Goodbye Oita! Thank you Oita! See you again!

This is a post I wrote one week ago. And now it is even more relevant. Andora's speech becomes truer with every minute that goes by... Thank you for your honest words.



The time has come. It is time to say goodbye. These days have been filled with goodbyes to fellow students, farewell get-togethers, nostalgia, tears, emotions, promises to see each other again, ... everythings that makes a goodbye a goodbye.

Slowly and sadly, it has crept into our lives. Who knew it would come so soon? Who knew it would be so emotional?

It started with the offical farewell parties at the universities last Friday. The official farewell party started out as, well, an official farewell party. Some officials gave some speeches (in Japanese, so I did not understand anything), people were standing around, pictures were taken, it was a weird atmosphere, because everywhere tables were in the way and everybody was standing in the middle of nowhere. It felt like an unorganized, boring official event and I was already thinking about leaving. But then Andora, our friend from Indonesia, who started as an international student one year before us and had now finished his studies in Oita, held his speech. It was the first heart moving moment of this event, that gave the farewell party its first emotional touch. The first glimpse of an honest goodbye swept through the room and left nobody untouched.

 

Here is Andora's speech:

"As I am standing now to deliver a speech, I just remembered some moments in my past. Two years ago, I was one of you guys here, joining the group of both Japanese and international students and listening to Johan, my Swedish friend’s speech. At that time, I was thinking that it would be great if someday I can give a speech during my farewell. So as today, in my second farewell party in Oita university, I wanna give my credits to all my friends, teachers, the international office staffs, and to all people without whom I won’t have such a great and wonderful experiences in Oita.

To be honest, my first experience in Oita was not very favorable - I had a bunch of complaints - : why the Japanese hardly speak english, or why Oita was so small and quiet and doesn’t that much awesome and spectacular as, let say, Tokyo, - and so on and so forth. However, as the day passed, I got used to my new environment, started to learn the Japanese language, created new friends, and slowly began to enjoy this place.

I still keep in touch with some of my fellow friends who had already leaved Oita and returned back to their country. Among these people, some were really enjoyed their time here, and some who didn’t seem enjoying it during their stay. However, they all have the same messages. -They are dying missing this place so much -. So I wonder how much I will miss this place, as much as I believe you guys will, after we are back in our home country.

As for my final words, I would like to say have a safe return trip, and good luck for your study back there in your home country. I sincerely hope all the very best for your future. There is a time to meet, and unfortunately there is also a time to say good bye, but I believe that the friendship that everyone gets here will last. I sincerely wish that we can meet again somewhere, sometime, somehow.

Thank you very much everyone. "

Yet another surprise was to come when Koji, our Japanese friend, sang goodbye songs accompanied by a live band. The songs were the accompanyment to a surprise picture show with many pictures of all the international students that they took during this semester. We were surprised whenever we saw our faces on the huge screen. The photos showed funny moments, significant moments, relaxed moments, excited moments, moments with friends... It was there that I realized how many things we have seen, been through, experienced together. While watching this slide show as a summary of this semester it suddenly dawned on us, how many new friends and experiences we have made - and that now the end of it is coming. The room was darkened so that everybody could watch the big screen with the picture show, but I could see students being so moved that they cried with their friends.

This official farewell party was followed by a second farewell party (this time only students in the student dorm) and a privately organized farewell party of the Kaikan people in an izakaya. The night ended in the morning in a karaoke bar. A dawning goodbye mobilizes everybody's desire to spend more time with each other. Now comes a typical period of time when everybody realized how little time is left together and is eager to do something. It is a good opportunity to create more fun memories.

I have not slept one second. The mere thought of having to leave this place makes me want to panick. I have never felt this way before. It is really strange.

I know I will be in Germany soon and then there will only be memories of this place, like a distant dream.

I never thought that I had gotten so attached to this place and the people in it. The end always seemed so far away and now that it is there, it seems so extremely sudden and real. One week ago I was ready to leave, I would have left without shedding a tear. Now I wonder, maybe it was an illusion.

