Ise Shrine Tour

Last weekend, I joined a group tour organized by Yamasa to the Grand Shrine at Ise in Mie prefecture (just west of Aichi). We rode in two vans for a two day trip.

We stoppped at Meoto Iwa (夫婦岩, Meoto Iwa), or the Wedded Rocks. The rocks are near Okitama shrine. It was rainy and the sea was rough.




You can see a small torii gate on the larger (male) rock.







Okitama shrine is dedicated to the goddess of food. So naturally, we had some at Ise. I'm not a big fan of gyudon (beef on rice), but I had some of the best gyudon ever!


Near the restaurant we saw some Taiko drummers.








The shrine at Ise is the most venerated shrine in Shinto. Photography is prohibited near the actual shrine at Ise. It is unusual in that it's purely Japanese in design, with no influence from mainland Asia.

Supposedly, it contains a sacred mirror, which is one of the three imperial treasures (the others being a jewel at the imperial palace and a sword at Atsuta shrine). Only the emperor and a priest at the shrine can see the mirror, and they never do.

Every twenty years, the sanctuary is built on a site next to the current shrine. The mirror is moved to the new sanctuary, and a new shrine is built around it. Meanwhile, the old shrine is dismantled and the parts are used to repair other shrines.

After wandering around Ise some more, we went to our lodging for the night. We stayed at a minshuku, which is family run inn. The women took up two tatami rooms, five in one and three in the other. We had a great seafood feast. The picture is on its side because Blogger is trying to be smart -- it thinks my original needs rotating.

You can see that each person has several dishes to eat, as well as some shared plates of really good sashimi.

The next day was nice out, so we went to Goza beach. The water was cool and clear.





After Goza beach, we continued driving and came to this lookout point.

From here we went to Toba and Mikimoto Pearl Island. Kokichi Mikimoto developed the technique for making cultured half pearls, and used a technique developed by other Japanese to make cultured round pearls. His company was one of the first Japanese companies to gain international recognition.

We saw a staged demonstration of women pearl divers.

We then took a car ferry to the Atsumi peninsula in Aichi prefecture.







We stopped at another beach, which appeared to be good for surfing.





You just don't see scenes like this in Wisconsin....















That evening I started packing for my trip to Okayama and to send my things back to Tochigi. I had a great time in Okazaki. But from now on, I have to keep up my Japanese language study!

Trains in Japan

Trains in are very punctual. You can set your watch by them. You can time critical scientific experiments by them.

Occasionally, however, acts of God interfere with the precise timekeeping instrument that is the Japanese rail system. This happened when I was taking a Shinkansen (called the "Shink" by some gaijin, in the Japanese fashion of shortening words) from Nagoya to Okayama.

I had bought a ticket ahead of time for a Nozomi, the fastest train. Nozomis are all reserved seats, so I would be guaranteed a seat. For routes between Tokyo and southern Japan, the fastest Shink is the Nozomi, followed by the Hikari and the Kodama. The faster trains don't stop at as many stations.

A bit of trivial: Train directs are determined by whether the train is going toward or from Tokyo. If it is going toward Tokyo, it is going up (nobori), if it is going away from Tokyo, it is going down (kudari). So a Tokyo-bound train from Nagoya and one from Sendai are both going in opposite directions in absolute terms, but are both nobori trains.

After racing around like a chicken with its proverbial head cut off packing and sending my boxes and suitcase, I raced to the post office to mail a box home to the US. Then, I raced as much as one can with a small rolling suitcase in tow to the school to drop off my key, then to Okazaki Station. I made it with several minutes to spare.

Unfortunately, when I got to my platform at Nagoya for a 11:15 train, and all the boards were referring to trains that leave at around 9:00. There was a lot of rain near Tokyo (where the trains originate), and all shinkansens were delayed over two hours. I finally got on an unreserved car for Hikari going to Okayama. After a stop or two, an empty seat was available, and I arrived at Okayama two hours later than planned.

When this kind of thing happens, railroad employees hand of official excuse slips for employees to show their bosses. Fortunately, I wasn't going to work!

