Our main reason for going to Fukuoka was to attend Sexy Zone’s concert. We wanted to go somewhere different as an excuse to visit another prefecture besides the usual Osaka schedule. Plus, it was conveniently scheduled at the beginning of the school summer break, so were more motivated to go.
Our plan was a weekend trip, but we had to take a halfday nenkyuu (leave of absence) because we wanted to spend the night in Okayama to catch an early schedule of the shinkansen to Fukuoka. On this particular day, it was suddenly announced that the concert was no longer happening because one of the members had COVID-19. It was a bummer, but on the other hand, we were able to spend more time sightseeing in Fukuoka. We were not that disappointed because we’re also going to the Osaka stop of the concert the following week.
As for our itinerary:
Highlights
I guess we were kinda lucky that there was no queue at Dacomecca Bakery. It’s a famous bakery in Fukuoka that has branches in some areas in Japan like Tokyo. I didn’t restrain myself much and bought a few bread that I could eat until tomorrow for breakfast.
There were so many Buddha statues in Nanzoin Temple, but the main attraction there was the giant lying Buddha which was said to the biggest lying Buddha statue in the world. Also, there were only a few people there, so we were able to take good pictures.
I had no expectations with Canal City Mall, so I was genuinely surprised at how much I liked going there. It reminded me of Ayala Malls with all the greenery and the overall vibe of the place. I felt like home. I felt like I was in the Philippines.
While we were there, we saw a local-based female idol group. It was my first time seeing a Japanese female idol group in real life. It’s actually fascinating to watch them sing and dance with their shiny costumes. I once again had realized how distinct (real) JPop groups are compared to their KPop and Western counterparts – from presentation, music, and costumes.
Kushida Shrine was just on the other side of Canal City Mall. We were ready to give up going to that place because the directions given by Google Maps were quite confusing. I’m so glad we were able to visit it.
Fukuoka Tower was nice. I think though that this place was really geared towards couples, more than Tokyo Tower and Tokyo Sky Tree.
If Canal City Mall reminded me of Ayala Malls, the Mitsui Shopping Lalaport mall reminded of SM Malls. Again, I felt like I was in the Philippines.
I had a picture of a huge Gundam statue! Having a picture with the Gundam in the background screams “Japan!!!” already.
It’s my second trip that required me to ride the shinkansen (the first was last year to and from Hiroshima)!!!
Not-so-highlights
The breads sold at Dacomecca were tasty, but I think they’re a bit overhyped.
I know that Kishida Shrine is a sacred and important place. However, it’s so much prettier in pictures.
Expanding the family tree that I made in 2012 was the reason for my renewed interest for our family history. Since both sides of my family were not interested in genealogy, I naturally had a lot of unanswered questions.
What were the names of my ancestors?
How did they live their lives? (obviously won’t be answered by DNA test kits)
How accurate were the stories of us having certain ethnicities?
Where do our distant relatives live in the present time?
As I mentioned in my previous post, I chose MyHeritage because that’s where I built my family tree. There’s already a sense of familiarity in using the website, so I didn’t hesitate to buy a kit. I briefly considered AncestryDNA, but I was worried that the Japanese customs might be too strict and would return my package. I also thought that sending a cheek swab was safer and less risky than sending a tube of saliva (NOTE: I did end up buying an AncestryDNA kit shortly after shipping my cheek swab to MyHeritage lab).
MyHeritage Timeline:
I understand that this could vary among people, but here’s how mine went:
Kit Ordered: March 12, 2023
Kit Shipped to Japan: March 13, 2023
DNA Sample Shipped to MyHeritage Lab in Texas, USA March 27, 2023
Sample Received at the Lab: April 5, 2023
DNA Extracted: April 6, 2023
Microarray Processed: April 18, 2023
Raw Data Produced: April 19, 2023
Results Available: April 21, 2023
The entire process was fairly smooth, and I didn’t encounter a single problem from ordering the kit to receiving the results.
My Expectations
I was pretty sure that I’d have around 10-12% Chinese because of my great grandfather on my mother’s side.
