Girls weekend in KagaOnsen, Part 1

Me and Miyuki on the balcony of our room, obviously very excited!

View from our huge room at Nagayama Rokyan

Yoko, my Japanese teacher, is such a star! This weekend she organised a girly stayover at a ryokan (Japanese style hotel) called Nagayama (ながやま) for 13 of us ladies in KagaOnsen. She'd found a deal in the paper (which of course I can't read so I'd never know about it) for ￥6500　about ₤43 which included a night's stay, onsen (hot spring) to use as many time as you want, all you can eat buffet dinner (known as tabehoudai), after dinner show entertainment and a buffet breakfast the next morning. Bargain!

Any preconceptions I had about the Japanese being an enchanting and mysterious race (probably spawned from seeing countless exotic images of Geisha, their bowing culture and other fine etiquettes) were blown out of the water for me this weekend because, believe it or not....the Japanese are huge fans of Butlins type TACKINESS! They love it, in fact they revel in it. I thought it was only us Brits! This weekend was such an eye opener into what the average Japanese family do at weekends.

I have so much to write about I'll split it into several posts. So we met at Kanazawa station and took a train (about 30 mins) directly to KagaOnsen station. We then all piled on a little bus whose conductor was probably older than Grandad, bless.

Choosing our yukatas (I had to have "large" damn those Japanese for being so teeny!)

Got to the ryokan (which was huge) and spent a lot of time deciding on which yukata (summer style kimono) we wanted to wear. Once you have your yukata you can wear this everywhere, for dinner, in the bar etc like being at a health farm at home)

Some of our futon beds lined , very cosy!

Our room was huge and looked like a girls dormitory, only Japanese style of course (futon beds lined up on the floor)

Me and the ladies having Japanese tea in our room at Nagayama ryokan

Homemade rice crackers (sembei)

We then sat on floor cushions and polished off the complimentary green tea and mochi (pounded rice cake) in seconds. Once this was gone, the older ladies brought out more food, homemade rice crackers, oranges, chestnut cake and pastries. I don't know how the Japanese stay so thin!

We then all trooped off to the onsen (hot spring) on the 6th floor in our yukatas. Being the ONLY gaijin (foreigner) in the whole hotel I was actually thinking that eyes were going to be all on me in the onsen (you see you have to go naked in an onsen) especially with all my cellulite wobbling about with nothing for it to comfortably hide behind but was relieved when they didn't stare at all. Although who knows what they were doing behind my back!

Early dinner at 5pm in the "restaurant" which was more like a canteen packed with about 150 Japanese adults and kids running about everywhere. I so wish I'd filmed the ABSOLUTE frenzy of the Japanese around the buffet. I thought it was bad in India! Everyone pushing and shoving (esp around the sushi table), trays getting dropped on the floor and the kids hogging the chocolate fondue fountain. Crazy...

The buffet was amazing though, a huge salmon with head and tail cut open like we have in England, the only difference being that the Japanese were eating the salmon raw. I do actually love sashimi (raw fish without the rice) but actually picking pieces directly out of a whole fish did make my stomach turn a bit. The buffet also had miso soup, tempura vegetables with a dipping sauce, 3 kinds fo rice (plain, adzuke bean and chestnut), pickled fish, boiled tofu and soy, chawamushi (Japanese steamed egg custard), green sesame beans, sesame aubergine and countless varieties of sushi (squid, octopus, salmon, tuna etc). There was even a "western buffet counter" with (I hang my head with shame) chips and deep fried fish cutlets....

Anyway here are my first helpings, all washed down with a glass of nama! (draft beer)!

My first helpings from the buffet....

Dinner was followed by cake and ice . We then we all hit the hotel's own little theatre en masse. I'll write about that in another post.

The Theatre: Hidden gem of a restaurant in Kanazawa

Me and Kari doing our best trying to look sophisticated....

Met the girls tonight for a girly dinner and catch up. Standing about trying to decide where to go, Ayako told us about this restaurant that her and her hubby Dustin went to a few weeks ago.

