Wednesday, February 20, 2008
Sunday, February 03, 2008
Sean needs to stop blogging.
Alright,
It's six in the morning, the jet lag is screwing with me, and I can't sleep. On the plus side, everything is in English. I'm back in the US, after a nice long 12 hour plane flight with pretty good movies (Gone Baby Gone = really good movie), and my room is still a mess, but now there's a whole lot of laundry to do.
Anyways, to the subject at hand. This whole trip has been an adventure, an exploration, and a huge life event (obviously, you say). The first thing that really strikes me is how similar worldwide cultures are while being unique at the same time. The Japanese have a very formal society, where bowing takes the place of handshakes, men have dominance over women, the old are more important than the young, and many other idiosyncrasies (finally, spell check) that makes their culture totally different from the United States'. However, from talking with (and observing) many people of different ages throughout the trip, I have learned that among the younger generation, and even sometimes in the older generation, many aspects of their unique culture are becoming westernized. This creates huge juxtapositions.
-Many young/middle aged females will wear short skirts (in winter!) and revealing clothing in a sort of rebellion against the more traditional modesty, but the distance remains as people will text their friends 50 times a minute (which I guess is western too, but I think it started there), and it is more common to meet through a wired connection than a human one.
-Shrines, Temples, and other historic sites are being maintained as cultural landmarks, and historical treasures labeled by the government, with the older generations having very Buddhist worldviews. However, more and more Japanese people are less religious, visiting these places as tourist attractions just like the westerners, and buying cute religious trinkets hoping these will bring them the same good luck as good old fashioned praying used to do.
-I don't know how to balance this one. The males in Japan are very distant, formal, and business-like, always having a high priority on saving face and not showing emotion. However, everyone needs an outlet, so they read pornographic manga on the public subway/trains, go to 'snack' bars where you can buy women's time (these are advertised publicly in magazines and signs), and ultra-private/secretive 'love hotels,' where there is no person at the front desk to see (and judge!) what you are doing.
There were tons of other juxtapositions in the culture, but they were on a much smaller scale. The new, younger culture is trying to break through the older, more uptight culture, but it manifests itself in very odd ways. It seems like a baby chick trying to peck his way out of the egg, but using a hammer and chisel made out of plastic on an egg of steel. They should try going about it a different way. I don't claim to know how, and maybe that's the way it needs to be, but it was interesting to observe.
The Japanese were ridiculously hospitable. Even if it pained them to do it, they would stop at nothing to extend every courtesy. I have had people offer me the meals that they were eating, and I've heard stories that if you express interest in a possession that someone else has, they will offer it to you, no matter how much it means to them. Gift giving is huge in the culture, with 20 shops in each train station selling boxes of candy/sweets/regional hello kitty trinkets for people on a trip to bring back to their sister/friend/father/boss/neighbor/trashman.
The same hospitality extends to you as a traveler. I have gotten weird looks for being in restaurants/places I should not have been, people have chosen not to sit next to me on the train/bus, and I'm sure I have been made fun of for being American. However, everywhere I went, people welcomed me when I came into their store/restaurant (some would even drag me in forcibly), people always tried to understand what I wanted on a menu or at a store, everyone would give me recommendations of places to eat/see, and random old ladies would smile at me on the street. It was such a warm place to visit, they really love having other people to share their culture/country with, and it is probably one of the easiest places to travel on the planet.
That being said about the Japanese, I had more warmth coming from them than other travelers I met (with exceptions. Everyone that is reading this blog I met on the trip was awesome, and you are all welcome at my place of residence, wherever that may be). All over, I got "You are from America, you must be stupid." And these people were only half joking.
I'm not going to get into a huge political tirade, but it's not a good time to be an American traveler in most of the world. We have a very low approval rating from just about everyone, and there are reasons why which should change. All I'm saying is that from a global viewpoint, we need to stop thinking we are the best, because we can't back it up and it's creating a schism between us and the rest of the world.
There. No names, although anyone who has half a brain knows what I'm talking about. I'm sorry if it's harsh and you don't agree with me, but I just spent over 3 weeks with a majority of non-American people, and the ones I did see/meet weren't the best representatives (I mean, c'mon, how can you be American and not know that a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki!).
But I had a great time exploring another country and culture, I do feel that I have a different viewpoint on life/hospitality/politeness/service/food/etc. The most important thing I've learned, and what I've been tossing and turning for the past few hours thinking over, is the importance of exploration in life.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that humans were made to explore. That is why we have the big brains, complex emotions/thoughts, and resilient bodies/minds. Ever since the dawn of time, we have been exploring the unknown, which was significantly larger back then than it is now. We have been exploring as a worldwide human culture for a long time, and even though the amount of exploration to be done on a grand scale is not as large as it used to be, each and every one of us has a huge capacity to explore on a personal scale.
And that is what keeps life interesting/exciting/full of meaning. Children have so much of the world around them to explore, and its done through reading, playing in the mud, figuring out the basics (and basic fun) of life. Parents that tether their children to a television or are overprotective to the point of reigning in this sense of exploration harm the child by not allowing the child to learn new things by exploring for themselves.
As you get older, the novelty wears off, and you start exploring what interests you, which leads to your job. The most fulfilling profession is that which allows you to explore what you are interested in. Artists explore the depth of human soul and how it can be captured. Farmers explore nature and ways to harness it's power. Politicians explore human rational thought and influencing large groups of people (not necessarily a negative). Journalists explore the modern world around them and convey what they learn to others. And it goes on. These are by no means strict definitions, and there is more to say on the subject, but my point is you find a job that you enjoy based on what you like to explore. And when the exploration ceases to be interesting, a job gets boring and monotonous.
And the same thing goes with relationships. The fun of meeting another person is exploring their personality, quirks, and habits; this is why the beginning stages of a relationship are exciting. However, after a long time together, you have nothing left to really explore, and that which was new and exciting becomes old and stale. To keep it going, the exploration needs to continue. This can be done by exploring new things together, and comparing the experiences between the couple (or group, I'm sure this goes for old friends too). As long as a person (or people) can keep exploring and having new experiences, no matter how minute or inconsequential, the reflection on these explorations is what keeps the human spirit alive.
Haruki Murakami put it aptly: "chance encounters are what keeps us going." In context, he meant people, but I think it can be extended to all exploration.
It's six in the morning, the jet lag is screwing with me, and I can't sleep. On the plus side, everything is in English. I'm back in the US, after a nice long 12 hour plane flight with pretty good movies (Gone Baby Gone = really good movie), and my room is still a mess, but now there's a whole lot of laundry to do.
Anyways, to the subject at hand. This whole trip has been an adventure, an exploration, and a huge life event (obviously, you say). The first thing that really strikes me is how similar worldwide cultures are while being unique at the same time. The Japanese have a very formal society, where bowing takes the place of handshakes, men have dominance over women, the old are more important than the young, and many other idiosyncrasies (finally, spell check) that makes their culture totally different from the United States'. However, from talking with (and observing) many people of different ages throughout the trip, I have learned that among the younger generation, and even sometimes in the older generation, many aspects of their unique culture are becoming westernized. This creates huge juxtapositions.
-Many young/middle aged females will wear short skirts (in winter!) and revealing clothing in a sort of rebellion against the more traditional modesty, but the distance remains as people will text their friends 50 times a minute (which I guess is western too, but I think it started there), and it is more common to meet through a wired connection than a human one.
-Shrines, Temples, and other historic sites are being maintained as cultural landmarks, and historical treasures labeled by the government, with the older generations having very Buddhist worldviews. However, more and more Japanese people are less religious, visiting these places as tourist attractions just like the westerners, and buying cute religious trinkets hoping these will bring them the same good luck as good old fashioned praying used to do.
-I don't know how to balance this one. The males in Japan are very distant, formal, and business-like, always having a high priority on saving face and not showing emotion. However, everyone needs an outlet, so they read pornographic manga on the public subway/trains, go to 'snack' bars where you can buy women's time (these are advertised publicly in magazines and signs), and ultra-private/secretive 'love hotels,' where there is no person at the front desk to see (and judge!) what you are doing.
There were tons of other juxtapositions in the culture, but they were on a much smaller scale. The new, younger culture is trying to break through the older, more uptight culture, but it manifests itself in very odd ways. It seems like a baby chick trying to peck his way out of the egg, but using a hammer and chisel made out of plastic on an egg of steel. They should try going about it a different way. I don't claim to know how, and maybe that's the way it needs to be, but it was interesting to observe.
The Japanese were ridiculously hospitable. Even if it pained them to do it, they would stop at nothing to extend every courtesy. I have had people offer me the meals that they were eating, and I've heard stories that if you express interest in a possession that someone else has, they will offer it to you, no matter how much it means to them. Gift giving is huge in the culture, with 20 shops in each train station selling boxes of candy/sweets/regional hello kitty trinkets for people on a trip to bring back to their sister/friend/father/boss/neighbor/trashman.
The same hospitality extends to you as a traveler. I have gotten weird looks for being in restaurants/places I should not have been, people have chosen not to sit next to me on the train/bus, and I'm sure I have been made fun of for being American. However, everywhere I went, people welcomed me when I came into their store/restaurant (some would even drag me in forcibly), people always tried to understand what I wanted on a menu or at a store, everyone would give me recommendations of places to eat/see, and random old ladies would smile at me on the street. It was such a warm place to visit, they really love having other people to share their culture/country with, and it is probably one of the easiest places to travel on the planet.
That being said about the Japanese, I had more warmth coming from them than other travelers I met (with exceptions. Everyone that is reading this blog I met on the trip was awesome, and you are all welcome at my place of residence, wherever that may be). All over, I got "You are from America, you must be stupid." And these people were only half joking.
I'm not going to get into a huge political tirade, but it's not a good time to be an American traveler in most of the world. We have a very low approval rating from just about everyone, and there are reasons why which should change. All I'm saying is that from a global viewpoint, we need to stop thinking we are the best, because we can't back it up and it's creating a schism between us and the rest of the world.
There. No names, although anyone who has half a brain knows what I'm talking about. I'm sorry if it's harsh and you don't agree with me, but I just spent over 3 weeks with a majority of non-American people, and the ones I did see/meet weren't the best representatives (I mean, c'mon, how can you be American and not know that a second bomb was dropped on Nagasaki!).
But I had a great time exploring another country and culture, I do feel that I have a different viewpoint on life/hospitality/politeness/service/food/etc. The most important thing I've learned, and what I've been tossing and turning for the past few hours thinking over, is the importance of exploration in life.
I'm going to go out on a limb and say that humans were made to explore. That is why we have the big brains, complex emotions/thoughts, and resilient bodies/minds. Ever since the dawn of time, we have been exploring the unknown, which was significantly larger back then than it is now. We have been exploring as a worldwide human culture for a long time, and even though the amount of exploration to be done on a grand scale is not as large as it used to be, each and every one of us has a huge capacity to explore on a personal scale.
And that is what keeps life interesting/exciting/full of meaning. Children have so much of the world around them to explore, and its done through reading, playing in the mud, figuring out the basics (and basic fun) of life. Parents that tether their children to a television or are overprotective to the point of reigning in this sense of exploration harm the child by not allowing the child to learn new things by exploring for themselves.
As you get older, the novelty wears off, and you start exploring what interests you, which leads to your job. The most fulfilling profession is that which allows you to explore what you are interested in. Artists explore the depth of human soul and how it can be captured. Farmers explore nature and ways to harness it's power. Politicians explore human rational thought and influencing large groups of people (not necessarily a negative). Journalists explore the modern world around them and convey what they learn to others. And it goes on. These are by no means strict definitions, and there is more to say on the subject, but my point is you find a job that you enjoy based on what you like to explore. And when the exploration ceases to be interesting, a job gets boring and monotonous.
And the same thing goes with relationships. The fun of meeting another person is exploring their personality, quirks, and habits; this is why the beginning stages of a relationship are exciting. However, after a long time together, you have nothing left to really explore, and that which was new and exciting becomes old and stale. To keep it going, the exploration needs to continue. This can be done by exploring new things together, and comparing the experiences between the couple (or group, I'm sure this goes for old friends too). As long as a person (or people) can keep exploring and having new experiences, no matter how minute or inconsequential, the reflection on these explorations is what keeps the human spirit alive.
Haruki Murakami put it aptly: "chance encounters are what keeps us going." In context, he meant people, but I think it can be extended to all exploration.
Friday, February 01, 2008
Going out with a bang in Tokyo
Ok, I didn`t die from Fugu (sorry), but I probably won`t eat it again, and I can`t suggest it all that much either.
Oh well, the last two days of my trip were slower than the rest, but still exciting in their own way. A Kaiseki lunch at Kikunoi, one of the best Kaiseki restaurants in Japan, and it was amazing. 9 courses, each one modern/traditional Japanese, served in our own private room. I got to see the kitchen, 15 people running around in a spotless modern room. The housemade sake was really good as well. All in all, a fitting end to my stay in Kyoto, which was a total of 7 days, kinda. I spent the most time there, but had the most fun to. A combination of a really cultural city with beautiful mountainous surroundings and an awesome local whom I befriended showing me around very much sealed it as my favorite city in Japan.
After the meal, headed back to Tokyo, where I met up with my Aussie buddies from Kyoto. Well, one of them. Paul and Stephanie were both in the hostel, but Stephanie was sick, so Paul and I went to get some ramen and caught up.
The next day, after breakfast where I convinced Paul how awesome natto was and wished them farewell to Osaka, I went shopping. Kappabashi street is amazing. Everything you could want in a restaurant/kitchen, all sold on a mile long stretch of street. Stores that sold only chairs to stores that sold everything but chairs. You wouldn`t believe it unless you saw it. I went to the three knife stores, and at one of them, the guy was really cold to me (and proud of his wares). I asked him why there were so many stores that sold knives, and he basically yelled `We have a factory! They just sell!`
So of course, it turns out that the one Chris recommended was that one. When I came back the second time, the guy saw I was serious and started being really nice to me. The knife better be as good as it looks. It`s nice. Really nice.
Anyways, got some cool stuff there as well, and went down to Shibuya to see the mass of people cross the street.
And cross the street they did. All of them, at once. Every time the light turned green. That was the most amazing part. It was a huge amount of people crossing at once, and once they all crossed and the light turned red, the edges of the sidewalk refilled as if everyone went a few steps, decided they should have been going the other way, and turned around. Time after time.
Walked around there for a bit, found out that Cirque de Soleil is in town (Drallion), saw a guy practice bagpipes in the park (I immediately understood why he was practicing. Good bagpipe playing is difficult to hear, but bad playing is downright torture), and walked to Shinjuku by the time the sun set.
And back into the modern crazy neonness of Tokyo. Being away from it for a while, you kind of forget how manic it gets. So three things happened to me in succession to round out the trip here:
1) Walking around the back streets of Shinjuku, two Japanese guys are walking in the crowd going the other way. One stops his friend, comes over to me and says:
´Excuse me, are you interested in a strip show bar?´
´No.´
´How about a sex massage?´
´iie´ (Japanese for no.)
2) Going on the subway back to the hostel, an old man cuts me off getting on the train, sits down, and starts talking to himself (or all of us) for the whole train ride. I wish I knew what he was saying, because I´m sure it was very philosophical, or at least downright hilarious.
3) Walking to the hostel, maybe 20 feet away, I walk past a guy in a SUV. A girl had just walked by the other way, so he pulls his camera (With telephoto lens), and goes to work. I should have taken a picture, but I was so flabbergasted that I kinda stopped for a second, watched him, made sure what he was doing, and just shook my head in a whole ´whoa, I guess what they say about some people in this country is right.´
Yeah, so a good way to round out the trip. I can sleep well tonight, hopefully, and have a nice long trip tomorrow. See you all on the other side!
Oh well, the last two days of my trip were slower than the rest, but still exciting in their own way. A Kaiseki lunch at Kikunoi, one of the best Kaiseki restaurants in Japan, and it was amazing. 9 courses, each one modern/traditional Japanese, served in our own private room. I got to see the kitchen, 15 people running around in a spotless modern room. The housemade sake was really good as well. All in all, a fitting end to my stay in Kyoto, which was a total of 7 days, kinda. I spent the most time there, but had the most fun to. A combination of a really cultural city with beautiful mountainous surroundings and an awesome local whom I befriended showing me around very much sealed it as my favorite city in Japan.
After the meal, headed back to Tokyo, where I met up with my Aussie buddies from Kyoto. Well, one of them. Paul and Stephanie were both in the hostel, but Stephanie was sick, so Paul and I went to get some ramen and caught up.
The next day, after breakfast where I convinced Paul how awesome natto was and wished them farewell to Osaka, I went shopping. Kappabashi street is amazing. Everything you could want in a restaurant/kitchen, all sold on a mile long stretch of street. Stores that sold only chairs to stores that sold everything but chairs. You wouldn`t believe it unless you saw it. I went to the three knife stores, and at one of them, the guy was really cold to me (and proud of his wares). I asked him why there were so many stores that sold knives, and he basically yelled `We have a factory! They just sell!`
So of course, it turns out that the one Chris recommended was that one. When I came back the second time, the guy saw I was serious and started being really nice to me. The knife better be as good as it looks. It`s nice. Really nice.
