QUICK TRIP TO JAPAN
First Bamboo shoots in Japan
Monday, October 2nd.
Just home from the Mt. Baldy Butte, Bi-wingwal Fly-in for hang gliders and paragliders. Few weeks ago, finished working as a fleet engineer for Alaska Airlines and had accepted an offer to work contract at Boeing, again, on the 787 starting on October 13th. Had a little time to get a few things done, or, maybe another plan for an attitude adjustment.
I only had a few Japanese words to study. Of course I could practice with the stewardesses but not very well. Most people would prefer English if they couldn’t understand my Japanese, but I would keep looking for opportunities to practice. The man next to me was Chinese, on his way to Beijing but a few other people would listen to me try to speak Japanese.
I watched Nacho Libre and a few Japanese movies. The time was passing quickly with time zone changes. I couldn’t sleep.
Wednesday, October 4th.
3 pm, Wednesday. Lost a day to the time zone, but I was ready to go. Landed in Narita, Japan, close to Tokyo. I was so excited. I found my luggage, made it through customs and off to the train. There were a few choices of trains. After asking around, they put me on a slow train to Tokyo where I had a plan to meet my friend Brian Frye. Brian is a hang gliding buddy who moved to Japan around five years ago to find some kind of better life and earn a living in his construction field. He's becoming famous with his music. Brian opened a taco and burger restaurant in the hills near Mt. Fuji, where he spends some time cooking american food. In Japan, they don’t have income taxes and as Brian would explain, you don’t have to support a a large government if you don’t want to with your income. Brian has a great way of thinking….another great individual who I will always respect for his opinion. I was so glad to get an email Monday saying it would be OK to stay with him while he’s working in Tokyo.
After a few conversations and realizing the Narita train people shuffled me slightly the wrong direction, some locals found my train stop on a map, Fujigaoka Eki (Eki is station), called Brian to give my arrival time, and pointed me the right direction. It was easy from there. I got off at Fujigaoka station. Found the Mother Earth Natural Food Store and sure enough, Brian and crew were making progress on a remodel job. I could tell they were excited to see the outcome of what the store/restaurant would be like as the owner was making changes along the way and they were flowing with the plan. Brian had a work crew. Stewart had been living in Japan for over 15 years, starting as a teacher than running a few Beer companies. Ryu (Jue), was the project manager, from Japan, who was negotiating the job along the way. Ryu left a life as a project manager of Google Japan to ride a motorcycle around Africa for two years on pennies, than come home to Japan to work in a ‘hands on’ field. Meow was Brian’s girlfriend, from Taiwan, now living in Japan. I didn’t realize they had been going out for a few years.
They worked for an hour or more, than we celebrated with a few beers and out to a local Raman House for some noodles. After dinner, we went to the Onsen (bathhouse) for a good relaxing clean. Something about water that I really like. My sports seem to involve land, water and air. I think all three are necessary. You have to go to an Onsen in Japan to really appreciate hot, natural spring water. It was a 500 yen deal after 10 pm and there were still many people, many pools to sit in, running water you could stand in, sit in, float in or run on yourself. Very refreshing.
Back to the restaurant where I was provided a ground pad, and a food heating blanket in a nice quiet room next to the train station. With the windows open, I could still hardly hear the train, the temperature was perfect even know the weather people said something about a typhoon coming in the next day or so. I slept like a baby.
Thursday, October 5th.
Woke up before everyone and took a walk about the neighborhood in Tokyo. It was quiet accept a few kids people getting ready for school. I knew Brian and crew had a deadline to meet and planned to take the weekend off to head to the mountains in the area of Fomoto, near Fujinomiya, to Brian’s house and restaurant, in the foothills of Mt. Fuji. There we would take care of a little business (Brian said we had to ‘cut a log’). It really was a pleasure getting out on my own to walk the streets. The streets were mostly quiet.
During my morning walk was . A Pizza Hut in Japan. An animated sign to be careful in construction Zones and watch out for kids at play.
Meow agreed to take me downtown during the day. We got on the train and headed to Chabuya. This was a shopping district and everyone was in style….music playing, flashing signs. There is much going on in this busy city. The noise of the pachinko machines when you passed a video game store was so loud. I won’t forget those places,. just loud noise from the pinballs and loud music. 
Downtown after exiting off the train in Chabuya. School kids at a fast food shop. 
At the palace lawn outside the walls with the moat. View from the Tokyo Tower at 250 meters above the city.
We were at cloud base and the typhoon was moving in on us. Tokyo Tower. My friends (left to right), Ryo, Stuart, Brian, Meow.
The Streets of Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan in a typhoon
A Beautiful temple in Motomache
Meow and the ‘Mother Earth Store’ Brian was redesigning. Brian and Meow at the vending machines
Saturday October 7th
Woke up in Brian’s old Japanese house with traditional thin walls and rice mat floors. The typhoon was still producing heavy winds outside and the air was very cool but the day was warming fast. The air in the hills was very fresh, similar to Washington, but a little warmer. I went for a walk to take some photos and Mt. Fuji was beautiful.
