Conquering Fuji-san!

Wanting to cross it off our bucket lists, my Dad and I decided that we would climb Mt Fuji (or Fuji-san as it is respectfully referred to in Japan) while he was here and so on Tuesday 21st of August, rather near the end of his holiday, we set off on a bus from Shinjuku Station bound for the magnificent mountain.

Mt Fuji from the bus!

At home in Awa I had been preparing for the climb for a couple of months, occasionally going for a run around my (rather flat) neighbourhood in an attempt to get my fitness levels up.  On the day of the climb we prepared ourselves by checking out of the hotel at the latest minute possible, arranging to have our luggage couriered to our Osaka hotel to meet us after the climb, finishing up the last of our Tokyo shopping and settling down in a darkened cinema to get some air-conditioned rest while we watched The Dark Knight.

At 5pm we boarded a bus to take us to the "fifth station" on the Yoshida Trail (considered one of the easiest and most popular hiking trail out of four possible routes).  We tried to sleep on the bus but nervous energy was running high (especially after we spotted Fuji in the distance) and Dad had made friends with a British couple called Kieran and Karen who were planning to celebrate their first wedding anniversary atop the mountain in the morning.  We arrived at our destination shortly after 7pm and made our way to the bathrooms to change into our mountain-climbing clothes.  Spreading our stuff out across a nearby bench, we packed our backpacks full of supplies like spare batteries, headlamps, cameras, sandwiches, instant noodles, chocolate bars, asthma inhalers, panadol, tissues, spare clothes, bottles of water and of course the celebratory hip-flask of whiskey for when we reached the top!  At 8pm we enjoyed our final cigarettes, double checked our packs, took some photos and then asked for directions to the trail, which had become rather difficult to find in the darkness.  It wasn't very cold at this point and both of us were decked out in simple long-sleeved shirts and pants.  We donned our headlamps, Dad started his timer and we set off along the path...

A pre-climb smoke break...

Truthfully at the beginning we were a little worried that we were going in the wrong direction as the path often dipped downhill.  We caught up to a pair of hikers up ahead and in broken English/Japanese confirmed that we were in fact on the ascending path rather than, heaven forbid, the descending path!  We were on the right trail and soon enough the going started to get a little steeper and rockier no less.  Pretty soon we couldn't even manage a conversation with the strain of climbing and settled into a comfortable silence broken only by the sounds of the bells ringing atop our hiking poles.

It took a long time to get to the next station and here we took a long rest, striving to avoid feeling the effects of altitude sickness.  We met some cool people at this stop (one of them an Australian guy from Sydney actually) and the banter between us kept our motivation high.  After eating a sandwich and downing a bottle of water each we resumed our climb.  This next leg was a little tougher on the knees and each time we slowed down a little the wind chill factor seemed to skyrocket.  By the next station were we ready to pile on some more layers of clothing and take another snack break, spending another blissful 20 minutes sitting on the benches and catching our breaths.  Some hikers had bought small oxygen tanks at the shops along the way and were dosing up on it to prevent altitude sickness.  Dad and I opted for a few puffs of the asthma inhaler, which really helped to open up our lungs and allow us to breathe better.

The Seventh Station.

By around midnight we started to feel a little tired, though fortunately neither of us had started feeling ill yet.  The stations seemed to be getting fewer and further in between while the number of people on the mountain seemed to be growing exponentially.  Soon, even ascending a distance of 400metres was taking us close to an hour - due to the nature of the trail and the crowds all hustling to get to the top before sunrise.  The last 200metres was definitely the hardest, with each hiker only able to climb as fast as the person in front allowed.  Even in the darkness however, the view at this point was spectacular as the light from the torches and headlamps of each pilgrim shone out to stretch up and down the mountainside in a slowly moving line.

Almost there!

Dad taking a breather.

Finally we reached the top and I think we both uttered a sigh of relief.  I know Dad's knee had been giving him a bit of grief and we were pleased to have made it to the top with time to spare before sunrise.  Surprisingly I still had phone coverage at the top of Mt Fuji and quickly downloaded a compass app so that we could find east and a perfect viewing spot to see the rising sun.  We settled onto a small ledge and put on whatever items of clothing were left in our bags.  It was freezing at the top of Fuji - much colder than I had been expecting - and pretty soon we were both shivering to the bone!  I had two scarves wrapped around my head, face and ears in an effort to stay warm and Dad draped a small towel over our legs as we sat together huddled in the darkness.  Apparently we made it to the top with a little too much time to spare with the stillness of the summit relentlessly making us colder and colder by the minute.  We sat together here for close to an hour, keeping one eye on the clock and one on the horizon.

Just before the sunrise...

The sky started to lighten bit by bit and the crowds began to quieten down in anticipation of the sun.  Dad and I got out our cameras, trying our best to capture the beauty of the moment.  I have since looked at my photos and realised that we came nowhere close - though I can't decide yet whether that is a good or bad thing!  It seemed to take forever for the sun to break over the horizon and getting restless, Dad and I relinquished our front row seats and decided to go for a wander to warm up.  We walked through the small settlement area on top of Fuji-san, breathing in the atmosphere and watching the faces of the hikers around us.  A short while later we stood at the top of a hill and I watched, in tears, as a burning red ball of light broke free of the horizon and shone down upon us.  Everyone around us cheered and clapped for the sun with some old guys yelling "banzai" and eliciting a roaring response in reply.  Dad and I stood together taking photographs - me trying not to cry - and contemplated the effort that it took to get to the top, the fact that we had finally made it and the realisation that we had done it together.  A true father and daughter moment.

