dentist

So I had a little bit of a dental problem this week... Not that anyone cares about my dental hygiene...

Ya the dentist was interesting. My gum was irritated by my wisdom tooth, after a couple of days of gargling with whiskey it was clear it was not getting any better. The pain was getting bad enough I was having trouble sleeping... I had visions of getting my wisdom tooth pulled...

So I found this dentist who was new and famous and really good. After lots of pointing at pictures and grunting he opened my mouth and snipped the inflamed gum out. Yes, he just cut it out. Bled like crazy. I really wasn't happy it but its difficult to speak Japanese with a persons hands in your mouth. Once the bleeding slowed, he put some bitter granular stuff on it. Gave me some pain killers and more bitter granular stuff to go and told me to come back tomorrow if it wasn't better.

Surprisingly, it was better. It was also surprisingly cheap, so I brought him a bottle of sho-chu the next day as a thank you for taking me without appointment and struggling in Japanglish.

Osaka Human Rights Museum

As a 6 foot 1 inch tall white American it is kind of hard to blend in while traveling in Japan... I thought it would be interesting to see the Japanese interpretation of prejudice and discrimination, so I went to the Osaka Human Rights Museum.

Museum is divided into four sections. First section is human rights today. Focused mainly on the right to learn and the right to work. The work section seemed especially poignant to me given that I had been trying to find a job...

Second section deals with our sense of values; those desires (largely ethnocentric) that give a base to our actions in life. Desire for job security, desire for academic status, desire for family togetherness, desire to be beautiful...

Third section is about the activism of people who are discriminated against in Japan. Of course, universal themes of HIV/AIDS, victims of pollution, people with disabilities, and homeless people were discussed but I was most interested to learn about the special issues in Japan: Korean residents in Japan, Okinawans, the Ainu, the Buraku, Women and female roles in Japan, Hansen`s disease survivors, and victims of Minamata disease in Japan.

Fourth section is about human rights and you. Since I was the only person in the museum that morning, I sat and talked with a couple of the guides that could speak English-highly educational discussion for a couple hours.

It definitely is an odd feeling to be the one who is different. I have never traveled to a place where I just plain didn't fit it in, it is eye opening. Its not like I`m the first American to go to Japan, but still people stare on the subways. People avoid sitting next to me on the bus. Girls on the subway point and blush and giggle.

I am certainly not complaining, Japan has been a wonderful experience. The people are the most friendly I have ever met (we Americans could certainly learn something).

Massage that Wagyu!

It`s world famous beef time! Mmm Kobe beef... Ranchers massaging their Wagyu cattle every day? What is this craziness? Is it really that good or is it just hype?

For lack of a better way to find a restaurant, I asked a few people on the street where they recommended to find the best Kobe beef steak. I expected this to be like asking a Frenchman what the best cheese was and where to find it. Impossible! On the contrary, I got several educated suggestions and settled on a place named Renga-tei that sounded fun and within walking distance.

It was a basement joint that looked like a 60`s lounge from the window. You know, the kind where swingers hang out. What was I getting myself into?

To call is simply delicious or wonderful does not do it justice. It is so tender you don`t need teeth, it literally reduces to juicy fibers right there on your tongue. Absolutely amazing. Now you have to realize I'm not much of a beef person. I eat steak a couple times a year, and coming from beef state like Colorado this is not very much. For me to say that a steak was absolutely amazing, is well, a big thing. Thanks for the b-day present Noodlefer!

Some details so you can try it at home. A piece of paper is placed on the beef and then is covered with a copper hemisphere for perfect grilling. Garlic is sliced and grilled and then placed on top of the beef. Served with lightly grilled veggies, a salad and several steak dipping sauces. I hate being an engineer, I`m still trying to figure out how it all works.

typhoon

The first report of an earthquake freaked me out a bit. I hadn't even noticed there was one. The first report of a typhoon freaked me out a bit again. Then i realized why everyone carries umbrellas everywhere, there is a typhoon every other week. There is also an earthquake every other week. Conveniently, they have scheduled them so that they alternate every week and don't overlap. This way there is always something interesting to watch on the news. With pictures so gaijin can understand too.

Some freaky lighting in Fukuoka during the latest typhoon that really messed up the east coast of China. All we got in Fukuoka was rain, but we got lots of it. So i snapped a photo of the blood red sky. That's what it really looked like. The white specks are reflections from the flash off raindrops.

oops got on the wrong train

Saw this sign on the train and figured I must have fallen asleep... No, in fact, there really is a town called Usa in Japan.

