I'm going to be so busy in the coming weeks, I don't know when I'll be able to update my journal again, but so as not to be a complete jerk...
Tomorrow morning I head to Nara, where I'll spend the day and one night. The next day I head to Hiroshima and roam around town for a while. The 12th I arrive back in Tokyo at 7 in the morning, having taken a night bus to get here. The 12th and 13th in Tokyo, then it's off to Narita to prepare for my departure on the 14th.
The fourteenth is Thursday, I leave for school that Saturday, classes start on Monday.
Hope you are well.
Saturday, August 9, 2008
Monday, August 4, 2008
羊蹄やった！
My legs are so sore; even going downstairs to get a cup of coffee is an ordeal. The reason? Yesterday I went up and down Youteizan (aka: Ezo Fuji; Mount Yotei) in eight hours.
I left Australia House at about 8 45, hopped on my bike, and headed toward the mountain. I planned my route in advance, so I knew it shouldn't take more than an hour to get there by bicycle--down the street, hang a left on 631, a left on to 5, and a nearly immediate right and you're there. Except 631 is not labelled. I rode past it. For about two kilometers.
Two kilometers later, I figured this just wasn't going right and headed back to a turn that I'd suspected might be 631. To make sure, though, I wanted to ask someone, so I stopped at ビークル ("Be Cool", if I've correctly interpreted their desired name), a small ice cream shop. A kind couple in their forties or fifties (if memory serves me well) pulled out a map and sketched the route for me, verifying my initial thoughts.
Going down hills is fun, so the next portion of the trip was rather nice: the roads are relatively steep as you descend toward the river, so it's quite easy to go as fast as the cars on the same road. The downside of heading down to the river, though, is that, if you're crossing, you then have to go up the other side. Needless to say, I walked for a bit.
Once at the top of the worst of it, finding my way to route 5 and Hangetsuko (the Half-Moon Lake) were no problem. Once there I went to check out the lake before carrying on up the mountain. As you've probably surmised, the lake is semicircular in shape, filling half of what was once a volcanic crater, a caldera. The views are pleasant, but I was somewhat disappointed that there's no clear vantage point from the rim of the crater from which one can take in the whole lake. (At least, I didn't see any such look-out.)
I snacked on some of the nuts I'd brought with me and said konnichiwa (こんにちは) to a tour group as they passed by. From the top of the short walk down to the lake I cycled up to the parking lot at the start of the route. Stashing the bike in some bushes and snapping some shots of the route maps and entrance, I set off past the returning tour groups to climb the mountain.
I left Australia House at about 8 45, hopped on my bike, and headed toward the mountain. I planned my route in advance, so I knew it shouldn't take more than an hour to get there by bicycle--down the street, hang a left on 631, a left on to 5, and a nearly immediate right and you're there. Except 631 is not labelled. I rode past it. For about two kilometers.
Two kilometers later, I figured this just wasn't going right and headed back to a turn that I'd suspected might be 631. To make sure, though, I wanted to ask someone, so I stopped at ビークル ("Be Cool", if I've correctly interpreted their desired name), a small ice cream shop. A kind couple in their forties or fifties (if memory serves me well) pulled out a map and sketched the route for me, verifying my initial thoughts.
Going down hills is fun, so the next portion of the trip was rather nice: the roads are relatively steep as you descend toward the river, so it's quite easy to go as fast as the cars on the same road. The downside of heading down to the river, though, is that, if you're crossing, you then have to go up the other side. Needless to say, I walked for a bit.
Once at the top of the worst of it, finding my way to route 5 and Hangetsuko (the Half-Moon Lake) were no problem. Once there I went to check out the lake before carrying on up the mountain. As you've probably surmised, the lake is semicircular in shape, filling half of what was once a volcanic crater, a caldera. The views are pleasant, but I was somewhat disappointed that there's no clear vantage point from the rim of the crater from which one can take in the whole lake. (At least, I didn't see any such look-out.)
I snacked on some of the nuts I'd brought with me and said konnichiwa (こんにちは) to a tour group as they passed by. From the top of the short walk down to the lake I cycled up to the parking lot at the start of the route. Stashing the bike in some bushes and snapping some shots of the route maps and entrance, I set off past the returning tour groups to climb the mountain.
Sunday, August 3, 2008
Finalizing Travel Plans
I've got about two days left with these blokes before I go, and the end-of-trip sadness is kicking in. In my posts about France, I mentioned the honeymoon period that one typically experiences when exploring a new region; I'm sad to say that I don't think I ever experienced this here. I think it's mostly because the SAS setup is much more business-like (SAS being a business and all): stay in a pension/minihotel with most of the guides from Nepal and walk to work each day, do whatever is asked of you, go back to Australia House and do your own thing.
Retranalysis (Yay! New words!)
Forced to stay at a place like SAS, I would try to spend less time on my computer doing my own thing and more time studying Japanese in the common area, where I can get to know the Nepali guys better and be a bit more sociable. This way, if they're going out or doing something interesting, I can at least be involved in that. (I mean, I could've theoretically learnt some Nepali, if not Japanese, during this trip, right?) Given the option, if I were to use a place like SAS just to be able to travel, I'd try to keep the stay down to a week, maybe two, as a transition period--this is what I should've done this time, because I could've moved to another host after a week or so and gotten more Japanese.
