Fall-out

The air is getting crisp. Warm days have become cool days. Autumn is leaving and winter is coming. Change is peeking out from the shadows.

Autumn is my favorite season. It is a break from the heat and humidity of summer. It’s dryer than spring, and it’s full of beautiful colors. I think Japan has one of the best autumns because of its countless temples filled with maple trees making the early night time darkness a bright and vibrant red.

Fall colors at Kodai-ji, Kyoto.

Night is now reaching temperatures in the single digits, and winter will have its cold clutches on the Kansai region soon enough. Riding my motorbike after 5PM, when the sun sets, is like sipping lemonade in a walk-in freezer. For those of you who’ve never done this, it means it’s very cold!

It’s been 10 months since the Tohoku disaster. The region is slowly picking up the pieces of the destruction left in wake of the tsunami. Unfortunately, those pieces are being shipped to other regions of Japan. Already Tokyo is burning debris from Tohoku. Granted, this debris is being tested for radiation and if it has a low enough reading it will be shipped.

It’s great the country is coming together to help out, but the problem is that much of the debris does have radiation, even if it is a miniscule amount. In an unprecedented moronic move by the Japanese government, shipments of contaminated debris will be brought to Osaka to be burned! Now I’m not a radioactive expert, but I know for a fact that burning radioactive garbage will release other radiation into the air, unless proper air filtration is introduced. What is the government thinking?! Radiation should not be spread, even if it’s just a “little bit.” It should be concentrated at its source. No one really knows how much radiation is bad for you, however almost everyone knows that radiation is bad for you. The safest move is to keep radiation levels as low as possible.

Many Osaka residents are opposing the decision to burn debris from Iwate prefecture. I don’t blame them. So far the government has been pretty spotty on the facts of the whole Fukushima situation. At first it may have been in their best interest, but it has created public unease due to many people thinking they are not being told all the facts or simply being lied to.

Nuclear Protesters in Kyoto

It’s a sad situation. Tohoku can’t handle disposing all the debris alone, and the rest of Japan cannot be contaminated. If science and the government is accurate and forthcoming with concrete facts, which I personally believe they have not been, then I can see the logic behind shipping debris for disposal. But as it stands now, I personally am opposed to the idea to possibly contaminate a relatively contaminate free area with one of Japan’s highest population densities.

Billiken

What is Billiken? A god? A demon? Some statue found in obscure places around Osaka? Maybe he is all of these things.

I remember a couple years back someone told me that Billiken was a devil or demon of sorts. Just this past weekend I saw another Billiken statue in Osaka. I found it odd, why would there be little devil statues hidden throughout one of Japan's largest cities? So I decided to investigate.

Billiken in the Dormy Inn Lobby - Namba, Osaka

In 1912 Billiken came to Japan. He was brought to Luna Park in Shinsekai, Osaka. Shinsekai means "New World" in English and was an amusement park created in 1912 to model both New York City and Paris. My only experience there has told me that the place has seen better days. Credited as being the most dangerous area of Osaka, there is a large gambling problem and countless homeless and prostitutes littering the streets. Even though it is considered dangerous by Japanese standards, I would venture any trip during the day to be pretty safe as long as your not throwing your wallet around. Act like you would in any neighborhood in America, and I see it no more dangerous. Leave your wallet at the ramen shop and you may not get it back however.

A quick stroll around the streets and you will see Billiken around every corner. In front of restaurants, stores and pachinko parlors. So was Shinsekai once a city of sin that the devil soon forgot?

As it turns out, Billiken was born in St. Louis Missouri, U.S.A. in 1908. Billiken appeared in a dream of a woman named Florence Pretz, an art teacher and illustrator. Characterized by elf like ears, a small patch of hair on head, short legs and mischievous smile Billiken became known as a symbol of good luck. The only thing luckier than buying a doll of Billiken, was to have one given to you. Soon to become a wild fad of the early 1900s and a symbol of Americana in Japan for the amusement park in Shinsekai.

In Luna park a wooden statue of Billiken was enshrined as "The God of Things As They Ought To Be". Unfortunately, this slice of history went missing when the amusement park closed in 1923. However, you can see a replica in the Tsutenkaku tower in Shinsekai on the 5th floor, and countless images are near impossible to miss by just opening your eyes while walking down the decrepit steets of Shinsekai. Once and a while you may even see Billiken sitting somewhere far from his roots in other wards of Osaka or even in Kobe City. Billiken is a Symbol of Osaka as much as the Hachiko dog statue is of Tokyo.

If you find him, it may be wise to rub his feet and wish for luck. For he is "The God of Things As They Ought To Be."

Happy Halloween

It's Halloween in Japan and I celebrated with my friends in Kyoto. The theme for my costume was the Arabian Nights.

This is probably the only time I will have a harem.

I'm not quite sure who would be the more effective assassin.

It was a fun weekend. However, I didn't sleep Saturday night and ended up wandering the streets of Kyoto for a little longer than expected. Sunday I slept till 6PM!

Dinner

I received a gift of Omi Beef, special Wagyu beef from Shiga. It is similar to the more internationally known Kobe Beef. Decided to use some culinary art for a random Tuesday evening dinner.

Cooked with a squeeze of lime. Delicious!

Sweet Dreams of Summer

It seemed like a short lifetime ago that summer started, but now that it’s over it seemed all too quick. The days have ended where I can come into work late and take extended lunches away from my desk. Something I dearly miss. I’m surprised at how unproductive I’ve actually been, and find myself with a pile of work that I have to complete within the coming week with absolutely no drive to get it done. I guess that’s a good queue that this should be my last year. Maybe this will change when I am starting to work back in the classroom, I doubt it, but I really hope this lack of motivation isn’t permanent.

Although I’ve been present at my desk for the majority of the summer, my mind has been anywhere but. In a dimension far, far away! Dreaming of weekend parole when my mind can escape from paid imprisonment and my body can move in a free world.

