The rest of wonderful Japan

My, my. I certainly let the weeks carry me don't I?  It does not feel like it, but it's already been a month since I was in Tokyo! And three weeks since the beautiful trip to Alaska, which is my next goal for a blog and will hopefully not take me another month to write! If it does, I'm afraid I may have no more details left in my memory to recount for you. They will have all shriveled in time and all I'll be able to say is that Alaska was beautiful, would you like to see a picture? So, I'm hopefully going to get my butt in gear and write that sometime this week. 

Moving on to dear Tokyo- It really was fun, and beautiful in its own way. It took me about three days to really get my bearings, and for those who know me- you understand that that's saying a lot. Part of my confidence in traveling comes from my good sense of direction. If I had none, I would never travel alone. But as it is, I've got some ancestral compass that determines North from South wherever I go. Remarkably, my compass did not kick in until the third day I was in Tokyo, and even then it was a little off (I blame it on the massive amount of leftover radiation from Hiroshima and Nagasaki, but that's just a guess.)   So, as my compass was all over, I was all over. I walked miles upon miles around the posh area of Omotesando, the eccentric (truly) Harajuku, the largest intersection and entertainment area of Shinjuku and then around Roppongi (the night district full of panting males when the sun is down, yet rather endearing in daytime- very strange), then to my favorite area of Ginza- the shopping district and extremely posh area structured much like Oxford Street in London. 

Needless to say, my feet and knees were sore by the time I found my favorite district. So I found myself a little niche in a very quaint, Western style brunch cafe where I ordered spaghetti bolognese. I ate every bite without guilt, and even had a foofy coffee drink to top it off.  As I was finishing my feast, a kind voice next to me spoke English in my direction.  I turned to make sure she wasn't talking to someone else as that does happen, and it's frightfully embarrassing to turn at some who is speaking to someone else.  But, by her soft "Hello, where are you from?" I knew it was my attention she sought. I replied and we began to chat. She was a very sweet girl, 100 percent Japanese and very good at English. She had studied in Boston a few years ago and was very excited to meet an English speaker again. We talked about many a things and as we both paid our checks we decided to spend the rest of the day together. Her, with no job, and me, with no itinerary, were suddenly hitting the town as if we'd known one another for years.  We decided to go to a Kabuki show which is a traditional Japanese style play.  They tend to be very tragic and dramatic in style and appearance. They are performed only by men, and the most famous of Kabuki performers tend to be all in one family. Meaning, these performers are trained from youth, generation after generation. I thought that was kind of a neat tradition, so was very excited to see a show. Only, with my luck, there were none playing live until after I left Tokyo.  So instead, Mami (that was the sweet girl's name) and myself ended up seeing a taped performance.  Like going to the movies, we bought tickets and popcorn. I snuck in chocolate. 

My experience of Tokyo when on my own was a very silent one. I could not oooo and ahhh at much without a friend to do so with me. Its just not the same, you know?  So I was very happy to have met Mami. She enhanced my journey ten fold. On the last day we went around Asakusa area and souvenir shopped. I bought a few things for some people, who hopefully have gotten them by now :)  And thereafter I went for sushi.  Ahem. Sushi. I was quite uncertain about it. But I figured that if the gods were sweet enough to introduce me to Mami, that the least I could do was 'just try' it. And.... it was good! So good!  I have to say, I could now go for a couple of salmon rolls!  Amazing how much truth there was in Green Eggs and Ham. Below is a picture of me trying it. I believe my expression is "fuck it, let's do this".   And I'm very very happy I did. :D  

The rest of Tokyo was a blur of lights, people, technology, old buildings and shops. I had a wonderful time, and I hope you enjoy my pictures just as much as I did taking them. 

