Where's Ron?
Japan, 1 December 2015 - 24 February 2016
Ron near Rotarua, NZ, January 2015
Visits in Japanese Homes and the Frozen North
7 February 2016
Afton, Virginia, USADear family and friends,
Ron has returned to his home base in Fukuoka after two weeks traveling and visiting friends (during which time he had lots of problems with his wifi signal).
Here in Afton, the snow is gone except for a few remnants in north-facing ditches and hollows in the woods - and, of course, the still monster piles of plowed up snow in parking lots in town.
I've been engaged in a project to digitize the many tapes our son Steven (a music geek since middle school!) made for me in the mid-1980s. Line out from the tape player, line in to my little Tascam digital recorder, then transfer the .wav files to my computer. It is a slow process because you have to do it in real time, but that means I get to listen again to all the good stuff: Brian Eno, Laurie Anderson, Beatles, Robert Fripp, Black Uhuru, Sly and Robbie, X, Jethro Tull - and many of Steven's wonderfully crafted mix tapes. Remarkably, the tapes are still in great condition!
Love to all,
Ellen
Visits in Japanese Homes and the Frozen North
6 February 2016
Fukuoka, JapanHello, my dear,
Planning this trip I thought Richard lived in Tokyo and Mia lived south of Tokyo but I was wrong on both - one lives north and the other south of Nagoya. When bicycling in China, in Fall 1997, I had to leave China between my two one-month visas, and while bicycling in front of the Ho Chi Minh’s Mausoleum in Hanoi I met another bicyclist, Richard, who had bicycled from England by way of India, taking 7 years to reach the point we met. After an additional 7 years of bicycling he finally showed up at our home in Afton. Sort of made my bicycle trips amateurish since I returned home for 9 months between each trip. Along the way, Richard met and married a Japanese traveler and they now have two daughters, he teaches English, and she is a nurse assistant.
On my trip through South East Africa in 2013/14 I was rather nervous about arriving in Nairobi, Kenya, and planned my trip to arrive in the early morning and catch a bus out to Kisumu. a small town on the Kenya/Uganda border. There I met two Japanese women, Mai, a university student and Mayumi, who was working in Tokyo. Both were working on a project to help local people. They invited me to join them for New Years on the northern tip of Zanzibar. Mai envisioned a career in helping people in Africa. When I decided to visit Japan, I wrote her and she replied that her dreams were coming true and she had her first job in Madagascar and would be there by the time I arrived. But she said her mother would like me to visit. I was rather doubtful about this, wondering what her mother must think about this old guy and her young daughter, but Kimiyo wrote and insisted I should have a visit in a real Japanese home while I was here. Now I feel I have two more good friends in Japan - her mother, Kimiyo, and her father, Hitoo. Kimiyo teaches English to students who attend classes in her home and Hitoo works for a business involving agricultural fertilizer. I participated in all her classes and had a wonderful time. He does not speak English, is interested in battleships and car racing so when they come to visit I must find out about battleships in Norfolk and NASCAR racing in Martinsville. Anyone have any knowledge about these two subjects?
My experience of Japanese foods has continued to be broadened including one thing I do not want to try again - natto, a slimy stringy foul smelling substance made from fermented soy beans. Kimiyo took me to a sushi restaurant and Richard and his family took me to another. Both were different but similar places where small dishes of a wide variety of raw fish on rice and other dishes flow by on a circulating conveyor belt, where you can just take what you like or order specific choices. My favorite is scallops but I also love the tuna, salmon, crab and cod roe.
And from the Internet I can add this bit of trivia: "Today I found out sushi is not raw fish, that’s sashimi. Sashimi is just sliced raw fish, sometimes dipped in sauces and sometimes served with sushi. Sushi is any food dish consisting of vinegared rice, usually served with some other toppings, but not always."
Also from Wikipedia I will introduce my next experience without the Japanese characters which will not copy [Ellen thinks the ??? in Ron's text are where the Japanese characters were]: "An onsen (???) is a term for hot springs in the Japanese language, though the term is often used to describe the bathing facilities and inns around the hot springs. As a volcanically active country, Japan has thousands of onsen scattered along its length and breadth. Onsen were traditionally used as public bathing places and today play a central role in directing Japanese domestic tourism.
"Onsen come in many types and shapes, including outdoor (???? or ???? roten-buro or noten-buro?) and indoor baths. Baths may be either publicly run by a municipality or private (?? uchiyu?) often run as part of a hotel, ryokan or bed and breakfast (?? minshuku?).
"Onsen are a central feature of Japanese tourism, typically found out in the countryside, but there are a number of popular establishments still found within major cities. They are a major tourist attraction drawing Japanese couples, families or company groups who want to get away from the hectic life of the city to relax. Japanese often talk of the virtues of "naked communion" (?????? hadaka no tsukiai?) for breaking down barriers and getting to know people in the relaxed homey atmosphere of a ryokan with an attached onsen."
Hitoo took me to a onsen and Richard's whole family took me to one. They were quite different but also similar. From my younger days in the community movement, I recall mixed sex saunas but here they are segregated. First there were a lot of naked men with small lockers, then sitting or standing areas where shampoo and soap were provided to bath before entering the common baths. There were different baths, some inside, some outside, with large digital signs giving the temperature of the water, some ceramic bowls, some with water jets, even one electric (which I didn't try). One of the onsens was naturally hot water and the other was more like a spa with heated hot water. With Richard, we came out of the sauna wearing robes provided and met the family in the restaurant for dinner. Then we went to the hot stones, mixed sex, where you put a towel down on very hot stones (like large gravel) and experienced the heat like a sauna. I was reminded of my experience with Ned in his outside hot tub in a snow storm and my experience in the Russian sauna where attendants were female and the competition was for the hottest temperature in the sauna room or under the shower.
Richard also took me to see Inuyama Castle, which according to the brochure was built in 1537 by one of Japan's oldest samurai warriors who attempted to unify the nation during the period of the Warring States. Our guide handed out a Chronological Timeline which started with 1517 Martin Luther the Reformation, next the castle, with our 1776 Declaration of Independence 20 items later. We also climbed another mountain and walked along the river.
Richard's father-in-law is a Go player so we played a game where I quickly realized I was outclassed, and was quickly wiped out. Maybe I will return for a re-match.
It was wonderful experience being in two Japanese homes, Richard and Hariyo's more modern, with some of his English touch, and Kimiyo and Hitoo's more traditional.
I loved attending the classes with Kimiyo and talking with her students, and the wonderful large bag of oysters her daughter delivered, which she cooked and we ate for three days (one of my favorite foods and meals from Japan), the daughters, their husbands and all the grand-kids who were in and out over the time I was there, the Skype call from Mai, the coffee, the constant talking we did as I learned about Japanese life, and the wonderful meals Kimiyo cooked over the many days I was her guest. Wonderful memories. I hope they will visit us in Afton.
When Richard went to work late Monday morning I caught the train to Tokyo arriving around 2 PM which gave me about 4 hours in Tokyo to see some sights. I took the subway to Abakusa Station and walked to the Sensou-Ji Temple which had large crowds, lots of food and gift stores, and fascinating sights of the buildings, statues, and ceremonies. This was the suggestion of Kimiyo and Hitoo. Then I connected with the Monorail and rode it to the airport and back to the train station, the last part after dark which gave me a little view of Tokyo at night, before catching the overnight train to Sapporo in the far north.
Sapporo was a very cold place, covered in snow with more falling while I was there. They were preparing for the Snow Festival which started the day I was leaving, but I got to see most of the ice carvings which were being set up and carved using chain saws, hand tools and some very large equipment in Odori Park and Susukino. Most were completed and others still under way. Susukino, the largest entertainment center north of Toyko, at night was bright with all the flashing and glowing neon signs covering the sides of buildings and reflecting off the snow falling and blowing around me. I also explored many underground walkways, the longest from the Train Station to Susukino which was quite a walk - they call it the "Snow Corridor". There were also covered above ground streets (Perhaps Charlottesville should cover the downtown mall).
I took what I would call a sky lift and they call a ropeway in two sections up to the top of Mt. Moiwa (altitude 531 meters), in late afternoon and stayed until after dark to experience the lights of the city and ski slopes. I also watched the show in the a small planetarium. There is, I think, an observatory on top of the mountain but I did not see it.