Early summer was filled with Japanese summer traditions of festivals and fireworks, the most famous being Gion Matsuri in Kyoto. Gion is a famous festival in Japan with a long history. I won’t go into much detail about the festival since it is easily researchable, but in short, hundreds of people gather to watch traditional style floats in the streets. From within you can hear the sounds of traditional drums and shrill flutes. This was the second time I went to Gion Matsuri, and it was both fun and nostalgic. It was definitely different than my first time, but a moment marking being in Japan for another full year. A crazy time for reflection on how much things have changed and yet how much has remained unchanged.


Smokin' your tobacco and your meat!


No funny business allowed.

On August 6th I went to a fabulous fireworks display in Osaka along the Yodo River. We ended up with reserved seating which included a lunch and drink. It was very impressive and I thoroughly enjoyed my company, making it one of the most memorable firework festivals in Japan, if not the most memorable.


Common summer sight in Japan.

The only other firework festival I went to was in Otsu, Shiga’s capital. The display was huge! I mean, I’ve never seen so many fireworks in the sky at one time. Night began to look like day. The only thing more crammed together than the fireworks in the sky, were the people on the ground. Thankfully, my height insures me a good viewing angle no matter where I am.

On the topic of good viewing angles, I was also super lucky to see my favorite band, The Red Hot Chili Peppers, play at Summer Sonic in Osaka. For a price of nearly $170 I rocked out to the funky beats of the Chili Peppers and was introduced to some really good bands such as Panic at the Disco. It was expensive, but well worth it! I’m pretty sure I would have paid the price to just watch the Chili Peppers since I’ve been a fan for over 10 years and don’t know if I’ll ever have a chance to see them again.


An ocean of sound waves.

I also climbed Fuji for the second time, and still couldn't see the perfect sunrise. The view was still breathtaking though!

Sea of Clouds on a Beach of Volcanic Rock.

Gate to heaven.

The following week I took a week off of work for some travel and the highlight of my summer. I purchased a used Seishun 18 Ticket at a discount store and took 5 hours worth of trains to Okayama, definitely the cheapest way to go saving me a few thousand yen. After some ramen, Spanish tapas and a night’s sleep in a capsule I woke up early to get in a Doraemon blue car with a beautiful girl waiting for me. It was definitely a great start to a most fantastic vacation.

We drove for about an hour to Uno port listening to the Chili Pepper’s album “By the Way” and caught a ferry to Naoshima. Naoshima is dubbed the “art island,” and is filled with incredible architecture and modern art such as light sculpture and giant dotted pumpkins. It even has a few original Claude Monet paintings, for those who prefer more ‘classical’ pieces.

Polka-dotted Hallucinations

My favorite was an exhibit that is part of the Bennesse Art House Project. It is called “Backside of the Moon.” A light sculpture created by James Turrell. Basically you are lead into a completely dark room and guided to a bench by a staff member. When I say completely dark, I mean you are blind. Eyes open or closed, it doesn’t matter. You just sit there, and after a while you start seeing faint reddish light. After about 10 minutes a room faintly materializes in front of you, filled with dim light that your eyes have finally come to see. You then stand up and walk into this space. It almost feels as if you are walking into a picture frame, or following the light at the end of the tunnel after death. At the end is some kind of endless abyss through the wall, which you only dare to stretch part of your arm into. At this point the room is clearly visible, and you can even see the faces of awe surrounding you in a space that feels extraterrestrial. The amazing thing is, the light intensity is never changed. It is only the eyes that adapt to such a dark space filled with so much light, a strange metaphor of the world if I’d say so.

After a day of peering into a crazy imaginary world, we boarded the ferry with our car and headed to Shikoku. Shikoku is possibly one of Japan’s most undeveloped large islands, although I think Hokkaido still wins the competition even though Sapporo was a booming icy metropolis when I was there two years ago. We went to Kagawa prefecture and headed to a quiet hot spring town. Here I stayed in what was possibly the nicest hotel, at least in Japanese decorated fashion. I felt as if I was a guest in a castle during the Heian period of Japan. The dinner was a piece of Japanese culinary art and the onsen (hot spring) was bliss on top a roof.

The next morning was an equally impressive breakfast, minus the tiny little fish embryos which I wasn’t a huge fan of, followed by a hike up many stone steps to one of Shikoku’s most famous temples at Kompira-san. Many people make a pilgrimage to wish for the many things the temple promises to improve in one’s life, the most famous being happiness. What I learned is that the road to happiness is hot and sweaty and requires climbing a lot of steps, but is usually followed by a delicious shaved ice and a mango smoothie. Happiness indeed!

Hot, sticky and sweaty summers of Japan.


Finding enlightenment at the temple courtyard.

Besides onsens and happiness, Kagawa prefecture is known for udon. But not just any ordinary noodle mind you, but deliciously chewy Sanuki Udon. So good in fact, that we almost didn’t have a chance to eat it since most restaurants ran out of ingredients by 1:00PM! But it turned out that at one restaurant which said they were out for the day still had a little left, so we were in luck. We threw down our 400 yen and had thick and chewy goodness. A texture that is so perfect, that I can describe it in no other way but the texture of Sanuki Udon.

Our last destination for the day was some whirlpools in the neighboring prefecture of Tokushima. However, we would arrive too late to catch a good view. So instead we went on a short river cruise, climbed Japan's official shortest mountain and watched Awa Odori. Awa Odori, is a traditional style dance that Tokushima is famous for. Turns out I also got to try my own hand in this dance, and I wasn’t too bad at it. I won a prize for being one of the top dancers! However, I know I’m pretty bad when it comes to dancing. So most likely I won the prize because I was the only foreigner dancing.

Japan's shortest mountain. Mountain?


Awa Odori

That evening I said farewell to my traveling companion as she started on her long drive back to Okayama. After checking into a capsule hotel I ate an incredibly delicious bowl of ramen at shop called Todai Ramen which is famous in Tokushima.

The next morning I woke up early and headed to the train station. I asked for some information on how to get to the Naruto Whirlpools and it looked like the best way to get there was by bus. The next bus didn’t leave for about an hour and a half though, and I kind of regretted waking up so early. To try to find a happy equalizer between sleepiness and boredom I decided to enjoy some high grade Starbuck’s caffeine.

