Finding my Name- Day 4 (Returning Home)

Finally, after 3 days we could say we are done with Tohoku (Northern Japan). We have passed through 6 prefectures and driven over 700 kilometers, but of course, we still need to drive the 300 kilometers back. The morning started out as a bust. We woke up on the sleepy coastal town of Sakata. Saw these interesting storehouses and drove to Tsuruoka. Didn't spend much time there in order to get a much needed bath at Yunosawa Onsen. But when we got there, we found out this onsen village had no onsen, which is just mind-boggling. There was one foot onsen in the middle of town, but besides that, there were only rickety hotels with an ocean view. Still needing a bath, we went to the temple nearby which slightly redeemed our onsen shock. From there we started our coastal drive and along the way, we did manage to find an onsen that was on the fourth floor overlooking the beach below. Beautiful sight!

After we finished our bath and started again, we came across the most amazing thing. We found OKEYA MACHI (Okeya Town). This block of 6 houses was all that was there of Okeya Town. Our trip came full circle. We found the place where my name came from and then finished the trip to find the town with my name on it. I thought that maybe the Japanese characters of my name was wrong because my students made fun of my name, but now I had proof that the characters exist. Ron's super Japanese led us to the nearby temple where we talk to the temple's monk about possibly finding my family crest. She said that the name Okeya died out in Edo period. How cool that I am what's left of the Edo period. According to her, if I want to find my Kamon (Crest), I need to find the hometown of my family. I'm a bit closer to finding it. I just need to go to Hiroshima. But this surprise was the best way to complete our long trip.

Happy 60 dad!

Wow... may dad's old! But at least he can still eat 80 bowls of soba while wearing a funny outfit.

I miss my family!

Two and a half solid weeks later and the Okeya family (minus Jon) must say goodbye to the land of the Rising Sun. Waking up super early Monday morning, it didn't register that they were really leaving Morioka until they took the elevator to the train platform. And then the weirdest thing happened. I actually cried a little. I guess last year, with us leaving them and going off in our new adventure, there was no room, or time for tears. But seeing them leave us this time made my heart really hurt. The beauty of living away is to appreciate family and friends instead of seeing them all the time and getting sick of them. And I did learn to appreciate them. I really, truly had an amazing time with my family. I'm looking forward to missing them so that it makes the next reunion that much sweeter.

Our Hokkaido Adventure

To start off the trip on the right foot, we made it on the train that would take us from the top of the main island, underwater, and then emerge back out on the other side to Hokkaido. In total, a 7 hour trip. Once we got on the train we were so happy to see beds with linens, pillows, and sleeping yukatas (PJs). We quickly started to unload. As we got ready for bed, another group of people came and claimed that we were in their beds. Apparently these beds were for special seating, we had unreserved seats. Since the train had already left, we couldn't make our way to the unreserved seating since the way to get there was super-crowded with other non-reserved people in the isles. Think of the slave ships from Africa to America, minus the diseases, but the crampness, stuffiness, and loss of happiness was still there. We couldn't get though so we ended up staying in the middle of two train cars and positioning our baggage to make a bed. Mom and dad ended up staying awake the entire time. I was not that strong. We made it to Sapporo feeling the dead achy weight of not being prepared. I assured my family several times that on the way back, we had reserved seats. Strike 1 for Juni!

Sapporo- Day 1

Internet Cafe

Here's a picture of mom sleeping in the closest internet cafe to our hotel. The question of the matter is "Why would we need to sleep somewhere else if our hotel is so close?" The answer is that since there was a huge rock concert playing this weekend, which was also the reason of the cattle-stuffed train, all hotels were booked and no one in the hotel had checked out to open up a room. Additionally, it was 7 in the morning, with a check in time a 2. Whoops! Strike 2 for Juni! But ROn and I had never tried an Internet Cafe before and this seemed like an opportuned time to show the family "real Japan"- real MODERN Japan. We got a good strong 4 hours of sleep and was now crazy enough to start our day.

Ramen Street




Of course food is the answer to all problems when you're in a zombie state. Hokkaido boasts having the best ramen in Japan, and they aren't liers. The salty soup warmed up our tired bodies and the chewy noodles perked up our groggy brains. Everyone was much more lively after ramen. I think ramen is the cure for all worldly problems. War, famine, air pollution. All of this can be solved with ramen.

Susukino



Along the way to our next destination we came across the entertainment district. Well, actually Susukino is entertaining at night. Not so much in the early afternoon, but there all shops and stores, which makes my mom just as happy. We walked around, sampled some food, and tried on ridiculously cute hats (see above).

Beer Factory





I think Ron is corrupting my dad to drinking at his consistency. I know my dad drinks, but both of them have taken this trip to really use the "beer with dinner" rule. However it's more like "beer with dinner, lunch, and an occasional breakfast." So we had to take them to their Beer Paradise. Last time Ron came here, he was fluishly sick and couldn't enjoy the beer, plus the beer sampling area was closed. Not a good day for Ron. So I think Ron wanted to pull double-time with this trip. Mom and I went to the local mall while Ron, dad, and Ben enjoyed the museum. Well, dad and Ron enjoyed, Ben just took some nice pictures.

Furano- Day 2

The Belly-Button of Hokkaido
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Cheese/Pizza/Ice Milk Factory






Farm Tomita




Winery





Home to Sapproro

The Long Ride Back- Day 3

Sapporo
The morning of mom's birthday was spent doing what mom loves best...shopping. We went through the floors of the train station for a couple hours. Now, in our American minds, a train station wouldn't seem like much for shopping. But in Japan, that's usually where the best shops are. The station of Sapporo is built like a maze and I was so thankful to find the exit just as we needed to catch up with the guys.

Noboribetsu
To break apart a five hour train ride to Hakodate, we stopped off at Noboribetsu that has the best onsen in Hokkaido. How could we say no? The boys went to the cream of the crop Onsen Hotels while mom and I looked through their shopping streets. It was a necessary rest that got us through the other three hours to our next destination.






Hakodate
To top off the trip, we ended our night in Hakodate that boasts one of the most beautiful nightviews. And they weren’t　joking. Pictures can't even catch a bit of what we saw. Not to mention there was also a gigantic full moon that night.