Square Pegs

Escaping the Chaos

For anyone who has moved with the Navy, they are familiar with the mind bending stress and chaos involved.  Without my mate here to aid in any of the planning or logistics, I think I would have lost my mind had it not been for a little help from my girlfriends this week who saved my sanity when I was hanging by a thread!

Amid rain storms, movers, an overload of school work, and strained communication with John on the ship, I was thankful I could escape it all and enjoy a day-trip to Nara with one of my long time friends.  I've been wanting to visit Nara Park and see the deer since arriving in Japan, and as the clock ticks away on my time left in Yokohama, I knew my window of opportunity was shrinking at an alarming rapid rate.

After a relaxing 2 hour shinkansen ride and a 40 minute express train trip, I found myself far away from paperwork, boxes, movers, and relocation related madness and basking the sights, sounds, and smells of historic Nara Park.  As soon as we arrived at the park we were greeted (or tackled more like) by the famous Nara deer in search of shika-senbei (deer crackers).  Although they are seen as messengers of the gods, there is nothing gracious or divine about their table manners!  Both Yuko san and I received several bites and head-butts until we gave up all of our crackers.

Touring the grounds of the various temples and shrines with Yuko san was such a treat as she is a veritable encyclopedia on Japanese culture,history, art, and religious traditions!

It sprinkled on and off during the day, but when the rain started coming down in earnest, we retreated to a small restaurant to enjoy some local cuisine while resting our feet .

      

Due to the inclement weather, we decided to cut our sight-seeing short and head back to Kyoto station early to do a bit of shopping and enjoy a cup of coffee.

It was just the kind of escape I needed this week to help me relieve a portion of the mounting tension and transitional stress.  Although I knew the following day was going to be filled with more paperwork, a day on Yokosuka base, and preparing for yet another morning with the moving company, it is a wonderful memory to dwell on and linger over during such turbulent times! 

Lions and Tigers and Bears....Sugoi!

The past few days have been absolutely wild....in both the fantastically good and the miserably disaster-ridden ways.  For me, aside from prayer, there are few things at calm my heart and ease my spirit quite like interacting with animals.  I'm still processing the events of the weekend, so while my mental gears are griding and emotional trauma is healing, I'm just going to dwell on the fabulous animal encounters I had today at Fuji Safari Park at the base of Mt. Fuji.

The morning started out early (4:30AM) as I spent some time with John before dropping him off on base for yet another underway....God willing it is John's second to last underway EVER aboard the Stethem!  I'm always a little emotional when he leaves so it was an ideal day to escape from the house and relax in the company animal companions. 

Although the trip got off to a bit of a delayed and alarming start when the tour bus operator was involved in a traffic accident, it was smooth sailing after the koban sorted everything out and allowed us to continue on our way.  The day showed its fist signs of picking up when I found a new KitKat at the rest stop on the way to the park.

When we finally made it to our destination I was glad to be able to venture off on my own since the weather was crisp, cool, and the perfect temperature for meandering through the park trails.  Being that it is a Monday, the park was not crowded at all, so I had the opportunity to feed several of the animals in various areas of the park with hardly anyone else around.

   

I was so thrilled with how close I was able to get to the animals!!  I even got nose to nose with a kangaroo interested in lounging on my lap and had to play tug of war with the spider monkeys who decided to try and get my camera and sunglasses through the fence surrounding their enclosure.  By far the spider monkeys were my favorite, I spent well over an hour playing with them, feeding them little rice puffs, and keeping them from trying to swipe all of my possessions.  They certainly weren't timid about reaching their little hands through the bars and grabbing whatever was in arms reach and testing its palatability.  I was absolutely delighted by their ceaseless energy and curiosity!

After visiting all of the park enclosures it was time to board the 'Safari Zone' bus to visit the animals roaming around their man-made "wild".  The buses looked a little intimidating as they had two rows of heavy protective bars and steel tire protectors- for a moment there I wasn't sure if I was going on safari or to prison. 