Like other Filipinos, I was also told that we had Spanish ancestry from a distant past. My grandmother on my mom’s side had grayish eyes and a sharp nose. Meanwhile, a number of relatives on my dad’s side have sharp noses, and they have always claimed that their grandfather was fluent in Spanish. Had I not expanded our family tree, I would have expected at least 3% of Spanish in my DNA, but I did, so I decided not to expect anymore. In the end, I only expected Filipino and Chinese to come up in my results.
Ethnicity Breakdown
According to MyHeritage, I only have three ethnicities. There are:
Well, there’s Filipino and Chinese as expected. I am just skeptic about that 1% Finn ethnicity. I read online that having a trace Finn percentage on MyHeritage could mean Northeast Asian ancestry. I would just add this to Chinese and Vietnamese, making my East Asian percentage to 4.9% rather than 3.9%.
DNA Matches
I had watched numerous videos of people showing just how many matches they have on MyHeritage. I was actually expecting to have no matches at all because I don’t think any of my relatives have taken the test.
Lo and behold, I have 70, and almost all of them live outside the Philippines. They’re also all distant matches. The closest match is a 2nd cousin of one of my parents. The other matches are at least 3rd cousins, and our most recent relative was a second great grandparent.
I am thankful that MyHeritage has made it convenient to see how each DNA match is connected to the users.
Here are some screenshots related to DNA Matches:
DNA Matches Homepage
Probable Relationship with a DNA Match
Ancestral Surnames
Shared Matches
Family Tree Comparison
Shared Ethnicities and Genetic Groups (NOTE: I still don’t understand why MyHeritage didn’t assign me to any genetic groups. There are a few Philippine-based groups on MH.)
Chromosome Browser
I saw matches of Chinese, Korean, and Vietnamese ancestry (without a drop of Filipino in them) with a 4th-5th cousin relationship. According to MyHeritage, our most recent common ancestor was a 4th great grandparent who lived in the 1840s. Unfortunately, I only have one set of grandparents in my tree from that generation, and they were Filipinos.
I honestly don’t know how I’d be able to trace these ancestors since it’s over a hundred years since our last common ancestors. Also, since I can’t find any more records online, there’s no way for me to even check if the ancestral surnames of my matches are even related to mine.
My Thoughts and Realizations
While I wish for a better and more specific ethnicity estimate, I am satisfied with my matches and how easy it is to explore our connection with each other.
Seeing how far in the past my matches are and how little Chinese I got, I am inclined to think that our Chinese ancestor was not in the recent past. My great grandfather must had been a Tsinoy and not a full or even half as what we had been told.
I needed more information. I’ve mentioned earlier, I also bought a kit from AncestryDNA, and I have just gotten my results yesterday! Also, I uploaded my raw data to other DNA companies such as Family Tree DNA (FTDNA), WeGene, Living DNA, and GEDmatch.
Disclaimer: This may be a dull read, but my recent favorite topic is genealogy. Learning about my own and other people’s back stories is what consumes most of my internet browsing time since March.
A Few Years Ago: Watching Random DNA Videos on Youtube
One of my most ambitious items in my bucket list was to trace my ethnicity background. I had seen a few videos of people reacting to their ethnicity results; however, DNA companies didn’t ship to the Philippines, so it was impossible to purchase such kits unless I go overseas and have them shipped from there. Of course, that would be too tedious and impractical, so I learned to just accept that this would be in my bucket list, forever unchecked.
2023: Learning More about My Genealogy
Fast forward to 2023 in Japan, a few days before the spring vacation, I found myself deskwarming more and more because the teachers were already preparing for the school year to end. Thus, I had very little thing to do, and my mind was already occupied to my upcoming trip. Out of boredom, I decided to open my account on MyHeritage to see if I could improve my family tree there. I had that account since 2012, and I know that I haven’t opened it since then. I only had my immediate family up to my grandparents in my family tree because I had no further information beyond them.
At home, the only videos that I watched were of those concerning genealogy which led me (after many years) again to DNA testing kits. The more I watched, the more I became enticed to purchase a kit myself. I checked a couple of websites, and I was relieved to see that most of the DNA companies ship to Japan. They may be a bit expensive because I had to send them via EMS, but I still bought them because I wanted to feed my curiosity.
On a side note, I was also surprised that some companies also ship to the Philippines now; however, there are some extra steps for people living in the Philippines before shipping their DNA samples back. Sigh, I wanted to buy DNA kits for my dad and aunt (mom’s sister), so I can have more information on both my parents’ sides. But yeah, it’s going to be a tedious process. For now, it’s only me in my family who could do it.
