smokyme

November

2009-12-31T02:15:00.002+09:00

November was also really busy with work, although I did get a few chances to see some fall colours, visit a big park and ride a tandem bike...

We also had delicious 豆乳 (tou nyuu) shabu shabu. Mine was yuba (along with a variety of vegetables and tofu) cooked in soy milk (豆乳).

The soy milk in Japan is quite different from the stuff I've had the dubious pleasure of trying in N. America. In Japan, the soy milk actually tastes like tofu. Which I think it should. Not vanilla, or chocolate or what have you.

I also managed to find some time to experiment (a little) in the kitchen, with some fresh vegetables given to me by one of my English conversation students! I'll post those recipes next.

October

2009-12-31T01:44:00.000+09:00

In October, I didn't do a whole lot. Ice hockey season started again, (I actually played quite a bit of inline hockey over the summer, which was fun, but ridiculously hot) and I was really busy with work. I did get down to Tsuchiura to see a huge fireworks competition, which was cool. I didn't get any decent pictures of the fireworks, as I forgot to bring a tripod. Got a bit of video - just imagine that sort of thing repeated (almost) continuously for an hour and a half. And the full show was 2 1/2 hours - we left early to beat (a little of) the crowds. The really awesome part was hearing the boom of the explosions reverberating off the buildings behind us.

I also got to a small matsuri in Mito, with some cool fox dancing. (Videos here and here.)

While in Mito, I saw this: a 24hr vending machine for rice, 5kg or 10kg bags. Awesome. Too bad the picture's blurry...

Photos/videos on Flickr.

Matsumoto - Kusatsu Onsen - Agatsuma Gorge (and Yanba Dam)

2009-12-30T23:38:00.003+09:00

9/23

In the morning, we went back to Matsumoto-jo. G hadn't been inside the last time he was there, so he went to check it out. Since I had been in recently, I wandered around Matsumoto with my camera.

After, we headed out towards Kusatsu onsen in Gunma prefecture. The drive through the back roads was quite nice, though a bit foggy.

We saw a sign with a picture of a nice rotenburo, so we stopped at what turned out to be a hotel over a golf course. But the rotenburo was nice, so we relaxed for a bit.

Headed out and pulled into Kusatsu onsen (town). Found a nice little ramen shop, and the lady there recommended a free onsen. It was free, also very much old-style - no faucets for soap or scrubbing, just scalding hot water to rinse off with before you dip. The bath water was so hot, that you had to slowly, slowly ease in, and then NOT MOVE. Moving felt like your skin was being poked by red-hot needles. But in a good way. Really. After a few minutes in the bath (and that was all we could handle). We walked around some of the shops for a bit, and then left.

On the way back, we drove through the Agatsuma Gorge, which was really beautiful, though we were too early for the fall colours. Partway through, we saw three big structures under construction, and snapped a couple photos of what we thought must be some new highway, though it just seemed to end in the side of the hills.

After we got back, someone was talking to me about the Yanba dam, and after a bit of reading, I realized that the towers we'd seen were the beginnings of the Yanba dam. It was in the news because, even though it's been under construction off and on since the early 1950s, the new government decided to halt the project, which has stirred up quite a bit of controversy. Interesting to see a bit of current events with my own eyes, even if I didn't know it at the time.

Got home, and relaxed. Photos on Flickr.

Kamikochi - Yari ga Take - Oku Hotaka Dake Loop - Silver Week (September 19-23) (Day 3)

2009-12-30T22:44:00.000+09:00

9/22

We woke up around 5:00, peeked outside the tent to see rain, heavy fog, and people in line to hike up the trail. So we went back to sleep for another 30 minutes or so. Checked again - no change - and didn't seem likely to gain anything by waiting, so we got out, packed up and joined the line. Which actually moved fairly quickly once we got past the ladders leading up from the hut area. We did have to occasionally wait behind slower hikers, but most of them would stop occasionally to let people pass. About an hour after we left, we reached the top of Oku-Hotaka-Dake - the 3rd highest peak in Japan! (Lonely Planet mentions the rumour that the peak was built up with extra stones to take 3rd place by 1 metre over another peak) Took a couple pics (in the rain and fog) and headed down the other side.

The rest of the trip was pretty anti-climactic; a few slippery chains and ladders, some knee-jarring switchbacks, and we made it down to Kamikochi about 5 hours after the peak. Waited a bit for a bus back to the parking lot, and then stopped at the first onsen we saw. Which was good for my knees...

We drove back to Matsumoto in fairly heavy traffic - because it was a 5-day weekend for most of Japan, there were a lot of people out hiking. We saw several campsites that had well over 50 tents, plus lodges with bedspace for several hundred each, plus people camping out in any available floorspace. Much of the driving we did was through the countryside, and everywhere we looked, the rice was being or had been harvested and hung out to dry.

We checked into the youth hostel in Matsumoto, and considered borrowing their bicycles, but my knees were screaming after hiking down 1500 m of elevation and then driving, so we took the car into town, and had some basashi at a nice little place near the station. Some of you will be horrified by the concept of eating basashi, but it's actually really delicious...!

After eating, we wandered over to Matsumoto-jo (Matsumoto Castle) which was lit up nicely at night. Took a few pictures, and then headed back for a well-deserved sleep.

Photos are here and here.

Kamikochi - Yari ga Take - Oku Hotaka Dake Loop - Silver Week (September 19-23) (Day 2)

2009-12-30T19:17:00.004+09:00

9/21

Up at about 5am (quite late for Japanese hikers), ate a bit, packed up and headed back up to Yari. Dropped our packs at the base, and got into line to climb the 5th highest peak in Japan. The climb was easy, but took about 35 minutes with all the waiting in line at ladders (one person at a time, and then waiting until there's space to step into. The top is fairly small - with room for maybe 25 people at a time. Took the obligatory pictures, took in the breathtaking 360 view, and headed back down.

Ate some breakfast, and then headed out across the mountains towards the Daikiretto. We walked across a few peaks, and stopped for a hot lunch of curry rice before dropping into the Daikiretto. Last meal, just in case...! The photo below is looking down on the Daikiretto - it's the ridge running from bottom right to top left. The trail actually climbs up the face of the mountain on the left, and there's a hut perched right at the top!

The climb down the first part wasn't too bad, and going across was mostly just walking, but there were quite a few spots where scrambling, climbing, holding tightly onto the rock and careful foot placement were all necessary. Nothing really difficult, but because of the long drop beneath, it's a lot more nerve-wracking. I don't have many good photos of the difficult bits, because I had no inclination to stop and/or let go of the rock. There are also quite a few places where steel bolts/chains/anchors/steps have been bolted into the rock, which sometimes help, but also remind you just how careful you need to be. During the last third or so, the fog rolled in, which made things a bit wet and slippery and ruined the views, but at least I couldn't see just how far down it was to the bottom!

As we climbed out the southern end of the Daikiretto (it's about 300 m down, and then 350 back up) to the hut at Kita-Hotaka-dake, we climbed back above the clouds. People were talking on cellphones, but we hadn't brought ours...!

The next little bit to Karasawa-dake and then on to the hut at Hotaka-dake-sanso took a couple hours, also with a few 'interesting' bits, as the Lonely Planet Hiking Guide points out. When we got to the hut, it was foggy, and people were setting up tents on the flagstone patio. We checked in and followed suit. Spent the evening inside the hut with some expensive hot food and drink, and then crashed again for the night.

Photos are still on Flickr.

Kamikochi - Yari ga Take - Oku Hotaka Dake Loop - Silver Week (September 19-23)

2009-12-30T18:13:00.005+09:00

Since G and I hadn't reserved tickets on the buses, as we weren't sure what time he could get away, when I finally did call, the buses were all full. We thought about the train, but it was just as cheap (or cheaper) to drive, and more convenient. So we headed off, and without thinking, drove down near Tokyo to head over to Nagano. Tokyo long weekend traffic was brutal. We wasted a solid couple of hours stuck in Tokyo. Once we got past, we made good time out to Matsumoto, and then west towards Kamikochi. We found a spot to park, and slept for a few hours.

Up by six-ish, headed up to the bus terminal, sorted out gear, and caught the bus up to Kamikouchi. We managed to start walking by about 8:30, under blue skies and sunshine. The sky was such a deep blue, that I expected a chess game to break out. The main trail meanders up the river for a couple hours, and then heads up the valley under Yari-ga-take. But another trail shoots straight up a ridge, and then across to Yari. Since the weather was so clear, we decided to get out of the shadowed valley, and hit the ridge for the views. And they were well worth the steep (but short) climb.

We headed along the ridge, down or across the occasional ladder, and over to Yari-dake-sanso. When we arrived around 5pm, there were already 40+ people waiting in line to check in. Since we were kind of tired, (and there was a long line going up the peak) we didn't try Yari that evening, but went about 15 minutes down the valley to the hut/campsite below.

Set up camp, and then went to the hut for some hot food (400 yen for 99 yen cup noodles...). Spent a couple hours or so chatting with other hikers, and then crashed for the night. The evening temperature just inside the hut was around 7 Celsius I think, and outside was probably a couple degrees cooler.

Photos on Flickr.

Delay Day #2 (September 2 - wow, am I ever behind...)

2009-12-30T16:34:00.000+09:00

Woke up, and checked with the office - thought it would be possible to take a ferry across the strait, and then drive down to Hitachi. But they felt that might be dangerous if I drove into the typhoon, and told me to just wait it out. So I went and did some laundry, and checked out the surfers at Hamaatsuma. There were some pretty big waves at one end, but it was dying down pretty quickly. I was pretty tired, so I didn't go in. Drove out into the country by a river/canal, and read for a bit. After dinner found a parking place and slept.

Didn't sleep well at night, so in the morning I napped/read for a bit. Got going, got lunch, and headed down to the beach again. Watched/took video for a bit at the big end, and then went in for a bit where it was smaller. Not enough energy (or courage) for the big waves. Chilly, but not too bad.

After that, cleaned up/organized the stuff in the car, went to an internet cafe for a bit to catch up on email, start typing the blog, etc. Ate, and then headed to the ferry. Got on board around 12:30, and was asleep by 1. Along the way, I could really feel the swell in the ship's motion. But the weather was nice (at least when I was awake) and it was a pleasant trip. Though the late ferry doesn't have a restaurant, only vending machines, so I was glad I'd brought some instant ramen and snacks.

