Japanory

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

Snow Town Yeti!

Tuesday 13^th February 2007

 
OK, I agree this is a bizarre title, but it is the name of an actual place; a snow resort at the base of Mount Fuji. http://www.yeti-resort.com/e/index.html

As it's half term, and Tim has to go away for most of the week, he's taken a day off work to take us for our first real trip in the new car. We did go to Costco at the weekend, but that's not really a trip worth blogging about again (yes, we bought more toilet paper!).

We read about Snow Town Yeti in a magazine here called Tokyo Families. This is a very useful little mag giving ideas for days out suitable for children.

Miraculously, Tim has managed to work out how to use the Japanese GPS system in the car. In fact, I don't think he's been doing much else at work this past week apart from playing with the car which has been on the premises while the paperwork was being completed. One thing that made me laugh was his utter horror when he saw the digital map flash up with numerous swastikas. Swastikas, as I'm sure many of you know, are a symbol for Buddhist temples and we have a lot of them around here; the sign was used long before the Nazis took the symbol on.

So, Snow Town Yeti has been plugged in as a destination and we are almost ready to go.

First of all though, we have to get suitably attired for it. I possess nothing remotely appropriate for playing in the snow apart from a huge duvet parka. Ski-trousers and sensible boots are not part of my wardrobe, but then I never needed them sledging as a kid so probably don't now...

Rhiannon is to be kitted out in many layers of clothes under her "zoot-suit", an all-in-one waterproof affair she's had since she was two. Way too big for her then, she's finally fitting into it perfectly. New snow boots have been purchased for her. And her red puffa jacket to match Daddy's.

There's a cute story attached to this jacket: when I was pregnant, Tim went to China on business and returned with matching red jackets for all of us, bump included. Now, I find his and hers matching clothes incredibly icky and quickly donated mine to someone else. However, the jacket he thought would perfectly fit our soon-to-be-newborn was enormous! Not having had much contact with babies, he actually thought this jacket was newborn sized... *horrifying thought*. It didn't fit her until she was four years old!

Sledges have been bought, but the shop only had two left so we'll have to take turns. I can't find an old cattle-feed bag like I used to possess in my childhood – now that was a good sledge.

And off we go.

The lady in the GPS only speaks Japanese, but is very polite and doesn't get annoyed when we make a mistake. But the pictorial map seems easy enough to follow. The toll roads are fairly straightforward too, the cost is 700 yen per gate, and each gate is manned by cheerful individuals (what a job! Amazing they can be so jolly.) Getting to the main freeway was quite tricky as the entrances are really well hidden and it took a few attempts to understand that the small green arrows meant "This way to the main road".

An aside – why are they called "Freeways" when you have to pay to go on them?

En-route, I enjoyed gazing out the window watching the world go by, experiencing a whole new side of Tokyo not yet seen. From the huge skyscrapers of Shinjuku to the smaller, more traditional buildings. Many, many highly decorated shrines and temples and fascinating little shops. Lots of opportunities for a little giggle too as this sign indicates.

After some time, Mount Fuji appears straight ahead of us. Although still far away, this mountain takes your breath away with its symmetrical beauty and suddenness of appearance. Unexpectedly looming in the distance, it's snow-capped peak beckons and even the car- driver's nightmare, Rhiannon, perks up. "Are we there yet?"

Success! We find Snow Town Yeti and have some simple fun by watching the temperature drop as the car climbs the mountain (thermometer in the car). It got to about -10°C upon arrival. My jeans are not seeming like such a good idea right now.

The car park is empty and free, but apparently this is because all the Japanese schools are not on holiday so we are lucky. Entrance is straightforward too – we aren't going skiing or hiring anything, so the price is minimal. And we're in!

The layout is a few shops selling and hiring equipment, vending machines, of course and a restaurant. Outside the restaurant are a number of fire pits which look like they will come in useful later. Steps lead down to the snow. The snow isn't 'real', but created by a snow machine. Who cares? We certainly don't! It's not plastic; it's cold and is frozen water droplets, therefore it is real snow.

The place is almost empty and we spend the next four hours having an absolute whale of a time! I love sledging!! Interestingly none of us are into skiing – me for my dodgy knees, Rhiannon because she's a scaredy cat and Tim just doesn't see the attraction. One day I'll try it, just to see, but for now I'm happy to return to my childhood and slide as fast as I can down hills on a piece of plastic.

From time to time we take a break and grab some coffee or hot chocolate from the vending machine and sit around the firepit before heading back to the slope. We had some food, but it was revolting, like a particularly bad McDonalds.

