Hiking from Lake Tanazawa to Yaga

Yesterday I went hiking in the beautiful Japanese mountains with Bill, a friend from work. We left at 7 am and, after 2 hours of trains and another 20 miutes on a bus, made it to our hike site around 10 am. The hike began across the street from beautiful Lake Tanazawa whose serenity is unparalleled. The water was still and silent, the mirror of its surface broken only by someone rowing a boat near the opposite bank. Turning to the trailhead, a marker noted that the hike is 5.7 km to the top. Steep stairs and trail lead to the ridge that we followed in a huge elevation gain in minutes. Each small rest we took resulted in beautiful scenery and surprise at how far above the lake we'd come.

Once we reached the first peak the foliage abruptly charged to bamboo. With the sun shining through, it was an absolutely gorgeous, inviting sight. The towering evergreens soon regained their dominance over the area, and we had crossed to another peak this one had views into the valley below and the minuscule town of Yaga. The mountains seemed to layer forever into the distance appearing through the haze in various shades of blue.

Shortly thereafter we ended up following a hard-packed dirt road which lead to the end point of the 5.7 km hike. This place had a startling up close view of Fuji. Unfortunately for me, the clear morning had given way to the threat of a storm which covered all but the base of the volcano. We had a light lunch there surrounded by other hikers and those picnicking with their butane stoves and ramen noodles. I must say, those made my crushed PB&J look even less appetizing. The wind had picked up and, combined with the altitude, not to forget winter, was ice cold on our necks as we ate.

Our descent was of mixed light as the clouds drifted lazily across the sun. The trail was surrounded by tall dry grasses and views of Yaga and the surrounding mountains. We passed a place to buy fresh fruits and veggies on the honor system. People here are really that honest that you can leave food and money out without much worry of theft. Re-entry into the beginnings of civilization included a tea farm and rice paddies. Tea farms are rows and rows of round green bushes. The rice paddies were serene and beautiful even in their winterized state. A short train ride from the smallest train station i've ever seen left us in the town wed caught the bus at. I cant quite remember the name, but there was a wonderful tiny sushi place. After a dinner of tekka and tekka maki (tuna) and the strangest dessert ever, we headed home. I slept the whole way back.

2010 Tokyo Auto Salon

Last week Dave came to visit on his way to his big China adventure. We visited Tsukuihama, Shibuya, Akihabara, and went to the Tokyo Auto Salon. The Auto Salon is a huge event which juat further drives home the idea that Utah has no idea how to put on a car show. Upon entering the first of 3 exhibit halls, I was assaulted by light, color and sound. I soon realized that instead of the next year's models the Utah dealers like to trot out, this was Pimp My Ride on crack! Each booth was a different vendor or race team showing off their products. These ranged from rims, to paints, to vinyls that make you car look like brushed steel or fire, to what I can only describe as someone having way too much fun with his daughters Bedazzler. Many of the displays used lovely Japanese models in generally small outfits to show off their products.

Drifting is HUGE in Japan and has caught on worldwide. If you don't know, this is a sport that burns an absurd amount of rubber. Cars are slid sideways in complete control and at high speeds around corners. Check out: http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=7ZfQ4EtNAgk and http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=WKRC51PSsgY for more info. Anyway, outside the Expo, there were drift races around a small course and inside were little remote control versions of the cars that you could actually drift around objects. These were amazing, but at $250 each, I couldn't justify buying two so we could race. Someday... :D

My favorite of the vehicles I encountered were a metallic magenta 350Z Nismo, Lime green Murcielago, and black and orange Gallardo. We came across Prius's that were race cars, Camaros and GTRs that had been souped up with sweet rims, metallic paint and vinyls. There were places advertising opalescent paints that change through multiple colors. Most people have seen the ones that are purple/green/ brown. Now imagine orange and magenta, green and pink, lime to forest green metallics.

