タンタンというのカフェ Café Tantan

Tantan: The cutest café in probably whole Japan

タンタン：日本では一番かわいいカフェ

On a rainy day (o how I miss those chilly days - for a long week already every day is almost unbearable hot and even worse humid) one of my fellow workawayers proposed to check out Tantan. “Tantan?” ”Yes the one cafe on this island”

So Tantan it was then. Through the laking of umbrellas we had to pair up and started our short procession.

雨の日に(ああ、あのひんやり日が恋い慕うーもう長な一週間くらい毎日は多恵がない暑い。そこへ持ってきて蒸し暑い！)相手のworkawayerは「タンタンに行こう？」と言った。「たんたん？」「はい、小値賀のカフェ！」そして鹿島立ちをしました。傘が少しだけあったので、皆は対になりました。

I am in general not such a big fan of cafes, coffee shops or the like (I do not like coffee to start with) but this place fully convinced me. Entering a narrow side street and passing a jingling entrance door(a cute door neighboring cute flower pots) we entered a sacred place. 

My company dashed at a shelf of colorful accessories, presents and decoration, occasionally letting out a scream of adoration. Even though I found the usefulness of a little picture holder in the form of a smiling bread(yes exactly as I described) slightly questionable, the smart shop owners were able to excite me for their very tasty, cheap cookies made off old cake. 

私は概ねカフェとかコーヒショップのファンいません(まずコヒを好きやない)が、あの店が説き伏せられました。狭い道に入って、かわいいしゃんしゃんのドア🚪を過ぎて、聖なる場所を見つけた。

仲間はスッとかわいい物が多かったの棚に走って、たまに愛好の叫びを聞かれた。

After a good while of Julia, Tarryn and Jasmine wondering at the goods of cuteness, did we proceed to the question of what to drink. 

The matcha frappe had been recommended to us(with the hint to ask for the free extra whipped cream topping). So after a short while of sitting at a very cute table on cute chairs and cute benches a masterwork of green and white fluff arrived. 

ジュィア、テリンとジャスミンはあのかわいい物に不思議がた経てば何を飲みたいの質問に進んだ。私たちに抹茶フラップエを進めた（ヒントは無料のあわ立てクリームのトッピングを聞きます。そこでかわいいてベルし、かわいい椅子に座ってしばらくして緑と白いフアフアの傑作が来た。

I can say, that the pudding and muffins are also worth a try. Very fluffy. 

プリンとマッフィンも美味しし、フアフア。

Before we came to Tantan the first time, we had already benefited from their work, when we celebrated Titis birthday. Taiyo was so nice to not only allow us to have a party in the Karaoke, but also bought a delicious (very fluffy) cake! As I heard Koldo also had received a Tantan birthday cake, so I would definitely recommend to plan when to arrive here wisely.

Back to us sitting at a cute table in Tantan.

When the frappe had magically disappeared we set off, not before Taryn had to buy very very VERY cute cookies. Her acting like a good older sister shared them with us. I even prefer those cookies over the frappe, that was a bit too sweet for my taste. And also because: look at those details! The very hungry caterpillar has a proper amount of legs and hairs.

タンタンに初めて来たの前にもうタンタンに作ったの美味し物から利した。titiの誕生日の時だった。たいよさんの優しくのおかげで彼からカラオケのパーティをばかりでなくもらった、美味しいケーキ🎂も買ってもらった。コルドにも誕生日にけーきを贈ったから、いつgoenで働いてに来たいをよく考えてはほうがいいと思う。

もう一度私たちはタンタンに座ってついて。

抹茶フラッペは珍しな感じで消えた時帰った。その前にテリンはとてもかわいいクッキーを買った。いいおねさんのように皆と一緒に分け合った。フラップエよりあのケッキーが好き。フラップエは少し甘すぎだから。そしたら詳細を見てください。腹ペコおむしの足と髪をみてください！

The very tasty caterpillar 

We slowly made our way back enjoying the fresh air after the rain, resting a bit more(reading or painting) before starting the dinner service.