Four hours of sledging is a great exercise – I found muscles I didn't even know existed. And surprisingly didn't get too cold. It was a beautiful day, and of course, the exercise kept me toasty warm.

After a while, the snow had compacted to the perfect consistency and rather than being stopped by the small upward slope at the bottom of the run we started going up it. Rhiannon very nearly went over the edge which frightened her a little!

Around the top of the hill the snow had melted and while Tim and I drank another tin of coffee Rhiannon wandered off to a baby's playground whereupon she promptly fell over in the mud. Time to call it a day

Days like this usually end in tears for a five year old. We all slept very well that night, but trying to move the next morning was painful!

To Drive or Not to Drive...?

We finally have the car. Hurray! Just in time for the half term holidays coming up.

But I'm too terrified to drive in Tokyo just now, so Tim uses it to get to work while Rhiannon and I take the bus as it is so easy.

Why am I terrified? Well, I learnt to drive in Devon, many, many years ago. Lovely, gentle Devon where there is little traffic to negotiate, tiny single-track lanes lined with soft grassy hedges and easy, simple roads with no roundabouts. I am a dab-hand at reversing quickly and adeptly to a passing place; I can wait patiently while a herd of cows or flock of sheep bustle past me; emergency braking when confronted with a combine harvester on a blind corner is no problem and passing tractors on a bend road was a risk I was willing to take.

And then I moved to London. This was in 1988, just as the "hot-hatch" problem arose (I had an XR2 at the time). From costing around £300 to insure in Devon, the cost suddenly shot up to astronomical regions. And that was with the only two insurance companies willing to quote for someone under the age of 25. Insuring it would have cost more than the car was worth, so I reluctantly sold it (for more than I paid for it, hee hee!) and went onto permanent public transport for the next 12 years.

I lived next to two train stations so it wasn't a problem. Well, that's a misnomer as we're talking about London public transport, but I'm sure you know what I mean.

Then I met Tim, and moved to Northampton where I was forced back into driving again as I had to get from home to the train station, 7 miles away, usually at 6am, for my commute to London. My nerve deserted me and I found I was really scared of driving! How ridiculous. In my defence, the area was littered with far too many roundabouts than are necessary or healthy, and filter lanes which I had never used before. Plus I have no sense of direction and can get lost just crossing a road.

Tim bought me a GPS / SatNav system which helped me no end. But it took a long time for me to feel comfortable driving again.

So Tokyo's notorious traffic, multi-laned roads and complicated road signs are somewhat daunting to me at the moment.

I will overcome, of course.

In Praise of Buses!

Rhiannon and I are at the end of our tether with this awful school run. Going in isn't too bad. Well, it is, but at least Rhiannon is fresh at the start of the day and there aren't too many people around at that time. But the 'going-home-run' is atrocious.

One traumatic afternoon (for both of us), Rhiannon tantrummed for nearly the entire journey – a whole hour straight. She's never done this before, ever. Along with the whole change of country, culture shock, the new school, (which is more pressured than the exceedingly gentle schooling she'd experienced in the UK) it's hardly surprising the poor child is so shattered.

We have an incredibly frazzled mum and daughter at the end of each day. There's no 'happy family' for Tim to return home to at the end of his work day. He can't work out what the problem is – I am very tempted to suggest he does the school run a couple of days and see how he copes! Not well, would be my guess.

But! An end to the nightmarish school run could finally be in sight.

My gorgeous friend, Tere, has told me in great detail about the buses. I hadn't even thought of using a bus, doh! She has even gone to the trouble of obtaining a bus route map and worked out how I can get to school on the bus, which bus to catch, and even how to how to pay when getting on board.

Not only that, she told me there was a bus stop just across the road from my house! I cannot believe I hadn't noticed it and went to investigate. Sure enough, there it is! But I can't read the timetable as it's all in Japanese. I make a guess and plan a trial run. Unfortunately, there are only 2 or 3 buses every hour but it looks like the one we need is just right for getting to school on time. And the timetable appears to be fairly straightforward as long as I remember which column means weekdays and which refers to the weekend.

This could be the miracle cure to the endless waste of time that I'm spending on the school run. It's taking a minimum of four hours out of my day.

So, at the weekend, we go on adventure and take the bus to Shibuya. What a revolution!! The number 81 bus picks us up. It only costs 200 yen for any length of journey, and Rhiannon travels free of charge due to her age - she doesn't start paying until she's 6 years old. The seats have no leg room for tall gaijin, but that's not a problem for Rhiannon, of course! Then at Shibuya, we hop off and work out where to go from there. It's as easy as pie and will only be a few hundred yards walk to school, instead of a couple of miles.

