The Tango Region of Kyoto I : In the trail of summer flowers

One summer day in early August, I left my mansion at 4am in the morning and cycled to the JR Enmachi station near my place so that I could catch the early local train to the Tango region.  I had read from the prefecture newsletter about the sunflower fields in Yosano, a town in the Tango region. If sakura is the flower of spring, then the himawari, as sunflowers are known in Japanese, is the flower to see at the height of summer. Yosano was to be my first destination that day.

 

Using the economical Seishun 18 ticket which allowed me travel only on the slower local or rapid trains on the JR network, I took a train to the JR Nishimaizuru station, which involved going through two train transfers at JR Sonobe and Ayabe stations respectively. From Nishimaizuru, I then had to transfer to the privately-run KTR or Kitakinki Tango Railway to get to Nodagawa which is the nearest station to Yosano. The JR Seishun 18 ticket could not be used on a private railway train so I bought a one-day train ticket from the KTR station master at 1200 Yen. 

 

The train journey including transfers took me about 3.5 hours for one way. Upon arrival at Nodagawa, I got some directions from the station master on how to get to Yosano, since I couldn't find details online. The kind man told me it was possible to walk there in 30 minutes. I was glad I didn't have to incur additional transport costs.

 

 

My leisurely walk probably took me an hour as there were many pretty sights along the way. From the wild flowers along the path to a massive pond of water lotus in bloom to the expanse of rice fields and more, the long walk under the hot summer sky was definitely worth it. It was so peaceful a place that all you could hear were the songs of the insects in your path.

 

At the Yosano sunflower fields, I was surprised that there were not many people. I had expected there to be many visitors as it was the second last day the fields were opened to the public. The access to the fields probably deterred tourists and those without private transport. How many people would have the time I had to spend 4 or 5 hours traveling just to look at some flowers?  But then again, it was not just some flowers. The fields were quite a sight to behold and definitely worth losing sleep and traveling for! I didn't know the flowers could grow so tall! 

One observation though was that many flowers were drooping, which meant they were close to withering.  The fields were opened to the public for a limited period from 4 to 12 Aug (admission fee of 200 Yen). It would have been better to go in the beginning of the period in order to see all the flowers in their best form. A surprise from the visit though was that visitors were each given a small packet of sunflower seeds as a souvenir so we could grow our own flowers.

 

After spending a morning at Yosano, it was a long walk back to the station and the sweltering heat didn't make it easier. But with the beautiful images of the sunflowers at the back of my mind, my spirits were high and I walked with purpose towards my next destination.

Counting my blessings

 

This post is for my friends.

 

The people from back home who have kept me in their mind, and sent me their love all the way here in the mail. 



 

Food mix from home. Enough to last me till the end of the tough winter.

The people who listened and responded to my homesickness, and made me miss home all the more with their kindness. 



The sweet  (and spicy!) taste of home. Made with love delivered in the mail.

The many others who have sent me their blessings and concern through other ways.

The friends who remember my birthday when I don't even remember it.

And then, there are the people close by who opened their arms to me, and shared what they have.


Bonding through food at my neighbour's place.



The lunch treat prepared by a school friend when I visited her at her place.  

The people with whom I am happy to share my most priced possession.



Hainanese Chicken Rice prepared for recent lunch gathering with school friends.

 

 Counting my blessings every day. Thank you.

Poster series: "Please move only after the bus has stopped"

After taking the city bus a number of times, I noticed that generally, passengers would only walk to the front* of the bus to pay and alight after the bus had completely stopped.  In fact, some passengers even took their time to walk to the front.  And the whole busload of passengers would be waiting patiently for them to alight.

 

At first, I couldn't understand this. Japan is afterall well-known for its civic-minded and considerate culture. Why wouldn't the passengers get ready to alight earlier by moving to the front as the bus is nearing their destination stop? In that case, they wouldn't hold up the rest of the passengers.

 

Then one day, I saw a poster on the bus which I had initially mistaken as one about giving  up your seats to those who need them. Upon closer reading, I learnt the reason why passengers would always take their time to alight from the bus.

 

The bold words in pink background in the centre of the poster read "It is dangerous. Stand up from your seat after the bus has stopped". And the smaller words in yellow background state that accidents and injuries on the bus are on the rise. So there is actually a more important consideration behind the passenger behaviour.

 

So if you are boarding a Kyoto city bus for the first time, don't be in a hurry to alight because safety comes first.