Watching the sunrise in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Dad at the top of Mt Fuji.

The crowds photographing the sunrise over Mt Fuji.

A million photographs later and we decided to complete the one-hour circuit of the crater at the top of Fuji.  It was still a little hard going, though after the gruelling climb up it didn't really bother each of us too much.  We visited the Mt Fuji Post Office where I sent a postcard to Mum and we collected the hiking pole brands that signified reaching the top.  I wowed a couple of cafeteria workers with my Japanese when buying us some coffee and we finally had a drink and a cigarette to celebrate our successful journey.  A quick stop at the bathrooms later and we were on our way around the rest of the way, where Dad saw snow for the first time (remnants leftover inside the crater from last winter).

Dad smiling at the fact that we finally made it!

Standing atop Fuji together.

Once we'd finished our lap around the crater it was time for our descent.  And even though all we wanted to do at that point was get chopper-lifted off the mountain and taken home to bed, we began the hard three-hour slog to get back down to the fifth station.  The way down was arguably harder than the trek up - the deep, slippery gravel switchbacks taking its toll on our toes, ankles, knees and nostrils!  Furthermore, the lack of toilet blocks on the way down had me hurrying to make it as far as possible in the shortest imaginable amount of time!  Reaching the only station on the way down was bliss and we took the time to have a short rest despite the heat creeping up quickly.  The final leg down the mountain was easy in comparison and we watched as several others opted to descend on rather expensive horseback rides instead of walking.  Dad offered to pay for me to descend by horse too - if only so he could snap a photo and label me a princess - but after everything that had come before, I couldn't bring myself not to walk down the remaining few kilometres to the end.  About 45 minutes before the fifth station we were approached by a very outgoing Japanese young man (called Yasushi) and his friend (who remained nameless) who asked Dad if he was Japanese.  A conversation was struck up in which Dad's hairstyle and facial features were compared to that of a Japanese samurai and soon we became Fuji-friends.  Yasushi was very funny and spoke English very well in a highly amusing way.  It was great to get our minds off the distance left and at the end we posed for photographs with them in front of the Yoshida Trail sign.  Later, Yasushi also helped us to purchase bus tickets so that we could get to Osaka - regretfully we didn't exchange contact details.

The price list for horseback riding.

Our funny Fuji-friend Yasushi (left).

The buses and trains from the Fifth Station to Gotemba to Mishima to Osaka were long and horrible.  Dad and I had been awake for roughly 36 hours by this point.  To say we were tired was an understatement, but the delirious energy between us made for some hilarious conversations.  I felt so sorry for anyone that had the misfortune of sitting near to us on our way to the hotel - particularly our fellow passengers on the bullet train (or shinkansen) who had paid a lot of money for a seat!  We both looked awful and smelled even worse, but kindly we were afforded a certain level of respect by everyone who spotted our hiking poles and realised we had just climbed Mt Fuji.  Arriving at the hotel and climbing into the shower was a beautiful moment, and feeling refreshed Dad and I ventured out into Dotonbori for our last night of dinner and drinks together in Japan.

I will never forget this part of our trip and though it was hard, I believe the memories we made are truly once in a lifetime!

Tokyo Revisited (Part 2): Drinking, Shopping & Earthquakes

I had set our Sunday in Tokyo aside for sightseeing and shopping, planning to drag Dad to see the Ginza, Shibuya, Harajuku and Akihabara.  In the end we made it only to Harajuku and then to Shibuya to meet up with a Perth friend of mine.

We had a bit of a sleep-in on Sunday morning, catching the train two stops to Harajuku at about 11am.  The small arcade-like shopping street in Harajuku was one of my favourite places to be when I was in Tokyo first time around and a revisit didn't disappoint.  Dad managed to do a heap of souvenir shopping for the 45-odd people on his gift list and as he did so I ducked into countless little boutiques to nab some bargain clothes, shoes or accessories.  Funnily enough his favourite store ended up being Daiso - which is essentially Japan's MUCH higher quality version of the Aussie two buck shop.  I made it a point to munch down a Harajuku crepe for breakfast - this time around opting for the custard apple variety.  It was delicious!

Refueling on Harajuku crepes after a serious shopping sesh!

All shopped out we made our way to Shibuya to meet up with one of my ex-colleagues, Rick, and his Japanese wife, Ayano.  We met them at the famous Hachiko statue - a common meeting place in Shibuya, right near the multi-directional crossing made famous in films (and what my Dad kept referring to as Tokyo's Times Square).  Hachiko was a Japanese dog that used to wait for his owner to return home at a train station every evening.  The dog was so loyal that long after the owner died, it still used to wait at the station every night.  Dad was beside himself with excitement, having seen the Richard Gere film adaptation of the story, and couldn't wait to get to the front of the queue to pose for photographs with the bronze dog.

Ayano was kind enough to take us shopping for a few of the harder to find items on Dad's wishlist and afterwards took us to a tempura restaurant where we tucked into a set meal that included a small portion of battered whale.  I have to say, despite being very against whaling while I lived in Australia, I feel like I might be coming to see the Japanese side of the story and must admit that the small portion that I had was undeniably tasty.

My tempura set lunch featuring whale (centre right).