What a breakthrough! I'm so happy!!

 

Ups and Downs of the School Run

On the way to school I noticed one of the large film screens around Shibuya station showing videos of one of my favourite bands – the Red Hot Chili Peppers. As I gazed at the screen a date flashed up and I realised with elation that they were coming to perform in Tokyo! I've been trying to see this band for nigh on 20 years but have always been in the wrong place at the wrong time. Could it be possible that I finally get to see them? Oh, I LOVE my new home!

Now all I needed to do was find out how to speak Japanese and get some tickets. I decided to pass the task onto Tim who could ask his colleagues for help. I care not that he isn't a massive fan like me; we will go and see them if at all possible, and that is that.

I collect Rhiannon and we head home.

The school run is already dragging us down and Rhiannon is so tired at the end of the day that the walk to the station in Shibuya is a real chore. She insists on walking on all the building edges, up steps, down steps, around bollards and generally being a pain as all the time she insists on holding my hand which drags me around too. Then she complains about being tired and having achey legs. I'm not surprised; with all the to-ing and fro-ing she is walking ten times as far as she needs to.

She is also obsessed with all the vending machines and we have to stop at each one, of which there are many, to inspect the contents and hassle me for a drink. I counter this with a promise of something from the one nearest home as it is considered rude to drink and eat on the Metro. And so it continues as a whinging child and I enter the overcrowded Metro.

We are both completely frazzled by the time we get home, two hours after I left. There must be an easier way of doing the school run, but sadly I don't know what. Some people catch cabs, but this is an expensive option and besides, I tried this once and couldn't convey to the taxi driver where I wanted to go. But it is very tempting. Perhaps I should try and find a map.

A Very Expensive Lunch and Singing to the Fish...

We left the Palace as quickly as possible as we were all in desperate need of toilets!

Eventually we found them at an area decorated with several water sculptures and glorified fountains, which didn’t help our predicament while queueing for the loos. After answering the call of nature we played amongst them for a while and pondered what to do next.

It was lunchtime and we needed food. Tim mentioned a nice hotel he’d stayed in on a previous visit, so we headed there.

The New Otani was certainly spectacular, but we were unfortunately too late for lunch at most of the restaurants, of which there were many. After some lengthy searching over several floors, we discovered a Chinese restaurant that was prepared to serve us and we gratefully settled down. Mum has not eaten Chinese food for years after developing an allergy to monosodium glutamate, so we were a little apprehensive, and she just chose soup.

Rhiannon surprised us immensely by being extremely proficient at using chopsticks. She’s never held them before, but she was determined not to let that beat her and persevered with great success. We were amazed and proud of her tenacity.

The resultant bill was beyond astronomical and we made a note to eat there again only on extremely special occasions. I was already planning on choosing this hotel for our first wedding anniversary celebration!

After lunch we went into the extensive and beautiful gardens. Mum and I were delighted to see lots of lovely ladies dressed in stunningly gorgeous kimono daintily stepping over the rocks that traversed the ponds.

An enormous red jasper stone stood in splendour on one side of the garden. I adore stones, so   communed with this lovely old rock for a while. Then I spotted the most bizarre bonsai or miniature garden I have ever seen. It was an upended log studded with large toadstools. Amazing!

Mum was flagging a bit by now, so we didn't explore the whole garden and resolved to visit again at Easter when she returns.

Once again, Rhiannon insisted on singing to the Koi. I have no idea where this idea of hers came from, but it is very sweet. We have to keep our distance while she performs, but my camera has a zoom lens! Of course, the fish all gather around her expecting food: but she believes it is her “magic singing” bringing them to her.

 

To See the Emperor...

Chronological crisis again... let's go back to...

2nd January 2007

Stuck for something to do, we decided to join the crowds and visit the Emperor in his Palace!

The Imperial family here don’t meet the masses as our British Royal family do, but the masses are graciously permitted to go and see them in their Palace on two occasions each year: on the current Emperor’s birthday, 23rd December and also 2nd January, which is when we decided to venture there.

We caught the train and basically followed the multitudes along a long road bordering a rather strange field full of enormous bonsai trees. The trees were rigorously pruned into gloriously stylised shapes, just as traditional bonsai trees are, with one exception; these trees were a couple of metres high and laid out like an orchard.

Along the red-cone-lined route were gentlemen handing out Japanese flags and we were given one each. We thought we may be treated with suspicion being gaijin, but the atmosphere was incredibly friendly and happy.

Across the moat which is lined with huge, grey stones and through a magnificent set of doors.