By the time my bus arrived at Naruto the tide already changed so I couldn’t see the whirlpools. I still purchased my 500 yen ticket for the glass bridge walkway and attempted to satisfy my curiosity. Unsatisfied I decided to kill about 6 hours at an art replica museum and return at the next tide.

The Otsuka Art Museum is a huge complex constructed by Otsuka Pharmaceutical, which also strangely produces ceramic tiles as well as famous sports drinks such as Pocari Sweat. The museum claims to contain 100% accurate and to scale replicas of world famous artistic works. It is quite impressive to walk into a copy of the Sistine Chapel or follow the artistic timeline from ancient Greek paintings to present day creations. I think I discovered that I enjoyed the Baroque period, and works by Rembrandt more than most works prior, since the paintings used a lot of dark colors such as black and somehow seemed a bit more sinister than the purity and perfection of the earlier Renascence. I also enjoyed the artwork of Norwegian artists from the late 1800’s and early 1900’s. However, I actually didn’t have enough time to explore the museum after nearly six hours, and headed back to catch a glimpse of the whirlpools a little after 3:00PM.


Japanese Sistine

More people were gathered around the glass framed squares facing down at the ocean than when I first arrived earlier in the day. I definitely could see some small whirlpools form and then die out. It was interesting but did not satisfy my craving that movies such as Sinbad: Legend of the Seven Seas instilled in my imagination.


Beware of Kraken

It was a unforgettable trip, but it was finally time to go home. I was lucky to arrive at the bus ticket counter at 5:00 since one minute later and it would have been closed. I bought my ticket and headed back to Kobe, caught my train to Shiga and fell asleep in my own bed dreaming of further adventure.

Cicada Buzz

On July 21st summer vacation finally came to the school where I work. However, summer vacation for teachers in Japan really doesn’t mean anything except that there are no classes. It’s still business as usual, except a lot more boring without real work to do. I’ll never really understand why teachers have to come to school during summer ‘break’ and why students still have club activities. Do students ever actually have a vacation? Do teachers ever have a vacation? I guess this explains the overall lack of getting involved in activates of personal interest and the underwhelming response to “What’s your hobby?” being “Sleeping.” There is no personal time outside of club and work commitments for anyone to actually explore something they are interested in for personal reasons.

However, part of me enjoys summer vacation. Taking two hour lunches and coming in at 9:30 or 10:00 instead of 8:00. The four hours at work where I’m attempting to be busy is a lot easier than the normal eight.

On July 27th, I officially signed my contract to say at my current position for another year. It is also the date that I officially came to Hino two years ago.

My computer is broken so I’m waiting until my next post to upload some of my summer adventures so I can include photos.

Anonymous Friends

I like the city. Esspecially Japanese cities. Safe cities full of people. A collection of culture and ideas viewable in the eyes of the crowd.

Walking the streets in a day dream. Letting the unknown faces make their way into my thoughts. Dreaming about how it would be if we knew each other. Who are you? The dream escaping the reality.

Never alone, always anonymous. A chance.

Joyfull

If life in Japan has taught me one thing, it is the Joyfull is open 24/7. At any time if you so choose you can enjoy the company of strangers exchanging glances across the smoke filled room and drink an endless cup of coffee while downing fried delights.

Such as life, a life of joy is always available to you if you take the good with the bad and make the bad better. A 24 hour roller coaster with high and low points. All of which should be enjoyed both out of exhilaration of the ride and the moment you know you've survived. Just as the smoke filled room, the moment you leave you can feel joy for the clean air that has been discovered.

This too shall pass, so take notice before it is gone.

Yakushima: Day 3 - The Last Day

My last day in Yakushima wasn't a whole day. Most of it was spent repacking everything and checking out of the hostel.

The night before I went out to a izakaiya with about five people staying at the youth hostel. Besides the ancient trees and moss covered everything, the people I met on this trip will be just as memorable. The nights drinking shochu in the hostel and a few fantastic dinners made this one man trip anything but lonely.

Just to spite me Yakushima gave a sunny day after driving a motorbike through torrential rains. In order not to waste the day I rented a bicycle and headed out to a hot spring about 10 km away. So I slipped on my neon green plastic sandals, a temporary fix to my soaked shoes, which were five sizes too small and headed out.

The onsen was very tiny and to my surprise the only other guy in there was a foreigner who was also in Japan on the JET program. An even more interesting occurrence was that he knew the guy who I shared a hotel room with in Seattle before I departed for Japan two years ago. Apparently he is a Kumamoto JET and the guy I stayed with in Seattle, Jason, is going to be the Kumamoto Prefectual Adviser. It is a small world indeed.

After a soak I finished my last meal in Yakushima with black noodle ramen.

Yakushima: Day 2 - Riding Not Walking

A delayed story. Yakushima continues.

I didn’t have to start my day until 9:30, which was fine after a long day of hiking and a night of drinking. This is when I would rent my 50cc bike and ride it around the island for a day. It is also something I would highly recommend, more than a car, despite the rain since the air is sweet with the smell of Jasmine.

It was a rainy day, something I thought of as normal. I was a little surprised when the rental shop asked me if I was sure I wanted to go today. My response was natural in that it rains every day in Yakushima. I think I even received a discount. I should have taken this as a clue.



So I headed north on my bike going around the island counter clockwise. My first stop was a beach that in a few short months would be the nesting grounds for sea turtles. Since there wasn’t much there I just spend a few minutes admiring the rock formations carved from the ocean.

Onward I hit the NW coast, with narrow winding roads climbing up above but along the sea. Here is where a 50cc bike makes it worthwhile, since buses and large vehicles are not allowed on this road. Normal sized cars are fine, but there is something about smelling the sweet jungle air mixed with the ocean breeze as well as passing monkeys and deer not from behind a windshield.



I little ways up I stopped at a lighthouse.



