Wild Squid Chase

Second Day of Enlightenment

2005-10-13T14:19:00.000Z

Keeping with the whole Buddhist thing, Casey and I set off for Koyansan today. Burial site of the Buddhist priest Kukai, and home to Shingon esoteric Buddhism, the mountain town revolves solely around its religious heritage. Arriving by train, and finally by cable-car, we made our way to the massive cemetery at the end of town. The top picture here was taken along the 2 km (1.25 mile) path that winds its way through the 200,000 tombs in this graveyard in the forest. The picture below shows a few of the tombs where children are burried. Here pilgrims place hand sewn bibs and sweaters on the small statues as a sign of respect. The long path eventually ends at Okunoin temple, the site where Kukai rests. It is said he is not dead, rather sitting in a deep state of meditation awaiting the next Buddha Maitreya (that's a neat trick). The scenery here was amazing, and though my knowledge of Buddhism barely scratches the surface it was easy to appreciate the drop-dead gorgeousness of Koyasan. There really was something unreal about this place. After walking back into town, we decided that we didn't need to see anymore of the 100 temples (pretty good for a town of 7,000), and opted to visit the Kongobuji monastery. The monastery is still used today, and we walked in while a few young monks were in the middle of class. They more or less ignored us, and I assume they've probably gotten used to the constant influx of paying visitors. This last picture shows the rock garden within the monastery grounds where the head priest resides.

Train to Nara

2005-10-12T14:31:00.000Z

Working for Nova, Casey doesn't get weekends, but he's got Wed. (today) and Thurs. off. We decided we'd seen enough of Osaka, and wanted to leave the city for a little side trip, and decided on Nara. I won't go into the vast history of the place or tell you about how historically important this or that temple are (if you want to know, go here), but I will tell you it's an amazing place to be. We decided to first go to the Todaiji temple, home to the incredibly large Daibutsu Buddha. At over 15m (50ft), the solid-bronze statue dwarfs everything else in the room. There were hundreds of tourists and school kids, but we didn't mind much considering how unbelievable the temple was. After spending an hour or so at Todaiji, we hiked a hill above the old town, and watched the sun come down. Along the way we stopped off at Nigatsu-do, another of the many Todaiji temple buildings, and relaxed. After an hour or so, we headed down the hill to the newer parts of the city in search of food. We had a big okonomiyaki dinner, warmed up at a public bathhouse, then hopped on a train for the one-hour ride back to Osaka.

Osake Bike Tour

2005-10-11T15:49:00.000Z

I took Casey's bike today while he was at work so that I could see a bit more of the city. Having already seen most of the central parts of town, I decided to take a look at the port and industrial parts of the city. I was pretty surprised to find how polluted it was, considering how amazingly clean everything is in more residential areas of the country. This picture was taken from the top of a big suspension bridge that spanned one of the port's many canals. The air was so bad up here, I had to pull my shirt up over my mouth to breathe. Below is a spiral-shaped onramp and steel plant in the background.

Big Fish

2005-10-10T15:44:00.000Z

This morning, before Casey had to go to work, we went to the massive Osaka aquarium. It was pretty damned amazing, but the insane crowds forced us to kind rush through the whole thing. After the $20 ticket at the door, and the swarms of pushing grannies and kids, I don't think I'd really recommend this one. Nice jellyfish though.

Umeda Sky

2005-10-09T13:46:00.000Z

Koji Aida, far left in the post below, is leaving tomorrow for a month-long business trip north of Tokyo, at Hitachi's corporate HQ. Casey and I met up with him this evening to see him on his way. Koji had a 10 o'clock bus ticket, and there was time to visit the sky garden at the top of the Umeda Sky building. As cheesy as it sounds, the view up there is crazy. Distanced just enough from the city to get a good view of it all, the observation deck is amazing, especially at night. This here's a view from the top, and a picture of the building below. The ride to the top is nice and scary because the escalators that climb the last three floors are suspended above the nothingness between the two main towers.

Return of the Kojis

2005-10-08T15:12:00.000Z

I spent the day today with Koji and Koji. I promised them in Kochi that I would come and visit them in Osaka, and they couldn't have been more excited. Both of them took Casey and I out this evening for a night of kushikatsu and drinking. We followed that up with a trip to a reggae club, and made it to bed by 6.

