Japanese family

This weekend I experienced a modern Japanese home, home cooking and a day in the park with the family. This was a break through and felt like I had finally been accepted as trustworthy to be let, although temporarily, into the herd and see behind the scenes of the Japanese facade. The home Mo and I were invited to was a new house in suburban Oita. Like most houses in Japan there was a tiny garden (2mx2m) but a few potted plants met you on the driveway. The Japanese are indoor people because the price of land is so high. The house was a simple double storey. Inside it was neat with carefully chosen framed pictures on the wall of place visited, family or interests. The furniture was wooden but very pale in colour, possibly a vineer. It was fairly open plan in the living areas which was nice. The kitchen had a heated drying cupboard for washed crockery which I thought was a great idea in an environment where space is so limited. For supper we had fried shrimp and scallop (tempura) that one can dip in a tarte sauce. There was beef, raw (sashimi), too. The pick of the lot for me was a tasty rice and vegetable dish topped with strips of omelette. Finally, there was green melon for dessert. We were also given a sweet plum wine.

The following day I joined two families for a braai/barbeque in a local park. It was an amazing sight driving to this park renowned for its proximity to the river, trees and relative quiet. The car park was chocker-block and the park was teeming with people in search of Sunday peace! People fishing (in water ankle deep!), paddling, sitting in the shade, barbequing and playing games. There wasn't much space and we had to lever our group into a spot. Oh, the joys of city life! It was a good occasion to relax with these families learn about them and play with the kids. The trials of the second World War were described to me. Most cities with air bases were bombed regularly, including Oita. People lived in awful conditions hoping that Japan would win the war. Of course, this was totally unrealistic and the Government of Japan (undefeated until then) had grossly under-estimated the might of the US military. But nobody in Japan expected that the US would use nuclear technology considering Japan was being consistently bombed, the population was in anguish and Japanese forces were dispersed and diminished. So why two A-bombs?

It was a cruel act. Japan will never be the same. On surrender, Japan was occupied for 10 years by the US and still has some 50000 US troops stationed in Japan (this presence continues to be a source of contention). Japan is still highly regulated by US policy.

Yakushima Island, Southern Japan

Yakushima is located about 100km south of Kyushu island (where we live) in southern Japan. The reason we decided to visit Yakushima is because of its infamous mountains and ancient trees and, importantly for us, it is not built up. So a 6 hour train ride and over-night ferry (travel in Japan is slow but reliable) brought us to the gateway of this World Natural Heritage Site.

We hiked the island from north, Miyanoura port, to south east, Anbo port. It took two days and we camped overnight amongst the ancient cedar trees, some 7000 years old.



Mochomu-dake...a steep ascent will provide views of Onoaida and southern parts of the island.

Wet bears from the south....

The second day at about 1900m (the highest peak in Southern Japan) it poured and blew us soaking wet. The paths became waterfalls but luckily the sun returned which is unusual for this area as it receives the highest rainfall in Japan.

A roadside stop: A family invited us to join in in their gardening break


The waterfalls are clean and beautiful.


The views are some of the best in Japan as they are not obscured by pollution (just rain-bearing cloud!).


Beach onsen at Hirauchi.


Sugi (Cedar) stump: Most of the cedars were cut for logging but many have regrown.


We left the industria for a worthwhile island in southern Japan. It is a World Natural Heritage Site and is a good stop for any hiker, swimmer or nature lover.

The blog below provides maps, accommodation, travel and hiking information on the island
http://yakumonkey.blogspot.com/2007/06/accommodation.html

A great place to stay is with Rainer and Naoko at Jerry's Mandala Guesthouse on the Onoaida beach cliffs.

Beppu and Kunisaki Peninsula

Kunisaki cycle trip

We set off from Tsurusaki on a warm morning heading for Kunisaki. The roads were quiet, thankfully, as we bumped between road and pavement towards Oita. Once on the tarmac to Beppu it was faster, passing Tanoura Bay (a fake bay constructed for safe swimming and yacht docking) and construction works. We didn’t stop in Beppu but were able to reminisce about the night’s luxury we had in a love hotel. In Hiji, about 30km from the start, we stopped briefly to refuel the legs and explore the castle ruins. Towards Kitsuki we found the road quieter and more pleasant with more open land and a sense of the outdoors.


In Kitsuki, we walked up to the castle and enjoyed the views of the beach. Finally, after a rest on a beach after the Tour de Kunisaki Peninsula route we reached the little town of Kunisaki. New Yorker, Carlene, met us outside her house (an actual house!) with a garden full of weeds! We then went shopping at the clothing store across the street and then to supper at a nice Japanese restaurant where we ate potatoes, fresh salad, rice soup and grilled bacon on sprouts in soya sauce. Back at Carlene’s abode we watched ‘Over the hedge’ (cute) which was preceded by ‘Vacancy’ a scary thriller that we didn’t complete.