I continued on, by this time my gortex pants were already failing. Slowly water began to seep in. By the time I reached the first waterfall, I was 80% soaked. After enjoying the waterfall I continued on. Passed a few hotsprings, including one that was in the ocean, and decided it was time to find refuge from the downpour that began. I found a small café & restaurant and went inside. I got a few stares since I was dripping water by this time, forming a small lake under my chair.

At the counter I enjoyed a few cups of free coffee and order a miso pork cutlet. I also started a conversation with the old man next to me. He was trying very hard to use English, and it turns out he used to live in Tokyo before retiring in Yakushima. I explained some of my history and purpose for coming to Yakushima and taught a few interesting facts about Montana. It wasn’t long after finishing my meal that he asked me if I wanted to go to an onsen.

Honestly, I wasn’t very keen since I was already soaked and really didn’t want to take off the clothes just to put them back on again. I also wasn’t keen about being naked with a strange old man. However, there I found myself in his car no less, heading to an onsen. It must have been his broken English telling me that travel is suppose to push someone beyond their boundaries. So I guess I leaped.

I entered the hot spring. And to call it hot is an understatement. It was near boiling. However, I decided to store up as much heat as possible before I had to put on my wet clothes. Apparently, I was too “rushed” though according to the old man. He couldn’t believe I was finished so quick. However, I agree. Both the situation and water temperature didn’t necessarily make it completely relaxing.

After being taken back to the restaurant where I parked my bike, I headed onward to another waterfall. This one had a sweeping view that made me feel as if I was some explorer in the Amazon. After a quick photo, I pushed forward. By this time the rain was falling hard. To ride over 50km/hr made the rain hitting my face feel like gravel. I took off my rain hood and tied it around my face, bandit style. This helped quite a bit, although there was a small space on my forehead that kept getting pelted.



I finally reached my last destination goal. By this time the rain had washed away my cheer. I almost decided to pass the hiking trail to the last waterfall, however I know opportunity only knocks once even if it’s when you aren’t ready. Not to mention, it would be the first time I would see a waterfall that fell into the ocean. So after a short hike and a semi obscured view of the waterfall, I mounted my bike and headed back to Miyanoura as fast as possible. After about 50 minutes at max speed I was back and returned my bike.

Soaked to the bone, I had to figure out a way to get dry shoes.

Yakushima: Day 1 – Shiratani Unsuikyo to Jomon-sugi

I wasn’t the only one up for the early bus and on the trail head at 6AM. Early on I met two girls, in their mid twenties, and we exchanged a few words. But I had a mission, so I hiked on up ahead. I had to try to complete a 12 hour hike in 11 hours in order to catch the last bus into town.

According to Yakushima locals, it rains 35 days a month. Although not the best hiking weather, it is the constant rain that makes the island so special. Everything is covered in moss and the enormous twisting trees send you away to a place I thought only existed in fairy tales. I was in a real rain forest. So fantastic that it seems enchanted.

Even with the nonstop rain, somehow there is more forest than rain. Life sprouted from everything, from old stumps, around rocks and even from other living trees!

I hiked through ravines, over winding roots, rock paths and under thick canopies. These were the forests that inspired artists in the Japanese anime, Princess Mononoke.

The first half of the trail had many people, but the farther into the forest I went the less people were seen until it was only me and the deer. Anywhere else in the world, I may have feared an ambush by some wild animal. However, Yakushima is special in that the wild population mainly consists of deer, monkeys and an unaggressive poisonous snake.

After about 4 hours walking through Shiratani Unsuikyo it merged with the main trail that starts from Arakawa, the more popular trail to the Jomon-sugi. From here, the biggest obstacle was people. The trail itself followed an old rail road, which made the surface flat. It was about as difficult as walking on a sidewalk, except when trying to pass large groups of Japanese tourists flooding to see the ancient trees for Golden Week.

Upon reaching the end of the railroad, I headed up back into the mountains. First passing Wilson Stump, a giant stump that rivals the size of my living room, and also having a special feature resembling a heart.

Onward, up wooden stairs and rocky trails for another hour or two, I don’t know the actual time since my phone was destroyed by the rain shortly after Wilson Stump, I reached Jomon-sugi—the 7000 year old cedar tree. Or so people think it may be that old. Scientist speculate it can be anywhere between 2000 and 7000 years old. However, it is old. The tree isn’t dead, but the first thing I noticed was that the leaves didn’t look like cedar. They were normal green leaves. Then I realized, those leaves were not cedar leaves from the tree. They were trees growing out of the main tree and in order to see the cedar you had to look up through the strange symbiotic relationship to the highest tree top.

It was an amazing sight; however I wouldn’t consider it more amazing than what I had seen on my hike thus far. But if it is truly is 7000 years old, it is more or less to satisfy the imagination than to admire its beauty. Asking a fellow hiker, I learned it was 11:00. I was making good time. I decided to take a 30 minute break and eat some chocolate and a rice ball.

By the time I began my return trek, I was soaked. My Gortex pants meant nothing and my shoes were so wet I soon forgot the dampness. I would have been dryer if I was naked in a swimming pool.

After hiking for about 2 hours, I ran across the two girls I met at the beginning of the hike. I asked the time and they took a picture with me. Again we parted ways, since I was now on the return route. I was hoping that I would see them on the bus home so we could swap stories.

At about 1:30PM I re-entered the Shiratani trail. My muscles were fatigued and my feet were aching. To my guess, at around 3:00 my muscles were almost stopping. Honestly, I never felt my legs so tired in my life. It was as if they would soon just collapse. Every 15 minutes or so, I had to take a break for a couple minutes, otherwise it would have just been impossible. To my surprise I reached the end of the trail head at 4:00, 10 hours. An hour before planned. I grabbed the 4:10 bus and sat in what felt like the most comfortable seat in the world. The 30 minute ride restored strength to my legs, although they were still fatigued, nothing a hot Japanese bath couldn’t help.

I never met the two girls from the trail. However that evening I met another of my roommates, his name slips my mind but we ended up drinking Yakushima shochu (potato alcohol) late into the evening with a few other Japanese hikers which would become a ritual for the next couple nights.

