Sundown in the Paris of the Prairies

It's been a little over a month since I returned to Canada from Japan and I'm already on my next journey.  This time I'm in Saskatoon, Saskatchewan for a conference. And what a cultural shift this has been!  I've come from a metropolis of 35 million people on a mountainous island nation beside the ocean.  And now I'm in a city of 260,000 on the flat landscape of the Canadian Prairies, one of the most removed Canadian cities from any ocean.  The Tokyo Metro and JR-Yamanoto line have been replaced by Saskatoon's wide dusty streets and pickup trucks. So far, Saskatoon is a very pleasant, likable city.  Lots of old buildings and open streets.  The trees are in full bloom, taking in the northern sun as it wakes up from a long winter.  The river is beautiful and there are lots of nice bridges.

The old Victoria Avenue bridge, which is currently closed

to traffic and pedestrians.

"Sundown in the Paris of the Prairies. Wheat Kings have all

their treasures buried." --Gord Downie

 

Thank you, Japan

I'm back in Canada now, and it's a cool wet day on the West Coast.  It's great to be home but I wasn't ready to leave Japan!  So it's a bittersweet end of trip for me.  I had some amazing experiences in Japan:  the people, the food, new friends, an earthquake, baseball game, karaoke, subways and high speed trains, festivals, sake tasting, onsen, sakura, shrines, temples... the list goes on.  I leave you all with a few images from my trip.  Japan, I will be back...

 

 

 

 

Back in Tokyo

I'm back in Tokyo now!  Took the early train from Hida-Takayama this morning.  It was two and a half hours on a regional mountain train to get to Nagoya, where I transfered to the Shinkansen (which is probably 5 times as fast) and zoomed back into Tokyo.  It was a pleasant train ride.  Listened to plenty of great tunes - Tom Waits, Justin Townes Earle, Ford Pier - and had plenty of time to ponder.  To quote Tom Waits:  "Some men are searching for the holy grail, but there's nothing sweeter than riding the rails".

The sakura (cherry blossoms) have peaked in the cities around Japan but are still blooming strong in the mountains.  Every now and then a lone cherry tree would come into view from my train window, then pass a few seconds later. 

I must say it feels great to be back in Tokyo in the Asakusa neighbourhood where I stayed a few weeks ago.  I'm staying in the same hostel, so there are some familiar faces!  Two days in Tokyo then back to Canada...


 

Earthquake

Another Japanese experience... I woke up yesterday morning at 5:33a.m. to an earthquake (called a 'jishin' in Japanese).  It was a near 6.0 quake centred offshore of Osaka, under a nearby island.  Compared to the quakes I've experiened in British Columbia, this one was stronger and the movement was more violent and rigid (the B.C. quakes have been soft, fluid-like motion).  It was definitely scary, but exciting.  I remained calm and got into a safe position in my bottom bunk bed.  It was disturbing at first - not knowing if it was a major quake (and another tsunami) with an epicentre far away in another part of Japan, or a moderately-strong quake nearby.  It turned out to be very nearby and was apparently the strongest quake in the Osaka/Kobe region since the disastrous (and much more violent) earthquake that hit in 1995.  Many of the locals here were frightened with yesterday's quake, and went out into the streets.

Now I can add an earthquake to my list of classic Japanese experiences, along with karaoke, sake, shinkansen bullet train, and baseball.  Thankfully it was not a destructive earthquake and I am still alive and well.

I'm off to Takayama (in the Japanese Alps) today...

Karaoke and Hanshin Tigers

I've been in Osaka two days now.  On the first night a group of five of us went out to a ramen noodle house, and then to a karaoke joint in the Dotonbori nightlife district.  The Karaoke place was called Big Echo.  We ended up doing four hours of karaoke, with unlimited drinks.  It was a crazy night, let's just leave it at that...

Last night I went to see the Hanshin Tigers (Osaka baseball team) play the Tokyo Giants.  It was an awesome time.  The Tigers fans were really loud and supportive.  There was a brass band in right field that would lead cheers throughout the game.  Each player had their own personal song.  There was lots of flag waving, balloon launching, people wearing full tiger outfits, and every single fan (including me) had plastic bats to bang together in rhythm with the cheers.  The Tigers won 3-0 and there was a big celebration on the field after the game and all the players were interviewed.

I'm changing hostels this morning - just moving to a different place in Osaka because I couldn't book four nights in a row at my current hostel.  After I move hostels, I will do a day trip to Nara to see the giant Buddha...

In Osaka

I left Hiroshima around noon today and arrived a few hours later in Osaka, a large, modern Japanese city not too far from Kyoto.  I haven't seen much of the city so far - just the train station and subway line to the district that I'm staying in.  My hostel is awesome.  Very friendly staff and I'm meeting some other travellers.  There's a group of us going out for ramen noodles for dinner this evening.