The second time I experienced train delays was yesterday. I was coming back from Mito, and there was an accident somewhere in the Kanto area, plus heavy rain. So the whole system from Oyama to Karasuyama was mess up. Luckily, I did make it back at around 10:00 at night.

Leaving Okazaki

I had a wonderful time this weekend, but don't have the time now to blog about it properly. I'll do it in a few days, I promise!

I've spent this morning working on leaving Okazaki. It's not very easy, besides the fact that I'd rather stay. I have a large suitcase and 3 boxes to send back to my apartment. The takkyubin service is very convenient for doing this. There is a convenience store by the station that will take packages to be sent by Kuro Neko (Yamato Transport).

BUT, when I called them I was told that they open at 9. My train is leaving at 10:28 and I have to drop my key off at the school, so I wanted them to come by 10. I was told, "Chotto...". Literally it means "(It's) a little (inconvenient/difficult)." But what it really means is, "No."

OK, fine. I'll pay a cab to come get my stuff to the conbini. The teacher I was with this weekend called the cab company to request a cab to come at 9 am. No, Yamamoto House is too close to where I want to go. They won't come.

FINE. So, I carried my stuff one box/suitcase at a time. Of course, today it rained. I got the last box there before 9, since that's when the truck comes for the next pickup and I want all my stuff to stay together. As I'm coming back to Yamamoto House, what do I see parked there? A taxi!

Grr.

So, I asked the driver who he was there for. It was me. I told him that the company had told me they wouldn't send anyone and I didn't need him. Of course, had I waited and hope for a cab, there would have been none....

More on Food and Prices

I continue to be equally surprised by which foods I can get and by which I can't easily get here. For instance, eating from the deli is a cheap way to get some pretty good food: sushi, onigiri, fried fish, gyoza, salads, etc.

Cheese, on the other hand is expensive and comes in very small quantities. I've also been told that some of it is best described as "scary". I haven't splurged on cheese yet. That may be part of the reason that I've lost 9 kg since I came here.

Today, I saw a jar of olives. I haven't had an olive since March, so I sprang for a small bottle of olives for ¥318. Mmmm....olives!

Here are some pics of Japanese food:

Here is a salad combo from Domy, the local grocery store. All the salads here have a vinegar dressing. The one on the lower left is a tako salad. Not to be confused with a taco salad, this one has tako -- octopus in it!


This is a very small bag of fish and chips. It was good. I bought a hotdog on a stick afterwards, then I was full.












Finally, the eatery on the corner in this picture will have to change its name if it ever opens a branch in the US!

For those of you with aging eyes like mine, it says "Coffee & Pasta FAT".


This is a spicy noodle dish that another student ordered. She thought it was very spicy, which means I'll never try it.


Here is a rough cost of living comparison. Currently, at $1=¥109.75, gas is $6.22/gallon here. I'm glad I'm not driving!

Atsuta Shrine

Yamasa was closed for Obon yesterday and today, so yesterday I went to Atsuta Shrine with two other women from school.

Atsuta is the second most revered shrine, after Ise. The Kusanagi-no-Tsurugi (草 薙の剣), one of the three Imperial Regalia is housed there, although nobody gets to see it except the emperor and certain priests. It was last seen during the enthronment of Emperor Akihito, but not by the public.

As a side note, speaking of the Imperial family, Crown Prince Naruhito climbed Mt. Fuji on the 8th, too! He had tried earlier, but had to turn back because of weather.

Like most Shinto shrines, Atsuta is rather plain. Shinto shrines are also regularly torn down and rebuilt. The area around Atsuta is a nice park, though.


Sake for the gods.














A nice shady park for a stroll.














The shrine at Atsuta.














A replica of the sword.














Some flowers in the park.














A turtle and koi in a pond in the park around the shrine.

Mt. Fuji

Here are some facts about Mt. Fuji:

• It is 3,776 m (12,388 ft) high.
• The official climbing season is July-August.
• It is an active volcano, although the last eruption was in 1707-1708.
• The "san" in "Fujisan" (富士山) means "mountain". It is not the same "san" that is used after people's names.
  