The ideal would be to plan ahead. I'm pretty notoriously laid-back, tending to tackle each problem as it arises rather than planning out all the minutiae in advance so as to facilitate everything. (This is one of those things where Ashley is good for me.) I like solving problems, but once I have the solution, I don't like losing a lot of time on implementation: I'd rather figure something else out. A useful skill though it is, it reduces the excitement once I'm involved in a long-term project, unless I can find new ways to improve efficiency and so forth.
That turned into a bit of personal exposition, but the reason I brought up planning (dooming us to that short schpiel) is that, with sufficient time, I would only ever choose to stay with a host family. The time that I was able to spend with Ashley and the travelling that I shall shortly do redeem this trip, but I could've benefitted much more from the experience had I chosen a family to visit rather than SAS. (Perhaps if I'd listened to someone's urgent requests that I message a particular host sooner, rather than later, I might've succeeded in this venture...)
予定
This evening I'll join the rest of the guys in Kutchan for the second day of the Kutchan Potato Festival (some photos forthcoming) and try to do some laundry (maybe?). Tomorrow I'll make an attempt at Youteizan in the morning and spend the day doing that, so that I can go canyoning the next day. After that I'll finish up my write-ups and stuff for the SAS site, jot down some notes on what else they can use for the project, and get packed. The morning of 6 August I'll leave for Sapporo, perhaps stopping in Otaru along the way to see the beach. I hope they'll let me exchange my rail pass on the 6th so I can leave early on the 7th for Akan National Park.
In Akan I'll try to see the Ainu museum and village, maybe try some Ainu food, go on a boat tour of Lake Akan and see some marimo, and head to Onneto, where there's an outdoor onsen (in which everyone wears bathing suits; told you so XP) that's supposed to be gorgeous. If I've time, I'll try to take a bus or hitch to Lake Mashu, which is supposed to be particularly gorgeous.
Sometime on the 8th I'll head to Nara where I'll spend most, if not all of the 9th. The 10th I'll go to Hiroshima, where there's a festival (is that the ride word in this context?) re the atomic bombings.
Though I'd like to do Kyoto if at all possible, I intend to spend the 11th, 12th, and 13th in Tokyo. The night of the 13th I'll spend at a hostel near Narita International Airport and head out in the morning, assuming that Ashley and her mum have no problems changing Ash's departure point.
I arrive at MCO the afternoon of the 14th and head to school on the 16th (classes starting the 18th).
Intense, eh?
Postscript
Should I buy the current TeeFury shirt? (It was designed by a friend.)
Retranalysis (Yay! New words!)
Forced to stay at a place like SAS, I would try to spend less time on my computer doing my own thing and more time studying Japanese in the common area, where I can get to know the Nepali guys better and be a bit more sociable. This way, if they're going out or doing something interesting, I can at least be involved in that. (I mean, I could've theoretically learnt some Nepali, if not Japanese, during this trip, right?) Given the option, if I were to use a place like SAS just to be able to travel, I'd try to keep the stay down to a week, maybe two, as a transition period--this is what I should've done this time, because I could've moved to another host after a week or so and gotten more Japanese.
The ideal would be to plan ahead. I'm pretty notoriously laid-back, tending to tackle each problem as it arises rather than planning out all the minutiae in advance so as to facilitate everything. (This is one of those things where Ashley is good for me.) I like solving problems, but once I have the solution, I don't like losing a lot of time on implementation: I'd rather figure something else out. A useful skill though it is, it reduces the excitement once I'm involved in a long-term project, unless I can find new ways to improve efficiency and so forth.
That turned into a bit of personal exposition, but the reason I brought up planning (dooming us to that short schpiel) is that, with sufficient time, I would only ever choose to stay with a host family. The time that I was able to spend with Ashley and the travelling that I shall shortly do redeem this trip, but I could've benefitted much more from the experience had I chosen a family to visit rather than SAS. (Perhaps if I'd listened to someone's urgent requests that I message a particular host sooner, rather than later, I might've succeeded in this venture...)
予定
This evening I'll join the rest of the guys in Kutchan for the second day of the Kutchan Potato Festival (some photos forthcoming) and try to do some laundry (maybe?). Tomorrow I'll make an attempt at Youteizan in the morning and spend the day doing that, so that I can go canyoning the next day. After that I'll finish up my write-ups and stuff for the SAS site, jot down some notes on what else they can use for the project, and get packed. The morning of 6 August I'll leave for Sapporo, perhaps stopping in Otaru along the way to see the beach. I hope they'll let me exchange my rail pass on the 6th so I can leave early on the 7th for Akan National Park.
In Akan I'll try to see the Ainu museum and village, maybe try some Ainu food, go on a boat tour of Lake Akan and see some marimo, and head to Onneto, where there's an outdoor onsen (in which everyone wears bathing suits; told you so XP) that's supposed to be gorgeous. If I've time, I'll try to take a bus or hitch to Lake Mashu, which is supposed to be particularly gorgeous.
