B-side report#4 古き良き日本の田舎に溶け込むツアー
Posted by Yamato Filed Under B-side, Casual, Events & Tours with No Comments
The “Inaka” Project 5/4-5/5.2010
◆Part 0. Beginning
Two weeks ago, Shingo and Yamato asked me “what is one thing that you would like to do the most in Japan?” I have always enjoyed the nature and the simple lifestyle. However, since coming to Tokyo, I have not get any chance to stay in the countryside and meet local people who live there. Therefore, I answered them, “I would love to visit local farmers, and stay with them for awhile to see how their life is”. Then, with the phrase “Just make it happen!” Shingo and Yamato decided to make my dreams come true. Thanks to B-TGS’s dedication of time and planning, that the “Inaka” Project is taking place on the golden week!!
I was told it is going to be an overnight trip to the countryside. All the other details are kept confidential among the B-TGS members in order to make the project a surprise!! Nagisa, Shingo, and Yamato come to pick me up and we are so excited about our journey to the countryside. Though three of their hometowns in Japan are considered more countryside, they have not been to countryside for awhile. Thus, we are all looking forward to be recharged by the refreshing air, the blue sea, and the green mountains.
◆Part 1. Let’s be silly.
Thanks to three of the B-TGS members driving for more than 2 hours and bringing me to Kyonan in Chiba prefecture. We had picnic next to the beautiful paddy field. After lunch, Yamato came with a mysterious smile and said that in order to experience living in the countryside, I should be a scarecrow to protect the crops. So, here I was as a scarecrow standing in the farm. All I can say is that I truly respect the hard work a scarecrow does, standing on the farm alone with the same pose.
After the scarecrow experience, Yamato asked me if I know what holiday is May 5th in Japan. On “Kodomo no hi” (Children’s Day), each family will hang koinobori (fish flags) outside of their roof. In order to celebrate Kodomo no hi, we made huge koinobori out of sleeping bags. Each of us presented our koinobori and gave it a name.
◆Part 2. Meeting the Locals
After experiencing being a scarecrow, making the koinobori, my next task is to find a place for us to stay. Yamato told me, we did not book any hotels, so we could find a local farmer who is willing to have four of us for an overnight stay, or we would have to sleep in the koinobori next to the paddy fields…
We decided to try our luck by carrying our luggage and walked around the area. I was a bit worried about asking people who I do not know such a big favor, but my 3 sweet B-TGS colleagues gave me a lot of courage.
The first house we approached was with a very friendly grandmom. However, there were 6 family members in her house so there was no more room available for us. I was very nervous to use my broken Japanese to ask for a place for us to stay, but B-TGS was my best teammate and kept cueing me how to express my request in respect form while we search for the next house.
Then, we walked along the patty fields for another 10 minutes, we saw two ladies working in a flower field. I explained our project and how my sweet TGS friends were trying to make my dream coming true. The lady told us she understand our good intension and asked us to wait a bit because she asked her husband to see if we can stay overnight.
While we are waiting for her husband, otousan (the father), I was practicing my lines again and again.
「私は、日本の田舎での生活を経験したいんです。私達を一晩泊めてもらえませんか？お願いします」
The friendly otousan said yes and invited us to have dinner with them. All of us cannot forget this cheerful moment and all feel how lovely Japan is.
otousan asked our name, major, and our future career plan. When it was my turn, I introduced my family name, Wang, ¨ooji no oo”, and otousan called me “Wang chan” right away. “Chan” in Japanese usually is used between good and close friends; hence, when otousan called Wang chan, we all laughed.
Then, otousan took out four “meisi” which was unlike traditional business card, but was printed with a beautiful paragraph that has been otousan’s motto: 「今日の出逢い」にありがとう『すべてのよきことが、なだれのごとくおきますように』 ( I am thankful for meeting you today. It is truly a pleasure.…) otousan wrote our name on each card and asked us to remember this beautiful moment.
Okaasan came out from kitchen with a big bucket of rice. She had been preparing so much food while we were chatting with otousan. Every dish was made from the veggies they grow in the farm.
Otousan took out the best “nihonshu” (Japanese wine) for us and told us so many jokes and brain storming quizzes.
After dinner, we went to a walk with otousan. The night in the countryside is not boring at all; the starry sky was accompanied with the sound of frogs and insects.
Meanwhile, okaasan was working in the kitchen making sponge cake and butter cake to sell in the farmer’s market tomorrow. okaasan is very talented on cooking that she has been on TV 3 times already to introduce how she make flower sushi rolls, and how to use rice flour to make sponge cake.
Nagisa and I really wanted to help okaasan to make hanasushi, so we asked okaasan when she usually wakes up to prepare for the food she would sell in farmer’s market. It is 5 in the morning that okaasan and otousan wake up, so we would like to get up as the same time as they do. Before going to bed, Nagisa and I talked about how amazing it is to meet such a nice family with hospitality and love.
The next morning, we joined the walk with otousan and Gonta, his pet dog.
Okaasan had already started working in the kitchen. She taught us how to make hanasushi: from the Anpanman (Red Bean Bread Man), the rose, the rabbit, the pear, the calla lilly, to the Camellia. It was truly an art piece!
otousan came to help packing and putting on the price tags. Then, Nagisa and i took over the sushi rolling bamboo and making hanasushi for our breakfast. It was the best cooking lesson ever!!
(Yamato looks sleepy.)
After the big breakfast, we asked otousan how he managed to work during the harvest season. We were thinking the inaka project could keep going by bringing TGS members who would like to experience Japanese countryside life to help otousan working in the farm during the harvest season.
Okaasan was worried about that nobody would like to work so hard with the heat in summer. We will work on this project and let not only international students, but also Japanese students know how beautiful Japan is and how lovely Japanese people are.
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If you are interested in Inaka-life and want to participate in this project,
Please contact us: join@tokyoglobalsociety.com
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Around 9:00, we had to say goodbye to obaasan, otoudan, and okaasan. Otousan came with a box of oranges and said that he just went picking the fresh oranges from the field this morning.
(Shingo with the oranges)
Okaasan gave us the hanasushi lunch boxes and rice balls and asked us to enjoy them on the way back to Tokyo. They drove us back to the farmer’s market, where we parked our car. Otousan asked us to wait a seconds, and he ran to the market. He came back with a bouquet of beautiful flowers.
None of us want to say goodbye. The touching feelings of how simple and warm human relationship could be will stay in our hearts forever and the story will be continued.
Frances Wang
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On driving back to Tokyo, Frances said “I have not been to Karaoke”.
Then I asked her “You wanna go to Karaoke, right?”.
She answered “Umm,,I want”
So, all we have to say is “Just make it happen”, and then we went to Karaoke exhausted with the trip.lol
In B-TGS, if you say you want to do something, we just make it happen.
Yamato
Design your own future
TokyoGlobalSociety