After eating our fill and drinking a couple of cheap lunch beers, the four of us headed back to Shinjuku and towards the Municipal Office Towers to get an all-encompassing view of the city from the 43rd floor.  There are two large towers here and tourists can choose to ascend either one for a free-of-charge look out over the whole of Tokyo.  It took one whole minute to get to the top in the elevator and the view from the top was spectacular, if a little hazy.  Unfortunately there was a little too much cloud cover for us to be able to see Mt Fuji clearly, but we could see all the way out to Disneyland near Chiba and also scope out the new Tokyo Sky Tree (standing at over 600m tall).  We bought some souvenirs here - like the tourists we were - and then moseyed on back to our hotel to drop off all of our shopping.

Shinjuku Municipal Office Towers

Still a little to full from lunch and a tad too early for dinner anyways, Rick decided to take us to a nomihodai joint where we could start our drinking portion of the evening.  Turns out it was the lower storey dining room of the same place Dad and I had stumbled into on our first night here, which was pretty cool and made us feel a little less like tourists for having found a local haunt so soon!  We settled into a table and for 1200yen (or 15AUD) embarked on a 2-hour all-you-can-drink journey.  At the end of our two hours one of the waiters asked us if we'd like to extend for an hour for 500yen each (6AUD pp) and after agreeing we began to order some food too.  Most of the food was tapas style Japanese pub-grub, which was delicious, though I think Dad went a bit overboard in ordering enough for everyone to share.  Pretty soon we were all full again and now also starting to get a little drunk.  It was good to catch up with Rick and get to know Ayano (who speaks fantastic English) and not wanting the night to end we agreed to extend our nomihodai package by one more hour!

By the time we were done and Dad had (insistently) paid for the bill, it was time for Rick and Ayano to catch a train home to Chiba (about an hour away) as they both had work the next day.  Dad and I decided to kick on and ended up at a British pub chain called The Hub watching soccer on the big-screen and talking about what we'd do if we won lotto.  They kicked us out at closing (about 1am) and we stumbled into a nearby combini to buy hip-flasks of whiskey and 600ml bottles of coke to mix it into.  For a while we sat on the edge of a wishing well/fountain and talked shit before eventually making it back to the hotel to pass out.  Needless to say, I was well and truly hungover the next day and it is with regret that we decided to forgo Disneyland in favour of easier-to-handle shopping around the local area.

The Hub - a popular British-style pub chain in the major cities of Japan.

Dad posing with the naked fountain lady at the end of a big Sunday night out in Tokyo, haha.

On Monday night I had made plans to catch up with my friends Erin and Brian (who are from Colorado in the US).  I met Erin and Brian in Tokushima last year while Erin was working as an Assistant Language Teacher on the JET Programme.  Instead of recontracting like I did however, Erin applied for and received a scholarship to study post-grad at Tokyo University.  This means that the lucky couple recently got to move to Tokyo!  First they took us to the Isetan Department Store which is famous for its gourmet foodie basement.  Imagine a David Jones or Myer food section and then times it by a million in terms of variety and quality.  We were in heaven walking around and drooling over all of the foods on offer!  We each bought some tidbits to takeaway and made our way up to the rooftop beer garden.  The beer garden was beautiful - perfectly manicured lawns and gardens with a view over Shinjuku and a selection of beers on tap!  We sat on the grass (I had to - grass is very rare in Japan and this patch was particularly lush!) and settled in to catch up over our beers and deli delights.  As we were preparing to leave, Dad decided to take a video recording of us and at that exact moment and earthquake rumbled through underfoot!  Dad's video features the three of us excitedly exclaiming about the earthquake (the first my Dad has ever felt) and describing how it felt beneath us (kind of like a giant was rocking the building back and forth slowly).  It was a small earthquake though - 3.4 on the scale - and in a city so prone to experiencing them, there was no damage anywhere.  In fact, most people didn't even look up from their beers!  After that little excitement we headed back downstairs to the street and wandered around Shinjuku for a little while, ending up in a small family-run bar/restaurant for a small meal and some more drinks.  The food was a little odd (potato crisp chips with tomato sauce and melted cheese on top masquerading as nachos anyone?) but the service was impeccable and nobody seemed to bat an eyelid at the fact that four foreigners were taking up a quarter of the floor space.  We left Erin and Brian relatively early as we knew we had a big day up ahead of us on Tuesday - checking out of the hotel early and then making our way to Mt Fuji for a night climb...

Erin, myself and Brian - still smiling shortly after the earthquake!

Tokyo Revisited (Part 1): Shinjuku 280 and the Yomiuri Giants

I'll be honest with you: this part of the trip was what I'd been looking forward to the most - Tokyo, baby!  Now I know my Dad isn't a huge fan of a sprawling metropolis but I thought he'd get a kick out of being in Tokyo too, after all, it is one of the most famous cities on the planet!  So on late Friday afternoon we boarded a plane at Osaka's Itami Airport and flew into Tokyo's Haneda Terminal.

The train to Shinjuku was an eye-opener and awkward to boot, as both of us struggled to stay out of the way with our extra-large suitcases taking up valuable peak-hour train space.  To our relief however, of the countless stares we were given most all of them were of curiosity not hostility.  Anyway, we managed to squeeze out of the train at Shinjuku Station (a place I was dreading due to the rabbit-warren-like, underground nature of it) and outside to catch a cab to our hotel.

By the time we had checked in and dumped our bags it was around 8pm and so ditching plans to visit a fancy restaurant we decided instead to hit up the 'seedy streets' of Kabukicho (a bustling square of Shinjuku filled with host bars, love hotels, cheap restaurants, bars and clubs) for a bite to eat.  We managed to find a cheap izakaya (Japanese style tapas pub restaurant) and with everything on the menu 280yen (roughly 3.20AUD) we got stuck into our first night in Tokyo!