The Yamasa group of 19 people left Aoi Hall at about 3:15 Friday afternoon. Our Fearless Leader told us we had one last chance to choose to go to an onsen instead. This will be his 9th climb. The bus took us to two rest areas, then to the 5th station on the Fujinomiya route. There are several routes up Mt. Fuji, and most people start at the 5th station of whichever route they have chosen.

Fujinomiya is the shortest route, starting at 2,400 meters. There are 7 stations after the 5th station: 6, new 7, 7, 8, 9 and 9.5. New 7 and 9.5 were put in after the originals, and the originals were not renamed.

I had with me my camera and case on my belt, 2 liters of water, 2 half-liter bottles of a Gatorade-like drink, the shell of my Columbia jacket and a fleece jacket, ear muffs, scarf, biking gloves, lots of sweet snacks and energy bars, 2 energy gel-drinks, sunglasses, a walking stick, rain pants, sunscreen, ibuprophen, anti-diarrheal medication, a can of oxygen and ID, a flashlight and batteries, all in my backpack. I wore jeans, hiking boots and a biking t-shirt (not cotten).

We reached the 5th station at about 8:30 at night. Since we were told that this would be the last clean toilets we'd see, I decided to take advantage. They certainly didn't smell clean, even from several feet from the door. I took the first stall I could find, and used it even though it was Japanese style. I assumed they all were. When I stood up, my camera case slid off my belt, right into the toilet it went! ARRRRGH!

I went into the shop to see if anything could be done. The answer I got: "Sho ga nai." (Nothing can be done.). Crap. I wasn't so worried about the camera -- I'd get another and EVERYONE else had one, so I could get pics later. But I had just gotten a 4GB card for mine that I didn't want to lose. I had pics on there that I hadn't unloaded. Crap! I looked down there with my flashlight. Omigosh, I could see it! It was sitting on top of, well, you know....

I went back to the shop, and said, "Kamera ga miemasu! (I can see my camera!)"
Shop guy: "Mieru? (You can see it?)
Me: "Hai! Miemasu!"

So he came and looked, and he could see it too. So, he found a hook on a stick and got it out for me! Woo-hoo!!! He plopped it in a sink for me to wash off. Lots of domo arigato gozaimashita's later, I dared to peak inside the camera case. My camera and extra cards were DRY!! I tested the camera -- it worked!! I put the case in a plastic bag that I'd brought for garbage, tied it up tight and put the camera in a zippered pocket.

I told everyone that we'd had our one disaster and all would be well afterwards.

So, we started climbing. And climbing. We would climb to the next station, then wait for the whole group to get there and rest. Then we'd move on to the next station. At about the 7th station, I asked our Fearless Leader where exactly was that onsen he had told us about. Too late, he said! So, I kept climbing. It was dark, so I used my flashlight.

Then, the trail got a little easier. The distance between stations got shorter, it was less rocky for a bit, and my sugar buzz hit. I'd consumed both my energy gel-drinks, lots of the gatorade drinks and a lot of rock candy.

Our group passed and was passed by a group of Marines several times. They are stationed near Mt. Fuji. They sang cadence songs as they went, and we could tell when the song was cleaned up because there would be a slight pause as the leader remembered the clean lyric.

Large portions of the trail have ropes by them. These are both to hang onto, and to let you know which chunk of rocks is the trail. The whole trail has a lot of switchbacks.

Unfortunately, around here one guy had to drop off and go down a station. He'd gotten altitude sickness. He was one of the fittest guys in the group, but that doesn't prevent altitude sickness. The only way to know if you'll get it is to get it. You can get just a headache, or nausea, or diarrhea or worse symtoms. So our poor friend stayed at a mountain hut, where you can rent half a futon for about 8000 yen, or around $80.

Near the top, there is a torii gate. Mt. Fuji is sacred in Shinto, so the top is a shinto shrine. Around the 9th stations, it started getting rocky and I thought it would be a pain to go down.

We reached the top at 4:00 am on Saturday. It was dark, and it was very cold, but we'd made it!! WOO-HOO!!!! We were at the top of Mt. Fuji!! I'd actually climbed a mountain!! WOW!