The beautiful Tokyo at night from Tokyo Tower. (A whole other story - with bad wax figures and a Guiness Book of World Records Museum).  This was my other favorite place, on top of the world so to say.
The entrance into the shopping area at Asakusa. Also where I met Mami for our last excursion. 
A beautiful buddhist temple off the tourist map. I happen to stumble upon it when still trying to find my bearings.
Sweet Mami and moi. We are in front of the Meiji Temple (think that's right, but it's now been so long!).  It's in Asakusa too.
Mami is "healing" herself with the good vibing incense outside the temple.  Supposedly if you waft the smoke onto your ailments it will cure them.  -Mind you, I didn't get swine flu- perhaps some smoke stuck around?
Trying a traditional Japanese jelly snack in the Ginza shopping mall. It was really sweet and really really delicious! Oishi!
The John Lennon Museum: Another story of course. It took me nearly two hours to find it. But once I did, I stuck there for four hours. Making it a whole day excursion, and well worth the time ^^.   
Here I am outside the temple trying to see the future. Really I am. The box/stand behind the wire thing with ties on it is full of fortunes for certain numbers. You shake a small tin with sticks inside it- they have the numbers on them. Then pull one out and pick out a paper from the corresponding box. I got a "Medium" fortune, which was actually a bad one as it said I should not travel anywhere soon, and I should also quit my job.  Hm... stupid fortune telling thing. I folded it up and put it on the wire stand where it is supposed to be washed away in time...     I made it to Alaska and back, so I think it worked.

Ah! Sushi! Oishi

Another sweetheart of a girl allowed me to try her yukata on at 7 o'clock in the morning on Sunday. So exact, I know. But it was terribly random and thereby extremely memorable. This girl was also 100 percent Japanese. Her name was Eri and she was from two hours north of Tokyo. Very kind of her. And if I don't say so myself, I look rather at home in a yukata! 

Tokyo

Tokyo, Day 1:

First intro to Tokyo was the transportation system. It is an insane system of three separate metros all intertwined to compose a spiderweb of connections and transfers.  When on the JR Lines, one can use the same tickets, but when on the other lines, one has to buy specifically for their travel route, meaning either separate tickets or transfer tickets. Either way, one has a headache before their journey ever begins. I was fortunate on my first three encounters with the metro system as I was confronted by helpful English speaking Japanese metro workers who must sit and wait for stupid foreigners like me to come around and look ridiculously lost.  So, I was lucky, I guess. I found some helpful patrons to guide me on my routes for the day. (Especially with all my luggage... which I dragged behind me like a bad dog, yelling at it to keep up as I went up and down the twenty some stair cases I managed to find instead of the elevators...    That might also have had to do with helpful people. I was undoubtedly looking so pitiful by trips end that they felt sorry for me, thereby confronting me with their assistance. Maybe they didn't even work there?  Was so tired, I can't really remember...)

Anyways, that was my first intro to Tokyo, and needless to say I was overwhelmed and all too happy to get to my hostel. Course, once I got there around 2, I had to wait until 4 o'clock check in.  So I dropped my luggage off and continued on my ad hoc exploration of Tokyo, this time above ground.  

What I found was still a myriad of corridors and streets and parks and a river and shops and people and so on and so forth. A hustling, bustling city much like London or New York, cars honked and people sauntered through intersections, vendors proclaimed their best products to deaf ears, tourists clung to their kin while deciding their next Japanese injection. The city reminded me of every other city I had been to, at first that is.  As I kept up my pace through the Asakusa neighborhood, I began to also notice the unique characteristics that are Tokyo.    

For one, their taxi cabs are unlike any in the world. They are all different in that there are some that are baby blue, others that are lime green, burnt orange, red, black, white or dark blue.  They all look like they were made in 1970 and are tripped out with fur and leather seats inside.  One might conclude that these taxis become love cars at night, but that is most definitely wrong, for there are special hotels for that all over Tokyo in which couples pay by the hour.  No, these taxis are simply sporting a retro appearance for the sake of cool I believe.  I'm not exactly sure, as asked my Japanese friend about them and she said she had never noticed. I also read the Lonely Planet's guide to Tokyo and received no real answer there either.  Thus, I'm not sure why Tokyo has such a smorgesborg of taxis, but it does and I kind of love Tokyo for that. 