On Saturday 18th of August we had tickets to see a major league baseball game between Yomiuri Giants and Hiroshima Carp at Tokyo Dome.  We caught the train out there amongst a horde of orange or red bedecked fans around midday and made our way into the stadium complex.  Dad was beside himself with excitement and insisted on buying every one of every time of merchandise imaginable.  In the end I calmed him down into buying a hat for himself and a few shirts for his buddies.  We made our way into the stadium and after getting incredibly lost finding our seats and having to ask a stadium employee to direct us there, sat down and breathed in the atmosphere.  Tokyo Dome is huge and for those in Perth, reminiscent of the Burswood Dome with the lofty white pillowy roof.  Our seats were quite high up but Dad and I were happy with the view that this afforded us and even more thrilled to see Beer Girls running up and down the aisles serving punters a freshly poured cold draft beer on demand.  At roughly 10AUD per cup it wasn't the greatest of bargains, but coming from Australia where you have to leave your seat to line up and collect a beer from the outlets, it was like heaven.  The game itself seemed to go on forever and at one point I was sure that I was going to fall asleep.  But late into the 8th innings shit got exciting and our adopted team, the Giants, smashed in four runs (?) to steal the game!  We couldn't yell loud enough and the buzz in the air was almost palpable.

After the baseball I had wanted to go to Roppongi for a big night out, but in all honesty both of us were knackered and a quiet night was sounding like a better and better idea.  We caught the train back to Shinjuku, made it back to the hotel to shower and change, then headed down the street for Coco Curry.  I'd never eaten Coco Curry before and I wasn't too thrilled on starting now (I prefer the Burmese curries of my childhood), but Dad was well-keen to try Japanese curry so we settled in and ordered a table-full worth of food.  Admittedly it was pretty good, though we both ate way too much and all we could manage afterwards was to plonk ourselves at an outdoor table at a bar staggering distance from our hotel for a few late night whiskeys.

Nara

I had long since wanted to visit Nara (and feed the famous Nara deer) and finally on Friday 17th August I got to do just that!

Dad and I got up early on Friday and packed up our luggage, preparing to check out of the ryokan early.  We left our bags at the lobby, cracked into the box of bite-sized chocolate-covered ice-cream balls we'd bought the night before and by 9am we were on a train to Nara (about 30 minutes from Kyoto).

When we arrived in Nara we made our way to the information desk to grab a map of the local area, and have a short chinwag with the rather enthusiastic old guys behind the counter, and then we set off for Nara Park in search of these famous deer.  It didn't take long to find (out of the station and just keep walking) and pretty soon we were cracking Bambi jokes and stopping to take pictures.  Some of the deer were very small and very cute, while others brandished huge sets of antlers and were altogether scary!

The cute Nara deer!

The scary Nara deer!

Our first real encounter was with one cheeky deer who snatched the map from Dad's pocket and promptly started trying to eat it.  We played tug of war with him for a bit but it was a losing battle and in the end we had to go mapless.  After this we really should've known better, but we bought a couple of packets of wafer biscuits (meant only for the deer) from a street-side vendor anyway and were suddenly descended upon by hordes of the hungry bullies.  I had deer biting my waist and tearing at my skirt, nudging me with their antlers and stomping their hoofs, all trying to get one of the biscuits I was wielding.  And here I had thought that they would be friendly and kind!  I can't remember who told me the story about the Nara deer bowing to you before you feed them, but I can say from experience now that such stories are complete poppycock!  Giving up on a friendly encounter with the deer we settled for watching other tourists make the same mistake, giggling quietly to ourselves over a coffee.

Bullying a tourist into giving up the biscuits!

With time against us (due to an unmissable flight to Tokyo at 4.30pm) we decided to forgo the entire Nara Park walk and just head straight to Todai-ji (Eastern Temple Complex) to see the Daibutsu-den (Great Buddha Hall).  One of the largest wooden structures in the world, Daibutsu-den is also home to a 420-tonne bronze and gold Buddha.  It was an amazing sight to behold.  Dad and I were mesmerised by the sheer size of the building and the statue ensconced within.

Daibutsu-den

The Giant Buddha

The experience got even better on the way out though as we were afforded the opportunity to donate a roof tile to the Todai-ji Restoration Project.  For a mere 1000yen (approx 12AUD) we bought a roof tile and was able to write our names, address and a wish or message on the underside.  Dad wished for the health and well-being of the family, while I asked for peace.  It was the perfect end to a whirlwind Nara trip.

Our donated roof tile.

Kyoto

On Thursday 16th August Dad and I made our way to Kansai by EARLY bus.  We got let out in Osaka and despite wanting to explore the city together, lugging our suitcases made that virtually impossible.  Instead we caught a train to nearby Kyoto and set out to find our ryokan (traditional Japanese-style lodgings) so that we could dump our bags and get on with the fun.

I had booked us a night at the super-easy-to-find and close-to-the-station, Tomiya Ryokan (a place I couldn't recommend enough) and we arranged an early check-in.  The staff at the ryokan spoke English rather well and were very helpful, providing us with maps and directions to all the sights we had on our hitlist.  Our room was a small, traditional Japanese affair - one shared tatami room with futons on the floor and a couple of easy chairs by a coffee table and refrigerator.  It was functional cute but I wasn't looking forward to the snoring that'd no doubt keep me awake later!  In any case, we dropped off our bags, freshened up a little, repacked some supplies to take with us and set off to find the Golden Temple.

