Slip sliding away

So it’s been a long time since I last wrote in this blog and much has happened. First, I did Nanowrimo. As always it was a serious challenge and though I am far from happy with what I wrote I really think there is a story there, and a pretty good one so I am determined this time to work on it on a weekly basis. I plan on getting at least one, preferably two, sessions in every single week. With luck I will have a workable draft by the time the next Nanonwrimo comes round. The story, for those who I haven’t already told, is a pretty basic one. A world torn in two by fear and prejudice, a hero arises, fixes just about everything and ya. Finished. But I really like many aspects of the world and its system of magic. Some of the characters I have pretty well fleshed out but others, not so much. Still, I can feel it there, a decent book that I would be interested enough to read myself so I want to keep on chiseling the surface until its form is revealed.

Anyway, enough about me, on to the adventures in Japan. This week had two big highlights…or big things. The first was the snow. The first fall was a delight and since then it has been fun fun and more fun. Just about no one here likes the snow, and watching the cars trying to stop on the roads covered in compacted snow, I can see why, but it’s still glorious. The white that blankets the world is just so beautiful. It’s like been smothered by marshmallows, you know it can still kill you but its just so soft and sweet hahaha. So we have been doing our best to enjoy the snow to the utmost while it is about.This week it has begun to turn into crunchy not so marshmallowy ice and the roads and footpaths are becoming less and less navigable. Somehow even in the depth of winter they tell me that the snow melts, something I don’t really understand but cool. I think it might be because we are near the water because it certainly doesn’t get particularly warm. Well, that was one of the events, and one we are still enjoying. The other was the earthquake.

Now that in itself is not such a big deal. I have experienced about 6 earthquakes in my 32 years: None that I felt in Australia, one in Mexico and five here. So they are far from uncommon. Nevertheless this one was something very new and different for me. The first was thee magnitude. Though the epicenter was pretty far from here it was a 7.3 magnitude quake. It shook things. Nothing really fell and it was short, thankfully, but it was much bigger than anything I had ever felt before. The other was the young girl who was taking class at the time. She is curious young girl, never speaks to me, she has class with my boss, but has inquisitive eyes and is generally cute. I think she might be ten. Well, she was in class and suddenly sat up and said ‘Yureru’ in a strong clear voice. It made my boss jump up quickly and start looking at things hanging from the roof. At the time I wasn’t sure what was going on but she was watching the hanging decorations to see if they were moving. Neither she nor I could feel anything but she insisted on two more occasions before suddenly the bigger one hit. I didn’t feel a thing but she was so sure, and so clearly correct. Somehow she had felt the tiny pre tremors or something. The word she was saying means to shake o to tremble. It was definitely an experience and was the first time I got to feel a little taste of the kind of terror that and earthquake can induce. No one was hurt here and no damage but it was still adequately scary. Every day here, as in life, I discover a new tidbit of information, another little piece in this immense puzzle we have painted and though some of them are not necessarily the safest of insights to acquire, I still value every last one of them. I think I will keep on wondering and wandering for a while yet. We have many little adventures in the works so I look forward to updating you all son on Ice fishing and much more. Take care all.

Sycamore Maples in the foothills of Akan

Unsurprisingly we were hung over. We’d been invited out to sing karaoke the night before and suddenly it was one in the morning and we were stumbling home. Now don’t get me wrong, we haven’t been out partying every weekend or anything, far from it. Nevertheless it seems that whenever we make grand plans for Sunday we invariably start the day somewhere between groggy and just plain destroyed. Today was no exception and it was a serious force of will to crawl out of the apartment at 11:00am, some three hours later than intended. Just for fun, because we all know it’s a blast, there was a howling gale as well; a head wind of course and we were cycling.

Despite all this about an hour or two into the ride the worst of the hang over had faded and we began to enjoy ourselves. We were still in the city limits but there is something liberating about getting on the bike and getting out of town. Even with the head wind, the hang over and a minor, um, detour due to navigational issues, we were already both smiling by the time we hit the country side and it just got better from there.

Though it took us almost half the journey to find, there is a bike track that winds through the Kushiro marshlands and up into the hills of Akan. On any given Sunday, if the weather isn’t as bad as it was that day, you can find many walkers, joggers and cyclers meandering along the path. I’m not sure if it’s the Sunday, the activity of cycling or just getting out of town but every time we head outside the city limits people seem to be so much friendlier. Almost every passerby waves amicably, meets your gaze and let’s out an enthusiastic “konichiwa”. Though this greeting is far from unheard of in the city it does tend to be more often than not a mumbled response seemingly given almost grudgingly and rarely accompanied by eye contact. Though we didn’t pass many people on this particular day we nevertheless thoroughly enjoyed the ride. We wound through the marsh, over streams and finally met up with and criss-crossed along the length of a river. As we passed out of the marshlands the landscape gave way to green forest of oaks, pipe and the odd splash of the glorious autumn sycamore. The season this year had been unusually warm so the autumn foliage was far from its usual brilliance but for an Australian from the land of the evergreens it was still captivating.