Anyway, I ended up purchasing a kit from MyHeritage simply because that’s where I had started building my family tree. While waiting for my kit to be delivered here in Japan, I started interviewing my dad and aunt if they remember the names of their grandparents. My dad could only remember his grandparents on his dad’s side. Those names (my great grandparents) were all I needed to start my interesting and time consuming search of his ancestors.
I typed their names on FamilySearch.org, and lo and behold, I found a record of their marriage certificate. That in turn, introduced me to my 2nd great grandparents. From there, I had to dig more until encountering a brick wall which I think wouldn’t be solved unless I go to Bicol and personally sift through old church documents. The furthest I could trace back were a pair of my 4th great grandparents on my dad’s side. I had to be careful in adding names though because of the following: there were spelling inconsistencies, names in the 1880s were presented in Spanish order (first name, surname, middle/maiden name), and the birthdates for my one set of great grandparents made them too young to be wed and have children.
Besides these direct ancestors, I also realized a few things that are particular to my dad’s side while making the family tree:
how particular surnames were connected to us. I sometimes heard those surnames when I was a kid but never made the connection.
with my dad’s confirmation, learned the town where his family originated. Same province but different town.
in old stories, they said that my father’s grandfather, my great grandfather, was mestizo or of Spanish descent because he was fluent in Spanish. However, I couldn’t find traces of Spanish ancestry from the ones that I have researched. Also, based on the timeline, he was born during the American occupation in 1905, seven years after the Spanish colonization. I guess my great grandfather could speak Spanish because his own parents had spent their childhood and teenage years during the Spanish occupation.
my father still remembered his great grandmother on his mother’s side, but he could only recall the face and the nickname he used to call her.
Direct paternal ancestors that I was able to identify
My aunt, on the other hand, remembered both sets of her grandparents except for her dad’s dad (my great grandfather). No one alive right now remembers his identity, not his face nor his name. He left for China before my grandfather was born, and he never came back. When I was kid, I was only told that he was a Chinese person who died because the ship he was on sank. Recently though, I was told that he was deported from the Philippines. Whichever the reason for his father’s disappearance, my grandfather was given a totally unrelated surname. In fact, his surname was from the priest who christened him as a baby. Maybe it was uncommon for an unwed (I assume) woman to give her surname to her baby that’s why they thought it was better to have a stranger’s surname instead. I honestly don’t know.
In contrast to my dad’s side, I didn’t find a single record on FamilySearch.org that was related to my mom’s side. So yeah, anything beyond my great grandparents’ names is a huge brick wall. Again, this needs more time and personal visits to churches and probably town halls to acquire the information that I need.
Here are the things I realized that are particular to my mom’s side while making the family tree:
just how big her family was.
I have always wondered why I have nieces and nephews who are the same age as me. My mom is one of the thirteen children in her immediate family, and she’s the sixth youngest. Despite my mom being a middle child, my siblings and I are the second to the youngest bunch among our cousins.
A cousin (among other older cousins), who is the son of the 4th eldest among my mom’s siblings, is the same age as their youngest. Confusing? In other words, this 4th elder aunt, who is my mom’s sister, welcomed two babies in the same year – one was her own baby and the other was her youngest sister.
became more confused about my grandmother. Her deep set of grayish eyes and hook nose are a mystery to me. I grew up believing that she had distant European roots because of her facial features. Even her maiden surname was not part of the original Spanish surnames given to Filipinos. I wonder where her features and surname were from. Since there are no available records online, I am left with nothing to work on; thus, a brickwall. Her father’s first name was very Filipino, so he’s a local.
realized that my grandfather’s parents were probably not married. My great grandfather went back to China while my great grandmother was pregnant, and (I was told) that she herself remarried. Thus, my grandfather had half-siblings. My problem though is that my aunts and uncles didn’t care to remember their half-aunts and uncles. They didn’t even remember the name of their grandmother’s legal husband.
Direct maternal ancestors that I was able to identify
Other Things I Had Learned after Doing the Family Tree:
People back then married as early as 15 and 16 years old.
I now know the names of some of my great and 2nd great aunts and uncles.
