VJC Report Day 3: KURASHIKI – MARUGAME

Tamago Kake Gohan – Yuurin-an Specialty

One of the special breakfast in Yuurin-an is their “Tamago kake gohan” or a raw egg topped on a rice bowl. I was so confident that I could take it at first, but when Cheak-san started to eat it, I hesitated for a while. My heart went boom boom and it was beating fast. I whispered in my heart, “You are in Japan kid, why don’t you try it. It might be your once in a lifetime experience". So, I gathered all my courage to try it. Hesitantly, I cracked the raw egg, slowly put the white egg inside my rice, and mixed them well together with the soy sauce. Lastly, I mixed them with the yolk. Tada!! Now, it is ready to be eaten. Honestly, it did not taste as bad as how it looks or sounds. “It tastes fine,” was my first impression after I tasted it. One more thing, don’t be surprised when you suddenly saw many people queuing in front of the Guesthouse, as they will turn into a café in the morning.

Today, we were separated into two groups; Yukata team and Jeans team. Can you guess which team I was in?

YUKATA RENTAL @ KURASHIKI KIMONO KIMACHI

If you guessed I was in Yukata team, sorry to disappoint you. Yukata team consists of Cheak-san, Lala-san, and Dabao-san. So, I'll try to share about the Yukata rental experience from what I've heard from all three of them. The Yukata team went to Kurashiki Kimono Kimachi at the Kurashiki Bikan. At the store, you can choose various style of Yukata or Kimono including denim material. The staffs were also kind and helpful as they helped to fix the clothes and hair. Lala-san told me that it was hard to walk at first because it was her first time trying it.

After trying the Yukata, all three of them took a walk at the Kurashiki Bikan. The sunny day looks like it was greeting them to walk gracefully in Yukata at the town of Kurashiki. Walking down along the Kurashiki Street while wearing the Yukata make them look like they came out from Edo period manga.

BETTY SMITH JEANS

Have you ever thought that there are jeans made in Japan? When Cheak-san asked me to choose between Yukata and Jeans, I was like "Jeans in Japan? Seriously?!" It was something that never crossed my mind. So I thought why not I try something rare in Japan and introduce it to the world. So to the Betty Smith Jeans, maybe I can be featured in their endorsement. Okay, just kidding!

Make your own jeans @ Betty Smith Jeans

It's time to make our own jeans. The staffs guided us dedicatedly step by step. Firstly, we have to choose our jeans and try it on to get the correct measurement. They then helped us to mark the exact length we want for our jeans. Our difficult task began as we were asked to choose one button from 24 designs and only six rivets from another 24 colorful designs. As hard as it was, it wasn't as hard as to decide "where to eat (makan kat mana?)”.

We started our lesson by punching in the button on our jeans and then the six rivets. Then, we chose our jeans label tag for our specially made jeans. Lastly, the staffs helped us to sew the jeans.

After finished making our jeans, we took a look around the area. There are a few places inside the Betty Smith area. There are factory, shop, museums and so on. While we were in the museums, we were flabbergasted by the interior design of the place. Besides, they actually grow their own cotton to make denim as the main material. Interesting, right?

KOJIMA JEANS STREET – JEANS NOT LIMITED TO APPAREL

Let’s walk together @ Kojima Jeans Street

After we got our own jeans made, we went for a walk at Kojima Jeans Street. Everything is made of jeans!!!! The cones, manhole covers, toilet, vending machines and even coin lockers. No wonder why this place is known as Kojima, Holy Land of Jeans.

We are super excited whenever we saw anything extraordinary made out of jeans. Everyone was like “Woah! Woahh!! Woaaahhhhh!!!!” “Look at this... Look at that…” At certain points, we look like someone who is time travelled from the past, everything is a new thing.

Aside from jeans stores, you can also find a few eateries alongside the street and we recharged ourselves at a soba restaurant. We had delicious green tea soba and tempura at the restaurant.

From the jeans street, we took the train to Marugame and used our Setouchi Area Pass again.

NIPPON RENT-A-CAR

We geared up to the reflection paradise of Chichibugama Beach. However, there was something that bothered me, “How can we go there without public transport?” Luckily our Genius Cheak-san and Myu-san had a brilliant idea, the Nippon-Rent-A-Car. Can you guess what it is from their name? Yes, you are correct!! It is a rental car service.

Thankfully we arrived at Chichibugahama safely and had our memorable time happily. All of this was because of the car. We would be disappointed if we couldn’t visit Chichibugahama while we were in Marugame. All I could say from our Nippon Rent-A-Car is that it was comfortable and spacious enough for us eight kiddos including the driver.

CHICHIBUGAHAMA BEACH – HEAVENLY MIRROR IN THE SETO INLAND SEA

It took a while for me to memorize its name. I guess it was not just me!! You guys too, right? Let me tell you a secret, Chichibugahama is actually a new attraction in Japan. So, grab your chance to become one of the earliest tourists to visit this place. An escape from the busy city, Chichibugahama holds magical sceneries which will make you feel like you are in a wonderland and enchanted you to not leave this place.

On our way back to the hotel, we make a stop at an udon place!! It is an authentic udon restaurant in Marugame. You can choose various udon menus and dine-in in a traditional Japanese restaurant.

OKURA HOTEL MARUGAME

We spent our night at Okura Hotel Marugame. From my window, I can feel such calmness because of the stunning harbour port view in front of my eyes.

My room, I feel so sleepy already!