January 12, 2008
Ryosuke and the New Year's mystery boars...
Ryosuke in the snowy mountains with his ever present soccer ball...
About two weeks ago I went to Nagoya City to visit my dad during the soccer club��s New Years break. Nagoya is about a two hour ride on a bullet train from Tokyo and it is famous for having very unique foods which I was looking forward to a new experience.
Dads�� house is way up in the mountains in Okazaki City (near Nagoya) and there are supposed to be wild boars roaming the forest.
Having the break was awesome!!! I can��t even remember the last time we had two days off in a row from soccer training let alone five.
The bullet train ride from Tokyo seemed really short and for some reason I was quite tired. I even slept when the train passed the great Mt. Fuji and I thought I lost a once in a lifetime experience to see it. (Luckily I stayed awake on the ride home). After that exhausting two hour ride I changed to a local train and stayed on it for yet another half an hour upon finally arriving at Nagoya station. Then it was a thirty minute car-ride and from there on, where the scenery changed from buildings to trees, trees, and more trees.
In the mountains there were wild boar footprints of all sizes and many rumors that on the neighboring mountain there were occasionally sightings of bears. I never got to see any wild animals while I was there and am sort of glad I didn��t have to be engaged in a running race with a screaming pig with tusks!!
Although I was looking forward to the new food ��Nagoya style��, I only eat traditional New Year��s dishes, called osechiryouri, which everyone eats in Japan. I thought I would be able to eat something different but guess what!? During the five days, four was spent eating osechiryouri which I have been eaten every year New Years, and then I had to leave on the fifth! (guess I��ll have to wait until next year)
Overall it was a great, relaxing five days of spending time with family��and��I got $350 richer! (There is a Japanese tradition called otoshidama where relatives give money to younger relatives on New Year��s Day). I��m sure I will go back next year!
Ryosuke Yano