Overall, the trip turned into ten days in Hokkaido (not counting travel to and from), with about 2200 km of driving. Which doesn't seem like that much, but roads in Japan are really slow, compared to North America. If you can average 60 km/h, you're doing pretty well and there isn't much traffic. But if you get the chance, go to Hokkaido. The natural beauty is amazing, and it's just such a nice change from the rest of Japan - especially in summer - the temperature ranged from around 24C on a hot sunny day, to 16C on a cloudy day, and actually pretty cool at night or up in the mountains. Also, I didn't notice a single shrine or temple that

was a popular tourist stop (I'm sure there are a few somewhere in Hokkaido). Do take/rent a car/motorcycle (or bike - there were quite a few cyclists around). Camping/Hostels/Rider houses, etc. are pretty cheap. Do eat jingis kan at Yuki Daruma, and if you only go to one place, I think Shiretoko is the place - assuming you like the outdoors. Really wild and beautiful - just watch out for the bears...

Delay Day #1

2009-09-26T21:28:00.010+09:00

Woke up at 5, and checked out the sunrise. Very tranquil. Walked around, then drove out to Cape Chikkyu, stopping for photos a few times.

After, I drove back up the coast and into the mountains towards Shikotsuko. From the road the previous day, I'd seen an odd looking mountain,

and from LP and the Touring Mapple, had figured out that it was Tarumaezan, another active volcano. The strange shape was the lava dome rising up in the middle of the crater. I stopped here and there on the way. Bifue falls was nice, and not at all busy.

Koke-no-domon was not really worth visiting as long as the actual gorge is closed.

Got to the parking lot at the end of the dirt road at Tarumaezan. The thermometer at the tozan posto (mountain climbing post - where you sign in/out for hiking) was 13C.

Hiked up and then around the crater, which took about 2 hours, start to finish. Did get to surprise three foreigners. As they approached, I couldn't tell if they were American or European, so I just said "konnichiwa." As they passed me, one of them said something in American English, so I asked them what it was like at the top or something. Which surprised them, as I think they'd thought I was Japanese, and now they thought I was having fun at their expense. Which I was, but not really intentionally...

Drove back to Tomakomai, and had jingis kan (barbecued lamb) again, but this was not a good restaurant. If you're in Tomakomai near the Comfort Inn don't go to the nearby all-you-can-eat place. It was terrible. I should've just enjoyed the memory of the first place. At the hotel, the ferry company called again, and cancelled the next afternoon's ferry as well. Then, because of my car, they told me the next available space was at midnight (sailing at 1:30am) on the 2nd. Oh well.

Asahidake to Sapporo to Muroran

2009-09-26T21:00:00.010+09:00

It rained pretty hard overnight - I like the sound of rain on a tent. Asahidake was cloudy and foggy. Went up the ropeway, decided not to bother with the peak, as there wouldn't be anything to see. Headed in the direction of Naka dake onsen, a hot pool on the side of the mountain, but soon enough the rain and wind picked up, and I just didn't feel like getting soaked - should've brought rain pants too...But I did see one of the rare Hokkaido wild animals. (Maybe not so rare, but I don't think they're found elsewhere in Japan.)

So I headed down and drove west to the Sea of Japan side of Hokkaido, through peaceful valleys and rice fields.

Enjoyed the scenery, but was starting to get tired of the driving. Drove into Sapporo under a rainbow, and looked for a hotel outside of the downtown area.

After driving around for a while, I ended up downtown anyway. The girl at the front desk recommended a couple of places for jingis kan (barbecued lamb), and I went with the "small place with really fresh lamb." It was fantastic. Go there. Yuki daruma (snowman) is the name.

In the morning, I wandered around near Sapporo station for a bit and bought a couple books for the ferry ride back. Drove out to look at the surf at Zenibako near Otaru, but it was junk (as the guy at Local Boy - a surf shop/cafe - put it).

Headed down towards Tomakomai (where the ferry terminal is). Muroran sounded nice so I headed down there. Saw some pretty crowded breaks at Shiraoi and Itanki hama.

Got to the youth hostel in Muroran (the white building in the pic below - stay there - the view alone in the morning or evening is worth it).

I was going to rush out and back to Toya ko to watch the fireworks, but the wind was picking up, and then the ferry company called to say that the ferry was cancelled because of the typhoon. So I headed back to the hostel and tried (unsuccessfully) to use the internet and try to find another way back. But when I talked to the office, they said might as well just wait it out. Chatted with a university student at the hostel (who didn't really like English, but at least tried a bit).

While I was wandering down near the bay in Muroran, I saw this factory, which looked cool. Turns out Muroran is a steel town, with a big bridge across the bay - I didn't find that out until afterwards, but it did kind of remind me of Hamilton.

On the Road Again

2009-09-26T20:50:00.007+09:00

My knee was really sore this morning, so I took it easy. I was parked next to a manmade lake under a dam, and in the morning, the dam loudspeaker kept making announcements, so I drove a bit further down the road, and slept a bit more. I drove in to Sounkyo in the morning and stopped at the Obako (big box) which is really unimpressive.

And then to the waterfalls at Sounkyo gorge - which were nice, but a bit overrun with tour buses full of people.

Leisurely made my way around to Asahidake onsen.

A lot of the farmland looked more like Canada (except for the mountains in the background) instead of the usual rice fields where I live.

Got in about 2, and headed to the ropeway. Even though LP said it was open 'til 7, last run was at 5. So I couldn't hike it that afternoon. Set up camp, walked around and went to the onsen at the Shirakabaso hotel/hostel. Said hi to a foreigner - but it turned out he was French, so that limited the conversation a bit. While I was cooking, I chatted for a bit with a Canadian guy and his Japanese wife who were travelling around.

Land o' Lakes and the Occasional Volcano

2009-09-26T20:06:00.017+09:00

Took a chance on the gas, and drove up the road a bit, to the rest area/viewpoint at Bihorotoge. Beautiful view of Kussharo ko covered in clouds. Made it to a gas station with fumes in the tank, and then headed up to Mashu ko - famous for it's clear water. Went to the third viewpoint, as recommended, which turned out to be really great (and free).

This pooch wanted a human's eye view...at least I think that's what he said.

Headed down towards Akan ko, enjoying some huge and delicious blue grapes, with a taste that every artificial grape flavour aspires to, but never quite reaches. Went to the Akan ko eco museum, and saw some marimo* in a tank - a bit underwhelming, but they are kind of cool to look at.

*Note: Akan ko and the surrounding area took the marimo and made it into a cute character, marimokkori. Mokkori is a slang term for an erection. But combining these two things apparently is quite ok, and Marimo is quite popular, even among kids. There is also a Marimokkorin, the female version, with not one protrusion, but two...

The floor of the museum is a huge aerial photo of the area - kind of cool, and I could see where I was heading later in the day.

Me Akan Dake is an active volcano, with steam/sulphur pouring out of various vents. It was a very cool sight. Had some good views of Ao numa (blue swamp) and Aka numa (red swamp).

Note that while ao is translated as blue, it's also the colour used to describe the colour of plants, and traffic lights... Also, while the weather was sunny and clear, it was actually almost chilly at the top - glad I had my toque, wished I'd brought some gloves.

Another hike over to Akan ko looked like a charred wasteland. Interesting to look at, but maybe not for hiking through.

The LP Hiking in Japan estimated 2 hours up, and 2.5 down, but it only took me about 3 altogether, including stopping for pictures. Hiked down and over to yu no taki - hot spring falls - and was pretty disappointed. The falls were just a trickle, and the "hot" spring was tepid at best. And the bottom was pretty slimy.

Oh well. Wandered back around Lake Onneto in the fading light, managed a few pictures that showed its colour, and walked back to the car.

While driving, I found another sento, this time a really old one. Bring your own toiletries, no sauna, nothing fancy, just shower stations, a big bath, and lots of mould. (And a lot of old men).

As always, pics are on flickr.

And the kitchen sink....

2009-09-26T19:19:00.000+09:00

I woke up at around 7ish, packed up (I didn't have to pack up my houseplants, like these people!!) and headed out to seseki onsen, on the southeast side of the Shiretoko peninsula, almost at the end of the road.

Sometimes I listen to people and don't really understand what they're saying until later. It happens a lot when they're speaking Japanese, but sometimes in English too...The bikers I'd talked to at the first campsite had said something about Shiretoko and an onsen in the sea, but it didn't really register until I saw a photo in the Touring Mapple (motorcycle mapbook) and thought it looked cool. Then I realized what they'd meant.

Anyway, the onsen pools are built out of rocks (and concrete) but they're located out in the ocean, below the tide line. When I got there, a guy was cleaning them, and the sign said open at 10. So I drove to the end of the road, watched the birds and a couple of fishermen and wrote some of this. I tried to write a bit every evening, but sometimes I'd end up falling asleep mid-sentence.

Around 10, I went back to the onsen (which is free) though exposed. (As was I, sort of) - there aren't any changing rooms or anything, you just walk down to the pool, strip and enjoy. I talked to another guy in the rotenburo who, with his wife (who was standing on the shore) rode a tandem bike around the world - it only took them three years! Now they're riding

around Japan. He recommended the number 3 viewpoint of Mashu ko (Lake Mashu) and also Lake Onneto (which turned out to be part of the MeAkanDake hike I was already planning).

I drove through the Shiretoko pass, which was nice, though actually pretty cold and foggy in parts. Made me want to get a motorcycle license... Hoped to see bears, but only a few deer.

Turned up the northwest side of the peninsula and went to the Shiretokogoko (Shiretoko five lakes). The lakes were really beautiful, clear, and reflective, and the walking trail was nice except for all the mosquitoes and package tourists buzzing around.

As I was driving out, a bear ambled across the road in front of me and down into the woods on my side. But by the time I got the camera turned on and pointed, all I got was a shot of dark shadows in the forest. I drove to the road that crossed below the one I was on, but couldn't find him - just a lot of deer.

Drove down through Utoro, which would also be a beautiful place to spend some time - beautiful coast - and on to Shari. Stopped there for another good salmon donburi and teriyaki burger. After that, found a public bath (sento), which was nice, because while I like the natural onsens, they still leave me feeling a bit grimy. The sento are nice, because they (usually) provide soap and shampoo, and have a hot bath, as well as (often) a sauna. And for only about 5 bucks. After a leisurely bath and sauna, I drove down towards Kussharo ko.

Along the way I saw this sign. The first line says something about cows. The second says "hassuru! hassuru!" (read: hustle! hustle!) The green/yellow chevron covering part of the sign is actually a new driver symbol... I was tempted to go see what was under the magnet, but the sign was a bit too high, and I didn't feel like climbing.