You often only know how much you  feel for something or someone when you are about to lose it. It sounds silly, but some weeks ago something happened that might have prepared me for this unexpected emotional attachment. I lost my sweater. It sounds trivial, and so was the sweater (I bought it for 8,49 Euros at a textile discounter and it was cheapest polyester or fleece) - so I thought. What I had not expected was this sadness that it was gone. Although its material worth was negligible, it dawned on me that I had started to become used to it and had started to, ok this sounds creepy but, ahem, love it. During these cold winter months it had become indispensible, I wore it every day over my regular clothes - when sitting at my desk, before going outside as a double layer, in the classroom, in the cafeteria,... So after it was gone I looked for it everywhere, I thought about it before going to sleep, it was the first thing I thought about when waking up! About a sweater! You can imagine how happy I was when I found it in one of the classrooms, I clung to it the whole day. Writing down this episode something just came to my mind what Professor Higgins says in My Fair Lady after he discovers that Eliza has left and his unexpected regret of it: "I've grown accustomed to her face."

What shall this teach me? I should have foreseen all this? I should have done everything to avoid the feeling of having too little time left? By hanging out with everybody more often? By spending all free time on activities? Actually, I am happy with how I spent my time the last weeks and it would have added more pressure if I have had all this thoughts in my head. I think. Gnah, I don't know!

I only know that this time I won't be as lucky as with the sweater.

Argh

No time! No time!

I have to leave in 2 days! I do not want to!

I am not prepared to say goodbye yet... :(

Two days ago I had a nightmare. I dreamt that I was in my room in Germany again. I was shocked, "how did I get here?!". And then I woke up and was so relieved that I was still in my Kaikan room in Oita...

Asosan

One of the largest volcano craters in the world is found here on Kyushu, "our" island: Asosan. This is where we went with the German Club. Although at that time I was so swamped with work as all the finals were coming up I took this day off to go. It was the first (and probably only) time that all the German Club members could go. Rei, Micchan, Hoho, and Lisa had organized three cars so that we could even invite more to go with us. We were joined by Hoon (Korea), Mike (USA), and John (USA).I forced all the sorrows about university obligations to the back of my mind, I was determined to enjoy this day!
So it seemed sarcastic that on the day that I had long fought with myself to take off, the car broke down on the middle of the way. My mind screamed, no, this cannot be! Was this my fate? One day off and a sabotaged trip? We were lucky, the car had broken down exactly in front of a gas station. The car was diagnosed and filled with some oil, and we were good to go!

 

The car broke down...

  

... just in front of a gas station. 

After drinking some oil it was good to go.

The weather was perfect. Not a single cloud in the sky and brilliant sunshine. We did not go to the crater itself, but went to another peak with a nice view.

  

 We arrived! Alive!

  

 Perfect weather, perfect view.

  

 The fun of the day was not primary the view of Asosan, but rather our group pictures...

  

All the girls from the German Club

  

 Money donated to a little Buddha statue.

 We were so hungry and tried to find some place to eat. We stumbled into this restaurant. Of course, it was one of the many buffets.In a big group the perfect meal is a buffet, because everybody will be satisfied. Everybody will get to pick the food he likes. And this buffet was a good one. It had many Japanese dishes. Only the dessert section never seems to match the Japanese theme: often it is cookies, pudding, ice cream, melted chocolate, cake,... Maybe this is because Japanese do not have many traditional desserts...

 

 

It was a perfect day. Thank you German Club!

Military base

Military bases in Japan. A delicate topic. The Japanese post-war constitution does not foresee Japan to have a military force. So we went on a field trip to a so-called "self-defense post" in Beppu. We could not take pictures there, except in some certain areas.
The soldiers and officers were really friendly. Somehow the whole field trip was a lot of fun. We could visit their training fields, have lunch with them, take group pictures and wear funny hats. 
Everything was perfectly organized. All the proceedings were exactly timed, everything went smoothly. From preparing chairs for the group pictures to getting everybody lunch quickly (with previous stop at a sink to wash your hands!) to organizing racks and tables where to put your jackets and bags...

 

Training field. The mountains are beautiful.

  

Having lunch with the soldiers.

  

Q&A

  

 A last group picture. When we came out of the building the chairs were already standing there in the middle of the place. The important people always sit in the front. The most important in the middle.

Omiyage

I have already mentioned the deathly sin of not bringing a souvenir to your family or friends (and everyone else you are obligated to) after having travelled somewhere. It is a HUGE industry! Japanese feel an inherent urge to buy something to bring home. So each and every small town has come up with its own specialty. This leads to really artificial niches sometimes.

This is an omiyage (souvenir) special for Miyajima Island (Hiroshima) that is still understandable. Although I wondered, why its specialty is maple leaves, when everywhere else in Japan you can also find maple trees:

 

This is a funny omiyage. I went to a sumo match, and then I could buy sumo cookies:

  

This is an omiyage, which I do not really find original. It is from the Miyajima Island, where some deer run around and where the famous shrine is - so ok, there are cookies with deer and shrine motives:

  

 And one day we went on a field trip to a nearby military base. Guess what kind of omiyage one can buy there:

  

 BOMB cookies!

