10. Hike and haiku

Today  was a great day for exploring the neighborhood.  After breakfast I took my shoes and jacket on and walked outside in the warm sunlight. I was heading for the woods,   but after just one turn around the nearest corner, I saw this beautiful pond and stopped for a moment, let the wind reposition my hear and sat down for a while. Then, a haiku poem was born:

en vind som blåser

vannets bilder viskes ut

jeg og meg – borte

I will not explain the meaning, but if you make up your own ideas or get your own understanding of this poem, feel free to post a reply in return!

After some minutes of creative writing I went on and walked around for two hours, included a long stay at the Food Market, where I tried to find suitable presents to bring home to my family. I also found another  place to buy  Yaki imo, or roasted potato/baked sweet potato. Yeah!

I took pictures on my way:

9. Photographical pick ups

Here are some more pictures from Higashiyamato area:

And by the way.. The name of this lovely soy bean powder is Kinuka!

8. Higashiyamato/Tokyo

Bedtime in Japan is much better than bedtime in Norway. I have slept so good during my first two weeks her in this wonderful country and I am looking forward to sleep even better in the following weeks.  Although it is a little bit cold in the late night hours I think it is nice with hard beds, especially the one that are straight onto tatami mats on the floor. My dear friend has no tatami floor, but the bed is a little hard and that makes my bedtime dreams come true.  I love it and I hope my sleep here  will continue after  arriving Norway, or I might find it necessary to cut out  my bed and just sleep on the wooden floor.

Well, today I woke up a little late (I think), and did not  go  to breakfast before 10.30 am! After this morning snack (of course with a cup of green tea  ”cha” on the side) me and my friend rehearsed for our concert the 25th december.   I think it will be fun, but we have to do  something with the sound of the loudspeakers, unless I want to sound like a crow in some songs…   Maybe we take some songs with microphone and some song without. We will see, but waht is most important anyway is to have fun while playing!

Yesterday, the 21st of december, we went to Tachikawa to go windowshopping (is  a good way of shopping as a student) and then to Akihabara to buy some presents for  my dear family and to a friend of Miki. What we ended up doing was not in our plan, but we did not find out that they only sell computer games that works in Japan, in Japan. So no Final Fantasy 13 (released 17 th of december!) to  buy for use in Norway, and no Nintendo DSi either… I will have to buy a magazine for the long flight home instead of a DSi… I did actually want to act a little “childish” and buy one of those technical things, because it could help me get rid of my technophobia…

Not a place to stay too long… Only electronics, computers, gadgets, and even worse…

cables:

Heaven for some, hell for me… I guess my brother would have loved this place!

After burning some yen at these enlightined stores, we went to Shibuya to meet some friends for dinner. We had one hour  to spend before meeting the other ones, so I said I wanted to go to a food market to buy some necessarities to bring back to Norway. Wasabi, misopaste,  some more gifts for my beloved ones and also something made of soyabeans. A powder that I unfortuanately do not  remember the name of in  Japanese. Some thing sounding like kinkuka, kakuki or kinkaku… Well, it is used to make sweets from beans…

So, after a hectic journey through the busy food market we met the other Norwegians and the Japanese people. Off we did go to Izakaya. A place where you often go to drink as much as you like and eat as much as you like. For me, that means to drink all I can of orange juice, tea  and water, since I  am not  very fond of alcohol, and of course tasting and eating all  the exiting food from Japan. I am always surprised by the meals because it seems like Japanese chefs never loose their creativity in cooking. And it all looks so good and fresh!

As you can see. Alot of nice colours and flavoures mixed into a wonderful meal!

After the coloured dinner we went off to take Purikura,  pictures that you can change by writing onto them after  they are finished.  You can add small  stars, hearts, bubbles, giraffes (I had to add one!) and make whatever you want out of the photographies. We took pictures inside  the picturetakingbox, and  it all seemed at least as colourful as our  recent meal. Perhaps even more colourful!

We took the train back home, and I went to sleep in my Japanese styled bed (a good one) around 00.30 am. Sleepy and  satisfied  after all the  impressions of the young and Japansee culture. I like this country even more now. Both the ancient and  old traditions with tea, haiku, nature, language and history and the young and magical, energetic, wild and colourful young activities!