The campsites were closed for the night, so I drove up above the lake, found a parking area on the side of the road, and stretched out in the car, hoping I'd have enough gas to make it a service station in the morning.

Apple

2009-09-07T14:48:00.000+09:00

I was getting tired of just eating junk from the convenience stores, so when one of them had a couple of nice, shiny apples, I bought them. I stopped by a beach to eat one of them and watched the clouds roll in from over Akandake.

Since national elections were coming in a week or so, everywhere I went there were cars or vans with loudspeakers and posters of the candidates (sometimes the actual candidate) driving around and shouting the name of the candidate. Really, REALLY annoying. And it also leaves the impression (at least with me) that the only important thing is who they are, not their platform or what they stand for. Of course, I don't watch TV or read the newspaper, so maybe I'm the only one who really doesn't know anything about their platforms. But watching (and unfortunately listening) as they drive back and forth blaring names and not much else, even on a deserted stretch of road, doesn't impress me much.

I stopped in Shibetsu, which actually had some kind of salmon museum/theme park? (which was closed) and had a great salmon don at Takeda restaurant on the main drag.

After, I headed out, and pulled into Rausu in the evening. Lonely Planet mentions kuma no yu (Bear's bath) which is across the road from a free campsite. The campsite was nicely set up, and the rotenburo was really nice, even in the dark - surrounded by trees and close enough to the river to hear the rushing water. Also, the water was SCALDING hot. I like hot onsens, but I could only stay in for a couple minutes at a time. I seriously expected to have burnt my skin.

The view of the stars was great again, though the clouds kept edging closer, and it rained a bit during the night.

bumpy roads, take me home...

2009-09-07T14:26:00.001+09:00

These are my favourite kanji; deko boko are the two kanji in the center of the left column (the ones that look like tetris pieces). Together they mean bumpy or uneven. I just like them because they don't look like most other kanji.

Actually, I've always seen them written in the opposite order - not sure why it's different here.

Land of the Rising Sun

2009-09-07T14:14:00.002+09:00

I woke up around 3am feeling a bit chilly. Peeked outside the tent to see Venus blazing brightly and Orion really clearly too. I don't think I'd seen Orion in Japan yet - looking in the wrong places at the wrong times, maybe.

Woke up at about 4:30 to see the sunrise - really nice. But my toes were freezing - it was generally nice and cool during my trip, but occasionally a bit too cool. Cooked up some instant ramen, and hit the road by 5:15.

Just after leaving camp, I saw a big bird walking through a field, so took a couple pics. Then continued on down to Kushiro, a wetlands national park, home of the tanchyou - red-crowned crane - (didn't actually see any in the park) Finally made sense of the map notation on what looked like back roads - "ダート" (daato) = "dirt". So I cut through some of those roads. Stopped at one viewpoint and at the top of the stairs, almost bumped into a doe and fawn casually munching on the foliage. They let me get pretty close too.

Headed back down to the coast, and out towards Nemuro Misaki (the easternmost point in Japan). Stopped at Ayame ga hara to eat my bento and take some pictures of the sea cliffs and horses.

Driving was taking longer than planned, so I skipped the actual cape, and cut north.

Kelp harvesting is a big industry out here - people were spreading it out to dry everywhere.

Saw a few cranes at various places (how many cranes can you see in the picture above?), and a curious fox. When I pulled over to take a picture, it kept and staring at me with its beautiful golden eyes. They're really beautiful animals, too bad they make the water unsafe to drink!

Fox 'n' lots of deer on the road!

2009-09-07T13:58:00.001+09:00

Driving out of Tomakomai, I got onto the road running along the coast, and enjoyed the scenery. When the road meandered away from the coast, it wandered through rolling farmland, mostly of the cow and horse variety. Very pastoral, and reminded me (in look and smell!) of home.

Got down to Erimo misaki (Cape Erimo) just before sunset. Stopped for a few pictures.

After sunset, I called a campsite an hour or so up the road and headed off. I saw a couple of foxes, and a LOT of deer. Enough to make me want to drive at a fairly cautious speed!

Pulled into Bensei Onsen/Campground around 8ish. 500 yen for the onsen, but then you get to camp for free! Close enough to the ocean to hear the waves, and dark enough to see all the stars that are missing near the city.

Chatted with some bikers for a while, and crashed with the intent of waking up to see the sunrise and get an early start.

Sunflower is the ship

2009-09-07T12:37:00.002+09:00

I packed some clothes and camping supplies - planned on mostly staying in the tent or the car.

Got to the ferry terminal in Oarai a bit early, as I wasn't exactly sure of the process. Easy enough - thought I might need some proof of roadworthiness paperwork (shakenshyo?) but they didn't ask for it. Second class is basically just a big room with really skinny mattresses. But comfortable enough.

The whole boat is pretty basic, nothing fancy, but ok. Ate a bento, had a bath and slept. If you ever take one of these ferries, bring a book or two! There's not a whole lot to do! We got to Tomakomai on schedule at 1:30pm, but it was 2:15 by the time I drove out of the terminal area.

Hokkaido photos are here. (Or will be very soon!)

Stuffed Eggplant

2009-09-06T10:43:00.003+09:00

One of the ladies that I have English lessons with gave me a bunch of fresh eggplant, basil and tomato from her garden. Last year, they were impressed with the baked eggplant/tomato/basil in sauce idea that I came up with, and wanted to know what I was going to make this year. So I tried to rise to the challenge.

As usual, I mixed ideas from a few different recipes found on google.

Basically I cut the eggplant in quarters, then scooped out the insides, leaving about a quarter inch of flesh with the skin. Because my "oven" only heats from the top, I baked the shells by themselves for a bit first.

I chopped up the scooped out flesh, along with a small red pepper, and some shiitake mushrooms. I fried that, and added a bunch of garlic, basil, some lemon juice and balsamic vinegar, parsley, salt and pepper along with some parmesan cheese near the end. (I added a bit too much salt and/or parmesan)

I put a little grated cheese in the bottom of the shells, added the stuffing, and baked everything for another few minutes. I was planning on adding a tomato as well, but I could see that there wasn't going to be any room in the shells. So I made a salad with it.

Next: Adventures in Hokkaido

Decision, decision... - July 31

2009-08-06T15:34:00.007+09:00

I woke up at 5:30ish, decamped and headed up to the hut. The weather forecast was the same - rain, wind and thunderstorms later. This was my last chance to hike out if I kept going, I was pretty much committed to the last 23 km or so of up and down, plus sketchy long drop ladders and chains.

In the end, I decided to head out. My knee was sore from two steps outside the tent, and while I think I could've made it, pain every second step detracts from the enjoyment. So I took the "early exit" which was still 10 km or so (but downhill). And while it's always a bitter hike away from your goal, in the end I think it was the better choice. The morning's ibuprofen wore off after 3 hours (on schedule) and the next dose lasted for less than an hour. (As I write this, my knee is gradually feeling better, but it's been almost a week).

Anecdote: Often in Japan, Japanese people start talking to me in Japanese, and then look confused when I don't understand, or reply in broken Japanese. On the way down, I met a guy coming up, who asked me something about time and the hut I'd passed a ways back (his Japanese did sound strange, but I thought that was just my difficulty in understanding). So I told him (in simple Japanese) how long it had taken me. Then he said he didn't speak Japanese, he was Korean, and did I speak English! Funny being on the other side of a (somewhat) familiar situation.

As I was smelling less than fresh from being hot, wet and sweaty over the past few days, I stopped for a quick and very cold rinse in the river (not the one in the picture). The river smelled a bit funny, but it was better than the way I'd previously smelled...Finished walking down the road, and caught the bus to Matsumoto.

The Long Hike - July 30

2009-08-06T00:28:00.001+09:00

The Long Run is one of my favourite books. Read it if you get the chance.

Today's hike was going to be long, so I wanted to get an early start. I'd slept in the hut because it was so wet out, and I set my alarm for 3:30 or so. But I didn't hear it at all. I wonder if it woke anyone else up - serves them right for snoring so loudly...

The hut was actually pretty comfortable, if pricey - 5500yen for a tatami mat with futons and pillow in a room shared by pretty much everyone else...but it was dry and reasonably warm. There was also a kitchen area where you could cook (with your own camp stove).

The weather forecast from the previous night had called for rain and possibly thunderstorms, but when I talked to one of the hut staff in the morning, he said the new weather forecast was much better. I hit the trail around 5:40 in heavy fog, but fairly soon it burned off and I had a beautiful sunny day. My arms even got sunburnt! Hopefully not my scalp again - my hair is apparently too short...

Just before the last climb up Kurobegorodake, I stopped for a snack, and to rest my knee, which was getting sore. While I was taking a break, I played peekaboo with some kind of baby weasel.

Going up Kurobegorodake, my knee was really bugging me. Even the last ten minutes to the peak (sans pack) were pretty bad, and the ten minutes back down to my pack were really painful. I took a bunch of Ibuprofen and kept on going, as I had another 5 hours or so.

The ibuprofen kicked in after a few minutes, and I made my way down to the hut at Kurobegorogoya, where I had a fairly small oyakodon for 800 yen. On the way down, I passed the fractured carcasses of some giant boulders that had fallen down into the valley - some of them were as big as a small house!

I should also note that when the weather's decent, the views of the mountains are spectacular. No picture can really do them justice - they're just too big and wide to capture in one small digital rectangle.

I slogged up Mitsumatarengedake, and then down through a valley to the hut/campground at Sugoroku. From the valley, the route along the ridge looked easier, but who knows, and there were stormclouds blowing in. Took some more ibuprofen to get into camp, sometime around 6ish.

I set up the tent and then cooked dinner near the hut (and the water). Crawled into the tent, and while I was writing this, I pretty much passed out 'til morning.

I didn't mention it in the last couple posts, but as always, there are more pictures on flickr.

No, I'm pretty sure I am a rain god - July 29

2009-08-05T23:26:00.001+09:00

It rained all night long. I woke up around 5, and the rain took a 10 minute break. Which was pretty much it for the day. It always sounds much worse in a tent.

I got moving at about 5:30, but wasn't hungry that early, so didn't bother to cook breakfast as planned. Started hiking at about 7, and was immediately hungry. Curses. So I snacked along the way. The rain just kept pouring down, except for when it was driven horizontally. It was also joined by heavy fog and wind strong enough to push me over a step or two. Far too many of the strong gusts also happened to occur along narrow ridgetops...

At one point the sun peeked through to cast a rainbow, but mostly it was just wind, horizontal rain and fog.