ゆっくりで帰って、涼しな空気を味わって、家で休んで(本を読んだ、絵を描いた)、夕食に行った。

How many seas streets must a white dove sail?

The cucumber grandma -きゅうりおばちゃ🥒

第一day off

 又はきゅうりおばちゃん🥒

My first day off-

  or the cucumber grandma 🥒

26.06.2019 4:40

It was still dark when I finally arrived at this small island called Ojika. Only a bunch of people were crazy enough to go from board with me.

Thanks to me being so smart to take the night ferry from Fukuoka, I could add another “better don’t do it again” experience to my records(thereby I mean the night ferry, definitely not my idea of coming to Ojika I plan to do that very often in the future).

And to make things even better: the rainy season finally decide to envelope the whole country into grayness and constantly dampness.

小値賀というの島に来た時まだ一向にくらいでした。あの時間で降るのためろくすっぽクレージーな人は少しだけ居ました。私の明暗(福岡でナイトフェリー上るのアイデア)おかげで、新しい[もう一度やらないはほうがいい]の列記の項目ありました(小値賀に来るの意向はまだ本当にいいですと思う！)。かつ梅雨がようやく日本に来ることにしました。それで全部の国は絶えざるの灰色と湿気に成ります。

29.06.2019

 So when I finally my time came to discover all there is to discover on a island of this size, I got up early(to the astonishment of my co-workawayers) to take advantage of few rain free hours.A short advice: don’t trust the weather forecast on this island. Or just don’t trust the weather forecast at all. Just do not.

I got my things pact, got distracted by the cute cats needing some attention, remembered to take my raincoat with me, managed somehow to free the bike from the shed and set out on my first great adventure!

Great indeed it was. At least after getting caught in the rain while trying to find the right way, since yes, you can even get lost when there is only one main street.

My first stop was at a pretty old and rusty looking purification plant, that allowed a very nice view over the ocean and the surrounding small islands. 

The green was the greenest I have ever seen and I soon got the feeling of being somehow transported to another country, maybe even continent.

雨のため最初のday off に早く起きって(皆はびっくりしました)小雨の時間に付け入りたかったです。時に、忠告がある：天気予報に心を許しないで方がいいと思う！だめだめ🙅‍♀️。私の物を手にし、かわいい猫ちゃんに途中で気が散られし、とういうわけか私はなんとか自電車を小屋から出せられたので、初めての大冒険者に行きました。

本当に素晴らしいでした。。。ちょっと雨がおどろかせたで、道が間違ったで大変でした。だけどその後は方がいいに成りました。第一のストップはとても古いし、とてもサビサビな浄化プラントにでした。最高海とか隣の小さな島の風景が見られました。性質が一向緑でしたから、他の国、又は他の大陸にうっとりしましたとみたいでした。

Purification plant

Back again on the street I met several cats looking through big eyes, estimating how dangerous I could possibly be. Other than that and some birds and bugs I didn't meet many other living things on my tour.

But therefore I had a very surprisingly nice encounter with an Japanese old lady:

I had wanted to make a brief stop at an small port, with a bunch of small fishing boats, when I noticed a small figure next to one of those small trucks they use a lot here. I parked my bike and walked into the direction of the water. 

もう一度道に帰って、色々な猫ちゃんたちが私を大な目で見積もりました。あの猫ちゃん達、鳥と虫は八九分ばかりの会いましたの生物でした。しかし以外良い日本人おばちゃんの出会いがありました:

たくさん小さな船があるの港で止まりと思いました時、日本でたびたび使っての小型トラックの隣に立っての骨細な人物を見ました。

Drawing closer I greeted her with a “おはようございます！”(Good morning!) and she responded a bit surprised but therefore not in anyway less friendly. We started talking a bit even though my Japanese still has its limitations. She showed me the fish she just bought directly from one of the fisherman sitting close by having a break.

