圖文英文版：http://liztseng-blog.logdown.com/posts/10398-day-7-naruto
行程：大阪 --> 鳴門漩渦 --> 淡路島牧場 --> 夢舞台
This turned out to be a day of paying tolls.
I thought the Osaka-Kobe tolls were mighty, apparently the Naruto-Awaji
line is the real killer. From Osaka to Naruto and back, the toll today
totaled 100 USD. Wow. But I guess I had no alternative. Google map
shows that if I had taken the JR line, it would've taken me 10 hours (!!)
each way with close to 90 USD *per person* in train fare. This was a
2 hour each way drive with pleasant views.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/IMG_8939.jpg
South of 淡路島 (Awajishima) lies the Naruto strait (鳴門海峡). If you're
thinking that sounds awfully similar an anime, you guessed right.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/narup.jpg
ナルト (Naruto) the mange/anime's main character is 渦巻きナルト （Uzumaki Naruto),
which means Whirpool Naruto. And what is Naruto most famous for? Why,
whirlpool!*(see end of post)
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/IMG_8956.jpg
This was what we drove down all the way to see. You can catch a boat
that will take you under the Naruto Bridge during high/low tides to
see the whirlpools. The whirlpools form due to water level differences
between the inland sea and the Pacific ocean. It is most prominent
during full moon and new moon, and supposedly best around Mar-Apr.
While we did not see whirlpools as big as the one seen on postcards,
this was already a sight to behold.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/IMG_8964.jpg
An alternative to taking the boat is to go under the Naruto bridge
to observe the whirlpools from above. The place is called 渦の道 (Uzu no Michi).
We went there after the boat ride, and it was clearly not as good
of a viewing point. There's too much of the bridge structures in the way.
While at Uzu no Michi, I did however see this awesome boat:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/IMG_8972.jpg
It caught my eye because it was a motor boat with sails! The sails
weren't down so it had to be also runnable on motor engines. I remembered
the name "日本丸" and looked it up later. Hmm, apparently it's a famous
boat! According to wiki, the original Nipponmaru was built in 1930 in Kobe.
It was originally built for sail training, and participated in WWII
and the Korean war as a cargo ship. It retired in 1984 and was succeeded
by the new Nipponmaru.
It's definitely a beautiful ship. It seemed like it mostly had
tourists on it though?
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/IMG_8973.jpg
Lunch took place at the edge of the Naruto bridge. In an effort to
maximize the tourability of the Naruto whirlpool, there is a shop/restaurant
called "Uzushio" (Whirlpool) that overlooks the Naruto bridge and serves
delicious Awaji beef don.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/20130710_145035.jpg
They emphasized that the beef, onion, and rice are all from Awaji.
Apparently Awaji onion is a BIG thing here, because there is onion everything
in the souvenir shop: onion soup, onion snack, onion jam, onion mayonnaise...
But I had my eyes set on another local specialty.
Milk!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/20130710_160638.jpg
Since missing out on Rokkosan pasture's cheesecake in Kobe, I made sure
this time we visited Awaji's dairy farm for some delicious milk.
The farm is very small and there were few tourists. The farm seems to
focus more on selling its products than coming up with gimmicks to
attract tourists (well they do still have pony rides tho). And what made
me really happy was:
The milk was free and ALL YOU CAN DRINK!!!
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/20130710_155420.jpg
If I weren't full from lunch, I'd be downing an entire carton instead
of two small cups.
This reminds me of this manga again.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/ginnosaji_wp.jpg
I have vol. 1 and I should definitely get the later ones. It's by the
manga artist who did Full Metal Alchemist. I've always loved her style.
You feel positive and animal-loving after reading it :)
Our last stop is Awaji's 夢舞台 (Yumebutai, i.e. "Dream Stage"). Apparently
this is the work of a famous Japanese architect 安藤忠雄 (Ando Tadao).
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/IMG_9003.jpg
At first I wasn't very attracted to seeing buildings built entirely out
of concrete. I am at heart a classical architecture person (=lots of
flowers and angels on pillars). By it started to grow on me as I walked
through winding staircases and buildings without doors.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/IMG_8989.jpg
There is an uniqueness to the how the space is designed. In fact, the
lack of decor made space the only thing that mattered. Well, space, and
streams of water and patches of exotic flowers.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/IMG_8998.jpg
The crown jewel in Ando's masterpiece is the Sea Chapel (海の教会). This
is definitely not your usual wedding place.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/IMG_8986.jpg
We conclude the day by driving back to Osaka while the sun sets over Awaji
island. There was no dinner. I'm still full from the beef don and milk.
=========================== BEGIN OTAKU LINE =============================
In the true Otaku spirit, I searched online to confirm that ナルト's name
really came from Naruto Whirlpool.
According to wiki, the name was given by 自来也（Jiraiya):
*"[ナルト] 名前の由来は、自来也の小説『ド根性忍伝』の主人公。自来也は「ラーメンを食べなが
ら考えた適当な名前」と流石に諭すも、ミナトとクシナ両名の強い希望により付けられる。"*
Naruto was the name of the protagonist in Jiraiya's novel ド根性忍伝 (Dokonjo Ninden).
He gave the baby the name Naruto so that "He would have a strong heart
that would never give up."
But how did the name Naruto come about in the first place?
According to this [blogpost]
(http://blog.goo.ne.jp/mangasekai/e/4f9c73d02f032a54f9f501730de54237),
when Jiraiya was writing the book, he was eating ramen which had this in it:
http://tinyurl.com/k49bdym
This is called --- surprise, 鳴門巻き (narutomaki)!
In case you have never had this (shame if you didn't! It's also a common
ingredient in hot pot/shabu shabu), it's made from fish paste, and
is usually sold in a roll form where you slice it into thin pieces.
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/104220.jpg
Because the pink whirlpool reminds people of the Naruto Whirlpool,
*"鳴門海峡の渦潮にちなんで名付けられたといわれている"* --- wikipedia
So, it all comes back in a circle. Narutomaki is named after the
Naturo Whirpool, the protagonist in Dokonjo Ninden is named after
the narutomaki, the baby was named after the novel, and the manga
is named after the baby. Full circle!!
The city of Naruto clearly knows how to capitalize on Naruto's fame.
There is even a Naruto figure outside Uzu No Michi:
https://dl.dropboxusercontent.com/u/47842021/2013%20Japan/20130710_133539.jpg
And according to the poster in the beginning of the post, there's
going to be some kind of festival in August that celebrates the manga in Awaji.
Now excuse for I have to go cool off my otaku-ness with some....manga reading!!!!!!!!
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