It wasn't until I was face to face with drooling lions and bears anxiously pacing for the meat and fruit I was holding at the end of a pair of metal tongs that I began wondering if only two sets of protective bars were enough!  I admit it made me a little anxious to be so close to the lions; hearing them purr like motorcycle engines when they got their meaty prizes yet snarl so loudly it could pierce your eardrums as they jockeyed for prime real estate next to the chuck-wagon.  The large male in the group was really cranky considering the bus arrived right as he was about to have a romantic moment with one of the females who lost interest in his advances as soon as the meat wagon arrived.  Hey, I think that would make any guy cranky!

Having been majorly spoiled by the San Diego Zoo and Wild Animal Park, I wasn't too sure what to expect at the park, but I was pleasantly surprised!  There were a few animals who looked like they could have used a little more  TLC or a slightly larger enclosure, but all in all it was pretty nice given its relatively small size and unique location!

Reflecting back on the weekend, I'd definitely opt of the snarling lions and ravenous bears rather than some of the folks we encountered this weekend...but that is a story for another day.

Wild Monkey... (insert your favorite primate behavior here)

In a world full of caged up critters in every form, it is rare that you get to catch a  glimpse of animals in the wild...being wild.  Although I don't subscribe to strict evolutionary theory, it is amazing to be face to face with creatures that exhibit such human-like behavior.

When I first arrived in Japan and sat through the mandatory AOB/ICR class and heard about the wild snow monkeys in Nagano, I vowed to myself I would see these onsen dwelling primates before our 2008 departure.

I was unusually lucky in that John had a last minute schedule change that allowed him to go with me, which I was thrilled about!  We had to get up pretty early in order to catch the tour bus, but we caught a few winks as we made our way to Nagano.  We also got some outstanding views of Fuji once the sun came up.

Our first stop of the day was Matsumoto Castle.  Although you probably can't tell from the photo, it was freezing cold outside and started snowing heavily as we were making our way through the dark stairways of the castle.  I'm not sure why, but I still get really excited whenever it starts snowing, so I enjoyed standing in the 500+ year old corridors and imagining samurais and kimono clad women filling the halls and pondering how they must have stayed warm in such a drafty place.  Unlike the majority of European castles, most Japanese castles didn't serve a residences, but rather military bases of operation during Japan's civil war era.  They say if you close your eyes and touch the wooden walls within the castle you might just catch a glimpse of the shade of a samurai from long ago...

After touring the castle we started our trek to the snow monkey park.  There were a few moments during our bus ride that the snow was coming down so hard we could barely see out of the window!  Fortunately, by the time we made it to the park hiking trail we were only experiencing off and on snow showers, which made for a really pleasant walk through the snow blanketed woods up to the park.

   

I will say that our first monkey encounter along the trail was amazing!  It is really something to view a wild animal without cages or fences separating you!  Inside the park was the monkey onsen, or hot spring, where the monkeys relax, bathe, and escape the chill of the ice and snow.  They all seemed quite content to have their photos taken while grooming, scratching, pooping, bickering, splashing, and doing all the things wild monkeys do.

After about 30 minutes of observing the monkeys in their pool we decided to do a little more hiking before the trip home.   Nagano truly is a beautiful wonderland of white in the winter months, and our hike was quite picturesque.

Surprisingly there were no concession stands, vendors, or even souvenir shops in the area, so we were thankful we packed few refreshments for our post-hike snack before boarding the bus to return home to Yokohama. 

John discovered just how handy snow can be for making your own chilly drink holder.  After a chu-hi, some string cheese, and yaki onigiri we were both pretty sleepy on the bus ride home.  Post-snow-day snuggling is some of the best!

A Sold Out Sumo Saturday

Having lived in Japan for over 2 years now, I decided it was high time that I finally attend a sumo match.  Sumo is the national sport of Japan, but has fans and followers that span the globe.