Yakushima: An Isle of Life and Rain

A night in a Kobe capsule hotel could not supply dreams to surpass the beauty of tomorrow’s destination. The early Skymark flight brought me back to my Japanese roots—Kyushu. Arriving at the Kagoshima airport, sharing a table with strangers at a crowded restaurant, and departing from the harbor on a Toppi Hydrofoil was only the beginning of an epic adventure.

After a few hours at sea, the high speed ship pulled into Miyanoura Port. With only minor planning, I was lucky to have see my youth hostel on the coast upon arrival. Recalling from memory I headed to Miyanoura Portside Hostel, where I was met by Miki. Here I was given vital information about the island which would form my plan the next day.

I originally thought of hiking from the Arakawa Trail Head to the Jomon-sugi, but Miki insisted that it would be possible to go from Shiratani Unsuikyo. He said it was a challenging hike and in order to do it in one day I would have to take the first bus departing at 5:30AM and be back by 5:10PM to catch the last bus back to Miyanoura. However, Shiratani Unsuikyo is considered to be hundreds of times more beautiful, and less crowded, than Arakawa Trail Head. Due to the Golden Week Holidays, more people were in Yakushima than usual, but buses also ran one hour earlier making the Shiratani hike possible.

With this plan decided, I checked into my dormitory room. Soon after I met one of my roommates, Daisuke. Also traveling alone we decided to head out for dinner together. Daisuke worked for a French auto parts company in Tokyo. Upon recommendation, we waited for about an hour at a famous restaurant that served Yakushima specialties.

I ate flying fish, including the flying part.



Daisuke was surprised that I was going to hike from Shiratani to Jomon-sugi. He said, it is normally a two day hike. That did not deter me, instead I made sure I packed my sleeping bag in my pack, just in case.

That night I headed to bed early to wake up at 4:30AM and catch the 5:30AM bus that would bring me to the Shiratani Unsuikyo Trail Head.

Monday Reflection

I realize I find myself in sometimes ridiculous or unbelievable situations. However, these situations are not the first time they are experienced. Actually, it's how they are usually experienced when they reoccur.

I now realize they are extraordinary because someone was there to tell me that it was after experiencing it.

The extraordinary is rare, however familiar. So for me, it is an ordinary thing to experience rare extraordinary occurrences. Sometimes awkward, sometimes difficult. However, always memorable. This is what I enjoy most about my life. However, to tell the stories is difficult because I think them ordinary.

Updates and Ramblings

It’s been a while since the last time I have made a post.

A lot has happened, and my head has been swimming with many thoughts. However, I have not got around to sharing many of them.

Every day that passes, the situation in Japan gets better. But progress is slow. There are still thousands of displaced people in Tohoku. But there are also thousands who want to help. The nuclear cores at the Fukushima reactor are still critical, but there are no new developments. News is either starting to die down, or I am reading it less.

Reminder on a Kyoto light post. "Not Alone! Tohoku! Japan! You'll never walk alone."

About a week after the March 11^th earthquake, my mom came to Japan. It was a hard decision for her, since she worried about Japan being in a state of post apocalyptic collapse. Thankfully, her coming has shown her that Japan is a much larger country than just a small speck that was radioactively washed away in a big wave. I took her all over Kansai, and hope that she has fond memories of a country that has played a great part in shaping who I am today, for better and worse.

My mom has many Japanese boy(?) friends.

At an old temple in Nara.

It’s already May! It’s seems like a few weeks ago was the New Year and I was in Thailand. On Saturday I went for a hike through a ravine filled with wild flowers.

My town's flower: Rhododenron

Nature's symmetry

As time passes I am both happy and sad that I will be in Japan until July 2012. Happy that I have a job, but frustrated at the isolation that living in Japan can bring. This is compounded by living in an isolated town. I’m noticing the passage of time moving more quickly, and realizing its effects on my physical body. It’s madding, knowing that every minute that passes is a minute lost in memory.

I’m unsure if I am getting stronger or breaking down when it comes to my social life. I’ve been pretty burnt out at trying to feel included in things, to actually feel wanted somewhere. The amount of money I have to spend to try to connect with people is enormous, resulting in a few recent lonely weekends and realizing that people rarely go out of their way for me. I try to inject myself into situations hoping to give myself the opportunity to meet someone awesome. However, most times even if I do meet someone, a true and lasting connection is never made. The friendship is fleeting and has no concrete value. This superficiality of things has worn on me, and the mask that everyone wears has confused everything down to my very mortal existence. I’ve considered that although I long for this connection there is the possibility that subconsciously I fear connecting with others.

Every time I feel I am moving forward, I am somehow beaten back. I’m starting to think this is how it is suppose to be. I’m becoming less depressed and more complacent; maybe I was destined to be solitary. Although I enjoy the comfort that the invisibility can give— it is empty. The battle against loneliness has been stressful with very few spoils of victory, and it may be less painful to just embrace the emptiness. After all, the better half of a cup is the empty half, if the substance is poison.

In hopes to clear the madness from my own mind, I leave tomorrow for Yakushima, a small island south of Kyushu. Alone in the primeval forest I hope to find something, hopefully some peace from my own negative thoughts and some enlightenment.

Devistation

I find it is finally time to talk a little about the tragedy that happened in Japan on March 11, 2010. As many already know, NE Japan was hit by a 9.0 earthquake which was followed by multiple tsunami crashing into the shore taking away houses, lives, and stability for much of the region. With estimates of dead and missing somewhere around 25,000. Even cities that were not directly hit by the quake and tsunami, such as Tokyo, are feeling the aftereffects such as large "aftershocks" and rolling blackouts due to the Fukushima nuclear power plant being damaged.

Since many of you already know the situation of those effected by the quake and tsunami, I will shift my attention to what, somewhat unfortunately, the rest of the world is mainly reporting on; the Fukushima nuclear reactor. Although currently the situation caused by nature is far worse than the crisis as a result of man's technology.

I first want to criticize the western media on their sensatialization of the nuclear reactor. I understand that the Japanese media may be downplaying some of the severity of the issue in order to maintain order and not cause panic, but the western media must blow the situation up enough to keep foreign viewers watching. Viewers that really will not be affected by the radiation. In this sense, I feel the closest truth is found between these media outlets neither played down nor sensationalized. For this reason, and responsible journalism, I want to clarify the situation.