Anyways, got some cool stuff there as well, and went down to Shibuya to see the mass of people cross the street.
And cross the street they did. All of them, at once. Every time the light turned green. That was the most amazing part. It was a huge amount of people crossing at once, and once they all crossed and the light turned red, the edges of the sidewalk refilled as if everyone went a few steps, decided they should have been going the other way, and turned around. Time after time.
Walked around there for a bit, found out that Cirque de Soleil is in town (Drallion), saw a guy practice bagpipes in the park (I immediately understood why he was practicing. Good bagpipe playing is difficult to hear, but bad playing is downright torture), and walked to Shinjuku by the time the sun set.
And back into the modern crazy neonness of Tokyo. Being away from it for a while, you kind of forget how manic it gets. So three things happened to me in succession to round out the trip here:
1) Walking around the back streets of Shinjuku, two Japanese guys are walking in the crowd going the other way. One stops his friend, comes over to me and says:
´Excuse me, are you interested in a strip show bar?´
´No.´
´How about a sex massage?´
´iie´ (Japanese for no.)
2) Going on the subway back to the hostel, an old man cuts me off getting on the train, sits down, and starts talking to himself (or all of us) for the whole train ride. I wish I knew what he was saying, because I´m sure it was very philosophical, or at least downright hilarious.
3) Walking to the hostel, maybe 20 feet away, I walk past a guy in a SUV. A girl had just walked by the other way, so he pulls his camera (With telephoto lens), and goes to work. I should have taken a picture, but I was so flabbergasted that I kinda stopped for a second, watched him, made sure what he was doing, and just shook my head in a whole ´whoa, I guess what they say about some people in this country is right.´
Yeah, so a good way to round out the trip. I can sleep well tonight, hopefully, and have a nice long trip tomorrow. See you all on the other side!
Wednesday, January 30, 2008
Addendum. Because I can.
Yeah, I`m still here, and today was interesting enough to warrant an entry. I`m in Kyoto, hanging out with my tour guide and just enjoying the city. Today we went on a tour of Kyoto university, the streets of Gion, and the real live Geisha Avenue.
Highlights:
-A really good lunch at a place Yuka used to work, with good noodles, great Tenpura, and AMAZING Yuba sashimi. It had amazing flavor, melted in your mouth, and was served with real wasabi. Mmm.
-Green tea parfaits at the `best place in Kyoto to get them.` In addition to the parfaits, the store sold cups for Matcha that were over 100 dollars. Yow. Also, in talking at the place, it was revealed that these stores are frequented by women mostly, because the men are always working. It was basically said to me that women are the ones keeping the economy going, which makes sense. I`ll think more about that later and get to it in the postmortem.
-Kyoto University has the dingiest dorm I have ever seen. It looked worse than the worst part of Animal House. Run down, broken windows/roof, it was ridiculous. 500 yen a month. Amazing.
-Yes, I saw Geishas. The real ones. Walking Yuka to her teaching gig, she showed me the real steet where all of that takes place. Off the beaten trail, where no tourists know about it. And it was definately real. We saw limos with Geishas in them, really nice cars, Geisha walking all over the place, and a creepy guy running around with a telephoto lens. So it must have been real. Cool, because we got lucky to see such a rare sight. We walked up and down the street three times killing 30 minutes, and on the third walk-through, there were none around anymore. So very unique.
-Sushi. 100 yen per piece. I had 24 pieces, including seared Fugu. This was less than an hour ago, so if I drop dead, you will all know what happened. The whole tingling of the mouth thing is right. I feel like I lost feeling in my cheeks right now (I think), but it could be psychosomatic. The whole not really tasting like anything bit, also true. It was chewy, but not really flavorful at all. Oh well, at least that`s done with.
That`s all for now. I`m not saying goodbye, because things continue to happen in this country, even if I`m not trying very hard.
Aw shucks.
Highlights:
-A really good lunch at a place Yuka used to work, with good noodles, great Tenpura, and AMAZING Yuba sashimi. It had amazing flavor, melted in your mouth, and was served with real wasabi. Mmm.
-Green tea parfaits at the `best place in Kyoto to get them.` In addition to the parfaits, the store sold cups for Matcha that were over 100 dollars. Yow. Also, in talking at the place, it was revealed that these stores are frequented by women mostly, because the men are always working. It was basically said to me that women are the ones keeping the economy going, which makes sense. I`ll think more about that later and get to it in the postmortem.
-Kyoto University has the dingiest dorm I have ever seen. It looked worse than the worst part of Animal House. Run down, broken windows/roof, it was ridiculous. 500 yen a month. Amazing.
-Yes, I saw Geishas. The real ones. Walking Yuka to her teaching gig, she showed me the real steet where all of that takes place. Off the beaten trail, where no tourists know about it. And it was definately real. We saw limos with Geishas in them, really nice cars, Geisha walking all over the place, and a creepy guy running around with a telephoto lens. So it must have been real. Cool, because we got lucky to see such a rare sight. We walked up and down the street three times killing 30 minutes, and on the third walk-through, there were none around anymore. So very unique.
-Sushi. 100 yen per piece. I had 24 pieces, including seared Fugu. This was less than an hour ago, so if I drop dead, you will all know what happened. The whole tingling of the mouth thing is right. I feel like I lost feeling in my cheeks right now (I think), but it could be psychosomatic. The whole not really tasting like anything bit, also true. It was chewy, but not really flavorful at all. Oh well, at least that`s done with.
That`s all for now. I`m not saying goodbye, because things continue to happen in this country, even if I`m not trying very hard.
Aw shucks.
Tuesday, January 29, 2008
No title can explain...
Ok, back in Kyoto after the two most strange/interesting nights in Japan. More on that later. First, Hiroshima.
A beautiful city. I didn`t spend much time in it, but I did see the entire Peace Park/memorial/museum/grounds, and it was one of the most moving things I`ve ever done in my life. I met an Australian girl at the hostel (bumped into her 3 times in the morning, and when I saw her getting breakfast at 7-11, she decided we should walk around together), and we walked around the museum together. It was nice to bounce feelings and thoughts off of, because it was such an intense museum. If you are ever in Japan, make it a point to go to the place, because the message is so vitally important.
First of all, they do it correctly right from the start. It`s 50 yen to get in (about 50 cents). In an effort to reach as many people as possible, it is available to anyone, regardless of socioeconomic status. It covers all angles of the tragedy, from political agendas to the science behind the A-Bomb to a whole library devoted to testimonies of survivors along with the name and face of every person who has died as a result of the bomb. There are trees that survived, and are still growing in a corner of the park. There are many memorials, and a few buildings that are a shell of what they once were to serve as a reminder of the damage done to the city. The thing that struck me the most were the many watches and clocks in the museum, all frozen at 8:15 AM, the exact time the bomb was dropped.
There is no anti-American sentiment throughout the museum, the only message is for peace on Earth and the destruction of all nuclear weapons. There are countless letters written by successive Mayors of the city, protesting every nuclear test that goes on. Every memorial is one for peace and rememberance, and almost every inscription uses the word Peace. Instead of focusing on how horrible the event was and leaving that to linger in our minds, every effort is made to show hope for the world, and its future without random destruction.
It is a very emotional place, an important cultural landmark, and exactly the way the whole experience should be handled.
Oh, and it snowed. I think there is a cloud that is following me around Japan and dumping on me when it sees fit. I didn`t walk around much after the museum because of the driving snow, so after getting some noodles for lunch I went to Kobe.
So, Yuka (kindred spirit, fellow traveler) is from Kobe, and she offered to show me around so I could see the pretty sights at both day and night, so I was going to meet her after she got off of work, so we could visit the nearby viewpoint on top of the mountain, to look over Kobe at night.
But we never got there.
I show up to the train station around 5PM, with plans to meet around 8:30. I walk over to get a map of Kobe, and this nice elderly Japanese lady starts talking with me in very good English. She looks like a traveler, and is very nice, so I walk with her to the subway to get into the main area of Kobe.
She works for Ford Motor Company (in Japan!), and I learned that she was just divorced, finished raising her kids, and on her way to Taiwan to see the world. We were a similar type of traveler, and I had nothing to do, so we sat in a hotel cafe, drank unlimited wine (for 2 hours - 10 bucks!), ate some snacks (french food... eh), and talked about everything. Philosophy, literature, culture, food, etc. She was very enlightened, and full of interesting opinions, and I enjoyed talking to her.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered that most Asians have a lower tolerance than most others... but I was drinking too.
She gets on the phone with Yuka and convinces her to meet us at the subway station, and then offered us a floor to sleep on for the night. Nice enough, but starting to get a little creepy.
Then we got up to leave. That`s when the alcohol usually takes it`s full effect, right?
Right.
Stumbling out the door, we walk over to the subway station. She was plastered, I was tipsy, but I could still think, so I guided us towards the station. Where Yuka was there to meet us.
Thank God.
This lady (Miki) spoke fantastic English, but strength in numbers was what was needed. We decided to take her to her friend`s house, and then get the hell out of there. Along the way, she stumbled, grabbed my arm, slapped my butt, and generally acted like a drunk person.
We finally got to the area of the apartment, but Miki wasn`t sure where it was, and kept deciding not to make a phone call. She would make us wait in one spot while she wandered around the street, trying to get her bearings. Finally, Yuka got Miki`s cell phone, reached the friend, and we got out of there.
Barely.
I was hugged, pleaded with, cried to, pleaded with again, hugged again, and generally all sorts of freaked out until we were able to say goodbye. And get out of there we did.
Hey Mom, she wants to meet you.
It was raining and late, so the mountain view decided like a bad idea (and that episode was exhausting), so Yuka and I then found a place to stay, ate at an upscale Izakaya (look it up), and had a fun night of food and Karaoke (Her voice: much much much better than mine).
The next day, still raining (saw that the state of the union was going on.. yay CNN in Japan), we ate at an Italian restaurant for lunch, had a burnt creme brulee and a really good apple tart, and walked around Kobe`s pier. Very beautiful, albeit very foggy. There was a cool aluminum fish made by Frank Gearhy (sp?), a gaudy memorial (hehe) to fashion, and a section of pier that was left as a rememberance of the earthquake of 1995. Stunning. Between Aso and Kobe, the strength of Nature and it`s unforgiveness/lack of warning really left an impression on me. Yuka was there, so I was getting firsthand testimony and description of the earthquake, visual descriptions of parts of the city affected and how so, and general information which was very heartfelt and amazing to hear.
Back to Kyoto we went, with the intention of going to one of her student`s (she teaches English and studys it at Kyoto University, don`t remember if I`ve mentioned that before) houses so that he could meet a `real live American.` Until then, I walked around a bit while she went to another student`s house, and burnt my mouth on Takoyaki (totally worth it).
So then we head out to the suburbs of Kyoto, really dark, nice houses, totally different from anywhere I`ve been. And we teaches us some English!
The kid (Hideya) is 14, and was super-happy-fun-excited to meet me. Seriously. He was bouncing around, acting really nervous, and genuinely pleased to have the opportunity to chat with me.
And chat we did, until we started going through his English workbook. Yuka had me run through it with him, and it was all well and good until he made a mistake.
``Explain it to him`` she says.
Um. Not counting you journalists and people well-versed in the intracasies of the English language, you won`t believe how hard explaining a foriegn language is to a person who doesn`t understand it. We take the grammatical rules we know for granted, and when forced to really think about them, finally realize that they make no damn sense. Also, I didn`t come into the lesson expecting to be tested myself. Sneaky girl, that one.
Not that this didn`t stop me. Yuka did most of the teaching, but I had a killer point with the difference between `was` and `did,` explaining how they get different modifiers because one is for action and one is for description.
Yeah, anyways, after the lesson and the tea/sweets brought by Hideya`s mother (and Mikan, which the acid in made the burns in my mouth remember that they were there), we were invited to see his father`s pet project, a wooden shelter totally heated by a central fire. Seriously well-built, very smokey, with a doxun that stood on his hind legs to get warmer by the fire.
And the father, who was well into his umpteenth glass of shochu (I had some of this stuff earlier. Think straight Vodka).
We had a great conversation (with Yuka translating most of it) about the nature of food and the heart, his shelter (which he was proud of with good reason), and the parties he observed and wanted to have. Seriously, he wants me to come over, bring all of my friends, and have a party where I cook for everyone, and then we can all enjoy his new deck, wood burning mini-cabin, and future hot spring in his backyard.
So, if anyone wants to go to Japan, I think we should plan it. Really.
He was drunk, but so hospitiable, and constantly inviting me over, extending all sorts of hospitality, and genuinely being nice (he was drunk, so thus he was truthful) to an American stranger he had never met, and probably not heard too much about. But he said I had a good Aura, so I guess that counts for something.
Anyways,
I think that about sums it up for the adventures in Japan thus far. I have a few more days here, but they shouldn`t be filled with anything too exciting or crazy. I will of course add more if that changes, but I`m going to sign off for now. It has been an amazing trip, worthy of a post-mortem as I`m recovering from jet lag and have the time at all hours of the night to ponder and write some.
Thanks for reading, I hope I`ve been entertaining. Those that know me know how much I hate blogs, so this isn`t going to continue on and become everything that I hate about the internet and our society in general (idea stolen from Tozzi, and a good one it is).
Peace.
A beautiful city. I didn`t spend much time in it, but I did see the entire Peace Park/memorial/museum/grounds, and it was one of the most moving things I`ve ever done in my life. I met an Australian girl at the hostel (bumped into her 3 times in the morning, and when I saw her getting breakfast at 7-11, she decided we should walk around together), and we walked around the museum together. It was nice to bounce feelings and thoughts off of, because it was such an intense museum. If you are ever in Japan, make it a point to go to the place, because the message is so vitally important.
First of all, they do it correctly right from the start. It`s 50 yen to get in (about 50 cents). In an effort to reach as many people as possible, it is available to anyone, regardless of socioeconomic status. It covers all angles of the tragedy, from political agendas to the science behind the A-Bomb to a whole library devoted to testimonies of survivors along with the name and face of every person who has died as a result of the bomb. There are trees that survived, and are still growing in a corner of the park. There are many memorials, and a few buildings that are a shell of what they once were to serve as a reminder of the damage done to the city. The thing that struck me the most were the many watches and clocks in the museum, all frozen at 8:15 AM, the exact time the bomb was dropped.
There is no anti-American sentiment throughout the museum, the only message is for peace on Earth and the destruction of all nuclear weapons. There are countless letters written by successive Mayors of the city, protesting every nuclear test that goes on. Every memorial is one for peace and rememberance, and almost every inscription uses the word Peace. Instead of focusing on how horrible the event was and leaving that to linger in our minds, every effort is made to show hope for the world, and its future without random destruction.
It is a very emotional place, an important cultural landmark, and exactly the way the whole experience should be handled.
Oh, and it snowed. I think there is a cloud that is following me around Japan and dumping on me when it sees fit. I didn`t walk around much after the museum because of the driving snow, so after getting some noodles for lunch I went to Kobe.
So, Yuka (kindred spirit, fellow traveler) is from Kobe, and she offered to show me around so I could see the pretty sights at both day and night, so I was going to meet her after she got off of work, so we could visit the nearby viewpoint on top of the mountain, to look over Kobe at night.
But we never got there.
I show up to the train station around 5PM, with plans to meet around 8:30. I walk over to get a map of Kobe, and this nice elderly Japanese lady starts talking with me in very good English. She looks like a traveler, and is very nice, so I walk with her to the subway to get into the main area of Kobe.
She works for Ford Motor Company (in Japan!), and I learned that she was just divorced, finished raising her kids, and on her way to Taiwan to see the world. We were a similar type of traveler, and I had nothing to do, so we sat in a hotel cafe, drank unlimited wine (for 2 hours - 10 bucks!), ate some snacks (french food... eh), and talked about everything. Philosophy, literature, culture, food, etc. She was very enlightened, and full of interesting opinions, and I enjoyed talking to her.
Somewhere in the back of my mind, I remembered that most Asians have a lower tolerance than most others... but I was drinking too.
She gets on the phone with Yuka and convinces her to meet us at the subway station, and then offered us a floor to sleep on for the night. Nice enough, but starting to get a little creepy.
Then we got up to leave. That`s when the alcohol usually takes it`s full effect, right?
Right.
Stumbling out the door, we walk over to the subway station. She was plastered, I was tipsy, but I could still think, so I guided us towards the station. Where Yuka was there to meet us.
Thank God.
This lady (Miki) spoke fantastic English, but strength in numbers was what was needed. We decided to take her to her friend`s house, and then get the hell out of there. Along the way, she stumbled, grabbed my arm, slapped my butt, and generally acted like a drunk person.
