Dia De Liz

Today is a national holiday in Japan. Today is Culture Day...or something like that. It celebrates the birthday of Emperor Meiji who was the guy that opened Japan to the West. I visited his shrine a couple weeks ago, you may remember. 

You may be wondering about the title of the post. This day was brought to you by my good friend Liz McNaughtan. I was talking to her on the internets about what to do today, when she suggested that I go drive somewhere to read my book (rather than just read at home). I thought this was a great idea, so I decided to turn it into a whole day. Liz is one of my best friends who happens to be married to one of my other best friends. I lived with the two of them last year for a while when I moved back to Cedar. Needless to say, she was probably the best roommate I ever had (she makes a wicked pizza). 

I put on some Backstreet Boys, hopped in the car and drove up to Nagano. She suggested that I make Muddy Buddies (her favorite food). I went out in search of the needed ingredients necessary to make the treat and watch Muppet Treasure Island. So here is the photographic report of the Liz-inspired day.

 Day started out at 7-11 where I found Cheese Fondue Pringles. Seriously?! Go Japan! I will say this though, they mostly just taste like cheese Pringles. I do like that it says Merry Pringles on it. 

 Actual footage of me driving. I am up in Nagano Prefecture.

 Cool sign that looks like the logo from Zelda. 

 Observe me driving on the left side of the road.

 Rice paddy that was recently harvested and burned.

 I can take pictures as I drive! Don't get on my case about wearing earphones while driving because my car only gets AM radio and Japanese radio sucks. I usually just wear one, but I didn't want to look like a carzy person as I drive...

 Heading into a sweet tunnel.

 They make surprisingly good tunnels in this country. 

 As soon as you get out of the tunnel, you see the whole big city of Chino and Suwa open up. You can see it off in the distance. 

 I had to pull over to go to this mega-uber-ultra store. The American Drug store, Marry Park and Appleland.

 This is inside the American Drug. It didn't look like an American Drug store to me...false advertising. 

 They have a lot of things in this country. 

 Down toward Appleland

 No one in Japan cares that he cheated on his wife with 100 different floosies evidently. 

 They had their own food court with an old school sign advertising Coke. Also that sign has some kind of duck on it. 

 I am really bummed that this place is about an hour away by car because it is about 873 times cooler than the grocery stores near me. These are cool trucks filled with Wonka Chocolate. 

 They had a whole English Tea section and gifts for people. 

 Call me a kid in a candy store (more like a big white guy in a Japanese snack shop).

 Sweet sweet American tasty goodness. As I write this, I am enjoying Sour Cream and Onion chips.

 Swiss Miss hot chocolate! Who knew that something so bland and relatively tasteless would be in any demand all the way across the ocean? Then again, some people like British comedy in America (ZING!).

Samurai swords filled with country. There's playing to your strengths Japan!

 

 The bag showing AppleLand.

 I found the Colonel!

 Big old container of fries.

 Here is the mountains and houses surrounding them.

 SUDDENLY A LAKE! This is as far as I went...there is a giant lake in the middle of the city of Suwa. Weird right? I thought so...

 It's only a little gloomy because this is how Japan looks when you get into the mountains. 

 You can rent those swan boats I saw in Tokyo...I thought about doing it, but I didn't want to be that guy who is driving around in a swan boat on the lake all by himself making pirate noises and singing showtunes...we all know one.

 I thought this was interesting how the houses go right up through the middle of the trees. 

 They had an art museum, but I didn't go in. I figure that money is better spend on not art that I have never heard of in Japan...also there were a bunch of old people looking sideways at me. 

Pretty right? You have heard that Japan is filled with castles...this isn't one. Although if you see the tree with some leaves that look suspended in the middle of the air, those are giant spider webs that span from tree to tree. 

 The gates to a lovely place to get married...

 Aw...red carpet and everything, it's every girls dream wedding location.

 Here is the funny thing about the Japanese and old Christian churches. There aren't many Christian churches, and none of them are older than about 1870. Some Japanese people want to get married in these Christian churches, but they don't have any. Solution? Build one that is almost like a Christian cathedral, but because of space and zoning restrictions, we will make it out of painted wood and fudge that whole 'vaulted ceilings' thing. I laughed out loud when I saw this. It is tiny. 

 It looks more like a mini-golf obstacle than a place to have your wonderful wedding. 

 I saw a delicate butterfly...sitting on caution tape. As it flew away, I heard it whisper...but I don't speak Japanese so I don't know what it said. 

 This bridge spans the river that is the outlet of the lake. I thought the metal work was pretty cool as you look at the whole thing. 

 Yarr...here be the noble ship Titanic (or in Japanese Ta-i-ta-ni-ku) that was grounded after she ran into the great icebarrrgggg.

 View of the lake looking north.

 The river outlet

 Hyaku-en store! 100 yen stores are super awesome. They have some in America too, but they have all sorts of great things for 100 yen. Half the stuff I own is from these places. 

 I find it interesting that the dolls that are for sale at the Japanese Dollar store are all white with big blue eyes. It seems like a weird message to send to me..The outfits they have for sale are things like Kimonos and other traditional Japanese things. Is it that only the cheap dolls are Caucasian? 

 Again at the store nearer to home. All the models in all the pictures on the walls are American/European.

Happy family there on the left. That would constitute 3 times as many white people as I saw all day. I guess it is what came along with the Westernization that the Emperor whose birthday today is opened Japan up to. 

That was my Liz-inspired day. If you would like to have a day inspired by you, let me know some of your favorite things and some ideas you would do if you were living in Japan. I will do my best. It is more fun for me to try to find things to do that other people would like so that they can live vicariously through me. I was unable to complete the Muddy Buddies. I couldn't find powdered sugar, chocolate chips or Chex. I was prepared to use candy bars and corn flakes, but I REALLY could not find powdered sugar. I even asked a guy and showed him the Kanji for powdered sugar and he led me to granulated sugar/salt. He was a big help.

I ended up trying to recreate the pizza Liz makes with a frozen one from the store (it did not go over well). So this one is for you Liz.