My camera lens is quite thrashed - not only from water, but it's gotten a bit scratched as well - over the last couple of years - maybe time for a new camera...

Got to the top of Yakushi-dake at the same time as three older Japanese guys. Stopped at the shrine, and carried on down to the hut. Stopped in and had some snacks in the dryness, and also paid 500yen for a small coffee, which is actually not much different from the rest of Japan...

Hiked down the trail (essentially a creek) to Tarobeigoya at about 2pm, got into clean dry clothes, hung stuff up in the drying room for a while and stuffed myself with food. Waiting to see what tomorrow's weather will bring - if it's decent, I'll push on. If it's not, I can hike out a couple hours to Oritatte and take a bus from there.

Maybe I'm not a rain god - July 28

2009-08-05T22:36:00.005+09:00

It rained intermittently through the night, but was bright and sunny by the time I woke up around 7. (Started thinking that I might not be a rain god.) I had a leisurely morning, and got everything thoroughly dried out while cooking breakfast. Headed out around 9:30ish. I should've left earlier, as today was supposed to be a long day. There was a lot of up and down, and my left knee started to bother me a little on some of the descents. But not too bad. By mid-afternoon, there were occasional rain showers. I got to Sugonorikoshi around 4. By 5 it was raining harder and steadily by 6, so I cooked in the half-open vestibule of the tent. Planning an easy day for tomorrow, just to Yakushi-dake campground.

One of the many descents...

And the fog rolls in...

Fly disguised as a bee?

North Japanese Alps - July 27

2009-08-05T21:45:00.009+09:00

So I got to Toyama on the overnight bus from Shinjuku, and took the train/cable car/bus along the Kurobe Alpine Route up to Murodo. It was pouring, as is usual when I want to go hiking... I delayed for a bit, but nothing changed, so I headed out a little after 11. Near Jodo-san, I was ready to call it quits, as horizontal rain doesn't really go well with enjoying a hike. But I kept on up to the top of Jodo-san. The rain slowed and then stopped, and I had a nice evening at the Goshikigahara campground. About 10 km.

Brilliant idea for a pack cover! No more rain running down the back of your jacket and soaking through the backside of your pack.

This is one of the lucky slugs. There were a lot more who had been stepped on. (This one's about 10 cm (4") long.

Some kind of baby grouse.

Bedroom.

Creekside kitchen/dining room.

beach haiku

2009-06-10T22:19:00.004+09:00

composed at the beach...

apologies for grammar

poetic license?!

the windless ocean

out at sea, clouds are looming

calm before the storm

endless summer sea

broken by dolphins breaching

imagination

かみなり日 kaminari hi

月を見えない tsuki wo mienai

雨が来る ame ga kuru

rough translation:

thunder day

can't see the moon

rain is coming

さふいんぐ safuingu

低いなみ hikui nami

学さぼらない gaku saboranai

良いせいと ii seito

rough translation:

surfing

low waves

didn't skip school

good student

April 3rd

2009-05-25T22:59:00.003+09:00

By the time we got back to Hua Lumphong station it was 6:00 pm. Next time, I think I’d fly from Chiang Mai to Bangkok and maybe even to Trat near the ferry. Then I could’ve gotten a flight from Trat right back to the airport, which would’ve saved a lot of time, and only been a bit more expensive. Oh well.

I took the subway, which was nice, but the air-conditioning was really cold. Took a taxi to the airport, with a really old and grumpy old man. At the airport check-in counter, I requested an aisle seat near the toilet, because I wasn’t feeling good. Unfortunately they were all sold out. But she said she’d call down to the gate and see what they could do. I wasn’t very hopeful, but said thanks and left. Bought a few omiyage and a magazine and headed down to the gates. If you’re flying from Suvarnabhumi airport, note that once you clear security to go to the gates, there’s nowhere to buy anything – no food, no vending machines – just a water fountain.

At the gate, they called me to the counter and gave me a new boarding card – I was happy to be getting an aisle seat, but when I walked onto the plane and found the seat, it was by the window. Then I realized that I hadn’t gotten back to economy yet, and that they’d given me an executive class seat!! Tons of room, automatic reclining seat, bigger video screen and a bigger blanket. It was phenomenal! From now on, any time I fly, I’m telling them that I’m sick and I need an aisle seat near the toilet!! I slept for most of the flight back and got back to Narita in the morning. Overall it was a great, generally relaxing trip, though it did take me a few more days to shake the fever and digestive difficulties. But I also lost the extra couple of kilos I’d picked up over Christmas, so can’t really complain!

If you actually read all of the Thailand posts, you’re amazing – it might not have been that interesting to read, but it was a good trip, and I’d recommend it to anyone who likes cheap vacations and spicy food! There are also a lot more touristy things to do and places to go that I skipped, but I had a good time and felt pretty refreshed when I got back. As always, the pictures are on flickr. There are quite a few of them, so don’t feel obligated or anything like that.

April 2nd

2009-05-25T22:53:00.000+09:00

I had a lousy sleep. I kept waking up with chills, a fever, and various gastrointestinal issues, the details of which I’ll spare you.

I’d planned to get out around 8 with a kayak, but was feeling lousy, so didn’t finally decide to suck it up and get out until after breakfast around 10:30ish. It was a gorgeous sunny day, and already hot as I paddled out, east from Ao Bang Bao to what I think was Lonely Beach or Hat Wai Chek – anyway, and isolated, deserted looking beach that I’d seen in Lonely Planet and from the boat on the way to the dive site.

As I was paddling out, I’d occasionally hear and see schools of tiny fish (maybe a couple inches each in length) jumping out of the water. It was really cool to see them sparkling, and hear the tiny splashes. One time, I saw something move out of the corner of my eye, and saw a bigger fish, about a foot long, heading back down from about 15 feet in the air!

Paddling along, I was fairly near to the coast, which was mostly rocky cliffs or slopes. At one point, I could see a notch, and so I ran the kayak up into it just to explore. As I pulled in, I could see and hear a ton of bats flying around a grotto, with a wide chimney going straight up, and a small narrow cave at the back. So I parked the kayak up on a couple of rocks above the waves, and carefully walked up towards the cave (bats**t is slippery). I took some pics and video, and then considered exploring the cave at the back of the grotto. But, since there was a lot of random junk and bats**t raining down, I decided against it. As I had that thought, a bat with diarrhea flew over me and dropped a bomb on my shoulder. As I hastily made my way back to the kayak, cursing bats in general, I slipped and kicked a rock with my big toe, hard enough to make it bleed from under the nail. Truly annoying.

After washing my shoulder I paddled on to the beach. There was a family of three, who soon left, and an old white guy with his very young looking Thai girlfriend. There seemed to be a bit of a creek coming in on the east side of the beach, so I dragged the kayak over the shallow sandbar at the mouth and headed upstream. It turned out to be just a big lagoon, with maybe a mix of freshwater and tidal overflows. Not that I tasted it to check or anything. So I headed back to the beach, and wandered, out on some rocks, taking pictures, etc. Swam for a bit, napped for a bit, and just generally relaxed. By about 3:00 I was ready to head back, and the wind had shifted a bit, so I ended up paddling slightly into the wind again. But it was a good workout, and I took my time.

When I got back, around 4:30, the electricity was still off, which meant no running water. So I took a few pics of the random flowers growing around the bungalows, and read in one of the hammocks for a bit in the warm afternoon light. I was also encrusted in salt from head to toe, from saltwater, sweat or maybe both. After showering I went for one more massage, and the woman kept massaging the cut on my leg and my sore toe, even though I kept telling her not to. Annoying. Packed for the trip back and slept.

April 1st

2009-05-25T22:38:00.000+09:00

I didn’t sleep well, and woke up feeling fairly sick, with a touch of fever. I walked over to the dive shop, and even though I wasn’t feeling great, I decided to go for it. I grabbed a bit of breakfast, and then we headed out on the boat. It took about an hour to get out there, but we set up the gear, and just relaxed. There were a few other people on the boat – some guys doing divemaster training, and another girl doing some diving. I was with a Swiss couple for an open water dive. Given the long time since my certification and the lack of practice, I sort of needed to be walked through a lot of stuff. But it wasn’t that difficult. We dove in the morning, took a break for lunch, and then dove again in the afternoon. The day was sort of overcast, so the light wasn’t great, but I got a few decent pictures. Some of them were actually taken by the divemaster, but I’m not entirely sure which ones. Most of the ones with the flash likely. Among the multitudes of random fish, we did see a couple of nudibranches, a scorpion fish, a boxer shrimp and a giant puffer fish. I also managed to cut my leg on the first dive, but didn’t realize it as under the water, red blood looks purple. I thought I’d just scraped my leg and gotten something smeared on it. Oops.

We just relaxed on the way back, and after showering, I took a few pictures, had dinner and laid out on a small dock in front of the bungalow and just watched the stars until the mosquitoes found me.

This is one of the several non-photography uses I've found for the gorilla pod - the electrical outlet was really loose, and the charger for my phone wouldn't stay in. Handy thing, that gorillapod.

More pics on flickr.

March 31st

2009-05-25T22:27:00.001+09:00

In the morning, instead of getting to Hua Lumphong at 6:00 am, we arrived at about 9:00. Which was when my bus was supposed to leave. But that was running late as well, so there were no problems. We stopped about halfway through the 5 hr trip for a lunch break, which was when someone noticed the sizeable gashes in one of the tires! This picture is actually from the trip back a few days later.

Dozed and half-watched a couple of crappy movies on the way down – I Am Legend and The Mummy: Tomb of the Dragon Emperor or something. Don’t waste your time on either…! I got off the bus, followed the directions into the ferry terminal, and as I was looking for somewhere to sit for an hour until the next ferry got in, the girl at the gate waved me through and said RUN! The ferry was actually still there, and I was the last person on.

Once I got to Koh Chang, I caught a taxi into White Sands, and looked at renting a bike. But it was looking like rain, and I’d heard scary stories about the roads. So I took a sawngthaew instead, figuring I could always rent one in Ao Bang Bao. The road wasn’t bad, though there were several really steep and windy sections that would have been pretty sketchy, going up or down, even if it hadn’t rained. So I was kind of glad I hadn’t.

Once I got into Ao Bang Bao, I dropped by the dive shop (BB Divers) and then checked in at my bungalow at the Remark Puzzi. It wasn’t fancy, (no hot water or a/c) but it was a quiet, separate little bungalow a few steps from the water, and pretty peaceful.