Good night to all of you.

7. Tokyo/Higashiyamato

A day of intensive  meetings and a great enlargement of social activity!

The 20th of December I  went around in the Shinagawa area from around 10 am to 1.30 pm  to wait for my dear friend to come and meet me. I woke up a little bit too early because of my roommate’s return to her friends in London, so I spent some time  watching television for  children in the hotel room until checkout time at 10. Walking around with a huge and heavy backpack was not exactly the best way of “doing Shinagawa”, but I thought it would be strange to leave the bag after I have left the hotel. So, I went window shopping in the foodmarket, looked for a place  with wireless internet connection  (there are none…) and ended up eating berries and  waiting in the hotel lobby for my friend to appear.

After some rest, she came. and I was SO happy to see her. Although there were changes in her plans for the day, so we did not go home, but met some Norwegian students who study Japanese and one japanese student who studies Norwegian. We ended up at Starbuck’s and I must tell you it is hard to find seatings for six people in Japan in the afternoon! But the nice coffeeladies helped us  to make room for all of us. That would not have happened in Norway, I guess… It was good to sit down instead of carrying that heavy backback for some time…

But, we had more plans for the day. Dinner with some other Norwegian students who study Japanese. There are so many of them:) So we walked around to find a suitable place, found it, had dinner, and  then, we took the train and monorail back to Higashiyamato and was picked up by my friends’ father. Ah! Finally home!

6. Kyoto

Kyoto is maybe mostly known because of the last climate law or climate agreement, but for me it is like a large bowl full of traditional soup and japanese tofu. Like a wonderful place where you can inhale and taste all the different flavours of japanese culture.

I have never been to so many nice castles and temples, like the Golden Pavillion, where the reflection of the gold made such a nice mirroring effect in the little pond that surrounded it. And all the goodlooking bonsai trees that were so tightly roped and fixed in development, that the only place they could possibly move on their own was in their water reflections. Back and forth, back and forth just as the wind blew over the nice little lake.

Not to forget the great Nijo-jo, or Nijo castle, which had two main temples and alot of green gardens. The japanse tend to give more space for nature that human shelter such as buildnings and stuff, a thing I really like, because it means that you can walk around and see the beauty of nature instead of always going inside. But I have to tell you, so much fresh air also make you sleepy! The last day in Kyoto I went to the hotel around 4 pm and sat in my bed reading, watching japanese cartoons , taking small naps, because I had experienced so much that I really needed some rest. But, when ou have a great book such as one by Murakami Haruki, there I no need to feel bad about sitting inside reading:)

Kyoto made me think. Kyoto made me smile. Kyoto is a great city. Just in the beginning I thought it was too big, because we were taking bus everywhere we went, but the secnd day, when we had no bus pass, I walked by foot and found out it was not that large at all. Although, it is the largest of the cities we have visited (exept Tokyo).

One of the best things that happened here was my first experience of a tea ceremony. The relaxed atmosphere, the details of serving tea properly and the tasty tea really made me feel wondrous and good. But, I am a little tired of all those sweets. We get sweets served everywhere we go, and I have understood that it is a bad thing to say “no”, so I feel like I am eating sweets all the time. They are a little too sweet for me, but I must say that I have some favourites, despite the overwhelming sweetieness. That is roasted black beans, even also rolled in rice flour or cocoa! Yum! And of course; the Fuji apples. They are huge, waterish and tasty.

I have to go here again. I found out they have a seven year long education in doing the tea ceremony which tempted me alot to try to get some more experience with traditional culture of Japan. I also want to check out the Geisha area a little more in detail becuase I only got to see two beautiful geishas (one of the on film!) and I really want to know more about what they do, and speak to one and ask some of my questions. I have alot of them… I feel so curious and I do believe I ask too many questions on our trip. I hope I am not bothering our sweet guide…

I write this post while sitting in our hotel room, on a tatami mat, with one of the most famous toursit attractions right outside my window. Yes, I am looking directly at Mt. Fuji. Too bad it is not climbing season, but don’t worry Fuji-san, I will come back and do some mountain-massage with my Norwegian feet. One day. Oh, how I look forward to that day:)

5. Nagasaki

Wow! What a place.