The older generation in my family wasn’t interested in genealogy. Maybe it’s because they lived very simple lives that for them, nothing was extraordinary to keep track of.
The people in my family tree were real. I was surprised when my father called my mom’s mother as, “Mama” when I showed him our family tree. To me, people from the 3rd generation away from me are just names, but to my parents, aunts, and uncles, they were their own grandparents who they had interacted at some point in their lives. Since people back in the day married young, they might even have met their great grandparents like how my father still remembers one of his great grandparents.
Except for my estranged Chinese ancestors, I can safely assume that all my other ancestors from my second great grandparents had lived in the same island province since the late 1880s. It’s surreal to think of my ancestors living during the Spanish, American, and Japanese occupations.
In relation to the previous item, I also assume that my ancestors were mostly farmers and fishermen. I still remember some stories told by my parents back when they were still kids. Also, I have some farmer and fishermen older cousins who I assume followed their parents’ footsteps.
Doing genealogy in the Philippines is difficult because most of the old records are kept hidden from the public due to the privacy law.
Phew. I didn’t expect this post to be this long, but overall, I am pretty glad that I was able to have more information about my ancestors. I think that digging a bit deeper into one’s own genealogy provides more context to the relationship between family members and helps us understand how certain things have happened and how they affected the next generations.
Lastly, I received my results from MyHeritage two weeks ago, and I also uploaded my raw data to other websites. I’m going to share those some other time. For now, I’m ending this post here.
Going to Hyogo was one of the places we had planned to visit for the Golden Week. Despite it being an overnight trip, we had fun and got to visit a UNESCO World Heritage Site as well.
Here’s our itinerary:
Highlights
Himeji Castle was gorgeous, but it’s a shame that pictures don’t do it justice.
Food, food, food! You can just buy various street foods while strolling along Nankichi Chinatown and never be hungry! However, the only food I ate here was tanghulu, fruits coated in hard sugar, because I found it such a hassle to eat street food with a mask on. Moreover, it greatly reminded me of the tanghulu that I had in Taiwan back in 2018.
I saw one of the three real-life bronze statues of Elvis Presly in the world. To reflect the current pandemic, the statue was wearing a mask on his face.
Kobe Port looked a bit like Clark Quay in Singapore. It’s quite nostalgic if you ask me.
Not-so-highlights
Himeji Castle was gorgeous outside, but the inside was disappointing. There was nothing inside the castle. However, given how old it was, I could understand that they wanted to protect the castle and its contents.
I didn’t like the restaurant where we had our dinner in Nankichi Chinatown. Everything was acceptable – not bad but not good. It was a shame since I also didn’t enjoy the spring rolls with peking duck as its main ingredient. It was my first time eating peking duck, but meh…
Anpanman Museum in Kobe Harborland was originally in our itinerary. We ended up dropping it after realizing how expensive the ticket price was for us who had no interest in Anpanman.
We’re back with another short trip to Osaka, and this time, it’s in the summer! Moreover, we decided to allot an entire day in Kyoto and visit some of its famous landmarks.
Here’s our itinerary:
Highlights:
The Universal Studios Japan (USJ) was awesome. I had a great time here. There were a only a few people when we visited, so we didn’t experience queuing for hours. I think, the longest we waited in line’s around 20 minutes.
My favorites in the USJ were the following: Harry Potter (Hogsmeade), New York, Jurassic Park, and Jaws. The food was also great.
Kyoto. Everything about Kyoto was fantastic. Again, there were only a handful of people in the touristy areas, so we basically had these places to ourselves. I’m glad that I was able to visit and enjoy these places before international tourism starts again.
My friend and I bought street food near Arashiyama to help the store owners who’re struggling with the lack of foreign tourists in the area.
There was a Starbucks that had tatami floor somewhere in the Kiyomizudera area. It was a great fusion between modern and traditional.
One of my favorite things to do when in Osaka is buying Krispy Kreme donuts and taking them with me back to Kagawa. I envy huge cities because because international fast food chains are more common there than in the countryside.
My friend and I also met with our other friends! One was our friend from Kagawa who went to Osaka separately and another was from Akita. We had such a good time and spent hours talking along the river in the Dotonbori area.