I walked down the pier, with tourist shops etc. on either side, and wandered into a restaurant. Sitting at a table right next to the water, eating the steamed sea bass with spicy lemon sauce, and batterless “tempura” vegetables was really nice. One of the waiters was from Cambodia, and spoke decent English. We chatted for a bit, and then I went for a massage, checked email and headed off to bed.

As always, pics on flickr.

We interrupt this retelling....

2009-05-25T22:20:00.001+09:00

....of spring events to note that today is two years to the day since I got to Japan. And what of that? It's been interesting - I've enjoyed Japan, the people I've met and the experiences I've had. But the bottom line is that it's like any other place in the world I've been - if you want to enjoy life and find it interesting, you will. If you want to notice all the problems and why it's not as good as whichever other place, you can do that too. I think that applies not only to living in a place, but to just about any experience you can think of.

That's a pretty obvious thought, and not particularly deep or new, but that's what I was thinking. I like Japan, it's interesting and different from Canada, but there are still pretty much the same challenges as anywhere. C'est la vie...

March 30th

2009-05-21T23:09:00.002+09:00

Nobody was downstairs when I went to check out around 8:30, so I headed back to the coffee shop for one last mocha and a piece of carrot cake for breakfast. Went back and checked out, and then walked over to the cooking school. Met a guy from Calgary, and we jumped in the back of the truck and went to pick up a couple other people from their hotels. After picking them up, we drove around for almost an hour (turns out the regular driver was off and the cooking instructor sort of got lost – I actually knew where we were, but we were in the back of the truck and couldn’t really talk to her) and then finally got back and went to a market. Most of the stuff was pretty straightforward, but it was interesting to see turmeric root, and the small Thai eggplants (which are green). Went back and did some cooking and eating, and a tiny bit of preparation – the staff did a lot of the chopping and curry grinding, etc.

After that, I wandered out to the station. I was early, so I sat in a restaurant with a cold drink and one of the books I’d picked up – Touching the Void – an interesting book if you haven’t heard of it. Headed over to the station for the 14:50 train, and sat around with the book (and an ice cream bar) until it actually left around 16:50. Talked a little with the lady across from me, though at first she thought I was Thai. After we established that I was from Canada, and didn’t speak any Thai, we talked a little in English, but she didn’t speak much. Had dinner on the train (again not really recommended) and had a good sleep for the night.

As always, the rest of the photos are on flickr.

March 29th

2009-05-21T23:04:00.000+09:00

I had wanted to be out really early, as I had to return the bike around 10:30 in the morning. But I got out around six, and headed east of Chiang Mai. I just wandered around as even the main road was really quiet that early in the morning. I stopped to take pictures in several places, and had a really good time seeing the small villages, rice fields, hazy mountains and cows wandering by the rivers.

I ran into a sign that said hot springs, and as it was actually a bit chilly riding that early in the morning, I headed in that direction. It was an enjoyable ride out there, especially the last little windy bit into a small valley. But when I finally got to the hot springs resort, the baths were closed for cleaning, and from the pictures, didn’t look that spectacular anyway. So I headed back.

Got back into town just in time to drop by the cooking school and reserve a spot for the next morning, and drop off the bike. I was hungry, so I stopped by the little restaurant near my guesthouse for phad thai and cucumber salad. Got back, washed some clothes in the shower, and then went for another two hours of massage. Vacation sure is nice… After that, I wandered out around Chiang Mai for a bit. I was headed over to a temple called Chedi Luan, which was mentioned in Lonely Planet for having monks to chat with. When I got there, I saw a dozen or so foreigners, many with open guidebooks in hand, walking around. I didn’t feel like seeing the same thing as every foreigner with a Lonely Planet, so I kept on walking. As it was hot, I stopped for a pineapple shake, and then wandered into a couple of bookstores to see what I could find for the train/bus trip the next day. After that, I headed out to the Sunday walking street, which is a big street bazaar. There was also a lot of tourist junk (with the associated tourists) but there was some more interesting stuff as well. I actually saw a lot of paintings that looked really interesting, and weren’t that expensive. They also weren’t mass produced – there were only a few booths with paintings, and they were all quite different. If I thought I was going to have a place to put art, I might have bought some. But that doesn’t seem to be in the cards at the moment!

Ate a bit at a food court set up in one of the temple courtyards, and then went back to catch up on some email. Had another coffee and the black forest cake at the coffee shop, packed up my stuff and read for a bit before falling asleep.

March 28th

2009-05-21T22:56:00.001+09:00

So I slept through my alarm, and managed to get out on the road a little before 8. As I left the place I noticed that the guy who’d been playing WOW or something like it the previous night was still at it. He was there almost every time I came back to the guesthouse.

Getting out of Chiang Mai was a bit of a ride, with traffic, at first, and then a stretch of sprawling, unattractive commercial buildings. But once I got past that stretch, and into the countryside northwest of the city, it was really quiet. Only the occasional other vehicle, little town or isolated 5-star resort broke the peace of fields, forest and countryside. I saw a coffee shop, and decided to stop for breakfast. They didn’t really have food, but I had the best mocha latte ever. I bought a package of cookies, and kept on going until I got to Mae Sa waterfalls. I paid the admission (again, special foreigner price!) and parked. I wandered up past the first little falls, which was really peaceful that early in the morning, and found a nice rock to sit on in the middle of the river. I ate the cookies, and then headed upstream.

There were about 10 different falls altogether, of varying sizes. The trail was mostly concrete or flagstone, and made it easy to get to each of the falls. I was really enjoying myself, having a relaxing time of just taking pictures and wandering around.

Don’t read this paragraph unless you’re somewhat interested in the technical side of photography! Some of the falls were situated in the direct bright sunlight, and even though the Canon G7 has a built in neutral density filter, I couldn’t get a slow enough shutter speed to blur the water as much as I wanted. But by using my sunglasses in front of the lens, and recalibrating the white balance, I managed to get a couple shots that were not too bad. I also got a few where you can see the sunglasses frame, but hey, nobody’s perfect.

After that, I rode out in a big loop west, south and back east towards Chiang Mai. The road got very windy, with some steep, sharp curves, but as there was rarely any traffic, I had no issues. I really didn’t take as many pictures as I would’ve if I was walking, I think because I was just enjoying the riding. I may have to go and get a motorcycle license somewhere (try not to worry too much, mom)! The only minor problem with riding was that I got nicely sunburnt on my arms and the backs of my hands. As I came through the Samoeng valley, I saw a sign for some kind of SDA church or school, but didn’t stop.

I got back to the main road south of Chiang Mai in the early afternoon, and headed a bit further south, just for the heck of it. The main road was pretty boring, so I turned off into what was a small village. I was hungry, and out of water, so I stopped at a small roadside restaurant. I say restaurant, but what that means is that there were various cooking pots around that looked like they had food, and a few tables. The woman spoke no English, but I looked in the pots, saw something like green curry, and asked for that with rice, and water to drink. The curry was a bit weird, with what looked like the ribs of a very small animal (hopefully chicken…) and other assorted bits of bone. I was expecting a bottle of water, but it came in a glass, and I thought “probably shouldn’t drink this,” but drank it anyway!

After that, I headed west and then north back to Chiang Mai. There were some really nice peaceful roads through some small villages, and until I hit traffic outside of Chiang Mai, it was really nice.

When I got back, I was pretty tired from the riding, so I went to the massage place next door and had a Thai massage for an hour. After that, I had a regular massage for an hour. Total cost, about 600 baht. The Thai massage was good when she was applying pressure, but the stretching really didn’t do much for me. After the massage, I went (completely relaxed) to the coffee shop, and had a nice mocha and a couple of fantastic desserts (chocolate macadamia nut brownie and orange chocolate mousse if anyone’s interested).

In Chiang Mai, there’s a night bazaar just outside the central city area. I rode over there, eventually found parking, and wandered through. It mostly consists of cheap souvenirs and name brand knock offs, but it was entertaining for a bit, and I did find some reasonably priced souvenirs (although I probably should’ve bargained harder than I did). After that, I headed back and called it a night.

March 27th

2009-04-25T21:48:00.005+09:00

I ate breakfast on the train (not recommended) and we arrived in Chiang Mai about an hour and a half late. Which the Thai lady sitting next to us said was the rule, rather than the exception. A hotel was offering free rides into town provided we looked at their rooms. It was a nice hotel, with modern rooms and a pool, but I really hadn’t decided where I wanted to stay yet. So I left, and found an internet café for a few minutes. After that, I walked over to a motorcycle/car rental shop, and ended up renting a motorcycle. They didn’t ask for my driver’s license, even though I’d gone to the trouble of getting an international license (for cars only). I was a bit nervous, because I really don’t have much experience on motorcycles or scooters, but figured I’m probably not the least capable or coordinated person out there. And it turned out that the motorcycle had an automatic clutch, which made things pretty simple. I filled up the tank, bought a map, and headed for the hills.

In town, there was still quite a bit of traffic on the roads, and a bunch of one way streets, so it took me a bit to find my way out. But things were fairly well signed, and I managed to get on the right road. The road going up was quite steep and windy, but I wasn’t really going very fast, so it wasn’t a problem.

Part way up the mountain, I passed a sign for Nam Tok Monthathon waterfalls, so I turned in. I paid the foreigner admission fee, and rode down the couple of kilometres to the parking lot. It was really not busy – a group under the picnic shelter, a group of young Thai people, and a couple of foreigners. I took a few shots of the first waterfall, and then hiked up past a few others, of varying sizes. When I found one that was a decent size, and past most of the people, I jumped in and had a shower. I had passed a few people, so I kept my clothes on (they really needed washing anyway). Plus Thailand is quite conservative about nudity. The kids I’d seen swimming earlier had all had shorts and t-shirts on – nothing too revealing. The waterfall shower felt really good, as even up north the weather was really hot and humid.

I made my way back down to the bike, and rode back to the main road and on up towards the temple at the top. I followed a sign for free parking, and ended up in a collection of restaurants and little shops. I was hungry, so I sat down and had the green papaya salad, which was VERY spicy, and some pad thai to try and cool off. With a couple bottles of 7-UP, the whole meal came to about 100 Baht.

I headed on up the road to try and get to the park headquarters where I wanted to reserve a bungalow, or rent a tent or something. But when I got there, a bunch of soldiers waved me off. I went a little further up the road, past a fork where the right branch was closed, to the Queen’s Botanical Gardens, but that seemed like the end of the road. Though in hindsight, there may have been a little road that went on that I missed.

Headed back down and checked out the temple, having paid the foreigner entry free (apparently it’s free for Thai people). Took a few pictures before the camera battery died, and then headed back into Chiang Mai.

