Culture

Spam From Japan: Climbing Mt. Takatori

I chose to climb Mt Takatori on a whim. It’s located in Kanagawa prefecture somewhere in the mountains to the far west of Tokyo (past Takao). If you want a break from Tokyo, pretty much anywhere in this area is fine for hiking and photography. Just pick a mountain, river, shrine or station. If you want to retrace my steps for some reason, you’ll want Fujino station.

Takatori is not a ‘big name’ mountain and not many people would choose to hike up it. That’s what made it perfect. We only saw one couple for the entire two hour-or-so hike. It was a fantastic mountain too, being about as tough a hike as it gets without calling it ‘climbing’. Unlike Mt Takao, there is no vending machine at the top and no paved roads. On a minor peak, there is a small shrine and on one of the two major peaks is a large bell for use by shrine visitors.

We also went to a nearby river and saw a couple of birds of prey circling overhead. After looking around at similar pictures, my best guess is that they were black kites. Pictures are below, click to enlarge.

If you like this post, you may also enjoy my post about climbing Mt. Fuji or my photographs of Matsushima, site of one of the three most beautiful views in Japan.

Spam From Japan: First Sunrise of 2011

The Rainbow Bridge is open overnight only at New Year, so you only get a chance to see (and photograph) the sunrise from it once a year. The first sunrise of the year is called hatsuhinode in Japanese and is generally considered to be something special.

To get to the Rainbow Bridge’s pedestrian walkway, take the Yamanote Line to Tamachi Station and walk from the East Exit until you see those giant pillars in front of you. We found conflicting information online, so we initially chose the north side of the bridge. We took the elevator up to the walkway around 5:45am, knowing that the sunrise was around 6:50am. Even so, the sky had already turned into a near-perfect rainbow gradient. Below us, we could also see cruise liners setting out for the middle of the harbour for the sunrise. New Year is probably one of the few times where you could persuade people to pay more for a cruise at 5am.

With about forty minutes to go, it was clear the light was brightest on the south side. Although I’d got into a very good position, we decided to take the elevator back down and take photographs from the opposite side.

The south side was much better and I was able to take some great photographs with the rainbow sky reflected onto Tokyo’s skyline. But maybe the view would be even better closer to Odaiba? With twenty minutes to go before sunrise, we left a pretty good spot and walked onwards.

The next spot was a bit more crowded, but with great views of Fuji Television Studios and even the moon. Ten minutes to go.

Finally, we reached an area that wasn’t a look-out spot, but where the bridge curved towards the north and the wire fences came down. It was perfect. It was crowded.

People pushed up against the railings and police stood at the back. An older policeman laughed fatherly as two students jumped over the pedestrian barriers and into the road to get a better photograph, then tossed them back on the walkway. In many ways, the anticipation reminded me of the time I climbed Mt Fuji. Everyone was in good spirits and it was easy enough to get a clear shot as the first rays peeked over the horizon. Some people broke into applause.

Photos are below. To my readers, thank you for sticking with this blog and I hope 2011 is filled with happiness and fun new experiences for you.

Odaiba skyline from the north side.

The rainbow sky reflected on the Tokyo skyline.

The moon over Tokyo Bay.

The Odaiba skyline.

Tokyo sunrise.

The sunrise viewed from Odaiba.

Spam From Japan: The Streets of Tokyo

On Christmas Day, having seen the Broadway musical Avenue Q at Tokyo International Forum, my partner and I walked to Asakusa to kill time before our turkey dinner reservation. Turkey is near-impossible to find in Japan, even at Christmas, so we were content with a 9:00pm seating. For a great post on Christmas in Japan and why KFC is so important, check out This Japanese Life.

Otherwise, enjoy the photos.

Photographs from the streets of Tokyo and Asakusa after the jump!

Spam From Japan: Tokyo Jidai Festival

Tokyo Jidai festival takes place every year on November 3rd, a date famous for never having rain. Ever. It consists of a parade of historical characters through the streets of Asakusa to celebrate Bunka no Hi. Each costume is incredibly detailed and many participants represent a specific character from history.

When I went, one of the best places to stand was near the ‘finish line’ of the parade. For whatever reason, it was less crowded there. It also helped that I was just behind some children — not only were they shorter, but those in the parade tended to play to them.