What?

2005-10-08T13:07:00.000Z

Japan has some weird trains. This one was in Osaka's Namba station on it's way to KIX.

And Now for Something Completely Different

2005-10-07T15:09:00.000Z

This coming weekend Hania's been invited to go kayaking down the Shimanto-gawa (gawa=river), and, unfortunately, I haven't. Whatever, instead of whining about it, I decided to go and see a friend of mine up in Osaka. Casey's been a good friend of mine as long as I can remember, and just by chance, he moved to Japan only a few days after I arrived to teach english for a year. I told him I would be coming up to see him, and now was as good a chance as ever. There was one problem though, and that's that the return train ticket cost nearly $250. I wasn't going to let that get me down though either, so I decided to hitchhike the 200 miles or so up to the big city. Hania dropped me off in Uwa early yesterday morning, and four friendly drivers and 9 hours later, I was in Osaka. Though it was my first go at hitchhiking, everything went smoothly and I'd do it again if I had to. Having been to Tokyo, I thought I knew vaguely what kind of a city this would be, and while right in some ways, I was unprepared for how loud and crazy the place seemed when compared to the Japanese capital. Here's a few pics I took today, the first from Osaka's electronics district, Den-Den town, and the second from the famous Dotomburi-gawa. I'll be here for a week now, and am excited to be spending a bit of time away from the sleepy town of Mikame.

Dogo

2005-10-03T16:29:00.000Z

Today was my first trip to Matsuyama, the largest city here on the island of Shikoku and the capital of Ehime. Hania and a friend of hers decided to take me to Dogo Onsen, the Matsuyama neighborhood famous for its many Japanese hot springs (onsen). Hania's friend, a woman named Toshie from our town of Mikame, was originally born in Matsuyama and proved to be quite a good guide. Though the old Dogo Onsen Honkan is the main attraction, it isn't nearly as nice as some of the lesser known spas in the area. Because of this, Toshie decided on the Yamatoya Honten, a very nice ryokan (Japanese-style hotel) only a block away from the Honkan. Here we had a large Kaiseki lunch served in a private tatami room before taking a long soak in the hotel's private baths. Kaiseki is something any traveler in Japan should try at least once. Generally consisting of a large number of dishes prepared with seasonal ingredients and carefully arranged on beautiful, hand-made dinnerware, it represents the best of Japanese cooking. Here's a picture of our first course: yellowtail, scallop, and sea bream sashimi, with a side dish of bamboo shoots, salmon roe, carrot, and sea urchin. After lunch, we were taken to the basement floor for our bath. We set a time to meet back in the reception, and soon Hania and Toshie went their separate way, while I carried on to the men's bath. After soaking naked in a big wooden, outdoor bath for an hour, staring blankly at the rock garden, I was completely relaxed. After showering off, and getting dressed, the three of us walked for a short time through Dogo Onsen before heading to dinner. This is a picture of one of the many visiting bathers dressed in a traditional yukata just outside the Dogo Onsen Honkan. After our walk we toured the central part of the city, and went to a nice Italian restaurant before finally heading back to Mikame.

Mikame Undokai

2005-10-02T15:58:00.000Z

The town has gone crazy today. Everyone from 8 to 80 is taking part in the undokai, or annual sports festival. Modeled after the highly popular Japanese school sports festivals, the town sports festival incorporates relays, ball-throwing games, dancing, tug-o-war, and other activities into an all-day event on the Mikame chugakko (middle-school) sports field. Hania and I were minor celebrities, and it was also the first time that many of the locals have seen us together. It was all a bit weird at first with all the staring, but everyone soon got used to us and I ended up having a great day. I was invited to sit with Takami (my fishing pal) and his family, where we shared a huge obento during the afternoon lunch break. Hania was invited to represent her village of Nigyu in the ball-throwing game. She didn't do so badly either, and helped the team place 4th out of 16. After the festival wrapped up for the day, I took my newly purchased rod and reel squid fishing with Takami, while Hania went to the Nigyu village enkai (party) to celebrate their sporty achievements. I caught 3 squid, and after returning home to put them in the fridge, joined Hania and her well lubricated new friends.