Japan for the Man

Talked with some lawyers about how to get a work visa. It was actually an interesting meeting. Yina found the volunteer lawyer service at the local community center. Two lawyers, an interpreter, my friend Yina and I talking about how to get me a job in Japan; weird to have 4 people talking about you in the same room and not be able to understand a word they are saying.

Ive heard bad rumors about the big 4 language schools: NOVA, GEOS, Aeon and Berlitz. Especially NOVA. This meeting confirmed that. The language program JET through the embassy appears to be the exception, but they only do interviews abroad. It sounds like a much better option is to pursue an engineering job consistent with my background.

You need to submit a massive collection of information about yourself, including original college diplomas. You also need to have a second copy of everything that has been translated to Japanese.

The interpreter offered to translate all of my documents for free. This is a big deal, considering a professional translator would charge 30 yen per word. With 20+ pages of documents that converts to about $1500. Ouch.

So my current plan is to enjoy traveling around Japan for another month and keep an eye out for potential jobs. Then I can apply for engineering jobs, have some understanding of what I am getting into and return on a work visa someday.

Anyone with info on working in Japan please send advice! Likewise, anyone looking to work in Japan feel free to contact me, I am happy to share what lessons I have learned.

Traditional Japanese Concert

Today was a day of concerts and festivals! Yina took me to a concert for traditional Japanese music. The first piece was three women each playing a stringed instrument called a koto. Each koto was slightly different: a normal koto, a bass koto, and a soprano koto; no doubt each with a unique Japanese name but I only know the generic name. After each song, they would reconfigure which instruments were to play. The women also played the shamisen, a fretless, three-string guitar with that traditional Japanese sound. Twangy, dissonant and dramatic. A man was playing a shakuhachi, a large bamboo flute with a haunting meditative sound.

They played a variety of songs, some the subject of nature: rain, mtns and the like. One song surprised me, they played a song about 9-11 that is apparently quite popular around Japan.

We took dinner at the Asian month festival. Unfortunately it was raining, but they had a stage set up for various Asian performances and a slew of Asian food stands. we ate Thai shrimp noodles, Chinese rice tamales, gyoza and egg rolls, Japanese veggie pancakes. It was all delicious. The show that evening was Thai dancing. Two women wearing intricate colorful costumes. One with long golden fingernails and wings the other with ornate spinning squares on her back. The men wore a dancing sheep costume with lots of character. Scratching himself. The kids loved him.

Uminonakamichi Seaside Park

Yina took me to the Uminonakamichi Seaside Park. What a fun place; its part amusement park, part traditional Japanese gardens, part zoo and aquarium. One stop shopping for shopping in terms of island amusement parks. And of course, you can ride a giant panda!

The eerie part is that the place is abandoned, seriously I think we were the only people in the whole park. Never have I been the only person on a roller coaster - I think we had to wake the guy up to run the coaster. The roller slides certainly were fun, but oh me arse be hurtin after that one laddie.

The roofless flower museum looked eerily similar to the A-bomb dome in Hiroshima, but it was amazing. There were all shapes and colors of flowers I have never seen before. [mom - you would have loved this one] There actually were fields of flowers everywhere, but still no people.

Great day, thanks Yina.

my sisters photos

From my sis:

We made our first assignment to photograph an object that represents you. I shot a Bonsai tree and a paper airplane. Figured you would appreciate the thoughts behind them both. Bonsai is trying to be sculpted and molded into something strong and beautiful. The paper airplane is flying into the wind, but still holding it's own. Fragile, it can either glide or crash.

Suizenji Jojuen Garden

My first impression of the park is Wow! Traditional Japanese ponds are surrounded by meticulously manicured mounds. The mounds are key because they separate you from the noise and greyness of the city. Suizenji is in the middle of the city yet it feels peaceful like the countryside.

The garden reproduces the 53 post stations of the Tokaido, the important road, which connected Edo with Kyoto during the Edo Period, in miniature form, including a small Mt. Fuji.

Beautiful arched bridges. Motionless cranes waiting to catch fish. Gold, white and brown koi everywhere. A Shinto shrine with red gates at the entrance. What a beautiful park.

Basashi and Heisenberg's uncertainty cheese

So I sat down at a quiet table at the end of the shopping arcade to do some writing and catch up on my journal. Some people from the clothing store came outside and started chatting with me... Nori, Miyuki and Rie.

