Ian Lewis' Blog

I'm in the 'states for a couple weeks visiting family. It's the first time I've been back to the 'States since moving to Japan. Things pretty much feel like I left them.

My mom and dad are healthy but my grandfather went into the hospital this week so we went to visit him yesterday. Everybody said that it was crappy waiting around at the hospital but it turned out to be a good experience meeting and visiting with family members. Reiko enjoyed it a lot. My grandfather is returning home today after getting his gallbladder removed so everything seemed to work out ok.

This week will be pretty bus, visiting with friends and travelling. We're going to visit a college professor, one of my friends from high school, and go to another party with friends from our old  Northern virginia Japanese meetup group.

It's been a little while but I'm back with the comings and goings of day 2 of our trip to Hakone. So without further ado lets get started!

	Reiko and I woke up early at our Ryokan, and went for an early morning walk down to Lake Ashi to see if we could see Mt. Fuji. Unfortunately that objective was doomed from the start but we had a nice walk, enjoying the crisp morning air, and brilliant sunshine. After the walk we had great breakfast at the hotel which from what I'm told is part of the charm of Japanese Ryokans. We were planning to take the tour boat across Lake Ashi that day so after that we planned to head to take the tour boat early so we could see Mt. Fuji easier so we checked out of the hotel about 8:30. But we realized when we got to the dock that the tour boat starts at 9:30 and we checked out of the hotel too early.
	So we wandered around for a bit and then found that the ropeway that we had ridden the previous day was open at 9:00. So we decided to take the ropeway up to Oowakudani, where we went the previous day, and back. The idea being that we could see Mt. Fuji from the Ropeway. That turned out to be a brilliant idea since, being early, we got our own private car and a gorgeous view of the mountain.
	Our timing was perfect because getting back from the trip on the ropeway we had just enough time before 9:30 to get on the tour boat. The boat was pirate ship themed and wasn't terribly interesting itself. It was pretty nice to take in the lake scenery in the morning sunshine though.
	After that we went to the Hakone military checkpoint which is a small tourist destination in Hakone City. It's kind of an outdoor museum of sorts and has clay statues so you can try to get an idea of how the Samurai and workers used the rooms and spaces in their daily lives.
	After the checkpoint we headed to the Hakone observation building which is in Hakone Park. From there we got a great view of Lake Ashi and Mt. Fuji. I imagine that area is a favorite for photographers. The building was a kind of western style building but inside they had some Nebuta. Nebuta are huge parade floats created for Nebuta festivals, the most famous being in Aomori prefecture in northern Japan.
	After the observation building we headed to Hakone shrine. The grounds are quite large and has several smaller strines. I tend to like shrines because they are oasises of quiet and often have lots of plants and architecture built out of stone. So you feel like you are in a much more natural environment than in normal life.

After Hakone shrine we took the bus back to Hakone Yumoto station and took the train back to Tokyo, ending our two day vacation. I have to say that Reiko scheduled the trip at a perfect time. Both she and I were getting tired from working hard and needed some time outside of the city. The weather also smiled on us during our two days and was also perfect timing since the remnants of a typhoon came through the next day. All in all, a satisfying vacation. I hope I can live in a quiet place outside the city sometime. The city is just too hectic.

Yesterday, Reiko and I got back from Hakone. Reiko planned a nice trip for my birthday. We left on Saturday and came back the next day. Hakone is about two hours away on the Odakyuu train line. We went to Hakone for the nature scenery, but most people go there for the Onsens (hot springs/hot baths), and health spas, since they are all over the place. It seems every other bus stop is named 'something something onsen'.

Anyway, we had a lot of fun. Here's the rundown of the first day,

After we arrived at Hakone Yumoto Station we changed to the Hakone Touzan (Mountain Climbing) Line and rode that to Goura. The line zig zags it's way up the mountains, often stopping and going back the other direction.

