Super Adventure Time!!!! Aomori Style!!!!!

Wow, what a day! Who knew so much could happen in such a short amount of time! Aomori is definitely the little town with a strong punch. I don't even know where to start. Well, that's actually not true, because I'm going to start with waking up. So, last night was probably the best sleep I've gotten this whole trip. I'm guessing that's because I'm getting use to the time change finally. So I woke up around 7, after hearing the call for breakfast. So after taking about five minutes to get out of bed, I went downstairs only to find out that the breakfast was only for people who reserved for it. I saw nothing about this on the website, but somehow I get it tomorrow. I didn't really care though, so I just went back to bed. I woke up again at around 9:30 and got ready for the day. After finding out what the time for the bus into town was, I went to the stop and waited, along with the French guy who left for the north this morning. We both boarded the bus when it arrived, heading down to the JR Aomori station. Once we got there, we both wished each other the best of luck during our trips, and then we parted ways. From the JR station, I decided to walk to the pier and check out the bay. It was quite windy outside, but the sun was starting to poke out a bit. I continued to walk along the bridge that followed the oceanside, until I was behind the ASPAM building (a shopping center shaped like a pyramid. I went there a bit later, but I'll get to that soon). It was at this point that my notion that today was going to be slow flew out the window. What I was currently looking at was a local boat competition, with 5 teams racing against each other. All of the competing teams had their own color, and clad with color coded headbands. As the race began, the announcers were describing the different teams and who was in the lead. When the boats pushed off the dock, the leader of each boat started a chant to make sure the team rowed in unison. The funniest team to watch was the blue team, which couldn't get their act together. They started pushing into the dock's pillars, and one of the teammates broke his oar against the pillars. The orange team ended up winning the first race, but they weren't so lucky the next time. I stayed to watch the second race, which was more of the same, but still enjoyable to watch nonetheless. After watching the boat races, I continued to walk along the pier towards some shoddy looking warehouses. This was when the day turned truly amazing. In Aomori they have what is called the Nebuta Matsuri, a giant festival that is one of japan's most epic events. This is the time when people from all over japan come here and just completely let loose, like drunken debauchery type stuff. But it is also a huge cultural event. The city makes giant floats made of paper, which crawl down the street, along with groups of people playing flutes and giant taiko drums and dancers performing ceremonial acts. Now, the festival doesn't start until august 2nd, so sadly I will miss the festivities. But I got the next best thing! Near these warehouses, the people of the city were practicing the dances and musical acts. I fist got to watch them practice the dances, which were very intricate. The dancers were dressed in special clothing, and wore green makeup around their eyes. I only stayed to watch them practice for about 10 minutes, because after that I heard the clamorous sound of symbals and drums. The sound was echoing off the metal of the warehouses, so I wasn't exactly sure where the sound was coming from. I decided to just walk along the edge of the pier, until I came upon the area where people were practicing the songs. It was a large group of about fifty people, both adults and children, playing taiko, flutes, and symbals. I sat and watched with awe as these people practiced a song that must have been over 500 years old. It was quite amazing to see, and all of the performers were so happy while playing their instruments. I sat and watched the practice for at least an hour, just imagining how hard they practice, and the amount of heart they put into these precious celebrations. I assumed that the practice was going to go on for a while, so I departed and headed over to the ASPAM bulding. This is one funky shopping center because it's shaped like a pyramid with the sides cut off. There's about 14 floors to the building, with the first two filled with shops and the rest being a mix of restaurants and offices. While exploring the first floor, I found out that Aomori is famous for it's apples. Many of the shops were selling different types of alcohol made from the apples, apple candies, apple desserts, and apple toys and other trinkets. After browsing through the shops for a bit, I heard the sound of a shamisen and people crowed around a certain spot. So I walked over to the area, only to find a young woman's playing a shamisen on a small stage in the middle of the first floor. I stood and watched as she masterfully plucked the strings and created a most beautiful song. I sat and watched her play three songs before going off to find some food. For a while now I've been wanting to get a shamisen, but that performance just pushed my want to a need. First thing to do when back in America: buy shamisen. Anyways, I went to the elevator of the building and checked which restaurants were in the upper floors. I decided on a place called Nishimura, which I recognized from my travel book. The