Man, what a day! Seriously, Urakawa is wild. I woke up thinking it’d be chill, just me and my linguist stuff. But nah, life had other plans.
First off, I hit up the local café on Chuo-dori. Best coffee ever! I mean, I’m no connoisseur, but this stuff was like liquid gold. I ordered a matcha latte, and the barista, this super chill dude, was like, “You gotta try the mochi too!” So I did. OMG, it was like a flavor explosion in my mouth. I was happy, like, “Yesss, this is the breakfast of champions!”
Then I decided to stroll down to the Urakawa River. The view? Breathtaking. The cherry blossoms were in full bloom. I mean, I’ve seen cherry blossoms before, but this was next level. I took a million pics, like a total tourist. But then, outta nowhere, this gust of wind came and BAM! Petals everywhere! I was laughing and sneezing at the same time. Classic.
But then, oh man, I got lost. Like, how do you get lost in a small city? I ended up on a random street, I think it was Kawai-cho. I was trying to find my way back to the main square, but all I saw were these cute little shops. I popped into one, and they had the weirdest stuff. Like, who needs a cat-shaped rice cooker? But I bought it anyway. It was too cute to resist!
After that, I was feeling kinda adventurous, so I decided to check out the Urakawa Museum. I thought it’d be boring, but it was actually super interesting. They had this exhibit on the local dialects. As a linguist, I was totally nerding out. I mean, who knew Urakawa had its own slang? I was jotting down notes like a madman. But then, I overheard this old guy talking about how the younger generation doesn’t use the dialect anymore. I felt a pang of sadness. Like, c’mon, keep the culture alive, people!
Then, I got hungry again. Surprise, surprise! I found this little ramen joint on Sakae-dori. The owner was this sweet old lady who looked like she could’ve been my grandma. I ordered the tonkotsu ramen, and it was like a hug in a bowl. I was slurping away, and she kept refilling my tea. I felt so at home. But then, I spilled some broth on my shirt. Ugh, typical me. I laughed it off, but inside, I was like, “Great, now I look like a mess.”
As the day went on, I decided to hit up the Urakawa beach. The sun was setting, and it was gorgeous. I sat on the sand, just soaking it all in. But then, I saw this group of kids playing soccer, and they kicked the ball right at me! I dodged it like a ninja, but then I tripped over my own feet. Classic fail. They all laughed, and I just waved it off, pretending I meant to do that.
By the time I headed back, I was exhausted but happy. Urakawa had thrown me a rollercoaster of emotions. I was angry at myself for getting lost, happy about the food, surprised by the museum, and just plain goofy at the beach.
I finally made it back to my hotel, and I flopped onto the bed. I couldn’t stop smiling. Urakawa, you’ve got my heart. Can’t wait to see what tomorrow brings!