After we had lunch at Goura, we got on the Hokone Touzan Cable Car. There is only one cable "train" with two cars so it was quite crowded. Standing room only. The train itself is slanted and hard to keep footing. There also isn't much to see so, while the fact that it's a cable car that gets pulled up the mountain is interesting, it wasn't much fun to ride it.

After we arrived at Souunzan station, we changed to the Hakone Ropeway. The ropeway runs from Souunzan to Tougendai, where our hotel is. It's nice since you can see a lot of scenery from up high. It's also too dangerous to have a lot of people in one car so it was a lot more comfortable ride than the cable car.

Halfway to Togendai is one of our touristy destinations, Oowakudani (大(Big)涌(Boiling)谷(Valley)). Essentially, it's exactly as the name says. About three thousand years ago the mountain erupted in a big explosion leaving an empty valley or crater that continually vents sulfuric gas. You might wonder why you would ever want to go there but it's actually pretty interesting seeing the water boiling out of the and the gas jets. They also have a tradition of making black eggs which if you eat will lengthen your life by 7 years (or so they say). Though it must be kind of an Asian thing since there were TONS of foreigners around but all of them were Koreans, Chinese, and Indian. Very few westerners. I saw a Russian or Eastern European group of about 3 but that's about it.

I don't like eggs, and after not too long we couldn't stand all the people and the smell, so we continued on to Tougendai and checked into the hotel. The hotel is a nice Japanese style Ryokan. We had a tatami floored room and they set out a tea set so you can have green tea. We arrived a bit early, so after check in, we went for a walk in a nearby park next to Lake Ashi until dinner. Traditional breakfast and dinner are included per-usual for Ryokans.

Well that's it for now. I'll get to day two, when we take a sightseeing boat across Lake Ashi and check out Hakone Shrine, later.

Reiko and I got back from Kyoto a couple days ago and man what a beautiful place. The city itself doesn't look like much at first because there are laws against building tall buildings but you soon find that this adds to Kyoto's charm. Kyoto is surrounded by mountains which are visible from within the city. Coming from Tokyo where you're lucky to see more than a few blocks away because of the buildings and even if you did there wouldn't be much to see, this adds a lot to your view in daily life.

The city also has a long history with some buildings dating back to the 1400s. When seeing imagery of Japanese culture on TV and in movies, you don't really get a sense of where it came from.

Day one

The first day we arrived we went to the Kyoto Imperial Park which is located in the center of the city. The Park used to contain the Imperial Palace but also contains some small shrines. After that we went by bus to Ginkakuji. The shrine was supposed to be covered in silver but it was never actually done.

Day two

Day two Reiko and I traveled to Osaka and visited Osaka Castle. The castle is huge with a large park around it. The castle is largely not the original structure as the original structure has burned down or been destroyed several times. The original was finished in 1598 but lightning destroyed the original castle in 1665. It was rebuilt but much of it was destroyed during conflits of the Meiji Restoration. Rebuilt again, the castle was damaged during bombing raids in WWII. It wasn't until 1995 that the city was able to fund a project to restore the castle, and finished the restoration in 1997.

After visiting Osaka Castle we headed to the famous shopping district Nanba. Nanba has many famous shops and restaraunts like Katsu kani.

After Nanba, we rounded out the day with a dance festival event at Matsuo Shrine. It was pretty interesting since I think they have some connection with a local college as there were lots of college age kids around. It's pretty neat to see the creativity and energy that college-age kids have before having to enter the "real world".

Day three

On day three we met our friend Kyoko who we know from meetup in the 'States. Kyoko guided us to Fushimi Inari Shrine which has a path into the mountains that is lined with red tori gates. The gates are engraved with the names of companies that have donated to the shrine as it's known to bring good fortune. The size of the gate reflects the size of the donation. We didn't find any big recognizable companies though.

After that we went to Kiyomizudera. Kiyomizudera is known for it's views and greenery so we got some really nice pictures. The air is so fresh there also that the atmosphere is quite different from normal life in Tokyo.

After Kiyomizudera we walked around the Ginza area and had a late lunch before Kyoko headed home.