funny thing is, my travel book says that the ASPAM building is a waste of time, but they also talk about how good the restaurant Nishimura is. They also say it's in a different area, so the book is completely wrong. It's a good thing that I haven't been following it's directions, or I'd be screwed. So I went up to the tenth floor where the restaurant was located and took a seat on the tatami mat clad floor. The waitress asked me what I wanted, and I decided to go with this sashimi meal. I wasn't sure what the different fish were but they were good. Aomori is well known for it's delicious fish, and I found out why. I then got a nice big bottle of Asahi beer to take it all down. Another great thing about this restaurant is that it has an amazing view of the bay, i mean you could see everything all the way to the mountains to the right. After that delicious meal, I browsed the shops a little bit more and then went back tocthe train station. I then decided to go to the Auga market, which is Aomori's very large fish arcade. The cool thing is that the arcade is on the basement floor of a small shopping complex. I walked around the arcade, looking at all of the different types of fish, and then went back to the JR station. Because I was not going to be here for the festival, I decided to go to Nebuta no Sato, or nebuta village, where they keep all of the papercraft floats used during the festival. So I took the bus and was dropped off at the road that takes you there. I walked along the road, following a small stream that flowed alongside the path, and eventually got to the front gate. The great thig about this area is that it is invthe middle of the forest, so you are surrounded by the most beautiful mountains you could ever find. They are covered on every inch with dark green trees, and the mountain mist runs through the branches. I bought a ticket to enter the premises, and walked up a small hill to the warehouse where they keep the floats. Once I got to the top, I was surprised with a giant taiko drum. The thing was about fifty times bigger than a normal taiko drum, and about a thousand times louder. I went up to it, grabbed two of the drumsticks they had there, and started playing. All I could do was smile as I stood there and played this giant taiko. It was amazing, and it was the first time I've ever used a real taiko drum. Before I was just satisfied with Taiko Drum Master for the PS2. I then entered the warehouse and stood before the monstrosities in front of me. Giant paper floats with designs of warriors, sumo wrestlers, dragons, and elemental designs lined up along the wall, each one lit up bright. I walked through the building and stared immensely at each of the floats. They were amazing both in design and craftsmanship. Too bad I won't be at the festival to see the new floats run down the street. After exiting the building, I walked over to the the park area of the complex. There was a quaint little pond with a big statue, and I just sat down and took in everything. It was a serene moment and I felt very much at peace. After a good half hour I walked back to the front gate and checked out the souvenir shop. They were selling a lot of apple based things, just like at the ASPAM building. After leaving the complex, I walk along the road again to where the bus stop was. There was a slight drizzle outside, and the mist over the area was getting thicker. At that moment I felt as if I was in a Japanese woodblock print. I waited for the bus, which came after about twenty minutes, and took it back to Aomori station. Now this is where my night turned into a great adventure!

After getting off the bus at the station, I stopped for dinner at this tiny noodle shop. It was essentially the same thing thing as that place I went to in Asakusabashi, but there was something a little different. Because this place was so tiny, you had to stand while eating. It was hard for me because they counters were put at a height suitable for the average Japanese person, which I am not. So I had to kinda lean at an uncomfortable position to eat. After eating I waited for the bus that would take me back to the hostel to come. The time came for the bus to roll in, but nothin came. I waited another fifteen minutes, and still nothing. I went to the information office and asked when the next bus was coming, and the woman said there are no more buses. She then told me I would have to take a bus to the college near Moya Hills, which is where the hostel is located. So i waited for the bus to come and boarded it right away. It was around 8:30 when I got to the college and was raining outside. I told the bus driver that I was going to Moya Hills and asked him which street I had to take. He then told me to hold on a second, and he closed the door. I have a newfound respect for Japanese bus drivers after what this man did. He went off route and took me to the street I had to walk up. Right after dropping me off, he got up, wnet to the back of the bus, and came back with an umbrella for me. He gave me his own umbrella so that I wouldn't have to walk for twenty minutes in the rain. I thanked him as much as possibly could, and started my trek up the hill. I finally reached the hostel and went inside to a warm welcome from the manager's wife. I then preceded to go upstairs and get my things so I could take a nice hot shower. So, all in all I would rate today as a 10/10 for adventure. Just another day in the cultural exploration experimentation of japan.