All kinds of people can march (and perform) in the parade. The Tokyo geisha take part and I even saw one foreigner who wasn’t part of the American Embassy team, which was inspiring. As briefly mentioned earlier, many of them got into their role and ‘threatened’ the kids in front of me.

Here are a few of my best photographs and a chunk of video footage from the 2009 parade. The 2010 parade is this coming Wednesday from 12:30 to 4:00 around the Kaminarimon area and its backstreets, but you should arrive earlier to get a good view. It will take place if there’s only a small amount of rain, but will be cancelled in the event of heavy rain.

Spam From Japan: Beer, Castles and Haunted Dolls in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture

Inuyama Castle, located in Inuyama City in Aichi Prefecture, is said to be the oldest original castle in Japan. Many other castles are actually reconstructions.

Since it was Golden Week at the time of our visit, there were a clutch of food stalls just before the path up to the entrance gate. One of the booths belonged to Loreley Brewery. We bought two real German sausages (no wieners here!) and two locally-brewed beers. We also picked up a flyer for their all-you-can-eat Golden Week buffet. More on that later.

We got tickets, joined the line and went round the castle. You need to buy your ticket at the booth before you join the line. The line leads directly to the entrance, not a place to buy tickets. The only information I saw about this was in written Japanese, so take care because the line is a long one. All the original castles I’ve visited have had very steep staircases inside, so dress appropriately. Once you’ve made it to the top, you can walk around the turret area for a good view of the local area and the river Kiso.

Our ticket also allowed us entrance to two much smaller museums just a short walk away from the castle. One was mainly about the Inuyama Festival and the other was dedicated to terrifying haunted dolls known as karakuri. From there, we walked to Inuyama Station and caught a bus at the east exit (on the far side of the station) to Meiji Mura (The more detailed Japanese site can be found here).

Meiji Mura is Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum’s lesser-known big sister. Established in 1965, the grounds contain a wider range of buildings over a square kilometre of land. In fact, there is a tram network within Meiji Mura to get you around. You can either pay for individual tickets or buy an all-day pass when you buy your entrance ticket.

There are some great opportunities for macro photography, particularly at places like Dr. Shimizu’s office. You can see a few of ones I took below. Just like any picture in this blog post, you can get a larger version by clicking on them.

One thing you shouldn’t miss is the night maze, although there may be a wait. For five minutes, you walk around a maze in pitch blackness. There are a few surprises, mind you, although no ghosts.

Nearby is a (free) brick maze. I enjoyed it, although I almost collided with a Japanese man who was racing his kid (and I racing my partner). We screamed ‘gomen!’ at each other and kept going, because mazes are Serious Business. For the record, I won.

We had mango kakigoori (shaved ice) outside Lafcadio Hearn’s summer house. It was made with one of those old-fashioned ice-shavers that cut up blocks of ice into fine snow. They layered the syrup too, resulting in the best kakigoori ever.

Inside Dr. Shimizu's Office (Nagano, 1897)

We stayed right up until the last minute and caught the only bus available, which took us to back to Inuyama Station. From there, we went to Haguro Station, giving us a ten minute walk to the brewery. If you want to go too, I hope you have a proper map instead of the bizarre geometric one Loreley use for advertising.

Inside we got a craft beer sampler set and access to a large buffet including sushi, shumai, cake and roast beef. It was fantastic (particularly the beef), but the highlight was the beer. Our sampler set consisted of three types of beer from Loreley Brewery next door, each a different shade and texture.

It’s difficult to believe all these photographs were taken in a single day. However, you might want to break it up a little and spend longer at Meiji Mura.

Spam From Japan: Sumida River Fireworks Festival sucks!

Itabashi Hanabi Taikai

Sumida River Fireworks Festival sucks! Yes, the most famous summer fireworks festival in Japan, officially known as Sumidagawa Hanabi Taikai, is crap. There are three key reasons why:

(1) You have to camp out for weeks in the hope of seeing anything. All the best places fill up as the event gets closer. You won’t find anywhere comfortable to stand, let alone sit, no matter how early you show up on the day. My memory of the festival was of standing behind a wire fence on a small patch of grass slightly smaller than the area covered by the soles of my feet.

(2) The ‘boom factor’ is a lie. The fireworks go off in two different places, meaning the number is effectively halved. That makes the number you can actually see around the same as less well-attended displays. There are, however, a few choice spots where you can see both locations. For that, you’ll need to camp out for weeks.