We got into town at almost 4pm. In the end, despite all our hiccups, it was perfect timing as sunset at this time of year is about 4:30. We stopped for a quick bite at a very famous local spot. It’s well renowned throughout Japan and serves both local products and a smattering of international offerings. We ate some warm Oni Giri (rice wrapped in sea weed) and French fries. You may have heard of the place actually, it’s called 7/11…I’m so hilarious. Seriously though it was too late for lunch at a Ramen shop and we still had a couple of kilometers to go before we would reach the hotel so it was quick convenience store food.

The hotel is opposite the Akan International Tancho center. Tancho’s are the Red Cranes that are very famous here. I’ve mentioned them before but they stand about 1.5meters tall have a bold patch on the top of their heads that is bright red. In winter some two or three hundred cranes visit the area behind the center. We didn’t go through it this time though as there are no cranes there and little wildlife but we will be back in winter for sure. The hotel, though quite large and rather modern, still retains many of the more traditional aspects of Japanese culture. The room is a simple square 10 tatami mats in size. A tatami mat is a reed mat 90 *180cm in size. These appeared to be some form of non synthetic material but I couldn’t be sure if they were reeds or not. In the center of the room is a low table surrounded by four cushions. There is hot and cold water in thermoses on the table along with a simple container holding tea, cups, bowls and chopsticks. On the wall are Yukatas which are simple summer robes with ties and folded beneath them are towels. A very small fridge sits in the corner with the TV both looking rather out of place. All the doors and windows are simple sliding doors but very functional. In a large cupboard on the Northern wall there are enough futons and bedding to sleep four people comfortably even in winter. The bathrooms and Onsen (natural hot springs) are both shared. There are two Onsens in the hotel, one on the ground floor and one on the second. The ground floor Onsen is open to the public and seems to get a lot more business than the hotel itself but the upstairs bath is significantly smaller but only for residents at the hotel. Both being a little shy, we were a little uncomfortable about the idea of a Japanese Onsen. Now I am sure you are all aware but a Japanese style Onsen is just like a large hot spring where people come to relax, similar to Australia, but completely naked. You walk into a little changing room, no cubicle or anything just a shared space, strip down to nothing, fold your clothes into a small shelf provided, with your towel, and wander in, starkers, with who ever else happens to be there. Admittedly they do have separate male and female baths, so it doesn’t get THAT weird but it was still a very daunting task for me. We were brave though, donned our yukatas and entered the Onsen…and, as it turned out, there was no one else in there so I had a huge bath in gorgeously relaxing mineral water. I’m still keen to try the outdoor hot springs in winter up in Akan so one way or another I will have to challenge my shyness but I can say that my first experience in a Japanese hot spring was absolutely delightful and incredibly relaxing.

The restaurant was fantastic too. We ate huge amounts of delicious Japanese food and it wasn’t very expensive at all (for Japan). After dinner we collapsed into incredibly comfortable beds that had mysteriously been made while we were eating and slept like logs. The first thing we did when we got back home was to dismantle our bed and almost double our living space.

The next day, after a delicious and filling breakfast that came with the room, we headed into town. It’s a little difficult to describe the town of Akan. It is not very popular as a tourist destination and it doesn’t boast any outstanding features so to speak. There’s a beautiful river on the edge of town and it is surrounded by forested mountains. There’s a wood mill, a few little restaurants and a high school. The town was quiet on Monday. The streets clean but not empty. We passed a few locals here and there but nothing that jumps out at you and says WOW look at me! Nevertheless both Diana and I found ourselves feeling a deep affinity for the town. We even went as far as to send a quick query to our friend that lived here to enquire about how he got the job. I can’t really put my finger on why but the town was delightfully tranquil and left us in a very peaceful state of mind when we finally decided to hit the road.

The way home, though somehow with a head wind again, was much smoother and very relaxing. We got some great shots of interesting sights, Diana didn’t let me up the trail that said something about a bear in red, so we made great time. We got home, rearranged the house, ate food, watched some Japanese anime and slept like angels. It was a fantastic weekend.

the cost of freedom

14000 yen.

That's how much it cost to obtain our freedom. So just to give you all a rough idea of what's that worth in Aussie dollars...about $150.00. Our two brain new (second hand) bikes have changed our lives. In only two days we have discovered more of Kushiro than we had in the last two months and whats more we interacted with more people and had a chance to practice (or at least realize our ineptness) our Japanese. I only wish I had done this on the first week we had arrived...but no use crying over spilled milk. Instead, let me take a moment and reel in the glory of the weekend and our rediscovery of our liberty!