詰め寄るながら「おはようございます」と言ました。彼女はちょっとおどろくでけど親切なかんじで答えました。そして話しが始まりました(とて私の日本語はまだちょっと制約をある)。彼女は今買ったの魚を見せてくれました。

I have never seen that colorful orange fish before. They seemed to be still alive, since Japanese tend to cook with fish as fresh as possible. I was told about her son and his family also living in Ojika and about here living alone. Despite her being already in her 80s did she have a super agile and fit impression on me.

Before she went on she insisted on me taking a whole bundle of huge cucumbers she harvested in her own garden.  

We exchanged our names and our wishes to meet again one day. 

決してそんなカラフルオレンジ魚を見たことない。まだ行けている見たかった、なぜなら日本で通例フレッシユできるだけを使います。おばちゃんに彼女の小値賀にも住んでいるの息子さんし、息子さんの家族で話されました。彼女も80歳くらいですのに、とても達者そうでした。そしたら去るの前に彼女は私にきゅうりの包みをあげることを主張をした。

名前とも一度会いたいの希望を交わて、去行きました。

Orange Fish(as most people will have already noticed)

After watching her drive off I also set off. After a ride off another 20 minutes did I arrive at my destination the Tamaishi(玉石) shrine. Located on another tiny island, that is connected to the main island by a bridge, the shrine is composed of a gate and a greenish round stone. Latter gives the shrine its name. 

Tama(玉) - ball or jewel

Ishi(石) - stone

Quiet creative name, isn’t it. 

彼女の去ることを見て、私も行きました。20分のドライブでようやく玉石神社に来ました。あの神社は他のメーンアイランドと付いて小さな島にあります。神門とみどりっぽい丸い石はあります。その石が神社のなまえをくれます。

とても独創的な名前やない？

Tamaishi  玉石

A small path leads you from a bench, through the gate and some boulders to the hole in which the fancy stone lays inside.

狭い道はベンチから、神門と岩を通して、前期すてきな石の穴へ連れます。

I took some rest there, looking at the sea and the scenery. This place has a very special feeling to it, even more since I was completely alone except for that one fisherman sitting on his boat close to the coast. Again I felt like being far away from Japan. Those green soft fields of grass covering the rocky gray cliffs next to the sea made me feel like being somewhere in Great Britain.

After resting a bit I went back to the Goen, handed over the gifts from the Ojika grandma to the cook and met the other workawayers.

The cucumbers are super tasty by the way.

あそこ休むことにして、海と背景を見ました。あの場所は特別な気持ちがあります。あの気持ちはいやが上になりましたなぜなら、遠いいての漁師の別としてとても一人ででした。も一度日本で遠い居るの気持ちがありました。あそこの緑し、柔らかい草があの岩場をかぶせるので、英国にいるごとしと感じました。

ちょっと休んでの後でgoenに帰りて、おばちゃんのプレゼントを料理人にあげて、ほかのworkawayerと会いました。

実はきゅうりがとても美味しいですよ。

🥒

Leaving Ojika

For years, I dreamed of traveling to Japan. Last year, I decided that I had to stop waiting for the perfect opportunity, that I had to make the trip happen myself, even though it seemed very daunting from my inexperienced, 19 year-old eyes. This trip to Japan has been the first solo trip I have taken, the first time I have gone outside of my comfort zone for so long. In my month here on Ojika, I have grown in ways I expected and in ways I did not. I have met interesting, funny people who I have shared many late-night laughs with. Most importantly, I have become convinced of the value of traveling in my time on this small island. I am now determined to travel more in the future, to places I cannot even imagine now. But no matter how far I will go around the globe, whatever challenges I may face, I will never forget my first travel experience. As I cross borders and continents, I will always carry a small piece of Ojika in my heart.

Thank you for everything.