I'm going to use Osaka as a base for the next four days.  I'm planning to go to an Osaka Hanshin Tigers basball game tomorrow.  They are playing the Tokyo Giants (huge rivals) so it should be exciting.  I am planning to buy a ticket in the Tigers side of the stadium to cheer for the home team!  It will be interesting to see just how crazy the Japanese are about their baseball.  I will likely do a daytrip to Nara on another day...

No photos or exciting stories to share right now, but stay posted!

Hiroshima

I'm writing this post from Hiroshima.  I left Kyoto behind this morning and must say it's definitely nice to be in a smaller city.  I spent the afternoon walking around the Peace Park here in Hiroshima.  The Peace Park is located in the centre of the city and is the location where the first atomic bomb was detonated in the history of mankind.  It was surreal to stand there looking up at the Atomic Bomb Dome (an early 20th century civic building that was only partially obliterated by the bomb).  It was also surreal to look up at the clear skies above and think about August 6, 1945. 

Outside of the Peace Park, Hiroshima is a nice city with lots of trees and a pretty laid back vibe.  I went out for okonomiyaki again - if you forgot what this is, look back at my Tokyo photos.  It was in this crazy building with four floors of little okonomiyaki diners - probably over a dozen different ones in total, but I didn't bother trying to count!  I think I'll spend this evening hanging out at the hostel.  I need to catch up on some reading and journal writing.  I also have another bottle of plum wine to get through.  I polished off the first one last night in Kyoto with the hopes of bringing down the weight of my backpack.  But, just as I was leaving the capsule hostel in Kyoto, the owner gave me another one as a gift for my journey!!

Below are some photos from my afternoon in Hiroshima...

Japanese Public Bath House

After a wet morning and soaked shoes, I decided it was the perfect time to visit a Japanese public bath house - called a sento.  I walked to the sento in the rain, down a side street about 10 minutes from my hostel, away from the noise and traffic.  It was in a fairly inconspicuous building.  First thing, I locked up my umbrella and took off my shoes.  They had little lockers for this.  Then walked inside, paid 410 yen plus 100 yen deposit for a small green towel.  Then walked into the change room, which was lined with tatami mat floor.  Then stripped down naked and proceeded through the door into the bath house, the only foreigner in the place.  Yes, they bathe completely naked in public here.  I knew you had to wash yourself thoroughly before entering the baths.  There were showers lining the wall, with plastic seats to sit on, and also a foot wash. So I washed there, all hunched over.  Some older men were shaving and brushing their teeth at these showers.  Next I got in the baths.  There were a few hot pools, a cold pool, and a strange green pool that was luke warm and looked like green kool-aid.  I went back and forth between pools. Nobody seemed to pay me any mind the whole time I was there.  It was quite the experience and it was nice to get away from the tourists and do what the Japanese do after a day's work!  Afterwards, I felt so refreshed, the rain had stopped and it felt like I was walking home on soft sand.  I have no photos for this blog post, as you might expect!!

In Kyoto now

I travelled from Tokyo to Kyoto today on the high-speed train (shinkansen). The weather was much nicer so I got to see Fuji-san (Mount Fuji) from my window seat.  I also made it to the platform in Tokyo about 10 minutes early so I had time to buy a box of sushi and can of beer for lunch on the train.

Kyoto definitely has a different feel than Tokyo.  There are hordes of tourists from all over the world here.  The traffic is congested, and I've actually heard cars honking their horns... don't remember hearing this in Tokyo.  I went to the Kiyomizu-dera temple this evening.  It was outstandingly beautiful.  Just amazing.  The temple was lit up in the forested mountainside on the city's edge, cherry blossoms and maples in full bloom, ponds, shrines, all lit up in the warm night.  BUT... I was sharing this with thousands of people and cameras everywhere.  In Tokyo, it felt like I was living there.  Here, it feels like I am just one of many tourists.  Still though, I am excited to explore Kyoto over the next few days.

Just got back from the izakaya (local bar) down the streeet where I knocked back a warm sake and a beer.  Also had some yakitori (grilled skewers) that were prepared on the bar right in front of me.  It was just me and some locals hanging out, sharing some laughs.... what a great time! 

Kyoto, early evening:  Kiyomizu-dera temple

 

Kyoto, late evening:  my local izakaya bar

Stormy Tokyo

It's been pouring rain in Tokyo for the last day and a half, and was incredibly windy today, but this has not diminished my experience here.  I'm really starting to love Tokyo and am glad I booked five nights here.  There are so many things I could share about my time in Tokyo in this blog and it's hard to choose just a few.