(3) Crowds. Once the display is over, everyone heads to Asakusa Station. That’s 948,000 people all heading in the same direction. Eating is also a big part of festivals, so the usually scenic Asakusa streets are lined with trash.

Thankfully, there are better firework displays, like Itabashi Hanabi Taikai (いたばし花火大会). My friends arrived in the early afternoon and spread out their blue sheet. We drank and ate red velvet cake while dragonflies danced around us until it got dark.

Another great festival is The 43rd Katsushika Nouryou Hanabi Taikai (第43回葛飾納涼花火大会). All day and into the evening, giant red dragonflies float above the grass, making it look like a section of one of those digital art posters you had in college where all the dolphins are flying into space on rainbows.

Itabashi Hanabi Taikai

What you need:

A blue plastic sheet. Hell yeah it has to be blue! Don’t look at me, I don’t make the rules. This is used not so much as a place to sit, but more of a way to mark your territory.
Plastic bags. To put your rubbish in. You’ll need more than one.
Beer. Don’t buy it from the convenience store near the display since they’ll be full of people doing the exact same thing. If it has to be ice-cold, you can buy it from a vendor (limited selection), but you’ll still want more than one over the course of the display. Buy those in advance.
Wet wipes. Eating buttered jacket potatoes with chopsticks is tough. Most festival food is fairly greasy too.
No food. Never bring food. There are plenty of food stalls selling food and even standard fare like corn-on-the-cob and jacket potatoes have a Japanese twist to them. You’ll have to queue for these too, but it’s worth it.

There are a number of summer firework festivals and almost all of these are better than Sumidagawa. For a fairly comprehensive free listing, pick up Lawson’s Ticket magazine from Lawson’s convenience store. However, even if you aren’t in Tokyo (or, perhaps, especially if you’re not in Tokyo), there should be plenty of local firework displays around you. Have fun!

This was a response to a call for submissions to the June 2010 Japan Blog Matsuri on “Hot Fun In the Summertime!” Thank you to Locohama for hosting.

Spam From Japan: Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture

Godaidou

This was written before the March 11th earthquake. I’ve wondered for some time how to deal with editing it, but I’m leaving this as is for now.

I think about the family mentioned in this entry a lot — they were on a tourist boat and the kids seemed fascinated by seagulls, suggesting they lived inland. At least, that’s what I tell myself. The woman who worked on the boat and sold me the Kit Kats, the other woman who stood just a hundred metres from the docks and persuaded us to eat at a local restaurant… I just don’t know. It is said that Matsushima escaped comparatively lightly.

Miyagi as I saw it was a beautiful, friendly prefecture. Please remember them that way.

A samurai sat in a plastic chair and held up a sign outside Marine Gate Shiogama. The helmet shape and eyepatch identified him as Date Masamune (伊達政宗), a local hero.

We were there to catch a boat to Matsushima, an area of Miyagi prefecture known for being one of the three views of Japan (Nihon Sankei). Inside the marina, there were Tanabata decorations hanging down from the ceiling. Tanabata falls on July 7th and the festival in Sendai is particularly well-known. This was Winter Tanabata.

Also inside was a tuna auction and a stage for a talk show about tuna that would take place later that day.

Once on the boat, I saw a box of limited edition zunda Kit Kats, only sold in the Touhoku area (Akita, Aomori, Fukushima, Iwate, Miyagi and Yamagata prefectures). I bought some and, after I handed over my money and received my Kit Kats, I asked what ‘zunda’ was. Apparently it’s chopped edamame (baby soybeans), usually served sweetened and with mochi.

As we were setting off, the woman who was behind the till walked around selling ebi senbei (prawn crackers) for the seagulls, which was actually a popular brand from the convenience store. No wonder the birds had been gathering round the boat. We didn’t buy any, but went outside to watch.

Two kids and their parents also came out soon after and offered us some of their seagull food. It started snowing, but the seagulls kept coming. Every so often, the kids would shove more ebi senbei into our hands. As you can see, I got some amazing shots of the birds in flight.

It got colder and the snow grew more intense. The sky became dark and the rocks around us got whiter as the snow fell. The seagulls shrieked and snatched crackers from the air. All the while, we were surrounded by pine-covered islands officially declared to be one of the three most beautiful sights in Japan.