I cannot find words for this...

I did not take a picture of this, but when we went to a Shrine on Enoshima Island we discovered cookies with a Buddha motive on it...

Can you see how desperate Japanese must be for omiyage?

Fabians birthday

 We celebrated Fabian's birthday in Kami Fusen.

  

 Kami Fusen interior

 

  

 At one point a (drunk) Japanese from the room next to us suddenly sat down with us, chatted, laughed, and drank with the guys. It was so fascinating to see an adult Japanese coming to us.  It is obviously only the effect from too much liquor, usually no Japanese wants to talk to us foreigners.

  

This is warm sake!

  

 Fabian ordered a bottle like above, and wanted 5 of these small cups to go with it, so that he could share with the guys. But somehow there was a misunderstanding, and instead of bringing 5 cups we were served 5 bottles!

Would you take your children with you when you went drinking in a bar? In Japan people do. When we were celebrating we suddenly saw kids running around. They played, laughed, and even came into our room and played tricks on our American fellow. They were pretty cheeky, like hitting him on the head and playing with his hair. And then they even sang with us Happy Birthday. I asked our Japanese friends, if it is normal that kids play in the izakaya and they said that when they were kids they have also been with their parents in izakayas. The playing kids contributed to a relaxed atmosphere. It was very relaxing and comfortable in our izakaya room. It felt more like a living room. 

  

 Kids were drawn to us - strange people from foreign countries

 Relaxed izakaya

Kami Fusen

My favorite izakaya in Oita: Kami Fusen. The first time I went there was with the German Club. It is a very cozy izakaya. The big tables are very convenient, when there is a large group because everybody can sit together in one room, rather than be split up at several small tables.
We were given goodbye presents from the others. We would not have expected this. Then we got a bad conscience that we had not brought any goodbye presents.
It is a delicate thing, the gift giving in Japan. There are sitations when you are obligated to bring gifts, like when you have travelled somewhere. Not bringing a  souvenir to family and friends is a no-go.

Kami Fusen

 

The typical izakaya evening. A whole lot is ordered and everybody shares the food and bill later.

 

 Tamago

 

Yakitori

Charlotte's Birthday

When our Korean friend Charlotte celebrated her birthday in Park Place, almost the whole Kaikan joined. When we rode the bus there it felt like being on a field trip. It was much fun scaring the other Japanese people on the bus by looking different and speaking in English to each other.
We went to a buffet, where Western and Japanese food was offered. And they played Disney songs in the restaurant. The interior was very charming, colorful, and cute. Japanese restaurants are very strong on the design part. And often they are affordable, too. Especially buffets, where you can eat and drink as much as you want, for about 11 Euros. I have seen many restaurants in Japan offering buffets and eat-drink-flatrates - like in the USA this form of flatrates are really common here. I do not always like it though. They usually encourage you to drink and eat too much and in the end you have trouble walking straight. And in Germany drinking flatrates are a delicate topic because of alcohol abuse. Change of subject: from alcohol abuse to us: we girls were especially attracted by a SOFT ICE MACHINE included in the buffet! So we could as much ice cream as we wanted! No need to mention that I felt kind of nauseous afterwards...

 

The bus is too low for Gerard (our representative from the Netherlands)

  

 Everybody came to celebrate Charlotte's birthday!

  

 A friend who is fond of Pachinko.

  

 A nice and relaxing walk after the birthday buffet. We went to explore the huge shopping complex and ended up here. We will make good wives. It was very nice though ^^

Cooking with Marion

In December Marion saw that she had bought a "wrong" type of rice. Eriko, our Japanese friend, said that it was not meant for making some kind of rice cake. So when I discovered a recipe in a Japanese cookbook for making sweet rice balls with red bean paste, which Marion and I love, we had to get togehter and try it!

  

 We bought red azuki beans, cooked them for an hour, mashed them with a cup of sugar and then formed them into balls. We also formed the cooked rice into balls.

  

 Flatten the red bean paste, place a rice ball in the middle, and cover it with the paste.

  

 And then it should look like this. Not the prettiest dessert in the world, but it tasted good. Next time we would double the amount of sugar though.

The end is coming!

Oh my, I have only 3 days left! I'm starting to panick!