We finally got to the area of the apartment, but Miki wasn`t sure where it was, and kept deciding not to make a phone call. She would make us wait in one spot while she wandered around the street, trying to get her bearings. Finally, Yuka got Miki`s cell phone, reached the friend, and we got out of there.
Barely.
I was hugged, pleaded with, cried to, pleaded with again, hugged again, and generally all sorts of freaked out until we were able to say goodbye. And get out of there we did.
Hey Mom, she wants to meet you.
It was raining and late, so the mountain view decided like a bad idea (and that episode was exhausting), so Yuka and I then found a place to stay, ate at an upscale Izakaya (look it up), and had a fun night of food and Karaoke (Her voice: much much much better than mine).
The next day, still raining (saw that the state of the union was going on.. yay CNN in Japan), we ate at an Italian restaurant for lunch, had a burnt creme brulee and a really good apple tart, and walked around Kobe`s pier. Very beautiful, albeit very foggy. There was a cool aluminum fish made by Frank Gearhy (sp?), a gaudy memorial (hehe) to fashion, and a section of pier that was left as a rememberance of the earthquake of 1995. Stunning. Between Aso and Kobe, the strength of Nature and it`s unforgiveness/lack of warning really left an impression on me. Yuka was there, so I was getting firsthand testimony and description of the earthquake, visual descriptions of parts of the city affected and how so, and general information which was very heartfelt and amazing to hear.
Back to Kyoto we went, with the intention of going to one of her student`s (she teaches English and studys it at Kyoto University, don`t remember if I`ve mentioned that before) houses so that he could meet a `real live American.` Until then, I walked around a bit while she went to another student`s house, and burnt my mouth on Takoyaki (totally worth it).
So then we head out to the suburbs of Kyoto, really dark, nice houses, totally different from anywhere I`ve been. And we teaches us some English!
The kid (Hideya) is 14, and was super-happy-fun-excited to meet me. Seriously. He was bouncing around, acting really nervous, and genuinely pleased to have the opportunity to chat with me.
And chat we did, until we started going through his English workbook. Yuka had me run through it with him, and it was all well and good until he made a mistake.
``Explain it to him`` she says.
Um. Not counting you journalists and people well-versed in the intracasies of the English language, you won`t believe how hard explaining a foriegn language is to a person who doesn`t understand it. We take the grammatical rules we know for granted, and when forced to really think about them, finally realize that they make no damn sense. Also, I didn`t come into the lesson expecting to be tested myself. Sneaky girl, that one.
Not that this didn`t stop me. Yuka did most of the teaching, but I had a killer point with the difference between `was` and `did,` explaining how they get different modifiers because one is for action and one is for description.
Yeah, anyways, after the lesson and the tea/sweets brought by Hideya`s mother (and Mikan, which the acid in made the burns in my mouth remember that they were there), we were invited to see his father`s pet project, a wooden shelter totally heated by a central fire. Seriously well-built, very smokey, with a doxun that stood on his hind legs to get warmer by the fire.
And the father, who was well into his umpteenth glass of shochu (I had some of this stuff earlier. Think straight Vodka).
We had a great conversation (with Yuka translating most of it) about the nature of food and the heart, his shelter (which he was proud of with good reason), and the parties he observed and wanted to have. Seriously, he wants me to come over, bring all of my friends, and have a party where I cook for everyone, and then we can all enjoy his new deck, wood burning mini-cabin, and future hot spring in his backyard.
So, if anyone wants to go to Japan, I think we should plan it. Really.
He was drunk, but so hospitiable, and constantly inviting me over, extending all sorts of hospitality, and genuinely being nice (he was drunk, so thus he was truthful) to an American stranger he had never met, and probably not heard too much about. But he said I had a good Aura, so I guess that counts for something.
Anyways,
I think that about sums it up for the adventures in Japan thus far. I have a few more days here, but they shouldn`t be filled with anything too exciting or crazy. I will of course add more if that changes, but I`m going to sign off for now. It has been an amazing trip, worthy of a post-mortem as I`m recovering from jet lag and have the time at all hours of the night to ponder and write some.
Thanks for reading, I hope I`ve been entertaining. Those that know me know how much I hate blogs, so this isn`t going to continue on and become everything that I hate about the internet and our society in general (idea stolen from Tozzi, and a good one it is).
Peace.
Sunday, January 27, 2008
Sean`s guided tour of Kyushu, part 2
Alright,
So breakfast at the hotel was just as good as the dinner, very traditional Japanese, and I finished everything (much to the surprise of the lady manning the little dining room... Gaijin don`t eat pickled gobo!), and we checked the status of the mountain.
All lights were go at the bus station, so we went to the top. Walking up the hill from the last bus stop (we decided not to go the tram route, it`s always more fun to walk) was otherworldly. There were many sections of the mountain, all with different landscapes. Some were made totally of black nutrient rich mud, some stratified hills of different type of rock/soil, and the crater itself, really hot water, steaming like it was going out of style and as blue as a rare jewel.
A rare jewel that is looked upon as a holy mecca of Korean Scripture, and the entire country takes turns going to see it. Yeah, there were that many tourists. I mean, all of you know how much I dislike Koreans, especially the food, but my tour guide (actually able to tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans), informed me of the local customs and differences in tourist density from the different countries.
Ate lunch at a coffee shop on the recommendation (well, they said there was nothing else around) of this bakery, where we went in just to admire the beautiful pastries (as one can do all over Japan), and they immediately offer us cake and tea, just for coming in. The cake was good, so we bought one... good marketing. (and, as a side, the oven it was baked in was amazing... very advanced, very shiny) Then we took a bus to Yufuin.
Ok, I have the train pass, I know. I was informed by my travel advisor that the bus would be the better choice, logistically. After the trip, I will tell you, it`s the better entertainment choice too. The package is outstanding. All buses seem to have a built in tour guide system, informing you of the history/landscape/etc of what you see (in Japanese, so bring someone who knows the language), but if you are real lucky, you can hear the elusive `song of the highway` sung over the speakers. Continuing with the 70s theme, these people designed a scenic highway, and then sung a song about it in country-western time to promote it. Funny to begin with, even better when someone tells you what the words mean.
But no, boys and girls, the fun doesn`t stop there. For no extra cost, you can sit up front when it`s just you and the bus driver, and have a philosophical conversation where out of the three of you sitting there, only one person actually knows what is going on. It was a great talk that went on through Yuka`s translation, involving the idea that everyone is always thinking about sex; the bus driver wants to be reincarnated as a beautiful girl, but in the meantime will settle for a robot to carry him up and down the stairs (Alan/Sherri, I didn`t start the robot conversation, I swear); whether it`s better to be rich or happy; and all sorts of other topics over the course of an hour or so. In the end, it was better that Yuka was there, or else the bus driver thought I would strangle him.
So we get to Yufuin, and go to the hotel. The whole town is closed at 7:30 when we get there, and the reason is because the town is an Onsen town. The water is dug up in spades there (Ha! Get it?), and it permeates the entire town. Steam rises from random vents in the town, there are fountains of hot onsen water where you can rest your weary hands midway through a day of shopping at the myriad shops selling honey and glass sculpture (foot baths too, but I won`t slight those because I did one), and so many shops where you can sample different pickles, misos, soy sauces, and various other goodies. A spa town, where people relax in really hot water, but wait outside a cake shop for 45 minutes to get some roll cake that is supposedly amazing (don`t know, didn`t try, don`t ask).
Walked around during the next day, after going to the onsen in the hotel (of course), and grilling some meat over some fire (yay wagyu!). There was a lake that steam rises from constantly because it is warm on the outskirts of town. Very cool at night, almost eerie. During the day, full of all sorts of lucky fish that get to relax in a mineral hot tub 24-7. You really should come to Japan just for the onsen, it`s worth the plane ticket. Trust me.
Took a bus tour of the `Hells` of Beppu, a very cool touristy thing involving really hot springs with different mineral compositions, so they appear colors, do cool things, or just breed crocodiles in Winter in Japan. More of a picture thing than a talking thing. I wish we had more time, but it`s hard to pack it all in, and I regret nothing. I`ll just have to come back.
Anyways, left Yuka on the Shinkansen at Hiroshima, and here I am. Went to an Okonomiyaki place for dinner, best one I`ve had in Japan. The squid was perfect, and they put more cabbage in it than I`ve ever seen in one place, and then squished the mountain down to a pancake. Impressive.
So, I got lucky, I paid for a dorm, but they filled it, so I`m in a triple by myself, and I can sleep. Which I`m going to do.
Tomorrow, feeling terrible for being American.
So breakfast at the hotel was just as good as the dinner, very traditional Japanese, and I finished everything (much to the surprise of the lady manning the little dining room... Gaijin don`t eat pickled gobo!), and we checked the status of the mountain.
All lights were go at the bus station, so we went to the top. Walking up the hill from the last bus stop (we decided not to go the tram route, it`s always more fun to walk) was otherworldly. There were many sections of the mountain, all with different landscapes. Some were made totally of black nutrient rich mud, some stratified hills of different type of rock/soil, and the crater itself, really hot water, steaming like it was going out of style and as blue as a rare jewel.
A rare jewel that is looked upon as a holy mecca of Korean Scripture, and the entire country takes turns going to see it. Yeah, there were that many tourists. I mean, all of you know how much I dislike Koreans, especially the food, but my tour guide (actually able to tell the difference between Japanese, Chinese, and Koreans), informed me of the local customs and differences in tourist density from the different countries.
Ate lunch at a coffee shop on the recommendation (well, they said there was nothing else around) of this bakery, where we went in just to admire the beautiful pastries (as one can do all over Japan), and they immediately offer us cake and tea, just for coming in. The cake was good, so we bought one... good marketing. (and, as a side, the oven it was baked in was amazing... very advanced, very shiny) Then we took a bus to Yufuin.
Ok, I have the train pass, I know. I was informed by my travel advisor that the bus would be the better choice, logistically. After the trip, I will tell you, it`s the better entertainment choice too. The package is outstanding. All buses seem to have a built in tour guide system, informing you of the history/landscape/etc of what you see (in Japanese, so bring someone who knows the language), but if you are real lucky, you can hear the elusive `song of the highway` sung over the speakers. Continuing with the 70s theme, these people designed a scenic highway, and then sung a song about it in country-western time to promote it. Funny to begin with, even better when someone tells you what the words mean.
But no, boys and girls, the fun doesn`t stop there. For no extra cost, you can sit up front when it`s just you and the bus driver, and have a philosophical conversation where out of the three of you sitting there, only one person actually knows what is going on. It was a great talk that went on through Yuka`s translation, involving the idea that everyone is always thinking about sex; the bus driver wants to be reincarnated as a beautiful girl, but in the meantime will settle for a robot to carry him up and down the stairs (Alan/Sherri, I didn`t start the robot conversation, I swear); whether it`s better to be rich or happy; and all sorts of other topics over the course of an hour or so. In the end, it was better that Yuka was there, or else the bus driver thought I would strangle him.
So we get to Yufuin, and go to the hotel. The whole town is closed at 7:30 when we get there, and the reason is because the town is an Onsen town. The water is dug up in spades there (Ha! Get it?), and it permeates the entire town. Steam rises from random vents in the town, there are fountains of hot onsen water where you can rest your weary hands midway through a day of shopping at the myriad shops selling honey and glass sculpture (foot baths too, but I won`t slight those because I did one), and so many shops where you can sample different pickles, misos, soy sauces, and various other goodies. A spa town, where people relax in really hot water, but wait outside a cake shop for 45 minutes to get some roll cake that is supposedly amazing (don`t know, didn`t try, don`t ask).
Walked around during the next day, after going to the onsen in the hotel (of course), and grilling some meat over some fire (yay wagyu!). There was a lake that steam rises from constantly because it is warm on the outskirts of town. Very cool at night, almost eerie. During the day, full of all sorts of lucky fish that get to relax in a mineral hot tub 24-7. You really should come to Japan just for the onsen, it`s worth the plane ticket. Trust me.
Took a bus tour of the `Hells` of Beppu, a very cool touristy thing involving really hot springs with different mineral compositions, so they appear colors, do cool things, or just breed crocodiles in Winter in Japan. More of a picture thing than a talking thing. I wish we had more time, but it`s hard to pack it all in, and I regret nothing. I`ll just have to come back.
Anyways, left Yuka on the Shinkansen at Hiroshima, and here I am. Went to an Okonomiyaki place for dinner, best one I`ve had in Japan. The squid was perfect, and they put more cabbage in it than I`ve ever seen in one place, and then squished the mountain down to a pancake. Impressive.
So, I got lucky, I paid for a dorm, but they filled it, so I`m in a triple by myself, and I can sleep. Which I`m going to do.
Tomorrow, feeling terrible for being American.
Kyushu in the wintertime... or: A tale of two onsen
It`s not really a tale of two onsen, it just sounded good.
Ok, I`m in Hiroshima after a good long vacation from a vacation. Get ready for a long post.
So I went to Osaka a few days ago, met Yuka and her friend Lisa, and saw the pretty fishes. That aquarium is very very nice. It`s huge, well put together, with fish and amphibious life from all over the world, and the most active group of marine mammals that I`ve ever seen. The otters were cleaning themselves and playing constantly, the seals and sea lions were going around as if they had caffeine in the water, and the dolphins were playing to the crowd like it was a 24 hour free tuna festival. The whale shark was quite amazing, as was the whole big tank. Schools of fish with their mouths open following the whale shark for protection; A huge manta ray gliding around like a plane; 3 Mola-Molas just awe-inspiring; huge spider crabs attacking the glass; rockhopper penguins (those who have been to the NE aquarium know how much I like them.. although you couldn`t hear the yelling at this one). All in all, a really cool aquarium. While in Osaka, I found out my companions had never been to an IMAX film, so we saw deep sea (seen it before, but don`t tell them =P), and rode the world`s largest ferris wheel. This was my first ferris wheel, but the girls were the ones freaking out when I shook the car. Very cool though, you could see all of Osaka harbour (very pretty with the setting sun, don`t worry, have a picture), and a good part of Osaka proper even though it was kinda cloudy.
Then Lisa left us, and Yuka and I took a shinkansen to Hakata, in Fukuoka.
Let me explain something before I go further. I know this trip hasn`t been immaculately planned (I think that only has one `m`), but I have been giving a great deal of though to where I eat, where I go, how I`m going to sleep, etc... However, for these three days, Yuka planned everything. I don`t really have maps of where I was, and I was much less aware of what I was doing before I was doing it, and that`s totally cool. Much thanks to her for everything, and don`t worry, when she comes to America (where she won`t need me as a translator since she`s so good at English), you all can meet her.
Anyways, that being said, I followed my personal tour guide/interpreter/food taster to our ryokan in Fukuoka. This place was a National Cultural Treasure, with an awesome onsen, a cool Japanese Garden (that I only heard about, didn`t actually see, but I`m positive it was cool), and a crazy nice traditional Japanese bedroom. Comfy, cozy, too bad we only stayed the night.
However, for food, hands down the best ramen I`ve EVER had. Referred to this place by the ryokan host, it was a tiny ramen house with broth made from pork bones (you`re lucky, I forgot the Japanese for it, so you don`t have to look it up... ton-something), and it changed my life. The taste lingered (and I brushed my teeth, thank you very much Sharms), and it was so flavorful and delicious that it was impossible not to remember it. I had a native with me though, so the banter was totally different. The menu was explained to me (Thank god, it was all in Japanese), and I got to play `identify that food` as the staff brought out tupperware to learn the english names of various veggies (`bean sprouts`), however, it was different to have a bunch of people talk about you without actually talking with you. I tried understanding, and it really wasn`t bad because I didn`t feel threatened or anything, but it was weird having a person go `this guy is american, this guy is a chef, etc...` (No offense Yuka, just spouting how it went). I got to chime in a whole lot though, so I guess I shouldn`t complain.
We went to a Gyoza shack too, very homey, crispy product, but not as mindblowing. Seemed like a popular pub place.
The next morning, we went to Aso by train. The trip involved a switchback (very cool bit of railway fun), and amazing views. Aso is a city in a large area created by a volcano (I keep forgetting that word too...think cities in a crater, surrounded by mountains, and with one huge volcano still active in the middle), and it is breathtaking. Seening smoke spew from this mountaintop kinda close to you while you sit on a bench in a small town waiting for the bus (which is even timely in small cities.. go figure) is beautiful. However, getting to the top is not possible all the time, so they constantly monitor the deadly gasses to figure out when all the Koreans (and the 5 other tourists) can gain access to the top. Yeah, not a huge amount of American presence here, but its ok.
Anyways, the gasses were bad the first day, so we went to the volcano museum, watched a movie about Aso in the 70s (complete with camera zooms, wonderful clothes, and the best soundtrack this side of a middle school filmstrip on ancient mayan civilization), and had some ice cream in the cold (again). We walked around the hills around the top of the volcano (the museum is near the top, and even has a live camera you can control to see the stupid tourists that ignore the warnings about asphyxiation), and it was beautiful.
