Ohdairajuku Pt I: A Weekend in an Edo-period Outpost

One of the most memorable weekends I had during our summer in Iida was the weekend we spent in Ohdairajuku, a post town deep in the mountains to the north of the city. We left the city early on a Friday and weren't going to be coming back until late Sunday evening.  For three days and two nights we would be staying in buildings constructed in the Edo period more than 200 years ago. It served as a post town for travelers passing through the mountainside.

The night before we left, I met up with our professor, Martin Holman, to do the shopping for our trip. We would be cooking all our own meals in a small hearth in the cabin we would be staying in and without access to a refrigerator we had to buy non-perishable food. In total we spent upwards of 30,000 yen, roughly $300 dollars, on food and drinks. Although we didn't have a fridge, we were able to keep our drinks and fruit cold in a stream that ran through the town so deep in the mountains that the stream was ran cold enough to keep drinks and fruit cool. (Below [Top]: The stream we kept our drinks cool in. [Middle]: Our first night cooking in the hearth. Our sensei made a delicious chicken and dumpling soup. [Bottom] This cart was one of two filled with food that we brought for the weekend. Photos courtesy of Kelly Washatka).

One Year Later: Reflections

This week marked the first time in 12 months that I couldn't say, "This time last year, I was in Japan." I have a lot of mixed feelings about that. I try to keep true to the adage "Don't be sad because it's over, smile because it happened." But, every now and then, when looking through pictures on Facebook or photos for this blog, there happens this overwhelming wave of nostalgia and it's a shame to think that its all in the past.

Sure, I most definitely have plans to return, hopefully within the next two years, but by then it will be as part of the real world. Traveling abroad as a student is an entirely different experience from traveling as a part of a job. I think I was able to get a richer understanding of Japanese culture because I was able to simply be there and take it all in. 

Students have a unique opportunity when it comes to studying abroad. It's the one time in your life when you can take a trip to (almost) anywhere in the world and see a place completely different from your own and you can apply for student loans to do it. Don't get me wrong, studying abroad is not a cheap affair. When I landed back in the US, I had a wiped out bank account and $23 in my pocket. On top of that, the student loan debt I accrued won't be anything to sneeze at. But, I can honestly say, for the experience I had, it was worth every single yen.