Click to enlarge

Just before we docked in Matsushima Marina, I remembered I had the zunda Kit Kats. I thanked the parents of the two boys and checked if it was okay for them to have chocolate. Great family and I hope their kids like edamame.

Click to enlarge

We were drawn to a traditional house near the marina, named Kanrantei (観瀾亭). Kanrantei was originally built in Kyoto and then moved by Date Masamune’s son in the Momoyama era because they liked Matsushima better. Since Date Masamune was feudal lord of Sendai, the prefectural capital of Miyagi, he got one of the best spots on the island for watching moonlight sparkle on the water.

After taking a look around the museum, you can have green tea and a traditional snack while looking out at the bay. I had green tea and zunda. The lady at the counter asked if I’d had it before and tried to talk me out of it. I had to be a little more insistent than anyone should have to be when trying to give someone money. Eventually she relented and I got my zunda. It was sweeter than I expected, but definitely worthwhile. I drank my tea from a lacquer bowl watching the sunlight and snow hit the waves, just as Date Masamune might have done over 360 years ago.

Click to enlarge

Godaidou (see main picture) stands nearby and had far more visitors. A small red bridge connects it to the mainland.

Click to enlarge

Outside, a woman holding a menu all-but insisted we visit her restaurant. There, we had amazing kaki soba (oysters and noodles). We made the mistake of ordering two ‘jizake’ (local sake). Fooled by Tokyo prices, we could never have expected two medium-sized bottles would arrive at our table.

Click to enlarge

Afterwards we crossed the Fukuura Bridge to the island of the same name. Just off from the main paths you’ll find thick ropes tied to posts that will allow you to climb down to the deserted beaches safely. I presume they’re deserted according to the season; Matsushima isn’t crowded, but the weather varied rapidly between snow and sunshine so that might have been why. Nevertheless, no one else made the trip down onto the sand.

Click to enlarge

If you’re going on a trip to Japan, you must include Matsushima (and Sendai) on your itinerary. Catch a boat from Hon Shiogama Station and don’t forget to check out Gundam Shot Bar Zion in Sendai while you’re there too.

Spam From Japan: Design Festa (Spring 2010)

While the Kuroshitsuji musical has the best-dressed audience, Design Festa attendees are the most original. A number of them were wearing their original creations, many of them using kimono fabric.

I arrived at 10:30am at the Big Sight knowing that it opened at around 11:00am. With my experience attending Comiket and the Tokyo International Anime Fair, I figured that that would get me inside the quickest. I needn’t have worried, since there was only a tiny queue. Many of the booth staff were still setting up at that time as well, so it wasn’t like I missed anything. You might as well arrive at a little past opening.

There was a huge variety of Stuff available to buy. At first glance, grandma-style Victoriana seemed to outstrip the goth Victoriana, but the latter was still there. One shop specialised in black gothic dresses with straps featuring crucified bunny rabbits.

I was amazed at the number of satirical T-shirts featuring un-PC depictions of Kim Jong-Il and other political figures, which I really don’t see much in Japan. There were torn shirts made from non-torn shirts, ordinary-looking jeans and patched together animal headpieces. I also saw a cool rabbit gasmark; but wear it once and you’re awesome, wear it twice and you’re that guy with the rabbit gasmask. There were also bars of home-made soap for sale, which intrigued me. I looked into it once and found I’d have to look for a lye (sodium hydroxide) supplier in Japan. That couldn’t be easy.

In the end, I bought two postcards by Akito, who seems to be inspired by H. R. Giger and anime. I would have loved to be able to buy artbooks from any of the booths or, even better, a collection from a selection of booths (yes, I realise that’s impossible). I don’t have anywhere to put the stuff on sale, or it’s not something I would wear or use, but it was so awesome I wanted to keep it to look at anyway. Photographs for that end (which are fine at most booths) seem mean-spirited.

Click on any of the photographs to enlarge.

Live painting area:

Booths:

(My friends declared the giant plant-thing to be ‘kawaii’ and ‘cute’. What do you think?)

Dolls:

More Booths:

(One of the booths specialised in making plastic keyrings with everyday objects subjected to a type of Japanese bondage called ‘kinbaku’. I thought this was awesome, but not everyone agreed!)