We trekked off to the restaurant, called "The Theatre". Never has the phrase "don't judge a book by its cover" been more pertinent to describe this place!

There's a scrappy looking sign outside the building with an arrow pointing up, ahh its on the 4th floor. There's no lift so you have to trek up 4 floors of a really manky outdoor stairwell.

BUT people I promise, you will be rewarded for the restaurant is such a hidden gem and a wonderful surprise when you get inside. To be honest half way up the stairs myself and Kari were ready to turn back but it was only for Ayako's insistence...

Inside the restaurant has a french shabby boutique cafe feel (rare in Kanazawa I've realised) Wooden floorboards, soft lighting, little Parisian style patio chairs, plants and a very chilled out ambiance.

The owner was the only one there. He was not only serving drinks but prepping the food, cooking it and serving it. God I love a guy who can multi-task...

The menu (in Japanese I'm afraid peeps) advertised homemade pizzas, pastas, rice dishes, salads and a selection of yummy appetizers. We had the homemade "clog your arteries with every mouthful" 4 cheeses pizza which I can highly recommend as well as a few random appetizers.

3 bottles of Chilean's finest red wine later, we stumbled down the 6 flights of stairs narrowly avoiding injury. By the time we left the place had filled up with locals just having drinks so I guess it's a bar to hang out in too. I felt like a right "insider", this isn't a place you'd stumble across thats for sure but well worth the leap of faith and manky stairwell.

The Theatre is in the above building on a little street just behind Kanazawa City Hall. To being extra helpful I've even put it on a google map. Have fun there!

View The Theatre Restaurant, Kanazawa in a larger map

How to use a Western toilet in Japan

Sign in the loo cubicle

On the way back from Osaka in the summer our bus stopped for a quick loo break at the service station. When I got into the loo cubicle I couldn’t stop laughing when I saw this resist this sign of how to use a Western toilet. I guess it’s aimed at the older Japanese generation who are used to using those awful squatters (I've written a post about those here). Who knows but I simply had to take a piccie.

So take note folks. When you come to Japan don't try and back dive off the toilet, ok?!

Influenza (H1N1) at Isurugi Elementary school

Me in the staff room at Isurugi Elementary school

Last week the school was shut due to the fact that 20 of my 6th grade pupils (and pupils from every other grade) were off sick with a new type of the H1N1 influenza that is sweeping the country. So I came into school but only the teachers were in. We were all told to wear masks as a preventive measure. For some reason they seem to look normal on the Japanese but I think I look ridiculous. At least I only have to wear it at school.

We also have to disinfect our hands with this spray that they’ve left at the entrance as well as gurgle our mouths with water after teaching each lesson. Scary stuff but I'm glad they're taking these measures as this thing spreads so fast. On Friday there were 6 pupils and by Monday there were 20...

Just having a quick read on the net and apparently the Japanese (who else?!) have come up with the first anti swine flu suit, check this link out http://www.psfk.com/2009/10/japanese-suit-to-protect-against-swine-flu.html

Brilliant.

Ice dogs: my favourite Japanese ice-cream

My Japanese ice dog

This is simply brilliant and the reason why I love Japan. It's so random.

When we were in America town in Osaka nursing our wretched hangovers we stumbled across this ice cream shop. Nothing new there but they were selling these novelty “ice dogs”. Basically a warmed up hot dog bun (sweetened bun) that they cut open and fill with Mr Whippy (or softo) ice cream. Who would have thought that one up other the Japanese!

Me in front of the paper clippings holding my ice dog

In this case a crazy old Japanese lady who must have been subject to a media frenzy at some point as there were old newspaper cuttings covering the ice dog phenomena all over the shop walls.

You’d think that the ice cream in the middle would melt straight away with the bun being hot but it doesn’t (well ok it does a little) but it is SOOOO gorgeous I’d go back to Osaka now to get another one, in fact Im salivating right now.

I'm seriously considering an ice dog business when I get home for those scorching English summer days..