And cold. So we went back to the hotel, and had a wonderful meal cooked by the staff. Sorry, I mean sliced by the staff and piled on a plate so we could cook it ourself. Nabemono-look it up. I am not even complaining, however, since it was more food than we could eat, and the quality was fantastic. We gourged ourselves (first meal in Japan I couldn`t finish), hit the onsen (which, being near the volcano, was actually natural mineral-rich water), and crossed our fingers that the summit could be reached the next day.
And it could, but I`ll start a new post to break it up.
Ok, I`m in Hiroshima after a good long vacation from a vacation. Get ready for a long post.
So I went to Osaka a few days ago, met Yuka and her friend Lisa, and saw the pretty fishes. That aquarium is very very nice. It`s huge, well put together, with fish and amphibious life from all over the world, and the most active group of marine mammals that I`ve ever seen. The otters were cleaning themselves and playing constantly, the seals and sea lions were going around as if they had caffeine in the water, and the dolphins were playing to the crowd like it was a 24 hour free tuna festival. The whale shark was quite amazing, as was the whole big tank. Schools of fish with their mouths open following the whale shark for protection; A huge manta ray gliding around like a plane; 3 Mola-Molas just awe-inspiring; huge spider crabs attacking the glass; rockhopper penguins (those who have been to the NE aquarium know how much I like them.. although you couldn`t hear the yelling at this one). All in all, a really cool aquarium. While in Osaka, I found out my companions had never been to an IMAX film, so we saw deep sea (seen it before, but don`t tell them =P), and rode the world`s largest ferris wheel. This was my first ferris wheel, but the girls were the ones freaking out when I shook the car. Very cool though, you could see all of Osaka harbour (very pretty with the setting sun, don`t worry, have a picture), and a good part of Osaka proper even though it was kinda cloudy.
Then Lisa left us, and Yuka and I took a shinkansen to Hakata, in Fukuoka.
Let me explain something before I go further. I know this trip hasn`t been immaculately planned (I think that only has one `m`), but I have been giving a great deal of though to where I eat, where I go, how I`m going to sleep, etc... However, for these three days, Yuka planned everything. I don`t really have maps of where I was, and I was much less aware of what I was doing before I was doing it, and that`s totally cool. Much thanks to her for everything, and don`t worry, when she comes to America (where she won`t need me as a translator since she`s so good at English), you all can meet her.
Anyways, that being said, I followed my personal tour guide/interpreter/food taster to our ryokan in Fukuoka. This place was a National Cultural Treasure, with an awesome onsen, a cool Japanese Garden (that I only heard about, didn`t actually see, but I`m positive it was cool), and a crazy nice traditional Japanese bedroom. Comfy, cozy, too bad we only stayed the night.
However, for food, hands down the best ramen I`ve EVER had. Referred to this place by the ryokan host, it was a tiny ramen house with broth made from pork bones (you`re lucky, I forgot the Japanese for it, so you don`t have to look it up... ton-something), and it changed my life. The taste lingered (and I brushed my teeth, thank you very much Sharms), and it was so flavorful and delicious that it was impossible not to remember it. I had a native with me though, so the banter was totally different. The menu was explained to me (Thank god, it was all in Japanese), and I got to play `identify that food` as the staff brought out tupperware to learn the english names of various veggies (`bean sprouts`), however, it was different to have a bunch of people talk about you without actually talking with you. I tried understanding, and it really wasn`t bad because I didn`t feel threatened or anything, but it was weird having a person go `this guy is american, this guy is a chef, etc...` (No offense Yuka, just spouting how it went). I got to chime in a whole lot though, so I guess I shouldn`t complain.
We went to a Gyoza shack too, very homey, crispy product, but not as mindblowing. Seemed like a popular pub place.
The next morning, we went to Aso by train. The trip involved a switchback (very cool bit of railway fun), and amazing views. Aso is a city in a large area created by a volcano (I keep forgetting that word too...think cities in a crater, surrounded by mountains, and with one huge volcano still active in the middle), and it is breathtaking. Seening smoke spew from this mountaintop kinda close to you while you sit on a bench in a small town waiting for the bus (which is even timely in small cities.. go figure) is beautiful. However, getting to the top is not possible all the time, so they constantly monitor the deadly gasses to figure out when all the Koreans (and the 5 other tourists) can gain access to the top. Yeah, not a huge amount of American presence here, but its ok.
Anyways, the gasses were bad the first day, so we went to the volcano museum, watched a movie about Aso in the 70s (complete with camera zooms, wonderful clothes, and the best soundtrack this side of a middle school filmstrip on ancient mayan civilization), and had some ice cream in the cold (again). We walked around the hills around the top of the volcano (the museum is near the top, and even has a live camera you can control to see the stupid tourists that ignore the warnings about asphyxiation), and it was beautiful.
And cold. So we went back to the hotel, and had a wonderful meal cooked by the staff. Sorry, I mean sliced by the staff and piled on a plate so we could cook it ourself. Nabemono-look it up. I am not even complaining, however, since it was more food than we could eat, and the quality was fantastic. We gourged ourselves (first meal in Japan I couldn`t finish), hit the onsen (which, being near the volcano, was actually natural mineral-rich water), and crossed our fingers that the summit could be reached the next day.
And it could, but I`ll start a new post to break it up.
Wednesday, January 23, 2008
Sake and Fermentation, an interesting combination for the Stomach
Today was my easy day. Slept in until 9AM, and Mayumi wasn`t up. She woke up later when her Mom came in. I didn`t know how to operate the cafe, so I didn`t turn on lights or heat, and went outside to get my blood flowing and body heat operating.
Went to a local place that Mayumi`s friend knows about, everything there was in the style of Nukazuke, which is a fermentation process in rice bran. Think Eggs, Fish, Pork, Veggies... However, all this was done without the use of salt, so the flavor was very light and clean. I had a 5 course tasting menu (one dish made just for me!), and I went with two of Mayumi`s friends, Yuki and Aki. Both were great company, and I learned alot from them and the chef lady. Her family is huge into cooking, as her son works at a Japanese restaurant in Spain, Miyama. It really is kind of a small world, when you think about it.
Anyways, after a great lunch of fermented goodness, I went with Yuki to a temple south of the city to take part in a great winter festival. It involves drinking sake heated over a fire to prevent cancer. We did it a bit backwards, but I`m ok with that. You`re supposed to go to the temple, pray, get your sake cup (for a fee, of course), and then drink. We walked around, found the sake, wondered how to get the cups, and then met some old men who were already drunk.
Yuki, I should mention at this point, speaks Japanese, and tries really hard to speak English. We get along great, and he`s alot of fun, but there is some communication difficulty.
So, he talks to the man, and uses me as an introduction. I see pointing at me, and `American` that, and then two of the guys went and got their cups filled and handed them to us. Not a bad way to start. They then boisterously introduce us to the other Americans at the festival, a young couple teaching English in Osaka (I believe they were introduced as Latvians by the old Japanese guy, although I`m not sure why). We chat for 30 seconds, get our pictures taken by the old men (using our cameras) drinking the sake (somehow I got a huge stalk, and had to chug... hey, when in Rome, right?), and they were all about shaking my hand, and one even gave me his card (My email address is in the hands of so many Japanese, I wonder how you`re supposed to follow that up...). One even sang a great song about Sake and Americans, although I`m not sure of the exact translation. It involves dancing and waving your hands around really high (this same man made fun of me when I had to run off to the toilet 10 minutes later... grabbed his crotch and imitated running while shouting `Toy-ire`... Very humorous).
And you get a picture. Only because Yuki made me move some to the computer. Can you guess what part of the story this corresponds to?
Needless to say, I had a great time. 7 cups of sake (I think, and not including the big one), and then we got to the temple, which was a very cool experience. One guy was going at the Taiko drum while the other monks would beat everyone`s back with a stick that had bronze rings on it. I could feel the cancer coming out of my pores. Then, we went back (on Yuki`s suggestion), to get more sake. I think 3-4 more glasses. There was a water station next door, but that`s for wimps and Christians.
And then I got on the bike to ride back.
Oh yes, I rode a Japanese bike. You know those stunt bikes that are popular in the US? Think those, except actually designed for someone who is under 5 feet tall. Now, it was exciting being on a bike again (to those that don`t know, mine was stolen a few months ago. So it goes), but very difficult to ride (oh yes, and the brakes didn`t work.. minor detail). Riding back after, let`s say, a fair amount of sake... hehe.
We made it back OK though, but we were singing John Lennon together, and the theme from Power Rangers. So I guess it wasn`t all ok. There are like 6 people in the cafe, and I suddenly freeze up. It`s tough to comprehend a language you don`t understand enough to communicate when one is sober. When you are drunk, it`s like trying to find (thinking of a colorful metaphor here) a housewife at a Nine Inch Nails concert; doable, but you have to concentrate.
So I went out shopping for dinner. I made everyone except Mayumi dinner, because she had plans already. Butter sauteed chicken with wilted Chrysanthamum leaves, and a Trumpet Royale/Persimmon Chutney. MMMMM...
Spent the night chatting with Aki, who is in that state of figuring out life. I`m meeting alot of Japanese like that. The older generation is very traditional and observant of customs and rites and all of that, but the younger generations are basically the same as us. Which is comforting in a way, because it makes us closer as humans. However, it is destroying the culture of the country. Not that it`s a totally negative thing, because there are definate problems with some of these customs that don`t fit into a modern society. However, as an American who feels that America is without culture, I don`t like thinking that globalization, however nice of an idea it is, will get rid of a big part of what makes us unique as humans.
Many of the Japanese I`m talking to seem to have a more Western Style of thinking, but I think it`s a huge case of wanting to be different than your parents. Or at least not conforming to the normal cultural mould. Talking to Aki about nature, she was lamenting on how Japanese can`t enjoy nature as seperate from normal life, how it isn`t really a destination. I, on the other hand, relished the fact that I could go to Kyoto, a huge city, and climb a mountain during the day and go shopping/karaokeing at night (see earlier post, in which I get lost and dirty).
It`s all relative, as Einstein said.
I`m sleepy.
Went to a local place that Mayumi`s friend knows about, everything there was in the style of Nukazuke, which is a fermentation process in rice bran. Think Eggs, Fish, Pork, Veggies... However, all this was done without the use of salt, so the flavor was very light and clean. I had a 5 course tasting menu (one dish made just for me!), and I went with two of Mayumi`s friends, Yuki and Aki. Both were great company, and I learned alot from them and the chef lady. Her family is huge into cooking, as her son works at a Japanese restaurant in Spain, Miyama. It really is kind of a small world, when you think about it.
Anyways, after a great lunch of fermented goodness, I went with Yuki to a temple south of the city to take part in a great winter festival. It involves drinking sake heated over a fire to prevent cancer. We did it a bit backwards, but I`m ok with that. You`re supposed to go to the temple, pray, get your sake cup (for a fee, of course), and then drink. We walked around, found the sake, wondered how to get the cups, and then met some old men who were already drunk.
Yuki, I should mention at this point, speaks Japanese, and tries really hard to speak English. We get along great, and he`s alot of fun, but there is some communication difficulty.
So, he talks to the man, and uses me as an introduction. I see pointing at me, and `American` that, and then two of the guys went and got their cups filled and handed them to us. Not a bad way to start. They then boisterously introduce us to the other Americans at the festival, a young couple teaching English in Osaka (I believe they were introduced as Latvians by the old Japanese guy, although I`m not sure why). We chat for 30 seconds, get our pictures taken by the old men (using our cameras) drinking the sake (somehow I got a huge stalk, and had to chug... hey, when in Rome, right?), and they were all about shaking my hand, and one even gave me his card (My email address is in the hands of so many Japanese, I wonder how you`re supposed to follow that up...). One even sang a great song about Sake and Americans, although I`m not sure of the exact translation. It involves dancing and waving your hands around really high (this same man made fun of me when I had to run off to the toilet 10 minutes later... grabbed his crotch and imitated running while shouting `Toy-ire`... Very humorous).
And you get a picture. Only because Yuki made me move some to the computer. Can you guess what part of the story this corresponds to?
Needless to say, I had a great time. 7 cups of sake (I think, and not including the big one), and then we got to the temple, which was a very cool experience. One guy was going at the Taiko drum while the other monks would beat everyone`s back with a stick that had bronze rings on it. I could feel the cancer coming out of my pores. Then, we went back (on Yuki`s suggestion), to get more sake. I think 3-4 more glasses. There was a water station next door, but that`s for wimps and Christians.
And then I got on the bike to ride back.
Oh yes, I rode a Japanese bike. You know those stunt bikes that are popular in the US? Think those, except actually designed for someone who is under 5 feet tall. Now, it was exciting being on a bike again (to those that don`t know, mine was stolen a few months ago. So it goes), but very difficult to ride (oh yes, and the brakes didn`t work.. minor detail). Riding back after, let`s say, a fair amount of sake... hehe.
We made it back OK though, but we were singing John Lennon together, and the theme from Power Rangers. So I guess it wasn`t all ok. There are like 6 people in the cafe, and I suddenly freeze up. It`s tough to comprehend a language you don`t understand enough to communicate when one is sober. When you are drunk, it`s like trying to find (thinking of a colorful metaphor here) a housewife at a Nine Inch Nails concert; doable, but you have to concentrate.
So I went out shopping for dinner. I made everyone except Mayumi dinner, because she had plans already. Butter sauteed chicken with wilted Chrysanthamum leaves, and a Trumpet Royale/Persimmon Chutney. MMMMM...
Spent the night chatting with Aki, who is in that state of figuring out life. I`m meeting alot of Japanese like that. The older generation is very traditional and observant of customs and rites and all of that, but the younger generations are basically the same as us. Which is comforting in a way, because it makes us closer as humans. However, it is destroying the culture of the country. Not that it`s a totally negative thing, because there are definate problems with some of these customs that don`t fit into a modern society. However, as an American who feels that America is without culture, I don`t like thinking that globalization, however nice of an idea it is, will get rid of a big part of what makes us unique as humans.
Many of the Japanese I`m talking to seem to have a more Western Style of thinking, but I think it`s a huge case of wanting to be different than your parents. Or at least not conforming to the normal cultural mould. Talking to Aki about nature, she was lamenting on how Japanese can`t enjoy nature as seperate from normal life, how it isn`t really a destination. I, on the other hand, relished the fact that I could go to Kyoto, a huge city, and climb a mountain during the day and go shopping/karaokeing at night (see earlier post, in which I get lost and dirty).
It`s all relative, as Einstein said.
I`m sleepy.
Tuesday, January 22, 2008
Soylent Green is DEER!
Alright. Those deer I was talking about before are rampant throughout the park. And they have no fear of anything. The pamphlets say docile, but I say ``no fear of anything, with the side of being fed all the time.`` You can spend 150 yen to give them cookies, and they hang around the shops that sell them because they know. I went to one place to get ice cream (Ice cream Sean? But it`s winter!), and when I walked up to the counter, they came up right next to me. Hrm...
Anyways, I`m more of an early riser than Mayumi (she is a chef, after all), so after some tea, I set out on this very cold day. Saw some nice temples, and found out that Nara is a big cutlery town. Kikuichi is based here... http://www.kikuichi.net/ Yeah, I was in that store, totally randomly. So I bought a cheap Yanagi. I probably should have bought more, but I wasn`t thinking. Oh crap. Between that last sentence and now, I`ve probably decided to go back tomorrow. When in Rome, get the pizza.
So, after lunch, I decided to climb a mountain again. There was a wide trail this time, but I found the thin one on the way back down, and it was almost as fun as last time, more because of the mud and cold than the lack of trail. Mayumi`s mother made dinner tonight, traditional konnyaki and hijiki; A root vegetable soba soup; soy cooked daikon, and buri (good hamachi). Yum. I bought some supplies as well, thinking I was going to show Mayumi how to butcher fish, but that didn`t happen. It`s ok.
After dinner, I went to the sento near here (look it up), and after going into the wrong side to begin with (hi ladies!), took part in ``Sean versus scalding water part 2! This time with electric water!``
That`s right, water with an electric current running through it. Writing about it makes my legs tingle. You know those games where you pay to hold the metal thing that shocks you until you can`t take it anymore? It`s like that, except in water. The closer you are to these holes, the stronger the tingling is. I`m not sure of the benefits of such treatment, but it freaked me out a little bit, not going to lie. The bubble bath was better.
That`s it, no philosophy today, my whole body is at a state beyond relaxed. The water gets so hot, it stresses you out. You may not know what I`m talking about, so fill your tub with boiling water, and try to sit in it for 20 minutes. You`ll figure it out fast.
Tomorrow, Sake out of bamboo!
Anyways, I`m more of an early riser than Mayumi (she is a chef, after all), so after some tea, I set out on this very cold day. Saw some nice temples, and found out that Nara is a big cutlery town. Kikuichi is based here... http://www.kikuichi.net/ Yeah, I was in that store, totally randomly. So I bought a cheap Yanagi. I probably should have bought more, but I wasn`t thinking. Oh crap. Between that last sentence and now, I`ve probably decided to go back tomorrow. When in Rome, get the pizza.