Kinkaku-ji, or the Golden Temple, is one of the most famous sights in Kyoto and indeed all of Japan.  It is roughly the equivalent to Burma's Shwedagon Pagoda - a Buddhist temple that has been covered in shining gold leaf.  Of course, as it is listed as a World Heritage Site tourists cannot go near, into or touch the Golden Temple.  Instead garden paths have been constructed to allow pilgrims almost 360 degree views of the 2-storey building.

We caught the bus to Kinkaku-ji and though it wasn't that far away from Kyoto's main station, with so many stops the entire trip took us nearly an hour.  Stepping out of the bus into a blisteringly hot day didn't help matters and nor did the enormous crowd.  Anyway, we paid our 500yen entry fee each, collected some reading materials about the temple and started down the garden path...

Kinkaku-ji

The Golden Temple

Our next stop was lunch and we headed up to the 8th floor of the Isetan (a department store in Japan) station building to find a restaurant.  Dad was beside himself with glee - as this was to be his first Japanese restaurant meal - and decided on a rather classy tonkatsu place.  We both ordered variations of the set lunch (crumbed pork cutlets, rice, miso soup, shredded cabbage, pickled vegetables) and after a short wait our huge meal trays came out.  I could barely finish mine, but the crab croquettes and clam miso were highlights.

Kyoto Station

Dad getting excited over his first Japanese restaurant meal

After lunch we decided to visit the Fushimi Inari Shrine, located a 20-minute train ride out of Kyoto central.  Once upon a time farmers used this shrine to pray for good harvest, but these days it has come to represent good fortune in business in general and many companies pay to have a torii gate erected bearing the company logo.  Fortunately for us, all of the advertising is in indecipherable-to-our-eyes kanji and the shrine still looks as beautiful as ever.  We wandered along the path for just shy of an hour, taking photographs and trying not to get eaten alive by the mosquitoes in such a woodland setting at dusk.  Truthfully we could have taken the full path around the shrine (roughly 2 hours of walking) but with places to be and dinner to eat first, we decided to cut our visit short and head back to Kyoto Station.

Dad posing in front of the main temple rooms at Fushimi Inari

Acting like idiots along the torii gate path

On our way to the Imperial Palace Gardens we stopped at a combini to buy a light dinner and then began the walk to find the perfect viewing location for Daimonji...  Every year at Obon time (12-15 Aug) the people of Kyoto arrange several bonfires on the mountains surrounding the city. Each fire is shaped into a kanji character that represents different things.  The idea is that in lighting these bonfires, they are showing the spirits of their loved ones (who come to visit during Obon) the way home.  The bonfires are visible from certain points of the city and it was at the Palace Gardens that we decided to pull up a pew and watch the world burn.

Dad at Daimonji

Unfortunately, our spot was a little far away from the action and though we could see clearly we didn't get as up close and personal as we both had wanted.  We were also a little disappointed at forgetting to buy sake at the combini and managing to find probably the only two "dry combinis" in Kyoto within walking distance from our seats.  Nonetheless, we watched Daimonji, ate our dinner and took photos using the closest zoom we could manage on our cameras.

On the way back to the ryokan we decided to stock up on more food and drinks, culminating in a mini impromptu party back in our hotel room where Dad tried sake for the first time.  We also took the opportunity to visit the sento (public bath) downstairs and after a 20-minute soak felt as good as new.  We ended up crawling into bed at around midnight and pleasantly, there was no snoring to be heard!

Awa Odori 2.0

On Tuesday 14th August my Dad had finally arrived in Tokushima and we were all set to dance in the famous local Awa Odori Festival.  Not to be sniffed at, Awa Odori is THE larges dance festival in Japan and the second largest in the world after Rio's Carnivale.  For 3 magical days, the streets of Tokushima City light up as more than a million visitors descend to partake in the revelry.  Between the hours of 5-9pm, dance troupes of all ages, nationalities and abilities gather to dance through 'street stages' set up on various city roads, while the ticket-buying audiences pack the stands to cheer and take pictures.

Last year, as a new JET, it was compulsory for me to dance in Awa Odori, having been signed up and had the fee paid for by my Board of Education (this is a bit of a Tokushima Orientation initiative each year actually).  The crazy whirlwind of the experience last year made me pretty certain that I wouldn't be dancing this year, preferring instead to sit back and watch from the bleachers.  And then I found out Dad would be here at the time and another of my friend's parents would be dancing in Awa Odori too, so I thought, what the hell, and signed us both up to dance.

I left English Camp a little ahead of schedule and rushed home to pick up Dad and all of our gear (change of clothes, sling purse, tabi shoe/socks and tickets etc).  We headed to the train station and dozed through the hour-long journey to the city.  A quick cigarette break and convenience store stop later and we found ourselves at the Awa Kanko Hotel at 3.30pm collecting our yukatas (summer kimonos).  Off Dad went to the Men's Changing Room, while I went to get bound up in the intricate ties and corsetry of my outfit in the Women's Section.  By 4.15pm we were both dressed and ready to roll, so we posed for a few pictures and waited for the party to start at 4.45pm.

Standing around tables listening to speeches wasn't exactly my idea of fun, but with 20 minutes of talking out of the way, the real party (and drinking) began!  Bottles of beer were cracked and the sounds of "kampai" (the Japanese version of "cheers") echoed around the room.  We also had time to have a bite to eat and practise our dancing skills - with moves much easier than they look.