Jasmine Parsons

The Mysteries of Nozaki Island

By Taryn Siegel

To the north of Ojika is a mysterious island accessible by a 20-30 minute high speed ferry – Nozaki Island. Posters advertising the destination abound around Ojika Island, showing a church shrouded in darkness, barely discernible against a black horizon. Today, the island has no residents, though up until a few years ago it was inhabited by a single man, the island’s priest. His beautiful, old Japanese house still stands, so perfectly kept that it still has the air of occupation. But in 2017 the aging priest left the island to live with his daughter in Nagasaki, leaving the island now entirely abandoned.

Definitely the most impressive part about Nozaki Island is its history. The island was known as the refuge for hidden Christians for centuries. When the Dutch missionary Francis Xavier arrived in Japan in 1549 he was the first person to introduce the country to Christianity. For a very brief period the foreign religion was welcomed with curiosity, but as it began to gain a stronghold, the Tokugawa Shogunate officially outlawed Christianity in 1614, leaving Japanese Christians to migrate to Japan’s southern island or face persecution.

Many of the exiled Christians found their way to Nozaki Island and built a small community there. Here in this tiny remote paradise, so far from the mainland, the hidden Christians practiced freely and lived peacefully for 250 years. But at the end of the Edo period, as more and more foreign ships started to appear on the shores of Japan, the Meiji government began to crack down more fiercely on these practicing Christian outlaws, rounding up some 1,500 Christians on the southern islands and bringing them to mainland Japan to face torture, imprisonment and, in some cases, death.

It wasn’t until 1873 that the Japanese government gave in to international pressure, lifted the ban on the religion, and released their Christian prisoners. Many of the persecuted Japanese Christians returned to the southern islands and started to rebuild their lives. The residents of Nozaki banded together and funded the construction of a small brick church, which still stands today, and was added to the tentative list for becoming a UNESCO World Heritage Site in in 2007. But in 1971, after a pregnant resident died due to a lack of access to medical treatment, the six remaining families decided at long last to abandon the island the move to Ojika, leaving behind their wooden houses and other structures, which today stand in eerie decrepitude, dotting the island’s little ghost towns.

The beautiful remoteness, dilapidated old houses, rolling hills and pristine beaches make Nozaki a perfect day-trip destination. Most days there is only one ferry that makes the trip to Nozaki Island each day from Ojika, departing from Ojika at 7:25am. On the weekends and during the high season another ferry is sometimes commissioned, departing at 11:10am. This high-speed ferry takes about 25 minutes, sometimes longer when the water gets particularly choppy. On the return from Nozaki, you can come back on the ferry that departed Ojika at 11:10am if it’s running, or otherwise you must be careful to hop on the last ferry of the day at 3pm. If you miss this ferry, there’s a single guest house on the island that offers bedding and a kitchen, but no showers, no towels, and no food whatsoever. The only operational buildings on the whole island are this guest house (converted from the island’s old elementary school), the visitor’s center and the island priest’s former residence, which acts essentially like a museum and has a toilet for public use. There’s no food anywhere, so be careful to pack some with you, along with at least one water bottle, which you can fill up at the visitor’s center water fountain if you need to.

After arriving on the island, you’ll be asked to step into the visitor’s center, where the two guides that run the island explain to their guests some useful tips about the island, like where all of the toilets are and what to do if you encounter a wild boar (back away slowly but don’t look away) or a snake (don’t get bitten). The explanation is all in Japanese, but they offer an English pamphlet with all of the same information, so you can just nod along uncomprehendingly and then browse the pamphlet later.

The island has two major hiking trails, both of which are rather long and arduous and difficult to complete before the 3pm ferry if you opted for the 11:10 ferry over. But there’s plenty that can be seen and enjoyed in a few hours’ trip. Start at the ghost village that’s right next to the visitor’s center and explore the eerie, half-decayed houses and gardens, connected by a series of snaking dirt paths. Following the central of these dirt paths you’ll arrive at the priest’s former residence, which you can step inside and walk all over, peering into the well-kept garden at the back. If you explore up the village’s dirt paths far enough, you should soon start running into some of the island’s 100 wild deer that roam about.