So, after lunch, I decided to climb a mountain again. There was a wide trail this time, but I found the thin one on the way back down, and it was almost as fun as last time, more because of the mud and cold than the lack of trail. Mayumi`s mother made dinner tonight, traditional konnyaki and hijiki; A root vegetable soba soup; soy cooked daikon, and buri (good hamachi). Yum. I bought some supplies as well, thinking I was going to show Mayumi how to butcher fish, but that didn`t happen. It`s ok.
After dinner, I went to the sento near here (look it up), and after going into the wrong side to begin with (hi ladies!), took part in ``Sean versus scalding water part 2! This time with electric water!``
That`s right, water with an electric current running through it. Writing about it makes my legs tingle. You know those games where you pay to hold the metal thing that shocks you until you can`t take it anymore? It`s like that, except in water. The closer you are to these holes, the stronger the tingling is. I`m not sure of the benefits of such treatment, but it freaked me out a little bit, not going to lie. The bubble bath was better.
That`s it, no philosophy today, my whole body is at a state beyond relaxed. The water gets so hot, it stresses you out. You may not know what I`m talking about, so fill your tub with boiling water, and try to sit in it for 20 minutes. You`ll figure it out fast.
Tomorrow, Sake out of bamboo!
Monday, January 21, 2008
I bumped my head twice, it hurt
Yeah, so I'm a bit tall for this country. Or at least some parts of it. I hit my head coming out of a store today, and going to the bathroom. Not in the same place, but it hurt nonetheless...
So I`m in Nara right now, staying with a couchsurfer, Mayumi. She runs a cafe, and above it she has a few rooms where people stay. Her kitchen is quite nice, lots of fun things, but she needs some sharper knives... =)
Anyways, Nara is amazing. It's a very small town, the old capital of Japan, yet it a perfect example of the dichotomy of the country. There is the older part of town, where the cafe is located, with alleys and old buildings, with the feeling that you are walking in a very old part of town. Right next to it there is the modern area, complete with shopping malls, pachinko parlors, and a nice train station. Old and new, living together. Oh, and with a huge park with tons of ancient temples very important to Japanese History and Buddhism-Shintoism.
I just walked around today, getting to the cafe around 1PM. All of the temples close around 4.30 or 5PM, so I wandered around the old city area. I found a closed photography museum, which is supposed to be great (I guess I'll find out later), and about a million deer. They are everywhere around the park, and they are servants of the gods, so they are not to be harmed. However, they are to be fed, and they will bow to you when they get food, as if thanking you for the eats. (It`s amazing what you can learn from the older Japanese, when actually able to communicate).
I stopped in at this Soba place, where the picture outside made it look like everything was homemade, and very well known. I walk into this beautiful cabin style restaurant, with a little garden in the back, and lots of antique stuff all over the place (a mini organ, old general electric fans, etc...). I immediately get chatted up by this guy who hands me his flyer for his architecture firm, but naturally doesn`t speak any English, so communication was difficult (it took 10 minutes and an atlas to figure out he wanted to know what part of Kyoto I stayed in). The chef came out, and he spoke English pretty well. I told him I was a chef who cooked Japanese food in America, and the floodgates opened.
I`m talking picture taking, shoving food down my throat (above what I ordered, including some of the best Dashi I`ve ever had. He said it was his pride and joy), showing me pictures of his 1944 US army jeep that he shipped over from the US to drive, explaining to me the difference in soba noodles (the part of the buckwheat seed used), and helping me feed the deer. I stayed at his place for an hour and a half, having good times (he jokingly called me a movie star), talking shop, and commenting on the most beautiful part of the buliding (the bathroom, which the architect guy with us designed).
This is a guy well known for his noodles (he said during busy periods, he has a line 100 people long out his door), and just hanging out and being so open and friendly to a foreigner he has a little in common with. I am not sure if this exists anywhere else, but it damn well should. I keep saying the people in this industry are amazing, and it`s my favorite part about cooking. Leaving a place feeling all warm and fuzzy for the human race. This keeps on happening over here.
The oddest part is, I don`t think I could have done all this stuff if I had a traveling companion. Walking into a small shop with a few people is a bit daunting for a person behind the counter, especially if they all speak a language that is not the native tongue. The Japanese are so shy to begin with, I would imagine it being very intimidating. On my own, I am forced to try and communicate, and not seem like a fly on the wall. I mean, this is my style anyways, and I do want to know about the culture (food especially), but everyone who was worried about the solo traveling, believe me, looking back I wouldn`t have it any other way.
On the flip side, I'm going to have a buddy in a few days as well. Yuka should be meeting me in Osaka to see the Aquarium and travel to Kyushu, and I am definately looking forward to it. Traveling also produces fast friends, and I am so very excited to be able to say I have native Japanese friends (and Australian and British too, it looks like). So, in essence, I mean to say that there are many different ways to travel, and each has its upsides and downsides.
But I get a personal translator, so there!
(She can read the blog too, because her English is good, so I have to watch what I say. For example, I shouldn`t mention how she forced me to brush my teeth, against my will. Torture, it was.)
On a side note, speaking of people reading my blog, someone seems to think I look and sound like Bert from Sesame street. I think that`s banahners. Can I have my wonderful friends and family who would never speak badly about me because they like me so much weigh in?
After soba and more exploring, I came back to the cafe, and I got to cook dinner again. Or at least part of it. I made a chicken stir fry thing with lotus root and Mizuna (look it up), and Mayumi made Yamaimo and miso soup with fried tofu. Mmmmm. The place is very cozy, and Mom would love the decorating. I have to take some pictures, but then again, I have to charge my camera.
And I should also get another memory card. That`s right ladies and gentlemen, I`m taking lots of pictures.. get ready for a 3 hour powerpoint slide show when I get back...
So I`m in Nara right now, staying with a couchsurfer, Mayumi. She runs a cafe, and above it she has a few rooms where people stay. Her kitchen is quite nice, lots of fun things, but she needs some sharper knives... =)
Anyways, Nara is amazing. It's a very small town, the old capital of Japan, yet it a perfect example of the dichotomy of the country. There is the older part of town, where the cafe is located, with alleys and old buildings, with the feeling that you are walking in a very old part of town. Right next to it there is the modern area, complete with shopping malls, pachinko parlors, and a nice train station. Old and new, living together. Oh, and with a huge park with tons of ancient temples very important to Japanese History and Buddhism-Shintoism.
I just walked around today, getting to the cafe around 1PM. All of the temples close around 4.30 or 5PM, so I wandered around the old city area. I found a closed photography museum, which is supposed to be great (I guess I'll find out later), and about a million deer. They are everywhere around the park, and they are servants of the gods, so they are not to be harmed. However, they are to be fed, and they will bow to you when they get food, as if thanking you for the eats. (It`s amazing what you can learn from the older Japanese, when actually able to communicate).
I stopped in at this Soba place, where the picture outside made it look like everything was homemade, and very well known. I walk into this beautiful cabin style restaurant, with a little garden in the back, and lots of antique stuff all over the place (a mini organ, old general electric fans, etc...). I immediately get chatted up by this guy who hands me his flyer for his architecture firm, but naturally doesn`t speak any English, so communication was difficult (it took 10 minutes and an atlas to figure out he wanted to know what part of Kyoto I stayed in). The chef came out, and he spoke English pretty well. I told him I was a chef who cooked Japanese food in America, and the floodgates opened.
I`m talking picture taking, shoving food down my throat (above what I ordered, including some of the best Dashi I`ve ever had. He said it was his pride and joy), showing me pictures of his 1944 US army jeep that he shipped over from the US to drive, explaining to me the difference in soba noodles (the part of the buckwheat seed used), and helping me feed the deer. I stayed at his place for an hour and a half, having good times (he jokingly called me a movie star), talking shop, and commenting on the most beautiful part of the buliding (the bathroom, which the architect guy with us designed).
This is a guy well known for his noodles (he said during busy periods, he has a line 100 people long out his door), and just hanging out and being so open and friendly to a foreigner he has a little in common with. I am not sure if this exists anywhere else, but it damn well should. I keep saying the people in this industry are amazing, and it`s my favorite part about cooking. Leaving a place feeling all warm and fuzzy for the human race. This keeps on happening over here.
The oddest part is, I don`t think I could have done all this stuff if I had a traveling companion. Walking into a small shop with a few people is a bit daunting for a person behind the counter, especially if they all speak a language that is not the native tongue. The Japanese are so shy to begin with, I would imagine it being very intimidating. On my own, I am forced to try and communicate, and not seem like a fly on the wall. I mean, this is my style anyways, and I do want to know about the culture (food especially), but everyone who was worried about the solo traveling, believe me, looking back I wouldn`t have it any other way.
On the flip side, I'm going to have a buddy in a few days as well. Yuka should be meeting me in Osaka to see the Aquarium and travel to Kyushu, and I am definately looking forward to it. Traveling also produces fast friends, and I am so very excited to be able to say I have native Japanese friends (and Australian and British too, it looks like). So, in essence, I mean to say that there are many different ways to travel, and each has its upsides and downsides.
But I get a personal translator, so there!
(She can read the blog too, because her English is good, so I have to watch what I say. For example, I shouldn`t mention how she forced me to brush my teeth, against my will. Torture, it was.)
On a side note, speaking of people reading my blog, someone seems to think I look and sound like Bert from Sesame street. I think that`s banahners. Can I have my wonderful friends and family who would never speak badly about me because they like me so much weigh in?
After soba and more exploring, I came back to the cafe, and I got to cook dinner again. Or at least part of it. I made a chicken stir fry thing with lotus root and Mizuna (look it up), and Mayumi made Yamaimo and miso soup with fried tofu. Mmmmm. The place is very cozy, and Mom would love the decorating. I have to take some pictures, but then again, I have to charge my camera.
And I should also get another memory card. That`s right ladies and gentlemen, I`m taking lots of pictures.. get ready for a 3 hour powerpoint slide show when I get back...
Sunday, January 20, 2008
Kyoto with a guide.. good stuff
Today I had some company. Yuka, whom I met through couchsurfing, accompanied me around town today for some much needed Japanese Translation. We went all around town, and I saw Kyoto through a local`s eyes, which was a very cool perspective indeed. Hit the local spots, and I could ask questions and actually have them answered.
And I got to cook. It`s been a while, and we were at this honey store (Yes, a whole store devoted to honey. Not quite the quality you can get back in the states, but the variety makes up for it), and tasting honey (or at least trying to while the sales lady was shoving it down our throats), we came upon Soba Honey... Honey flavored with buckwheat.
Really good. And immediately salmon came to mind. Wrong fish to get in Japan though, was my next thought. Alaskan salmon in Kyoto? That`s halfway around the world. However, apparantly Hokkiado fishes salmon as well, and it was damn tasty. A Soba-Honey glaze, broiled in the oven, with some curry daikon-carrot salad and sticky rice. Not bad for a kitchen in a living room in a small apartment in Kyoto. And Yuka`s sister cleaned up at Uno. This trip is not bodin well for my card skills, but at least I get good food out of it.
Tomorrow continues the streak with the couchsurfers, going down to Nara and actually sleeping on the proverbial ``couch.`` I`m halfway through with the trip, and it kind of feels it. Comfortable enough like I could keep on going, but new enough where things are still fresh when I see them. Except for temples and shrines. To my un-Buddhist eye, they are all the same. I will not ever say that they aren`t in beautiful locations. The nature is still amazing. The scenery still blows my mind, but there are only so many times you can look at a gate that looks like all of the other ones you`ve seen and be excited.
This isn`t diluting Japan for me, as I still get to hang with the locals, which is a good way to spend a sunday. Nara is supposed to be full of Castles, and Osaka has a whale shark, and Kyushu (Southern island) has volcanoes, so there is still much different to see. But I think I`m all set with temples.
Let`s hope I don`t feel the same way about Australians.
And I got to cook. It`s been a while, and we were at this honey store (Yes, a whole store devoted to honey. Not quite the quality you can get back in the states, but the variety makes up for it), and tasting honey (or at least trying to while the sales lady was shoving it down our throats), we came upon Soba Honey... Honey flavored with buckwheat.
Really good. And immediately salmon came to mind. Wrong fish to get in Japan though, was my next thought. Alaskan salmon in Kyoto? That`s halfway around the world. However, apparantly Hokkiado fishes salmon as well, and it was damn tasty. A Soba-Honey glaze, broiled in the oven, with some curry daikon-carrot salad and sticky rice. Not bad for a kitchen in a living room in a small apartment in Kyoto. And Yuka`s sister cleaned up at Uno. This trip is not bodin well for my card skills, but at least I get good food out of it.
Tomorrow continues the streak with the couchsurfers, going down to Nara and actually sleeping on the proverbial ``couch.`` I`m halfway through with the trip, and it kind of feels it. Comfortable enough like I could keep on going, but new enough where things are still fresh when I see them. Except for temples and shrines. To my un-Buddhist eye, they are all the same. I will not ever say that they aren`t in beautiful locations. The nature is still amazing. The scenery still blows my mind, but there are only so many times you can look at a gate that looks like all of the other ones you`ve seen and be excited.
This isn`t diluting Japan for me, as I still get to hang with the locals, which is a good way to spend a sunday. Nara is supposed to be full of Castles, and Osaka has a whale shark, and Kyushu (Southern island) has volcanoes, so there is still much different to see. But I think I`m all set with temples.
Let`s hope I don`t feel the same way about Australians.
Saturday, January 19, 2008
When you come to a fork in the road, sometimes it`s better to leave in the road, sometimes it`s better to leave it alone.
So, I guess Australians aren`t all bad. The joke goes like this:
Two Aussies, Two Americans, a Scotsman, and a Brit walk into a bar... All the Japanese people leave.
No, it was fun, and we stayed up really late playing ｈｉｇｈ stakes Uno with a very cool Japanese guy from Hiroshima. He put down Gin like it was going out of style, and sung Huey Lewis like it was hip to be square (sorry).
Needless to say, didn`t get much sleep, but it`s all good. I went to Arashiyama today, the western side of Kyoto, home of monkeys (didn`t go to the park) and many more temples. After paying 500 yen (5 bucks) to see a painting of a dragon on the celing, and then paying another 500 yen to enter the grounds right behind it, because they couldn`t tie the package for the temple complex together, I didn`t feel like spending more money to go into temples, which I`ve been doing since I got to Japan. So I walked through the bamboo forest, which was very cool, and decided to hike up a mountain, after seeing a trail going up.
What goes up must come down right? I hiked for a good long while, not sure of where I was going, and finally made it to the top. There was no view, but you could see through the trees the whole of Kyoto and the mountains on the East side. Found a truck path down, and forked off into the woods when I saw a trail that did so.
Or so I thought.
After about 500 feet, the trail kinda dissapears, and I scrambled down at least 30% slope, grabbing trees and things as I went, doing some hardcore scrambling down the mountain. Not exactly what I had planned for the day, but hey, I`m still here to talk about it.
So I get to the ``trailhead,`` a 6 foot stone wall bordering a road near a toll booth, and walk back into town. I walked all day the day before, didn`t get much sleep, so my feet weren`t too happy with me. Had some food, got back to Kyoto to meet with Takashi, the couchsurfing buddy.
He took me to this tea house where they give you the tea and a thermos of boiling water, and show you how to make it. This was the real deal, with high quality tea, and precise methods for brewing. And it tastes like nothing on earth. Bad high quality green tea tastes like grass, and even decent high quality green tea kinda tastes like grass, but this had dimension like you wouldn`t believe. Sweet, slightly bitter, earthy, hint of toasted rice, like a fine wine. Eye-opening.
We then walked around, he translated a bunch of signs for me and explained to me the whole bowing thing (as best he could), and then we went for dinner. The menu was as big as a Tolstoy novel, and we ordered a bunch of things and shared them. Not bad, nothing too amazing, good quality for the money. Afterwards, we met up with another couchsurfing friend of his, and went to Karaoke.
Yes, there is a video of me singing sweet caroline. No, you will never see it.
It was fun, we were all getting into it, except that I didn`t know the words to the Japanese songs. Afterwards, I mentioned I was from Boston, so our second friend explained the existence of a hardcore fan bar, aptly named Fenway Park. After they explained I lived in Boston and was a sashimi cook, I was shown pictures, a signed baseball, given a Sam Adams and a buisness card, asked for an email address, etc. He threw everything he had at me, this guy was so proud of what he was, and with good reason. They flew him over last spring and he got to hand a trophy to Okajima, had amazing seats, basically living the dream. No, he didn`t eat at Uni. ``Fenway Franks only!``
Don`t ask how it got here, but yes, there is a picture of me holding a fake katana and a Fenway Park sign with a samurai wig on, and no, you probably won`t see that either. But if you know someone with a Japanese cell phone, it`s probably traveling the ether as we speak.