Nagasaki is by now  my favourite city in Japan. Big and small at the same time. With a lot of stores, but also nice gardens, trees and walking routes, I have found a place to maintain in complete relaxation. I can change between being busy and hurried, and find rest in the nice hills.

I went up the hills nearby our hotel, and found a samurai path, that led to the statue of Sakamoto Ryoma, which was a samurai who also made a good way for himself as a scientist (I think) and also started trading.

You see, Nagasaki is very culturally mixed. With hollenders, chinese people (they have their own Chinatown), deutch people, portugese people and so on. Nagasaki has been a big trading centre and is therefore so multicultural. I went to the folklore museum the second day and there I got to see many things which made it clearer that this really is a city of trading. One thing that caught my eyes (or ears) was the music they played in the museum. I sounded like a mix between portugese and japanese traditional music. Very funny:)

We had two days with no plans in Nagasaki, and I spent the two days walking around, and I really feel that I have “done Nagasaki”. That means that I have walked south, east, north and west and really catched alot of great sights. I just mention:

samurai statues, chinese temples, buddhists doing meditation (with sound/singing), baseballmatch with local elementary schoolkids (who gave me a cup of “kohii” – coffee), the folklore museum, got a bite of the famouse “chizu kasterei” – cheese Kastillacake, saw some bow and arrowpeople training with their bows (they have really nice clothes!) and so on…

I tried not to think too much about atomic bombs while staying here, because after the guiding in Hiroshima, I started thinking about the poor poor people who was affecte by this crucial thing… I maintain in a non-atomic state and look forward to the journey to:

Kyoto: city of geishas and tea ceremonies!

4. Rain in Hiroshima

We have been travelling for a while in this beautiful land, and some of the most memorable sights (or experiences) was the day we arrived Hiroshima.

This day, the 10th of December, was the only day with rain so far… I guess “rain in Hiroshima” means that there are still memories fro that awful day in August 1945, when the atomic bomb came over this wonderful city.

But, a big amount of rain did not stop us as we went straight out again after leaving our luggage in the hotel. We went to the piece park, where I did some running, following the maps suggestion of a nice running course… I went alone then, ran down the riverside, but after a while, I got lost inside a shopping arcade. So I asked a couple of schoolgirls where I was, “Kono doro wa doko des ka?”, and I was totally out of place. They gave me one of their two umbrellas so that I would not be (more) wet…

So I walked in the right direction for a while, but got lost again, and asked another girl this magical question of direction… She knew my hotel, where it was, and she followed me home… How sweet:) The best thind is that on our way back to the hotel, we started talking about different stuff, and we found out we were the same age, so we kept contact, and now I have a nice friend in Hiroshima. Whom I want to visit again:) I feel so exicted!

The next day in Hiroshima went as follows… We met a private guide who showed us alot of sights which could be connected with the atom bomb attack. Things that were not told in the museum. I also understood what it is like to be a “survivor” or the bomb. It does not mean that you were there when the bomb came, but you were affected in some way. Maybe your mum was there, maybe you got some after-effects from particles that came from the bomb, years after the main attack… So to be a “survivor” seems more common than I thought.

Well… The second part of this day was much more enlightning, though. We all took the ferry to a beautiful place called Miyamajima island. Here, there were monkeys in the trees (I did not see any) and deer walking around in the streets. This place is famous for its grand Torii gate which stands in the middle of the sea. It was a really tremendous sight when we came “ferrying” to the island.

I walked around by myself this time. It is nice to just walk and see what comes up, and what came up for me was a mountain. Mt. Misen. I went through these beautifully coloured gardens, nicely shaped trees, and there, suddenly I saw a sign which said how long a distance it was to the top of Mt. Misen. 2,7 km. Not much for a Norwegian mountain climber. So I gave it a shot! After two hours, during sun set (I was afraid it would be dark before I came down to the main land…) I got back and onto the ferry…

I went off the train on Nishi-Hiroshima, so I had to take a new train to get to the real Hiroshima… It all sounded so similar on the speakers, so I was completely sure I went off right.. But, I did not… In the evening I was a little bit tired after the climb so I took a bath in the bathtub and relaxed.

Tomorrow: Nagasaki!