I wandered around until I found a decent looking guesthouse (http://www.nockyhouse.com/), in a reasonably convenient location. I went in to talk to the girl, and a small room with its own shower and toilet was only 200 Baht per night, so I took it for 3 nights. No A/C, but it did have a fan which kept things cool, and a mosquito net and a gecko for the bugs. I wandered up to the 7-11 to get some soap, and passed a coffee shop on the way there. I used the internet at the guesthouse, and then went back to the coffee shop, as they’d had some really good looking desserts. They had a nice raised mezzanine with a view of the canal through a profusion of orchids, and the strawberry smoothie went down really well with the amazing cherry cheesecake. I went back to the guesthouse, and just relaxed, and flipped through the Lonely Planet to decide what else to do. I went to sleep around 11 with the intent of waking up around 6 to head out on the bike.

As always, there are a lot more photos on flickr.

March 26th

2009-04-25T21:39:00.010+09:00

Arrived in Bangkok at around 12:30 in the morning, as the plane had been late leaving Narita. Got through customs and everything fairly easily – having only one backpack (less than 8 kg) made things nice and quick. I avoided the people trying to “help” you get a hotel reservation - and took a taxi down to Th Khao San, which is known for being an all-night party street overflowing with foreigners, but also has lots of cheap guesthouses which are open 24 hours. I walked around until I found one and crashed.

Slept until about 8 in the morning, then got up, checked out and wandered out for my first Thai food experience. I found a little café/restaurant down a little alley, with outdoor tables under some big trees. Some of the trees were wrapped with cloth, in a way that seemed sort of religious.

Enjoyed coffee and pad thai for about 100 baht. The food in Thailand was really cheap and almost always delicious!

After that, I wandered around, and eventually ended up taking a tuk tuk where the guy offered to drive me around for a few hours for 20 baht. I realized that it was probably a bit of a scam, but for that cheap, I didn’t really care where he took me. He did take me to a few temples, and a large Buddha. He also took me to a travel agency where I booked an overnight train and a bus for later in the week, and to a couple of shops so he could get some kind of commission, which got a bit annoying, (and which I’d been warned about in the guidebook) but I didn’t really have any plans for Bangkok anyway, so I just glanced in the shops and later did some walking around.

The traffic in Bangkok was nightmarish to say the least, and I don’t think we were really driving at a particularly busy time. Cars, trucks, buses, tuk tuks, scooters, motorcycles and taxis all just filling in any available space and merging into too few lanes. But it looked entertaining!

I got to Hua Lumphong station at about 6 pm for a 6:30 overnight train to Chiang Mai, which actually left on time. On the train, I had a good conversation with a guy from Bali who was travelling with his friend. A Thai lady was sitting across from his friend, and everyone spoke pretty good English.

The sleeper train was actually pretty cool. We had seats (2 per side, facing each other) and when we ordered dinner, they pulled out a table from a slot in the floor. The train food was pretty cheap, but otherwise not very spectacular. If you find yourself taking the train, I’d buy some food at a bakery or something instead. Sometime after 8 pm, the staff came around and converted the seats to beds. The facing seats slid together to form the bottom bunk, and the top bunk folded down from above. It was really quite comfortable, and only cost about 800 Baht. I actually made the reservations online, with help from http://www.seat61.com/Thailand.htm.

Bangkok photos are here.

January/February

2009-03-21T15:47:00.004+09:00

When I got back in January, I got in a couple days of snowboarding, and then was busy almost every day with some kind of work or hockey or something.

In February we went boarding on a couple of Sundays. I’d also planned to get away for a few days, but things just didn’t work out, though I did get to catch up on sleep a little bit! I did go snowboarding for a couple of days on my birthday and we had a great time.

On the Sunday before my birthday, it was actually like spring skiing at Alts Bandai – slushy and sunny, but not too crowded. We stayed over at a nice little B & B in Inawashiro owned by a charming couple, and met two cool girls to chat with. In the morning, it was raining, but we waited ‘til about 9 am, at which point it turned into wet snow. We all decided to head around to the back of Mt. Bandai to Nekoma, as it’s usually colder there. The snow was still wet, but not bad, and we found a lot more tree runs than I’d found last time. All in all we spent most of the day in and out of the trees. We even had to hike out over a small ridge because of a creek at the bottom. It brought back memories of various trips to Whistler, getting stuck and having to slog out through thigh deep powder.

Anyway, the rest of the school year isn’t likely to be too exciting, though I’ll try to write something about graduation – I don’t think I did last year.

And at the end of March, I’m off to Thailand for 9 or 10 days, so I’ll try to get that stuff posted before summer comes around again!

Home for the Holidays

2009-03-21T15:41:00.003+09:00

I had bought a ticket back to Toronto for the 20th of December. As the day got closer, I kept reading about all the delays expected because of a huge winter storm. And on the 19th, a lot of flights were delayed/cancelled. On the 20th, everything worked out, and while things were a bit late, there were no major issues. Then it snowed again on the 21st. Perfect timing!

Being home was good – just relaxing, and visiting with everyone was a nice break from work. Greg and I piled up snow for a quincey, but before we got a chance to dig it out, the weather warmed up and it all melted. Crazy. That warm spell also killed our day of snowboarding, as it was way too warm. It actually rained at the hill the day before we were planning to go, and then got really cold overnight.

We did take Alejandra ice skating for the first time – she seemed a little confused about why her feet kept slipping, but did pretty well and apparently enjoyed it!

Other than that, I pretty much just ate too much home cooking (I gained about two kilos) and relaxed. I came back in the first week of January, and got back to the grind.

Shizuka an

2009-03-21T15:30:00.002+09:00

Early in December, I went with a number of former NOVA friends to see the wild waterbirds at Hotoka numa (Hotoka marsh). There were quite a few ducks and swans, and a few that were not familiar to me from

Canada

After that, we made a quick stop at a shrine, which was really quiet and peaceful. Next to the shrine was a beautiful little restaurant where we had a kaiseki lunch. Kaiseki is the Japanese equivalent of “haute cuisine.” Multiple courses, where presentation is as important as taste. Everything was amazingly delicious! And even though it seemed like a lot of really small plates, there was actually a lot of food and I was pretty stuffed.

More photos here.

Fall photos - really not very many...

2009-03-07T23:59:00.003+09:00

The fall was pretty uneventful – lots of work, and not much else. I did go out a couple of times to see the fall colors.

The first time I went to Fukuroda Falls and the Ryujin Big Suspension Bridge with G. It was a really nice day, and since it was Ibaraki Citizen’s Day or something there were no admission charges. Wandered around, found a nice onsen at the Daigo golf club, and then had some nice apples and soba on the way back.

The second time I went with T and M – we went out to see the Hananuki Gorge, which was a bit crowded, but beautiful.

We also ate soba at a small restaurant in Satomi, and then went down to see Seizanso – which is the former country home of Mito-Komon. Parts of the garden (like the famous iris garden) were kind of bare, but other parts were really beautiful.

Photos here and here.

I also did do a little bit of hiking (is this snake pregnant, or just well-fed?), and we did set off fireworks on the beach again.

Naturally K

2009-03-07T23:49:00.004+09:00

I got back to Hitachi in time to catch up with some friends at a reggae concert on the beach. Some of the reggae was not too bad, some was not so good. But it was a nice evening on the beach. There were also a few dance groups. Some were quite good, others not so much. We hung out at the beach, and then walked up to a kaitenzushi place. Pics at flickr.

Mt. Fuji and Tokyo

2009-03-06T00:20:00.003+09:00

L and I met up again in at Ueno station in Tokyo on the morning of August 29th. We checked out the Sony building with its outdoor aquarium and indoor overpriced technology, and then the Toyota Amlux building in Higashi-Ikebukuro. We tried the driving simulators, but every time we crashed, but the simulator would show us the replay with how much better off we would've been with the new Toyota safety features.

From there, we headed out to Fujiyoshida city. Some of the trains had been delayed in the morning by heavy flooding – at a couple of stations, we could see the waterline and leftover mud that had covered the tracks. But we were determined to climb Fuji regardless of the weather. We changed trains at Otsuki, and while waiting ran to a nearby 100 yen shop to buy plastic rain pants, as it was pretty cloudy. We got to Fujiyoshida city around 6:30 in the evening. Bought some food at the grocery store under the station, (L also bought an umbrella) and caught a taxi to Fujiyoshida Sengen Shrine. The taxi driver kept telling us it was dangerous, and resignedly shook his head at the determined but crazy foreigners. It was really not raining much when we started, and the first few hours were actually quite pleasant. Quiet and peaceful, with only the occasional flash of lightning and thunder to disturb our hike. Directly above us, we could see the stars, and the temperature was nice and cool, without being cold.

We were the only people on the trail, and enjoyed our hike for about the first 6 or 7 hours. Though we were watching the thunderclouds close in from almost all directions. Then we ran into the tour groups. Then it started to rain. For the last two hours or so, we pretty much stood in line, in the rain and wind. When we could, we dodged and ran around the lines, but some sections of trail were too narrow, and we could only stand and shiver. By this point my jacket was soaked through - it really was waterproof at some point, but not anymore.

We got to the top around 4 am, (in actuality, probably a few steps below the official “top” and still a half hour from the actual peak on the other side of the crater) and since there was no hope of seeing a sunrise, or doing anything besides standing around and freezing, we huddled under the eaves of a building, and in the semi-dryness put on dry layers, got someone to take a picture of us, and then jogged down the trail. Once daylight hit, the rain slowed and then stopped, and we enjoyed a leisurely hike down the trail to the tourist centre at 5th station. We caught a bus back to Kawaguchi-ko, ate some lunch, tried (in vain) to dry our socks, and then caught the train back to Tokyo.

We were planning to crash at a capsule hotel in Asakusa that night, and fortunately we could check in early. They had a lovely rooftop bath/sauna, and we were happy to get warm and clean again. There’s also a deck outside the bath, and we had a nice view of the Sumida river and Tokyo tourists. Also, had they looked up, they would have had quite the view of us. As we were standing outside, the rain began to pour down again, and that was also refreshing. Hot bath, cold rain, hot bath, sauna….nothing like it.

We even managed to find a vegetarian Indian restaurant in Ginza (with Ginza like prices) with great food. We walked around for a bit, but were pretty tired from hiking all night.

We also visited a maid cafe, just for the heck of it, and met a nice girl who spoke fantastic English, had grown up in Mississauga and gone to school at Mohawk college. Small world.