 

* The standard procedure for getting on and off a Kyoto city bus is quite different from that of a Singapore SBS bus. You board from the back of the Kyoto city bus and alight in the front. Before you alight, you pay your fare. The official Kyoto City Web provides a detailed set of instructions on how to board a Kyoto city bus complete with illustrations.

 

The unsettling class placement result

 The class placement result for the second semester of my intensive Japanese programme was released this afternoon.  I was informed that I have qualified for the Advanced class, based on my results from a 2-hour placement exam on Monday. I should be happy but I have mixed feelings.

 

 

The placement exam was only a written exam. I know that my listening and speaking skills are still not up to the mark, which is pretty obvious from the day to day interaction I engage in. For example, when you make payment at the cashier in a supermarket in Japan, you will usually find yourself being asked a few questions by the cashier. Do you have a member's card? Do you need a bag? These are some of the common questions. If you buy a bento or a cake, you will get questions like Do you need chopsticks? Do you need a spoon? Most of the time, I couldn't catch what the cashier was saying and used my common sense to guess what he or she had just said. And with the conversations with my landlord, it was the same. I guess alot, from the context, from body language, from facial expressions etc.

 

My classmate commented that we could only improve if we keep challenging ourselves. Of course I know that. But with language learning, being placed in the wrong class can affect learning progress. I recall how I was always struggling to listen to what the teacher and my classmates were saying in my class last semester and how I could not respond during discussions because I didn't follow the flow at all.  And once, I was called suddenly to summarise my thoughts about a discussion in front of the class while I was still busy trying to grasp the points of discussion.  It totally spoilt the whole learning process because I just couldn't follow.

 

There is no way I will accept being placed in the Advanced class for listening and speaking, as it probably means I will be lost most of the time, again! So I decided to veto the result and requested for a change to a lower-level class. Your teacher should know your proficiency level better than you, said the programme coordinator when I approached him.  It was a no-go and I was told to try my luck again with my teacher after a few lessons.

 

It looks like the next semester is going to be a tough one...

The food on the table

After the first month in Kyoto, a miscalculated budget forced me to cut back on my meal expenses and I found myself having to give up the luxury of school meals and supermarket bentos for cheaper home-cooked meals.  

 

This turning point in my life opened my eyes to a perspective of food which I have often overlooked and taught me to truly appreciate the circumstances I am in.  If I had not started cooking for myself, I would not have fully experienced the goodness of living in a city where I can get the ingredients for my meals fresh from the farms every day.  

 

One of the joys of cooking in Kyoto is being able to get fresh ingredients for my meals.

 

In particular, Kyoto's traditional vegetables, or Kyo Yasai (京野菜) as they are known in Japanese, have a reputation for their rich colours and taste.  Just as the masters of traditional arts strived to perfect their craft, the  farmers of the old capital too worked hard to ensure the highest quality in their vegetables. Whether it was to delight the palate of the nobility or a response to the spread of Buddhism and vegetarian dishes in those days, the tradition of cultivating Kyo Yasai  seemed to be as important a tradition to the farmers of the old capital as any other Kyoto tradition then.  Today, even as Kyoto modernises along with the world, the tradition continues and Kyoto's vegetables and vegetarian cuisines are considered a must-try for visitors.  Those with a discerning palate often found the vegetables refreshingly sweet.

 

Vegetables from different parts of Japan are available in supermarkets in Kyoto but some supermarkets 
have a special section to promote Kyo Yasai of the season.

While Kyo Yasai could be slightly more expensive than vegetables from other parts of Japan, there are occasions when the supermarkets give discounts for seasonal vegetables. There is a variety of Kyo Yasai in season at different times of the year. In summer, eggplants cultivated in Kyoto are widely sold in the supermarkets.  I have never had a craving for eggplants in my entire life but since I saw them in every supermarket I went to, I decided to try some. They were really sweet and delicious! I have to admit that I have become somewhat of a fan of this vegetable.



In summer, eggplants from Kyoto can be bought at about 100 Yen for three.

Apart from Kyo Yasai, Kyoto also has its own rice fields in  some parts of the prefecture. When I took the local trains out from the city for my summer excursions, I passed many of these rice farms. The view of rolling green fields from the train windows was a picturesque sight. I couldn't possibly miss an opportunity to stroll through the fields. And that I did one summer day.  When I eat my rice today, the image of that lone, elderly farmer toiling under the hot sun tending to his fields always comes to mind.

