More about Honai Town

I got this really great e-mail from the Ehime AJET group that gave me tons of information about.. well, EVERYTHING I might need to know! I also got the second e-mail from my predecessor which is hdbehsvefkgvf just SO exciting and, AND I received my Notice of Appointment and Terms and Conditions from my CO (Contracting Organization) in the mail! It's sooo cool to hold a package with a real YAWATAHAMA stamp on it ♡＾▽＾♡

Those are a couple of pictures from the e-mail that I thought were pretty cute ^^ So anyway, I got some really useful info about Shikoku, Ehime, Yawatahama and Honai. I'm really excited about the details of my little Honai Town (保内町) so I'll share them with you! (PS I know some of the things that I'll include are totes irrelevant--such as specific locations and minor notes--but I'm also planning on using this for future reference~)

• Honai is a pretty historic little town with a population of about 10,000.

• Honai is located approximately 60km from Matsuyama (about 10 minutes north of Yawatahama station by car). 
• There is no train station in Honai and public transport is average for this part of Shiokoku: A bus runs to and from Yawatahama station about once an hour... but service stops at an inconveniently early time (usually around 6 pm) so watch out. 
• It’s only a 20 minute bike ride to the train station in Yawatahama. 
• By car: take either the scenic sea-road or go straight through the hill on Route 197 from Yawatahama. You must go through Honai to get to Ikata, Seto and Misaki.

• Honai Shopping Center: Small bookstore, small clothing shop, a delicious Japanese sweets and cake shop, as well as a bakery. There is also a little space inside the doors that sells takeaway dinner. (located on Route 197 next to Daiki) Open till 10 pm. A takoyaki vendor parks himself outside the shop every weekday. 
• Kimura Supermarket: the smaller of Honai's 2 grocery stores, Kimura Chain is located on 249 (near the Board of Education office) It's open till 8:30pm 
• Little Mermaid Bakery: Opposite Kawanoishi High School 
• Convenience Stores: Lawson Plus. Orange one near Daiki on 197 (immediate left after you exit the long tunnel into Honai. OPEN 24 HOURS! Circle K. There are 2 in Honai. One on same road as Kawanoishi High (Route 249), the other on same road as Honai Shopping Centre (197) OPEN 24 HOURS. 
• 100-yen Store (Daiso): Down from the main intersection towards Joyfull.
• Drug Stores: Sasaoka Drug. This drug store is hard to miss; it's bright yellow. Sasaoka is near the corner of 197 and 249 roughly across from the Police substation. Cosmos. Opened in 2013, this drugstore is huge but only takes cash. No cards. Even Japanese credit cards are no good. 
• Daiki Hardware/Home-Improvement Store: Everything you'll need for your house, including tools, kitchen utensils, toiletries and cleaning supplies. They also have some electronics and school supplies. (It's on 197 next to the orange Lawson.) Open until 8 pm.

• Joyfull: Family restaurant on the main road through Honai. Cheap, decent sized meals, drink bar. Same as the Yawatahama location but this Joyfull is open from 8 am till 1 am. 
• Somen Nagashi: Somen noodles in running ice water that you catch with your chopsticks, dip in sauce, and enjoy. A beautiful location in the Heike Valley (平家谷 Heike Dani). Open only in the summer months from June till September. There are several street signs that mark the way but basically just off the road out of Honai as you head north towards Nagahama. 
• Hokka Hokka Tei: Across from the Kawanoishi High School Circle K. HHT offers cheap takeout bento meals. Roughly across from the Circle K on 249. 
• Izakaya: Season is Alive (Nakai). A really good izakaya with friendly atmosphere and good food. On the main street through Honai (the 197.) Glutton. Silly name but good, mid-priced Italian-style cuisine. 
• Yakitori at Kanade: Right next to Season is Alive. Delicious do-it-yourself grilled chicken. 
• Chanpon and Ramen: Gorilla-kun. Near Honai Bowl and the Pachinko Parlor, on route 197. Also serve up some good teishoku (set menu items) Mori Mori. Excellent ramen and handmade udon. Talk to Saita, owner and all-around friendly guy. 
• Yamaki Okonomiyaki/Udon Restaurant: In front of the Honai Shopping Centre. 
• Gyūta 牛太 (The Fat Cow!): Popular yakiniku restaurant on the corner of 197 and 249.

• ReStation Gym: 8000yen/month to use between 8-10 pm each night. Good gym, indoor swimming pool, sauna. ReStation is located on 197 just past the Daiso and the Docomo shop, on your left. 
• Cultural things: Pottery, calligraphy, martial arts, tea ceremony, and taiko drumming. (These are classes that you would have to enroll in and go to regularly, not drop in events.) Let your RA or supervisor know what you are interested in and they can get you started. 
• Honai Bowling Alley: Includes arcade and a karaoke joint downstairs. On route 197 across from the orange Lawson. 
• Kotohira Park: It's especially nice around cherry blossom season.

• Honai's nightlife is mostly confined to izakayas and a few small snack bars, plus the bowling alley. There isn't really a big party scene in this sleepy small town.

• Mokkin Road: A must-see wooden boardwalk between Honai Junior High School and the river. Lined with brick buildings and dotted with personal boats, it’s quite nice and a lot of effort has been put into sculptures and lighting (pedestrians only on the wooden road, though, no bikes!) 
• The hills: They are fun to climb up with local kids in the autumn and spring. They have beautiful views of the sunsets and the sunsets are spectacular in Honai (almost as good as the ones in Ikata). Driving along past the main post office towards Misaki is lovely – especially in autumn when there are mikan... everywhere. 
• Meiji-era Buildings: Explore past the boardwalk and find the old Meiji-era homes and buildings from when Honai was the silkworm and textile capital of Shikoku. 
• Fall Festival: Located at Mishima Shrine. It usually falls on a saturday in late October/early November. Includes traditional performances such as Ushioni (Ox Demon), itsu shika (5 deer), karashishi (taiko drumming and lion dance).

So...

It's a sleepy and small town that's only about a fifth of the population of the suburb I grew up in. Plus, I've lived in a college town for the past 4 years that has more students than any other university in the whole state.. so I'm in for a change. I know there will be so many challenges... Not only is this my first career-type full-time job but it's one of my first jobs in general. I got a sense of independence from being away at college but this will be the first time I've ever paid for bills, signed contracts by myself and taken care of all of my own financial matters. I've never left the country before and I've only been on a plane a handful of times. I've never lived outside of Tennessee and I don't even feel like I've traveled within America very much. I'm going to live in a country on the other side of the world, in a place where I can't even speak the language. Even so, despite all of that, somehow... I just have a really good feeling about all of it, you know? I think it's going to be one of the most rewarding experiences I'll ever have. I'm trying not to get my hopes up too high and romanticize this place, but I've been feeling bursts of extreme optimism anytime I get new information about it. Alas, I'm also aware (as much as I can be, anyway) of how much of a struggle it will be... I know there will be periods of time that I feel depressed, isolated, and insecure. But I simply don't think that will keep me from growing and living to the fullest there! After all, I tend to enjoy a good challenge... and who wouldn't be ecstatic about the adventure of a lifetime? c: