Japanory

Disneyland Tokyo

Thursday 12^th April 2007

Ever the glutton for punishment, the day after arriving back from Nikko I agree to go to Disneyland.

Tim had promised Rhiannon a trip and I thought I really ought to go, just to see my girl's first trip to this gaudy wonderland. I cannot begin to explain how much of a sacrifice this is for me. I loathe the whole idea of the place. But as a mum, feel it's my duty to go through with this family day out. I certainly wouldn't entertain the idea of travelling overseas at great expense to spend several days in one of the many Disney theme parks around the world, but the Tokyo one is very close - just a short train ride away.

Enviously leaving Mum to do her own thing, I plod after a loudly excited child and quietly excited husband to Tokyo station to catch the Disney Express. Tokyo Station is huge! An absolutely massive sprawl but fairly well sign-posted. We got on the wrong train and took the slower trip to Disney, arriving at 9am. Yes, we left very early in the morning. Ugh.

Surprisingly, the entrance fee was nowhere near as expensive as I was expecting (around ¥5000) and all the rides were free of charge. Is this true of other Disneyland's? Our first stop was a tacky little café for a caffeine hit before venturing into the land of make believe.

There were more adults than children there! The Japanese adore Disney. People of all adult ages were wearing Mickey Mouse hats, scarves, ear-muffs, hair-clips: you name it, Mickey adorned it. I even found a jewellery store selling rings set with diamonds in a Mickey Mouse shape. "Propose to your beloved with a Mickey Mouse Diamond Engagement Ring. Of course you're old enough to get married…" I shudder.

So onto the various rides and whatever. Our deal is this: I'll go on things that go around and Tim will go on rides that travel up and down. Tim gets sick on roundabouts, and I get sick on everything else, but especially roller-coasters. I'm terrified of them.

Apart from the truly wild rides, I believe we went on everything Rhiannon wished for. Luckily, she's easily scared so many were off-limits. On the log-flume (I forget which character this one was based on) she insisted that I sit in the front with her, so when it was time to board I dutifully trudged to the front of the thing… and Rhiannon shot behind me with Tim. I was a good protector for her when we hit the water. I was drenched; she stayed dry. But I did notice the official photographer and forced a smile while Tim and Rhiannon pulled fabulously awful faces.

Wandering around the park, we'd occasionally see characters and princesses (with their princes, of course) walking around. I think this was Rhiannon's favourite part. At five years old, she still believes very much in this whole scenario and was completely in awe of them. A little too old to bother with the Mickey's, Donald's and so on though.

When she spotted Belle walking along, she just took off after her! This is the little girl who never leaves my hand unheld for a moment, chasing off after an actress in a big yellow dress! I was dumbstruck, and, I admit, a little jealous. Belle was lovely and, I think, a little surprised to meet a young English girl in Tokyo, so she spent some time talking to her. Meanwhile, I'm chasing along after them as they both swept down the promenade at speed, hand in hand, before Belle sat down under a tree. Spreading her dress around her she engaged a glowingly proud Rhiannon in conversation for a while, which allowed me to take a photograph and reclaim my daughter.

Tim then decided he really just had to go on a particular space-ship ride. Rhiannon was too little for it and so while Tim indulged in his own childhood moment, I had to take Rhiannon on the kiddies' roller-coaster. What a mistake. Even though it was designed for kids up to the age of five, I was petrified. Of course, I had to disguise my fear for Rhiannon but how I wish they served alcohol at Disneyland.

The only highlight for me was a 3D movie. It was fantastic! I'd love to write about it here, but I don't want to spoil it for anyone who may visit. Suffice to say, if you get the chance, go and see it.

As the sun started to sink, it was time for the parade. I used up my entire memory card on photos of garishly coloured monsters, sorry - characters, for Rhiannon to put in her photograph album.

Then a few more rides and souvenirs before wearily traipsing home.

I can clearly remember: I was bored witless by 10.30am and we didn't leave the park until 9.30pm. But the other two had a wonderful day.

I haven't been back since, although Tim and Rhiannon regularly visit. Let's get it out of her system now, while we can, because there is no way I'll travel to another one.

What a strange job!

Nikko Day 2

We awoke early and creakily made our way downstairs for breakfast of porridge.

As usual, we have no set plan - we must work on this when being tour-guides for Mum! It works OK for us, but she seems confused by our lack of organisation. We eventually decide to head to Lake Chuzenji, Kegon Falls and Nikko for the famous shrines.

The roads around this area are a refreshing change from the city streets, being mountainous, surrounded by forest and full of hairpin bends. Lake Chuzenji is a huge, deep lake created by a volcanic eruption about 20,000 years ago. I'm sure it's beautiful in the autumn with the changing colours of the foliage as a backdrop, but today our first sight of it was cold, flat and grey. Rather incongruously, in one area there floated a fleet of swan-shaped pedal boats. It didn't take Rhiannon long to persuade Tim to take her out in one. They were they only signs of life on the entire lake. Well, apart from some chilly looking ducks dibbling around the edges. Meanwhile, Mum and I went beachcombing across the black sand. And then the sun came out, transforming the scenery.

Suddenly I had an idea. I needed some rocks to border my little garden which I was planning on remodelling. There were plenty of lava rocks around so I created a small pile to put in the car later.

When Rhiannon and Tim disembarked from their swan, we went into a lakeside café to warm up with some delicious hot chocolate and toasted sandwiches and pondered why nobody else was around. It was like a ghost town. Tim reclaimed the car from the deserted public car park; we loaded my rocks into the boot, much to Tim's embarrassment, and headed off to our next tourist spot.

On the way we spotted a fantastic view so poor Tim had to find a place to stop for a photo. The road builders in Japan are way ahead of the game and there are lots of laybys ready for just such a need and the result was this picture of Lake Chuzenji and the Kegon Falls.

Kegon Falls is a scenic little area with a couple of souvenir shops, and unsurprisingly a waterfall. You can't quite see the falls from the car park, even if you hang over the fence so we trekked into the "entrance". To our great surprise we found that there was a lift (elevator) to take us to the base of the falls! The Japanese really do tame their wilderness to an extraordinary extent. The lift cost a few hundred yen but there was no other way down so in we traipsed. Inside the metal box was a television showing a video of the falls in various beautifully shot scenes at different times of year.

At the bottom we exited into a chilly, damp but clean and bright corridor to make our way to the   "Viewing Platform". Yes, the falls were spectacular with a 97 metres drop, but nothing compared to waterfalls in other parts of the world, and somehow lessened by the fact that we were herded to certain areas and not allowed to explore by ourselves. Dramatic cliffs soared above us showing their volcanic origins in the construction of the stone pillars. Back into the lift again for the return journey to the car park.

Naturally we investigated the souvenir shops. Mum needed to get some bits and bobs to take back to the family in the UK and I can't resist a shop. Especially a pottery shop of which there was one. Once that little excusrsion was completed we headed for Nikko town again.

Oddly enough, it seemed closed again - very devoid of human life. So last night's impression was not due to the time of day, rather the time of year. It obviously wasn't tourist season although the Kegon Falls had a number of visitors. The shops that were open were not interesting at all. A most peculiar place.

But there were temples so we visited them instead. More specifically, we visited one temple - the Toshugu Shrine. This is the most famous shrine complex in Nikko and perhaps in the whole of Japan.

Once again in a car park, Tim declared he wasn't going to visit another shrine. "I've seen enough shrines". Rhiannon took one look at the many steps leading up to the shrine and said she'd stay with Daddy. So Mum and I went.

We've all heard of the Three Wise Monkeys, haven't we? Hear no evil, see no evil and speak no evil. But were you aware that they came from Japan? I certainly wasn't and was fascinated to discover this little titbit of information from our guide book. Toshugo Shrine is where the carving is to be found, although it wasn't anywhere near as large as I expected of this legend, just another intricately carved detail over a door of quite an insignificant building in this massive shrine complex.

We wandered around the large complex, admiring but not truly understanding the significance of all the buildings and accoutrements as usual. But we enjoyed the scenery, especially the moss-covered lanterns and ancient trees. On the way out I spotted a place to buy fortunes. These are common at all shrines and there's a fabulous "get-out-clause" if you inadvertently buy a less than favourable fortune. You tie the paper with the ill-fortune to a tree or rack and let the wind blow the misfortune away. Sorted!

This is one of the only places in Japan where you can buy these fortunes in English so I bought three: Mum declined. Mine was A+ perfect, as was Rhiannon's. Tim's wasn't quite so good, possibly a B, but as he hadn't come to the shrine to read it, he couldn't let the wind blow it away.

Another night on the futons - they didn't feel any more comfortable - and then away back to Tokyo.

Building where the Three Wise Monkeys carving is found.

 Barrels of Sacred Sake

One of the Guardians at the Toshugo Shrine, Nikko

Nikko

9^th to 11^th April 2007

On the recommendation of some work colleagues, Tim booked us a couple of days in a log cabin allegedly buried deep in a forest near Nikko.

Nikko is an ancient town about 140km north of Tokyo. It is home to many shrines and temples, a lot of history and has been a centre of worship for centuries. The Nikko National Park is home to wild monkeys, hot springs, beautiful mountains and lakes. So says the guide book.

We are very excited.

Driving through the Japanese countryside was fascinating and I was entranced by glimpses of snowy mountains and views of traditional-style houses and small fields.

Enormous carp flags were on display outside many homes ready for Children's Day on 5th May. Some were several metres long and all were impressive. The flags are called koinibori and are flown to honour sons as a wish that the boys will grow up strong and healthy. 

Somehow, with my dreadful navigating, the Japanese-speaking GPS system and the complete lack of signposts as we neared our destination, we eventually found the log-cabin grounds and were thrilled to see the most amazingly picturesque cottage that was to be our home for a couple of nights. It wasn't very deep in a forest at all.

My excitement diminished rapidly when I realised we would be sleeping on futons. And it was quite cold. I don't like cold. Mum went very quiet upon seeing the thin mattresses. I knew how she felt.

Rhiannon was thrilled at this little adventure and quickly chose her room. It had a tiny door, only about 4 feet high so eminently suitable for a child. There was a skylight too, which she adored and promptly lay on her swiftly pulled out futon and was quiet. This is a rare event.

Tim got organised by grabbing futons and laying piles of them out for us. I ended up with about 6, one on top of the other. A bit Princess and the Pea. They were rock hard and exceedingly uncomfortable. I also used about 8 duvets and was still cold. Nevermind, it was just for two nights.

Ignoring the bedtime plight, we set off to explore the immediate area by taking a walk in the forest. It was a coniferous forest with an unnatural feel about it. Coniferous places are never great for experiencing wildlife and after a while, I worked out why this one was particularly strange. There was absolutely no birdsong at all. Eerily quiet and bereft of all life as I mentioned about Mount Takao. Where are all the birds? Surely they haven't all been hunted? Or have they?

Rhiannon trotted off ahead and when we caught up with her she was happily playing in a puddle of mud. As a child who constantly needed someone with her at all times, this was a pleasant break from the norm. I had forgotten to check the bathing facilities at the house, but she was having great fun so we let her continue getting good and muddy.

There wasn't much walking to be had. In Japan it seems you can only walk on marked trails and the "wilderness" is out of bounds, either by being fenced off or inaccessible due to poor terrain. The forest was bordered on one side by a large river and empty road and the other was fenced off.

Back at the cabin, I found a lovely Japanese bathroom with a very small yet deep bath which Rhiannon was quickly placed and the muddy clothes peeled off. The toilet was interesting. The cistern had a little basin built into the top with a tap which ran when the toilet was flushed. What a clever invention to recycle water.

Then we took to the car again in search of an evening meal.

We drove into Nikko town and discovered it closed. Nothing was open at all and it was only about 5.30pm. No restaurants could be found anywhere. After an hour or so of looking, getting increasingly annoyed, we finally found an open restaurant that looked very nice indeed. Tim dropped us there while he went to find a car park and eventually we had a very good meal.

Finding our way back to the cabin would have been impossible if it wasn't for Tim's very excellent sense of direction.

Back inside, we lit a fire. Or rather, Tim tried to light a fire. Many times. Mum was very good and didn't butt in and I dared not catch her eye for fear of giggling at his unsuccessful attempts. Don't want to question the hunter-gatherer's skills, do we? But the flames caught in the end and the house grew cosy and warm very quickly.

A pile of National Geographic magazines and guide books were our evening entertainment.

Then we braved the futons and slept. Sort of.

Trick Art Museum

5^th April 2007

Across the road from Mount Takao is a rather special museum full of illusions. Called the Trick Art Museum, it's full of optical illusion art. Flat paintings created with the express intention of showing as 3-dimensional when photographed.

Labyrinth-like inside the museum, rooms lead into other rooms; doors disappear into the art and plenty of ooohs and aaaahhhs at each turn.

Much fun was had by all, but especially Rhiannon, of course.

I'll let the photographs speak.

Rhiannon is standing on a flat surface. Really!

 

The artist? No, another incredible painting.

 

Mount Takao

Thursday 5^th April 2007

Another day trip planned. Today we go to Mount Takao, a sacred mountain with stunning scenery, rare woodland walks and a temple complex.

The peak is nearly 600m but most of this walk can be avoided by lazy people (like me) by taking either a funicular railway or a chairlift. We took the chairlift, which quite frankly, terrified me. Similar to those found at ski resorts, you line up and wait for the chair to hit the back of your knees before sitting down and hoping for the best as there is no bar to hold onto and the seat is very narrow. Making everyone else go ahead of me seemed the best way to prevent them seeing my fear. I clung on for dear life and forced a smile each time Rhiannon turned around to wave. "Why don't you wave back, Mummy?" Eek! I did manage a quick photo which may be a little shaky.

Rather than hovering high above the ground, a fairly secure-looking net covered the area just below the seats. Just as I was relaxing into the ride I noticed that in some places the net was alarmingly close to my feet. Just in time, I lifted up my legs so as not to be catapulted out of the chair. This game made the ride diverted my terror and was quite entertaining but meant I missed a lot of the view.

The chairs are painted cheerful primary colours and the trip was extremely peaceful apart from the tinny music drifting out incongruously from various places. Near the top of the ride a man perched on the edge of a cliff takes your photograph and, by the wonders of digital technology, the picture is waiting for you when you reach the top. At the end of the ride, polite gentlemen help you off the seat and away from the danger of the chair behind you, which was very welcome as my legs had completely failed to work due to sheer fright and the narrow seat had cut off my circulation.

Hiking to the top of the mountain is actually very easy, even for children - and me - as the entire route is a paved road. For more interest, numerous 'off road' hiking trails exist which meander through a wooded nature reserve. Mount Takao is said to be rich in wildlife with over 1,200 species of plants, insects, birds and animals. Although many signs indicate the types of wildlife to be seen in the woods, such as flying squirrels, on my many trips there since this first one, I've never seen even a beetle. It seems to be a very sterile area lacking even birdsong. I suppose the wildlife is there, but maybe it stays deep in the woods away from the huge numbers of visitors that come to the mountain.

To our surprise, one of the first attractions we discovered en route was a monkey zoo. Japan has its own indigenous monkeys, Japanese macaques, and a community of them are housed in a small zoo here. We didn't visit as I don't like zoos.

We passed by and continued up the hill, admiring ancient sacred trees wrapped in thick twine and festooned with folded white paper strips. The base of one enormous tree was worn smooth by countless hands patting it on passing.

Mount Takao has been a sacred place for over a thousand years and the beautiful Yakuoin Temple is found near the peak. Believed to have been built in 744, this temple is dedicated to a medicine Buddha, so many people with ailments or sick relatives visit to pray. A colourful set of buildings, the architecture is embellished with multicoloured wood carvings representing dragons, foxes and humans. Numerous statues surround the buildings and huge cauldrons filled with ash stand by the entrances to the many separate temples. You pay a few yen for a bundle of incense sticks, light them and place them in the cauldron to produce the 'holy smoke'. I wish I knew more about the workings of these fantastic temples. There are so many questions I have about everything, but nobody to ask.

As we neared the temple, the road was lined with red lanterns and a stunning, yet completely puzzling array of wooden posts, each decorated with kanji. Although most of the writing was identical on each one, there were slight differences near the base. Regardless of their meaning, the effect was stunning.

Lots of stalls surround the temple, as is common at every place of worship here, selling charms and prayers specific to this particular place. I've started collecting some of these, just in case! I'm quite a collector… OK I'm mainly a shopaholic who can't resist retail therapy, especially after a scary chairlift ride.

We stopped for lunch at a small restaurant where the views across the landscape were incredible, with Tokyo visible in the far distance. Luckily for us there were a few tables with chairs so we didn't have to eat 'Japanese-style' – kneeling on the ground. We chose some sort of noodle bowl which Rhiannon and I thought was delicious. Mum had some difficulty using the chopsticks and Tim didn't like the taste.

