Next on my list was Mie Prefecture, which is to the east of Nara Ken. However, most of the cool things to see there are way, way way east, and the train lines there arent superb. And, I guess, there isnt anything too famous, apart from one temple in Ise, which you can't actually see. After chatting with a friend from
London Orientation who lives there, I settled on going to Nabari, just over the border. I figured that it would be a nice easy trip. On arrival, however, it seemed that it was actually a lot harder to get around. I wanted to go grape picking, and found a taxi to take me there. I arrived at this little stand in the middle of nowhere, with the taxi driver telling the man "this foreigner wants to pick grapes!"
Well....I'm pretty sure there arent many foreigners in this little place! They sure looked surprised! I paid for my ticket, and then the man drove me up to a farm, where he handed me off to a little lady who took my ticket and walked me up to another farm, where she showed me how to pick the grapes. It is more cutting actually. I did feel a bit awkward, sitting alone and picking and eating the grapes, but I enjoyed myself none the less. There were some puppies on the farm I saw and the girl who lived there tried out her English with me. My very small Japanese vocabulary came in handy, and when I was chatting to the girl, I found out that the Japanese really dont eat the skin of the grapes! They thought I was pretty strange! On my way back, I spoke to a nice lady who gave me some grapes for Josh (since he was away at Awa Odori dance festival) and then she had her son give me a ride to the station. It was a pretty awkward day, but I used my Japanese a lot and people were so kind to me!
Next on my list was Mie Prefecture, which is to the east of Nara Ken. However, most of the cool things to see there are way, way way east, and the train lines there arent superb. And, I guess, there isnt anything too famous, apart from one temple in Ise, which you can't actually see. After chatting with a friend from
London Orientation who lives there, I settled on going to Nabari, just over the border. I figured that it would be a nice easy trip. On arrival, however, it seemed that it was actually a lot harder to get around. I wanted to go grape picking, and found a taxi to take me there. I arrived at this little stand in the middle of nowhere, with the taxi driver telling the man "this foreigner wants to pick grapes!" 
Well....I'm pretty sure there arent many foreigners in this little place! They sure looked surprised! I paid for my ticket, and then the man drove me up to a farm, where he handed me off to a little lady who took my ticket and walked me up to another farm, where she showed me how to pick the grapes. It is more cutting actually. I did feel a bit awkward, sitting alone and picking and eating the grapes, but I enjoyed myself none the less. There were some puppies on the farm I saw and the girl who lived there tried out her English with me. My very small Japanese vocabulary came in handy, and when I was chatting to the girl, I found out that the Japanese really dont eat the skin of the grapes! They thought I was pretty strange! On my way back, I spoke to a nice lady who gave me some grapes for Josh (since he was away at Awa Odori dance festival) and then she had her son give me a ride to the station. It was a pretty awkward day, but I used my Japanese a lot and people were so kind to me!
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