Brian’s house which had been owned by the same family for 300 something years. Mt. Fuji in the morning typhoon.
Cool hand made ladder (not bamboo) Mountain Bike Shop next to Brians restaurant The view from Brian’s restaurant
Wind blowing the clouds like a morning hair du Takakawa’s House Brians house
Like a few of the nicer places in Japan, Brian’s house had two toilet rooms, one to stand and one to sit. Of course I used the sitting style with a heated seat and a few controls in Japanese. I knew what a bidet was but still had to get up to see what this one was all about. Pressing the button, I knew it wouldn’t go on very long or shoot water very high, but the little mechanism came out like a snake charmer. I still thought, “what a great mechanical feature…. I wonder …” of course, it hit me in the face! Than thinking it would go off by itself…one waits a minute in humiliation. I finally found the off button and the fun was over. Sometimes the day slaps you in the face and I was glad to get that out of the way.
After a while, Brian and Meow woke and we did a few errands. Brian had a plan to get a piece of wood cut. He had an appt. with a small lumber mill in the town close by. We stopped by his restaurant, where he made a great breakfast, than we headed into town with the log. The plan was to cut the log into slices or make a table of it. Slices would be worth more and it was really cool looking would, so slices it was. We spent a few hours in >>>>>>>>>> at >>>>>’s mill, than headed to Fujinomiya for something to eat and groceries. 
Fomoto Valley at the foot of Mt. Fuji Mt. Fuji from town Fujinomiya Great animated sign to be careful driving
At the Saw Mill to cut the log
After getting back to Fomoto, we got Meow, headed to the local Onsen, got a shower/bath and went to the Music Festival by Mt. Fuji. We were treated as VIP’s as Brian’s house was close so all the local residents got in for free. We were able to park close to the event and since I was ‘Brian’s Brother’, I got in for free too! The show was sold out and packed with people who had been there for a few days. The event area was filled with tents where people camped out and socialized. We met one of Brian’s music friends who kept us in good spirits. There was bands playing, people dancing, goods being sold….all in the backdrop of Mt. Fuji. It just happened to be full moon, mostly clear skies and was very pretty.
At the rock festival, tents in the background for the three day events Friends and I Beautiful Mt. Fuji with cloud cap, and the moon.
Sunday October 8th
Spent the day around Fomoto. It was excellent weather and while talking to a neighbor of Brian’s learn his friend Greg Wolfkill was planning to drive to the town of Koche on Shikuko Island, an all day drive, for a business appointment. I had no real plans for the next part of my trip! I was thinking of going out on my own for a few days and Greg invited me for the drive Monday Morning. This sounded like a great option. I had to look on a map to see he was driving most of the way to the other end of Japan. I was going to experience a driving trip to see many towns by freeway route.
We spent the day at Brian’s restaurant listening to music, eating and enjoying the scenery. We went back to the concert which was on it’s last few songs, than I got ready to leave my friends for a few days and drive with Greg.
Fomoto Fire Station Concert in the hills Mt Fuji
Mt Fuji Was the most spectacular backdrop for a fall concert
Beautiful Sunset Concert view towards the ocean Some mad group that made lots of noise but fun to dance to
Monday October 9th 
A few shots of Mt Fuji in all its glory. The sun rose at the peak of the mountain
I had to post a few shots as Mt Fuji is very grand and was brilliant against the sun
Was up early waiting for Greg...we were off for the drive.
7 am, Greg and I leave Fomoto for Koche. It was an all day drive and we arrived around 6 pm. We drove through resort and mountain pass areas where there were many hot springs, and smal towns. The big cities we passed were Nagoya (2.1m people), Kyoto (1.4 m), Osaka (2.5 m) Kobe (1.5 m) and Tokushima. It was interesting talking with Greg, an ex-navy pilot and mountain climber who had been traveling the world and living in Japan the last few months. Some of Greg's business in Japan included new food products he was marketing from Japan. He taught me about the three character types of writing http://japanese.about.com/blank3.htm in Japan and I started to notice on the signs. Kanji was the oldest type of writing which many Japanese didn’t understand completely…a very difficult alphabet.
Welcome to ....... Beautiful Countryside
One of the many tunnels on the way to Koche Beautiful Landscape
I really like these signs...Watch out for whales
Watch out for rabbits going downhill really fast with parachutes extended
Tuesday October 10th
It was time to leave Greg and start on my trek back to the end of Japan close to the Tokyo, for my flight on Thursday. I said goodbye to Greg and went out on the town on my way to the train station. I took the most non-direct path to the train station and it was hard to leave this city.
