The art of enjoying winter 1 of 3

I navigated Tokyo by car for the first time ever! and was rewarded by welcoming Nikki to Japan for the fourth time. Oh what luck to have a best friend with a pilot for a father. So with only a little bit of complication, we made it home by one and slept. The next day she realized just how freaking cold my house was, we had a mini Christmas, packed and got in the car destined for Takayama.

Takayama was awesome! It was the first place Nikki and I went when we first came to Japan and has continued to be awesome all four times I've been now. It was where I fell for this beautiful country and it was amazing to take Nikki back and point out all the things we remembered out five years younger selves had enjoyed. Like this little red bridge over a side canal, a tiny shrine which is my favourite in all the land, the morning markets and fresh apple slices, the amazing Hachimangu shrine where we first felt something bigger than us and the streets lined with samurai era houses. It was amazing to retrace our steps but there was one thing we never got a chance to do because I got really sick when we were here in summer and I was not yet used to the humidity (am I really now?) and that's this temple hike through the mountains. It was a little cold but we still had a wonderful time following the map all over the hills framing Takayama through this maze of temples that contacted a path all the way until it reached the castle ruins. It wasn't that any of the temples were particularly exciting (except the one with the frozen pond and bridge!) but the general atmosphere of the outskirts of town and calm woods beneath a blanket of snow was really peaceful.

That being said, after the hike we were in need of a rest, oh and some lunch where I had the best hida beef bowl ever! (I could really go for one right now, so freaking yummy!) We had a rest at out ryokan (this really pretty inn with fresh tatami mats and a quiet bath. On the night we arrived the sun was just setting and lit up the mountains all pink behind a nearly full moon and it was so awesome.) and then head back into town for the evening lanterns and were showered in heavy snow blankets that had come to somehow warm the world a bit. We retraced our steps, now in a different world of fire light and snow flakes, and came home a wet and happy mess with conbini food and new memories.

The next day the skies had cleared and I must declare there is nothing more beautiful than a crystal clear sky after a snow fall. Blue and white might be the most complimentary colours of nature. (I say this because sakura season was so long ago but I'm sure I'll be repeating myself again with blue and pink in a few months time.) The point being it was fantastic and we had to stop many times to snap photos by the wayside!

Our destination that day was Kanazawa, a beautifully cultured city on the west coast of Japan and visited the first autumn I spent in Japan when Rhee was still here. I had wanted to go back for sometime, as I missed a few sites, but my true reason for venturing west was to work on my list of side quests ie. the third of three big Buddhas and the 46th of 47 prefectures. So we drove threw the mountains which eventually plateaued into the west coast and being way ahead of schedule we went to Takaoka in Toyama prefecture to check out this big buddha. It was big and it was buddha. I mean I've seen bigger (Kamakura and Nara) but it was still pretty neat and it had this cool ornamental halo behind it I hadn't seen on it's cousins. Sidequest complete! (Although, I haven't a good picture of the one in Nara as that was a long time ago before my photography savvy ways manifested.) We strolled about in the rather warm winter sun to this park and a red bridge and then headed for lunch at a Joyfun! (best family restaurant ever) and made our way for Kanazawa. As we were still ahead of schedule! (a rarity in my line of travel) we went to the garden and the castle remains in the last of the afternoon sun. (Glad that we did as the weather remained downright treacherous until we returned to Yamanashi.) The garden was lovely as ever but the trees were all dressed up in their famous ways for snow, but despite my desires to see them glazed in white the day was warm and it was all rather green and brown. Oh well, another time I suppose. An unexpected treasure was found across the castle bridge and through the castle gate. I had thought up until then that was all to see in the castle park but with Nikki's urging we explored further and found, to my delight, that a beautiful little park lay within the castle walls and in the fading light it was positively beautiful. That's pretty much the end of that day, on a good note of course, for next we checked into out hotel, ate some food and went to bed.

 

 

The next day the weather downright sucked! But against the rain (might I note it hardly ever rains in winter in Yamanashi which is most obviously the best prefecture ever!) we traveled southish to Fukui, prefecture number 46. In Fukui, we went to Maruoka castle. It is considered one of twelve originals (meaning I've now been to 10 of 12) and might be the oldest but I have troules with that considering Inuyama (and a few others) also claim this status and in the 50s this castle collapsed in an earthquake and while was rebuilt with all it's natural materials, was technically rebuilt... It claims to fame is it's also called 'mist castle' for apparently whenever enemies approached a thick fog would appear to hide it. All and all a neat little castle in the rain with great staircases that required ropes to get up. I enjoyed looking at all the pictures of the other castles inside (all originals have them) and the view on a nice day might have reach the ocean which was where he headed after.