First, the situation is dire and I wish by no means to downplay it! The immediate area around the reactor has dangerously high radiation readings. The further one goes away from the reactor the lower the radiation. To put this in perspective the U.S. government has stated that U.S. citizens within 50 miles (80km) from the reactor should evacuate. This is the maximum that the U.S. deems as a safety precaution. The Japanese government is saying somewhere around 30km, which in light of recent events I feel is a little too close. Since I am not a nuclear specialist, I can only advise the farther away you are the safer. However, more than 80km and panicking is not doing anyone good. There is no real threat caused by airborne radiation at this distance. Instead watching the news and monitoring water radiation levels as well as food should be the primary concern (in Japan). However, do not panic and horde supplies since the northern regions are running out and to share some food and water will help people and without a doubt save some lives. So don't fear, but do prepare. Calmly and with wisdom!

With this being said, reports of Americans buying Iodine tablets and with some even being sold on eBay for $1000 USD is heinous! In no way will dangerous radiation hit the shores of America from Japan, this is including Hawaii. The U.S. media doesn't want to directly tell you this because it wants you to keep "tuning in" to see if you are in danger. Let's face it, most people really only care about how they are affected. American's living in America, generally don't care about Japanese people living in Japan, although I am not implying they are callus. They do care and may donate money, but they will not keep watching the news every night if there is no direct affect on their life. This is a media's wet dream. The largest earthquake to hit Japan, a devastating tsunami, and nuclear radiation. Honestly people, this opportunity may never greet a journalist again.

As far as radiation in Japan. I also want to put into perspective that Tokyo is some 290km (180 miles) from Fukushima. Radiation has been detected, but in the air it is still under 1μSv. Although higher than normal it is still very low. It is even low enough to rate as natural ambient radiation in some parts of the world. We are always exposed to radiation levels. So a little will not effect us, and radiation such as iodine only has a half life of about a week, so we won't be carrying around extra radiation with us for years. However, there are other types of radiation that have half lifes of 25 years or more. So stay informed of the type of radiation is being leaked.

Let me also remind you that radiation is orderless, invisible and tasteless. This is not to scare you, but this is to debunk silly news reports saying that there is yellow radioactive rain falling in Tokyo. FALSE! Sorry, radioactive rain looks the same as any other rain...well except that it glows in the dark (kidding). So put down your Hollywood movies and learn some science before jumping to conclusions. And SHAME on the media even reporting on this. For those interested, they yellow rain is from pollen.

Also stop saying this is another Chernobyl. It's impossible. The Chernobyl explosion happened when nuclear fission was still underway. Fission was stopped at the Fukushima reactor. A meltdown is possible if not cooled properly, but nothing on the scale of Chernobyl. Here is a breakdown by PBS. Although outdated, it does put some things into perspective without some outrageous claims made by many media sources.

There are many topics to cover, but I will leave on the issue of contamination. Many Japanese vegetables have been contaminated. Although it is at a level that if you eat it a couple times it won't effect you, however to avoid it is the best thing. Radiation is cumulative so the less you take in, the better. I am more worried about the farmers and the economic impact on them, and the long term effects on the immediate region around the reactor and the workers who are there working in extreme levels of radiation. There are reports that a type of radioactive Cesium has been released with a half life of 25 years. I pray that it won't go far because it could destroy farm land, natural habitat and tourism to the area for years. Water contamination has been an issue, even for residents living as far as Tokyo. This is a large concern for infants who are even more susceptible to radiation. However the past 3 days have shown that radiation levels in water are dropping.

And finally, as for my location in Japan. I am about 730km (450mi) away from Fukushima. I am not worried about fallout. I am safe and unaffected by the terrible things that have happened in Japan. I worry more about another earthquake than nuclear radiation coming down from Fukushima. Americans and even Koreans and Chinese should not fear the chance of radiation blowing across the ocean to your homelands. Instead, if you are lucky enough to not be in NE Japan, focus on how you can help those who are really in need.

DONATE: Japanese Red Cross

DONATE: American Red Cross

Both of these organizations are there on the ground helping the people. If you want to help, click the links.

Vietnam Photo Update

I just updated my Vietnam travel posts with some pictures. Check them out!

Blue Sky

When I looked up at the clear azul sky, I think I felt the feeling of freedom. I wouldn’t consider myself trapped or locked away, but for some reason it has been a long time since I gazed up without looking through a glass window. Sometimes work seems like a prison. Stuck in a classroom or stuck in the teacher’s room looking at a computer screen. Go home at four, gets dark at five. Continue looking at a computer screen devising ways to circumvent hypothermia. Even now, as I type this, computer screen. Usually I don’t worry, but I love my eyes and the many blue skies they have yet to see.

It’s been a long time since a lazy Saturday. I woke up late, around eleven, and spent the daytime hours in my town, a rare occurrence. I headed to the new Indian restaurant, where I frequent about once a week, for lunch. Finally there is someone my age I can talk to in town. The girl who works at the Indian restaurant is also twenty-five. She has two children, her oldest being nine. I would have been more shocked about her being a mother at sixteen, except I know in her part of the world that’s the perfect age. It’s interesting having a conversation with someone in your second language, when that language is also their second language.

I finally got a library card. It only took about a year and a half before I decided to venture into the library. I love libraries but when you’re illiterate in the local language, it’s hard to convince yourself to go. As suspected, everything is in Japanese. They do carry one English version of the Tokyo Daily Yomimuri Newspaper. It’s great to catch up on national or world news, but pretty pointless when it comes to local news. Also just pretty pointless since I read most world news on the internet. However, I can now start renting J-pop music CDs. Music that I would never buy, and surprisingly hard to download. I figure it would probably be good for Japanese listing practice.

It’s been getting warmer, still cold when riding the motor bike but not painful. It’s at that strange transition period where I still need my snowboard coat not too freeze, but then I get to my destination it’s too hot walking around. When the blue sky turns black, signaling the end of the day, icy air creeps back into my life.

