These totally would have been okay pictures were the tall ships not in the way.
Tracks
Hansen Matsuri
In late April there was a festival called Hansen Matsuri, and it was just like the tall ships coming in back home. Only they had big fireworks as well. (As per Japanese fashion) To be honest, the fireworks were a little disappointing, no where near as big as the Celebration of Lights back home, but the second day was much better. 
Some of the candle displays that were on, and some of the selling products. Also, I forgot they had some incense going. They were fun to watch.
Candle Night 2012.04.27
My conversation partner is part of a group/circle (as they’re called here) called NEST, and I can’t remember what it stands for, but they deal with a lot of fair trade goods and support orphans in Cambodia and things like that. It seems a couple times a year they have Candle Nights where they turn off all the lights and put candles all around the student lounge. For a small price they sell fair trade coffee, black tea and cookies. It was fun.
I wouldn’t quite call this a students meal, but my Canadian friend and I have taken to this as our snack food. Sliced salami and Ritz crackers.
Second Day Leaving Unzen 2012.04.22
We had to wake up early to eat breakfast (and in some cases were shoved and forced to eat by the slightly over persistent tour guide who didn’t really do a whole lot during the trip.
This is… slightly less palatable. But an okay breakfast I suppose. Very Japanese.
After that, we were told we had to go on a tour of hell, which is what they call the onsen here because of all the sulfur and smoke and smell. So we went… but we got left behind by our supposed guide, and the other students that were supposed to be guiding us were stuck to only a couple people. But we found our way back eventually.
Next we went to a natural disaster museum which was pretty fun. Except for the guides there rushed us through it as well. Apparently there was a huge volcanic eruption many many years ago and because of that, the surrounding cities always have to be ready for it, and that’s what the disaster museum is all about. You can even experience a simulation-like version of volcanic eruption. Scary, but fun.
Lastly we went to a site with sunken houses from the volcanic eruption. We were there almost 40 minutes early, so we had some extra time to wander around, but I think I would have preferred exploring the disaster museum more. We also ate lunch there and it was considerably more delicious than the hotel food. It was fun to spend our time there.
Actually, I have a lot of pictures of people, and not so many pictures of scenery, so I will post what I have of the scenery, but not of the people in case they don’t want me to.
The lookout would have been nice if the weather was nice, probably.
Our dinner set was pretty good, but an awful lot of food.
The hotel’s provided yukata for us to wear, probably to the onsen. We also got pamphlets ahead of time, telling us how to go about the whole onsen thing and also how to put on yukata’s. We read them thoroughly once inside our rooms.
First Day in Unzen 2012.04.21
Our big field trip this semester was a trip to Unzen, famous for it’s natural hot springs. It was an interesting trip.
Here at the dorm, every Friday is curry night, so naturally, the night before we left, we had curry for dinner. Unfortunately, when we arrived at the hotel we were staying at in Unzen, they also gave us curry for lunch. It was… mediocre curry. There was very little meat in it, and it was kind of watery.
On our way up to Unzen, which is, like most of Nagasaki, up a mountain, we stopped by a tourist-y place where we were supposed to go up the mountain for a better view, but because the winds were so strong that the cable car wasn’t running, we gave up and just wandered around for a while. We went as a whole to take pictures in an open area, which took forever and all of us were so cold. But it was a fun experience. After that, I descended the mountain area with my friend because it had started raining, whereas some others accidentally followed one of our school people thinking he was heading down when he was actually exploring himself. They had a wonderfully wet time and returned to the bus looking like drowned cats.
Because of the rain, we were granted free time once we arrived in Unzen. This could have been better planned, because both buses went to the gym right away, so if you didn’t go to the gym from the start, it was difficult to get there afterwards.
I went with some others to a traditional old candy shop and then walked to the gym in the rain and got to play some badminton. It was a lot of fun once I got there. I got to ride the bus back. Thinking back on it now, I played with and talked to a lot of people on that trip, and then didn’t talk to them again for probably almost a month. But when I did talk to those people again, it was a lot of fun, and there was very little awkwardness. But maybe that was just on my end.
Upon our return it was time for dinner which was interesting, but way too much food, as far as I was concerned. But it was delicious.
After dinner we played a kind of lame but fun true or false game where they mixed the NICS (students from Asian countries like China, Taiwan, and Korea, so they didn’t speak English) and JASIN (all other exchange students) students into teams so that we could properly mingle with each other. The trivia was entertaining and hectic as well.
After dinner we played a kind of lame but fun true or false game where they mixed the NICS (students from Asian countries like China, Taiwan, and Korea, so they didn’t speak English) and JASIN (all other exchange students) students into teams so that we could properly mingle with each other. The trivia was entertaining and hectic as well.
After that was the enlightening experience of entering the onsen. Naked. With other people. I mean, you get used to it eventually, but it is all kinds of awkward before you do. For starters, they only give you two small towels. One you are supposed to use to dry off with afterwards, and one you use to keep your hair out of the water. We used that one to hide our top halves in the water. The nice thing about Unzen onsen water is that it is murky, so you don’t really need to hide yourself. There are so many minerals in the water that it is almost impossible to see anything. (When I later went to Ioujima with Japanese people I found out that towel is not supposed to go in the water) Truthfully, after the initial awkwardness, it is the most comfortable bath I have ever entered in my life. And my skin felt amazing for days afterwards.
After that, we had a good time being rambunctious in one of the rooms before heading back to bed quickly. I went back rather early, I’m not a late partier, plus they were having us leave rather early the next day.
Tried posting this about 12 times and it never worked. From when we were in Kyoto checking out Nijo Castle. We lost Mom and Dad after the caterpillar video, and this is actually right before we found them again. Luck?
- March 19th.
