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| Me and Diane at Gora Park in Hakone |
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| Owakudani |
I think I have finally come to realize what its like living with so many people in Japan...unpredictable! You can't plan things out too much because you never know how much traffic there will be or how long you are going to have to wait in lines! It's good for me, but for those of you who know me, I like to run on a schedule. :) Me and Diane decided to head to a quiet mountainous town away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo for a day-trip to Hakone her last weekend here. Considering the fact that it was a 3-day weekend, many other Japanese had the exact same idea. What we wanted as a nice relaxing, low-key day, turned into "wait in line over half the day with thousands of other people" adventure. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful place, just tainted by the fact that there were people EVERYWHERE, which meant waiting in long lines for trains, cable cars, ropeways, boats, and busses, much worse than Disneyland! We saw a handful of things while in Hakone and one of my favorite stops was at Owakudani, an active volcano zone that has bubbling hot pools, sulfurous fumes, and steam vents! The unique thing about Owakudani is that they use the bubbling hot pools to boil eggs, and sell them at the top of the mountain. The sulfur turns the egg completely black, but the inside of the egg is fully protected by the shell. The Japanese believe that if you eat one of these eggs, it prolongs your life by seven years...so of course I had to try one! Another highlight was the boat ride on Lake Ashi and being able to relax in the sun and take in the scenery. I'd like to go back to Hakone, but note to self...not on a holiday weekend!
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| Lake Ashi, and the boat we took! |
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| Patiently waiting in the lines that went on, and on, and on... |
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| Making my dinner choice! |
I'm learning that there are Hope College connections everywhere, even in Tokyo! I was told by one of my math professors at Hope, Mary DeYoung, that there was a Hope faculty member heading over to Tokyo to teach at one of the universities here for the semester. While I knew of this faculty member and had exchanged a few conversations at Hope with her since she was in charge of the Intramural Program when I was there, I had never really gotten to know her beyond that until last week. I had the privilege of meeting up with Eva Folkert, who is now the Co-Director of Athletics and an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology there! We decided to grab dinner at a local ramen restaurant, where you pick what type of noodles and toppings you want on your soup outside the shop at the ticket station, and then once you get your ticket and pay, you go inside and give the chef your order! It was really fun and something I had wanted to do, and not only was the food delicious, the company was as well. Eva is here through December and we plan to get together many more times in the future. It's so nice to have a taste of home while here, someone who knows my roots and the impact that Hope College had on me as a person. Both came to the conclusion that it must be a "God" thing! :)
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| Me and Ines |
Not only did I have a connection with someone from Hope last week, I also had a connection with someone from Lux! One of my students in Lux that I really got to know through both teaching and coaching, Iris, told me that her sister, Ines, was going to be in Tokyo for a month and that we should get together. I had known Ines as she previously attended ISL so it was fun to spend some time with her and see what has been going on since she left ISL. What an interconnected world we live in! :)
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| Shrine at Lake Ashi |
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| Of course a Hello Kitty figure...its Japan! |
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| Black Eggs! |
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| Mountainous area by Hakone |
I think I have finally come to realize what its like living with so many people in Japan...unpredictable! You can't plan things out too much because you never know how much traffic there will be or how long you are going to have to wait in lines! It's good for me, but for those of you who know me, I like to run on a schedule. :) Me and Diane decided to head to a quiet mountainous town away from the hustle and bustle of Tokyo for a day-trip to Hakone her last weekend here. Considering the fact that it was a 3-day weekend, many other Japanese had the exact same idea. What we wanted as a nice relaxing, low-key day, turned into "wait in line over half the day with thousands of other people" adventure. Don't get me wrong, it was a beautiful place, just tainted by the fact that there were people EVERYWHERE, which meant waiting in long lines for trains, cable cars, ropeways, boats, and busses, much worse than Disneyland! We saw a handful of things while in Hakone and one of my favorite stops was at Owakudani, an active volcano zone that has bubbling hot pools, sulfurous fumes, and steam vents! The unique thing about Owakudani is that they use the bubbling hot pools to boil eggs, and sell them at the top of the mountain. The sulfur turns the egg completely black, but the inside of the egg is fully protected by the shell. The Japanese believe that if you eat one of these eggs, it prolongs your life by seven years...so of course I had to try one! Another highlight was the boat ride on Lake Ashi and being able to relax in the sun and take in the scenery. I'd like to go back to Hakone, but note to self...not on a holiday weekend!
I'm learning that there are Hope College connections everywhere, even in Tokyo! I was told by one of my math professors at Hope, Mary DeYoung, that there was a Hope faculty member heading over to Tokyo to teach at one of the universities here for the semester. While I knew of this faculty member and had exchanged a few conversations at Hope with her since she was in charge of the Intramural Program when I was there, I had never really gotten to know her beyond that until last week. I had the privilege of meeting up with Eva Folkert, who is now the Co-Director of Athletics and an Assistant Professor of Kinesiology there! We decided to grab dinner at a local ramen restaurant, where you pick what type of noodles and toppings you want on your soup outside the shop at the ticket station, and then once you get your ticket and pay, you go inside and give the chef your order! It was really fun and something I had wanted to do, and not only was the food delicious, the company was as well. Eva is here through December and we plan to get together many more times in the future. It's so nice to have a taste of home while here, someone who knows my roots and the impact that Hope College had on me as a person. Both came to the conclusion that it must be a "God" thing! :) 
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