Sometime on the 8th I'll head to Nara where I'll spend most, if not all of the 9th. The 10th I'll go to Hiroshima, where there's a festival (is that the ride word in this context?) re the atomic bombings.
Though I'd like to do Kyoto if at all possible, I intend to spend the 11th, 12th, and 13th in Tokyo. The night of the 13th I'll spend at a hostel near Narita International Airport and head out in the morning, assuming that Ashley and her mum have no problems changing Ash's departure point.
I arrive at MCO the afternoon of the 14th and head to school on the 16th (classes starting the 18th).
Intense, eh?
Postscript
Should I buy the current TeeFury shirt? (It was designed by a friend.)
Friday, August 1, 2008
A Mountain of Disappointment
Yeah...I did, well, nothing on my day-off, nothing of importance anyway. Most people who climb Youteizan do so early in the morning, so my small lie-in (probably only until seven, eight, or nine) made it a bit late to do anything about this hike of mine.
Or so I thought. Upon new recommendation, I shall be hiking up there today or tomorrow afternoon and...spending the night at the top! I can watch the sun rise (at about three in the morning) from a peaceful mountain top. Pretty sweet, eh?
"How are you able to do this with no more full days free?" you might ask.
"Why, by means of new assignment, old chap," I might respond. If you're old. If you're the snout of a wolf...
During my brief 休み （やすみ = yasumi; vacation), I spoke to Scott himself (for about the second time since I've been here) and discussed my intentions of climbing Mount Youtei. A short while later, he suggested that I help Alex and Chris, a couple of rafting guides from Oz, with their work on the SAS website. My new task for my last few days here is to find as much free stuff to do in the Kutchan-Hirafu-Niseko-Annapuri area as possible, do it, take photos, and write about it for the website. Scott wants their new website to be more than just a brochure-style web presence for his company (Scott Adventure Sports): he wants the site to contribute useful information for travellers in the area.
Today I was going to try to make it to Youteizan (羊蹄山) again, but it's a bit cloudy today and supposed to rain. As such, I'm going to try to go tomorrow afternoon. Right now I'm working on gathering reconnaissance on the area and writing up as much stuff as I can. If I run out of stuff to do for this, I'll head over to the SAS headquarters and continue to help out there, as I've been doing most of the time.
The Laundry Lists Begin!
Time for me to share one of those lists I threatened you with: the List of Tasks I Have Done at SAS...
[Speaking of laundry, I should probably do some of that today, if at all possible...]
That'll be all for the moment, but I might even post twice in one day! Or update my photos! Or something!
Yay! Something!
また
Or so I thought. Upon new recommendation, I shall be hiking up there today or tomorrow afternoon and...spending the night at the top! I can watch the sun rise (at about three in the morning) from a peaceful mountain top. Pretty sweet, eh?
"How are you able to do this with no more full days free?" you might ask.
"Why, by means of new assignment, old chap," I might respond. If you're old. If you're the snout of a wolf...
During my brief 休み （やすみ = yasumi; vacation), I spoke to Scott himself (for about the second time since I've been here) and discussed my intentions of climbing Mount Youtei. A short while later, he suggested that I help Alex and Chris, a couple of rafting guides from Oz, with their work on the SAS website. My new task for my last few days here is to find as much free stuff to do in the Kutchan-Hirafu-Niseko-Annapuri area as possible, do it, take photos, and write about it for the website. Scott wants their new website to be more than just a brochure-style web presence for his company (Scott Adventure Sports): he wants the site to contribute useful information for travellers in the area.
Today I was going to try to make it to Youteizan (羊蹄山) again, but it's a bit cloudy today and supposed to rain. As such, I'm going to try to go tomorrow afternoon. Right now I'm working on gathering reconnaissance on the area and writing up as much stuff as I can. If I run out of stuff to do for this, I'll head over to the SAS headquarters and continue to help out there, as I've been doing most of the time.
The Laundry Lists Begin!
Time for me to share one of those lists I threatened you with: the List of Tasks I Have Done at SAS...
- Applying silicon to rubber portions of dry suits (reducing the ease of tearing)
- Stitching up life jackets (patching slight tears in the fabric, not the straps)
- Sorting and placing wet suits and boots (as well as shoes for canyoning)
- Cleaning and vacuuming tents (they're nice yurts from the Colorado Yurt Company)
- Folding plastic seat covers (used for commercial buses during school trips)
- Opening/Closing windows, etc, according to rain, sun, and wind
- Aiding in the construction of: an awning for one of the doors, coffee tables, computer stations, small platforms, shelves, etc
- Laying some carpet, hanging curtains, and putting up (somewhat complex) bunk beds
- Creating duck tape (not "duct" tape) frames for photos and helping to decorate
- Going ducky (rafting for one or two people; the raft looks a bit like a banana boat) alone twice
- Chopping and stacking wood (about three days' worth of this task)
- Doing other stuff I've forgotten or repressed XD
[Speaking of laundry, I should probably do some of that today, if at all possible...]
That'll be all for the moment, but I might even post twice in one day! Or update my photos! Or something!
Yay! Something!
また
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