Seven-thirty in the morning is early. Especially during summer vacation for two American foreign exchange students who never had class before 10:40.
But instead of sleeping in, Jordan and I met up with some acquaintances of his and away we went northeast to Furano.
Here's the best part of working a part-time job in a foreign country: you meet people outside of your generation, outside of the 18 to 23 year olds at Sapporo University. That's the case with Jordan's acquaintances. He had taught English with Jasmin, another exchange student from New Zealand, and a Japanese woman. In return, the Japanese lady introduced him to her family, and now they invite him to various family events and trips.
Luckily, they also allowed him to invite other friends to come along. So I tagged along with Jordan and the family (two grandparents, one daughter and one 5-year-old granddaughter) for the three-and-a-half hour van ride to Furano.
As we traveled, G'ma (as I regretfully forgot her name, this will have to do for now) pointed out landmarks and explained the areas for our benefit. Once we left the city, all we saw were rolling fields and mountains - "緑のじゅうたん” or "green carpet," as G'ma called them. Apparently, outside of Sapporo, the majority of Hokkaido looks almost exactly the same, just continuous emerald scenery.
About this time I was formally introduced to Aoi, her granddaughter. She sat in the middle seat and stared back at me curiously and silently for about half an hour before handing me some flowers she had picked. Whew, a peace offering. She approved of me. And of course I approved of her, especially after she began singing the "Kirin Lemon" song from the commercial Koike Teppei stars in.
And she is one smart cookie. Let's just say she was proud to stump Jordan and me with a very long Japanese tongue twister (早口言葉、or "hayaguchi kotoba"). To keep her entertained as she wore us already-exhausted Americans out, her grandma put in a CD that instantly sounded like Avenue Q to me, only in Japanese and hopefully more appropriate for an elementary schooler.
On the way to Shikisai no Oka's lavender fields, we stopped in Biei to take photos of sunflowers (ひまわり), to Aoi's request.
Shikisai no Oka's rows of various flowers were gorgeous. For about $4 each, we rode in a tractor-pulled buggy with other Japanese tourists through the fields and took opportunities to jump off and take photos when it stopped at scenic points.
Yes, it's a heart-shaped tree. In some ways, I was more interested in the tree than the flowers.
After reluctantly leaving the flower fields, we drove for another 20 minutes or so until we reached Tomita Melon House, an area with - surprise! - even more lavender fields and greenhouses and delicacies like lavender-filled cream puffs.
Even though I hate any type of melon (other than watermelon), my hosts bought me melon, the area's specialty. To be polite, I ate it. And I loved it. That should say something.
My one regret? Not trying corn-flavored (とうもろこしの味) ice cream. Just what is the flavor of corn, anyway?
Two hours and a few naps later, we reached Obihiro, which happens to be our friend Yuki's hometown. The town, which is about three hours outside of Sapporo, is known most for its two Japanese sweets (お菓子) factories. We visited one (again, names escape me at the moment) and ate at a small dessert cafe. For about $1.50, Jordan got a slice of gourmet chocolate cake, and for about $4 I ordered the orange crepes. Oh, let's not forget: coffee at the dessert shop was free to customers buying sweets. Not a bad deal. I'd like to return to Obihiro to check out the other dessert shop, which I hear is more famous than the one we went to, and see the horse races. But first, I need to recover from almost 9 hours of traveling in a van.
BLOG SOUNDTRACK: 松本潤 「ヤバイ ヤバイ ヤバイ」
After reluctantly leaving the flower fields, we drove for another 20 minutes or so until we reached Tomita Melon House, an area with - surprise! - even more lavender fields and greenhouses and delicacies like lavender-filled cream puffs.
Even though I hate any type of melon (other than watermelon), my hosts bought me melon, the area's specialty. To be polite, I ate it. And I loved it. That should say something.
My one regret? Not trying corn-flavored (とうもろこしの味) ice cream. Just what is the flavor of corn, anyway?
Two hours and a few naps later, we reached Obihiro, which happens to be our friend Yuki's hometown. The town, which is about three hours outside of Sapporo, is known most for its two Japanese sweets (お菓子) factories. We visited one (again, names escape me at the moment) and ate at a small dessert cafe. For about $1.50, Jordan got a slice of gourmet chocolate cake, and for about $4 I ordered the orange crepes. Oh, let's not forget: coffee at the dessert shop was free to customers buying sweets. Not a bad deal. I'd like to return to Obihiro to check out the other dessert shop, which I hear is more famous than the one we went to, and see the horse races. But first, I need to recover from almost 9 hours of traveling in a van.
BLOG SOUNDTRACK: 松本潤 「ヤバイ ヤバイ ヤバイ」
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