I learned the local specialty of Kumamoto is Basashi, a type of horse meat sashimi. So of course I had to eat it! Yup, raw horse meat.

Rie walked me to the best place nearby where her friend worked. As we walked in, everyone in the restaurant stopped talking, turned their heads and stared. Even the restaurant chefs stopped what they were doing to stare for a second. Instantly, I felt like a zoo animal, "Hi, I'm the gaijin here to eat basashi, don't mind me."

The basashi was sliced thin and served room temperature; fattier than I guessed it would be. The fun part was the mix your own dipping sauces. Mashed garlic, ginger and chives were given in small piles to mix into soy sauce. As recommended, I tried a dipping sauce of garlic, wasabi and chives and another one with ginger, wasabi and chives. Those familiar with sushi and mixing wasabi and soy sauce understand the need for a personalized process.

The basashi was quite tasty. Reminiscent of delicious steak tartare back in my France days... Served with tategami, a sort of gelatinous whiteness from the mane of the horse. Yes, the mane. The tategami was a little more, well, interesting. It has a mild flavor with a consistency of cheese, but the more you chew it the gooey and stringier it gets. A sort of Heisenberg's uncertainty cheese - the more you try and chew it, the more it gets gooey and slips away from you...

All in all, good fun. I enjoyed goofing with the chefs at the restaurant. And thanks to Nori, Miyuki and Rie for hooking me up with a delicious meal!

Kumamoto Castle

I visited the third best castle in Japan today! There is no doubt that Japan is a hierarchical society... Every tourist site I visit has multiple ratings and they rate everything. One of the top 100 views in all of Japan! Third largest lion lantern in Kyushu! What cracks me up is that everyone seems to know them all and quote them to each other.

Kumamoto Castle is a beautiful six story castle surrounded by an imposing complex of stone walls, moats and turrets - the whole complex is stuck in the middle of downtown Kumamoto. It was built back in the 1600s when I imagine there were a lot less buildings; now it is completely surrounded by skyscrapers and modern life. The stone walls and multi-story turrets create an authoritative complex. You were not getting into this castle unless they wanted you inside. I can imagine how serious the battles here must have been but I cannot help but think about rock-climbing... What a beautiful rock wall with perfect hand holds... Do you think I would get in trouble? I don't even think the ignorant gaijin trick would get me out of that one...

The grand hall next to the castle had an exhibition of traditional traditional Noh theatre. On display were a bunch of antique masks used in traditional Noh theatre and artisans carving wood for tourists to watch. Apparently, Noh actors and musicians don't rehearse together, they study under a master independently. So the final performance is always a bit unscripted. I have yet to see a Noh or Kabuki show, I figured it would be more enjoyable when I can understand Japanese a little better, but its on my top 100 list of things to do in Japan.

A trip to Iso Gardens

Mmmm tastes like pancakes. Well, sort of.

Met a guy over family style dinner at the guesthouse named Yoshihisa, who wanted to take the German and I to the Iso Gardens. I wasn't too sure what that was about but sure why not... The German declined, it was too early for him... Well, yes if you sleep till 2 pm every day, then leaving at 11 am is early I suppose.

The Iso Gardens were more of a complex really. There are huge, stone lion lanterns, bamboo groves and meandering streams with koi. All with a view of Sakurajima in the background. The area was important back in the day for the import of technology from Britain. A couple of museums house local art and historical artifacts from the previous lords of the residence. Lots of old machinery that enginerds like to try and understand.

The gardens were beautiful but the highlight of the afternoon was eating Janbo Mochi at a local place down the road. If you have ever eating mochi, you know the gooey consistency I'm talking about. If you take a pancake and make it more "gooey", stick a couple of hashi in, and grill it until you get that browned and slightly burnt grill flavor, you've got Janbo Mochi! The sauce was a subtle blend of soy sauce, sugar, and flour that, oddly enough, reminded me of maple syrup.

Friends on Mt Sherman

Some friends of mine in Colorado on the summit of Mt Sherman at 14,036 feet. Wish I was there to do some 14ers with you guys... Miss you all!

One month in Japan, a Retrospective

Its a funny thing traveling alone.

There are moments of overwhelming newness. Incomprehensible language. New foods and drinks and smells. Hand gestures and eye contact. New rules and being embarrassed because you just did something a small child knows not to do. Meeting incredible new people. Conversations about things never imagined.