Koche City in the morning Many people out on bikes The market, quiet in the morning
Great architecture in some of the building. I would like to hear if anyone knows what these signs mean.
If you have a clue what these mean...they were on statue like pedestals around a school.
At the market in Koche
The Koche Eki (Station) had trains running every 40 minutes. Around 1 pm, I boarded a train taking me on a banking course up and through the mountains filled with small towns along a river. Eventually, we were in the flats and off the is island where we intersected one of the super express trains headed toward Tokyo.
On the train ride from Koche....Beautiful towns on the hillsides
Note the school in the foreground of this hillside town Concrete hillside to form a road
Still the slower trains, cruising across the countryside.
Now here is the Shinkansen!!
The regular trains were local, rapid, express, limited express and super express. This was a Super Express, the Shinkansen. It traveled up to speed of 300 km/hr. The most amazing thing to me was when a train came through the station without stopping. It was a blast of wind than gone again, and the people hardly moved. I was amazed! The trains were quiet and when they passed each other, you could feel the pressure change on the windows. I ate some great food while traveling on the train and missed my stop in Kyoto, again, while trying to talk to people who barely understood English. It was fun, but I ended up having to travel back to Kyoto, where I found a hotel for the next two nights and got some sleep.
Wednesday October 11th
Waking up in Kyoto! What an amazing town. I didn’t know which way to go, but back to the train station. It was close and I purchased a day bus pass for around $10 (1000 yen), which was about the price of a decent meal. I found something that looked like a tour direction, and headed to the nearest museum, palace, temple or shrine I could find. I had seen hundreds of shrines while on the train and driving. They are at the outskirts of every town, near the hills in beautiful locations. You could tell, people who had passed away were respected and you could feel the respect for the past that Japanese people had. You could feel there was many years of history. I hadn’t felt this way anywhere in the US. Maybe I need to get out more.
First place I ended up was the Kyoto National Museum http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/syuzou/index.html . The curators couldn’t speak much English and there were a few interpreters there for guests. Many of the items were from the 8th century and were amazing. Many of the time periods were listed by dynasties, not that I know any of them, but it would be something to study at home.
Next place was the Sanjusangendo Temple. http://farstrider.net/Japan/Kyoto/Sanjusangendo.htm and http://www.taleofgenji.org/sanjusangendo.html show some of the artifacts on the inside but when you see the 1,001 wooden figures of the Kannon-Bosatsu in person, there is nothing like it!
Next was …….the tree, the park, the hills, the shopping area. There was so much to see, but I was running out of time. I talked with rickshaw puller for a while before dinner. What a job on those small hilly streets. I asked if I could pull it around for a while but they said no way!
Kyoto Eki (Train Station) Kyoto National Museum
Inside and at the entrance of the Museum Inside the gates of the temple
Vendors selling 'wish scrolls' Nice house in Kyoto Small streets, note the geisha girls
New entrance gate at a local home The same gate but without the flash on my Cannon pocket camera A budda high above a house.
Beautiful lights at night
As it got dark, I wondered in to a newer part of town where so many young people were out listening to music and shopping. It seems to be a big event, to shop. The shop streets are covered and so many people are out, no cars run in these areas. Still the multilevel pachinko game shops were so noisy but filled with people playing the games, similar to casinos. I found a bus stop to get back to Kyoto station where I could find my hotel again. While waiting, I met a young man who worked at a travel agency close by, heading for home. He was dressed in his work suit as many Japanese were. While talking with him, his coworker arrived and we all had a conversation. They were heading home for the evening and like many, they had hours of travel on trains to get home. Still, they took the time to take me to dinner when we arrived back at Kyoto station, and they made me feel really at home. I had to explain to them that I could get to my hotel OK by myself, and it was late so we said our goodbye’s and I was on my way to the hotel to sleep. I had a business hotel which was about $60/night. The room was small but very adequate.
Thursday October 12th
I would love to ramble on about Kyoto. There was so much to see, you could spend months there and not see all the wonderful sites. It was time to check out, get on the train and figure a plan to make it to my plane flight. In Japan, everything is on a schedule. There are regularly scheduled trains. If you miss one, there is a plan B. 
From the train between Kyoto and Tokyo...lovely cities and countryside. One of many shrines
You will never see a person resting unless your passing them by train, slowed to 60 km/hr
Tokyo Station
I would also like to hear from you if there is something in a sign I may not have figured out. Thanks for reading about my trip!
Russ
About a last minute trip. It took place upon the end one job and the start of another. First Time to Japan and what a wonderful place to visit. I was lucky to have old friends there and meet new friends along the way.
Monday, October 2nd.
Just home from the Mt. Baldy Butte, Bi-wingwal Fly-in for hang gliders and paragliders. Few weeks ago, finished working as a fleet engineer for Alaska Airlines and had accepted an offer to work contract at Boeing, again, on the 787 starting on October 13th. Had a little time to get a few things done, or, maybe another plan for an attitude adjustment.
