansai boy for life!
Final shot of the night.
-----------------------------------------
Last Day:
The last day was rather uneventful since it was mostly airport waiting. I had my last meal of rice, miso soup, fish, soft tofu, tsukemono, umeboshi, and all the wonderful Japanese breakfast~. ;-;
In front of Kyoto station was a shuttle to go to Itami airport.
Took a few photos of Kyoto and Osaka on the way to the airport.
At Itami, we had lunch.
Then our plane took off to Narita.
At Narita I tried to use up the last of my spare yen.
I've LOOOOVED these since I was a kid. MILKY CARAMEL! >w<
Last shot before heading home. And with that, my 2010 trip came to an end.
As far as Japan trips went, this one was probably one of the best. I went to way more places, and saw way more sights than I could have ever hoped to imagine. >w<
日本よ〜 ありがとうね！いろいろお世話になって、この二週間のすべてが最も楽しかった！全部楽しかった！多くの初体験があったり魂は元に戻したりして最後の最後まで歓喜だった！
またいつか遊びに行ける日を楽しみに待っていますよ！ぜひ！