Tomorrow, off to Kobe with another couchsurfer. I have nothing but high regard for this websit now. Go figure. This country has the most amazing people in the world. We were talking in the hostel tonight how you could probably leave your bag in the middle of a busy shopping center, and not only would it not be stolen, someone would pick it up and scour the city trying to find you to give it back.
Two Aussies, Two Americans, a Scotsman, and a Brit walk into a bar... All the Japanese people leave.
No, it was fun, and we stayed up really late playing ｈｉｇｈ stakes Uno with a very cool Japanese guy from Hiroshima. He put down Gin like it was going out of style, and sung Huey Lewis like it was hip to be square (sorry).
Needless to say, didn`t get much sleep, but it`s all good. I went to Arashiyama today, the western side of Kyoto, home of monkeys (didn`t go to the park) and many more temples. After paying 500 yen (5 bucks) to see a painting of a dragon on the celing, and then paying another 500 yen to enter the grounds right behind it, because they couldn`t tie the package for the temple complex together, I didn`t feel like spending more money to go into temples, which I`ve been doing since I got to Japan. So I walked through the bamboo forest, which was very cool, and decided to hike up a mountain, after seeing a trail going up.
What goes up must come down right? I hiked for a good long while, not sure of where I was going, and finally made it to the top. There was no view, but you could see through the trees the whole of Kyoto and the mountains on the East side. Found a truck path down, and forked off into the woods when I saw a trail that did so.
Or so I thought.
After about 500 feet, the trail kinda dissapears, and I scrambled down at least 30% slope, grabbing trees and things as I went, doing some hardcore scrambling down the mountain. Not exactly what I had planned for the day, but hey, I`m still here to talk about it.
So I get to the ``trailhead,`` a 6 foot stone wall bordering a road near a toll booth, and walk back into town. I walked all day the day before, didn`t get much sleep, so my feet weren`t too happy with me. Had some food, got back to Kyoto to meet with Takashi, the couchsurfing buddy.
He took me to this tea house where they give you the tea and a thermos of boiling water, and show you how to make it. This was the real deal, with high quality tea, and precise methods for brewing. And it tastes like nothing on earth. Bad high quality green tea tastes like grass, and even decent high quality green tea kinda tastes like grass, but this had dimension like you wouldn`t believe. Sweet, slightly bitter, earthy, hint of toasted rice, like a fine wine. Eye-opening.
We then walked around, he translated a bunch of signs for me and explained to me the whole bowing thing (as best he could), and then we went for dinner. The menu was as big as a Tolstoy novel, and we ordered a bunch of things and shared them. Not bad, nothing too amazing, good quality for the money. Afterwards, we met up with another couchsurfing friend of his, and went to Karaoke.
Yes, there is a video of me singing sweet caroline. No, you will never see it.
It was fun, we were all getting into it, except that I didn`t know the words to the Japanese songs. Afterwards, I mentioned I was from Boston, so our second friend explained the existence of a hardcore fan bar, aptly named Fenway Park. After they explained I lived in Boston and was a sashimi cook, I was shown pictures, a signed baseball, given a Sam Adams and a buisness card, asked for an email address, etc. He threw everything he had at me, this guy was so proud of what he was, and with good reason. They flew him over last spring and he got to hand a trophy to Okajima, had amazing seats, basically living the dream. No, he didn`t eat at Uni. ``Fenway Franks only!``
Don`t ask how it got here, but yes, there is a picture of me holding a fake katana and a Fenway Park sign with a samurai wig on, and no, you probably won`t see that either. But if you know someone with a Japanese cell phone, it`s probably traveling the ether as we speak.
Tomorrow, off to Kobe with another couchsurfer. I have nothing but high regard for this websit now. Go figure. This country has the most amazing people in the world. We were talking in the hostel tonight how you could probably leave your bag in the middle of a busy shopping center, and not only would it not be stolen, someone would pick it up and scour the city trying to find you to give it back.
Friday, January 18, 2008
Kyoto! But no Geisha
Forget about Geisha. I`m not super pumped to find them, and they are really few and far between anyways. However, there are tons of places that you can pay lots of money and they will dress you up and parade you around town, complete with a mini camera crew to document the experience.
Doesn`t it seem a bit odd though? I mean, Geisha are so huge in western culture, so popular with tourists, maybe because of that book, maybe because it`s an quintessential image of beauty, or what have you. However, these are women that are paid to whore themselves out. Not necessarily sexually, but they basically are paid to keep guys entertained, and be beautiful company (arm candy). So, all of these strong, independent, `feminist` women are so enamoured with the concept of the geisha, yet pride themselves on some sort of feminist ideology. It seems completely contrary.
Anyways, back to the trip. I took a shinkansen to Kyoto, no hassle there, although a good 2.5 hour trip. Bought a new Murakami book (highly recommended by the way, `the wind up bird chronicle` Imagine magical realism (100 years of solitude, house of the spirits), but way more modern and japanese). I checked into the hostel (sister of the one in Tokyo, and the same high quality and numerous australians), and invited myself along with this nice British girl on her Lonely Planet `essential walking tour of Kyoto.` It was nice to have company for the day, as it was my 9th day in Japan, and I haven`t had a travel buddy all trip. I`m not complaining, but I like meeting new people and hearing new stories/ideas/viewpoints, you all know that. Anyways, she has been on a huge trip: teaching english in madagascar (sound familiar, boston peeps?), Australia/New Zeland (why does that look spelled wrong... oh well, deal with it.), somewhere else too.. I don`t remember, we talked about many things for basically the whole day.
So, Kyoto is a city put on a grid, with every section kinda different. There`s the old wooden pretty `old school japan` section, the modern `normal people live here` section, the Kyoto University section, the `crazy shopping wants to be like tokyo` section, and many others. Surrounding the city on all sides (basically) are huge mountains (not huge, but big), and these mountains have giant Japanese characters carved into them (maybe for seasons, maybe for directions, I don`t know Kanji). All the main temples are around the mountains (because they like religion and nature, remember?), and all the museums and shopping and restaurants are in the city. And it`s HUGE. Sprawling. I walked around the past few days, and that might have been a mistake. With Maddy (British girl who doesn`t have an Australian accent, even though I`m ignorant), we hit half of Eastern section of Temples and Shrines, and they were beautiful. Again, it`s difficult to write about, harder to photograph, you have to see them for yourself. We walked in the `old school` section of Kyoto, down alleys with lanterns and bamboo everything, unmarked places you just knew were private restaurants, or various other things that normal tourists would never be allowed access to. It was a cool place, hugely atmospheric.
We tried to find Geisha, we saw a bunch of the fake ones, and yeah, that was that. I did convince her to do Kaiseki (look it up), and that was probably the best meal so far. Absolutely amazing, and even cooler because I actually knew much of what was being served. (they love that, when you can identify food in Japanese.. they get this huge smile...)
Walked home, crashed. Woke up today, went to Nishiki Market, kind of like a huge food market in Kyoto. Absolutely stunning. All sorts of food, entire stores just for Bonito, Konbu, Rice, Pickles, etc. I went a bit early, but I did find the artisigu shop (knives... hehe), and saw how much damage it`s going to be later in the trip (not too bad.. you pay for the quality). Then I walked around the normal people part of Kyoto. It was ok, but not terribly exciting. Went to the Imperial Palace, on a hardcore guided tour. That sucked. Oh well, my fault for doing a guided tour.
I made it up to myself by walking along the Kyoto University area. There are two rivers that meet right by there, and it had this awesome chill vibe where all the students were, very nature-filled.. Walked along the philosophers path, saw a bunch of cherry blossom trees, but no blossoms.
It was a day of quiet meandering, with some cool pictures. No cool stories, except for dinner. I went past a cheesecake place, and had a craving, so I bought a piece. While there, I asked the lady where the best Unagi was (eel). She walked me 1/4 mile to this place, and read the sign for me... ``Number 1 Unagi in Kyoto``
It was good. Really good. I didn`t know Unagi tasted like that.
Anyways, back at home, going to go out drinking with the hostel peeps, haven`t had a night out yet, should be fun. Tomorrow I might be meeting some Japanese people I contacted through couchsurfing, so I`ll let you know how that goes...
Oh, by the way, no pictures until I get back. I didn`t bring the cable with me, and I`m not spending time uploading for your benefit. You get my witty typing, you can wait a bit for the amazing photography. =)
Doesn`t it seem a bit odd though? I mean, Geisha are so huge in western culture, so popular with tourists, maybe because of that book, maybe because it`s an quintessential image of beauty, or what have you. However, these are women that are paid to whore themselves out. Not necessarily sexually, but they basically are paid to keep guys entertained, and be beautiful company (arm candy). So, all of these strong, independent, `feminist` women are so enamoured with the concept of the geisha, yet pride themselves on some sort of feminist ideology. It seems completely contrary.
Anyways, back to the trip. I took a shinkansen to Kyoto, no hassle there, although a good 2.5 hour trip. Bought a new Murakami book (highly recommended by the way, `the wind up bird chronicle` Imagine magical realism (100 years of solitude, house of the spirits), but way more modern and japanese). I checked into the hostel (sister of the one in Tokyo, and the same high quality and numerous australians), and invited myself along with this nice British girl on her Lonely Planet `essential walking tour of Kyoto.` It was nice to have company for the day, as it was my 9th day in Japan, and I haven`t had a travel buddy all trip. I`m not complaining, but I like meeting new people and hearing new stories/ideas/viewpoints, you all know that. Anyways, she has been on a huge trip: teaching english in madagascar (sound familiar, boston peeps?), Australia/New Zeland (why does that look spelled wrong... oh well, deal with it.), somewhere else too.. I don`t remember, we talked about many things for basically the whole day.
So, Kyoto is a city put on a grid, with every section kinda different. There`s the old wooden pretty `old school japan` section, the modern `normal people live here` section, the Kyoto University section, the `crazy shopping wants to be like tokyo` section, and many others. Surrounding the city on all sides (basically) are huge mountains (not huge, but big), and these mountains have giant Japanese characters carved into them (maybe for seasons, maybe for directions, I don`t know Kanji). All the main temples are around the mountains (because they like religion and nature, remember?), and all the museums and shopping and restaurants are in the city. And it`s HUGE. Sprawling. I walked around the past few days, and that might have been a mistake. With Maddy (British girl who doesn`t have an Australian accent, even though I`m ignorant), we hit half of Eastern section of Temples and Shrines, and they were beautiful. Again, it`s difficult to write about, harder to photograph, you have to see them for yourself. We walked in the `old school` section of Kyoto, down alleys with lanterns and bamboo everything, unmarked places you just knew were private restaurants, or various other things that normal tourists would never be allowed access to. It was a cool place, hugely atmospheric.
We tried to find Geisha, we saw a bunch of the fake ones, and yeah, that was that. I did convince her to do Kaiseki (look it up), and that was probably the best meal so far. Absolutely amazing, and even cooler because I actually knew much of what was being served. (they love that, when you can identify food in Japanese.. they get this huge smile...)
Walked home, crashed. Woke up today, went to Nishiki Market, kind of like a huge food market in Kyoto. Absolutely stunning. All sorts of food, entire stores just for Bonito, Konbu, Rice, Pickles, etc. I went a bit early, but I did find the artisigu shop (knives... hehe), and saw how much damage it`s going to be later in the trip (not too bad.. you pay for the quality). Then I walked around the normal people part of Kyoto. It was ok, but not terribly exciting. Went to the Imperial Palace, on a hardcore guided tour. That sucked. Oh well, my fault for doing a guided tour.
I made it up to myself by walking along the Kyoto University area. There are two rivers that meet right by there, and it had this awesome chill vibe where all the students were, very nature-filled.. Walked along the philosophers path, saw a bunch of cherry blossom trees, but no blossoms.
It was a day of quiet meandering, with some cool pictures. No cool stories, except for dinner. I went past a cheesecake place, and had a craving, so I bought a piece. While there, I asked the lady where the best Unagi was (eel). She walked me 1/4 mile to this place, and read the sign for me... ``Number 1 Unagi in Kyoto``
It was good. Really good. I didn`t know Unagi tasted like that.
Anyways, back at home, going to go out drinking with the hostel peeps, haven`t had a night out yet, should be fun. Tomorrow I might be meeting some Japanese people I contacted through couchsurfing, so I`ll let you know how that goes...
Oh, by the way, no pictures until I get back. I didn`t bring the cable with me, and I`m not spending time uploading for your benefit. You get my witty typing, you can wait a bit for the amazing photography. =)
Wednesday, January 16, 2008
Luck beyond bounds.
Alright, now we`re caught up to today.
So I wake up, turn on the TV, and what do I see, but a Japanese newscaster in NYC doing a segment on BROOMBALL!!!!! It was nuts, and a great way to start off the day. I ate all of my food (I bought like 10 mikan the previous day, so it was a bit redundant, but the Japanese pop those things like candy). Nobody was to be found when I tried to checkout, so I left my key on a note by the door, and I hoped they got it.
I get to the train station, and I see there`s a train for Tokyo leaving in 5 mintues, so I haul and get on it.
Now. A bit about the shinkansen. There are two types of seats: Reserved and non-reserved. To get a reserved seat, you buy at ticket at the office ahead of time. The non-reserved ones, at least for cool people like me who have a rail pass, are obtained by showing your pass to the guy at the ticket gate, and finding a seat after he lets you pass. In a 12 car train, there are about 6 reserved ones and 6 non. So I jump on the train at car 6, and walk all the way to car 1, looking for a non-reserved car. None were found, and it wasn`t too busy, so I sat down. The train takes off and the voice tells me:
``All seats on this train are reserved``
I was not where I should have been. On the plus side, it was a super-ultra-express to Tokyo, with like 3 stops. It went REALLY FAST. So I`m sitting there, praying that nobody finds me, when the conductor comes to me and asks me something. I know what he was after, but I feigned ignorance.
``Ticket``
Oooh! Ticket, that`s what you wanted! I showed him my rail pass, hoping for the best. Thankfully, he let me stay, and I think he put me into his computer, which was good, because at the next stop the train filled up. To capacity. Somehow, nobody had a ticket for my seat. I love technology.
So I get to Tokyo, and today is Sumo day for me. I showed a bunch of Mexicans to the hostel, because they were needing one and looking lost, and then I walked to the arena to try my luck. There were no cheap day-of seats left, so I bought one of the cheapest reserved seats and walked in.
Sumo is cool. It`s steeped in tradition and religion and culture in a way that nothing else is in this world today while still being accessable, and even really popular. (sorry for the spelling, but japanese computers wont correct my spelling, and now they will not let me add apostraphes..)
So I went in, had some of the porridge that sumo wrestlers eat (liver, veggies, broth.. yum!), and went to the center of the arena to sit on the aisle and watch the matches nobody cares about from up close.
When the big ones started, a security guard ran around and started kicking everyone out of the aisles (lots of tourists got booted), but I saw her, and jumped onto a vacant pillow (right, no seats, pillows) 5 rows from the action.
And I stayed there a good long time. Throughout most of the matches, I was right at the front. When the top ranking fighters made their entrance, so did the rightful owners of my seat. I got up to leave, and this guy behind me in the 4 cushion box seats motioned me to sit near him. So I stayed right up front till the end. (I found out later that he was squatting too, as this really friendly Japanese family behind me explained to me, and everyone around me kept saying 'lucky seat!' (look, I found the apostraphe). They had a 24 year old son too, and he didn't speak any English.
Anyways, Sumo was amazing. They really get into the higher profile matches, and everyone yells and screams and claps and goes nuts. I wish I understood a bit more of what was going on, but as I watched more I got more. It seems as if every little motion has a meaning, and depending on how long a squat is held, they can intimidate the opponent and draw cheers from the crowd. Wild, I tell you. You had to be there.
Anyways, back at the hostel, doing laundry, I have the exact same bed as I did last time I was here. Guess it was free. Kyoto tomorrow, and down south for the next couple of days. I'm gonna go get me some tempura, cause I'm hungry.
Signing off!
So I wake up, turn on the TV, and what do I see, but a Japanese newscaster in NYC doing a segment on BROOMBALL!!!!! It was nuts, and a great way to start off the day. I ate all of my food (I bought like 10 mikan the previous day, so it was a bit redundant, but the Japanese pop those things like candy). Nobody was to be found when I tried to checkout, so I left my key on a note by the door, and I hoped they got it.
I get to the train station, and I see there`s a train for Tokyo leaving in 5 mintues, so I haul and get on it.
Now. A bit about the shinkansen. There are two types of seats: Reserved and non-reserved. To get a reserved seat, you buy at ticket at the office ahead of time. The non-reserved ones, at least for cool people like me who have a rail pass, are obtained by showing your pass to the guy at the ticket gate, and finding a seat after he lets you pass. In a 12 car train, there are about 6 reserved ones and 6 non. So I jump on the train at car 6, and walk all the way to car 1, looking for a non-reserved car. None were found, and it wasn`t too busy, so I sat down. The train takes off and the voice tells me:
``All seats on this train are reserved``
I was not where I should have been. On the plus side, it was a super-ultra-express to Tokyo, with like 3 stops. It went REALLY FAST. So I`m sitting there, praying that nobody finds me, when the conductor comes to me and asks me something. I know what he was after, but I feigned ignorance.