For two, people dress in whatever they want. There are NO rules for attire in Tokyo. There are of course certain neighborhoods where one might see certain styles of dress, but overall, anything goes.  Where I was on my two hour walk was Asakusa, an area with sweet markets, a park by the river, and good restaurants.  I also happened to be walking there on a special weekend, when the cicadas are out and humming everywhere, and people sit around and listen to them as they wait for the largest and longest fireworks display in the world to begin.  I had no idea this was all going on at first. I thought it might be normal for people to hangout in yukata (summer kimono) and vegetate on blankets in the river park.  Once I got back to my hostel I asked about the festivities and they informed me with raised eyebrows.  I felt a bit dense before I hurridly threw on my new tie-dye dress and tons of jewelry and headed back out the door to see the fireworks. Anything goes, anywhere in Tokyo, but my calling is Asakusa. My tie-dye fit right in with all the Japanese hippies... too bad none of them spoke English!

For three, they love celebrations.  Okay, everyone loves celebrations and America certainly has hundreds of thousands every year. Yet, it seems to me that when there is a national celebration every month, and at least one celebration every weekend in Tokyo or near to it, that there is an excess of celebratory extravaganzas.  For instance the weekend I was there was the Hanabi Festival, rather fireworks display. There was also a Tokyo Rock Festival going on which I did not find out about until after it was finished. Then the upcoming weekend was the Takigi Noh Festival, where there are traditional Japanese "Noh" plays around the city in parks and shrines and etc.  I picked up an English version of a Tokyo events booklet and was in awe at the extent of its listings.  The booklet was eighty pages of events just for July/August.  I realize that Tokyo is some 33 million strong, but I just didn't expect them to be so... so... joyful? So absolutely fond of celebrating that they do so every weekend in mass?  Maybe not really mass, as each event is definitely geared towards different crowds. But on the total, all festivities are geared towards foreigners as we are always in search of a good party and "cultural experience". 

So, that was my first day in Tokyo. An ad hoc walk around Asakusa area, a few bohemian stores, and a relaxing night with the world's grandest annual fireworks exhibit. Not so bad for a first day.  Here are some pics of the Tokyo underground, yukata (summer kimono), their taxis and the fireworks. Enjoy :)

It looks ever more daunting in Japanese!

The view from my seat on the Keisei Line which takes me from Narita Airport to Ueno Station, where I had to begin my several flights of stairs in transfers to other lines.  It's so simple at this point!

One of the many taxis. 

Watching the fireworks with millions of others. 

Some adorable Japanese girls in yukata watching the fireworks. I was tempted to buy one and join them! Looks like they were having fun!

Scuba diving in the Busan Aquarium...with sharks!

This is a very late post and I'm sorry once again!  This happened on Saturday, May 25th and was a blast! My new friend, Anita (the girl whom I met on my fateful and barely attended Seoraksan climbing trip- she saved me from the chaos that is Korea), called me up on the Tuesday prior with an extremely tantalizing offer: "Hey! Would you like to come shark diving with me this weekend in Busan?"  Now, at this point I had been traveling far and wide every weekend, trying my best to see all of Korea in a month.... because I don't have another eleven or so to do anything!  My plans for that weekend consisted of relaxation and self-seclusion, my weekend to finally come to terms with the reality of my situation (which is the ridiculous length of time and space between me and home.)  Thus, my initial thought was to turn her down, as I was truly exhausted from work and traveling, but mostly tired of people, people, people!!  (There is NO getaway. If you think you are alone, say in the middle of the woods or on a mountaintop or anywhere that would normally be nice and secluded, think again. Wait five minutes and I guarantee SOMEone will come along. No guessing who- but an ajuma or ajishi (old, married woman and old man) are most common as they are old and do whatever the hell they feel like. Including pushing you around on the subway. This is another topic..) Anyways- my goal for the weekend was to find the 'sound of silence' with just myself and my laptop (this was when I had internet).  So I was pretty excited to pretend the world around me was English and logical. Anita's call did put a damper on my 'ideal' weekend, I was torn as to an answer. There were other chances to do so, but none with Anita. She was my deciding factor, I knew we'd have a blast freaking out and laughing later, saying "Holy hell! We just swam with sharks!"  

Despite the expense (total for the weekend was around $400- not bad for a trip to Busan and shark diving, but a bit much for a weekend that was going to be 0$), I enjoyed every moment. Anita and I stayed at a hotel on Haeundae Beach, then went into the 'belly of the shark' so to speak. It was a bit of an odd experience, I mean the sharks themselves were surprisingly gentle! I bet I could have pet one had it not been for the instructors' warning not to stick out your hands, as your fingers could be mistaken for fish.  Not a good ending you see. So I kept my hands to myself and just watched as the underwater monsters cruised by me with almost a bored expression, like "God. ANOTHER group of them. Honestly, you'd think they'd never seen a shark before." Then him and I would meet up on the other side of the tank and he'd give me the look again, just to make sure I understood how ridiculous I was to try to 'swim with the sharks', and probably how ridiculous I LOOKED, too.  The equipment is extremely crazy, with tubes going all around you, some weird weights planted on your hips to keep you from floating up (and that's just what every girl wants- more weight on their hips!), then you get the beautiful mask that makes every one's eyes look Joan Rivers' with some hair waving in the water like Troll dolls. Being cute while scuba diving is not an easy task, and for those who are- more power to you!  

The dive itself was nerve racking, cold and frightening, wrapped in one big ball of excitement and fascination. The fear made my heart fly like hummingbird wings, the freezing temperature of the water made my body start to shake in a drum roll rhythm, and my mind could hardly control the thoughts of panic, alarm and anxiety.  I was the first to enter the tank, thus I was on the bottom for five minutes, just kneeling, freezing, and shaking in mind, body and soul. I could not help but allow the fear to overtake me in those minutes, as there was little movement to keep my mind from panic mode.  But as the minutes passed, I began to regain control of my fear, and began to focus on one task (besides breathing and not sticking my hands out), and that was to find shark teeth!  The instructor had mentioned it before the dive as 'an extra' thing to think about, and if we did find some we could keep them.  Well hells bells, thank God (or rather the instructor) for that two cents because I swear that was all that kept me sane for that half-hour!  I searched and searched for teeth, ooing and ahhing at the sharks and big fish as they'd pass, but overall kept my eyes glued to the tank floor-which is all the same color and covered with millions of shells but few shark teeth.   Not to gloat, but at the end of the half-hour I had found ten teeth!  Okay, that doesn't sound like much, but to put in it in comparison- only two other teeth was found by other divers.   Every time I'd pull a new tooth up, Instructor Mike would shake his head with what I think was a laugh, probably thinking I have some sort of disease like Hoffman in The Rainman.  He said afterwards that the only person to find so many in one dive was an army guy who does reconnaissance.  I kind of awkwardly laughed, as I was a bit embarrassed for having spent all my time looking at the floor, and because I'm a freak of nature that loves doing puzzles and doing word finds (which in elementary school, I would do on the hour's bus ride to and from school everyday. And not easy ones, the hard ones with letters missing to fill in, mixed with numbers, just numbers, and so on. After awhile the puzzles got so easy that I'd compete with my own record for puzzles completed. I'd even ignore my friends to finish.... now that I think about it- I was pretty lucky to have any friends at all. I could have been the 'weird puzzle kid' had it not been for daycare's exposure.)   Okay, anyways, I ended up being the weird 'shark tooth finder' for the Busan Aquarium Scuba Divers' Tour, my story told to millions, and my signed picture on the wall.  The legacy forever engraved on the tank wall... hm. It's nice to dream.  In reality, no one cared two hoots. Why should they? Just because I have eyes like a hawk and 'nerves of steel'- as I didn't freak out externally once, I'm nothing special am I?  Just a little? No? Dang. Well, I felt pretty goddamn special after I was out of that tank, that's for sure. The teeth were just a trinket, a small trophy for having made it through the dive without a panic attack.   I couldn't have cared less, and nor could my peers. We were all happy to have it over with. As cool as the sharkies were, it was a bit much to handle with the whole breathing underwater thing. Thus, I'm proud now of my teeth finding feat, but at the time was more thankful for the distraction.  So, cross my heart and kiss my elbow, shark teeth saved my life!

After the dive we walked through the aquarium for a bit and I made friends with the jellyfish, then  we caught dinner at a local Indian restaurant which was amazing delicious, and after that we went for a walk on Haeundae Beach.  It was the perfect day of excitement mixed with relaxation. I hope you enjoy the pics, they are but a smidgen of what really was!

The first dive team that entered. We had to all enter one at a time down the tank's curved wall, curved because it's over a walkway. As you descend, people in the tunnel observe you at one of the worst angles, your butt and fat in all its glory. Once at the bottom of the tank, we had to wait. That was the point prior to my shark teeth epiphany, when I thought I was going to die.