At the base of the ghost town is a dirt road leading towards the famous old church. This one’s also a bit of an uphill trek, but it only takes about 20-30 minutes before your at the church doors. The doors of the church are generally always shut, but it’s rarely locked. Go to the door at the left and push hard to see if you can make your way in.

Walking back a bit from the hill where the church stands, you’ll find a fork in the road that you originally turned right on to reach the church. Turning left instead leads you towards a sharp, downward sloping trail that gradually turns into the sands of Nokubi beach – a 300-meter long white sand beach. This is the perfect place to eat your packed picnic lunch and wile away your last hour or so napping on the sand. Just be sure to start trekking back to the dock no later than 2:15, or you may have to spend the night sleeping with the deer. 

2. day off: The old shrine - 2番 day off:古い神社⛩

第二day off ー

又は古いじんじゃ

ラデイラク フランスイスカ

My second day off-

Or the old shrine

Franziska Hradilak

04.06.2019

The day before yesterday a new co-workawayer came to join us for some days. Everyone was very interested in meeting her, since she had already lived in Japan for some years. And so we did not go to bed as early as we should have.

Lucky me could sleep a couple of hours more than the others. The rain was pouring most of the day, so we had a chill day of reading, painting and resting. Jasmine is quite talented at abstract art and at pointillism.

As everyone set out to go back to do their work in the kitchen, I took some books, my raincoat (the rain had stopped, but the weather is not to be trusted that easily here) and started my next great adventure.

一昨日新しいworkawayer が小値賀島に来ました。彼女は10日間手伝う予定です。すでに5年間日本に住んでいるということで、私は彼女に会うのが待ち遠しく、すぐに眠りにつくことができませんでした。なので、昨日がday offでラッキーでした。

雨が丸一日降っていましたがリラックスできた一日でした。本を読んで、絵を描いて、休みました。ジャスミンちゃんは点描が上手です。

小雨になった頃、『御縁』で働いていた皆んなのもとへ帰りました。私は本を手にし、レインコートを(ここの天気に心を許さないほうがいいと思う)取って、次の冒険に出かけました。

The sun had already set a while ago. The island was turning dark slowly.

I stopped at a small harbor to wonder at a swimming crane and considered stepping on the boat. But unfortunately a young fisherman suddenly turned up and frustrated my boarding plans.

日没も過ぎました。島はゆっくり暗くになりました。細い綱で止めた、素敵なクレーンがとても不思議でした。もっと近くから調べたかったですけど、若い漁師さんが来ました。

I have never seen a boat-crane before

初めてのスイミングのクレーンです。

My next goal was a small lighthouse barely visible from the small hill the hotel is build upon. So I tried to find a way through the wilderness of a tiny island, called Kuroshimago(黒島ーblack island), connected to the main island by a small bridge. This place is closer to what I had imagined Ojika to be when I first heard of it. There are approximately only 5 remaining inhabitants living in very old traditional houses. Still some small roads, leading up and down-hill, allow you to advance further into the island. But most of them will just end in the middle of nowhere, or get too overgrown too go on without a machete, flame thrower, tank or any comparable tools.

次の行き先はホテルからわずかに見える小さな白い灯台でした。だから私はその小さな荒野へ繋がる道を探すことにしました。その島を〈黒島〉と言います。その島は私が小値賀にくる前の小値賀のイメージに類します。多分まだ五人ぐらいは伝統的な家に今も住んでいます。まだわずかに進めそうな細い道が１つ２つあります。だけどなんとか道をたどって、人里離れた場所に進むともう道が生い茂りすぎていて“なた”や火炎放射器などの道具なしには進むことができません。

This very wilderness gives this place a special charm.