I ran the idea by my family. I looked up tickets, found a decent price and booked the flight. My friend Brian was in Japan and had emailed me that I was welcome any time. OK it was time to go to Japan.
In September 2005, we lost a good friend, Hiroshi Saito, to a hang gliding accident. Along with our local hang gliding community, Hiroshi's family, friends and coworkers at Boeing and Mitsubishi Heavy Industries, our hearts have been out to him. It has been just over a year and I still converse with people in Japan. This was one of the reasons for me to choose Japan for a vacation. Without having the time on this trip to visit Hiroshi's family in Hokkaido, I would learn a little about the Japanese part of the world. Here is a map of Japan.... http://www.servas-japan.org/images/japan-trip.gif .
Tuesday, October 3rd. Time to leave Seattle
First flight was from Seattle to San Francisco arriving at 10 am on United. Quick cash exchange …$10 was approx. 1000 yen. 12 pm, off to Japan on an ANA’s Boeing 777. It was especailly nice to fly on a plane. I had worked on designs for Boeings 777 airplane since the beginning of production. ANA flies 777's and 747's. Great movies and food along the way.
First flight was from Seattle to San Francisco arriving at 10 am on United. Quick cash exchange …$10 was approx. 1000 yen. 12 pm, off to Japan on an ANA’s Boeing 777. It was especailly nice to fly on a plane. I had worked on designs for Boeings 777 airplane since the beginning of production. ANA flies 777's and 747's. Great movies and food along the way.
I only had a few Japanese words to study. Of course I could practice with the stewardesses but not very well. Most people would prefer English if they couldn’t understand my Japanese, but I would keep looking for opportunities to practice. The man next to me was Chinese, on his way to Beijing but a few other people would listen to me try to speak Japanese.
I watched Nacho Libre and a few Japanese movies. The time was passing quickly with time zone changes. I couldn’t sleep.
Wednesday, October 4th.
3 pm, Wednesday. Lost a day to the time zone, but I was ready to go. Landed in Narita, Japan, close to Tokyo. I was so excited. I found my luggage, made it through customs and off to the train. There were a few choices of trains. After asking around, they put me on a slow train to Tokyo where I had a plan to meet my friend Brian Frye. Brian is a hang gliding buddy who moved to Japan around five years ago to find some kind of better life and earn a living in his construction field. He's becoming famous with his music. Brian opened a taco and burger restaurant in the hills near Mt. Fuji, where he spends some time cooking american food. In Japan, they don’t have income taxes and as Brian would explain, you don’t have to support a a large government if you don’t want to with your income. Brian has a great way of thinking….another great individual who I will always respect for his opinion. I was so glad to get an email Monday saying it would be OK to stay with him while he’s working in Tokyo.
After a few conversations and realizing the Narita train people shuffled me slightly the wrong direction, some locals found my train stop on a map, Fujigaoka Eki (Eki is station), called Brian to give my arrival time, and pointed me the right direction. It was easy from there. I got off at Fujigaoka station. Found the Mother Earth Natural Food Store and sure enough, Brian and crew were making progress on a remodel job. I could tell they were excited to see the outcome of what the store/restaurant would be like as the owner was making changes along the way and they were flowing with the plan. Brian had a work crew. Stewart had been living in Japan for over 15 years, starting as a teacher than running a few Beer companies. Ryu (Jue), was the project manager, from Japan, who was negotiating the job along the way. Ryu left a life as a project manager of Google Japan to ride a motorcycle around Africa for two years on pennies, than come home to Japan to work in a ‘hands on’ field. Meow was Brian’s girlfriend, from Taiwan, now living in Japan. I didn’t realize they had been going out for a few years.
They worked for an hour or more, than we celebrated with a few beers and out to a local Raman House for some noodles. After dinner, we went to the Onsen (bathhouse) for a good relaxing clean. Something about water that I really like. My sports seem to involve land, water and air. I think all three are necessary. You have to go to an Onsen in Japan to really appreciate hot, natural spring water. It was a 500 yen deal after 10 pm and there were still many people, many pools to sit in, running water you could stand in, sit in, float in or run on yourself. Very refreshing.
Back to the restaurant where I was provided a ground pad, and a food heating blanket in a nice quiet room next to the train station. With the windows open, I could still hardly hear the train, the temperature was perfect even know the weather people said something about a typhoon coming in the next day or so. I slept like a baby.
Thursday, October 5th.
Woke up before everyone and took a walk about the neighborhood in Tokyo. It was quiet accept a few kids people getting ready for school. I knew Brian and crew had a deadline to meet and planned to take the weekend off to head to the mountains in the area of Fomoto, near Fujinomiya, to Brian’s house and restaurant, in the foothills of Mt. Fuji. There we would take care of a little business (Brian said we had to ‘cut a log’). It really was a pleasure getting out on my own to walk the streets. The streets were mostly quiet.