``Ticket``
Oooh! Ticket, that`s what you wanted! I showed him my rail pass, hoping for the best. Thankfully, he let me stay, and I think he put me into his computer, which was good, because at the next stop the train filled up. To capacity. Somehow, nobody had a ticket for my seat. I love technology.
So I get to Tokyo, and today is Sumo day for me. I showed a bunch of Mexicans to the hostel, because they were needing one and looking lost, and then I walked to the arena to try my luck. There were no cheap day-of seats left, so I bought one of the cheapest reserved seats and walked in.
Sumo is cool. It`s steeped in tradition and religion and culture in a way that nothing else is in this world today while still being accessable, and even really popular. (sorry for the spelling, but japanese computers wont correct my spelling, and now they will not let me add apostraphes..)
So I went in, had some of the porridge that sumo wrestlers eat (liver, veggies, broth.. yum!), and went to the center of the arena to sit on the aisle and watch the matches nobody cares about from up close.
When the big ones started, a security guard ran around and started kicking everyone out of the aisles (lots of tourists got booted), but I saw her, and jumped onto a vacant pillow (right, no seats, pillows) 5 rows from the action.
And I stayed there a good long time. Throughout most of the matches, I was right at the front. When the top ranking fighters made their entrance, so did the rightful owners of my seat. I got up to leave, and this guy behind me in the 4 cushion box seats motioned me to sit near him. So I stayed right up front till the end. (I found out later that he was squatting too, as this really friendly Japanese family behind me explained to me, and everyone around me kept saying 'lucky seat!' (look, I found the apostraphe). They had a 24 year old son too, and he didn't speak any English.
Anyways, Sumo was amazing. They really get into the higher profile matches, and everyone yells and screams and claps and goes nuts. I wish I understood a bit more of what was going on, but as I watched more I got more. It seems as if every little motion has a meaning, and depending on how long a squat is held, they can intimidate the opponent and draw cheers from the crowd. Wild, I tell you. You had to be there.
Anyways, back at the hostel, doing laundry, I have the exact same bed as I did last time I was here. Guess it was free. Kyoto tomorrow, and down south for the next couple of days. I'm gonna go get me some tempura, cause I'm hungry.
Signing off!
Winter means cold
Alright,
Back in Tokyo right now, after two days up waaay north. Aizu-Wakamatsu, where I attempted to see a festival I read one sentence about in Lonely Planet. Turns out that place is like a city, but not huge like Tokyo. So needless to say, I found no festival, but lots of things were closed, so maybe there was a festival. More beautiful castles, wonderful people, and communication problems. I was having dinner at this small place, with homemade gyoza, where the chef was interested in talking with me once he found out I was a cook (that works well around here), but due to my crappy phrasebook, I understood nothing, and our converstation was at a standstill.
I feel that this trip would be so much better if I knew even the slightest bit of Japanese. I mean, I`m definately picking it up, and the grammar isn`t very difficult, but it`s hard to learn vocabulary or even guess at a word if you can`t comprehend the alphabet. If you go to Japan (or any asian country), bring a pocket dictionary, in addition to or instead of a phrasebook. It will prove infinately more useful.
Item number 2: Fashion. Even in winter, when it`s cold (and it`s damn cold), girls wear short skirts and high boots or stockings. It`s crazy. I saw one girl on the Metro with hardcore goosebumps. Small price to pay for looking good, right? All the buisnessmen are stereotypical there, and I`ve seen alot of them. There are normal people too, but they are few and far between in Tokyo, but more prominent in the outer regions. Granted, on a train into tokyo from these places, the girls fancy up...
I stayed in a buisness hotel at the suggestion from a lady at 7-11 (yes, they have them here..), it was small, there was an alarm clock radio with 4 preset stations, and there was a television, so I absorbed some culture (from what I could understand). Not exciting, but restful... finally a western style bed.
Next was Morioka. That was a long trainride. I`m getting to be a regular on the bullet train, and I`m a fan. It was another city, but a beautiful one, with rivers all over the place, and a destroyed castle in the middle of it turned into a park. It was snowing, and I`m beginning to believe that it snows everywhere north of Tokyo, and doesn`t stop throughout the winter. I checked into this place that was suggested by the tourist place and by lonely planet, so it must be ok.
Couldn`t find it at first, because there were no english signage. However, I`m not too bad with a map, so I guessed well. It took 10 minutes to get someone though, and it was about 12:30, but they were out grocery shopping. It was a Minishiku (sp?), basically a japanese style inn. This nice old lady ran it, and I had a japanese style room, with Tatami mats everywhere, futon bedding, a TV and space heater (!), and a porch (did not get used, covered in snow).
Walked around, found free internet, had an adventure of eating in the basement of a department store. Those places are like food courts on speed (sorry for the drug references in this blog, but you have to see it to believe it). They had everything, from bakeries, restaurants, noodle stands, a grocery store, cheese shop (!), and tons of confectionary stores. The Japanese are perfectionists when it comes to fine food. Presentation is everything, and these things look beautiful. I haven`t tried many, because I save my money for the savory, but the ones I`ve had are really good (Paul - Beard Papa! I had a mille-fueille).
Wanko soba is a unique experience, probably best done with a group. I screwed it up of course, because I could not understand my server, even when she was repeating things like 5 times. (she showed me a glass and a bottle of beer to ask if I wanted draft or bottled, I motioned for both) Basically, they give you a bunch of side stuff, and a bowl with a lid. The waitress stands over you, and pours a mouthful of soba into the bowl, you eat it, she pours another one, you eat it, etc... It`s odd to have her standing over you the whole time, for one thing, and you feel like it`s some kind of race. I did 51 bowls, and I could have done more, but I felt like I was going to burst at the time.
Anyways, I roll back to where I`m staying, intending to read. The lady hears me come in, motions me to the bathroom, and says ``Shower!``
Now this means Japanese style bath. It`s a room with a deep bathub and a faucet/minishower, stools, and a brush. Basically, you clean yourself off really well using the minishower, and then relax in the bath, like at the onsen.
My skin was going to boil off.
That saying: ``Some like it hot.`` The Japanese like it exceedingly so. It was hotter than the onsen, and that`s saying something.
When I was done with that, I had a couple of mikan (Japanese clementines), a can of tea and some crackers waiting in my room. What service! I made good use of the space heater that night, because that`s all there was...
Back in Tokyo right now, after two days up waaay north. Aizu-Wakamatsu, where I attempted to see a festival I read one sentence about in Lonely Planet. Turns out that place is like a city, but not huge like Tokyo. So needless to say, I found no festival, but lots of things were closed, so maybe there was a festival. More beautiful castles, wonderful people, and communication problems. I was having dinner at this small place, with homemade gyoza, where the chef was interested in talking with me once he found out I was a cook (that works well around here), but due to my crappy phrasebook, I understood nothing, and our converstation was at a standstill.
I feel that this trip would be so much better if I knew even the slightest bit of Japanese. I mean, I`m definately picking it up, and the grammar isn`t very difficult, but it`s hard to learn vocabulary or even guess at a word if you can`t comprehend the alphabet. If you go to Japan (or any asian country), bring a pocket dictionary, in addition to or instead of a phrasebook. It will prove infinately more useful.
Item number 2: Fashion. Even in winter, when it`s cold (and it`s damn cold), girls wear short skirts and high boots or stockings. It`s crazy. I saw one girl on the Metro with hardcore goosebumps. Small price to pay for looking good, right? All the buisnessmen are stereotypical there, and I`ve seen alot of them. There are normal people too, but they are few and far between in Tokyo, but more prominent in the outer regions. Granted, on a train into tokyo from these places, the girls fancy up...
I stayed in a buisness hotel at the suggestion from a lady at 7-11 (yes, they have them here..), it was small, there was an alarm clock radio with 4 preset stations, and there was a television, so I absorbed some culture (from what I could understand). Not exciting, but restful... finally a western style bed.
Next was Morioka. That was a long trainride. I`m getting to be a regular on the bullet train, and I`m a fan. It was another city, but a beautiful one, with rivers all over the place, and a destroyed castle in the middle of it turned into a park. It was snowing, and I`m beginning to believe that it snows everywhere north of Tokyo, and doesn`t stop throughout the winter. I checked into this place that was suggested by the tourist place and by lonely planet, so it must be ok.
Couldn`t find it at first, because there were no english signage. However, I`m not too bad with a map, so I guessed well. It took 10 minutes to get someone though, and it was about 12:30, but they were out grocery shopping. It was a Minishiku (sp?), basically a japanese style inn. This nice old lady ran it, and I had a japanese style room, with Tatami mats everywhere, futon bedding, a TV and space heater (!), and a porch (did not get used, covered in snow).
Walked around, found free internet, had an adventure of eating in the basement of a department store. Those places are like food courts on speed (sorry for the drug references in this blog, but you have to see it to believe it). They had everything, from bakeries, restaurants, noodle stands, a grocery store, cheese shop (!), and tons of confectionary stores. The Japanese are perfectionists when it comes to fine food. Presentation is everything, and these things look beautiful. I haven`t tried many, because I save my money for the savory, but the ones I`ve had are really good (Paul - Beard Papa! I had a mille-fueille).
Wanko soba is a unique experience, probably best done with a group. I screwed it up of course, because I could not understand my server, even when she was repeating things like 5 times. (she showed me a glass and a bottle of beer to ask if I wanted draft or bottled, I motioned for both) Basically, they give you a bunch of side stuff, and a bowl with a lid. The waitress stands over you, and pours a mouthful of soba into the bowl, you eat it, she pours another one, you eat it, etc... It`s odd to have her standing over you the whole time, for one thing, and you feel like it`s some kind of race. I did 51 bowls, and I could have done more, but I felt like I was going to burst at the time.
Anyways, I roll back to where I`m staying, intending to read. The lady hears me come in, motions me to the bathroom, and says ``Shower!``
Now this means Japanese style bath. It`s a room with a deep bathub and a faucet/minishower, stools, and a brush. Basically, you clean yourself off really well using the minishower, and then relax in the bath, like at the onsen.
My skin was going to boil off.
That saying: ``Some like it hot.`` The Japanese like it exceedingly so. It was hotter than the onsen, and that`s saying something.
When I was done with that, I had a couple of mikan (Japanese clementines), a can of tea and some crackers waiting in my room. What service! I made good use of the space heater that night, because that`s all there was...
Tuesday, January 15, 2008
Nikko part 2
Hey,
When I was falling asleep the first night in Nikko, I decided to stay another night, so I did. I went up to Lake Chirzenji and walked around for a really long time (without the big packpack). It`s this beautiful lake almost a mile above sea level, where the buses have to go on this winding narrow road both up and down, which affords you an AMAZING view of the mountain range (with snow of course). Once there, I got cold. Mountains right, you expect wind. Sean didn`t plan for wind. At least not that day. Oh well, I braved it anyways. I went first to a natural history museum, where this nice old guy told me it was my lucky day, because they were doing renovations on the museum, I could see the first floor and the film for free. So I watched a film on the seasons around the Lake, and learned that there are bears in Japan, so don`t feed them.
The lake feeds a waterfall, and of course that was pretty (you`ll see pictures). I decided to do a nature hike around the lake, where I learned that the country of Japan was so nice, they gave lakeside villas to the Embassies of France, Belgium, England, and Italy (maybe more, but that`s as far as I got before I got hungry and turned around). I don`t know if anyone was inhabiting them, but that`s not a bad place to stay in the spring/summer.
So I go back to the town, where I encountered another language difficulty. I wasn`t sure where I wanted to eat, so I started looking at the places around town. Most places have pictures with Yen amounts as part of a sign out front of the restaurant, so I like to look these over. If the place is slow, and the owner/chef/chef`s wife/etc. sees you outside looking, they will motion you in and start talking at you in Japanese. I can`t turn down a kindly old lady, so I went in to the first restaurant I looked at.
That was a wise move, for your sake.
She sits me down at a table with a beautiful view of the lake, and I`m the only one in the place. There are fishes on the wall (trophy like), and it gives the aura of a cabin in the woods that you would find in New Hampshire or something. I ask the lady what the local specialty is (that phrase is in the book, at least), and she points to an item on the menu and tells me the fish are caught in the lake outside (at least, that`s what I got with the hand gestures). Fried sardines, very tasty.
I`m sitting there, and three people come in. What looks like a husband and wife, and their kid. They say hi to me, ask where I`m from (me understanding what they were asking took 1 minute), and sat down at their table (far from me, most japanese people don`t really want to sit near me. I shower, so it can`t be the smell...) and talked about me without me understanding any words in their conversation besides ``Amerika``. What strikes me as odd, is at one point, the wife gets down and ties the guys shoes. Japan is a country that sticks to their old defined gender roles, I guess.
5 minutes later, 4 well dressed men walk into the place, greet the three already there, and go over to them. The one in charge (sunglasses, slick hair) comes to me, and speaks very boisterously. The conversation was long, but not much was ascertained (by either party), except that I was american tourist and I flew over on a Jet plane. They go over, one guy shows the boss an air rifle (maybe a real rifle, not sure), and they all smoke like crazy together. I get lots of glances at me, and lots of ``amerika`` coming from the table. Over the course of the meal, the woman actually discovers she can speak, and translates.
``Do you have Japanese money?``
``Yen? Um.. yes.``
``Do you have a job?``
``In Japan? No, but in America, I am a sashimi cook (this gets me in, it works)``
*at this point, the ``father`` chimes in*
-points at guy with sunglasses-
``You know Yakuza?``
``Yeah.``
``This guy Yakuza... Big Boss!``
``Konichiwa`` I say, while trying to have a big old smile. I pretend like I`m taking a picture, we all laugh.
I`m not sure if it was true or not, but they did get into 3 really nice Mercedes, and honk at me when driving past. One of the Henchmen did try to compare himself to me when I got up and paid (He was as tall as me, and his legs were just as long. This brought them all immense joy). I didn`t ask to see tatoos, and I think that was the right decision. But it is fun to say I had lunch with the Yakuza.
Anyways, after that, my heart was racing a bit, so I walked around town a little more, and then I went to an Onsen. That`s Japanese for ``really hot bath with naked people.`` You get used to it really fast (the nakedness, not the heat), but it is an endurance trial (the heat, not the nakedness). Over 3 hours, I went in 3 times, for a total of 30 -45 minutes. Between each session, I rested and watched sumo on tv for about 40 min.
The strangest thing was that one guy actually struck up a conversation with me. Younger middle aged guy (probably not much older than me), he spoke English and we talked about Jazz, Sumo, Baseball, and TV. He is a Program Director for a big Tokyo network, so we bonded over that, and the fact that we were naked in water hot enough to cook pasta (or a lobster, for that matter). I saw him afterwards, during one of my breaks, dressed, and it was a bit odd.
So yeah, that experience was about as exhausting as the hiking with my backpack the previous day, so I went back to town to get dinner. I also found a great used kimono shop, and using my crappy phrasebook, an online translator, and his boss (who spoke some English, but didn`t understand enough), I bought two Kimonos and to Obis. Normally these things are like thousands of dollars, but used ones are drastically cut in price, so that`s cool.
Dinner then. The night before, I forgot to mention, I asked for the advice of the Hostel Owner lady, and she directed me to this Okonomiyaki place (make your own Japanese pancake). It was really good, a hole in the wall, frequented by locals. The next night, I went to a place suggested by Lonely Planet. It was plastered with buisness cards of all types, all with phrases from people around the world saying how awesome it was, etc...
Eh..
Maybe I`m a snob, but it wasn`t that exciting. Decent noodles, the meatballs were tasty, but not crazy good. I did however, meet a french guy who was traveling, and once I told him I knew french, he spoke to me in french and I did my best to respond. It was refreshing to actually understand what someone was talking about in a foreign language. Oddly enough, it turned out he was at my hostel, so we chatted for a good part of the night, along with this canadian ESOL teacher, who was older middle aged, and a role model to travelers everywhere. The things this man has done, and the way he did them, was amazing to listen to, and inspiring. Well, and a bit scary. A cross continent road trip of Europe by hitchhiking. I feel that`s not really possible in today`s world, at least without losing a finger or two.
Anyways, signing off for now, I`ve been at this for about an hour, and I`m going to go eat Wanko-Soba, Morioka`s speciality. Basically all you can eat soba noodles. Should be interesting.
When I was falling asleep the first night in Nikko, I decided to stay another night, so I did. I went up to Lake Chirzenji and walked around for a really long time (without the big packpack). It`s this beautiful lake almost a mile above sea level, where the buses have to go on this winding narrow road both up and down, which affords you an AMAZING view of the mountain range (with snow of course). Once there, I got cold. Mountains right, you expect wind. Sean didn`t plan for wind. At least not that day. Oh well, I braved it anyways. I went first to a natural history museum, where this nice old guy told me it was my lucky day, because they were doing renovations on the museum, I could see the first floor and the film for free. So I watched a film on the seasons around the Lake, and learned that there are bears in Japan, so don`t feed them.