After lunch, we continued up to the peak of the mountain to see the amazing views of the mountain range that includes Fuji-san. Then it was time to head back down the mountain with another "exciting" trip on the chairlift in order.

I contemplated walking down but decided to face my fears and to my surprise, thoroughly enjoyed this second ride.

Holy Smoke

Temple Details

Hakone - A Birthday Trip

Tuesday 3^rd April 2007

It's my birthday today. I don't get a cake, but I do get to eat black eggs!

Tim's taken a couple of weeks off work so we can get out and about with Mum and explore some other parts of Japan. Lots of trips out of Tokyo are planned.

Today we went to Hakone, a popular day-trip destination less than 100 kilometres from Tokyo. Hakone is famous for its onsen, or hot springs, as well as being a site of natural beauty and real countryside.

Now, about onsen. I would love to visit one of these public hot springs but I am not allowed. Why? Well, I have tattoos which are well and truly banned. Incidentally, I am also not allowed to go to swimming pools and gyms, neither of which I am bothered about. Why are tattooed people forbidden from onsen? It stems from the banning of members of the yakuza - mafia-type gangs - who are covered in beautifully worked ink. Even though, by dint of being female and gaijin I cannot possibly be a member, my ink disallows me from baring myself to the Japanese world. Ah well.

We went by car and the journey took around two hours along toll roads that are easy to navigate with numerous well-equipped service stations. These service areas are great. Banks of vending machines dispensing every kind of drink and even hot food. Clean and vast toilets with a choice of cubicle - Japanese, Western, and even double cubicles with a normal sized convenience and a kid-sized one! Plenty of dogs to watch - there are even facilities for them with dog runs and water bowls. A huge shop contained something very rare and most welcome - a bakery. How I've missed decent baked goods! We stock up on plenty of rolls, doughnuts, Danish pastries and other items to eat en route.

Once at our destination we didn't really have plan but soon realised that the main attractions are lakes and mountains. Unfortunately the weather turned nasty and we were engulfed in a thick dank fog. So none of my photos are good, sorry.

Lake Ashi was our first stop where we took a boat trip around the vast lake. To our amazement we spotted three colourful 'pirate' ships; replicas of British ships complete with masts and figureheads looming out of the mists. We also saw what appeared to be a paddle steamer. What a shame we were on the only 'ordinary' boat on the lake. They were all tourist boats ferrying people back and forth to various destinations. Apparently you can see Mount Fuji from here, but the fog meant we could barely see the other side of the lake. On one side of the lake is the entrance to one of the most photographed shrines in Japan with its picturesque bright red torii gates placed in the water.

Returning to shore and our car we were lured by signs leading to something called "The Great Boiling Valley". With a name like that, we just had to visit! Following these signs led us up a mountain called Owakudani which is a volcanic hotspot full of bubbling sulphurous springs and fumaroles. A number of cable cars or ropeways were taking people some of the way but we drove and parked in the convenient car park near the top before walking the rest of the way.

 

This fascinating sign greeted us at the exit from the car park before walking up the mountain.

 

We decided to brave the dangers and headed up the path through the pungent air where we came to an area of boiling pools of milky blue-green water. Around one of the pools large metal boxes were immersed in the hot water. Leading up to this was a pulley system bringing boxes of eggs up from the town at the base of the mountain. These eggs were then plunged into the boiling water and sold in bags at a nearby kiosk. Although they are normal chicken eggs their shells are turned black by the chemicals in the water. These black eggs are extremely famous here and according to Japanese legend they increase your lifespan; for each black egg you eat another seven years is added to your life.

Another typically translated sign: I think it apologises in advance if there are no eggs available.

 

Solid wooden tables surround the kiosk, each one encircled by dozens of people bashing the eggs and peeling off the shells.

A sign nearby showed that we had climbed to 1050m above sea-level.

We ate lots of eggs and very delicious they were too. Good to know we'll live longer for eating them - with the number we've eaten we're probably going to be immortal.

Yikes!

Oh dear, oh my!

I am embarrassed and astounded that time has swept by so fast and I haven't updated this in so long. My apologies for breaking my promise in the last post as it was obviously highly optimistic.

We are still here, life is hectic, manic, crazy and I do have a lot of work to do on this blog. Plans are in place to write a lot more, especially this week.

Please check back in a day or two and many thanks for the comments I've received.