During my morning walk was . A Pizza Hut in Japan. An animated sign to be careful in construction Zones and watch out for kids at play.
Meow agreed to take me downtown during the day. We got on the train and headed to Chabuya. This was a shopping district and everyone was in style….music playing, flashing signs. There is much going on in this busy city. The noise of the pachinko machines when you passed a video game store was so loud. I won’t forget those places,. just loud noise from the pinballs and loud music.
Downtown after exiting off the train in Chabuya. School kids at a fast food shop.
We got back on the train and went to the _____ temple. It was very peaceful and in the middle of the city. The temple grounds were much of a sanctuary. This place gave you the feeling that it was one of the last remaining traditional places. Most of the visitors were local and maybe frequent to pray at the temple. I have to say it was a powerful place.
At the temple gate. Meow at the famous Wine jugs for the Emperor. Sacred Water In front of the temple gates.
The peaceful entryway of the temple
Rolling Scrolls full of wishes.
At the temple gate. Meow at the famous Wine jugs for the Emperor. Sacred Water In front of the temple gates.
The peaceful entryway of the temple
Rolling Scrolls full of wishes.
We went to the Emperor’s Castle in downtown in the center of a large park. It was hard to see anything as the house was very protected and surrounded by trees, walls and water. I never saw the Emperor :( . We took a long walk to the Tokyo Tower. I wish we had more time to see sites but it was getting dark. After a good meal, we went up the tower and had a great view of downtown Tokyo. It was good to see from the sky rather than just from the subways.
At the palace lawn outside the walls with the moat. View from the Tokyo Tower at 250 meters above the city.
We were at cloud base and the typhoon was moving in on us. Tokyo Tower. My friends (left to right), Ryo, Stuart, Brian, Meow.
After a tiring day, we had a great dinner than to the Onsen for hot baths before sleeping.
Friday October 6th.
I woke up before everyone again, and took a walk around the neighborhood and over to Aobadai Eki. Your welcome to find it at http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/Tokyo%20rail%20map.jpg or http://www.mkc-properties.com/images/livinginjapan/tokyometromapbig.jpg . It was really amazing to watch all the people gather into the train stations like an army of ants going in to see the queen. It reminded me of the Monarch butterflies which gathered in the trees in the hills of Mexico during their migration. I witnessed the 'Monarcha' February 2006 in Villa De Bravo, Mexico. It was a flutter of people, all going where they needed to go. It was starting to rain and there was news of a typhoon, so some schools were closed. You didn’t have to worry about more traffic with more people out because everyone takes the trains.
Friday October 6th.
I woke up before everyone again, and took a walk around the neighborhood and over to Aobadai Eki. Your welcome to find it at http://www.lta.gov.sg/images/Tokyo%20rail%20map.jpg or http://www.mkc-properties.com/images/livinginjapan/tokyometromapbig.jpg . It was really amazing to watch all the people gather into the train stations like an army of ants going in to see the queen. It reminded me of the Monarch butterflies which gathered in the trees in the hills of Mexico during their migration. I witnessed the 'Monarcha' February 2006 in Villa De Bravo, Mexico. It was a flutter of people, all going where they needed to go. It was starting to rain and there was news of a typhoon, so some schools were closed. You didn’t have to worry about more traffic with more people out because everyone takes the trains.
I visited with friends for a while but had to get out on my own. The only place I knew that was close was Yokohama, so I grabbed one of the community umbrella’s and made like a baby (headed out)! The umbrella situation was great and most shops had a small bundle of umbrellas by the storefront. Lucky I grabbed a strong one for the day!
Off to the next train stop after Aobadai which is on the map http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/kawachi/tenpo/tenpo1.html and a transfer to Yokohama. I got off a few stations before the end of the line. I was in Chinatown. This was a very tight neighborhood with many places to by imports and lots of food shops. First thing that happened at street level was my umbrella flew inside out, than back again. Wow I was lucky not to lose it! It was umbrella destruction town and you could see many people losing their umbrellas to the typhoon. Through the evening, I saw many broken umbrellas but the one I had survived. The temperature was nice so the wind was no bother at all.
Off to the next train stop after Aobadai which is on the map http://www.rakuten.ne.jp/gold/kawachi/tenpo/tenpo1.html and a transfer to Yokohama. I got off a few stations before the end of the line. I was in Chinatown. This was a very tight neighborhood with many places to by imports and lots of food shops. First thing that happened at street level was my umbrella flew inside out, than back again. Wow I was lucky not to lose it! It was umbrella destruction town and you could see many people losing their umbrellas to the typhoon. Through the evening, I saw many broken umbrellas but the one I had survived. The temperature was nice so the wind was no bother at all.
