#larimeke

Tochigi Prefecture, Yo!

Sup? Mari from Team Lari here.

Let’s see, we are almost done with the Kanto region, huh? On prefecture 13 of 47. The lucky number 13, that is. So, here we go. Drum roll if you could.

Tochigi! I had to say this one a few times to memorize it better. The other 12 were apparently easy for my brain, and this one, well, I had to imagine a Togipi! This is our second landlocked prefecture aside from Saitama. Just as a quick reminder, Honshu is the largest island of Japan and where our prefecture of the day is resting on. It sounds like a very humid place through the year, more like on a Florida scale rather than an Illinois one. (This is how a gage things. Illinois v. Florida. The only states I’ve ever lived in.)

-Nikko

*This city is pretty much deeply rooted in Japan’s history. It’s actually part of the World Heritage list.

*It’s easy to see why. The temple built in the 1600’s, Nikko Toshu-gu, resides in Nikko.

*From what I saw of the reviews, the temple is a very large and impressive place that’s a must see.

*There are beautiful carvings in the main hall worth gluing one’s eyes to.

*After reading a view reviews, if I want to take a tour, it’s best to take one on a weekday.

*There’s also the shrine and mausoleum duo, Taiyuinbo.

*This location is very important because it is said where Tokugawa Ieyasu rests in peace.

*Tokugawa Ieyasu is responsible for creating the Tokugawa Shogunate that ruled Japan during the Edo Period from 1603-1867. Thus, a place needing to be checked out!

*Aside from the temples and shrines, there’s also some nice nature in Nikko.

*Mountains, waterfalls, lakes, hot springs, you name it! Plus, the autumn colors are best seen on Shinkyo bridge.

-Nasushiobara

*This city was just formed in 2005. I’m learning that many larger cities have formed around the radius of Tokyo in order to become accustomed to the growing population.

*There’s apparently a hella ton of onsens to visit.

*One being Nasu Onsen, which is at the base of a volcano

*The other being Shiobara Onsen, serenely nestled in the crook of a valley at Mt. Nasudake.

*We shouldn’t forget that Nasushiobabra is part of Nikko National Park

*In which case, there’s plenty of hiking, wateralls, bridges, and skiing.

*I think I should take up skiing if I plan to go to Japan….ehehe.

Well, folks, that’s Tochigi. 13 of 47. Slow going, but at least it’s going. Did I miss anything for this prefecture that should be added? Let me know! Submit something, and I’d be glad to post it on the blog!

Until then, mwuah!

Happy Holidays everyone! We go to St. Augustine to celebrate the end of the year! Take a gander!

How is everyone doing? This Mari from Team Lari.

We’ve said goodbye to the last of the Kanto region with Gunma. Now we are 15 of 47 and traversing towards the Chubu region. Hmn, let’s start with Niigata, which once more faces the Sea of Japan with little Sado Island tagging along for the prefectural ride. Niigata produces a great amount of rice and rice products. Get your sake ready!

-Echigo Tsumari

*Home of some very innovative art shows.

* “Every three years, the Echigo Tsumari Art Triennale is held in the region for a few weeks in summer (the next in 2018). During these art festivals, between 100 to 200 new art pieces are created and displayed in addition to the permanent installations.” (https://www.japan-guide.com/e/e7650.html)

*So, yeah, that sound pretty fun. There’s some motivation to attempt and visit Japan in 2018, even though my wallet is telling me no.

*Also, the place ends in “Mari.” It’s like it’s calling me over.

*Unfortunately, though the landscape of Echigo Tsumari is breathe-taking, most of the younger generation have began to move out to escape extreme weather conditions or to find opportunities in larger cities.

*This makes me think of “Wolf Children,” where the mother moves to a rural area to raise half-human and half-wolf children away from the city. There, she discovers the rewards of living off of the land, bonding with her children. If you watch it, I recommend bringing some tissues with you.

*Heeey, if Laurel and I ever move to Japan, this may be the place to pick from!

-Yuzawa

*Umm, well, yes. This would happen to be another skin resort town. If anything in my life has amounted to something, it would be my intuition. With all of these skier resorts in Japan and me

wanting to go to Japan, I just need to suck it up and get me a pair of skis!

*Apparently, there are around 20 resorts to pick from.