Again on a clear day, of which it most definitely was not, this would have been a spectacular stop but instead Tojinbo was a stormy cliff where the rain and the wind go to fight. It was dreadful and it ruined my umbrella from Yufuin. I barely took any pictures before we hurried back to the car now huddling under a single umbrella now we reached the car sopping wet and a little out of spirits. I ventured the coast line, a red bridge had caught my eyes from the view on the cliffs, and we came across this little island connected by a long red bridge. How could I resist? The fact was I couldn't. The ocean, an island, a red bridge and a shrine gate, poor Nikki followed me out into the storm as we crossed into a seemingly different world. It looked and felt just like a Ghibli movie and left me inspired to right books about rain forests and adventures. On the other side of the bridge was an outpost to the shrine and secret stone stairs that led up to the top of the island. Nikki took the way and up we went into the very green inclosed part of the forest where the main shrine grew from the plant life and the mud puddles were cleared by stepping stones arranged in the little tented area. A single shrine great was framed by trees and pointed toward the cliffs we'd been to earlier. It was quite enchanting. Our intention was to circle the island but instead the mud only got worse and the stones became less frequent. Thoroughly doused in storm we sloshed back to the car giggling. And ended up at an Aeon mall for warm drinks and a chance to dry off.

The last day was also the last day of 2012. We woke early to strange weather, it seemed half the sky was battling for sun and the other for hail and no ultimate champion had been decided before we left the cold fight behind. But first, we went to the ninja temple! It was something Rhee and I missed last time because you have to make reservations but this time we were on top of it! It's called the ninja temple, not because it truly has anything to do with ninjas but because it is a maze of passageways, rooms, secret hiding spots and traps. During the Edo era is was illegal to build a building more than three stories high because that gave the impression it was for military use and that had been banned after Tokugawa Ieyasu had put an end to the warring era. The lord of Kanazawa got creative though and built a temple that would be perceived as a place of worship but really he could prepare there for battle. A building that appeared small and rather regular shaped was hiding seven floors, 23 rooms, 29 stair cases and possibly a secret passage to the castle which has never been confirmed but may be hiding in the well. There were all these trap doors and pitfalls and there were at least two instances where we reached a room where I thought we could go no farther and then the guide opened a closet door and reveal a secret staircase to another floor. It was so cool!!! Maybe the coolest thing I've been to in Japan. There was even this room with five escapes and we had to guess where they were. Since I didn't get to take pictures you better remember how awesome it was Sarah of the future!

Anyways, after that it was a direct route home. Not much to report there except hit lots of snow and some bad drivers going through the mountains but it was beautiful and clear in Yamanashi and before I knew it we were home.

Next up is tales form New Years, hatsumode, Nikki day, the zoo, Kevin's birthday party, Nikko and our last few days in Tokyo. It was such an amazing time. A great way to end 2012 or rather begin 2013.

Towards the holidays

I’m going to pretend it’s not January and date this for December because this is really when it takes place. In retrospect December went by fast, as soon as my last adventure in autumn was over it was on to winter and the pipes began freezing. And then Sheena invited us to the first illumination of the year. We went on a chilly Friday night and the lights were really pretty but it made me miss Rhee as we had gone together the year before. The best part was riding the giant elevator up on the hill and seeing the light from above and then of course dinner and hot chocolate after.

The next weekend was much of the same thing with the addition of fireworks and I got these amazing photos which I proceeded to accidentally delete so on to other things… Mmm I guess I can use this paragraph to mention iaido is still going fairly well and I still love my students but they have a way of burning me out and by the time it was winter break I was in much need of it.

So the last hurdle, before I could really enjoy my vacation was a long weekend trip to Ofunato again. It had only been a month since our last time there but in that time all the leaves had fallen and it had gotten much colder. We managed to cut our time down a bit by avoiding getting pulled over by the cops, not going on unnecessary detours and following the right expressway, but we had to leave later than normal so that still put us there by two in the morning. We arrived at a different community hall to find Ken (the coolest guy ever) waiting for us with his regular cheery smile and a broken arm held up in a sling. (He’d fallen off the latter a week earlier.) We fell asleep and then discovered in the morning that Yoshiko wouldn’t be joining us due to the flu. We had been debating going but in the end I’m glad we did since Habitat for Humanity was in a sad state that weekend.

So Saturday, we began building an old woman’s shed (she was home during the earthquake but her grandson ran home to get her to safety before the tsunami) and then we went back to the office to chance into Santa clothing for a Christmas party we put on for the kids. It was mostly fun, and Kevin made the best Santa ever! But we were so exhausted that by the end our energy was faltering… luckily we were rewarded with the onsen by the sea and I spent a lovely hour basking in the heat to the sound of the waves. Following was my favourite restaurant ever where I ordered my caesar salad with chicken followed by the best apply pie on Japan again! Then bed!