So maybe you were wondering what a capsule hotel is. Generally they’re located outside train stations, so that businessmen who’ve missed the last train have a place to crash for the night. Generally between 3000 – 4500 yen per night, you get a locker for your stuff, a yukata (robe), access to the bath and a roughly 1m x 1m x 2m box to sleep in. While it sounds claustrophobic, it’s really not. I’m a little claustrophobic – riding in the lower floor of an overnight bus with its low ceiling and curtained windows, made me a little uncomfortable. The capsule hotel didn’t bother me at all. Plenty of room, a small tv and heater/air-conditioning made it quite comfortable.

In the morning we walked over to Senso-ji, and then headed over to Ueno Park. Mostly just wandering, seeing what there was to see.

Early afternoon came, and I headed back to Hitachi, leaving L on his own for the rest of Sunday and Monday until he left.

Well, that finally concludes my summer adventures with L. We saw a lot of things that had been on my list of things to do, and I’m really glad L came out to see them, as I probably wouldn’t have been as motivated on my own.

Next up, a Reggae concert on the beach, and then whatever happened in the fall. I’m only 5 months behind. Almost feels like being caught up…!

Hiking attempts part 2

2009-03-05T23:48:00.004+09:00

Odai-ga-hara to Osugi

Details for the hiking trips we were looking at were described in the Lonely Planet Hiking Guide Japan. Based on that, we headed further south to Nara Prefecture. Even though this is one of the rainiest areas in Japan, it’s quite far south, and the temperatures are fairly warm. Plus the hike started from a high point (cool) and quickly dropped to lower (and warmer) elevations. We got to Yamato-kami-ichi in the evening, but there weren’t any more buses until the next day. We wandered around, and then headed a stop or two over to Yoshino and after hiking up the hill (the cable car closed at 5 pm) and walking through the practically empty town, found a small minshuku to stay at. Later, we found out that Yoshino is actually quite a famous place – but in the dark, you really can’t see anything.

In the morning, we headed back to Yamato-kami-ichi, and caught the bus up to the trailhead in Yoshino-Kumano National park. The weather was nice heading up, and we were pretty excited about actually getting to hike. The trail was described as being about 29 km, but all downhill, through a gorge, with excellent waterfalls. As we were getting off the bus, the driver was strongly emphasizing when the last bus from the park left in the afternoon. We told him it was ok, because we were going to hike through. Then he got very excited and told us that we couldn’t do that. So we said ok, and got off the bus. When we went into the nature centre, we got the same thing from the guy there, and actually saw some signs. Apparently some really heavy rains had washed out a large section of trail a couple years ago, and it hasn’t been fixed yet. Also, from what I understood (no guarantees of accuracy) there are no more buses or boats running at the end of the trail, so even if we had been able to get through, it would have added an extra 10 km of road to hike out to Osugi, and possibly another 40km after that.

And then it started to pour. So we dropped our camping gear at the nature centre, hiked in until the damaged part of the trail – which was marked by a large gate and a bunch of rusting construction equipment – and then came back. We had a wet ride on the bus back to the station, and from there back to Osaka, thoroughly disappointed with our failed attempts!

From Osaka, we took overnight buses – L to Hiroshima, and me back to Tokyo (and then the train to Hitachi) as I had a class in a couple of days. Ask L about his trip to Hiroshima and his culinary experiences….!

Next: more hiking in bad weather!

Hiking attempts

2009-03-05T23:43:00.002+09:00

Toyama/Murodo/Kurobe/Matsumoto

We didn’t get to see much of the sights on Mt. Koya, as we had a longish train trip up toToyama, on the Japan Sea, and at the foot of the Japan Alps. We headed down from Mt. Koyaand back to Osaka station where we dropped some excess luggage.

For those (backpackers especially) who are frustrated with Japanese coin lockers that have a three day limit before they remove your stuff, we did manage to talk to the information counter and baggage office, and by telling them the locker numbers and leaving an estimated return date, they told us that leaving stuff for longer was no problem. You just pay for the extra days when you get your stuff out. I think we also put a note in with our stuff saying when we’d be back. We were planning to be gone roughly six days, backpacking in the alps, but as I’ll explain, we didn’t need that long.

We got to Toyama around 8 at night, looked at the morning train schedule and checked into the Toyoko Inn, which is a chain of business hotels located all over Japan. Woke up around 4 am, and caught the train around 5. We were headed up to Murodo, which is one of the main starting points for hiking in the Japanese Alps. L really wanted to do a longish hike through the Alps. Getting up to Murodo involved the train, a cablecar (gondola), and finally a bus, over the first part of what’s known as the Kurobe Alpine Route. Beautiful scenery, though it was really foggy, and as we got higher, it turned into really heavy rain, accompanied by wind.

We waited for a few hours, hoping that the weather would clear up a little, so we could at least dash in to the first of the mountain huts, but no such luck. After talking with the S & R guys, who very politely did not recommend hiking, and said that a hurricane was blowing our way, we reluctantly decided to try a different plan. We crossed over the Alps by finishing the Kurobe Alpine route, which consisted of a couple of trolley buses through tunnels, another cable car, and walking across Kurobe dam.

We eventually made it down, and then took the train down toward Matsumoto.

We found another cheap business hotel by the station to crash at, and wandered out to see Matsumoto. Matsumoto’s most famous site is its castle. I neglected to grab my camera, which is unfortunate, as Matsumoto castle is another of Japan’s famous extant castles. Known as the Black Crow Castle, because of its color, it’s quite the opposite of Himeji. Significantly smaller, and built in a low area, but still very dramatic-looking. The castle itself was closed, but we wandered the grounds around the moat.

We also stopped at an outdoor store just to browse and ask about the huts around the Kamikochi side of the Alps. Which was a good chance to practice my Japanese. Everything sounded good, with respect to the huts, but again, the weather in the morning was less than ideal. Actually, it was pretty much a torrential downpour. We didn’t really feel like taking the time to get up to the mountains, just to have to turn away again, so we headed back to Osaka.

We mostly travelled on local trains (the cheapest), but we did take the fastest Shinkansen (bullet train) from Nagoya back to Osaka. The ride was really smooth, and fast. I watched the scenery flash past for a bit, and then fell asleep.

Koya

2009-03-05T22:45:00.000+09:00

We left Nara and headed to Mount Koya. The headquarters of the Shingon sect of Buddhism founded by the famous (at least in Japan) Kobo Daishi, or Kukai, there are over 100 temples on the mountain.

After the stifling heat and humidity of summertime Kyoto the cool air at the top of the cable car ride was a welcome relief. We walked up to the temple we were staying at for the night, checked in and wandered out to see a few of the sights. It looked like it was about to rain, so an older priest insisted we take a couple of umbrellas, which pretty much guaranteed us good weather.

We wandered around a bunch of temples, cameras in hand (or on L’s gorillapod. I got a gorilla pod for Christmas, and while I haven’t had the time to use it much yet, it’s really cool.) until dinner time. Dinner was the traditional shojin ryori, or temple cooking. Basically it’s the original strict Buddhist vegetarian cuisine, which prohibits animal products, as well as garlic, and some other spices. When done well, the flavours and tastes of the actual vegetables (chosen according to the season) should be carefully emphasized. It was a very delicious meal, and even felt relatively filling!

On the subject of Buddhism, and the associated perception of asceticism, I have to tell you about some of the temple’s toilets. I’ve seen many fancy toilets in Japan – hotels, department stores and restaurants often have them, with multiple wash/warming function, automatic lid opener/closer, and who knows what else. However, these were the first toilets I’d seen with built-in hot-air dryers. Worked pretty well, too.

Nara - August 21st

2009-01-28T22:13:00.009+09:00

After breakfast, we headed to Nara, the capital of Japan from 710 to 784. Nara is home to some of the world’s oldest buildings. We didn’t have time to see everything, but we made sure to check out the Daibutsuden Hall at Todai-ji. This is the largest wooden building in the world, but is still only 2/3 the size of the original. Two of the wooden guardians are over 800 years old. The main attraction though, is the great bronze Buddha. 16 m tall, and originally cast in the 740s. (except for the head and hands, which are newer). Also its nostrils are a pretty tight fit.

I mention the nostrils because there is a pillar in the building with a hole at the base which is said to be the same size as the Buddha’s nostril. Squeezing through this hole is said to bring enlightenment. (It also brings entertainment, as you can watch many adults struggling to fit through, or to get unstuck, and then a kid will just crawl right through.) L and I made it, though I did find it pretty tight (just around the shoulders!) and had my mild claustrophobia reinforced! I suspect enlightenment is to become like a child (or a supermodel…). (Checking details, I just noticed that the Wikipedia article says that squeezing through the hole brings enlightenment in THE NEXT LIFE. That explains why I haven’t really felt any different…)

After dodging the hordes of giant horned rats which infest the park area,

we took a quick look at (and I took a shoddy picture of) a really old pagoda. Not the original, but still quite old (1426 – that’s still before Columbus was born). A lot of feudal Japan’s original structures were wooden, and often built on hills. With tall metal decorations on top. In one of my favourite books about Japan, the author points out that many were (not surprisingly) struck by lightning and burned to the ground. Most of them now have grounding wires to protect the structures.

As usual, photos are on flickr.

Evening of August 20th

2009-01-28T22:05:00.001+09:00

After Himeji/Osaka

That evening, we made it to the ryokan back in Kyoto. Ryokans are generally a little fancier than your typical hotel. I’ve seen ryokans at 70 000 yen (~$700) per PERSON per night. This does often include meals, and obviously the fancier ryokans have really exquisite meals and associated service. In many cases, a maid/waitress will bring your meal to your room and serve it there. Our ryokan wasn’t that fancy, but was still nice. (and MUCH cheaper) The bath especially was nice after a long day of walking around.

We weren’t expecting to make it in time for dinner anyway, so we only ordered breakfast. But we were hungry when we got there, and asked about nearby eating options that might have vegetarian food. They recommended a ramen shop around the corner (not really vegetarian, but don’t tell L that)! We headed over, but it was closed. Fortuitously, however, the shop next door was open, and the sounds and smells from inside (plus our empty stomachs) drew us in. They had great food, even vegetarian! We especially enjoyed some small tomatoes that had been chilled and marinated in white wine – delicious, but so far I’ve been unsuccessful at recreating the taste! The lady running the shop was really genki, and her English was pretty good. Between her and a businessman (who didn't speak much English, but was happy to talk nonetheless) we really enjoyed ourselves (and they seemed to have fun too).