*I didn’t really think about this either. Maybe I can try snow boarding…hmn…

-Sado Island

*One of Japan’s largest islands, this little buddy lives off of the coast of Niigata.

*In Sado Island’s history, the area was used as a place for exiles to reside at. Kind of like Australia and England. Or America and England.

*There’s a gold mine that was closed down in the year we were born, 1989, but is still accessible for learning purposes!

*Laurel would like me to remind everyone that we really have to go there to see the Japanese Ibis, the only place in the world where the bird can be found, since it’s extinct in the wild.

*Another must is the Earth Day Celebration! It’s a three day celebration with events and workshops (like dancing and music making!)

Tadaa! 15 of 47 have been completed! I’m so excited that we are moving forward inch by inch. I hope I’ve helped others learn a bit more about Japan. Please, let me know if there’s anything more you’d like to add. I’m just looking up stuff willy nilly and adding anime and personal experiences. If you’ve gone to the real deal, I really really want to know!

With that, Mari out!

Me llamo Mari para Team Lari. Como estas?

Welcome to our lovely prefecture, 21 of 47 by the way, called Aichi. We are still in the Chubu region on the big island of Honshu. This time, the prefecture resembles aan obese rearing horse. It’s a fast growing prefecture, speeding on up in the population and soaring past Tokyo in terms of growth. And there’s a reason why…

Oh boy, there are a lot of places to go, here. I wouldn’t have known otherwise until I started this project. I’m getting overeager about Japan just doing these posts. Like. Hyper kitten or something. Poor Laurel is probably tired of me talking about the place and does an occasional nod and “that’s crazy” to satisfy my jabbering. Lol.

-Nagoya

*Funny story. So when I was searching for cheap flights to Japan, I always looked up Tokyo’s flights. I never even heard of Nagoya until I became desperate and scoured the web for ways to fly cheap CHEAP I say to Japan. One site said to try an airport in Nagoya. (It was still way over my current price range, haha… crying) BUT NOW I can learn more about the city I wanted to fly to. What goes around comes around, my friends.

*Any way, onto actual Nagoya facts.

*Remember the growth I was talking about? Nagoya is Japan’s fourth most populated city!

*(Oh shoot, there’s like a billion things to do here, umm…what should I choose?)

*Oh right, there’s Nagoya Castle! And boy, is this one a crystal. Really, it’s just so pretty. The castle was built at the beginning of the Edo period. Unfortunately, after the Second World War, most of the structure was destroyed. The castle was reconstructed and injected with a museum in the 1950’s. It’s a great spot to catch the delicate drifting of cherry blossom petals.

*Well then, I have also learned that Nagoya, Aichi is where Toyota is based.

*And there’s a Legoland. Not too interested, but come on, I have to mention it.

*There’s a Science Museum. Umm, if you have been with us since the begging of the prefecture project, then you should know that we are nerds, and the Science Museum had us at “one of the world’s largest planetariums,” and “science rooms where you can participate in experiments.”

*Noritake Garden is a ceramic house. Visitors can watch as the workers craft masterpieces. Mmm, I love watching people make pottery. Whenever I try, the clay kind of…murders itself.

-Inuyama

*It’s bad when your computers autocorrects Inuyama to Inuyasha.

*Anyway, there’s a reason for that. The city’s name translates to “Dog Mountain.”

*What’s cool is that there’s a remaining wooden castle that has not sustained major damage, leaving it in it’s original state since 1537. The castle is right beside the Kiso River and provides a mystical view of the land around.

*Meiji Mura. Umm. An open air museum? Yes. Oh yes please. It features building from the Meiji Era that lasted from 1867 to 1912. I FREAKING LOVE LEARNING! Oh…ehem…sorry.

*Urakuen Garden is you know, a Japanese garden. Flowers, scenery, pretty stuff…AND A TEAHOUSE CALLED JO-AN! Oh yeah. Laurel and I will definitely need to mark that spot on our list because if I miss a chance to see a tea master do his/her magic, then I couldn’t call myself a proper Mari Meke.

Alright, so maybe I was a bit too excited for this post. Maybe I did have some cold brew coffee. Whatevs. There. 21 of 47. Almost halfway there. Mwuahaha!

See you soon, loves.