At this point let me laugh at myself, and describe how I dressed and organized all the various items I am carrying. (I remember my father-in-law with his pipe accessories.) Underneath I start with a ultra thin black t-shirt, then two normal black t-shirts, then a blue sleeveless ultra light weight pull over vest which I might wear at the beach on a hot day, then a light weight long sleeve synthetic shirt with front zipper intended for an undergarment while bicycling, then an ultra light black zipper vest with no pockets, then a heavy long sleeve travel shirt with three good front pockets (maps, brochures, tooth pick, pen), one of which has a zipper (camera), then a light weight down sleeveless vest with two side pockets (portable battery for charging phone and portable wifi with cables, one usb and one plug, and the other for my small book for notes, names, addresses, etc) and one perpendicular zipper pocket (for phone, subway, train, trolley tickets) then a regular travel jacket with hood and two side zipper pockets (one for my light weight hat, and the other for my gloves) and a upper vertical pocket with zipper (for my JR Rail pass). My pants have two front pockets (one my wallet and keys, attached by chain to my belt and the other has my portable wifi) and two front slant pockets, one with my comb, change pouch for American pennies nickels, and dollars which I give as thanks or for good luck, and a card container for cards to give out and for those I meet, and the other side pocket has my Japanese coins. The weather is always below freezing (or the ice carvings would melt). I have my hood on my head with the strings drawn and my hat on top (good for keeping the snow out of my eyes and off my neck). My upper body remains quite toasty, legs ok, (and did I mention that I am wearing two pairs of winter socks?), my feet ok for a while, but my hands and ears get quite cold. And I can not work my Google maps on my phone or my camera if I am wearing gloves (I guess the electric charge from my finger is stopped by the glove - tried my nose but hard to be exact). This collection of clothes were packable in my small suitcase and intended to provide clothes for a range of climate and weather conditions. At this point my suitcase would be almost empty with the clothes on my back and other items stuffed into my pockets. Next time I will get better gloves and remember my Gortex booties which I left in my closet in Fukuoka.
Now imagine me in dressed this way on a subway looking for my map, frantically going through all my pockets, more than once, and realizing I must have left my map where I bought the last subway ticket or dropped it getting on the train. The map was a stripped down version of the English city map, with the ads removed and circles and notes all over the map about directions, names of places, and other travel info. And I am on a train not being able to read the signs, understand the language, and at a location where none of the subway employees I could find could speak English or produce a map I could read. So I got off, reversed my direction, then transferred lines and returned to the JR Rail Station where the Tourist Information Office was located to get me a new map. Of course the ticket I had would not allow me to exit at the JR Train station and set off the buzzer which called someone to figure out why. The guy looked at my ticket, shook his head and motioned me on through.
As a result I did not get to the Chocolate factory before it closed but did get to see the beautiful building and the wonderful winter seasonal lights and decorations on the outside.
I now know how to buy and use tickets including transfers for the subway and trolley which provided close transportation to my Airbnb apartment. I slipped and often fell on the slick ice with my shoes which are great hiking shoes but poor for the iced conditions. I pulled a hamstring running to catch a light to cross an intersection in Fukuoka which took a long time to change and my heel hit something, perhaps a raised paving stone which really hurt my hamstring which was healing fine until I started slipping on the snow and ice, which really aggravated it again, so it is even painful to sit on the train. But I kept limping along to see as much as I could for the short time I was in Sapporo. Now I will returns "home" to my apartment in Fukuoka and relax, heal. wash my clothes, see my friends and plan some new adventures.
I am writing this report on the train, having gotten up at 5 for a 6:36 am train from Sapporo this morning. I am now on the super express train from Shin-Aomori to Tokyo where after an hour for dinner I will transfer to another train to Himeji then another to Fukuoka, arriving at 11:52 PM tonight. From the far north to the far south in one day. Maybe you can figure out what would be an equivalent trip on the East Coast of USA. I am guessing it would be close to the distance between Miami and New York. [I got a second email fron Ron where he had figured this out: 1276 miles from Sapporo to Fukuoka, 1281 miles from New York to Miami. His train took 17.25 hours to make the trip, including layovers and train changes.]
You would love the onsen, would probably not like the constant temperature below freezing in Sapporo and could have all my natto.
Love and miss you,
Ron
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Last updated: 19 February 2016