The Streets of Chinatown in Yokohama, Japan in a typhoon
A Beautiful temple in Motomache
The tight streets of Chinatown A small temple
Off to Motomache, which was also a shopping part of town. I guess you couldn’t avoid places like this. Everyone said to go there if you hadn’t seen it but I was done shopping so I wondered elsewhere and tried to talk with locals. We were in a typhoon but not wind and not much rain, and the temperature was warm.
Off to Motomache, which was also a shopping part of town. I guess you couldn’t avoid places like this. Everyone said to go there if you hadn’t seen it but I was done shopping so I wondered elsewhere and tried to talk with locals. We were in a typhoon but not wind and not much rain, and the temperature was warm.
Had a good time in Yokohama but back to Fujigaoka, where Brain and crew was just finishing the job for the weekend. We packed up and headed to Brian’s place in Fomoto in his Mitsubishi Van. The rest stops in Japan are regular restaurants with many vending machines. The coffee machine had a movie of the coffee being made in it, like looking at a factory production line. It was a few hour drive and I fell asleep after the rest stop. We arrived at Brian’s cabin/house where we could get a good nights sleep in the mountains.
Meow and the ‘Mother Earth Store’ Brian was redesigning. Brian and Meow at the vending machines
Saturday October 7th
Woke up in Brian’s old Japanese house with traditional thin walls and rice mat floors. The typhoon was still producing heavy winds outside and the air was very cool but the day was warming fast. The air in the hills was very fresh, similar to Washington, but a little warmer. I went for a walk to take some photos and Mt. Fuji was beautiful.
Brian’s house which had been owned by the same family for 300 something years. Mt. Fuji in the morning typhoon.
Cool hand made ladder (not bamboo) Mountain Bike Shop next to Brians restaurant The view from Brian’s restaurant
Wind blowing the clouds like a morning hair du Takakawa’s House Brians house
Like a few of the nicer places in Japan, Brian’s house had two toilet rooms, one to stand and one to sit. Of course I used the sitting style with a heated seat and a few controls in Japanese. I knew what a bidet was but still had to get up to see what this one was all about. Pressing the button, I knew it wouldn’t go on very long or shoot water very high, but the little mechanism came out like a snake charmer. I still thought, “what a great mechanical feature…. I wonder …” of course, it hit me in the face! Than thinking it would go off by itself…one waits a minute in humiliation. I finally found the off button and the fun was over. Sometimes the day slaps you in the face and I was glad to get that out of the way.
After a while, Brian and Meow woke and we did a few errands. Brian had a plan to get a piece of wood cut. He had an appt. with a small lumber mill in the town close by. We stopped by his restaurant, where he made a great breakfast, than we headed into town with the log. The plan was to cut the log into slices or make a table of it. Slices would be worth more and it was really cool looking would, so slices it was. We spent a few hours in >>>>>>>>>> at >>>>>’s mill, than headed to Fujinomiya for something to eat and groceries.
Fomoto Valley at the foot of Mt. Fuji Mt. Fuji from town Fujinomiya Great animated sign to be careful driving
At the Saw Mill to cut the log
After getting back to Fomoto, we got Meow, headed to the local Onsen, got a shower/bath and went to the Music Festival by Mt. Fuji. We were treated as VIP’s as Brian’s house was close so all the local residents got in for free. We were able to park close to the event and since I was ‘Brian’s Brother’, I got in for free too! The show was sold out and packed with people who had been there for a few days. The event area was filled with tents where people camped out and socialized. We met one of Brian’s music friends who kept us in good spirits. There was bands playing, people dancing, goods being sold….all in the backdrop of Mt. Fuji. It just happened to be full moon, mostly clear skies and was very pretty.
Somewhere in this story I have to mention how great the food was and how nice all the people were along the way. Japanese people are as friendly and as helpful as they appear in the US. Everyone was going out of their way to help me be as comfortable as possible, as a guest to their country. It was definitely a treat. I can't say enough about the Japanese people. About the food, I hadn't got used to food so quickly like this trip. The food was outstanding, whether I was eating at a nice place or a quick food shop.
At the rock festival, tents in the background for the three day events Friends and I Beautiful Mt. Fuji with cloud cap, and the moon.
Sunday October 8th
Spent the day around Fomoto. It was excellent weather and while talking to a neighbor of Brian’s learn his friend Greg Wolfkill was planning to drive to the town of Koche on Shikuko Island, an all day drive, for a business appointment. I had no real plans for the next part of my trip! I was thinking of going out on my own for a few days and Greg invited me for the drive Monday Morning. This sounded like a great option. I had to look on a map to see he was driving most of the way to the other end of Japan. I was going to experience a driving trip to see many towns by freeway route.
We spent the day at Brian’s restaurant listening to music, eating and enjoying the scenery. We went back to the concert which was on it’s last few songs, than I got ready to leave my friends for a few days and drive with Greg.