Now I sit in a familiar seat on a familiar train, riding out of isolation under a night sky. I’m on my way to Osaka to meet up with a couple friends. The night calls for dancing and distilled Russian water.

SE Asia Disclaimer

I will now continue my SE Asia story, but will first write a disclaimer. It would be impossible to tell you everything with a fair amount of detail to do justice to the adventure that I embarked on without writing a full length story. If anything this is only a skeleton, a skeleton lacking calcium, of the two weeks I spent traveling through Cambodia and Vietnam. Maybe if we ever cross paths you can ask for some meat and I may tell you a few vital parts over a drink or two. Until then, read this knowing it isn’t a complete tale.

Also please read from "Myanmar Whiskey" to "Hanoi" for the correct order of events. I published the articles backwards so that you could read from the top to the bottom.

Myanmar Whiskey

My last day in Sangkhlaburi was spent riding a motor bike out to the Thai/Burmese border. Between here and there we stopped at a temple inside a cave. It was myself, my friend Dusty and each of our motorbike passengers who were the only ones to venture inside. Before the four of us climbed the warped and rotting stairs marked in unreadable Thai, crossing the large ravine below to a hole in the upper wall of the cave, I was hoping my good Karma would balance out the boards so not to fall to my death a couple hundred feet below on the limestone. Truly an adventure but not the goal of the day’s journey, for that was reached before this side adventure. What follows is what happened before.



We arrived at the Thai/Burmese border at about 10AM, known as the Three Pagoda Pass. Seemed the same as when I left it a year ago, even though a month before bullets and RPGs were being pelted across the mountainous landscape. However, one thing was noted, the Burmese flag was different; it was embroidered with only a single star.



Last year I made a friend with a whiskey and cigarette salesman from Myanmar and was given a couple capfuls of “Myanmar Whiskey” over conversation. This year, he found me before I found him. He approached me as I was walking around the market and said with a smile and a handshake, “Wow! Where have you been? I haven’t seen you.” After talking about the normal stuff he shared with me some information about the war between the National Army of Myanmar and some rebel armies. How he had to lay with his head down on the ground of his own house while bullets were fired just outside his front door. He also shared what happened in November at the Three Pagoda Pass and pointed at the nearby mountain that was hit by a RPG. Stories that send shivers down your spine.

He also explained to me, from the perspective of an average Burmese person, the correct terminology on what to call his country. Before the current regime, Myanmar was called Burma. For a select few countries, such as the U.S., it is still called Burma but recognized by the U.N. as Myanmar. However, to the Burmese, or at least the majority, it is in fact Myanmar. Myanmar is the country, and Burma is the people. So you would never say Myanmarese, which makes sense because I have never heard it. However, I have heard a few Burmese claiming they are from Burma, instead of saying Myanmar. I don’t know if this should be read politically or simply in that when they lived in Myanmar it wasn’t called Myanmar yet. I would have asked if this division had anything to do with personal political allegiance, but I knew he wasn’t comfortable expressing his feelings toward his country’s political state of affairs. All I know is he loves Myanmar and hopes that peace and prosperity will be something witnessed by the people.

I hope the man who sells whiskey is there next year.

The Boarder and Onward to Siem Reap

Only 8 hours in Bangkok after arriving from Sangkhlaburi we were on a bus to Aranyaprathet at 5:30AM. Aranyaprathet is the Thai border town with Poipet, Cambodia. About $8 and 5 hours later we were crossing by foot into Cambodia.

The boarder on the Thai side seems pretty normal. It’s just a market with a building you walk through to get your exit visa stamp. However, you will be bothered by Cambodian touts trying to sell you their services. In our case, we couldn’t get rid of ours. But he didn’t seem too invasive. Of course he said he was a Cambodian government employee, which wouldn’t mean much anyway, and the information he was telling us was definitely true, since I studied diligently about every scam that could happen at the border including those of touts. We didn’t need his services, but he wouldn’t go away. So we let him follow us around since if we had one at least we wouldn’t keep getting bothered by others.

We paid our $20 visa fee, and I paid a small bribe of $2 to grease the wheels of corruption. We entered no-man’s land. Neither Thailand or Cambodia and crossed into Cambodian immigration control. Stamped and passed. Our tout wouldn’t enter the government buildings but was always waiting outside. We then followed him to the free transport terminal and when we were about to leave in our “taxi”, he asked for a tip. He said 3000 baht ($100 USD) would be fine. I literally laughed and told him that I knew all the info he told us. We didn’t request his services and if anything, he was just following us. I gave him $5 for his trouble and to avoid any confrontation. Not to mention, he was good tout repellant since we were marked as “claimed”.

Our taxi driver pulls out of the transport terminal, and ten seconds later pulls off to the side of the road. Walks outside and pulls off the “TAXI” signs magnetically stuck to the car doors. He said, “Now, no police stop.” This was my first clue that things might not go as smooth as the freshly laid road to Siem Reap was telling me. The driver was going very slow. About 50km/hr with a speed limit of 80km/hr. I didn’t want to worry about it for two hours, so I just went with it. I thought to myself, he’s probably just trying to save gas or something. Then a phone call. Then a bathroom break on the side of the road for the driver. Then another phone call. Then another bathroom break. However, we were heading in the right direction. Maybe he has a small bladder, I thought.

Siem Reap was in sight and suddenly we pull down a small dirt ally and up to a parking lot behind a building full of tuk-tuk drivers. I heard of this scam. But before I could say anything to the driver, he literally ran out of the taxi. A man comes to the door and starts telling us that we will get into a tuk-tuk, in a non-asking tone. I’m in the front seat so I begin the negations. I tell him, we aren’t getting out of the taxi. I tell him that we paid to be taken to our guest house. He spills the usual bullshit telling us that the driver doesn’t know his way around the city. I tell him I’ve been told about the scam he is trying to pull. He gets upset and starts spitting profanity. Even making some treats about being at the bottom of a river. I keep my cool and strike a deal with this guy. He says his name is “Cobra.” I tell him I’m paying him nothing and he is taking us to our guest house. I seal the deal with a hand shake and tell him that I trust him.