Day Four

On the last day Reiko and I went to Kinkakuji, Ryoanji, and Nijyou Castle. Kinkakuji is a shrine with a pavilion that encased in gold leaf. It's amazing in that it's really clean. It looks immaculate even up close. The also say that the sunset is especially beautiful at Kinkakuji. I suppose that the sunset reflects well off of the cold structure and the surrounding water.

Ryoanji is the quintessential Zen garden complete with stones and sand. It's really beautiful for it's simplicity. The idea is that the rocks are islands and the sand is raked to look like water. It creates a calm relaxing atmosphere. From wikipedia, "The garden consists of raked gravel and fifteen moss-covered boulders, which are placed so that, when looking at the garden from any angle (other than from above) only fourteen of the boulders are visible at one time. It is traditionally said that only through attaining enlightenment would one be able to view the fifteenth boulder." I didn't notice that there was any specific layout but it's interesting to note.

After Ryoanji, we left for Nijyou castle. I believe the palace was used for the shogun to meet with regional leaders from various areas of Japan. Unfortunately it's prohibited to take photos on the inside of the castle, but it's really beautiful. The artwork is very Japanese in style and has a real feeling of royalty yet calm and relaxing. You can also notice that the floors in the hallways are made to chirp like a bird when you step on them. A security measure to avoid sneak attacks or assassinations.

Summary

All in all a very refreshing and exciting trip. Concerning practical matters, many of the shrines and temples in Kyoto close early (Nijyou Castle closed at 4 o'clock!!) so be prepared to call it a day early, or find something that you can do after hours. Also, I found the subway to be rather inadequate in Kyoto (I originally planned to use only subway. In Tokyo it's super good) so in order to get to the shrines easily you will need to use a combination of bus and train. This can be a pain since you will need to use two maps, bus and rail. And it can be difficult to see where the closest train station is relative to a bus station. But in order to get to Kinkakuji, Ryoanji, or Ginkakuji efficiently, you'll need to use the bus. So do your homework!!

Hey everyone!
Reiko and I just got back from Kyoto yesterday. What an amazing trip. Kyoto is a city steeped in a huge amount of history and beauty. Just stepping of the train you can feel that it's a totally different city and atmosphere from Tokyo. The air is fresher, the the buildings are smaller, and there is an tradition of keeping the city one of the most beautiful places in the world.

I'll have to write more about it later, as I'd like to get busy enjoying the rest of my Golden Week, but you can check out some of the photos I took here. I haven't finished labeling and adjusting all the photos but you should be able to check that link for new photos as I put them up which I hope should be over the next week.

So things are all set for us to go to Kyoto! We'll be there starting the 29th of April to the 2nd of May. We plan to go lots of places and take lots of pictures. I'm still not sure exactly what day we will be going to each place on our list but I think that our time will be quite full.

For all of those interested I'll be sure to post the pictures after we get back. I'm really looking forward to having a long break.

So Goldenweek is approaching. It's a week in Japan with no less than 5 national holidays. They don't all fall on the weekdays but essentially you got a full week off from work.

Since I'll have a good time off from work I was wondering what I should do and I'm thinking of taking a trip with Reiko to Kyoto and Osaka. Currently I'm putting together a list of possible tourist destinations in the Osaka/Kyoto area. You can see the Map here.

So if anyone has any suggestions about a place in the Osaka/Kyoto area that I don't have listed on the Map , let me know.

Reiko and I just got back from New York. We went via Amtrak on Monday and came back this morning. We managed to see all the really famous attractions and do quite a bit of stuff while we where there. We took a ferry to the Statue of Liberty, City Hall, and saw the Empire State Building on Monday. Yesterday we went to Times Square, Central Park, Washington Square, Colombia University, and Rockafeller Square. She's never been to New York, and it's been so long for me that it was totally new for both of us. I can tell you from experience now that New York's subway, while it isn't as complicated as Tokyo, is nothing to trifle with

It was terrible fun but we were exausted from walking around. Of course playing basketball and running after we got back didn't help (we bought some work out gear this last weekend).