Saturday was a busy day in the Ryogoku area, which is the heart of Tokyo's sumo world.   Ryogoku is home to the Tokyo sumo stadium (or kokugikan), several sumo stables, and numerous chanko restaurants.  The streets were lined with adoring fans hoping to catch a glimpse of their favorite wrestlers entering the kokugikan. 

Upon arriving at the stadium, I rented an English commentary headset and then got in line to sample some chanko nabe.  Chanko nabe is the staple food of sumo wrestlers and they quite literally eat it day in and day out.  There is actually a growing trend for retired sumo wrestlers to open chanko restaurants and display sumo memorabilia as part of their decor.

With a stomach full of chanko and an ice cold Asahi in hand, I made my way back to my seat and settled in for what turned out to be an exciting, sold out day of sumo!  The English commentary headset was invaluable to me as I watched these scantily clad, over-sized giants strain, push, flip, slap, and inflict atomic wedgies on each other.

While watching the match, I was quite shocked to learn that sumo has a history that is over 2,000 years old and has its roots in Shinto religion.  It began as a display for the gods, and was historically performed completely in the nude, not only to be closer to the gods but show they carried no weapons.  Even the layout of the sumo ring has Shinto symbolism. 

The sand that covers the clay of the dohyo is itself a symbol of purity in the Shinto religion, and salt is regularly thrown down by the wrestlers as a purifying ritual. the canopy overhead (yakata) is made in the style of the roof of a Shinto shrine. The four tassels on each corner of the canopy represent the four seasons; white represents autumn, black represents winter, green represents spring and red represents summer. The purple bunting around the roof symbolizes the drifting of the clouds and the rotation of the seasons. Even the referees wear robs reminiscent of the trappings of Shinto priests.

Few things give you amusing cultural insight like watching native sports fans holler and 'whoop it up' as they cheer on their favorite professional athletes.  I had a wonderful day enjoying Japanese sumo this past Saturday, and have an all around better appreciation for Japan's national sport having watched sumo giants stomp their way around the doyho with my own American eyes.

I love you so much I could just wring your little neck!

My time left in Japan is quickly ticking away, and so I'm trying to experience as much culture and sight seeing as possible in my remaining 8 months.  Yesterday I spent the day in Inuyama.  I had to get up before the sun did in order to catch the bus out to Inuyama, but I packed a book, along with my pillow and a blanket, to make the 5 hour drive a little more comfortable.

When I arrived at Inuyama Castle, it was about 9:30 A.M. and the castle was not yet filled with visitors, so it was nice taking my time and listing to the English audio headset that I rented at the ticket window.  Inuyama castle is Japan's oldest standing castle and has been designated as a "National Treasure".   

It was easy to imagine warring feudal lords while walking, shoeless, up and down the narrow, steep wooden stairwells of the castle.  The castle was built in its present location in 1537, and it just "felt" old and rich with history.

After touring the castle, it was down to the Kiso River for a water excursion and a cormorant fishing demonstration.   The o-bento on the boat was really tasty!

 

Japanese cormorant fishing ("Ukai") has a 1300 year history, and is quite a sight to behold.  This ancient method of fishing masters manipulating Japanese cormorants to catch sweet-fish, who then release the fish to their masters.  Normally, cormorant fishing takes place in the evening, but you cannot take photos at night and it becomes difficult to see, so I enjoyed a tour during the day.

Fishing masters ("usho"), bind each cormorant's neck with a 13-foot-long flaxen string and train it to dive after sweet-fish.  Tying the string can be quite tricky; if it is too loose, the bird will swallow the fish and no longer be hungry enough to continue fishing, if it is too tight the bird is choked and well...that's bad news.  Trained 'ukai' cormorants have their wings clipped and beaks filed so that training is easier for the usho.  It takes about 3 years to train a new bird to fish with the veterans. 

According to what I was told, 'ukai' cormorant are caught in a neighboring prefecture and are fostered as beloved family members by the usho as they are trained to fish.  Normally, in the wild, Japanese cormorants live between 4-5 years, but Kiso River 'ukai' cormorant, on average, live between 10-20 years. 

While this deep, loving relationship may truly exisit beteen usho and ukai cormorant, that love certainly manifested itself in an alarming way, as birds were routinely yanked from the water by their necks, which were then squeeze and twisted until the fish the bird had just caught spewed out.  The whole time the bird is squwaking and flailing wildly trying to land a good bite on its master.  True love between man and beast if I ever saw it....

The Japanese tour guides repeatedly insisted how there is absolutely no abuse to the animals, however, in the back of my mind I just wanted to call the ASPCA pronto!  I kept reminding myself these birds weren't domesticated pets, and I've never seen any Japanese person be intentionally cruel to any animal, so I must have just been over-reacting.

All in all, it was a really good day.  There were a few over-zealous children with particularly helpless mothers that made for a few tense moments on the boat, but it wasn't anything a little well-timed Asahi couldn't drown out.  Cheers to more adventures soon!

A Sea of Fire

Sunday's Fuji-Yoshida Fire Festival was truly an experience I will not soon forget!  I found it hard to capture the sheer volume of fiery pillars on camera, as the effect it made in the shadow of the mountain was just awe inspiring!

After a long bus ride in holiday traffic, the day started at Fuji Sengen Shrine, which is home to tallest torii gate in Japan and dedicated to the goddess of Mt. Fuji.

The main event at the shrine seemed to be the harnessing of the goddess by the Shinto priests, who was then enshrined her in a mikoshi (portable shrine) to be paraded around the city for the festival.  Unfortunately, due to the highly religious nature of the harnessing ceremony, pictures were not allowed.  As a foreigner, I have to say it was the singularly most unique thing I have witnessed in Japan in the 2 years I've been here!

After the priest's procession, the shrine was full of merriment as the children's mikoshi was paraded around the shrine and festival participants purchased good luck tokens, said prayers, gulped down sake, and prepared for the evening's celebration.

Excitement seemed to be at a frenzied pitch as the goddess' mikoshi was raced down into the city, which was closely followed by a large crowd of people hoping to get their photos taken with temporarily grounded deity.

After snapping a few photos I decided to take a tour of the festival street, which was quite long and lined with local townspeople and festival vendors selling their treats and souvenirs.  The street was also peppered with families stacking firewood to be burned that evening.

As dusk approached, the torches were lit and the bonfires began to burn.  It wasn't long before the entire horizon was ablaze and rippling with the heat from the endless bonfires.

   

Walking through the festival area was almost surreal and magical.  The hot, hazy air was a cocktail of aromas of Japanese festival food and burning wood, infused with the sounds of taiko drums and peppered with mumbled prayers, chants, and excited laughter.

By the time I made it back to the bus headed home, I felt thoroughly singed and ready for sleep.  Hopefully this year's festival was pleasing to the goddess and she will see fit to prepare a good climbing season for next year.

A Nine-Headed Dragon, Black Eggs...and... what's that smell??

Despite all of my best attempts to fold time and get my spouse back home a little faster, I've realized there is just nothing for it.  Instead, my best bet is just to keep myself as busy as possible as we enter in to the 'home stretch' of summer deployment.

I made my first trip to Hakone on Sunday, and although Hakone is famous for onsens (Japanese hot springs), my trip was just for sight seeing and not skinny dipping in volcanic waters. 

My day started with a visit to Hakone Shrine, which was just beautiful, and nestled serenely on the banks of Lake Ashi.  The weather was a bit overcast in the morning, but I was thankful for the cloud cover given our recent streak of insanely hot weather.  Hakone Jinja (or shrine), is said to be host to a 9-headed dragon spirit that, many many years ago, had a habit of feasting on the local children until a priest came and set him straight. 

