Spring Breakin' it on the West Coast

I will admit that coming back home after being abroad for a year was a tough transition for me, as it might be for anyone who has spent a significant time away from things that are so near and dear to them. I think that one reason why my transition was so difficult was because my life in Japan was so interesting. There was always something new happening; something unfamiliar, extraordinary, to learn more about. Returning to, what some may call a "super-normal" life really did have its challenges, such as facing boredom.
This year's spring break was spent at home, in Pittsburgh. Little to no use of an automobile, and little contact with friends from home, since their spring breaks unfortunately did not happen to coincide with Penn State's. In the midst of my complete and utter boredom, I could not help but recall the fantastic adventure that my friend and I embarked upon this time last year.
Many students at Gaidai were planning trips to Tokyo via night bus, booking hostels in Hokkaido, and even buying Shinkansen (bullet train) tickets to go to Kyushu. A friend and I decided to instead, head toward the West Coast. Why? Because nobody was going there for Spring Break.
We booked our bus tickets for a small town called Amanohashidate (the bridge to heaven), named for the sandbar that divides Miyazu bay from the Sea of Japan. The bridge to heaven is traditionally viewed upside-down, so there are viewing platforms that are frequented by tourists bending over backwards to get their glimpse of the road to paradise.
Our second stop was a small fishing village on the coast called Moroyose. A sleepy little town, Moroyose had a fish market, great seafood, and not much else. It was very refreshing to see small town life after being in the big city of Osaka for 6 months. People in Moroyose were really curious as to why two foreign visitors would be in their hamlet on the Sea of Japan, and they approached us with just as much curiosity as we approached their town.
Our final destination before returning to Amanohashidate for another night was the small city of Tottori. Tottori is famous for its massive sand dunes, the result of winds of dust storms on the Gobi desert. My companion and I decided to only spend the day on the dunes before boarding the Kita-Kinki-Tango railway to head back toward Amanohashidate.
The West coast of Japan was a joy to visit. Its beautiful scenery is some of Japan that most foreign tourists will never see. I will always remember my incredibly unconventional spring break on the West Coast.