As I walked up to the lime green Murcielago, I noticed a smaller version sitting next to it. This little vehicle is basically an ATV with a green Lambo body. Think of the Power Wheels versions you've seen and multiply the coolness factor by a million. Dave asked if I could sit on it and take pictures. The answer was yes and I jumped up on it and smiled while cameras flashed at my blonde hair. The owner/ person running the booth had his camera out the instant I jumped on. After a minute or so, I stepped down and said thank you to the man. Dave said thanks as well but immediately asked if I can sit in the real version. Not only was the answer yes, but absolutely! The owner walked around and unlocked the door for me, swinging it up instead of out in classic Lamborghini style. I slid onto the matching green seat and giggled for sheer giddiness of sitting in a $350,000 vehicle. More photos and a thought that I could really get used to Italian cars, and I decided it was time to move on.

The show was amazing and we had a blast. After dinner with Darrow, Satoshi and several of their friends, we headed home on the trains, missed the last one to Yokosuka after a mad sprint through Tokyo Station and had to take a cab. No dull moments on this day.

Mikasa Park and Chinatown

Most people went home for the holidays, but those of us who stayed still made time to go out to see some of Japan. On Christmas Day, everyone seemed to lock themselves in their hotel rooms to watch TV and call home. So, nearing sunset, I finally decided I'd had enough of sitting around for one day and walked to Mikasa Park. This park is built right next to the Base and contains the Japanese battleship Mikasa sunk into concrete as a memorial. She is the last remaining pre-dreadnought ship. This ship was a flagship and fought in the Russo-Japanese war. In the Battle of Tsushima, she led the Japanese fleet against Russian ships. She took more than 30 hits with only limited damage and the Japanese pretty much just stomped Russia's fleet out of existence destroying 21 of their 38 ships, disarming 6 more and capturing an additional 7. This is especially impressive because in comparison to the 4500 Russian sailors who died in this battle, only 116 Japanese were lost along with 3 torpedo boats. So they saved this cool old ship as a matter of pride and in memorial of the brave and excellent sailors. I thought it was a pretty remarkable story.

The park is right on the water and a series of waterfalls and statues guided me there. It seemed like only Japanese couples were out, enjoying the views and walking hand-in-hand. Since they don't celebrate Christmas, nothing was closed. Arriving in the park, my eyes were immediately drawn to the old battleship in her concrete tomb. Mikasa stands proud and haunting. She is on just one edge of a park full of artistic metal arches and fountains. Walking around in the sunset, the arches were lit up orange and and glinting in the last few rays of the day's light.

As I was leaving the park, I came across a black steam engine I hadn't noticed before. I'm not sure of its significance, but it was pretty cool looking in the dusk light, so I took a photo. I made it to the market in time to buy some fresh fruits and veggies. If I haven't mentioned it before, Japan has absolutely amazing produce.

The next day, the few of us got together and hit up Chinatown in Yokohama. There are a total of 10 Chinese gates in the area, and I managed to find 7 before it was too late to wander anymore. Upon arrival, I was greeted by a riot of color and smell. Everything is just as you'd imagine: elaborate, curvy, and cloaked in reds and golds. Fresh roasted chestnuts were being sold on every street corner and free samples were readily available. Between those, the pastries also available everywhere, and the Chinese buffet we had an hour after arrival, I thought I might burst.

We visited a Chinese temple which is remarkably similar to a Japanese temple in layout, but not at all in style. The Chinese temples are red and gold with intricate statuettes covering much of the roof. Large pillars styled with dragons guard the main entrance to the temples. Inside is a golden maze of design with red and green for accents. Its amazing.

Next we approached a large shopping center full of little trinkets and interesting things. A dragon dog and Hello Kitty in a panda suit guarded the entrance. I don't think I mentioned before, but Chinatown has everything panda that you could possibly imagine: keychains, toys, hats, tupperware, stickers, etc. (And Japan is simply stocked full of Hello Kitty.) After spending time browsing, buying funny panda cups, and viewing another temple that was very similar to the first, we wandered a nearby shopping mall and found a cool honey store. Inside were a myriad of honey flavors. One had the largest bee I had ever seen preserved inside. That pretty much marked the end of the day.