I have been abandoning my blog for a while, because there were so many things going on. But now I want to update at least the most memorable things that I do not want to forget. I want to write them down now so that they are still from a relatively fresh memory before actually being back in Germany.

I do not want to go back... It makes me sad...

Soccer Match

February 2nd in Oita Stadium: Japan vs. Venezuela!

A Japanese friend managed to buy tickets for the international students. In the end we were a bunch of excited 15 international students to go. It was a match between two countries! We expected it to be even more exciting than the first time we went when FC Oita played.

 

Already before entering the stadium everybody bought fan merchandise to support the Japanese team

  

It was so cold! But at the entrance we were distributed small blankets, which we took with gratitude

  

Not so excited anymore. Everybody was quiet and sitting. Maybe the coldness froze everybody's brains? I was a little bit disappointed by this match. No fun in the audience and 0:0.

 

The Japanese are so well organized! On the way to and back from the stadium shuttle buses transported the crowds to their destinations.

And look at this. Some fancy chandelier in the bus! I felt like a VIP... I was just missingn the champagne

The eight hells in Beppu - a tour for all senses

We went to Beppu to the 8 hells. If Kyushu is famous for something, it would be the hot springs in Beppu. There are eight main hot springs, which all have a distinct feature. Beppu is only 20 minutes by train from Oita and cost 540 Yen back and forth.

Directly in front of the train station in Beppu you already encounter the first mini hot spring.

 

It is for your hands. It is nice and warm and the water is supposed to be good for your skin.

In order to get to the 8 hells you can take a bus to the hot spring area. 5 of the hot springs are in walking distance. You can purchase a ticket voucher for 2,000 Yen (16 Euro) for entry to all 7 hot springs. We had a discount of 10% and so we saved 200 Yen.

The tour was really an adventure for all our senses: seeing, hearing, feeling, smelling, and even tasting!

The first hell: Oniishibouzu Jigoku

  

It is basically hot mud, around 98 degrees

  

The best part about this hot spring: a hot spring for your feet! As it is so cold in winter, it was really nice to bathe your feet in warm water. And we forgot to bring towels. But you can buy them at the entrance! And guess what: for exactly 200 Yen. Haha, so in the end our entrance fee was not cheaper... Dang it.

  

FEELING

As this picture shows, putting ice cold feet in warm water is not nice in the beginning...

  

...but after getting used to the warmth, it is really relaxing to sit there, especially when the sun is shining and warming your face and your body, too.

  

These citrus fruits swim in the water probably to ease the sulphur odor from the water

A quiet and nice place to relax - I could have stayed here all day!

  

SEEING and HEARING:

Steam everywhere you look and listen

  

 More steam

 The second hell: Umi Jigoku

  

Green

  

It is so warm that blossoms bloom

  

Red

  

There is so much steam, sometimes we disappeared

  

There is steam coming from the road

  

Lotus in a winter garden

  

Steam, steam, steam

  

The blue hell

  

Eggs are cooked here and sold!

  

Lunch: Dangojiru

The third hell: Kamado Jigoku

This hell had different booths, where you could experience various aspects of the hot springs.

 

1st booth

Warm feet: the stone plates are heated with steam from beneath and provide warmth

 

2nd booth 

TASTING

Hot spring water for drinking

  

It tasted salty and smelled like eggs that have gone bad. Yuck!

  

Double yuck!

  

3rd booth

Steam is kept under the wooden plates

  

You can put your hands in the warm steam

  

SMELLING

Steam for your face. It smells really bad! It is supposed to be good for your skin.

It gives the phrase "Where the hell is Matt" a new perspective.

  

More hot mud. (Heißer Dreck)

  

The Onsen has a natural clear blue color

  

Here they sold steamed buns and eggs, that were cooked in the hot springs

  

We got one

  

And it is brown inside! 

It tastes almost like a normal egg, but with a weird aftertaste.

  

We discovered this sign only after having eaten the egg. Well, never mind. I won't eat it again. And I doubt that it would have tasted much better like this.

4th hell: Shiraike Jigoku

  

This hot spring was not spectacular. Only the steam shooting from a stone cave was worth a look.

 5th hell: Chinoike Jigoku

The name has something to do with blood. Dramatic name!

  

  

  

A Zen fish

We did not make it to all 8 Onsen due to lack of time. There are two hot springs with animals, one with alligators and one with other animals like elephants. But I do not want to go there. It is not supposed to be an animal friendly place. 

It was a really fun day in Beppu!