3. Picturing this!

Here are some pictures from Tokyo and Takayama:

2. Takayama

This morning, the morning of December 8th  we alle woke up at 5.40 am to go to see Tsukiji fish market. It is known as one of the busiest places in the world and after being there today I can not agree more… A great place for those who are interested in everything that involves the words fish, water, sea, food, ice and shopping. A big hall, a fishhall, full of frozen delicious fish to be bought for a small amount of money. They even had living crabs (size xxs)  in a box for sale. A sight (and smell) I guess I will never forget… I also got the chance to be driven over by a wagon filled with fish packed in icecubes. Auch.

After this smelly start of the day we walked to Shinagawa station to catch the 9.40 am Shinkansen train to Nagoya. On our trip we could get a sight of Mt. Fuji, many nice houses and rivers and also a couple of Bonsai gardens:) We had a little train change in Nagoya (a city I read about in the books of Haruki Murakami are acquainted with) and headed on for Takayama. Even more Bonsai gardens, houses, bridges and also farms were what we could see on this wonderful (and fast) trip.

While entering the town of Takayama I had a big smile on my face. Lots of small, beautiful houses, a long river that divides the city in two halves, sweet japanese people going bicycling  and the many temples! What an impressive sight! We walked to our residence, an onsen spa, where we can not wear shoes, need toilet sandals when we go there, sleep on bamboo mats, have tea equipment on our room and so on… We can even take a bath in a traditional bath where you are not supposed to wear clothes of towels… Let us see if that is on our programme… I think I will give it a shot.

After one little guided tour around in the city we were shocked that everything was closed. The time was only 3.30 pm and that should not be a time for closing down the store… We walked around for a while and suddenly we got to a Sake brewery that were open. Happy about our caption of an open house here in Takayama, we went inside to try some Sake. We got three different tastes for 400 yen, that means around 30 kroner… Cheap for those huge “tastes”. It was not only a spoonful of sake, but nice cups of japanese alchohol. I tried the popular one, the dry one and the unfiltered one and the most popular one was the only one I liked. It tasted good, actually. So I can recommed popular sake made from rice. (It might not be that easy to figure out what type I mention here, but ask me, I have the name;) In japanese, though…)

After our sakesipping I found my way to the local library to look at what japanese people can read for free… I asked to be sent to the Haiku section, but was guided directly to the English section, althought I found a nice book about Basho (a haiku poet). This book made such a big impression on me that I will try to get some time at the library tomorrow also, after our Hida Folk Village Tour… The library is actually one of the few sights that were open today, since all stores are closed on tuesdays in Takayama… The library is open from 9.30 am to 9.30 pm every day:) I guess I know where to spend a couple of hours tomorrow!

After dinner at a restaurant with some traditional food and some beef specialities, we went back to “our onsen” to play some music, have a card game, and maybe we take a bath after a while…

First whole day was great and I am looking forward to the further exploration of this wonderful country!

1. Touching Tokyo

Finally!

After a 13 hour long trip with airplane crossing Europe and most parts of Asia, I am located in the land of my dreams; Japan! The first day went fast, since I took a two hour trip with the rapid JR train from Narita airport to Shinagawa, where our starting point was situated. I saw a lot of land, trees and small houses on my way, and most parts of the suburb or countryside of Japan looks like Norway in some way…

When I got to Shinagawa I was surprised. A big (and tall) hotel with three towers and restaurants, stores and banks all around was what met my eyes, and I heard that this is an important center for business. That is why everything look so expensive.  And it is also a fact that this area is near a great shopping area called Ginza, which also explains my observation of luxury… Maybe not exactly my style, but nice anyway:)

I came to the hotel around 1 pm and waited for my room until 2 pm, then I wanted to take a shower after the long journey, but when I saw the bathroom I completely changed my mind and thought; WOW! A bathtub! I hav not taken a bath since we got rid of our dear and beloved tub in my family home… So, I had to take a bath instead… With my book written by Haruki Murakami (of course I have to read a book by a japanese writer while travelling in Japan… Well, the day went on as I walked around to see more of Shinagawa and then, at 6 pm we had a meeting with our group leader. I also met the other ones in the group and we all came very well along:) I am looking forward to more sights with these people and since we are a small group of seven people, it will not be hard to get to know eachother.

 Tomorrow we are heading for Nagoya (just a train change) and Takayama!