Nice Mantis

2005-09-28T14:19:00.000Z

Here's a little uninvited guest we found just outside the window today. At least some of the bugs here are friendly. There seem to be a fair number of mantis around, and during the afternoon, you can see them on the side of the road soaking up the sun.

Side-Trip

2005-09-25T16:08:00.000Z

Today we decided to take a little side-trip to Ashizuri-misaki, a small peninsula at the very southernmost part of Shikoku. We went with our new friends, Koji and Koji. They're our campsite neighbors, and joined our "BBQ" late last night. They were more than generous with gifts of food, tequila, and music. I'm astounded everyday by the generosity of the people here. We tried to return the favor a bit and offered to take them along for the afternoon to see the cape with it's lighthouse and temple. Having no car themselves, both Kojis were thankful to be able to join us and get out of the oppressive midday sun. This is a picture of the coast at Ashisuri, and below Koji and Koji at on of Shikoku's famed 88 temples.

Camping with Kiwis

2005-09-24T16:58:00.000Z

This weekend we're camping with a few of Hania's friends who are also doing the JET program in Ehime. This is Sarah and Amy, both from New Zealand, and both living in towns near Mikame. Hania and I hang out with them quite a bit, especially when the "Japanese experience" starts getting a little too intense. Below are a few shots of Oki beach, the place we're staying for the weekend. We're in Kochi, the prefecture south of Ehime, known more as a holiday destination than anything else. It's beautiful here with the white sand and warm water, and the waves here are huge, supposedly because of a typhoon offshore. I guess the only thing that could be a bit better are our camping skills. We have the necessary tents, food, and beer (thank god), but don't really have anything to cook with or any sort of a lighting for nighttime. Oh well, better luck next time.

Cheesy Sunset Pic

2005-09-22T16:33:00.000Z

Amazing sunset last night. This is for all you back at school. Sorry guys.

Takami, Fish Master

2005-09-21T15:05:00.000Z

Nami left Hania with an unexpected message last night. She said that Takami was calling in sick at work the next day, and was going to go fishing... with me. The next morning, at exactly 11, Takami arrived in his Land Cruiser with all of his fishing equipment ready to go. He said he was going to take me into the mountains to go fishing for Japanese Black Bass in his favorite lake. I've never fished for bass before, so I was excited. Along the way we stopped in "The Big City" (Yawatahama) for a quick udon lunch, then headed to his parent's home in Ozu to get the boat. Soon after we were on our way. We arrived about 45 minutes later to a huge turquoise lake in the middle of a steep valley. This here is Takami's first catch, though he managed to get 11 more before the sun had set. Below is a Bluegill that I caught, one of a respectable nine fish that I hooked.

Mukade!

2005-09-20T02:27:00.000Z

Mikame is wonderful. I really love it, and there's absolutely nothing wrong with it, except for this. This is the Mukade, or 8" (20 cm) centipede that haunts southern Japan. Apparently they love our house, and that's not good. Hania told me the girl that lived here before us was bitten so many times she had to buy a raised bed to replace the Japanese futon she was sleeping on. (I guess sleeping on the floor makes you easier to prey on.) And it's bite isn't just like a bee-sting either. I've been told the Mukade packs quite a punch. When bitten, the area around the bite swells up and turns bright red, then the venom goes for your lymph-nodes, while finally leaving you with a fever for the next few days. It has even been known to take-out the odd old person or baby. As you can tell, I'm pretty scared of them, and it doesn't help that I've already seen three in the house. I killed each of them, but it was more work that I'd expected. Unless you hit the head, they just get angry and run around as you try to smash them. The best way so far is to kill them with hot water. They die quickly and in one piece, but how often do you have a pot of water boiling in the middle of the night?