Not so Highlights:
I guess I expected too much, but I was disappointed with the lack of things to buy at the Pinoy Store. I wasn’t interested with most of things they had for sale.
Hiking up the Kiyomizudera and the Fushimi Inari Taisha during the summer was dreadful. My friend and I drank so much water because we were so exhausted from the heat and the humidity.
I mentioned the Starbucks earlier, and the thing that I didn’t like about it was that there were no A/Cs inside the store. It was an uncomfortable experience. It was good but uncomfortable.
My friends and I had a quick trip to Osaka in autumn 2020. We only had one and a half day of exploring the area, and we made do with the limited time we got.
Here’s our itinerary:
Highlights:
I’ve been living in the countryside here in Japan for more than year during this trip, and I was quite worried that I’d be confused with the train system in a huge city like Osaka. Fortunately, it wasn’t confusing at all.
We stayed at a hotel in Namba, so we always had Dotonbori as our first and last itinerary for the day. Even during the third day, before departing Osaka, we strolled along the river before going to the bus station.
I was ecstatic upon seeing Lush in Shinsaibashi!!! I bought two bath bombs that smelled like candies.
I loved vising the Osaka Castle and the Osaka Museum of History. You haven’t been to Osaka if you haven’t visited them, especially the castle.
The elevator going up the Umeda Sky Building was gorgeous. We’re lucky that only a handful of people were there and that we had great photos as a result.
I’ve always liked ferris wheels. Riding the Tempozan Ferris Wheel, one of the tallest in the world, was a great moment for me.
Since we went during the fall, we saw the autumn foliage. I especially liked the ginko trees near the Osaka Castle. They were so yellow that the trees and the fallen leaves on the ground contrasted my all-black ensemble.
Not so Highlights:
Osaka is famous for octopus-based dishes as such takoyaki and okonomiyaki, but I exercised caution for fear of getting allergy attacks while on the trip.
Also, just having okonomiyaki for dinner wasn’t enough for me. I wanted to eat more!
That’s it! I barely have anything to say because it was such a short time. Short but fun.
I haven’t posted here on this blog since March 31, 2021. It’s March 19, 2022 now.
There’s so much going on these days, and if I have some free time at home, blogging is the last thing I really want to do.
However, I still like fangirling and reading books/listening to audiobooks. Nothing has changed on that part. I just wish I’d be more motivated to update this blog since I’ve had this since 2008. I’ll try to at least post my favorite books read in 2021 because it’s such a good reading year for me.
Before I end this post, I just want to share some things that have happened in 2021:
My mom passed away in January. The first half of the year was especially difficult for me because I live alone in a foreign country without any of my family members near me.
From July (or was it August?), I started traveling with my friends across the country. We’ve been to at least five prefectures here in Japan, and I realized how traveling is a perfect way to release some stress while truly enjoying oneself.
Studying Japanese was once again taken for granted, but I think I did better than in 2020. In fact, I finished answering the N5 mock test right before the winter vacation! I’m pretty confident about my N5 writing, listening, and grammar skills. My speaking level remains low, but I’m lucky that JLPT doesn’t have a speaking test. 🙂
The Philippine National Election is in May 2022. I follow the campaigns of the political candidates despite being overseas. I’ve registered for overseas voting, so I’m glad that I get to participate in the the election. Seriously, following the local news about the upcoming election is so time consuming because part of that is reading about other people’s varying opinions.
So there you have it! As I’ve said, I’m pretty much preoccupied with fangirling, reading, and those mentioned above.
Despite the fact that Kagawa is the smallest prefecture in Japan, it is packed with places of interest that I think are also popular among the Japanese.
For this post, I’m classifying these places in two – places I’ve been to and places I want to visit.
Places I’ve been to:
Ritsurin Garden – is one of Japan’s most beautiful traditional gardens. It’s so beautiful that it received a 3-Star Michelin award.
Megijima Island – is an island associated also known as “Onigashima” or “Land of the Ogres.” This came from the legend “Momotaro,” where a Japanese young boy fought the ogres in this island. Besides the ogre displays, this is where people also go if they want to go to a beach. The beach here is quite famous, but for it’s okay for me. I want to go back to this place because I admit I’ve seen very little of this place. I haven’t been to the oni cave yet!