The booze had been drained by 5.45pm and the girls were called to the foyer area to don their geta (little wooden thong-type clogs) and hats.  I had a rough time getting my geta on and an even harder time trying to balance correctly without falling over, but they didn't hurt as much as I was expecting them to.  At 6pm our troupe, Arasowa-ren (meaning No Fighting) assembled on the street outside the hotel and so began the procession to the first stage.

There was lots of waiting around at the stage before our dancing commenced and in this short time Dad managed to make friends with just about every single JET from Tokushima as well as the other parents dancing on the night.  I was initially a little worried about leaving him at the back with the others (as those of us in 'the girl outfit' had to dance together in three rows at the front) but he seemed fine when we went back to check up on them.  I was a little disappointed that I wouldn't be able to dance alongside my Dad, but dancing alongside my friends while my Dad got to enjoy the experience too was still pretty cool.

We wandered straight from this first stage - which actually took about 9 minutes to dance through - to the first rest area, where the troupe organisers provided us with beer, soft drinks, cold tea etc.  After necking our drinks we followed the giant lanterns of Arasowa-ren to the next stage and waited there for our turn to dance.  Again, it took us just less than 10 minutes to dance our way through the stage.  Though this time once done, we were free to go back to the hotel, get changed out of our uniforms and hand them back to the event staff for dry-cleaning.  Dad and I wandered back to Awa Kanko with a few of my friends and made plans to check out the remainder of the festival later that night.

Getting unchanged after Awa Odori was delightful and I've never been happier to unwrap layer upon layer of hot, sweaty garments of my body.  Taking off the wooden geta and peeling of my tabi in favour of a pair of good old Aussie thongs was amazing too.  I met Dad downstairs and when Natasha and her parents were ready to leave too we made our way out to the street and in search of some festival food, beers and eventually Ingrid's Bar.  Unfortunately, I didn't take too many pictures at Awa Odori this year - I didn't want to have to lug my camera around and plus, I was far too busy having fun introducing Dad to everyone to spend my time behind the lens...

So will I dance in Awa Odori next year? It's hard to say.  I don't know if I'll be in Tokushima at this exact time next year or how 2013 could possibly top the fun I had at this year's event.  Then again, there's a saying that goes: if those who dance are fools and those who watch are fools, then both are fools and you might as well dance...

Preparing for Papa-san!

I've been beside myself with excitement lately, the feeling getting stronger and stronger with every passing day.  I've marked notes in my diary and have been counting down the sleeps...  For on Monday 13th August my Dad will come and visit me in Japan!

My Dad and I don't speak very often on the phone, so when he called me one night out of the blue I was initially a little concerned that he had bad news.  You can imagine my delight when instead he announced that he was intending to take holidays in a few months time and that he'd like to visit me in Japan!

Together we hashed out possible dates and discussed flight options, mused about itineraries and drafted a budget.  And despite his trip probably being a good three months later, I immediately set to work researching and planning all the finer details - restaurants to dine at, weird sights to see, cultural events to take part in and hotels to stay etc.  A few days later, after speaking to a travel agent at his local shopping complex, he managed to pin down flights for a 10-day trip to Japan in August and my planning began in earnest.

I decided on which cities to visit, scoured the internet and my faithful Lonely Planet guide for exciting things to see, asked my co-workers about happening cultural events, bought domestic plane tickets, booked hotel rooms, put together a detailed itinerary and even stepped up my Japanese language lessons!  Truth be told, I think I have spent more minutes in planning the trip than I actually will with my Dad while he's here!  But it's been an enjoyable process.  It has given me something to focus on, something to do in my downtime.  It's given me something to look forward to and something to get excited about.  And I am excited, because the day is fast approaching.  Only 4 sleeps left now in fact!

So what am I going to do with my Dad when he gets here?  What am I going to show him?  Where will we go?  Check this out - a once in a lifetime whirlwind tourist/expat Japanese adventure in 10 days:

Monday 13 - Dad arrives at Kansai International Airport pretty early in the morning and has to catch a bus to where I live on Shikoku Island.  The bus unfortunately will add another 3 hours journey onto his already long trip, but he should arrive in Tokushima at around midday.  After being picked up at the station he will be ferried to meet me where I will be working (at the annual English Camp Orientation for new JETs) and then taken to my apartment to chillax.  When I wind up for the day, I'll head home, cook dinner and we can spend a quiet evening drinking beer and catching up.

Tuesday 14 - I'll head back to English Camp for the morning and then come home at lunch to pick up Dad and take him to the city.  Here we will participate in the second largest dance festival in the world (after Rio's Carnivale), Awa Odori.  Dancing done, we'll hit the city streets for some festival food and maybe duck into a couple of my favourite haunts for a sneaky drink or two.

Wednesday 15 - A day to relax!  Maybe we'll drive out to the Iya Valley and see the Kazurabashi Vine Bridge so that he can get a taste for the real rural Japan.  Or maybe we'll just stay at home nursing our hangovers and chatting.

Thursday 16 - We'll catch the early bus to Osaka and then hop on a train straight to Kyoto (which are about half an hour apart).  In Kyoto we'll check into a traditional Japanese ryokan (guesthouse) and then head out to see Kinkaku-ji (the Golden Temple) before watching several bonfires in the shape of kanji-lettering light up the surrounding hillsides (an annual event called Daimonji).

