Mamachari, Fuji Speedway

A few weekends ago, I went to Fuji Speedway with some fellow teachers for a mamachari race. In America, this type of bicycle is not popular. This is mostly due to transportation being primarily by car. Many children have bicycles, but these are mostly mountain bike types. Therefore, bikes are mostly used as a means of recreation and not that of transportation. The mamachari race was a really interesting experience. When we first arrived at the speedway, there was a beautiful sunrise. There were so many people at the speedway. Each team had a little area for resting and picnicking. There was so much food. I was stuffed the entire day. My favorite was the kimchi. Going around the racetrack on bicycle was really exciting, at least the first half of the track. The first half was a massive downward slope, but the last half of the track was all uphill. Many people got off their bikes on this part to walk. I think my favorite part of the race was the costumes. So many people were dressed up, and there were some really funny and really weird outfits. After the race was finished, I went to an onsen, a hot spring bath, and then had dinner with teachers. I was told that this is a normal Japanese outing: work, relax, and then play/socialize.

Sunrise at Fuji Speedway

Our Principal

Our Principal at the Finish

A car was doing a practice run after the race.

Macau

One day in Hong Kong, we decided to visit Macau. We decided to take a tour because we were exhausted by this point and didn’t feel like planning anything else. You travel to Macau from Hong Kong via a ferry, which takes about an hour. It was a hassle going through customs though because it was around New Years and took ages. The first thing we did was go to Macau Museum. The museum contains a mixture of Chinese and Portuguese artifacts, which is an interesting combination. I am not for sure if there is any other place in the world that has these two cultural backgrounds. Outside the museum, the grounds are beautiful, and close by are the ruins of St. Paul’s Cathedral. A couple were taking wedding pictures at the ruins. I found this very strange. I told my boyfriend about this, and he said that he watched a documentary about how it is popular in Asian culture to take wedding pictures at famous sights. I am not for sure if the same holds true for Japan though. After this, we ate lunch at a casino. It was my first time inside a casino, so I’m not for sure how the casinos in Macau compare to those in the United States. Next, we visited a few shrines. These definitely weren’t as nice as the ones in Hong Kong or Kyoto though. Finally, we went to Macau Sky Tower, which is huge. It’s really cool because you can watch people bungee jump from the tower. At some places, the floor is clear, which is really sketchy. Ummm.....so I guess this is the last volume of my Macau/Hong Kong blog entries, so now, hopefully, onto more things in Japan.

Outside Macau Museum

The ruins of St. Paul's Cathedral

Wedding Couple outside of St. Paul's Cathedral

Doll in Macau Museum

Old buildings of Macau with new buildings in the background

Misc. Hong Kong

After going to some tourist spots, we decided to do a day of shopping. I’m not going to lie. It was really disappointing. We walked around all day and visited about four different malls. However, all the malls ended up being designer clothes. At the end of the day, we went to get a foot massage, but it ended up not being relaxing because there was a really creepy man sitting beside us. He waited outside for us to leave for 30 minutes, but since we took so long, he came back in to give us his contact information. When we left, we ran away, so everything was fine. After our shopping day, we went to the Bank of China Tower. Even though it was really foggy, I think the view was really cool looking. It was very dark and ominous.

I think the lights in Hong Kong look really cool at night. There are so many people running around everywhere, and the lights and noise are kind of soothing. It was nice to be able to blend into the environment. Hong Kong seemed really western compared to Japan. There were loads of British brands everywhere, which makes sense since it was a British colony. Also, no one got excited to see me like in Japan. There seems to be lots of expats living in Hong Kong, so the people there are accustomed to foreigners. Walking down streets, there are smells of food everywhere....some not so good. Below is a picture of pigs’ snouts and what I think are chickens’ feet. Sorry, this post wasn’t cohesive. I hope these paragraphs make sense. I feel like I just wrote broken sentences that don’t flow well.

Mong Kok

View from Bank of China Tower

A Market in Mong Kok

Pigs' Snouts and other meat

Christmas Tree in Bank of China Tower

Central Hong Kong

Mirror Ceilings in Bank of China Tower

Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden, Hong Kong

After visiting Wong Tai Sin Temple, I went to Chi Lin Nunnery and Nan Lian Garden. Chi Lin Nunnery includes a Buddhist temple, nunnery, and Chinese garden. The gardens are beautiful. Four symmetrical ponds, enveloped in lily pads, fill the grounds. Across from Chi Lin Nunnery is Nan Lian Garden. This garden contains a temple that has great similarities to Kinkaku-ji in Kyoto. Also, a bridge in front of the temple is similar to the torii gates at Fushimi Inari Taisha. I think what I was most surprised about was that these places have free entry. I am not for sure how they maintain the upkeep of such beautiful places without charging, but if you are ever in Hong Kong, it is well worth a visit.

Wong Tai Sin Temple-Hong Kong

For Christmas break, I went to Hong Kong with my friend, Julie. I decided to divide the trip into a few different posts, so this way, it would be better organized. The first post will be for Wong Tai Sin Temple. It is a Taoist temple located in the Northern Kowloon area of Hong Kong. I feel that there are some resemblances between Japanese and Chinese temples, but distinctions definitely exist. Most notably, the architecture and the aesthetics of the garden retain cultural individuality. Japanese temples, for the most part, seem to hold a naturalistic appearance, blending into the surrounding environment. On the other hand, Wong Tai Sin presented a more elaborate air with detailed dragons and statues and bright colors. Luckily, we visited this temple on our first day, which was the only day of sunshine. Wondering through the garden and then gazing towards the surrounding skyscraper filled horizon brought about the combination of modernity mixed with history. This was just the break I needed.