Being eaten alive. I think we're pretending to be muskrats? Not sure!

Me with my new friends: John, Paul, George, and Ringo the Ray.

I must say, we don't look to happy in this pick. Actually, we kind of look like fish.

Anita and I being eaten by a shark, or rather, being absolute dorks.

The crew.  I'm the the one with the peace sign, if you couldn't tell. Anita is right of me.

Anita and the shark, a love story.

Me with one of my many shark teeth.

Enlightenment

Alrighty, now that i've bored you with some 'news', I'd like to 'enlighten' you with some pictures. These are of the temple that is about a ten minute walk from me. So close! If I were devout, I'd visit every day. But as it is, I'm quite the bum after a day of little, energy-filled rascals (I love them, really I do), but you must understand, I am actually getting older and therefore more tired- I bet you never thought that would happen did you?  So, I've only been to this temple once, which was all I needed. It's got a fantastic aura- a little intense- but fantastic all the same. It's tucked away, a bit off the path up the mountain in Hwaseong Fortress, yet overlooks all of northern Suwon. I've seen this golden idol hundreds of times on my walks to and from Suwon Station, but never actually found it until last week. Up close, it is even more beautiful, not because it's gold but because it's timeless. It speaks of eons when I only think in minutes. It's a bit much to grasp, or at least for my imaginative mind it is, so I shall go back soon. I thought though, that maybe you'd like to see the hidden buddhist sects of Korea, as they are infinitely interesting and somewhat eternally mysterious, like there's always a big secret amongst the statues and candles. 

This is inside the temple under the large statue seen below. I tried to capture the picture behind the golden idol, but no go. It was nice and disturbing, perhaps when I go back I'll be more brave and ignore the "Do Not Enter" sign.

The above ground temple, decorated in traditional Korean design. All traditional temples, palaces and fortresses have the same intricate design with teal as the primary color, contrasted with brick red. 

The golden statue over the underground prayer space. 

Under the statue- can't you just feel the mysticism in black and white? 

At one. At peace. 

There were seven of the smaller deities all around the larger, not a buddhist, so I'm not sure of their meaning. However, I did buy a book about Buddha in hopes of learning more. When I do, I'll let you know. 

Hopefully you enjoyed the pics, I'll try to post more soon, but for now I'm tired (been on here for almost five hours!) 

Yours and always- weary traveller

The news on the North

I'm sorry to have been such a wretched blogger!  My internet was taken out by a storm about six weeks ago, leaving me, my parents, friends and family SOL for any communication.  I've been e-mailing my parents and facebooking like crazy at work, but any more free time to blog and post pictures is minute. I've also been busy every weekend, and quite lazy at night (I admit), that I have not taken the gumption to find a coffee shop with WIFI.  Now, I am using the free WIFI at Starbucks. A place I would not normally praise for much (except their Caramel Macchiato and Chai Latte- yum, oh- maybe their taste in music... okay Starbucks, not that bad- it's only that they're a monopoly, hidden in every niche of the world, maybe even in North Korea. - my only beef.) So, however much I have perceived Starbucks through a liberal lens, I cannot help but thank them for having Free WIFI (and good foo-foo drinks and music). They have saved my sanity and my parents'. We were able to chat on Skype for roughly 2hrs tonight/today for me. Thus, I'm forever in debt to the omnipotent coffee shop, thank you. 

Okay, now more about what's going on in Korea. There's been some questioning on the North Korean situation. Such as "Is South Korea scared?", "Is North Korea in the news much?", "What is the feeling of South Koreans towards North Koreans?"  All great questions, and ones I've been asking myself. My co-teacher's answers have been quite ambiguous, but culminated with what I've been reading in BBC news and Korean news, the fear felt by South Koreans is rather acute in comparison with what Americans might feel if say Cuba were to obtain nuclear weapons.  The feeling in Korea is far from what America felt during the Cuban Missile Crisis, which I admit is an extreme example given the Cold War feeling and all.  Those were tense times, fearful and untrusting.  However, I think that even today, if Cuba were to obtain nuclear weapons, the response from America would be much the same.  "Duck and Cover" drills would probably return to schools, underground bomb shelters would be dug into every nook and cranny (that or cleaned out/refurbished), airport lines would be days long with the minimum substance allowed being a one ounce vile, the entire Gulf of Mexico would be "fenced-off" in water and on land, and Paul Revere would come back from the dead to warn us all of the new evil approaching.  Honestly, I think America would flip a nut. 