In the tuk tuk he decides to ride along with us. Explaining why he is wearing a face mask. He says it’s because he has a deformity or something on his mouth. I know it is because he doesn’t want to expose his identity. Even though he pushes us to go to a different guest house and use his services, we arrive at our guest house. I give him nothing and tell him and the driver we will be taking bikes around the city tomorrow. I learn later that he is part of the mafia, according to the man running our guest house. Good bye Cobra, king of the snakes. Did I mention? I hate snakes!

Although we had a few bumps in the road along the way, we arrived in Siem Reap unscathed. The next few days in Cambodia become an unforgettable adventure, making Cambodia one of my favorite countries I’ve ever been to.

Tomb Raider: Cambodia

After checking in and having Indian curry for our first Cambodian meal. A safe bet since we were traveling with a famished vegetarian. We meet our tuk tuk driver. His name is Mean. He is actually very nice. We watch the sun set over the jungle and recharge our batteries.



Early morning. A Tuk Tuk ride. Sunrise at Angkor Wat. No, I don’t want coffee, beer, boom-boom or coconuts. I want watch the sunset over the stones of history! Why else would I be walking around Cambodia at 5AM?!!

We spend a whole day exploring the complex of Angkor Wat. The morning was packed, but it seemed many tourists went back to their five star hotels after snapping a few shots at sunrise. This was great, because exploring the ruins of an old empire are better off done without crowds. It wasn’t deserted, but it wasn’t over run.

There is not much to say about Angkor Wat though. It’s a big temple. It is surrounded by many small temples. There are a lot of stone carvings, and it is pretty magnificent. But, it isn’t a place where you can play Indiana Jones or Lara Croft. It was similar to when I went to the Great Wall and the Taj Mahal, with maybe about 1/3 less people. Maybe I’ve seen too many world wonders; although magnificent they don’t let you get lost in your own imagination. This is not to say I wouldn’t recommend a visit. Everyone should see it! It’s just that I can’t write anything that can’t already be read in a travel book or someone else’s travel blog. Instead I will leave you with a couple thousand words.

Angkor Wat in 1000 words

Stone face of the Bayon

After Angkor Wat, we went to a buffet. Actually the first and only real time I tried Khmer (Cambodian) food since our prior culinary choices consisted of Indian curry for dinner and French inspired cuisine for breakfast. Cambodian food is delicious. It resembles Thai food, with unique flavors and lower spice levels that tell you it is different somehow. While we ate, we had the opportunity to watch an Apsara Dance show.

Apsara: Then

Apsara: Now

The next day, Mean took us 3 hours by tuk tuk out to a real gem. A place that did let me feel a little like Indiana Jones. Especially when the police officer told me to watch out for snakes if I climb down into the temple, I hate snakes! But luckily, no Cobra!

What mysteries are held behind this door?

Afterwards we stopped at a floating village. We paid an exhorbant price of $20 per person ($60 for the 3 of us) to get into a half broken boat that ferried the three of us down into what looked more like a ghetto than a village. The poverty level was staggering in proportion to the price we had to pay to see the village. We were asked if we wanted to get into a small boat to be guided through the marshes, and of course for adventure sake we said yes. We quickly changed our mind when we got in and were ferried about 5 meters to another boat where a guy tried to get $10 per person from us again while being supervised by some shady cop. We told the guy we paid tons of money already, but he said it was different. He then handed me a cell phone, I think he was calling the people we bought the tickets from, but all there was was static and voices speaking no English. After picking up a dead fish and trying to scare our female travel companion, we said we’d just go back to the big boat, we don’t need the ride. When staying a night at a guest house costs $8/person, $30/person for a ghetto tour is robbery.

Our boat and it's driver

The floating village


Sometimes still beautiful

This shady almost law enforced scam, with the knowledge of knowing that about $5 of that $60 that we paid was going to the village and boat driver made me hate this place, and was really the only thing I would advise people NOT to do in Cambodia. Don’t go to a “floating village” unless you just want to look at begging children and those trying to make a quick buck off of them.


We paid enough money for 15 pairs of shoes in Cambodia.

After a great stay in Siem Reap, we boarded a bus and headed to Phnom Penh, Cambodia’s capital and biggest city but only containing about 1.3 million people. Here we ate food and walked around. It was possibly here that I finally cemented my love for Cambodia. Out of the tourism industry of Siem Reap and into a real city, I had a chance to meet many Cambodians.

A common sight in Cambodia

French inspired Cambodia

When we got off the bus a tuk tuk driver was trying to have us acquire his services. Of course we first wanted to get oriented to where we were. But he kept telling us in an overly helpful manner where we were and that he could take us where we want to go. After dealing with the numerous scams you are undoubtedly going to run across in Cambodia, we weren’t quite in instant buddy mode. Because of this, he kind of complained about us not trusting him but we ended up taking his services. Turned out he was honest and even helped us find a good guest house, since the place we had booked looked like a meth lab and far from the river front where we wanted to explore. Because he turned out to be a good guy, we decided to hire him to get us to the bus station the next morning. It was a relief to find a Cambodian that realized that being honest can sometimes make you more cash than trying to scam a tourist.

Besides this, the loving nature of most Cambodians was awesome. Everyone is trying to sell you something, but if you don’t get worn out and mad, but smile widely and joke around, you realize you can become friends with anyone. Even if you don’t take their services or products, the small friendship you built doesn’t go away. It almost seemed that the happiness you shared was more important than getting money. Something that surprised me in a country that is extremely poor.

I refused this guy, but he accepted a picture!

On the surface, Cambodia seems like an empty wasteland filled with landmines, scams, crime and grime with Angkor Wat being the only reason for entering such a country. But if you dive through this layer and don’t let it cloud your vision, the country is amazing! What makes it amazing is the people. For every one guy that tries to scam you, throw a dead fish in your face or threaten to throw you in a river; there are a thousand smiles.

Much of Cambodia looks like this. Much of this is concealing land mines.