We were on the "wrong" side of the mountain--we had to be at the top to see the sunrise. The Marines went around the crater, and we went to the top of a peak where an now unused weather station was. Several other people were there as well. Our Fearless Leader pulled a glass and a can of Guiness from his pack, and poured a glass of Guiness. Photos were taken, and the beer was drunk. I had a swallow. It was very good at 3,776 meters.

The sunrise was glorious. Absolutely beautiful. The Japanese did a cheer. We went to a platform on the weather station, and were able to see the shadow that Fuji casts. Wow.

We came down from the little peak, and everyone went to get postcards to send from the post office at the top of Mt. Fuji (there is one), buy walking sticks or souvenirs, or just rest.

We left the peak at around 6:00 am. It got warmer just because the sun was out. I was very happy to be able to see the trail to go down, especially where it was rocky.

I tried to drink my water, but I'd lost the little mouthpiece on the drinking tube. For awhile I was able to drink without it, but I must have been just too tired. At the next station, I went to transfer the water from the backpact bag to a bottle, and discovered the bag was empty! I'd drunk almost 3 liters of water and gaterade on the way up. Yikes. Fortunatly, our Fearless Leader had part of a large bottle of Aquarius that he "didn't want to carry". I asked him how to say "mensch" in Japanese. After telling him what "mensch" meant, I got a reasonable answer: yasashii hito.

Climbing down is hard, even when it's not rocky. Mt. Fuji is a volcano. So, there is a lot of pumice. Even the gravel is pumice. And gravel likes to shift when you step on it, so your foot likes to slip forward and you end up stopping with your weight on your toes. Ouch. A good walking stick helps a lot.

About the same time as we collected our friend, it started to rain. Then it started to hail. Around here, I got behind the group. When it stopped hailing (or I got below the hail line), and it kept on raining, I got my rain gear out.

Before, the rocks were points of stability -- a good place to step compared to the shifty gravel. Now, they were wet and slippery. I didn't make good time to the next station. When I reached the next station, everyone was still wandering around the shop, so nobody noticed how late I was. Yay!

After a bit it stopped raining. There were only a few more stations, then finally I reached number 5. Yay!!

We got on the bus around 11:30 on Saturday morning. It was decided that we would forego the trip to a waterfall that had been scheduled. That was OK with me.

We stopped at one of the rest stops, and got back to Aoi Hall at around 3:15 on Saturday. I dragged myself back to my room (Hooray for being so close to school!), took a shower and crawled into bed.

Today (Sunday), my legs still ached so I went to an onsen that I have been to before, and wanted to go to again on this trip to Okazaki. I was much improved after soaking in hot water and sittting in saunas.

I'm glad I went, but I won't go again. If you go, here are my tips:

• Climb at night. It's cooler, the sun won't burn you. It's easier to climb than descend by flashlight. There will be fewer people coming the other way. If you make the top in time, you'll see a great sunrise.
• Wear good hiking boots that go over your ankles. You will have plenty of opportunities to fall and turn your ankles anyway.
• Bring plenty of liquids. At least 3 liters. 4 if you are generally thirsty or a guy.
• Bring non-aspirin pain-relievers and anti-diarrheal medication. Even if you don't need it, you'll be a hero to anyone who does.
• Bring sweets and high energy foods.
• Either bring a light, collapsible walking stick or buy one at the top. You won't need it on the way up, but you will need it on the way down. If you buy wood one at the top, you can get it branded at each station on the way down to make a souvenir.
• Wear tough biking gloves. The rocks are pumice and you will either fall on them or have to hang onto them. Pumice is sharp.
• Bring a proper backpack with padded shoulder straps and a waist strap.
• Bring sunscreen and sunglasses. The atmosphere is thinner and therefore less protective as you get higher up.
• Go in a group. You can encourage each other, and someone will know if something happens to you. It will be a lot more fun, and you can share pictures afterwards.
  

So, here are a few pics:

Sunrise, from the top of Mt. Fuji.














A few nearby mountains peeking through the cloud layer.














Mt. Fuji's shadow, as seen from the top.














The top of Mt. Fuji looks like Mars, except for the other climbers...














Here you can see the switchbacks on the trail.