Fomoto Fire Station Concert in the hills Mt Fuji
Mt Fuji Was the most spectacular backdrop for a fall concert
Beautiful Sunset Concert view towards the ocean Some mad group that made lots of noise but fun to dance to
Monday October 9th
A few shots of Mt Fuji in all its glory. The sun rose at the peak of the mountain
I had to post a few shots as Mt Fuji is very grand and was brilliant against the sun
Was up early waiting for Greg...we were off for the drive.
7 am, Greg and I leave Fomoto for Koche. It was an all day drive and we arrived around 6 pm. We drove through resort and mountain pass areas where there were many hot springs, and smal towns. The big cities we passed were Nagoya (2.1m people), Kyoto (1.4 m), Osaka (2.5 m) Kobe (1.5 m) and Tokushima. It was interesting talking with Greg, an ex-navy pilot and mountain climber who had been traveling the world and living in Japan the last few months. Some of Greg's business in Japan included new food products he was marketing from Japan. He taught me about the three character types of writing http://japanese.about.com/blank3.htm in Japan and I started to notice on the signs. Kanji was the oldest type of writing which many Japanese didn’t understand completely…a very difficult alphabet.
Eventually to Shikoku Island, winding roads through mountains to Koche. Sometimes the road would run for miles in tunnels in the mountains, and would only be a few hundred feet before the next tunnel, very vertical, forested mountains. There were signs to watch out for animals including monkeys. The signs were very animated, like everything in Japan. You really notice the emphasis on animation and expression on their road signs. That evening, Greg and I each checked into business hotel rooms, had a great Sushi dinner with his business partner, than walked around town before going to sleep.
Sign which show were I was. Mt Fuji against a beautiful lake Greg would say "they like they're concrete", necessary for mountain roads.
Do you know where I am? A Hang Gliding/Paragliding Training Hill Animated sign
Castle on a hill View of a lake near Kyoto Can you read this sign?
Guessing where we are....... Greg!
Passing a city Can you read the sign? Crossing one of the bridges
Looking back towards a town near Osaka and Kobe...very large cities, would like to visit more
Mostly Japanese, I really think so. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
Island before Shikoku More animated signs would like to know the name of this city
Sign which show were I was. Mt Fuji against a beautiful lake Greg would say "they like they're concrete", necessary for mountain roads.
Do you know where I am? A Hang Gliding/Paragliding Training Hill Animated sign
Castle on a hill View of a lake near Kyoto Can you read this sign?
Guessing where we are....... Greg!
Passing a city Can you read the sign? Crossing one of the bridges
Looking back towards a town near Osaka and Kobe...very large cities, would like to visit more
Mostly Japanese, I really think so. Akashi Kaikyo Bridge
Island before Shikoku More animated signs would like to know the name of this city
Welcome to ....... Beautiful Countryside
One of the many tunnels on the way to Koche Beautiful Landscape
I really like these signs...Watch out for whales
Watch out for rabbits going downhill really fast with parachutes extended
Tuesday October 10th
It was time to leave Greg and start on my trek back to the end of Japan close to the Tokyo, for my flight on Thursday. I said goodbye to Greg and went out on the town on my way to the train station. I took the most non-direct path to the train station and it was hard to leave this city.
Koche is a very nice, quaint town. The people were all very nice and you could feel the shops opening and the people hitting the street. Many people were out on bikes but I noticed all the older ladies had brand new motor scooters and big helmets. I dared to cross their paths, but what a way to enjoy your last bunch of years, in a small town like this, riding your scooter where ever you felt like going. The town was surrounded by mountains and ocean. Koche is known as more of an island town with darker skin Japanese people. It is fairly isolated from the rest of Japan. I had fun wondering the town before catching the train. I ate at a bakery that had unique pastries shaped like hats.
Koche City in the morning Many people out on bikes The market, quiet in the morning
Great architecture in some of the building. I would like to hear if anyone knows what these signs mean.
If you have a clue what these mean...they were on statue like pedestals around a school.
At the market in Koche
The Koche Eki (Station) had trains running every 40 minutes. Around 1 pm, I boarded a train taking me on a banking course up and through the mountains filled with small towns along a river. Eventually, we were in the flats and off the is island where we intersected one of the super express trains headed toward Tokyo.
On the train ride from Koche....Beautiful towns on the hillsides
Note the school in the foreground of this hillside town Concrete hillside to form a road
Still the slower trains, cruising across the countryside.
Now here is the Shinkansen!!
The regular trains were local, rapid, express, limited express and super express. This was a Super Express, the Shinkansen. It traveled up to speed of 300 km/hr. The most amazing thing to me was when a train came through the station without stopping. It was a blast of wind than gone again, and the people hardly moved. I was amazed! The trains were quiet and when they passed each other, you could feel the pressure change on the windows. I ate some great food while traveling on the train and missed my stop in Kyoto, again, while trying to talk to people who barely understood English. It was fun, but I ended up having to travel back to Kyoto, where I found a hotel for the next two nights and got some sleep.