BBQ, Japanese Stylee

2005-09-19T17:20:00.000Z

Nami and Takami, the couple who took me ika fishing, have been great hosts and friends so far. Hania met Nami through her work, and Takami is Nami's husband. He works at the local nuclear power-plant. (I hear they do tours, but I guess he's working in the super-secret section, so he can't really show me around.) Anyway, they have shown us around Mikame, introduced us to many of the people here, loaned us a bike, and now, to top it off, they invited us to join them for a big BBQ at a new park that sits atop a hill overlooking town. A couple of their friends from Matsuyama came down to join us while we stuffed ourselves with fresh ika, matsutake, eggplant, onion, pork, sweet potato, and whatever else we could get on the grill. We left soon after dark, but not before lighting some fireworks to properly end the evening.

Ika Fishing

2005-09-18T14:46:00.000Z

Today a couple of Hania's friends invited me to go squid fishing. I couldn't have been happier. See, years and years ago back in Federal Way (my hometown near Seattle), I used to be the only white kid that would drive down to Redondo pier late at night to learn the skilled art of squid-jigging. My many Korean-American mentors eventually became impressed as I could hold my own, and now it seems those lessons still pay off. This evening Nami, Takami, and I went to Shuki, the town just north of us, and fished for squid ("ika" in Japanese) from the big concrete breakwater at the mouth of the harbor. We gave up fishing around 10 o'clock, and returned home with three large squid. Hania was still awake when we got back, so we cleaned the squid and made calamari and sashimi. I'm hoping we do this again soon.

Big Picture

2005-09-17T14:28:00.000Z

Hania and I drove around a bit today so that I could get a better look at the place. The first picture here is Mikame town. This is where Hania works, and where we go for fresh fish, groceries, gifts, and pretty much anything else. The second picture shows the entrance to the bay in Mikame. The floating pens in the water are where they raise Spanish mackerel, flounder, and sea bream. Modern aquaculture was invented here, and this seems to be the biggest local business. The last picture here was taken at a hilltop temple that looks over Shuki, the town to the north. It's a beautiful place, but there's a plant there that burns the unused parts of the fish for fertilizer. It's a pretty smart way to get cheap fertilizer for the local farmers, but when the wind blows in the wrong direction it smells horrible... something like sardines cooked in parmesan with yeast.

Kaki Tree

2005-09-15T15:14:00.000Z

This is the kaki tree behind our house. The fruit is really sweet and is a one of the fall foods that is popular here. There's also a few kiwi vines, and lots of mikan trees just outside our door.

First Impressions

2005-09-14T03:04:00.000Z

Hania worked today, so my first day in Mikame was spent alone, wandering the mountain roads on her bike. I spent most of my time trying to figure out how the town is arranged, which is tricky because Mikame is actually a central town surrounded by a number of fishing villages to the north and south, each of which is on the same large bay. We are living in Nigyu, about 5 minutes north of Mikame. The picture here shows Hania's house on the lower-left. It's the white, two-storey apartment building behind the school. It's really nice here, lots of forest, farms, beaches, mikans, and tons of bugs. This is a beetle I saw today in the forest. This place is definitely a welcome change from the city.

The Road to Mikame

2005-09-13T16:46:00.000Z

I just arrived in Mikame after 14 hours on the plane and another six on the trains here in Japan. It was pretty miserable, being as I haven't slept for two days, but it was all worthwhile getting to spend four hours on Japan's fastest train: the Nozomi. This is a picture of the train that I took from Tokyo to Okayama, where I transfered to Matsuyama, and from there finally took the train to Yawatahama, the closest train station to Mikame. From Yawatahama, Hania and a couple of her friends took me on a 20 minute drive back to Mikame, where I was given a short, nighttime tour of the town. Mikame looks amazing, but a bit small. Hania said there are only 8,000 people living here, and only 800 in the village where her house is (Nigyu). I think it's going to be a good three months.

Auf Wiedersehen Hamburg

2005-09-12T01:14:00.000Z

Tomorrow I leave Hamburg for Mikame-cho, a small town on Shikoku, Japan's fourth-largest and most rural main-island. I'm taking a much-needed, three-month break from the Miami Ad School to recharge, work on design and advertising projects, and spend time with my girlfriend, Hania. She's teaching English at local schools as part of the JET program, and will be living in Mikame for a year. I think this is a good chance to see a part of the country that I'd otherwise probably never visit.