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!

 

 

Greyhound Diaries

Wow, it's been over four months since my last post.  A lot has happened since then.  Amidst it all I did spend some time on the road, which is what this blog is supposed to be about, right?  Back in August I drove a long circular loop south to Seattle, east across the Cascades, back across the border into BC's West Kootenays, north up the Arrow/Slocan lakes, and back through the Okanagan towards home at the coast.  Apart from that, there's been very little 'road' in my life. In fact, 2012 was a year of very little travel.  I think I may have to change that in 2013.

It's now two nights before Christmas and I'm sitting idle and safe in the confines of the snowy village I grew up in.  I've had a great little journey to get here.  One half of the journey was on the Greyhound bus to Kelowna.  I must say, I do love to travel by bus.  It's nice to be... grounded.  I've travelled by bus in other countries - Spain, Argentina - but it's rare that I take the bus long distances in Canada.  It really is great though. It's cheap, it's comfortable, it's humbling.  You have familiar views along the way and time to appreciate them.  It can really get the imagination going.

Heading east out of the Fraser Valley on Highway 1 - a road I've driven many times - I didn't need to look at the highway ahead as I usually do, but instead the views to the sides.  The valley was covered by a dome of dramatic clouds at different heights, save one long horizontal slice of blue sky to the west - not on the horizon, not up high, but strangely poised in between.  There were beams of sunlight, leftover patches of snow on dullish green fields, and bald eagles swooping around the Vedder Canal.  Then the road took our Greyhound bus up into the mountains and we were soon on the Coquihalla summit.  It was a different world up there.  A heavy blanket of snow covered everything, the clouds were low, and the light was dim. I looked out the window knowing if I were out there, away from the highway, it would be a silent place.  I knew if I were to make a sound it would be muffled by the snow and the thick sky, and the world would feel as small as a shoebox. After passing cars in ditches and flashing lights in the dusk, we eventually rolled into Merritt.  It was nice to stop in the neon glow of a small town bus station, get off the bus, stretch the legs, and drink some tea.  The rest of the journey was into the dark night.  And when you have things to think about, what better way than staring out into the dark?  The night can be a black, clean slate if you're looking for something to write on.   

Here are a couple of photos from the next leg of my trip, taken the following day driving from Kelowna to the West Kootenays.  Another high mountain pass...

  

Elfin Lakes, finally!

Elfin Lakes has been on my list of local hikes to bag for a while now.  Last weekend, I finally made it happen!  Twice in past years I've cancelled plans to hike the Elfin trail.  In 2010, Brad and I looked up from Squamish below and changed our plans on account that the ridge above would be socked in with cloud and fog - after all, we knew what made this hike so grand were the supreme views of the Coast Mountains.  In 2011, it was late in the season and Nadia and I were off to a late start, so we chose to hike somewhere else as we might have been stuck on the trail after sundown if we'd kept with our Elfin plan.  This year, the weather was fine and the day long, so I had no reason to back out.  It was my first hike into the sub-alpine this year and felt pretty nice to be above the timber forests and out in the open.  The trail itself is actually an old road that used to service a backcountry ski lodge many moons ago.  So although it's a long hike (22km return) it's relatively easy on the feet - smooth underfoot, no roots, no big rocks.  The views were spectacular - the Garibaldi volcanic area, Mamquam Range, Tantalus Range, Gargoyles... these names almost speak for themselves, don't you think?

Here are a few snapshots I'd like to share.  Comments are clockwise starting top-left.

• Junction above Red Heather Meadows - hikers right, bikers left. 
• View of Garibaldi complex - Diamond Head is the high peak (which actually obsures Mount Garibaldi). The Gargoyles are the dark feature below Diamond Head.
• View of Elfin Lakes - plenty of snow still on the ground due to high snowpack winter and cold spring. 
• Me at the lower lake following lunch in the nearby cabin.