Conversely, these Koreans, man, they either have nerves of steel or pea-sized brains because there has been absolutely no such reaction as would be expected of a nation whose neighbors are shooting off missile tests left and right, and who are also, by the way, fucking crazy. It also may be that South Korea has grown used to the North's "craziness" and are therefore no longer shocked by their six-year-old like outlashes. As it has been roughly fifty odd some years since their face-to-face conflict, that is- warring, not just at stalemate; it seems almost logical that the South would be a little sick of their "brother's poor-me syndrome".  That's what I'm going to call it, as that is very close to the way South Koreans see the North. My co-teacher explained to me that "Korea is still one, we are not two countries as other countries see us. I think they (the North's people) do not know any better because of Kim Jong-Il. He has brain-washed them into believing he is a God."  (She refers to the story Jong-il has spread throughout the North about his birth. He has said he was born at his father's army base on Mt. Paektu (the highest mountain in North Korea) and that "the event was supposedly marked by a double rainbow, and a bright star in the sky ").  

In a way, my co-teacher is a good representation of the South's thoughts towards the North. They feel pity for the North's people because in their view, the North is still "Korea". The North is a brother, is family, and the most important thing to Koreans (even above appearance and social status) is family.  Turning ones back on family is like turning ones back on God. They are all you have, they created you, leaving them or forgetting them is imaginable.  Thus, the North is unforgettable, the North is family. They share a history, heritage and language. 

To compensate for their pity for the North, the South adopted a "sunshine policy" seven-odd years ago, and has given millions of won in food and fertilizer aide in hopes of helping the people. Palpably, the North has used the money for "much more important things", such as defense and missile tests. The thousands of people starving to death are just a by-product, a payment for the greatness of "one nation". Or at least I'm sure that's what Mr. Kim has explained to them. That they need defense because the world is "out to get them", that their children will be cared for when their society is secure, that those thousands of lives were not in vain because in the end, "Korea will be saved, they will be great again."  As there is little to no education there, the people either believe all this propaganda, or pretend to. Retaliation or any act outside the 'norm of a hard day's work' can be seen as an act against the government, against the "people." Thousands are are in prisons for such charges, being mutilated, tortured and starved.  The South Koreans know about this, and rather than feeling scared about nuclear testing, they are still empathetic to their 'brothers' and hopeful for the future.  They want (for the most part, the younger generation has many more diverse opinions) for Korea to still be reunited, to someday be whole again, like I said, for the most part.

The younger generation has taken a different view towards the North, largely because they have no memory of a unified peninsula and therefore no allegiance to a brotherhood of Korea. Their opinion is reflected in the majority vote for the now President Lee, who denounced the "sunshine policy" because of the North's usage of aide as well as their nuclear activity. His tough stance has been controversial, with the younger generation in near full support, calling the North "a whining baby", and conversely with the more sentimental and older crowd hoping for the past. I really think that both groups are frustrated and at an end as to how to handle the situation. "The North Korean blues" was how Professor Yeol stated it in the Times, it's a matter of political give and take but the giving is always one-sided.

So, in sum, fear is the last thing the South Koreans are feeling. Empathy, frustration, confusion, indifference, anything but fear. It is not that their nerves are made of steel, or that their brains are small (quite the contrary, they are geniuses), it is that they are fed-up with their whining brother. He is making too much of a fuss, and however much they love him, he may be cut-off, for the time being at least. 

1> http://news.bbc.co.uk/2/hi/asia-pacific/783967.stm

2> http://72.14.253.104/search?q=cache:uHMc-7X72WEJ:ap.ohchr.org/documents/E/CHR/resolutions/E-CN_4-RES-2005-11.doc+United+Nations+Human+Rights+Resolution+2005/11&hl=en&ct=clnk&cd=1&gl=nz&client=firefox-a

3> http://www.time.com/time/world/article/0,8599,1903333,00.ht