Traveling Home - Wakkani

 I found another good set of pictures I forgot to post!  These are from my travel days.  Going back home is never as fun as going some place - but at least it didn't take 4 days.  Here are some fun pictures of the travel!

I need gum to fly . . . so I got this lovely breath shower gum . . . not bad really

The futon at the hostel was VERY thin - but it was a cute place

lots of cutesie animals

Nice facilities

Nice lounge with reasonably price beverages.

hairdryer and hairspray provided

they were big on the cutesie clocks

Lots of manga and games and puzzles - the puzzles did not require Japanese - yay!

A more classic clock design

HARRY POTTER - I really wanted to see it but we didn't have time :( we were waiting for the bus.  Yes the movie theater is above the bus station

Life size sully in the lobby!

Shopping street - complete with many many cranes

neat statue

neat dog van

delicious breakfast!

I did enjoy the Seico Mart - or cheap one stop food option.  I had a lovely last Japanese breakfast without fish!  The first time in a month - yay!  here you have a Maxim cafe, egg and ham rice, a small Luna vanilla yogurt (I got this based on a review by a blogger who's reviews I love over at Japanese Snack Reviews), and a Hokkaido printed dorayaki! If you see Hokkaido dorayaki - get it!  It is filled with mochi and red bean - fantastic! I may try to make Hokkaido Dorayaki.  In fact, I'm like 100% sure I will.  How hard can it be?  The Luna yogurt was also quite good - as indicated.  It really is a very small tub of yogurt though. 

Funadomari Festival!

Wrote this one in Japan and didn't manage to post it! Here it is!

The town of Funadomari had a city festival a few days back.  The elementary and middle school children of the town carried around two small portable shrines and then stoped and did some fun dances at a couple of key spots. The town is very small so this didn't take very long.  The end of the "parade" was at the sports centre and featured a yakisoba stall, a shaved ice stall, takoyaki, and yakitori.  I had the takoyaki (octopus balls) and some Blue Hawaii Shaved ice (blue slushy).  Both were good.

Getting ready to start

All dressed up in front of the shrine

The smaller shrine

Bigger kids = bigger shrine

Getting started

Waiting

They are singing enthusiastically

less enthusiastic with a heavier shrine

Dance break!

Pretty flexible

Second group has a more complicated dance

And a snazzy ending

This girl was particularly good

Kind of boring I guess

Cute little shrine!

All the dancers

yakatori

yakisoba

Goldfish!

 The entire festival was very fun.  Lots of cute kids, who seemed very pleased to see a bunch of foreigners show up to see them. In fact, we went to a second festival in Hamanaka and some of the kids from the first festival came up to tell us that we had seen them dance earlier that day.  They also showed up their frog.  Kids are kids.

This one was inside!

Another cute shrine

Win fun prizes!

Overall, it was a really great day.  I would recommend it!

Japanese Cemetery

One of the last things I did in Japan was go to the Cemetery.  I love cemeteries.  It is possible I have mentioned this in the past (See This).  I had some idea of the family style pattern I would find in the cemetery from my Jdramas, but I've never been to a Buddhist or Shinto cemetery (I don't know what this is, probably Buddhist).

The van as viewed through the shrine gates - you can see the ocean of course

it is a really pretty place

Nice new one

Another new one

awesome old one

Big awesome old one

mossy old one

a nice Buddha with this one

Another old one with a Buddha too

Nice association of stones

Very cool

It was a really lovely cemetery with a view of the sea situated on nice rolling hills near some large hills/small mountain. Just beautiful.  We also stopped at the marker for all the fisherman lost at sea, which I thought was particularly nice.  It is right on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. 

Perfect place.

Vanished: Japan Part 1

I didn't really vanish.  I'm in Japan!  Yay!  Doing an excavation from the Jomon period on Rebun Island! Yay! Just got internet - despite being told there would be internet . . . boo! It also took use 4 days to get here due  to canceled flights.  All is well now. 

I'm still very very busy. But I thought I'd go for some fun pictures in clusters.  This first group is called - Rebun Island!

Baggage claim Wakkanai Airport - Seal-Nessy!

Real tiny seals.

Ferry to Rebun Island

Our futon beds! More comfy then they look.  The pillows are filled with small beads though.

Breakfast . . .

Yummy breakfast squid!  The seaweed has a sweet sauce!

Start of the site

Slow down for kids!

Really!

We totally mean it!

Campsite across from the hotel.

Lake something . . .

Lake

Beautiful path

More lake

GIANT PLANTS!

Hotel is over there

Walking!

Look English!

We call these kinds of stairs the stair of death!  Stairs of death!

Mount Rishi.

the ocean!

Found a kitten!

Walk to work

right by the ocean

Though some industrial stuff

with lots of small shacks

but its a nice road

For luck!

So, far Japan is great.  Even the rural bit is pretty interesting.  Nice hikes, good food, and nice people.  Most people here aren't used to foreigners so it is quite interesting.  I'm learning many words though I can't spell any of them!  No thanks had to be learned quickly or I would have exploded with food by now.  I'll post more on food later.  And on hikes.  And on the excavation!  I love my job.  Archaeology is very very fun.  Time to stop hogging the internet!