Diana's bike is definitely 'cooler' than my bike. Bright red, those Harley style handlebars and low seat; she definitely looks cooler. It's not a single gear town bike either. It has an internal gearing system, which is kinda cool, and though it is only the three gears she can hold a decent average on it and it is very comfortable. i had to fiddle with mine a little but it is running pretty smooth. It's too small, a shame but something I am just going to have to live with, but according to the four or five bike shops I have been to, they don't get them bigger out this way. Thank god Angus didn't decide to get a job up here.

We headed out of town literally the next day. We thought, since I had done little more exercise than walking about a kilometer to work on a daily basis, to keep it chilled. Yamahana, a small town north of Kushiro, was said to be a good place for the weekend and has a bicycle path all the way there. To be honest, getting there isn't the most mind boggling of experiences. its basically dead flat and marshy tall bamboo grass. There's quite a few farms between Kushiro and Yamahana, which was nice, but no awe inspiring cliff faces or ancient temples. On the the hand, it was fantastic. There were great stretches of path where you could neither hear no see a single car. There were little streams, vegetable plots along the side of the river and we even got to see tancho cranes again (no photos cos they were to far away and came out all blurry but still cool). We also got to see these little mini draft horse dudes. They are definitely not ponies and though you cant see it well in the picture, they remind me exactly of what we used to ask for in D&D when we tried to get our hands on a 1/4 Clydesdale (for those of you didn't know, I was and am a huge nerd who used to not only play but thoroughly enjoy D&D. deal with it :P )

Yamahana...well, there is a a large hot spring resort thing there, and a zoo. We didn't go int the hot springs because honestly we didn't like the look of the place all that much. We will eventually get u the gall to try the Onsen thing out but I think we would both prefer it to be in a cool outdoor spring in more natural settings. So, with a little doubt, we decided to head to kushiro zoo. Well, it was awful. I have to add here that I have never been much of a fan of Zoo's, but even as far as zoo's go it was pretty bad. i don't think anyone really need's to see photos.

Anyway, the ride was fabulous. I think in total we did about 40 or so km and got back pretty worn out. On the way back we stopped at what is probably the absolute highlight of Kuhiro for Diana and I (well me at least but i know she loves them). Dotted through out kushiro, sometimes in completely random places but in at least every 10th or so house is a vegie patch. Along the river though is even better. I am pretty sure they would be flood plans with the thaw and all and so the extra rich nutrients brings locals out to garden. i don't know how exactly it works but there are HEAPS of gardens all along the path. it is a delight to see an on Saturday there are people busily harvesting the vegies of their labour.

The following day, surprisingly fresh and not sore, we headed out again to look for two things I had obtained information about but had never found. One was a little hardware store that sells good quality Japanese knives and the other was a sporting facility that had a rock climbing wall. The first, well, we didn't find it. Or we don't think we did. In about the place where it is marked on our map we found a kitchen shop. It's definitely not a hardware store...but maybe something had been lost in translation. either way it is a very groovy little shop complete with cast iron old school kettles. If we had been rcher, and it had been open, we would have bought one for the folks and sent it to them. But we're not and unfortunately it wasn't open but at least we know where it is and even if it doesn't sell what i am looking for we will be back.

We did find the sports center and it was open though. And it was huge. Mammoth. gigantic and several other large type words. You just would never have expected this place in Kushiro. Unfortunately we didn't take any photos of it's grandeur and epicness so you will have to take my word for it. it's big and flash and well built and has like three stadiums, full size, and a pond the size of a lake and a huge park out the back. It has a massive gym and within the gym, a little rock climbing wall. Quite little in fact. I think maybe three or four people could use it at once. It's very small, really. Still, its there, which is very cool and to add icing to the cake it is cheap. As cheap as the sports center is big! 300 yen, so just under $4, for half a day and that includes gear hire!! awesome!! we don't have a lead climbing license and can't speak enough Japanese to work out how to get one, but they have a small top belaying section that we will definitely be getting in on the action at some point. All in all it was a great day. On the way home we got to pass a floating lumber storage yard. Not sure if I have mentioned this but on a regular basis they float huge rafts of logs up the river (ok so when I say float i mean drag with a tug boat. Don't be so picky.) and by the looks of things this is where they end up. It's very cool (also no pictures cos I forgot to take them).

So that was our two days of exploration and fun. It was really good to be back in the saddle again and i have to say it is like a new lease of life. Now as soon as I find a way of curing myself of this stupid allergy thing and the accompanying exhaustion, learning Japanese and finishing my two books I will be ready to take on my next challenge! Yay!

Anyways, will leave you all with a random photo from the bridge I walk across (now ride) every day on my way to work so you all know just how not bad this crazy adventure they call life is. Keep wondering all!