The Japan All Around MeThis is mostly a lot of babble about where I am in Japan and what it's like, supplemented by some photos. This is a great opportunity to thank Mom and Dad once again for the graduation present: A digital camera! (thank you!!)
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Did you think it would look like this? Wrong!
Your impression of Japan is probably Tokyo. Why shouldn't it be? It's huge, famous, and one third of Japan's population live within its large city structures. I, however, am not living in anything that resembles Tokyo at all in any way, shape, or form. Instead, I am living in Northern Japan, a region known as Tohoku. Tohoku is often referred to as the "real Japan" because it has gone through the least amount of change while Japan has become a modernized (although not necessarily westernized) nation. Tohoku can often be compared to the Appalachian region of the U.S. - rich in traditional mountain culture and a determined, slighly rustic (if not backwoods), and agriculturally-focused attitude. More specifically, I am living in a small village nestled between a few mountains, very close to the large and majestic Mount Iwate, an active volcano that takes my breath away every time I see it. There aren't many people in my rural area, the population is comprised mostly of farmers who work in the same rice paddies that their families have owned for hundreds of years. These fields cover pretty much every area that isn't the steep slope of a mountain. |
Before I came here I was told that I would be working in "Iwate-machi" or "Iwate town." With this name I expected just that, a town. Not so. Iwate-machi is an area about the size of an average county in the U.S. Iwate-machi has a few small villages, the largest of which, known as Numakunai, I live in. The areas between villages are either the above mentioned mountains and rice paddies. Because I work for the Iwate-machi borard of education, I visit schools all over this area, sometimes driving 45 minutes away (45 minutes in good weather conditions, that is) to reach small schools in the mountains. I don't mind this at all, though, because it's a fantastically beautiful area. I have always loved mountains (and really missed them while at college in flat, boring, corn-covered Indiana), and the ones here are exceptionally beautiful. During my long drives to various schools I always seem to notice something new that's really beautiful or interesting. |
My tiny village of Numakunai is growing. This was inspired, I am sure, by the opening of a Shinkansen (bullet train) station in the town. This still seems absurd to me because the town seems too tiny for a super express train station (plus the change of companies raised local train prices as well), but it has helped us acquire a grocery store with more than 5 aisles (wow!), a sidewalk down the main street (fewer chances of running over small children and even smaller grandmothers, excellent!), and a small road-side rest area that sells some not-so-great blueberry wine and miniature cat figurines with real cat fur (Okay, I admit, I just find the real fur creepy, but I thought I would share it with you anyway). Other than these new additions the town's shops are mostly small and family owned, and Numakunai is a quiet and relaxed little town. There are a total of 7 traffic lights (I've counted), half of which turn to blinking yellow lights at 9pm. I believe this could very well be the safest town on earth. Numakunai is a short drive away from the 40 (latitude) and 141 (longitude) line, and Japan's weather patterns pretty much follow those I was familiar with in the U.S. (although colder than Alabama). We do have a few interesting things, however, such as Typhoons. These are largely due to being an island and, since these storms have their own important-sounding word (Typhoon, it just sounds like it'll blow you away!), I thought they would be really frightening - much like the tornadoes I was used to in the southern U.S. My first experience of a typhoon, however, was not so impressive. In fact, one of my friends accurately described it as "A Big Rain Storm." On the other hand, we often get a natural event that I am becoming fond of, as well as accustomed to: Earthquakes! Apparently there are many more of these than I can feel, but when I can feel them, I think they're kind of cool. This is likely due to the fact that I haven't experienced anything disasterous or damaging, but instead the ground just shakes for a while. Unlike typhoons, their name accurately describes the experience. 
This is Iwate-san, or Mount Iwate, it's by far one of my favorite sights in the area... although it often disappears behind clouds. Where will I ramble to next? |