Sunday we all worked as a group, with the Japanese folks who joined us late Saturday, at a temporary library just outside one of the worst affected areas. We had driven through ((((Takada rizuten???))) before but it never ceased to astound me by the perfect lack of a town which was apparently once there. I could easily mistake it for a flatland when in reality it, Ken told us, was the city centre. Last trip we’d driven through an area where Yoshiko pointed out on the GPS, that hadn’t yet updated, where the houses used to be. I was in aw once again byt the lone traffic lights, broken bridge, demolished supermarket and apartment buildings and the baseball stadium out to sea. But that aside, the day was fun and we built shelters, tables, books shelves and varnished it all including a few benches. Another onsen and the teshoku with our Japanese friends. There was this sweet boy named Yuu there and when I told him in Lawsons that it was Kevin’s birthday the next day, he wasted no time in helping me spread the word until when we got back to the community hall we were able to throw him a little celebration with cakes and hot chocolate and Aiko bought him a pokemon present. It was really fun.

 

More sleep. But not enough.

Monday was our last day and also the day we were supposed to drive back. We parted ways with Aiko, Yuu and the others and went with Ken to this house on the other side of Ofunato. It belonged to a man who designed ink stones. I think he was rather famous for the prices I saw on them were more than I make in a month… anyways, his story is that he was actually away when disaster struck but his family climbed a rope up the steep embankment behind his house (put there for this exact reason) to safety. He had a beautiful house but it was in the process of being restored as the tsunami reached even the second floor. Our task for him was to build a little vinyl tent shed for his inkstones. It was easy enough. Oh and the most important part! It snowed the night before! Beautiful big flakes to mark my first snowfall of the year! And so the following day the world was blanketed in lovely white. It was also warm and bright and before long it melted, but for the first few hours it was fabulous! At lunch we were taken to a community hall for the temp houses nearby (Kevin and Ken went off to the hardware floor) and were asked to sing a few songs which we sand horrible but it was all for the greater cause of the party so we withstood it. After finishing touches and then fish soup prepared by the artist, and goodbye to our Japanese friends, we were on our way home. As it was Christmas eve we stopped for friend chicken and cake (as is the Japanese way) and drove eight hours south to our beds.

For… the following day we were expected at school. It was a long boring affair so I won’t go into details but it involved bad kyushoku and a long and boring closing ceremony. But Christmas evening I headed to Fujiyoshida where Sheena, Laura, Ken and I drank and ate and watched the Santa Clause until exhausted we all fell asleep. The next morning we rose with the sun for an onsen then McDonalds breakfast and after I went home to do the big year end clean.

I won’t go any further for that’s meant for the next chapter. The chapter in which I pick Nikki up in Tokyo and we head to Takayama and Kanazawa!

The bridge to autumn

I can't believe I'm into the first weekend of December now. The morning are frosty and the evening are spent under my kotatsu or electric blanket and the count down has begun to the days of snow and when Nikki comes to visit! As for Chirstmas... well I decided I long time ago, that while in Japan, Christmas just doesn't really exist. Superficially Japan is all about the holiday season with carols and Santa displays but it just makes me miss home and family so I try to put it out of mind... Winter can be very beautiful around here though, but before we get to snow there are still some days of autumn left!

So, on Saturday, Sheena, Laura and I started the day with McDonalds breakfast (yum!) and drove out of the mountains and down the Shizuoka where the weather is still warm and the leaves have barely changed! it was like another world outside of the mountains! Driving along the freeway the cloudy morning broke and the sun cast warmth over us and a brilliant blue sky! We stopped at this really cool rest stop with a gundam shop and got some coffee and hit the road again bound for this pretty little shrine in the momiji.

Okuni shrine is tucked into the hills far away from town but because of it's famous maple leaves it was very happening that Saturday. Still we managed to fight our way to the prettiest spots: first, a lovely red bridge over a river reflecting the leaves and second, a little island shrine in a pond connected by yet another red bridge. I love bridges! This whole adventure came about a full year ago when we were in the area and I saw a picture of a red bridge with momiji I insisted we needed to go there but we couldn't find it... this year we did! And was it ever worth it! If not for the trees, the bridges, and the cute shrine then for the warm afternoon that made winter feel years away!

 

 

I was reluctant to leave the sun and the leaves but we had a two and a half hour drive home. We stopped at this really cool service area that was basically a mall on the highway. Caught the sunset over the ocean and a delicious dinner of chicken parmesan and salad and then headed home. 

Yay for the perfect Saturday! On Sunday, I actually got to relax for a bit and then Kevin and I went to Saori's concert and after went to Mos Burger! Next week it's back to iaido and samurai training!