This past weekend we had a 3 day holiday because Monday was some day they justified as having off. Soooo awesome! I went to Yakushima with my friends Al-lee, Cassie, Topher, Allen, Cody, and Chris. We took this hydraulic ferry boat called "Toppy (or i)" from Kagoshima City to the island on Saturday morning hella early. After waiting at the ferry terminal searching for our rental car, we soon realized that we may have told them the wrong port. Pretty sweet.. so we waited for the fun men to drive over to our port then take us to a car dealership that was literally a few minutes walk. Yay Japan :)
Throughout the day, we drove around the island on the west side where the road curves and traps you into this one lane road that looks like it was meant for bicycles... when in all actuality it's the main road. I wanted to see some freakin' monkeys.. seriously.. and as soon as I said this.. the road was blockaded with a band of wild monkeys defleaing themselves and lounging for a mid-morning sunbathe. It was sooo perfect.. I proceeded to make friends with one particular monkey that let me get really close to him/her. I wish he would've sat on my shoulder eating a banana just hangin' out - so I could take more pictures of him/her.
Yakushima is also famous for deer .. and the deer on the island are different from the deer anywhere else.. they special. These animals are held on a pedestal and are known for being sacred beings of earth... I forget what they symbolize. It was just a normal deer to me though.. I mean.. pretty.. but it's nothing I haven't seen.
That night we scampered around to find a campsite, finally settling on one in the south western part of the island. It was pretty sweet and right next to the beach.. we saw this amazing sunset too OMG woah. We also wanted to try one of the famous onsens where you can only go into the hotspring when the tide goes out.. because when the tide is in.. it is overtop of the pools. It was slightly strange - this process - as are many in Japan.. but even a little more difficult to maneuver seeing as though it was nighttime making our adventure a bit more dysfunctional. Nonetheless, we dropped hyaku-en into the trustworthy box and ventured down to the incoming tide with only a short time to spare before the pools overflowed with colder sea water. It took no more than 2 seconds to realize that this was a co-ed onsen where we'd all be naked together.. and having been put into a slew of awkward situations already in these past couple of months.. we all stripped down and jumped in. After relaxing for a bit, my good friend Cody held up his foot to Topher and says "hey man can you get this thing off?" Turns out it was a crazy sea urchin attached to Cody's foot. He threw it off with his hand, scaring all of us out of the hotspring. So that was the end of our onsen adventure. However cool it may be to bathe in ocean-hotsprings.. the incoming tide can bring unexpected predators. That's right.. Kyotsukete!! - Be careful!
The next day we got up super early to do the beautiful hike that took about 6 hours.. I think there was a 3 or 4 day hike too but we obviously didn't have that much time so instead, we decided to embark on a journey through the enchanted forest. And enchanted it was.. It was literally one of the most beautiful things I have ever seen. I mean, the entire 6 hours was fantastically incredible. I can't describe it in words but there is a movie made from this forest with "Princess Mononoke" it's a Miyazaki film so everyone should look it up and watch it. Totally awesome.
Flying fish is a specialty on Yakushima which the majority of our group decided to indulge in for the evening. Awesome food. We then retired to the same campsite after about an hour of waiting in the rain.
So that was pretty much my weekend in a nutshell..
On Wednesday I had a super awkward experience. I signed up to have my office-required health screening on Tuesday. The Friday before I left for Yakushima I was not in the office and Keith sent me an e-mail late in the afternoon saying "your fecal sample kit for you health exam is on your desk." WHAT the hell? Really? A fecal sample Japan? Really? Ok. So I was already in Kanoya when this email took place; I figured I'd just wait till Monday night when I could go pick it up. Let me tell you, I never want to do a fecal sample again.. that is gross. So Tuesday I showed up to the office at 8:15, fecal sample in hand ready to do the health screening. Then I see this piece of paper on my desk.. all in kanji.. to which I said "uh... Zushi sensei!!! Can you read this for me" ... "Ok, 1. Did you eat breakfast?" Me: "Yes." Zushi Sensei: "OH NO MEARRRY MAAAGAREEETOO.. no eat breakfast no no !!" Me: "So... uh... tomorrow.. health test.. ok?" "Ok."
I think there were like 4 things I wasn't supposed to do: 1. Eat breakfast. 2. Drink alcohol the night before. 3. drink anything the morning of and 4. smoke cigarettes. Yep.. Hence.. my health screening moved to Wednesday.
First I went into this huge room with lots of stations. They asked for my little green bag filled with my fecal sample then some man gave me a number.. 139 .. and grunted for me to move outside the door with my paper.. Next, a woman handed me a cup - to which I looked around me and placed on 3 tables were an exuberant amount of cups containing yellow liquid. To make it better.. there were 3 people in white lab coats scurrying about with test strips... Really Japan? In the hallway? Really?
So I peed in cup 139 .. handed it to the little woman then proceeded back inside the large room to another testing area. This, I could tell, was for blood pressure... although I wasn't ready for all the other questions Obaasan (grandma) was about to ask me. She just giggled at my lack of Japanese speaking and comprehension and resorted to gestures.. poking herself and saying .. OUch ouch.. ok? Then I said "no ouch, daijyobu". I had my blood pressure taken then was placed by Obaasan in the adjoining station. I sat for maybe four minutes before I realized this was the station where they take 18 pounds of blood from your body.. or so it seemed. I HATE needles.. like most people in the world.. and literally SECONDS after realizing what was going on I was being ushered under the needle. Really Japan? Needles all wide open so everyone can see you getting your blood done. Wow. Without looking and while taking deep breaths the poor woman searched for my vein then before inserting the needle she says "GOMEN (SORRY!) GOMEN GOMEN GOOOooooo...... and in went the needle." Hah at least she knows that some people don't like needles.. right?
After the blood-rific experience.. They check my eyeballs with some sideways and upside down C's then I moved to the tatami room where, as I entered, I removed my shoes and sat next to a cute little old lady half my size. We were ushered into individual rooms separated by only sheets. The Japanese nurse lifted up my shirt and bra then put suction cups all over my chest and said "Chotto matte (Just a minute)" and within a minute or so.. they had my heart on record. Thats right.
The last phase was a little silly. I waited in this long line of old women who spoke Kagoshima-ben (slang) to me .. for which I did not understand but thought was super cute. Then 3 of us moved into the back of a bus parked outside .. for which I was told was the Xray bus. I climbed in the bus... of course having to put slippers on outside the door first (no shoes - only slippers). I waited till the other 2 ladies came in and saw them reaching into their shirt and doing something.. Soon after I realized ..oh yeah.. you can't have a bra on for a chest xray.. duh. The little man ushered me into the 1/2 room of the bus with a tiny xray machine obviously meant for small Japanese people. "breath in" the xray machine said in Hiragana. .. to which I did and all of my tests were then finished.
So I poo'ed, I spoke Obaasan Japanese, I was poked in front of lots of other people, I peed in a cup which was displayed for the whole hall to see, my boobs were suction cupped, and I de-bra'ed myself with some old ladies. Then went to school. YEAH! You're jealous your day wasn't as cool as mine. But seriously, none of this was completely awkward.. just new.. and you can't make something culturally accepted for yourself until you experience it first.. right? So next time.. this health screening thing.. will be a cinch.
Goooooooooood times. :)
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