Wednesday, December 28, 2005
Christmas in Yakushima
I stayed Friday night in Sasebo with Yasu’s family. As he picked me up from the ferry port I got the “How to behave in front of my parents” speech. While I appreciated most tips, I think they just made me more nervous than I needed to be. We had a great dinner with his parents and his little dog Momo is adorable. A small dog, but she won me over quickly!
On Saturday morning we traveled from Sasebo to Yakushima—it took all day long! We left at 9 a.m. and didn’t get there until it was almost dark. Luckily I was in good company!! This is Yasu and me on one of the four trains we took, before the taxi and the ferry and the rent-a-car.
This is Sakurajima, an active volcano in Kagoshima. I’ve been there once, but it was during the hitch-hiking trip last spring and we were in such a rush. It was nostalgic to be near her again.
We arrived in Yakushima on Saturday night and got a rent-a-car right away. Yasu didn’t have his license so I was the official driver of the trip (my first time driving anywhere other than my own island in Japan). The minshuku was about an hour away and as I maneuvered the curvy coastline highway Yasu continued to praise my good driving!! He knows the way to my heart!!
We had dinner in the minshuku with all the staff and owner. Because we arrived just at the beginning of off-season for Yakushima we were the only guests and the employees were having their end of the year party. It was fun to join in, but it was just a lot of Japanese that I couldn’t understand and I was too tired to pay much attention.
Sunday morning I was battling painful period cramps and an achy stomach from raw oysters two nights before (and the accompanying symptoms, ehm… if you know what I mean!) It was absolutely awful—horrible luck—but there we were in Yakushima, I had to get out and see it!! We drove around the island taking pictures and spotting monkeys and deer in road. Being the driver and the beautiful surroundings helped take my mind off the pain a little.
Not feeling so hot, but forcing a smile…
The scenery is absolutely breathtaking.
We took the not-recommended mountain road around the west side of the island. I’m so glad we did because it was one of my favorite parts of the trip. The roads were narrow and full of curves, but that’s were all the wildlife was! The few other cars that were also driving the road were moving slowly, taking pictures of the animals—sometimes the road was blocked by monkeys for minutes—and we enjoyed the drive. It was perfect.
Monkeys in the road.
A few friends.
A shy deer before it scampered off in the woods.
Yasu and me enjoying the fresh country air.
By the time we had driven all around the mountain road my body was making me miserable and I needed drugs as soon as possible. We found a pharmacy and I started the four hour cycle of dosage after dosage. I didn’t stop taking medicine until we arrived in Sasebo the next day. I didn’t feel 100% better until I arrived back in my own home and could sleep a full 10 hours on my own futon. Yasu said it must be tough to be a woman and he respects us for what we have to go through.
We found an Italian place for lunch, but I knew I couldn't eat anything heavy or even remotely smelling of seafood so Yasu kindly special ordered a pasta bowl with tomato sauce—no cheese! It’s incredibly hard to special order food in Japan. Restaurants just don’t seem to understand that as the guest we should be able to ask for things like no cheese, no spice, no seafood, etc. Replacing side dishes, a soup instead of a salad for example, is simply NOT POSSIBLE in Japan. Wait-staff get flustered and confused that we even ask. I must thank Yasu so much because he honestly translates everything I want, apologizing profusely for the inconvenience, but essentially making sure I get what is best for me. (This wasn't the only occasion!) What a sweetheart!!
Because I felt a little better after the medicine kicked in we decided to go to a park and take a walk in Yakushima’s famous forests. In the mountains the snow was glistening white and the air was so fresh. These pictures speak for themselves.
Yasu and me in the park.
My camera battery was dying so I didn’t get to take as many pictures as I hoped, but I think the ones I got turned out great. We stayed one more night in the minshuku and left early the next morning to take advantage of a half day before our ferry back to Kagoshima at 1 p.m. We drove around for a long time looking for the entrance to a famous waterfall. Eventually we found it and walked down the short path to a spectacular view. Yakushima isn’t a large island; you can drive the perimeter in just over an hour, but this scene made me feel as if I was looking over a endlessly vast space. The sun was shining brilliantly and the waterfall sparkled vividly in the distance. It was flawless.
We had a full day of travel back to Sasebo. We stopped in a Tiffany’s in Kagoshima just to peek, but Yasu says people who shop at Tiffany’s aren’t very efficient. He’ll show me a good jeweler in Hong Kong if I’m serious about jewelry shopping. Speaking of, we exchanged Christmas gifts and Yasu gave me the most wonderful present ever. He’s someone who listens carefully and thoughtfully remembers small bits of information about me.
Christmas without the family wasn’t as gloomy as I expected it to be. I got to have a long phone call with my mom, sister and George on Christmas night. (Sorry Mama, I know the bill will be huge!!!) Spending Christmas the Japanese way (on a date or with friends) was actually quite fun. I hope to spend next Christmas the same way... at least with Yasu, anyway!
I hope you all enjoyed your Christmas and enjoy the last few days of the year. Don’t forget your resolutions!
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