After absorbing the tranquility of Hakone Jinja, I arrived at Hakone-machi Pier for a "pirate boat" ride across lake Ashi.  Before boarding the boat I had a chance to do a little shopping, and was lucky enough to receive a good tip on some excellent hand-smoked cheese from a local vendor.  Being the cheese fan that I am, I set out at once to secure a portion, and picked up some lovely dried figs on the way.  I'm still enjoying my purchases almost a week later.

Once my feet were back on dry land at Togendai Pier, it was off to Owakudani, "Valley of Greater Boiling", to enjoy some lunch and see the sights of the still mildly active volcanic crater. 

I was delighted to learn about the 'black eggs' of Owakudani, which are said to bring good luck and/or long life to anyone who eats one.  The water that boils out of the volcano is so hot that it just right for preparing hard cooked eggs.  Of course I'm not one to pass up the opportunity for some bonus good fortune, but sadly, like anything that is worth having, you have to suffer and work a little to secure it. 

All of the steam jets and water pools in the area are filled with natural sulfur, and the smell was eye-wateringly pungent.  In fact, the reason the eggs are black is because of the chemical reaction that happens between the sulfurous compounds in the water and calcium compounds in the egg shells.

It was a rather comedic spectacle to see everyone peeling off black egg shells while covering their noses in a meager attempt to block out the lingering stench. 

Even Hello Kitty had to get in on all the black egg action!

After trekking back down the hillside, I had worked up quite a sweat between the natural volcanic heat and the quickly emerging sun.  I try never to miss an opportunity to sample a unique food or a regional treat, so I opted to snack on some Hakone egg soft serve or '"soft cream".  It really hit the spot!  After eating such great soft serve flavors like green tea, mango, sweet potato, and now egg...I don't know how plain old vanilla is going to satisfy me when I return to the USA.

The last stop of the day was the Hakone Open Air Museum for some fine art and cultural enrichment.  On the way to the museum I was able to enjoy a sky cable car ride and got one last look at the bubbling, boiling crater at Owakudani.  The fresh air and cool breeze at the Hakone Open Air Museum was so refreshing!  I rented an English audio guide and took my time strolling the grounds and looking at all the art.  It was a great way to end a fun filled day.

This weekend is Negishi Bon Odori Festival, an ikebana expo. in Yokohama, and also the Fuji Yoshida Fire Festival in Yamanashi Prefecture.  It is going to be a fun festival weekend, so I'll be sure to keep my camera at the ready to document all this end of summer merriment.

Chu-hi Wishes & Takoyaki Dreams

While it may be a far cry from champagne and caviar, when you are in the arms of the one you love, no matter what your surroundings are, you feel like you are sitting right there in the lap of luxury!  A couple weekends ago, I made a dash to Osaka to visit John as the USS Stethem (check out their spiffy new website) stopped in to Osaka port for a good will visit.  Let me tell you, having a captain that cares makes all the difference!!

I was all-a-flutter with excitement about the trip, not only because it would be an opportunity to see John, but also my first trip on the Shinkansen and my first time to Osaka.  The Shinkansen was amazing!!  I felt like a kid again; getting on a ride at Disneyland. I purchased some liquid refreshment and a bento box at the snack counter before settling in for my uber-rapid transit experience.  The train ride was completely smooth and flawless, and I even caught a glimpse of a towering, sun showered Mount Fuji as I raced across the Japanese countryside. 

When I arrived in Osaka, just 2 hours and 10 minutes after leaving Yokohama, I navigated through train stations and 1 shuttle bus before finding myself dreamily staring into the eyes of my long absent husband over an Italian coffee at the Osaka Hyatt Regency.  We had a few hours before check in, so we made our way over to the Osaka World Trade Center and hopped on a screamingly fast elevator to the cafe at the top.  What a view!  We enjoyed a "viking style" lunch in the sky, and I had a serious takoyaki chow down session!  Osaka is known for takoyaki and okonomiyaki, so of course, I had to try it all, and I have to say, Osaka takoyaki is GREAT!! 