There were two stages. One was bigger, indoors and had more mainstream acts. The other was outdoors, tending towards goth/punk/indie and was like a tiny Glastonbury festival. This was what kept me at Design Festa from the very start until closing. The atmosphere was amazing. The bar next to the stage had the worst beer I’ve ever had, while the French-style hotdog stand tasted great and used real sausages.

Bands:

(Jack and Sally, plus two of Kojinshugi Gekijo.)

Psydoll, one of my favourites:

N.S.D.P, who seemed to have lots of female fans:

ENIGMATIC DRIVE did alt. jazz. I wouldn’t have said jazz was really my thing, but it was a great feeling at the end of the day to hear those notes echo into the sky as it got darker.

More than anything, I was left with a strong desire to create something or design something or just… DO something. Well at least I have a blog, I guess.

Butterfly resting on the ruins of Oda Nobunaga's palace.

This photo was taken in Gifu Prefecture at the base of Mt. Kinka (金崋山・きんかざん), where you can also find Gifu Castle. The butterfly is resting on the ruins of Oda Nobunaga’s mansion (織田信長公居館跡・おだのぶながこうきょかんあと).

Spam From Japan: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

For every entry in the JSOC Blog Matsuri on the topic of secret Japan, there will be someone to claim that they’ve known about whatever is being discussed for years. Of course they they’ve always known about the udon shop inside the crater of Mt Fuji that’s guarded by a six-headed tanuki. Which is simply not true — ask any Japanese person where the six-headed tanuki can be found and they’ll refuse to answer, backing away slowly. That’s how secret it is.

So what qualifies Edo Tokyo Tatemonoen (Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum) to be described as a part of ‘secret Japan’? Well, it’s considered far enough away from the train stations surrounding it, all of which are outside the sacred Yamanote ring of Tokyo, that even the official website suggests you catch a bus. And let’s face it, a guidebook that covers Harajuku, Roppongi and Koganei isn’t going to happen anytime soon.

Inside the park, you’ll find historic buildings that have been deconstructed and rebuilt in order to preserve them. These range from a traditional farm house from the end of the Edo Era (1603 – 1868) to modern residences from the 1940s. Honestly, nothing prepares you for the feeling of being a thousand miles from “home” (or something like it) and realizing your grandmother used that kind of washing machine.

My favourite area is the street from very early in the Showa Era (1926 – 1989), with a florist, a soy sauce merchant, a bar and many other shops. The stationers is lined with calligraphy brushes and the florists is decorated in modern white tiles and filled with plastic flowers. All the shop interiors have been recreated and it’s a great opportunity to take a few photographs. At the end nearest to the entrance there’s a stand selling 2010-style takoyaki and icecream, so you can sit outdoors and take in the view for a while. You can also go into an udon restaurant which sells real udon for 600 yen. No tanuki, six-headed or otherwise, need be harmed.

Detail from a wooden panel in one of the houses.

Fire watchtower which original stood in Ueno.

But wait! There's nature too! These are peach blossoms.

The details:

Entry won’t cost more than 400 yen and there are discounts if you’re over 65 or studying at university.

April to September, open from 9.30am to 5.30pm.
October to March, open from 9.30am to 4.30pm
The park is closed on Mondays and over the New Year holidays.

To get there, go to Musashi Koganei, Higashi Koganei or Hana Koganei and then catch a bus (although I recommend you walk – it’s only about 1.1 km from Hana Koganei).

MAP

Rules: Photography is forbidden in the indoor museum, the Mitsui Hachirouemon storehouse and in the Mitsui family chapel on the second floor. You can’t sketch or use tripods inside buildings or where you might cause a disturbance.

Spam From Japan

Live from Tokyo

Spam From Japan: Climbing Mt. Takatori

Spam From Japan: First Sunrise of 2011

Spam From Japan: The Streets of Tokyo

Spam From Japan: Tokyo Jidai Festival

Spam From Japan: Beer, Castles and Haunted Dolls in Inuyama, Aichi Prefecture

Spam From Japan: Sumida River Fireworks Festival sucks!

Spam From Japan: Matsushima in Miyagi Prefecture

Spam From Japan: Design Festa (Spring 2010)

SpamFrom Japan: Butterfly in Gifu

Spam From Japan: Edo-Tokyo Open Air Architectural Museum

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