After a relaxing bath, we crashed out on our futons. In the morning, we headed down for breakfast, which was really good. Rice, salmon, egg, some salad, miso soup, tofu and other things that I don’t remember. But a great start to the day.

Back to the Past...

2009-01-28T21:43:00.002+09:00

Aug. 20^th – Himeji/Osaka

Happy Anniversary Mom & Dad (and anyone else who got married today!)

Ok, trying to get this all up to date. Summer travels again. One day I'll get caught up on everything in life. Not today though.

Back in the summer, on the 20th, the day after the waterfall hike, we headed out to Himeji Castle. Which has famously been in a number of movies. It is the most visited castle in Japan, and one of the few remaining extant (still existing; not a reconstruction) castles in Japan.

We took the local express train out, which was about an hour trip. L commented throughout our trip (repeatedly) on my “ability” to readily fall asleep on any train we rode. This is a skill that has been perfected by Japanese people, and I can only aspire to the higher levels of the skill, wherein the sleeping person automatically wakes up just in time to get off at the correct stop. I’m pretty good, but I have on occasion gotten off at the wrong stop. Or I wake up several stops too early.

As we walked up the main street from the station, the castle came into view, gracefully perched on a hill overlooking the town. We paused only for L to get waylaid by a cute girl with a clipboard who needed a foreigner to take a survey. Apparently I didn’t look foreign enough, as I didn’t get to take the survey.

We eventually made it to the castle, which is really quite spectacular. World Heritage Cultural site and everything. It’s also a maze of walls, where it’s difficult to tell which side would have attackers and which would have defenders. Lots of buildings, with lots of stairs, and a fantastic view.

One book (which I highly recommend) that I read mentioned that the people of Himeji were inspired by their castle, as even though the city was bombed to ruins, the castle was spared. Ironically, it was (possibly) spared because American bomber crews used it as a highly visible landmark to direct them toward the targets of Osaka and Hiroshima. Regardless of why it was spared, I'm glad it was - it's a beautiful castle, with lots to see, from historical aspects of castle construction and defense, to ghostly legends, to interesting architecture and even a scale model of the castle’s structure. All in all, a couple of hours well-spent.

After that, we headed back to Osaka, and spent a couple hours wandering around a couple sights recommended by Lonely Planet. The Umeda Sky Building was interesting to see, Amerika-Mura was mildly entertaining, but not really worth the detour. We also checked out the Giant Ferris Wheel on an island near the port which had some really great views. From Lonely Planet Japan: “Said to be the largest Ferris wheel in the world.” Note that it doesn’t say it IS the largest in the world, just that it’s SAID to be. Whoever said that is wrong. But we didn’t really catch that until after we went. It was big, and did have great views.

The full picture sets of Himeji Castle and Osaka are on flickr - here and here.

In the meantime...

2008-12-14T21:56:00.003+09:00

I will eventually get the blog caught up. In the meantime, the photos on my flickr page are up to date, if you want to at least get a visual of some of the events of the summer/fall/winter. Enjoy the holidays!

And now for something completely different...

2008-12-10T20:57:00.004+09:00

We interrupt this long overdue retelling of summer events to bring you the latest in autumn/winter soup technology.

Not exactly sure what kind of pork it was - slightly sweetened, kind of sausage-like. But delicious. For those of you who don't eat pork (or meat) you'll have to find a suitable substitute. I was given the pork and I had some good apples, and read somewhere that pork and apples go well together. Thought sweet potatoes would be good as well, and it turned out that way. Anyway, to the recipe.

In a pot, melt some butter/margarine, and fry an onion and a bunch of garlic with salt and pepper. I'd recommend chopping the onion and garlic, but whatever works for you. Add in the pork and some honey. Cook for a few minutes while chopping the sweet potatoes. Add the sweet potatoes, and cover with water and a couple of bouillon cubes. Add in some cheese. Toss in a couple of bay leaves. A dash of cinnamon is optional, and may depend on exactly what kind of pork you got. Chop the carrots, add them in. Chop the apples and add them. Chop the mikan (I'd also recommend peeling them first, but again, your choice.) and add them. Cook until the chunks of apple are dissolved. Burn your tongue. Wait a minute or two. Burn your tongue again. Enjoy.

For those of you who are fussy about proportions, here are the quantities of ingredients in the order in which they are mentioned: some, 1, 5, some, some, some, some, 3, enough, a couple, some, 2, a dash, 2, 3 and 3.

August 19th

2008-10-28T06:23:00.001+09:00

I have been really busy, but that's not a great excuse for not keeping this up to date. At this point, I'm two months behind.

Anyway, after a decent night's sleep in the hostel, we headed out early in the morning to Kyoto Station, and then up to Omi Takashima on the western shore of Biwa ko. From there, we caught a bus, which dropped us off sort of near the trailhead of the "yattsubuchi no taki" or "eight waterfalls." We hiked in for about 45 minutes and, since it was really hot and humid, when we reached the first waterfall, we had to go for a dip. Which was great. And then we started hiking again, and were hot (and pretty dry) by the time we got to the next waterfall. So we went for another dip. This continued throughout the canyon. Not every waterfall, but maybe three for me and four for L.

The trail climbed up and around some of the falls, with a bit of what the guidebook referred to as "almost rock-climbing," but was really not challenging at all.

After the falls, we followed the trail up to the top of one of the mountains, with a great view of the lake. After lunch, we followed some ridges back down towards the lake, and enjoyed hiking in pouring rain and thunderstorms. Needless to say, we were soaked through. But since it was warm, it wasn't a problem. We found one more waterfall near the bottom, and then walked out to find ourselves in an exceptionally cool park/playground.

In a previous post, I put up a video of "The second best playground slide ever." The following videos show "The BEST playground slide ever."

Part 1

The greatest playground slide in the world - Part 1 from matthew on Vimeo.

Part 2

The greatest playground slide in the world - Part 2 from matthew on Vimeo.

Part 3

The greatest playground slide in the world - Part 3 from matthew on Vimeo.

Not only did the playground have the slide, but it also had the coolest jungle gym, made of rope held together with steel s-hooks! Dangerous (for smaller kids) and completely awesome!

(Be warned, the last video is quite long and might take a while to load.)

The coolest jungle gym ever!

A Personal Injury Lawyer's Dream from matthew on Vimeo.

Afterwards, we hiked the last couple kilometres down to the station, and took the train back, still slightly damp, and pretty beat. The hike was about 14 km, but I was (and really still am) out of shape, and my legs were pretty sore for a few days. Once again, we cooked (yakiudon with veggies and tofu) and crashed at the hostel. Pictures of the hike are here.

Summer 3

2008-09-22T22:40:00.002+09:00

Sunday afternoon (August 17th - I seem to have a hard time keeping this blog current) we headed into Tokyo. we wandered around Akihabara for a bit, seeing some things that were entertaining, and others that were somewhat disturbing. Went to Shinjuku and caught the overnight bus to Kyoto.

In the morning, we walked the 3 km to the hostel, left our backpacks and grabbed showers. Found a delicious if expensive bakery for breakfast, and then rented bicycles.

First we checked out Nijo Castle - really more of a fortified palace than a true military stronghold - residence of Shoguns and Emperors. Famous for its nightingale floors - designed to creak when stepped on just to warn of intruders. I imagined they were just squeaky, but there's a actual mechanism that creates a distinct chirping sound. (The wikipedia link to the floors has a soundfile, but there's too much background noise - when you're walking, it really does sound like chirping.) L was clearly quite taken with the natural scenery.

(I admit that I framed the shot to make him look like a perv - he claims to have been taking a photo of something else entirely.)

Afterwards, we passed through Kitano Tenman-gu and up to Kinkaku-ji - the golden pavilion. It actually is coated in gold leaf, and shines very nicely in the blazing hot Kyoto sun. If I didn't mention it before, it was really hot - I think I lost weight just from all the sweating.

Anyway, I'd read in the Lonely Planet: Hiking in Japan about a hiking trail up the mountain (hill really) behind Kinkaku-ji, so we went looking for it. Spent an hour or so bushwhacking, and eventually gave up after finding nothing more than old trails in the wrong directions and a LOT of spider webs. (Turns out the trail started from Ginkaku-ji - the SILVER pavilion - across town - my mistake!)

At this point, we were hungry, and since L was feeling adventurous, we (eventually, after I got to practice asking directions in Japanese) found a kaitenzushi restaurant. I really enjoy kaitenzushi - it's cheap, convenient, quick and you can get exactly what you want. Before he came to Japan, L was a vegetarian. He tried salmon, tuna, BBQ'd freshwater eel (unagi) and was pretty unimpressed by all of them! Acquired tastes, I guess. Although he did tell me that during some of his later culinary adventures he was wishing for something as normal as salmon or tuna!!! He did gain a liking for inarizushi (agezushi for some of us) though.

After, we headed up to Kiyomizu-dera, another famous Kyoto temple (there are lots) and then down around Kyoto's downtown for a bit.

Since we were a bit short on sleep (overnight buses generally aren't bad, but I certainly wouldn't rate them among the best sleeps of my life on them) we headed back to the hostel, cooked some pasta, and crashed for the night.

Pictures of Tokyo and Kyoto are here.

Summer 2

2008-09-11T23:39:00.000+09:00

We arrived in Nikko, had a great meal of yuba soba, and checked in to the turret of the Nikko Park Lodge.

Walked around Nikko in the evening in the rain, and took a few photos.

We also stumbled across what looked like the coolest slide ever (more on that later). When we saw it, L and I were immediately reminded of boxes and boxes of tree-ripened Florida citrus - some of you will understand exactly why...

In the morning, we passed a few sleepy monkeys and went to check out the World Heritage Cultural site of Toshogu and the surrounding area.

I had been before, but it was kind of entertaining to try and take different photos than before. (Warning: Anyone planning to visit me in Japan should note that I'm likely going to get tired of going to the same places over and over again, so the people who come sooner might get to see more of the famous places, while the later ones get a more "off the beaten path" kind of tour.)

After the shrines, we went back to the slide, and rode it, first just sitting down (which hurt), then on our feet, which burnt my hands, and finally sitting on my backpack, which worked pretty well!

The second best playground slide ever! from matthew on Vimeo.

Last, we thought we'd drive up to to Kegon Falls, even if it was raining a bit. Well it rained more, the fog blew in, and we couldn't even see the falls. In hindsight, this was foreshadowing much of our travels (travails?) in Japan! We headed back to Hitachi in a downpour of Biblical proportions, thunder and lightning everywhere. An experience that would soon be quite familiar, though at least this time we had the car!