Farming near Kunisaki.

In the morning after brief snacks we set off for Futagoji Temple on the top of Mt Futago.

A ride out west from Kunisaki and we climbed but the views were green and natural. The temple itself is beautiful. The first section is where the monks live and there is a restaurant, shop and a temple. Further up the mountainside there is another shrine set into the rock face.



There is a prayer cavity chipped out by hand which has a strong aroma of frequent incense burning. We saw a badger-type animal foraging in the undergrowth and it didn’t seem perturbed by our presence. The forest in which the temple (or series of three temples and prayer areas) is still relatively indigenous and healthy looking.

Camping in Japan

Saganoseki harbour

In general, Japan is not very foreigner friendly. So when it comes to camping, it's is even more difficult. Most of the campsites are only open in summer and are relatively cheap (about 1000yen per site) compared to hostels, hotels and ryokans. We went camping with our new tent at the beginning of April and the campsites were closed so we just setup on the beach. No one bugged us or was concerned, so that was a relief. However, the state of the beach was appalling. Fishing debris everywhere.

View from our tent! One of the fishing boats cruising into port.


Fishing is a huge activity in Japan as Japan is situated on one of the most active fishing breeding areas in the world. We even experienced heavy sea traffic from our tent as fishing boats moved in and out of the small harbour in Saganoseki, Oita Prefecture. Getting out of the city and camping is well worth it. Rural areas in Japan are really pretty and sometimes quaint!

Sunset from our tent!...


Cycling on from Saganoseki we found the Usuki Stone Buddhas, beautiful stone carvings into cliffs, and an old temple on the top of Mt Kurokui, a steep but pretty ascent of some 13km.


Temple bell tower:

Thailand

Thailand is definitely worth a visit if you go to Asia. It has a cosmopolitan vibe in Bangkok, beautiful rural areas, islands and beaches as well as a very interesting Buddhist cultural heritage. Travelling in Thailand is cheap and easy as the Government has really put in a lot of effort to be tourist friendly, indeed tourism is Thailand's biggest earner.

Grande Palace, Temple of the Emerald Buddha:

Our trip started in Bangkok, where we organised the rest of our visit through a TAT agency (travel agency), with a visit to the Grand Palace.

Pom Makan Fort community:


On the train to Chiangmai.

Chiangmai is the highlight. It is rich in cultural diversity and there is plenty to do all crammed into a small city. There are temples everywhere, fruit stands and traders filling the streets, restaurants (Thai cuisine was so welcome after bland Japanese food!) and tuk-tuks.

Temple of the White Elephant, outside Chiangmai:

Trekking (although not trekking by South African standards - it's more of a cultural hike) through the mountain Karen villages was a good experience. Proceeds support villagers' livelihoods.

Koh Phangan island accommodation. Very quiet and relaxing. Waterfalls, beaches and the Rolling Stoned Bar.

Usuki, Castle ruins and Temple Pagoda, southern Oita Prefecture

Castle gate

Usuki is a 30 minute train ride south of us in Tsurusaki. It is beautiful with cedar forests on the hills surrounding the old town which is home to castle ruins built on the only high point.

These gates open the way up to the ruins. That's Morgs, Mo in Japan (I like it!), ahead. These ruins also boast being the Tsunami evacuation area!

Usuki is famous for the stone Buddhas carved into the rock These are stone guards to the shrines.

The leaves are changing drastically now. Maple trees are responsible for most of these colours....green, red, yellow, brown.

Buying kabosu and mikan (Japanese, well actually Oita, lemons and nectarines) for our vitamin C intake.

This is a pagoda within the grounds of a temple. Amazing that it actually stands because the wood is old and thin. Gargoyles adorn the roof eaves.

This is one of the bells that you can often see in Temples or old sites. The hammer is not on the inside but knocks the bells from the right (see photo). The bamboo below this bell was used in the recent candle festival that Usuki hosts every year. It is a religious festival.
This is a typical Buddhist/Shinto graveyard at the same temple.

The disciples?

Sumo in Fukuoka

This was a real spectacle and well worth the trip to the biggest city on Kyushu, Fukuoka. We watched the big guys arrive. Sumo has opened up so there are now many international competitors....the Mongolians hold the top positions!

This sport is really tough. The wrestlers have to push each other out of the ring (or off the sand raised platform) or put the other into the dirt first. Some fights can last a couple of minutes, other last a few seconds! The roof above the ring is symbolic of a Temple. Sumo is traditionally a religious affair. The referee was a Buddhist priest however nowadays the ref is highly trained for his work.