Wednesday October 11th
Waking up in Kyoto! What an amazing town. I didn’t know which way to go, but back to the train station. It was close and I purchased a day bus pass for around $10 (1000 yen), which was about the price of a decent meal. I found something that looked like a tour direction, and headed to the nearest museum, palace, temple or shrine I could find. I had seen hundreds of shrines while on the train and driving. They are at the outskirts of every town, near the hills in beautiful locations. You could tell, people who had passed away were respected and you could feel the respect for the past that Japanese people had. You could feel there was many years of history. I hadn’t felt this way anywhere in the US. Maybe I need to get out more.
First place I ended up was the Kyoto National Museum http://www.kyohaku.go.jp/eng/syuzou/index.html . The curators couldn’t speak much English and there were a few interpreters there for guests. Many of the items were from the 8th century and were amazing. Many of the time periods were listed by dynasties, not that I know any of them, but it would be something to study at home.
Next place was the Sanjusangendo Temple. http://farstrider.net/Japan/Kyoto/Sanjusangendo.htm and http://www.taleofgenji.org/sanjusangendo.html show some of the artifacts on the inside but when you see the 1,001 wooden figures of the Kannon-Bosatsu in person, there is nothing like it!
Next was …….the tree, the park, the hills, the shopping area. There was so much to see, but I was running out of time. I talked with rickshaw puller for a while before dinner. What a job on those small hilly streets. I asked if I could pull it around for a while but they said no way!
Kyoto Eki (Train Station) Kyoto National Museum
Inside and at the entrance of the Museum Inside the gates of the temple
Vendors selling 'wish scrolls' Nice house in Kyoto Small streets, note the geisha girls
New entrance gate at a local home The same gate but without the flash on my Cannon pocket camera A budda high above a house.
Beautiful lights at night
As it got dark, I wondered in to a newer part of town where so many young people were out listening to music and shopping. It seems to be a big event, to shop. The shop streets are covered and so many people are out, no cars run in these areas. Still the multilevel pachinko game shops were so noisy but filled with people playing the games, similar to casinos. I found a bus stop to get back to Kyoto station where I could find my hotel again. While waiting, I met a young man who worked at a travel agency close by, heading for home. He was dressed in his work suit as many Japanese were. While talking with him, his coworker arrived and we all had a conversation. They were heading home for the evening and like many, they had hours of travel on trains to get home. Still, they took the time to take me to dinner when we arrived back at Kyoto station, and they made me feel really at home. I had to explain to them that I could get to my hotel OK by myself, and it was late so we said our goodbye’s and I was on my way to the hotel to sleep. I had a business hotel which was about $60/night. The room was small but very adequate.
Thursday October 12th
I would love to ramble on about Kyoto. There was so much to see, you could spend months there and not see all the wonderful sites. It was time to check out, get on the train and figure a plan to make it to my plane flight. In Japan, everything is on a schedule. There are regularly scheduled trains. If you miss one, there is a plan B.
On the way to the train station with my luggage rolling, I took a side street. This put me on the path of another large shrine. You could tell it was a special place, in the middle of a residential area, where people were manicuring the grounds and taking care of it like you would for your pet. It was beautiful. There were houses with sand gardens around it and water with Coy fish. I took an extra hour or two and would have stayed longer if I could have.
I took the fastest train back toward Tokyo Station. Than I could re-check the time and see if I needed to take the fastest train to the Narita Airport. There were some beautiful towns between Kyoto and Tokyo to visit sometime. Some of the towns were close to Mt. Fuji and on the Pacific Ocean. I like towns that sit on hills. In these walking towns, same as in Mexico, people tend to be in better physical shape.
I took the fastest train back toward Tokyo Station. Than I could re-check the time and see if I needed to take the fastest train to the Narita Airport. There were some beautiful towns between Kyoto and Tokyo to visit sometime. Some of the towns were close to Mt. Fuji and on the Pacific Ocean. I like towns that sit on hills. In these walking towns, same as in Mexico, people tend to be in better physical shape.
From the train between Kyoto and Tokyo...lovely cities and countryside. One of many shrines
You will never see a person resting unless your passing them by train, slowed to 60 km/hr
Tokyo Station
At this point, I only have a few hours left in Japan. I had to look at all the people. They were all going somewhere every efficiently. Of course, I wanted to say goodbye to all of them.....but I don't speak Japanese!!!!
San Francisco in the ANA Boeing 777
I would also like to hear from you if there is something in a sign I may not have figured out. Thanks for reading about my trip!
Russ
posted by russ gelfan at 10:08 AM
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