Two days ago I went to Tsukiji, a massive fish market near the waterfront in Tokyo.  It's very much a working market with vendors selling fresh fish to retailers, cleaning fish, driving forklifts around, and shouting.  There is everything here you could imagine - live fish in bins, eels, octupus, huge knives, fish guts and bloody tables and counters.  Although seemingly chaotic, it's actually well organized and they clean up thoroughly afterwards.  I went with a guy from Toronto named Terence.  He convinced me to go halves on this tray of tuna sashimi at one of the vendors.  It cost 1500 yen (about $18)  for about 20-25 pieces.  So we stood there at 10 a.m. and devoured a massive amount of sashimi.  That was our breakfast.  It was by far the best sashimi I've ever had.

Yesterday evening I went to the Maruyama's home for dinner.  Hiroko and Masabumi are the parents of Yoko, the instructor of the Japanese class I took in Vancouver.  I met Masabumi at Shibuya station and we took the bus together into the Tokyo suburbs to their home.  They were gracious hosts and very friendly.  Hiroko prepared Shabu Shabu for the main course, where we cooked our food in boiling water in a cooker in the middle of the table and then dipped it in sesame sauce to cool it before eating.  After dinner they presented me with a bottle of Sake and a whole bunch of food and candy to take with me. My gift to them was a cedar box of smoked salmon from BC.

I really like Asakusa, the neighbourhood where my hostel is located.  It's a 'shitamachi' area of the city and has older, lower buildings and quiet, narrow streets.  More of a traditional feel than other parts of Tokyo that are super modern.  Lots of little bars and cheap restaurants and diners around every corner here.  K's House, my hostel, has been awesome.  I'm meeting a lot of other travellers here.  I will be leaving Tokyo for Kyoto tomorrow. 

Tsukiji fish market

Okonomiyaki restaurant in Asakusa. Sitting at the table was hard for a tall guy like me.

Broken umbrellas after today's wind/rain storm

My street in Asakusa at night. On the corner is a ramen noodle diner, where I had dinner a few nights ago. If Tom Waits was in Tokyo, this is where he'd  hang out.

Shabu shabu at the Maruyama's home.  It was a feast!

First full day in Tokyo

It was my first full day in Tokyo today.  It was a cool, cloudy day but good for walking.  I checked out Ueno Park in the morning, which was packed full of people taking in the cherry blossoms, despite the unusually cold weather.  Many people sit around on big blue tarps talking, eating, and drinking. In the afternoon I took the subway across the city to Harajuku, a crazy shopping district with all sorts of strange sights to see.  The subway and rail have been an adventure in themselves.  I've had lots of fun zipping around the city, getting to know the maps, routes, and stations.  It's very clean and easy to use, though Shinjuku station is HUGE and seems neverending. 

The best parts so far have been the food and talking with the locals.  I had breakfast at a tiny bar near the hostel.  It was cheap and satisfying:  green tea 'matcha' bagel, hard boiled egg, and OJ for about 400 yen (less than $5).  Had a good conversation with the staff there, and also a couple locals who came in and sat beside me.  For lunch, I stopped into this small bar in Ueno.  It was a dimly lit, cramped little bar, but had a really nice, warm atmosphere.  Had a rice/chicken/egg dish and shiitake soup.  Came back to the hostel in the afternoon and hung out with some of the staff here.  They've been so nice and keep helping me with my Japanese.  They were making orgimami at the kitchen table and showed me how to make a crane. 

A few observations.  Many people here wear facemasks.  I know we sometimes see this in Vancouver, but here it's pretty normal.  I've heard this is because they are sick and do not want to pass their virus on to you.  But I've also been told it's common during flu season, sick or not.  On the subway I would say 1 in 5 people wear a mask.  Also the crows here seem to laugh at you. I know that seems weird, but they sound like they're saying 'ha, ha' not 'caw, caw'.

In Tokyo, safe and sound

The flight to Tokyo today went without a hitch.  I'm now at my hostel in the Asakusa neigbourhood of Tokyo.  Nothing too exciting just yet; this posting is mostly just to check in.  It's a different world over here but definitely some similarities to western culture.  I've been speaking a bit of Japanese... a little self-concious so far but that will change for sure.  Food so far has been a big container of instant ramen noodles!  It's evening here but early morning in western Canada and the sun is going to rise soon.  So I leave you with this:  おはよう   ございます。

Japan Bound

Konbanwa... Ogenki desu ka?  Well, it's just past midnight on the day of my flight to Japan.  My backpack is ready to go and it's way lighter than other trips I've done in the past.  I would say I am nervously excited, as I'll be travelling alone and this will be my first time in Asia.  I am so ready for this trip, but at the same time not so ready.  It's been a rocky personal journey the last couple months and I am looking forward to getting lost in Japan, clearing my head, seeing some crazy things, eating some great food, and drinking tons of tea.  Next stop: Tokyo.  Well, a stopover in Seattle first.  I'll be updating this blog fairly often (hopefully), so stay posted!