この深い荒野はこの場所を特に魅力的にさせます。

An old buggy. Apparently not needed anymore.

古い、もういらないバギー。

There is one place you should definitely visit though! Follow the “main street” to the left. You will have to stop right in front of some frightening long steps and a very old very broken signpost prompting you to give them a try.

でも行くべき場所もあります！大通りを左へ辿って、長すぎるそしてとても古い階段の前までくると足を止めなければならないでしょう。

Signpost for Kurushima Park

黒島公園の道しるべ

Through steadily increasing darkness, always accompanied by bird cries and the heavy humidity, I made my way up. Still wondering if I just had entered a film set, I suddenly stood in front of an old overgrown shrine gate.

I bowed once and stepped through it.

ますます暗闇になり、ずっと鳥の鳴き声と重苦しい湿気に付きまとわれていたので、引き上げることにしました。それでも撮影現場を探そうかと考えていたら、にわかに古い神門の前にたどり着きました。私は一礼して、早速入っていきました。

I had expected to find just another small shrine but was surprised by a fancy viewing   looking just like it had been part of a castle in their early days. (Or part of a LotR film set).

小さい神社を予想していましたが、驚きました。古い城の廃墟みたいな展望台があったのです。

After another short stair climb I had earned myself a wonderful view over the ocean, Ojikas main port and forests.

I sat there reading, waiting for the streetlights to turn on, giving a whole new feeling to the scenery.

他の短い階段を登った後、素晴らしい風景が私を待ち受けていました。見渡す海、港、森。私はそこに座わり、本を読んで、路灯がつくのを待ちました。

Why I Came to Ojika

If you were to ask people in the West what comes to mind when they think of Japan, the most common answers would be tall, sparkling skyscrapers, bright neon lights, and densely packed streets. Yet the island of Ojika, located far in the South of Japan, defies these expectations. Rather than tower blocks rising into the sky, Ojika’s sheer cliffs line calm beaches. Ojika is populated by diverse wildlife rather than hordes of businessmen. And instead of glowing neon signs, the stars at night light up the island. 

I decided to come to Ojika because I wanted to see a Japan that is off the beaten path, a Japan that the media in the West never shows. When I was first organizing my trip to Japan, I planned to simply travel to some big cities: Tokyo, Kyoto, Osaka, and Hiroshima. But then I thought about tourists that came to Canada, my own country, and how much of a shame it would be if they only traveled to Toronto and Vancouver. In my view, people who simply see the cities in Canada have not truly experienced the country at all; so much of Canadian culture stems from a deep appreciation for nature. I imagined that Japan might be similar, and I resolved to stay in a truly remote and rural area during my time in this fascinating country. When I got off the ferry at Ojika, I knew I was right to do so.

The stark difference between this island and other areas I’ve visited in Japan is immediately noticeable. Not only are the climate, fauna and flora different from that of Honshuu, but the people also give off a unique energy. In my short time here so far, I have been met with nothing but kindness and open hearts. There seems to be a close-knit and hard-working community thriving on the island. I am feeling increasingly thankful that I decided to leave the typical Tokyo-Kyoto touristic path for a while. Coming to Ojika, I feel like I am gaining a much clearer impression of a country with such a deep and complex culture. When we think of countries other than our own we have a tendency to flatten them into simplistic images that are very often completely off the mark. Thus Canada becomes Toronto, politeness and hockey. And Japan becomes Tokyo, neon and futuristic. This is the way Japan has been shown in film, art, and the news in the West for years. But this is simply one very narrow facet of a country that was founded hundreds and hundreds of years before the first European settlers even arrived on the American continent. Getting outside of the typical touristic routes by coming to places like Ojika is a necessity. Ojika has so much to offer. And after all, Japan is just as much Ojika as it is Tokyo.

Kabuki-cho, Tokyo

Kakinohama beach, Ojika

Written by Jasmine Parsons