Nao-shima / Nao Island – is an island littered with art works. I really wasn’t expecting a lot when I went here because I’m generally impartial towards art. However, surprise! I actually enjoyed the entire time I was there.
Shodo-shima / Shodo Island – is another popular island that has numerous places of interest.
These are:
Angel Road – A sandbar appears between islands. According to the legends, if you cross this with your lover, you are guaranteed to stay together forever.
Olive Garden – This is where you can find the oldest olive tree in Japan. It celebrated its 100th year in 2019. There is also a Greek windmill here, and it’s said to be the setting of a popular anime movie, “Kiki’s Delivery Service.”
Marukin Soy Sauce Museum – An old soy sauce factory, this place has since then been converted into a museum. Here, you can see how soy sauce was made in the past. They also sell products with soy sauce in it – from bread, to donuts, to ice cream.
Twenty-four Eyes” Movie Studio – As the name implies, this was a location shoot for the movie, “Twenty-four Eyes” in 1950s. Though I couldn’t connect to the setting and movie references here, it still is a nice place to visit because you can see how a Japanese village looked like during the 1950s.
Busshozan – is a town in Takamatsu City that is famous for its onsen, the Honenji Temple, and a park most famous for hanami (sakura/cherry blossom tree viewing).
Yashima Mountain – is a mountain that has flat top. Historically, it’s famous because this is where a battle between clans took place. Currently, however, people go here for hiking, for Temple 84 of the Shikoku Temple Pilgrimage, and its top view of the neighboring towns and the Seto Inland Sea.
shopping arcades – My favorite is the Marugamemachi shopping street. You can shop, eat, and be entertained here. It’s also a very clean place, and since it’s covered, you don’t have to worry if it’s raining.
Shionoe – is a mountainous town just outside Takamatsu City. It is famous for its onsens and firefly festival. Since this place is rich with mountains and trees, this is also a wonderful place to visit for its sakura festival (spring season) and momiji festival (autumn season).
Clockwise from top left: Ritsurin Garden; torii from Naoshima; pagoda from Busshozan; torii from Twenty-four Eyes Movie Set, Greek windmill from Olive Garden, and view from Yashima Mountain
Places I want to visit:
Kankakei Gorge (Shodoshima) – A gorge is a narrow valley between hills and mountains. Kankakei Gorge is one of the three most beautiful gorges in Japan, and a popular activity to do here is to watch the autumn foliage while riding a cable car.
Nakayama Senmaida Terraced Rice Fields (Shodoshima) – When I was a child, I thought that only the Banaue Rice Terraces is the only terraced rice field in the world. However, as time went by, I realized that it’s not the only one, and that Nakayama Senmaida Terraced Rice Fields is one of those.
Kotohira Shrine – This is Shikoku Region’s largest shrine complex. The staircase leading to the shrine itself has over a thousand steps, so the journey itself is tiring but fulfilling.
Bonsai Center – Bonsai is majorly produced in Kagawa, mainly in Kokubunji and Kinashi Towns.
88-Temple Pilgrimage – In Shikoku Region, we have a temple pilgrimage activity where you visit all the designated 88 temples across the region. 22 of the 88 temples are found in Kagawa. One of these temples is in my town, but I haven’t seen it yet. I’ve only been to one – and that is Temple 84 in Yashima.
I know that I’m still missing a lot of interesting places, but I haven’t been to Kagawa long enough to discover them.
Inaka (province / countryside) is what people use to describe Kagawa and other prefectures not away from the metropolitan areas. Truth be told, I was greatly disappointed when I first learned that of my placement.
I’m a city girl, and just thinking about living in the countryside sent me to temporary disappointment. When I first got here, it was in the middle of summer, and the rice fields are in full view. When I saw those, I kind of felt uncertain. Fast forward to a couple of months, and I’ve begun appreciating the scenery that Kagawa had to offer.
Taken on my first day in Kagawa
While it is true that you can see mountains and rice fields almost everywhere (except for Takamatsu City proper), my life so far has been different from what I expected the first time I stepped foot here. Kagawa as a whole is a perfect combination of urban and rural. The mountains, river, and rice fields are indicators that I’m living in a rural area, but the conveniences of living in an urban area are still here. There are supermarkets, groceries, malls, shopping centers, restaurants (Japanese, Western, and a few other Asian ones) , convenience stores, and more.