There are moments of isolated loneliness. Hours on trains and buses. Eating dinner by yourself. Its a lot of time to spend alone in your own head.

Its a cycle of too much followed by too little. I wouldn't change it for anything.

Balance of planning all details of when and where and how while simultaneously allowing the winds of fate to direct your course.

I simultaneously crave more alone time and more conversation. Eating dinner by yourself. Meeting people. New culture, new food, new language, new body language and hand gestures. Complete self-reliance. Endless possibilities.

The statement I hear the most from back home is, "... you will come home with a Japanese wife..." Likely wrong on both counts.

The question I get the most here (after where are you from and where have you been) is, "Why?" I've got a nice speech worked out about how my father was in the military in Hokkaido and brought some Japanese culture home with him. Growing up with these ideas of sumi-ie and wabi-sabi, I wanted to see it all for myself. People seem satisfied with that answer, but its only a small part of the truth.

So why am I here? I dunno exactly... In part, to enjoy Japan. To experience the beautiful culture and wonderful people. In part, it is a coming of age journey to find my voice without the cultural comforts and routines of "home". In part I'm giving the middle finger to a lifestyle of chasing money and status.

Its been a month of incredibly beautiful new views. Its been an intense internal conversation. Amazing people with wonderful demonstrations of hospitality and friendship. Its been a month of discomfort and making mistakes. Its been a month of Wow! and What? and Whoa! and Oishii and Kirei!

A month of discovery and learning. Its been fun.

Hiking the Arakawa trail to Jomon Sugi

Okanyi woke me up a little after 4 am and made sure I was moving quickly. I only had fifteen minutes to wake up, eat breakfast and pack my bag if my surprise was going to work.

I had visions of climbing the 14er, Mt Yale in my head. Why did I stay up drinking shochu until midnight the night before I was to go on an 8 hour hike? I had learned this lesson before, painfully.

My surprise was to meet two Japanese ladies I had met a couple days before on the Shiratani trail. They had given me a ride back to the minshuku at the end of the day. I didn't quite understand the whole plan, but Okanyi and Hide had planned the whole thing. They would drive me to the bus stop. Ordered me a bento box for lunch. Loaned me a day pack. I knew I had to be at the bus stop at 5 am to meet Atsuko and Hiromi. I knew I had to do something special with the buses but I didn't understand what. I knew it was 8 hours of hiking and a couple hours of bus riding. The goal was to reach Jomon Sugi, a 5 meter behemoth of a Japanese cedar (actually a conifer) estimated to be 2000-7000 years old. That was about the extent of what I knew. Lets be honest, I was clueless.

I was worried that 900 mL wouldn't be enough water for 8 hours. I was worried that my sandals weren't enough for an 8 hour hike. Everyone else looked like they were camping for a week - boots, gaiters, trekking poles. And me, the only white guy on the island, and I show up in shorts and sandals... I was worried that Atsuko and Hiromi didn't really want to spend the day hiking with me.

Turns out the road to the trailhead had been washed out by a landslide and I had to hike around the bad spot and catch another bus. What was I getting myself into...

The trail to Jomon Sugi is two parts. The first section follows an old set of railroad tracks up a slight grade. Its really easy hiking. Everyone drinks the water in the streams, we will see how that works out for me... Everything is green and covered in moss. We hiked to the sound of Atsuko humming Star Wars. I learned the Japanese words for everything within sight, they got to practice English. We saw Yakushima deer; we saw Yakushima monkeys. Moss. Waterfalls. Moss. Bridges. Moss.

The second part of the hike is more like an adventure course than a trail. There are boulders to climb. Stumps to go under (little sugi are still 1-2 meter in diameter). Ropes to pull yourself up. Ladders to climb. Stairs to go down. Its a lot steeper and everything is damp and slippery.

At about the midpoint there is an enormous stump 10 meters in diameter, named Wilson`s stump. with a little shrine inside. Its big enough 30 people can fit inside.

And finally we made it to Jomon Sugi! 4 hours later, in sandals without socks, I made it. What a hike! and we were lucky it didn't rain once.

This tree is older than the entire history of the human race. Ponder that for a moment. To be in the presence of something living that was alive before humans started recording history. Wow.

Thanks go to Atsuko and Hiromi for a lovely day of hiking, I enjoyed it thoroughly. Thanks go to Okanyi and Hide for orchestrating the whole thing and taking care of the details a gaijin didn't even understand.