kenleewrites in 日本

It’s nice to get away from the city once in a while. Having been in Tokyo for quite some time, I recently long to explore areas outside Tokyo.

So we rented a car and set our navi to Enoshima! (Navi or ナビ refers to the car navigation system in Japanese.)

There’s something about driving that beats taking local transport. ^^. Sure, you have to deal with parking, but it makes many other places more accessible. Whenever I go out of Tokyo, it’s always by car. Makes me want one too…

Grilled scallop please. ほたてバター焼きください！

Getting a driver’s license in Japan is an expensive affair. Might cost you 2 arms and 2 legs. If you don’t fancy losing those parts, it’s probably around ¥300,000. Includes driving school, tests etc. I’ll put it in perspective – that’s quite a fair bit more than what a fresh undergrad in Tokyo makes in a month on average.

So, if you’re coming from elsewhere, get your license there first. Depending on where your license comes from, converting might be as simple as getting a translation and taking an eye exam.

I converted from an Australian license. Easy as pie. If I were to convert from my Malaysian license, they would probably make me take a driving test, fail me thrice before giving me a Japanese license. ^^. Of course I’m only pulling your leg. If you’re a safe driver, you’ll probably get through the first round. Good luck!

My Japanese friends in Sydney often told me that getting a driver’s license in Australia was much more affordable than back home.

Got sidetracked talking about driving licenses. Anyway, Enoshima is an island. A rather small one in fact. 4km in circumference, perfect for a day trip. It’s linked to the mainland by a 600 meter-long causeway.

If you were to take a train to the area, you’ll probably have to walk yourself across. I reckon walking across might be faster than queuing in traffic.

Lots of shops in the area. Fresh/frozen/dead seafood.

The weather was perfect that day. Hence the crowd. It was my first time there, but I guess it’s always this crowded on weekends?

When you’re living overseas, it’s important to experience as much of the culture as possible. There’s not much point in studying/living overseas if you’re only ever going to commute between school/work and home. Experiences will give you new insight and help develop you as an individual. Don’t be afraid to explore. Just don’t touch the bad stuff.

Sometimes people do ask me if I’ve experienced any culture shock when I first landed in Japan. Have you experienced culture shock?

Being able to study and live in Japan was a great opportunity and I saw it as my next adventure. I wanted to fully experience Japan and absorb all the good bits. I had no time to be in “culture shock” and you shouldn’t too.

I came to Japan on a Monbugakusho Scholarship. It was a scholarship awarded by the Japanese Government. My tuition was all covered and I had a monthly stipend. It was a great opportunity and, although I have been know to complain about the bureaucracy, I’m forever grateful to it.

I studied at Keio University. Don’t know if you have heard of it. ^^.

For those who have emailed me about study opportunities in Japan, Keio offers international graduate programs in their school of science and technology.

You might want to check it out if you’re thinking of furthering your studies. Moving to another country is a big decision. Make sure you think through it carefully.

If you do plan on going ahead and applying for a place in the IGP program at Keio, you will have to find yourself a supervisor. Here’s a link to some of the professors who can supervise international students and what they do. Maybe you’ll find something to suit your interests. Don’t let the videos fool you though, most of those professors are fluent in English.

Oh no… there I go babbling away again… let’s go back to Enoshima. Here’s a series of pictures of a young girl washing her hands before entering the shrine – a common practice before entering a shrine in Japan.

Here you have people making rounds around the a stargate. ^^. If you walk through it in a particular pattern, all things bad will be sucked into a wormhole and pooped out somewhere else. Unfortunately, I don’t know where this somewhere else is…

Knowledge is money. I appreciate the subtlety.

This deity isn’t getting alot of attention.

For the lonely, this is where you write and hang your heart’s desires. Priests will collect it at the end of the day and send it via smoke-mail to the ears in the heavens.

Wouldn’t it be nice to live around the area? Beaches, the open sea, a tourist attraction right at your doorstep… I wonder how it feels.

I wouldn’t like to live right in the middle of the shopping area, but the apartments in the back look pretty comfy. Don’t you think? All you need next is a surfboard. Go for a surf before work. Sure beats jogging.

There are 2 ways up the island. One could work the stairs or pay a little and make the stairs work for you.

I guess the residents here must love the open sea. Have to find out how much yachts cost in Japan. I don’t suppose the berthing fees are as high as parking fees in Tokyo.

The map of Enoshima. Pretty small island right?

Have a potted rose at home. Back then, decided to buy a whole pot instead of just a few stalks as a present. I thought my responsibilities ended when I handed it over…

I ended up being bara-chan’s (薔薇ちゃん) sole caretaker.

You grow anything at home besides your hair and fingernails? ^^.

There’s an observation deck right at the top of that simple tower. Enoshima is a pretty cool date spot too if you haven’t already noticed.

That hut on the left serves soba. Gotta give it a try next time I’m there.

Here’s a simple question. What are boats called in Japanese before they invented katakana? Because when you say “fu-ne”, it brings to mind a huge ship. Not a simple 2-3 or 4 seater boat.

Do you know what boats were called in medieval Japan?

It’s a pretty nice view from the top of the observatory. It was extremely windy when I got up though – a gorilla pod will probably be more stable than a tripod if you’ve planning on making a time lapse video from here.

You should be able to see Mt. Fuji on a clear day from here.

Stopped by here for lunch. Enoshima-tei. Why here? Was featured on TV. ^^.

I wanted to have with “nama-shirasu don” (生しらす丼), which is the raw version of the tiny fish. But they didn’t manage to catch any today. Ended up with this boiled version. The “nama” version is gray, fresh from the sea. Was pretty disappointed when I was told they didn’t get any today. So I went with the next best thing! Enoshima is pretty famous for “shirasu”. It’s something you definitely absolutely must try.

The orange thing on the right is called “ika no shio-kara” (イカの塩辛). Simply put, it’s squid soaked in its own guts. I like it. I can just have that and plain white rice and I’m content. ^^.

Not many Japanese are a fan though. Been told that my eating habits are more Japanese than most Japanese!

I highly recommend the “shirasu don” instead of this.

We had a great view of the sea from where we sat.

I think we sat there. Exactly where they filmed a scene for “Otoko wa tsurai yo” (男はつらいよ). “It’s tough being a man”.

In addition to squids, I like octopuses. You too?

No one was selling locks, so I wonder where they came from. All filled with “boy ♥ girl” messages. Maybe we should put up a store selling locks! Buy a lock and you can use any of our 200+ permanent color markers to publicly profess your devotion and lock it in! Sounds like a good business model? ^^.

T’was a great weekend getaway. Can’t wait to visit Enoshima again. Maybe next time, I’ll drop in at the Aquarium.