Uwajima Trip!
So I finally did my trip to Uwajima yesterday. It's a small town about five hours away by bus. I had a few bus changes, some were late and I got nervous about that... but everything went smoothly. I spent a little less than $100 for everything, which I suppose isn't bad for a day trip? If I had taken the train, tickets alone round-trip would have cost more than that.
Almost as soon as I got off the bus in Uwajima, I felt a little lost even with several maps at my disposal, and as I was buying a drink from a vending machine, trying to decide where and whom to ask for directions, an old man came up to me and started asking me where I'd come from and all that. Since he had come to me, I decided to ask him how to get to Taga Shrine, my first stop on my tour, and he offered to take me there! It was a little awkward, since I didn't always understand what he was saying, but I could tell he was talking about WWII at one point. But he did think it was cool/impressive/whatever that I had such an interest in Japanese culture... he warned me Taga is an "ecchi" (perverted) shrine, and I said I thought it would be interesting. Oh, and he rolled his R's like a yakuza, which was pretty awesome. XD I know in hindsight it might not have been very smart to just go off with him like that, but I had kindof a good feeling about it, so I just went with it. While we talked, he led me quickly and safely all the way to the shrine gates and bid me farewell. Like many Japanese men do, he advised me to meet a nice Japanese boy and settle here. XDDDD I kindof had the feeling someone was looking out for me there, because though I might have found the shrine on my own, it would have taken a lot longer and been a lot more nerve-wracking.
The shrine itself was fun to look around in. I took tons of pictures of the garden and the shrine outside, full of penis statues, and then I went into the sex museum itself. Unfortunately I was not allowed to take pictures inside, unless I wanted to pay $200 extra for the privilege. I was alone for most of the time I was exploring. There were pictures and drawings/paintings/prints and figures from all over the world. I'm not going to try and act like it was all works of art, like Greek nudes or anything, there was a lot of it that was rather pornographic, but I liked that it was here, in the open, and the people in the depictions generally looked to be enjoying themselves, which is more than I can say for modern-day Japanese porn. The entire museum had this feeling of "This is sex, everybody does it, in lots of ways, and we should enjoy it!" A message I can certainly agree with. ^^
There were depictions mostly of heterosexual sex, some homosexual sex, and a surprising amount of bestiality prints as well. There was even a small section on hermaphrodites. There were more penis figures than vaginas, which doesn't surprise me, really, and the only depictions of masturbation I could find were with women, not men.
Interestingly enough, a Japanese couple with a young daughter came in after I did. They must have known what they were getting into, they were saying things like "Interesting!" as they were walking around... I'm not sure a girl that young (she had to have been around three) should be seeing stuff like that, but it's up to the parents when they want to explain what exactly those people are doing in the pictures. XD
After that I went to Uwajima Castle, which is really more of a tower on top of a hill than a full castle, but oh well. It's apparently one of the few castles still standing that is the original building, and not a remodeling job. The walk up the series of stone steps to get there was quite a trek, but man, the view was great!
There's another famous shrine, Warei Shrine, that I wanted to see, but there wasn't enough time. I should have gone straight there from Taga Shrine, but I didn't think of it. Oh well, I've heard even though it's famous, it's pretty par for the course.
So I came back home around 8:30, walked home from the bus and took a nice, long bath before bed. People have been giving me yuzu, a citrus fruit you don't really eat, you just use the juice for ponzu sauce and the rind for garnishes. However, a custom around this time of year is to put them into the bath. Soaking in them is not only aromatic, but also relaxes and rejuvenates you. I gave it a try, it was pretty nice. I have three more left, so I might do it again. Since I leave for Fukui tomorrow and won't be back until Sunday, I have to try and get rid of anything that will spoil, take out the trash, etc, etc. I'm so excited!
Today I have to clean the apartment. I had to do oosouji ("big cleaning") at work, I have to do it here, and I'll probably be helping my host family with it as well. I'll be pro by the time I finish up here. ^^;;;;;
Early Happy New Year everyone!