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.

Christmas and the time I met a kimono master.

Meri Kurisumasu! It is now officially Christmas Day here in Yokosuka. I just returned from a Christmas party in Tsukihama which is the beautiful area with the mikon orchards. Today was eventful! I went to work, Obama gave me 4 hours of paid leave so I got my hair cut and then went to see the Nutcracker as performed by the Leningrad ballet. Yes, I went to see the Russian ballet in Japan. It was lovely! Afterward was the party at my boss's house. We ate lumpia (Filipino eggrolls), mabodoku (a tofu and beef dish served with rice, amusingly, this is what Japanese people serve as Chinese food.), sushi, and a few more traditional items like apple pie and ice cream. It was a good time!

So, I've been meaning to post on this for over a week now, but I just barely obtained the pictures for it. I kept forgetting to ask Sheila, my fault, not hers. So about a week ago, Sheila (a coworker and friend) and I went to be outfitted in kimono to take pictures. The whole process took about an hour and a half with a good friend of Sheila's taking photos throughout.

Step one of course was to strip down to basic underwear and a slip. After that, each of the three women (kimono master, her daughter and another apprentice) had a really good laugh about my figure. Apparently, I am the wrong shape. The Japanese like "straight" bodies and "European style is more curvy". This led to what I have been referring to as my rounding out. A sash was used to flatten and plenty of padding was used to fill in the rest. Finally, feeling highly compressed and much larger, I was put into the kimono.

The next step is to arrange the kimono so it falls absolutely right, then to secure it with ties. Following this, an undersash was added before the obi. The obi is the huge belt used to embellish a kimono. These are super ornate and very expensive. There are a virtually unlimited number of ways to tie one. Mine employed a big shiny flower, 2 extra sashes, and a rope. Very pretty! Once this was complete, the kimono master looked me over and decided it was too low. This meant a lot of tugging and very small breaths on my part. Finally the kimono was on and all ladies were satisfied with how it looked.

Before final pictures, they decided my hair needed work and pulled it up into a bun. A scrunchy made of curly brown hair secured it and added style and volume. No the brown did not match, but did I really expect them to keep blonde on hand? This may come as a bit of a shock, but there are no blonde Japanese people. I know, I know... crazy! I'm digressing, I apologize.

The final touches to my hair were green chopsticks and purple flowers. My prop was a gold fan. After a few more photos, I was undressed and back in my normal clothing in astounding time compared to how long it took to be put into the outfit. The nice ladies served us green tea and cookies before we left. Japan is a wonderfully civilized place!!

Climbing on Mt. Takatoriyama

Through Navy service MWR I signed up for a climbing trip with a couple of friends. The trip was supposed to be out to a sea cliff called Jogasaki. Unfortunately, there have recently been a multitude of earthquakes in Japan. The epicenter of the largest of these was right near our climb site. So, the trip was moved to a more local site. Mt. Takatoriyama is an old sandstone quarry a short, but rigorous hike up to the top and climb sites. Tons of people were out climbing already. The leader/ organizer of the trip is a fantastic climber and had two ropes up before I had managed to put my shoes and harness on.

The first two climbs were roughly a 5.6 and 5.8. The 5.6 is fairly similar to a staircase except that you have to pick your own hand-holds. 5.8s are a little tougher and require more thought and coordination. This one was a corner, and those are always fun, though not difficult. I was the first one on a rope and the leader, thinking I had never climbed before told me to climb the 5.6. After a very fast run up that, he let me do what I wanted from there on out. The rock at this place is a rough sandstone that grates the fingers to shreds. It also exfoliates with a single touch making finding good holds difficult.

Next, we moved to another huge boulder with two climbs. One was up a face with a crack that began halfway up. It was a lot of fun and I only almost bailed on it when I reached 8 inches into a deep crack and someone below me joked about snakes living in there. After snatching my hands away from the wall and calming my panicked heart, I decided it was way too cold for snakes to be out anyway and finished the climb. That poor guy got a talking to. Next to us on the other climb, a group of what we would consider elderly in the States were tying into ropes. I watched the 70-year old man in the photo below climb a 5.11c (well beyond my climbing ability) in about 2 minutes. He made it look easy! One of the well-seasoned young climbers in our group tried the same climb and was unable to climb more than 10 feet of the climb. I was absolutely stunned.