Takamatsu City
It also has its own airport. There are no direct flight to and from the Philippines, but still better than none. It also looks way better than NAIA Terminal 4 in the Philippines (that was such a sad airport, to be honest). There are two train types here – Japan Railways (JR) trains and the Kotoden. There are also JR lines in various parts of Japan, but Kotoden is a local train line here in Kagawa. Based on my experience, these trains never really get full like the ones seen in Tokyo because based on my observation, almost all families have at least one car.
Moreover, everyone here seems to know how to ride a bike. Students usually go to schools on their bikes. I see some adults doing the same, too. In my town at least, there’s a bicycle park beside the train station. This is for those who live quite far from the station and have to use the train. They park their bicycles before entering the train station. Since I’m an unfortunate soul who doesn’t have an ounce of athleticism in my body, I struggled learning the bike. So what do I do if I need to take the train? Well, I just walk for 30 minutes from my house to the station. No big deal, really. I have no choice anyway.
Most people here usually mind their own business, but occasionally, there are very few times when random conversation happen. I’m not talking about the workplace though since this is more for when I’m walking or commuting. The most notable is with a light pink-haired obaachan who struck a conversation with me, informing me of the dog poop ahead. She was giggling while telling me this like it was the most amusing thing ever.
These two are also the ones that stood out to me as someone who lived in the Philippines:
No children on the streets – Children here don’t play on the streets. They usually go to the park or just outside their houses. Because of this, you won’t hear children screaming outside.
Lack of street lights – I wish Kagawa installs additional street lights. During autumn and winter, the sun sets pretty early, so expect some parts of the streets to be pitched black. This might not be necessarily applicable to central Takamatsu City, but is so for the other towns. This is actually the reason why the local government requires people to bring flashlights and wear light colored-clothing at night as protection against bikers, cars, or anyone, really. Sigh, if they could just add more street lights, then they wouldn’t have these regulations.
Gas service – Maybe this is common to Japan, but it’s definitely new to me. Back home, we usually buy gas tanks for our stove, and manually heat our water. However, here in Japan, it is common for all households to have the gas distributed similar to electricity and water. Since Japan has 4 seasons, having this kind of service is really necessary. You can have hot water directly from the faucet and the shower.
Well, that’s about it for now. I know that there are still some things to include in this post, but these are the ones that stood out to me.
I arrived in Japan on August 4, 2019 as part of the JET Programme. However, August 7 is much more special because that’s the day when I started living here in Kagawa. That means me publishing this post today means that it’s my anniversary here!
To be honest, I do think that not much is known about Kagawa because it’s not what people think when they hear of Japan.
As an introduction, here are some quick facts about Kagawa:
it is found in Shikoku Region;
it is the smallest prefecture in Japan;
Takamatsu City, its capital, is the biggest city in Shikoku;
it is said that Kagawa receives the least amount of rain in the country;
it is also said that Kagawa has the least amount of earthquakes in the country;
people speak Sanuki-ben, a variation of Kansai-ben; and lastly,
Japanese people usually associate excellent udon with Kagawa.
Speaking of udon, people in Kagawa are quite proud of their udon, commonly known as Sanuki udon. Kagawa mascot is also an udon-brain eating character. It looks freaky at first because it eats its own udon brain, but you get used to it eventually.
For someone like me who hasn’t eaten udon outside Kagawa, I have no point of comparison about Sanuki udon being the most delicious in the entire country. What I can attest to is that cold udon and kare udon are my favorites. It’s been almost a year since I’ve last had cold udon, but I still remember how refreshing it was to eat it. As for kare udon, I just had it in February, and the moment I chewed on the noodles, I knew that it would be an instant favorite. Kare udon is a bit messy to eat especially when you first eat it, so make sure to always have a napkin with you.
kare udon with side dish
I don’t know in other prefectures, but I find that the udon sold here is quite cheap. I guess it also depends on where you eat it, but generally speaking, you can buy a bowl of udon for as low as 300 yen (or maybe cheaper).
So yeah, you can’t say you haven’t been to Kagawa if you haven’t tried Sanuki udon. There are a lot of udon restaurants here, so you really won’t have an excuse of skipping it.
Hyphenized Changjo 