We weren’t allowed to stop and take photos, as I discovered when I tried to snap a particularly beautiful view. I was gently, yet firmly moved along by the palace police. I still got the photo though! But it seemed to be OK to take photos as long as we kept moving.

There were set times for the Imperial family to appear at the window and we arrived with about 20 minutes to wait; which was lucky! The crowds seemed to be well controlled as the area in front of the palace didn’t get overfull and there was no disagreeable pushing and shoving.

I was rather disappointed with the lack of grandness the palace displayed. It appeared to be just two storeys high and surrounded by windows. But I later discovered that it had been rebuilt after being destroyed in World War 2 and was built to be earthquake-proof.

Over the loudspeakers came various speeches which, of course, were undecipherable to us. However, one particular speech seemed different to/from the rest. Spoken by a women with a soothing mellifluous voice the speech had the sound of a prayer. This feeling was emphasised by most of the crowd lowering their heads. It was the most relaxing and comforting sound I‘ve ever heard, and would love to know the words.

A sense of expectation was palpable.

From time to time the smartly attired palace guards would change position, which caused a ripple of anticipation throughout the crowd. 

Then, they appeared!

Japan’s Imperial Family can be seen at their window amidst happy cheers and much flag waving.

They waved and smiled for a while; the Emperor said a few words and then they all went back inside.

And that was it!

Yoyogi - Park and People

31st December 2006

The year's end! What a lot of changes 2006 has brought to our family; we look back with pleasure and forward with excitement.

We choose today to visit one of the largest parks in Tokyo, Yoyogi Koen, not realising that Sunday is THE best day to visit as it's the day everyone comes out to show themselves off. A wealth of fascinating sights greeted us the moment we arrived at Harajuku.

The area around Harajuku Station is swarming with wonderful specimens of high fashion - Japanese style. These young ladies and gentlemen dress to kill in all manner of (to us Westerners) very odd outfits. It appears they are there purely to pose and have their photos taken by random passing folk. Some cameras on display appeared to be press-quality so perhaps some of the pictures will appear in some magazines or books. Who knows?

We saw so many interesting people, with such hard-to-define styles that I couldn't resist photographing a few of them. Some I recognised as the famous Harajuku Lolitas and Gothic Lolitas. Others were harder to label, such as one chap with a silver bandage across his face: but all were beautiful and colourful. Another hopeful young man held up a sign offering "Free Hugs", although I didn't see anyone take up this kind suggestion. Girls dressed as Alice in Wonderland or Little Bo Peep were everywhere mixed with slinky Goths and various characters I've since discovered are known as Cos-Play.

Rhiannon was keen to get away from the bustling crowds so she could try out her new roller blades, so we didn't stop very long in that area.

However, we were distracted by another of the famous Yoyogi sights: the Elvis people! On the walkwayto Yoyogi Park a cordoned off area was utilised by a number of people dressed in 1950's garb and rockin' and rollin' to their hearts content. The guys were dressed in leather, winkle-picker boots and greased black hair with gravity-defying quiffs, while the few girls in attendance had full poodle-skirts and ponytails. While in the UK, this "show" would be put on as a method of asking for money, here it appears to be done purely for pleasure, and it was a pleasure to watch too. A number of souped up and highly decorated vans lined the road, so I can assume these people arrived in suitable style, accompanied by their high-quality, loud sound-systems.

Finally we made it into the park itself, but the sights and sounds didn't diminish at all. Everywhere we looked we saw something unusual going on, from small groups of people practising dance moves to individuals juggling, people going through martial arts moves and others playing instruments. They show no self-consciousness at all, incredible.

The hypnotic beat of bongos floated through the air. Drawn by the haunting sound, I followed my ears and tracked down a gang of people 'losing themselves in the rhythm' with attending dancing girl. Being a great fan of this type of music, I could have stayed for hours, but family were urging me on once again.

A couple of grimy oblong ponds held little interest but in the distance we spotted a dancing fountain in the middle of a larger, more natural looking lake, so we heading in that direction grabbing some vending machine drinks on the way. We sat for a while watching the changing projection of the water spout while Rhiannon wobbled precariously on her new skates.

Then we saw a man walking around balancing a glass ball on his head. As you do! 

We decided we'd seen it all now and headed back to the Metro.

As it was New Year's Eve, the most important holiday for the Japanese, numerous stalls had been set up along the roadsides selling all manner of foods, most of which were, as usual, totally unrecognisable. Rhiannon followed her sweet-attuned nose to a stall selling chocolate covered bananas on sticks. How could we refuse? They tasted gorgeous and were far more appetising that some of the octopus kebabs we noticed.

Foot-sore and mind-boggled, we went home to ponder what to do for our New Year's Evening.