After our tasty lunch, we checked into the hotel and had some much needed down time in the same space.  Our hotel had a really nice French bakery and wine shop in the downstairs area, so John made a quick trip downstairs to check out the goods.  Once we were supplied with French wine and pastry we put on our yukata and had a little picnic in our room.  John downloaded all of the latest episodes of Heroes onto his laptop, and we were downright lazy, just relaxing and enjoying being together while we caught up on our favorite show.  After several hours of lounging, we made our way into downtown Osaka to enjoy a dinner of yakiniku.  I was stuffed from everything I had eaten that day, but I still had fun frying up the meat on our table grill. 

The next morning we slept in late and had a leisurely breakfast of gyoza, fried rice, and pork domburi before I had to return to the train station for the trip home.  Although it was only about a 24 hour trip, and it wasn't filled with landmark sight seeing, it was the perfect "hubby fix" I needed, and I feel that I got to see the most wonderful sight of all...John's smiling face! 

Photos from the Frozen North!

I was overcome with a huge wave of excitement (and I'll admit a hint of jealousy) for John when I found out his ship was going to make a stop at the 2007 Sapporo Ice Festival to enjoy some liberty.  After a year and a half of either poor liberty ports, or none at all, the guys of the USS Stethem finally got to have some fun and experience Japanese culture!  Thanks Capt. Lyons!

It has been great getting cell phone photos from him the past couple days as he has made his way around the ice and snow covered area of Hokkaido.

He did take his digital camera with him, so I'll be sure to post more photos of his icy adventure when he gets back.  I'm particularly looking forward to seeing photos from his tour of the Sapporo Beer Garden!

Wecome US Sailors!- Hong Kong Adventure: Part V- Lockhart Rd. & Fenwick Street

Since the 1950's, Lockhart Road & Fenwick Street, in the Wanchai area of Hong Kong, have had a somewhat raunchy "sailor's paradise" red light district reputation.  After walking down Lockhart Road to get to an Australian Pub, I have to say, the reputation is well earned. 

While there are several reputable dance clubs, restaurants, and bars in the area, there are just as many strip clubs, whore houses, and "massage parlors".  I had to laugh a little as almost every place we passed had a sign welcoming United States sailors.  The street was absolutely teeming with herds of sailors bouncing in and out of establishments, drinking to excess, and fulfilling every sailor stereotype imaginable.

I'm certainly not a fan of such establishments, but I have to hand it to them, they sure run successful businesses and market perfectly to their target consumers!  I apologize for the lack of photos of those places, but I just didn't feel right taking snapshots knowing many of the girls were probably minors, and I also didn't want to incriminate anyone who got caught in the line of my lens.

We quickly realized we didn't want to get lumped into the seedy crowd, so without delay we beat feet to the wonderful Kangaroo Pub. 

I have yet to find an Australian pub, restaurant, or even person that I didn't like.  It has become our observation, that wherever the Australians are, that is where fun is, and we certainly weren't disappointed in our Kangaroo Pub experience in Hong Kong!

We spent about 3 hours drinking Victoria Bitter, watching cricket on the big screen, and chatting with our fellow pub patrons. 

One of the coolest things about this pub was the  cash collection affixed to the walls with tape.  If you had paper currency you wanted to make into art, they gave you a black marker and tape to create your masterpiece. 

After our well lubricated day of Australian fun, we headed back to the hotel room and dreaded having to say goodbye again.  As the clock ticked closer to 10pm, we both knew our Hong Kong adventure was almost over.  John stayed as long as he could, but the Stethem was tapping her big steel foot and demanded his return.

Once John left to go back to the ship, I was anxious to get home.  I really missed the cleanliness and courteousness of Japan.  It was wonderful when my plane touched back down at Narita the next day.  I knew that John would soon be coming home, and that we would always remember our Hong Kong adventure!