Here we are finally seeing some plants. You can also see the slope of the mountain.

Tidbits

There is a song that I've heard played at the seafood section of several grocery stores. It's called Osakana Tengoku (おさかな天国). Apparently, it was a hit song at one point. It has several almost-puns in the lyrics, so it's kind of funny too, or so I've read. You can watch You Tube video of the song here.

For several evenings, I've heard a cat outside Yamamoto House. Not loud or long enough to be annoying or anything like that. Just enough to make me curious about the cat. Well, today I went out late to go the grocery store, and came across a cat sitting on a car. I think this is my serenading cat.


I now have a video game!! I bought a Nintendo DS Lite today. For very academic reasons -- really! There are several "games" available for studying kanji (Chinese characters) and improving your handwriting of them. I now have two kanji "games". The one I got for handwriting was so popular that when it first came out, stores restricted purchases to one per customer. The initial supply actually sold out. Now, imagine trying to sell something like that in the US for people to improve their handwriting!

Today we had our safety session for the Mt. Fuji climb. After that, I went shopping with another woman in my class for any supplies we didn't have. I guess I'm one of the few that brought hiking boots to Japan. I have high energy food, a water bag with straw that fits in my backpack, some oxygen, clothes for hot and cold weather, sunscreen, a hat, a parasol, a camera, and various other things to deal with the possible ugliness of altitude sickness. We are going most of the way up Friday night, finishing up on Saturday morning, then coming down. I was told not to plan anything for Sunday. Still, I'm looking forward to it!

More Pictures!

I am going to post more pictures in a Picasa Web Album. The first set are from my trip to Mt. Mitake.

Just click on "Mt. Mitake" above to see the album.

Let me know if you have any problems seeing the pictures (or not!).

I'll work on creating more albums. The albums for trips will include a map, so you can see where I am at the time! Unfortunately, the map will be zoomed in and in Japanese. Just click on the "-" to get a better view, plus some English labels.

Brewery Tour and Fireworks

The observant reader will notice that I've mentioned beer not infrequently on this blog. There is good reason: it's hot and humid here, which makes beer the ideal beverage.

Today I have an especially good reason, though: I went on a tour of Asahi's brewery in Nagoya with four fellow students. I've been on brewery tours before, so even though I didn't understand all the explanations, I do know the general process. This brewery makes canned beer.

The tour guide used keigo the whole time -- that's polite Japanese used by shop keepers and when speaking to higher-ups. It was good practice for us to try to follow it.

Everything was pristine and efficient, and there were large signs indicating what was going on for the tourists. After the tour, we all enjoyed a few glasses, even though it was before noon. I didn't know that Asahi made a dark beer -- I will have to hunt that down at a liquor store. We sampled some jerky, which I liked. I bought a small bag if it.

They have breweries in other parts of Japan, as well as two Nikka whiskey distilleries. My souvenir was a small bottle of 10 year old single malt whisky. My hubby will get an Asahi hat.

Asahi also owns Loewenbrau, Jim Beam, Absolut, Jose Cuervo and Bireley's.

After the tour, the other ladies when to a matsuri (festival) in Nagoya, while I went to Sakae (a part of Nagoya) to go to the Maruzen bookstore there. Amazingly, I only bought one book.














Zoning in Japan is interesting. As we were walking from the station to the brewery, we were tallking about how you can see old next to new, and see a rice field in an empty lot, surrounded by buildings. As if on cue, we came across this rice field which illustrates the point nicely.

Lunch/Dinner was a hamburg steak with a sunnyside up egg on top at Denny's, along with a melon soda.

In the evening, the our dorm's Ojiisan (caretaker) who lived in an attached house, had a party for us on the roof for Okazaki's hanabi matsuri. That's a fireworks festival. They make a large majority of Japan's fireworks in Okazaki, so that's the theme of the city's festival. A lot of people come from other parts of Japan to see it. Most people go to the castle, but we beat the crowds by going upstairs! There were two hours of fireworks, great food, and some icecream that Ojiisan made himself.


I wish I had a yukata to wear -- I have two, but they are in the States so I didn't feel like buying another. But I had a great time!!