The lake feeds a waterfall, and of course that was pretty (you`ll see pictures). I decided to do a nature hike around the lake, where I learned that the country of Japan was so nice, they gave lakeside villas to the Embassies of France, Belgium, England, and Italy (maybe more, but that`s as far as I got before I got hungry and turned around). I don`t know if anyone was inhabiting them, but that`s not a bad place to stay in the spring/summer.
So I go back to the town, where I encountered another language difficulty. I wasn`t sure where I wanted to eat, so I started looking at the places around town. Most places have pictures with Yen amounts as part of a sign out front of the restaurant, so I like to look these over. If the place is slow, and the owner/chef/chef`s wife/etc. sees you outside looking, they will motion you in and start talking at you in Japanese. I can`t turn down a kindly old lady, so I went in to the first restaurant I looked at.
That was a wise move, for your sake.
She sits me down at a table with a beautiful view of the lake, and I`m the only one in the place. There are fishes on the wall (trophy like), and it gives the aura of a cabin in the woods that you would find in New Hampshire or something. I ask the lady what the local specialty is (that phrase is in the book, at least), and she points to an item on the menu and tells me the fish are caught in the lake outside (at least, that`s what I got with the hand gestures). Fried sardines, very tasty.
I`m sitting there, and three people come in. What looks like a husband and wife, and their kid. They say hi to me, ask where I`m from (me understanding what they were asking took 1 minute), and sat down at their table (far from me, most japanese people don`t really want to sit near me. I shower, so it can`t be the smell...) and talked about me without me understanding any words in their conversation besides ``Amerika``. What strikes me as odd, is at one point, the wife gets down and ties the guys shoes. Japan is a country that sticks to their old defined gender roles, I guess.
5 minutes later, 4 well dressed men walk into the place, greet the three already there, and go over to them. The one in charge (sunglasses, slick hair) comes to me, and speaks very boisterously. The conversation was long, but not much was ascertained (by either party), except that I was american tourist and I flew over on a Jet plane. They go over, one guy shows the boss an air rifle (maybe a real rifle, not sure), and they all smoke like crazy together. I get lots of glances at me, and lots of ``amerika`` coming from the table. Over the course of the meal, the woman actually discovers she can speak, and translates.
``Do you have Japanese money?``
``Yen? Um.. yes.``
``Do you have a job?``
``In Japan? No, but in America, I am a sashimi cook (this gets me in, it works)``
*at this point, the ``father`` chimes in*
-points at guy with sunglasses-
``You know Yakuza?``
``Yeah.``
``This guy Yakuza... Big Boss!``
``Konichiwa`` I say, while trying to have a big old smile. I pretend like I`m taking a picture, we all laugh.
I`m not sure if it was true or not, but they did get into 3 really nice Mercedes, and honk at me when driving past. One of the Henchmen did try to compare himself to me when I got up and paid (He was as tall as me, and his legs were just as long. This brought them all immense joy). I didn`t ask to see tatoos, and I think that was the right decision. But it is fun to say I had lunch with the Yakuza.
Anyways, after that, my heart was racing a bit, so I walked around town a little more, and then I went to an Onsen. That`s Japanese for ``really hot bath with naked people.`` You get used to it really fast (the nakedness, not the heat), but it is an endurance trial (the heat, not the nakedness). Over 3 hours, I went in 3 times, for a total of 30 -45 minutes. Between each session, I rested and watched sumo on tv for about 40 min.
The strangest thing was that one guy actually struck up a conversation with me. Younger middle aged guy (probably not much older than me), he spoke English and we talked about Jazz, Sumo, Baseball, and TV. He is a Program Director for a big Tokyo network, so we bonded over that, and the fact that we were naked in water hot enough to cook pasta (or a lobster, for that matter). I saw him afterwards, during one of my breaks, dressed, and it was a bit odd.
So yeah, that experience was about as exhausting as the hiking with my backpack the previous day, so I went back to town to get dinner. I also found a great used kimono shop, and using my crappy phrasebook, an online translator, and his boss (who spoke some English, but didn`t understand enough), I bought two Kimonos and to Obis. Normally these things are like thousands of dollars, but used ones are drastically cut in price, so that`s cool.
Dinner then. The night before, I forgot to mention, I asked for the advice of the Hostel Owner lady, and she directed me to this Okonomiyaki place (make your own Japanese pancake). It was really good, a hole in the wall, frequented by locals. The next night, I went to a place suggested by Lonely Planet. It was plastered with buisness cards of all types, all with phrases from people around the world saying how awesome it was, etc...
Eh..
Maybe I`m a snob, but it wasn`t that exciting. Decent noodles, the meatballs were tasty, but not crazy good. I did however, meet a french guy who was traveling, and once I told him I knew french, he spoke to me in french and I did my best to respond. It was refreshing to actually understand what someone was talking about in a foreign language. Oddly enough, it turned out he was at my hostel, so we chatted for a good part of the night, along with this canadian ESOL teacher, who was older middle aged, and a role model to travelers everywhere. The things this man has done, and the way he did them, was amazing to listen to, and inspiring. Well, and a bit scary. A cross continent road trip of Europe by hitchhiking. I feel that`s not really possible in today`s world, at least without losing a finger or two.
Anyways, signing off for now, I`ve been at this for about an hour, and I`m going to go eat Wanko-Soba, Morioka`s speciality. Basically all you can eat soba noodles. Should be interesting.
Northern Japan is Pretty
Hey all, (The post was saved, but i`m not reediting it...)
I`m in Morioka now, as north as I`m going to get this trip, and for some reason, it`s always snowing. I`m not complaining, though, cause if you know me, you know I like snow. However, it`s also really cold. Not really a problem, but not totally what I was expecting. I`m only 5 days into the trip (6? I`m not really sure), but I know how I`m going to pack differently next time.
Northern Japan is Unrelentlessly Beautiful. Maybe its the idea that when it`s not your normal surroundings, everything is framed differently anyways, or maybe it`s the snow, but everywhere I look, it`s some sort of breathtaking view. Let`s start with Nikko. It was my first taste of Japan outside of Tokyo, so I didn`t know what to expect. (side note: shinkansen are the craziest mode of transportation ever. They go really really fast. And they`re so smooth on the inside, I didn`t even know I was moving the first time) Halfway through the train ride, it starts dumping snow. Really dumping. By the time I got to Nikko, it was blanketing the ground, and the little village looked really nice and postcard-like.
Having no place to stay, and nothing being in English (Except my useless Lonely Planet map), I asked an old lady if there were any hotels around (with my almost useless phrasebook, which has a million ways to ask how to fix your car, but 3 phrases on introducing yourself to the locals), and she immediately found a young girl to help me (she spoke English). However, the help I got after telling her I wanted to be near the temple put me at the temple site with no hotel in sight. So I went to the temple complex with my heavy backpack.
Stunning. Like what you see in pictures and movies and books, but even more so. Pictures don`t do it justice. Imagine a snow covered Japanese temple, and then imagine it surrounded by snow covered mountains, smelling like incense, and sounding like a mountain stream. Then do a line of cocaine.
Here, 3 days later, I`ve seen a whole lot of temples, but they`re all in different settings. The Buddhists and Shintoists really know how to create tranquility and harmony with nature, even in the middle of a city. Which leads me to my next off-topic topic. What fascinates me the most (lots of pictures to prove it) is the juxtaposition of culture in Japan. I visited a historic temple yesterday (in Aizu), and right next to it I found a Love Hotel (look it up). There are tons of temples and shrines right next to department stores and bars. It`s downright amazing.
Anyways, while at the temple complex, I saw a group of white people hiking up some stairway, so I decided to follow them (in hindsight, not a good move with the backpack). I said hi, and in some bizzare twist of providence, they were part of the Tufts Bezeelbubs (a capella group), and one of them had eaten at Uni that spring.
``Was there a big Asian guy behind the bar?``
``Yeah!``
``Was there anyone with him?``
``Yes, some American guy``
Go figure, right? That same guy is graduating in spring and moving to LA to do acting.
We chatted for a bit and went our seperate ways, I tried to find a place to stay for the night. The problem with the guidebook is that it gives you the phrase, but doesn`t tell you what a response will sound like. So if you ask where there is a hotel, and you get a 30 second long answer in Japanese, all you can do is give a blank stare.
Finally, an old lady stops me on the street. `
`Youth Hosteruu?``
``Hai!``
*she points above her, at a sign on a lamppost.*
--International youth hostel this way--
So I head next to the river, behind these houses, down an alley, down some stairs, to a door (labeled, thank God), and walk in. Homey doesn`t begin to describe this place. It was cheap, and warm, and I stayed the night, and met no australians (But I did meet a korean and a japanese guy, but the korean didn`t understand when I told him I had a Korean roomate. He got `bulgogi` though).
I`m going to cut it off here, they might kick me off. If not, I`ll talk about day 2 in Nikko next.
I`m in Morioka now, as north as I`m going to get this trip, and for some reason, it`s always snowing. I`m not complaining, though, cause if you know me, you know I like snow. However, it`s also really cold. Not really a problem, but not totally what I was expecting. I`m only 5 days into the trip (6? I`m not really sure), but I know how I`m going to pack differently next time.
Northern Japan is Unrelentlessly Beautiful. Maybe its the idea that when it`s not your normal surroundings, everything is framed differently anyways, or maybe it`s the snow, but everywhere I look, it`s some sort of breathtaking view. Let`s start with Nikko. It was my first taste of Japan outside of Tokyo, so I didn`t know what to expect. (side note: shinkansen are the craziest mode of transportation ever. They go really really fast. And they`re so smooth on the inside, I didn`t even know I was moving the first time) Halfway through the train ride, it starts dumping snow. Really dumping. By the time I got to Nikko, it was blanketing the ground, and the little village looked really nice and postcard-like.
Having no place to stay, and nothing being in English (Except my useless Lonely Planet map), I asked an old lady if there were any hotels around (with my almost useless phrasebook, which has a million ways to ask how to fix your car, but 3 phrases on introducing yourself to the locals), and she immediately found a young girl to help me (she spoke English). However, the help I got after telling her I wanted to be near the temple put me at the temple site with no hotel in sight. So I went to the temple complex with my heavy backpack.
Stunning. Like what you see in pictures and movies and books, but even more so. Pictures don`t do it justice. Imagine a snow covered Japanese temple, and then imagine it surrounded by snow covered mountains, smelling like incense, and sounding like a mountain stream. Then do a line of cocaine.
Here, 3 days later, I`ve seen a whole lot of temples, but they`re all in different settings. The Buddhists and Shintoists really know how to create tranquility and harmony with nature, even in the middle of a city. Which leads me to my next off-topic topic. What fascinates me the most (lots of pictures to prove it) is the juxtaposition of culture in Japan. I visited a historic temple yesterday (in Aizu), and right next to it I found a Love Hotel (look it up). There are tons of temples and shrines right next to department stores and bars. It`s downright amazing.
Anyways, while at the temple complex, I saw a group of white people hiking up some stairway, so I decided to follow them (in hindsight, not a good move with the backpack). I said hi, and in some bizzare twist of providence, they were part of the Tufts Bezeelbubs (a capella group), and one of them had eaten at Uni that spring.
``Was there a big Asian guy behind the bar?``
``Yeah!``
``Was there anyone with him?``
``Yes, some American guy``
Go figure, right? That same guy is graduating in spring and moving to LA to do acting.
We chatted for a bit and went our seperate ways, I tried to find a place to stay for the night. The problem with the guidebook is that it gives you the phrase, but doesn`t tell you what a response will sound like. So if you ask where there is a hotel, and you get a 30 second long answer in Japanese, all you can do is give a blank stare.
Finally, an old lady stops me on the street. `
`Youth Hosteruu?``
``Hai!``
*she points above her, at a sign on a lamppost.*
--International youth hostel this way--
So I head next to the river, behind these houses, down an alley, down some stairs, to a door (labeled, thank God), and walk in. Homey doesn`t begin to describe this place. It was cheap, and warm, and I stayed the night, and met no australians (But I did meet a korean and a japanese guy, but the korean didn`t understand when I told him I had a Korean roomate. He got `bulgogi` though).
I`m going to cut it off here, they might kick me off. If not, I`ll talk about day 2 in Nikko next.
Friday, January 11, 2008
Meditations on Tokyo
Ok,
Forgive me, because everything in this window is in Japanese, and I´m not that good yet. So this is the second day here, and it was a nutty one. Up and showered at 8AM, first job of the day was to try and get tickets to a sumo tournament for next week. Unsuccessful, because the tickets are sold out of vending machines in convenience stores, which have no English on them. So the lady at my hostel wrote the information down, and it was subsequently rejected by the machine, with someone Japanese working it.
Not to be outdone, I went to the stadium, where I realized that it was 8.30, and the box office didn´t open until 10. Oh well, saw a cool park, took some money out from a Post office ATM, and continued my wanderings. Went to a famous temple complex, with the biggest paper lantern in the world (probably the dirtiest as well), a whole line of touristy markets, learned how to approach a shinto temple (it involves spitting water), and met a ton of little kids (friendliest people in all of Tokyo, half of them screamed hi at me as soon as I looked at them).
Wandered over a bridge, found the Asahi beer headquarters. Those of you picturing a typical beer place, think again. The complex has a few buildings, the most striking one being a black trapezoid with a giant golden turd on top (I have a picture). No windows, and everyone is in a suit. Wandering in, I totally fit in, because I was dressed up as nice as I usually am. =)
I did a lot more walking, found more greenery than I did yesterday, and its interesting, because of the juxtaposition of the green and the buildings. It´s similar to New York, but waay more jarring since 75% of Tokyo looks like Times Square. It´s the same with temples in the middle of the city.
Saw Kabuki, which was interesting, because it was the place I saw the most amount of Tourists on my travels. It´s interesting, if you think about it, since there are alot of tourists here, but I haven´t seen many at all, except where they are in high concentration (hostel, Kabuki). Two asides on that... The Japanese people come in all sorts of different shapes and colors. I do a pretty good job telling Koreans and Chinese, but over here, everyone looks so different, and I´ve been trying to profile them... really! Secondly, what the hell is up with all the Aussies. They´re everywhere. This whole hostel is filled with people from Australia, and they all know each other, and seem to travel like it´s going out of style. A bit jealous, and a bit annoyed I am. Oh well, they are friendly.
Which leads me to the Japanese people. Friendliest people on the planet. Bar none. Everyone goes out of their way to help you out and make you feel at home, in a place where happy pop music screams at you in a different language, and your eyes hurt from all the neon.
The computer will kick me off.. more later
Forgive me, because everything in this window is in Japanese, and I´m not that good yet. So this is the second day here, and it was a nutty one. Up and showered at 8AM, first job of the day was to try and get tickets to a sumo tournament for next week. Unsuccessful, because the tickets are sold out of vending machines in convenience stores, which have no English on them. So the lady at my hostel wrote the information down, and it was subsequently rejected by the machine, with someone Japanese working it.
Not to be outdone, I went to the stadium, where I realized that it was 8.30, and the box office didn´t open until 10. Oh well, saw a cool park, took some money out from a Post office ATM, and continued my wanderings. Went to a famous temple complex, with the biggest paper lantern in the world (probably the dirtiest as well), a whole line of touristy markets, learned how to approach a shinto temple (it involves spitting water), and met a ton of little kids (friendliest people in all of Tokyo, half of them screamed hi at me as soon as I looked at them).
Wandered over a bridge, found the Asahi beer headquarters. Those of you picturing a typical beer place, think again. The complex has a few buildings, the most striking one being a black trapezoid with a giant golden turd on top (I have a picture). No windows, and everyone is in a suit. Wandering in, I totally fit in, because I was dressed up as nice as I usually am. =)
I did a lot more walking, found more greenery than I did yesterday, and its interesting, because of the juxtaposition of the green and the buildings. It´s similar to New York, but waay more jarring since 75% of Tokyo looks like Times Square. It´s the same with temples in the middle of the city.
Saw Kabuki, which was interesting, because it was the place I saw the most amount of Tourists on my travels. It´s interesting, if you think about it, since there are alot of tourists here, but I haven´t seen many at all, except where they are in high concentration (hostel, Kabuki). Two asides on that... The Japanese people come in all sorts of different shapes and colors. I do a pretty good job telling Koreans and Chinese, but over here, everyone looks so different, and I´ve been trying to profile them... really! Secondly, what the hell is up with all the Aussies. They´re everywhere. This whole hostel is filled with people from Australia, and they all know each other, and seem to travel like it´s going out of style. A bit jealous, and a bit annoyed I am. Oh well, they are friendly.
Which leads me to the Japanese people. Friendliest people on the planet. Bar none. Everyone goes out of their way to help you out and make you feel at home, in a place where happy pop music screams at you in a different language, and your eyes hurt from all the neon.
The computer will kick me off.. more later
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