Main picture shows rice fields in Yosano, a town in the Tango region, north of Kyoto prefecture. Top right picture shows a pack of  rice produced in the central Tamba region of Kyoto prefecture, which I recently bought. 

 

Before coming to Kyoto, I hardly stepped into the kitchen to prepare my own meals. I ate whatever was conveniently available and finished my meals without as much as a thought as to the origin of the food on the table.  But now, when I eat my meals, I taste the sweetness of the vegetables and the texture of the rice. And I feel grateful to the people who work closely with Nature to provide the food on my table.

Statistics series: Japan's Grand Generation

The third Monday of September is Respect for Elderly Day, a national holiday in Japan.  So today is the day to show our respect to the aged and to celebrate their contributions. 

 

The Nikkei Shimbun carried on its front page some figures relating to the number of elderly in Japan released by the Ministry of Internal Affairs and Communications. According to the figures, there are 30.74 million Japanese citizens who are aged 65 and above, making up 24.1% of the total population. This is an increase from the previous year, making the number of elderly the highest to date.  The number of elderly who live alone has also increased, making up 16.4% of the above 65 age group. On the other hand, the number of those aged 64 and below has decreased by 1.28 million. So there it is, an indication of the gravity of the aging issue in Japan.

 

I was hoping to read a little more about the Japanese government's response to the rising numbers but did not see it anywhere else in the article nor the rest of the newspaper.  Just for comparison on where Singapore stands against the numbers from Japan, about 6.8 per cent of Singapore's total population are aged 65 years old and above, based on the population statistics as of end June 2011. In absolute numbers, that is about 352 000.  I just cannot imagine that there may one day be millions of elderly people in Singapore too.

 

Vegetables sold at a special discount at Nakamura, a supermarket,
in conjunction with Respect for Elderly Day.

While Respect for Elderly Day did not seem to be given a more reflective treatment at the national level in Japan (the Senkaku issue probably overshadowed everything else), it was definitely given more thought at the local level. I gathered that on this day celebrations were commonly held for the elderly at the community level. The supermarkets also held special sale as part of the holiday and one I went to even put out a special edition of the daifuku or rice cake.

Respect for the Elderly rice cakes on sale at Fresco, another supermarket near my place.

An acquaintance at the place where I volunteer told me that the Japanese elderly didn't like any references to be made to their age. Hence, in recent years, there have been efforts to come up with a more politically correct term such as the "Grand Generation". It appeared that the phrase was often abbreviated to "GG" which sounds like the Japanese slang for "old man" which isn't very nice either.  I guess there is room for further creative thinking to come up with a cool-sounding term to refer to the aged.

On a daily basis, I find myself in the midst of the Grand Generation so even without the numbers, the aging population is evident in the Kyoto streets. It is nice to see them playing sports in the nearby park, volunteering as guides at tourist attractions, or speeding past me on their bicycles uphill with a load of groceries. This is what active aging is about.  But there were times when I was reminded of the seriousness of the aging issue. And on those times, I couldn't help but shudder at the frightening thought of a country with only a minority of young people bearing the burden of an aging society. 

Poster series: Recruitment ads for police officers and fire fighters



I came across two recruitment posters for police officers and fire fighters recently and couldn't help but be attracted by the designs.  

 

The recruitment poster for police officers has a tagline that says, "Youths with great aspirations, come on!" The calligraphic paintings of a female officer on horseback and a male officer on a motorbike look as if they may spring out of the posters into real action right before your eyes.

 

"さすが京都だ!" I thought to myself when I saw it.  Just as one would expect from a city steeped in traditional arts and culture. The use of calligraphy just turned a common poster into a piece of art.

 

An A2-sized poster found on a notice board near a sunflower farm in the town of Yosano, Kyoto.

 

 

The recruitment poster for fire fighters, on the other hand, cleverly plays on the words of a proverb.  "I want to borrow even if it's a cat's paw" (猫の手も借りたい） is a Japanese proverb which is used to describe a busy state a person is in.  The explanation for the proverb is that when you are so busy, you probably wish that even the animals around you can help you. Instead of using the original proverb, the poster uses the words, "A cat's paws can't be borrowed"　（猫の手は借りられない), to emphasise the gravity of the fire fighters' mission.

 

You may ask, why a cat of all animals? The guess (according to this website) is that perhaps the image of a cat chasing after rats gives Japanese the impression that cats are good helpers. 

An A2-sized poster found alongside other random posters pasted on the walls of a subway station.