Between climbs I hiked up to the top of the mountain (please do not compare to real mountains. It was not very high up.) to where there was an overlook and panoramic views of the surrounding area. I could see Yokohama, Tokyo, and the bridge to Chiba on one half. Moving to the next platform to see around a tree was Mount Fuji! The day was clear enough to see it through the powerlines. Turning back around, there was a view of the stone Buddha carved into a rock face and a Submarine coming into Yokosuka Base. Very cool! I love seeing the subs in the water. They're neat!

FUJI!

Sub and Buddha! Love the contrast.

The last climb of the day was a really fun crack to face climb in the shade (brrrrr!). A quickdraw and a nylon tie-in were placed above the crack since no one (except the leader who made it look easy) had made it above the crack. I decided that even without my finger prints I was going to try it. The clack was fun and easy, just a good lean to the right and a multitude of good holds, I had a blast. Then came the face. There was one good underhang at the top of the crack to grip, everything else were little tiny rocks i could grip with the very tips of my fingers. With one fall and all the work being done with my legs, I managed to hang on and push my way up past the draw. Two more tough moves like that and I was home free. I am the only person in our group, aside from the lead to have not used either cheater-line to complete the climb. Yes, I am boasting, cause it was not easy. Everyone watching me said I made it look that way though. Super big grin for the next hour. :D :D!!

We hiked down past the stone Buddha and I got a closer shot. What a day! I made it through the whole day with one tiny nick on my hand, very little of my fingerprints and a fat solid bruise on my right knee from hitting the rock on the first climb when I was being reckless.

SHIBUYA!!!

I was a little lazy the past week and haven't posted for a few days. Last weekend and the one before I visited both Shibuya and Harajuku. Both are frequented by younger people and tourists. Harajuku is famous for the teenagers and early-20s who dress up in costume and either just chill, posing with pouty faces for tourists, or dance to music. Or they grin and wander around taking photos with everyone. Some of the more entertaining costumes I have seen were a pair of 80s glam rockers (who I initially thought were female), lots of punk rockers, a gentleman in a Sailor Moon Costume with pink Mickey Mouse ears, and a girl in a Victorian-style dress who was passing out Chu-Hi to people of all ages. Shibuya is basically the Times Square of Tokyo. It is considered the world's busiest intersection. That being said, its crazy busy! There are hundreds of people waiting to cross at any time. When the light changes and it is safe to walk, all lights are red for traffic and people flood into the streets going any number of directions including diagonal. Its seriously like playing Frogger, dodging and weaving to avoid pedestrians and bicyclists. People will keep crossing even after the lights have gone green until the cars start pulling out. Look at the photo below and the two night ones a little ways down. The black areas at the bottoms of the photos are people. Hundreds and hundreds of people! In Shibuya is a huge shopping center called X Madonna. Its full of mostly women's clothing and shoes. Malls here aren't like they are in the states. The shops have no walls between them, they're situated so that they use angles and corners to present the largest possible amount of merchandise to those walking by. It's a busy place with fantastic clothing and shoes. I'm taking Emily and Anne shopping there when they come visit. :D Saturday night, I met up with a huge group of people and we decided to go back to Shibuya to sing karaoke, have dinner, and maybe go dancing. The karaoke places are a total racket. There are tons of little rooms with a tv, karaoke machine, table and enough room for about 8 people. The cost is 4000 yen (about $45) for 2 hours all you can drink. It was around 1700 yen for us non-drinkers. By the end of that, we had 4 very drunk people and a $400 bill to pay because they claimed we went over by 2 minutes and decided to charge us for an extra hour EACH! OUCH! It was a total blast though. Since I realized I hadn't posted for almost 2 weeks now (sorry), I think I should mention that we visited the Tokyo Tower about a week and a half ago. Its taller than the Eiffel, but very very similar construction. It was beautiful all lit up. Quite the experience!