Friday 17 - Today we will take a morning train to Nara, the historical capital of Japan, to visit several World Heritage temples and shrines.  I'm also hoping to have lunch in Nara Park, home of the famously friendly Nara deer.  In the mid-afternoon we'll journey back to Osaka's Itami Airport and hop on a plane to Tokyo!  We are staying in the Shinjuku area so I am hoping to take Dad to a sushi restaurant with a twist - the dining hall is surrounded by a large pond, in which you must first fish for your dinner!

Saturday 18 - On Saturday afternoon we will head to Tokyo Dome to catch a Yomiuri Giants vs Hiroshima Carp major-league baseball game.  Being Saturday night, we will of course end with dinner and drinks in the nightlife district of Roppongi.

Sunday 19 - Sundays are the best days for people watching in Japan and so today I hope to take Dad to: Harajuku to check out the Gothic Lolita cosplay fashions, Shibuya to see the famous multi-directional crossing featured in films, Ginza to window shop on one of the most expensive streets in the world, and Azabu to see Embassy Row and the most plush real estate in Japan.  Followed of course by another wacky dinner experience and a few beers in Shinjuku before bed.

Monday 20 - It's a surprise, but I really wanna take my Dad to Tokyo Disneyland for the day!

Tuesday 21 - We'll catch an afternoon bus from Shinjuku to Mt Fuji and prepare to climb Japan's tallest mountain in the evening.

Wednesday 22 - After watching the sunrise from the summit of Mt Fuji, we'll embark on the 3-hour descent of the mountain and catch a train back to Osaka.  Here we'll check into a hotel and REST!

Thursday 23 - Marks the end of my Dad's trip to Japan and it's probably going to be with tears that at 11am on this day I will bid him farewell at Kansai International Airport.


I promise to take a heap of pictures, don't worry, and am planning some epic blog posts as soon as I get back.  Stay tuned!

Highs and Lows

The sky is deep, the sky is dark.

The light of stars is so damn stark.

When I look up, I fill with fear.

If all we have is what lies here,

this lonely world, this troubled place,

then cold dead stars and empty space...

Well, I see no reason to persevere,

no reason to laugh, or shed a tear,

no reason to sleep or ever to wake,

no promises to keep, and none to make.

And so at night I still raise my eyes

to study the clear but mysterious skies

that arch above us, as cold as stone.

Is there a God, or are we alone?

- from The Book of Counted Sorrows

It's hard facing up to depression in Japan.  Often you can see it coming but feel powerless to stop it.  It usually rears its ugly head after a string of negative experiences and it can be difficult to pull out of once it grips you.  Unfortunately, it's not uncommon to feel down once every couple of months here.

Generally speaking, life in Japan can be very isolating for someone with weak Nihongo (Japanese language) skills.  Sure I can speak English well, but many of the Japanese people around me cannot and of course, I am largely unable to communicate with anyone in their native tongue, often finding myself at a lonely impasse.  In my prefecture there live about 70 other JET Programme teachers (hailing from countries such as the US, New Zealand, Jamaica, Canada, England, Ireland etc) scattered throughout the countryside.  Some of them live as close as a 5-minute drive from me, while to reach the houses of many others it can take anywhere between one and five hours.  When these people are your only source of English-language social communication (excluding skype calls home) it can be difficult to face up to the distances between us.

Though finding someone to talk to here is also a hard task.  Of those 70 people, there are many that you won't get along with or would be better suited to the term "acquaintance"and of the friends maybe only one or two that you can truly open up to about anything.  When things go wrong in this community, it becomes even harder to find a supportive shoulder as politics or gossip or misunderstandings often ensue...

So when the world starts to look blue, who do you turn to and what can you do?

Sometimes in an attempt to stave off depression, I will spend more time talking with my friends and family back home.  Sometimes I exercise a little in the evenings and other times I try to go to bed early.  Sometimes I'll cancel weeks of social obligations and just spend my weekends at home, in bed, watching movies in my underpants.

The bleak side of this is that depression and homesickness are constantly hovering.  It doesn't take much to send you into a bad place when you are essentially living alone in a foreign country.  It takes a lot of work and effort sometimes to stay happy in Japan.  And sometimes living a highlight reel is the only (albeit expensive) way to maintain perkiness!

A Day Trip to Kochi

On Monday 30th July, I booked a day of natsukyu (summer holiday vacation time) and travelled to Kochi/Ehime with one of my eikaiwa students and her husband, Mr and Mrs Wariishi.  Wariishi-sensei, as I call her, teaches Grade 2 at Hisakatsu Elementary School in my town and so as well as seeing her at eikaiwa class every Thursday night, I also see her every alternating fortnight when I visit that school to teach English.  It was very nice of her to ask me to come along for the ride and I was looking forward to discovering some new things about Japan with an enthusiastic local by my side.  Our trip didn't disappoint and we managed to fit a great many adventures into the day!

In hindsight I should've gone to bed a lot earlier than midnight on Sunday, as a 5am departure time had me up and getting ready at 4.30am!  I packed my things (temple stamp book, new camera and a change of clothes just in case) and drove down to the local supermarket where I waited in the carpark for them to arrive.  At 5.10am they rocked up and after transferring my things to their silver Toyota Prius we set off towards Matsuyama (the major city in Ehime prefecture).

