Hello, everyone! Sorry it has been awhile since I last wrote in here. I have been doing some interesting things with interesting people, but I have been lethargic in getting thoughts and pictures organized to write something meaningful. I will try better in the future.
This last weekend was a three-day holiday here in Japan. Every November 23rd is Labour Thanksgiving Day. To quote Wikipedia, "This national holiday was established in 1948 as an occasion for praising labor, celebrating production and giving one another thanks. Prior to the establishment of this holiday, November 23 was celebrated as an imperial harvest festival called Niiname-sai (新嘗祭)."
To celebrate not working on Monday, I and two others went on a day trip to explore two places: Mount Mitoku in Misasa and Enchō-en in Yurihama.
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| Ladies and gentlemen, allow me to introduce you to two fine people. On the right is Amu Teramoto. Amu speaks phenomenal English (she taught Japanese in Australia for five years). She is a wonderful person to practice Japanese with, because when all else fails, she can explain particulars in English. On the right is David Evans from California. They both live in Yonago and teach English at the same company. |
Mount Mitokusan
Mitokusan is famous for a temple that juts out the edge of a cliff. Unfortunately, you cannot go in, but you can get just close enough to take some pictures. The climb up was not as long as climbing something like Mount Daisen, but the trail is less forgiving. You have to climb up tree roots, rocks, tip-toe on the edge of cliffs with chilling drops, and at one point you can climb up the side of a rock wall on a chain (there is an alternate path for those who can't stomach it). Before reaching the iconic temple, there are two huts that jut out above gigantic valleys. Upon walking along the perimeter of the two huts you are greeted with a hand-rail free walk way that extends into the valleys. If the view doesn't take your breath away, looking down definitely will; the drop is so intimidating one can't help but to experience a calm and terrifying sensation.
Beauty and death were only a two feet difference standing on the walk-way of the hut. It's also worth mentioning that people have died climbing Mount Mitoku, so we were told to be careful by the super-nice monks.
I'd like to mention that some of these pictures were not just taken by me, but also by Amu and David on their phones.
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| This picture doesn't really do it justice, but this part of the trail was very thin with drops on both ends. |
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| Getting to the first hut that extends into the valley. |
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| Once you overcome the butterflies in your stomach, enjoying the view is not hard at all. |
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| The white sashes are given to hikers before embarking on the hike. There are some Kanji written on it, but unfortunately I didn't really bother reading it to figure the meaning. All the climbers looked like they were running for Mayor of some city. |
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| "Put that jacket down! Wait, nooooooooooooooooooooo..." |
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| The path went around the back of this hut. |
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| And there it is! |
Enchō-en (Chinese garden)
After making the climb down back to the car, we headed off to Enchō-en. This place is a Chinese-styled garden, and according to Wikipedia, marks a friendship between Tottori Prefecture (where I live) and Hebei Province in China, both places which are known for their cultivation of pears.
We also fed the Koi fish and watched a twenty-minute long production of Chinese dancing. We could have taken pictures and videos, but I didn't feel like doing so because I wanted to focus on the performance. Rest assured, it was spectacular!
After leaving the Chinese garden, we went back to Yonago and had Ramen. Pretty good end to a pretty good day.
Well, there's that. I'll do my best to try and be a bit more consistent with writing things and uploading pictures. Also, for anyone who cares, I passed my drivers test on the second try and now have a drivers license! Currently looking to rent a car, and today I made some progress when I called up a place recommended to me by a friend. Fingers crossed that I can meet with them soon and roll out in some wheels!
Goodbye and take care, everyone!
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