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[For the sake of privacy, I will exclude the name of the exact location visited in this article].
I would like to share with all of you one of the most memorable experiences I have ever had in my life. The following events took place in late, 2013. A cold day in November found me rushing to work without breakfast, dressing on the way and making a run for it, waking up at 8 AM rushing to work!
Breathing a sign of relief, I’ve made it in time but the classes had been rescheduled for another day. No doubt, I’ve been notified but in the hectic-ness of it all, I had forgotten to check my mail.
I began heading back, but, an urge to explore took over and I kept going till Saitama Shintoshin. Where I got off and decided to board a private express train, having no idea where it was going, I fell asleep.
Before I know it, I am now in Gunma Prefecture! I had been asleep on a super fast train for over an hour and thirty minutes! And with two hours before the next train to Kawaguchi, it’s time for some exploring!
What greeted me was a surprisingly empty station, despite the fact that Japanese train stations are among the most advanced in the world in terms of technology, this station had barely anything apart from the basic ticket gate and the one solitary vending machine.
I walked out of the station. A beautiful sight met my eyes.
Fields upon fields of crops lay in front of me, mountains covered in forests in the distance!
Acres upon acres of rice paddies as far as the eye could see!
This is the Japanese countryside!
As I walked around, I saw sights that reminded me so much of the many anime titles set in the countryside, with sloping grassy banks next to clear streaming rivers to secluded shrines atop hundreds of steps. I rushed about everywhere, taking in all I could. I even saw a small unmanned store selling vegetables with just a box out in the front where people would drop money once they had taken what they needed. How lovely!
This was a scene depicted in Non Non Biyori, an Anime I highly suggest you check out by the way.
Indeed now that I think about it, so much of the countryside seemed to be scenes out of titles like Ano Natsu de Matteru, Non Non Biyori and Barakamon. But perhaps that’s just my mind associating them with it ^^;
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I was half expecting to see a Renge pop up and go “Nyan Pasu~”
What was peculiar however was the fact that nobody seemed to be around. It had been over an hour and not a single soul or convenience store was in sight. I did not mind however and decided to keep exploring. I was so engrossed in the sights and sounds, I did not realise where I was actually heading, when it hit me that I had only 30 minutes before the train arrived. All the fields looked similar and I had no idea which direction I came from. With no GPS, I simply followed a direction at random for over 40 minutes with no station in sight. I was lost…
Exhausted, I sat down beside the road, when unexpectedly, a small pickup truck came to a halt beside me, with an old couple inside the vehicle. Most probably returning from their fields with the back of their truck laden with vegetables. I launched into a story explaining my situation and they offered to drop me off at the station. Having after asked for my name, things remained mostly silent.
Silent until my stomach decided to interject!
“GROWL!”
Blushing furiously, I apologised.
“GROWL!” Again!
The old lady, namely Seiko-san smiled kindly and asked if I had lunch. I told her how I was in a hurry and she nodded knowingly. After a while, the pickup went off the road, through some trees and soon we came into a clearing and the sight of a traditional Japanese house met my eyes. She got out and walked towards the house followed by Abe-san, the old man. Confused, I sat within the pickup awkwardly until Abe-san called from outside “Boya! [坊や] Come help me with these vegetables!”
A sense of familiarity struck, even though it was the first time anybody had ever addressed me as such, it was something I had only heard about it in Anime and Manga.
Finished with the helping, I was led into the living room where Abe-san promptly sat down and turned on the TV. While I hovered around, confused, Seiko-san came into the room carrying a tray full of food. She set it on the table and offered me a bowl.
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Something like these~
Embarrassed, I refused but she would not have it and sat me down. A scrumptious meal ensued, full of festive red rice, fried fish, fried chicken glazed in honey, miso soup and pickles.
Dear God, the pickles were so good!
Seiko-san tried to explain that these delicacies were from their fields, fervently pointing from her window. I used “tried” because at the time, my Japanese was not very good, but being accommodating, they used English where they could which was really nice. She told me about her two daughters, all the while, stuffing my bowl with more servings. That tatami room was bathed in the orange sunlight from the sun starting to dip low onto the horizon, streaming in from their veranda facing a humble backyard.
Then Abe-san, reminded that the next train would be arriving soon and we should set off. After a few more bows to one another, I got onto the same truck, ready to leave but with a jar of the godlike pickles from Seiko-san, as she was saying, “Do drop by to visit us every now and then! It does get quite quiet here”.
A warm fuzzy feeling enclosed me as we set off.
Soon, Abe-san and I were at the station, seated down on a bench with a hot can of coffee from the lonely vending machine on the platform. He asked me about myself, my hopes, dreams, ambitions, what I thought of Japan, why I was here, for a moment, I was put in deep thoughts as I replied with utmost earnestness before thanking Abe-san and proceeding towards the train as it pulls into the station.
The train doors closed and it started moving, waving goodbye to Mr. Abe, the train started my journey back to my everyday life. I closed my eyes, taking care not to drift off to sleep, took a deep breath and declared to myself; this is why I loved Japan.
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Picture Courtesy of DJWASABE Rural area in the Snow
I hope you enjoyed reading my brief adventure. If you do find yourself in Japan, do try and visit the countryside if you can. It is a wonderful place.
For more information about Gunma, you can visit their website at Gunma Tourism.
More Nyan Pasu~
The post [JLIFE] AN UNEXPECTED EXCURSION INTO THE JAPANESE COUNTRYSIDE appeared first on AFA Channel!.
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