Now, I was a little confused as I had thought we were going to Kochi and here we were taking the expressway to Ehime... but it turns out Wariishi-sensei had earmarked a couple of temples for us to visit in this area and instead of driving over a couple of mountain ranges, it was best for us to detour slightly on the highways.  And so at about 7.30am we hopped out of the car and checked out the first of four temples we would visit that day.  Unfortunately that early in the morning, it didn't occur to me to take pictures of the temple, though I did collect the temple calligraphy for my book.

The next temple was up in the mountains nearby and driving the windy roads up the mountainside made me feel a little travel sick truth be told.  I ended up having a small snooze in the car to prevent nausea from taking over and woke up feeling dodgy as all hell at Temple #45.  With a 20-minute walk from the carpark to the temple site, I was feeling too ill to lift my camera let alone lug it up a mountainside, so I left it behind and started the trek empty-handed instead.  Halfway up the path I realised my error - this temple was beautiful and I would definitely recommend it to anyone wanting to embark on a version of the Shikoku 88 pilgrimage for themselves.  Luckily I remembered I was packing an i-phone in my pocket and these pictures are courtesy of that little beast :)

After this second temple stop, we piled back into the super-quiet Prius and set off for The Tengu Highlands on the border of Ehime and Kochi.  Again the route was through the mountains and so again I dozed off to avoid the increasing nausea.  In what seemed like no time, we arrived at the Tengu Plains and all I could see were rolling green hills dotted with scatterings of limestone rocks for miles.  Wariishi-sensei told me that this area was a prime breeding ground for Wagyu beef and so we drove a little further in search of the famous black cows.  With the windows down to take advantage of the cool breeze on the summit, we could smell the cows before we could see them! We parked next to a small paddock and got out to take some pictures of the cows grazing.  One even came over to the fence for a drink out of the trough and to get up close and personal.

Further along we decided to go for a bit of a wander through the fields, taking photos of some flowers and stopping to take in the breathtaking mountain view.  Wariishi-sensei told me some stories about the yokai (hobgoblins) said to inhabit the area and we spent some time watching a National Geographic team painstakingly photograph a certain specimen of flower.  We then drove to a nearby hotel in search of bathrooms before the long trip to Susuki Town in Kochi, and it was here that I was able to snap a picture of a little yokai (pronounced: yolk-eye) statue in the lobby.  We were just about to drive away when Mr Wariishi noticed a big line on the road that marks the border between the Ehime and Kochi prefectures.  So we all got out of the car and posed for photographs, standing astride the line as you do.

The drive to Susuki Town was a long and hot one and again I think I fell asleep in the back of the car.  I woke up needing to pee and having just arrived at Wariishi-sensei's friend's house.  I didn't catch her name, but she was very beautiful and had two rather cute small children (a boy and a girl) in tow.  Apparently she has lived in Japan for only one year and so while a lot of the conversation took place in kanji, I was able to understand that of which was spoken.  She kindly gave us some cold, sweet porridge-like Taiwanese soup that people usually drink on hot days to cool down and offered us some candy - which after I put in my mouth was told was "fish candy"...  The soup was pretty nice but the candy unfortunately tasted just as bad as it sounds - almost like a sweet fishy stock cube - and I couldn't get it down fast enough.  We only stayed for about an hour before setting off back into the heat to find a place to have lunch.

Wariishi-sensei had heard about a rare type of ramen (salty egg-noodle dish famous in Japan) called "nabe-yaki ramen" and so at about 2.15pm we stopped at a Visitor's Centre to find out where we could eat some.  The place they recommended shut at 3pm, so we hurried to find it down the little back streets and ordered 3 bowls of the house specialty.  Truthfully I didn't enjoy it that much.  The soup was of a thinner, sweeter variety than your typical Tokushima ramen (by far my favourite kind) and included in the hotpot were pieces of ground chicken fat, slices of fake fish roll, sliced spring onions and a raw egg (which was eventually cooked by the heat of the dish).

After our ramen we left the restaurant and went back to the Visitor's Centre so that Mr Wariishi could buy some "katsuo-no-tataki" or flame-grilled tuna steaks.  He bought a plate for us to try on the spot too, and so I got to eat some of Kochi's famous fish.  It was rather tasty, but truthfully I'm not sure why everyone raves about it.  It wasn't my first time trying it either - I have been served this exact dish a few times already at fancy meals I've had here in Japan this past year.  I took the opportunity to buy some omiyage for my kocho-sensei (the Principal at Awa JHS) and some of the teachers - sugared, deep-fried sweet potato chips in the Kochi-style.  Finishing up at the registers, we decided to visit two more temples and our trek there took us down to Tosa on the southern coast of Shikoku, where we stopped the car once or twice to marvel at the beauty of Japan's Pacific Coastline.

The last two temples went by in a blur of trying to reach the Stamp Office before the 5pm closing time - which we did! - while simultaneously trying to avoid the heat and get in a few good photographs.  I was quite happy with having the opportunity to visit 4 of the harder to reach temples in one day and even more so when I received a small present at the final temple (for being foreign).  I also managed to conduct an entire conversation with a fellow pilgrim ALL in Japanese, of which I was quite proud!

We set off for home at about 6pm, taking the expressway back to Wakimachi (a town about 20 minutes from where I live) and I was dropped off at my car, thoroughly exhausted, at about 7.30pm!  All in all, it was a LONG day but we managed to achieve quite a bit and I definitely had some experiences that I wouldn't have had the opportunity to, had I not travelled with a Japanese friend - so to Wariishi-sensei I am very grateful for the invite.  Now to just sort through my photos and figure out what gift I should give to Mr and Mrs Wariishi as a way of saying thanks.