My final stop on this lap through Japan was in at Shiga Kogen, Japan’s highest, largest ski resort. I joined a local Tokyo-based winter adventure club appropriately called “Tokyo Gaijins” on their Snow Monkey Beer Live trip to Shiga Kogen. The trip provided both awesome winter sports, as well as access to the “Snow Monkey Beer Live” annual music and beer festival. Shiga Kogen was a great time. The mountain is beautiful, and although the terrain isn’t quite as challenging as what I grew up with in Colorado, the snow was world-class.
I joined the Tokyo Gaijins group on my trip to Shiga Kogen. The group is a snow club, which runs amazing trips to the mountains every weekend in the winter. Bus transportation, lodging, meals, and great times are provided on each trip! Since our group was fairly large, we had an entire hotel to ourselves – complete with dining hall, onsen, and our own rental and gear shop. The base of the mountain was right across the street – perfect!The rooms are traditional Japanese style rooms, and we fit a few people in each one. Smaller groups of friends tend to stick together, and I was fortunate to make good friends with the guys in my room – we were packed in there, but had a lot of fun “camping” in Japan.Our first day, going up the small, kinda old, japanese gondola. These things looked like eggs, and opened in the middle. Small and fun!Getting ready to go down the mountain on my rental snowboard. Although the terrain at Shiga Kogen is nowhere near as challenging as in Colorado, the snow is great, and runs are wide open.One of the steeper sections of the mountain – still nothing compared to Colorado, but a fun time nonetheless – snow conditions were absolutely perfect.One of the huge mid-mountain dining halls.Going up the lift, there are accomodations all over the mountain. However, there’s a distinct lack of shopping, entertainment, or any real community areas. Each of the larger hotels has its own cafe and restaurant, but there’s not very many independent restaurants, or common social areas for people to walk around and mingle. Very much oriented towards staying with your own group, doing your own thing, and generally keeping to either the slopes or the hotels. Also, I was dissapointed by the lack of gear shops – I found only one small gear shop which sold a minimum of gear.Shiga Kogen Snow Monkey Beer Live festival! 20+ breweries from all over Japan showed up to sample their fresh beers, and local bands played great music. It was held in Shiga Kogen’s central events hall, and was absolutely packed. We had a great time!Snow Monkey Beer – tasty, especially after a day of snowboarding.Singer Hanah Spring performs at Shiga Kogen Snow Monkey Beer LIve.A huge dump of snow gave us absolutely perfect powder conditions. A bit of a whiteout, but perfect nonetheless.Making friends on the mountain!A few of us got together before lunch for some big group runs. Skiing as a group is fun for a run or two, but gets annoying quickly as you spend half your time waiting for everybody.With the mascot Okamin!
During my most recent lap through Japan, I had the opportunity to spend a day at Nagano’s mystical buddhist Zenkoji Temple. I’m blaming my lack of sleep the night before for the absence of shots, but here’s a few from the time I spent there. In Nagano, I stayed at the 1166 Backpackers Hostel, which was great. 1166 Backpackers is a clean, warm, and inviting hostel, and I’d certainly reccommend anybody looking for community-oriented, affortable accomodation in Nagano stay with her.
Zenk?-ji (????) is a Buddhist temple located in Nagano, Japan. The temple was built in the 7th century. Nagano City, established in 1897, was originally a town built around the temple. Historically, Zenk?-ji is perhaps most famous for its involvement in the battles between Uesugi Kenshin and Takeda Shingen in the 16th century, when it served as one of Kenshin’s bases of operations. Currently, Zenk?-ji is one of the last few remaining pilgrimage sites in Japan.
Zenk?-ji was founded before Buddhism in Japan was split into several different sects, so it currently belongs to both the Tendai and J?dosh? schools of Buddhism, and is co-managed by twenty-five priests from the former school, and fourteen from the latter. The temple enshrines images of the Amida Buddha. According to legend, the image, having caused dispute between two clans, was dumped into a canal. It was later rescued by Yoshimitsu Honda. The temple was thus named “Zenk?,” according to the Chinese transliteration of Yoshimitsu’s name.
A nun blesses followers at the Zenkoji Temple, Nagano, Japan
Coins and papers tied to a tree for luck at the Zenkoji Temple, Nagano, Japan
The pathway leading to the Zenkoji Temple is crowded with vendors and restaurtants – but is a nice walk nontheless.
My wonderful group at the 1166 Backpackers hostel I stayed at in Nagano, Japan.
High in the mountains of central Japan, there’s a hotsprings “onsen” where Macaque snow monkeys bathe. Saori and I took an amazing trip to visit them, and soak in a few onsens ourselves.
Saori and I were introduced by a mutual friend, and met up in Tokyo at the main Tokyo train station. To save on time, and have an awesome ride, we took a Shinkansen bullet train from Tokyo to Nagano – fast and comfortable!
Tokyo station is designated as the “centroid” of Tokyo, and here’s the actual center marker of the city! Right on the Shinkansen platform.
Since we were dashing to catch the after-work train, we picked up a few bento boxes for dinner. For train food, this is pretty awesome.
Arrival in Nagano, site of the 1998 Olympic Games. From here, we got another slower train up to Yudanaka, and then walked about 30 minutes to Shibu Onsen.
Walking through the streets of Shibu Onsen at night. The traditional town is beautifully old-worldly, with cobblestone streets and traditional houses. Also, streams of geothermally heated onsen water bubble from pipes and vents everywhere.
We stayed at a traditional Ryokan, and had a great tatami room to ourselves, complete with dining table, porch, futon mattresses, a private bathroom, and most importantly a karaoke machine! The room also came with robes, a key to our own private co-ed onsen, and a pair of keys to the legendary 9 public onsens for which Shibu Onsen is known.
Starting the day of exploring the mountains and seeing the snow monkeys.
Walking through Shibu Onsen – such a beautiful town.
Outside of Shibu Onsen, the river leads to mountains filled with snow – and the ski slopes of Shiga Kogen, Japan’s largest ski resort.
Geothermally heated onsen water springs up from pipes all around town. Here, it’s rising through a piping system that delivers it directly to people’s houses.
Japan loves vending machines – so much so that a snowy field seems like a great place to maintain one. Hot or cold drinks anytime!
Our Saturday in Shibu Onsen started with a hike up into the snowy mountains to visit the indigenous Macaque snow monkeys. But of course, first we must stop for snow monkey coffee at Enza Cafe, just up the road from the famed Shika Kogen brewery.
Starting the hike up the snowy path leading to the Snow Monkey Onsen.
Bark of the native evergreens was flaky, colorful, and beautiful.
The last stretch of trail to the Snow Monkey Onsen.
Snow Monkey Onsen is a popular tourist attraction, with hoardes of touritst taking photos. Despite this, the monkeys seems at ease, and walk amongst the people freely.
Lots of snow monkeys, lots of tourists, lots of photos.
Macaque Snow Monkeys relaxing in the snow.
Snow monkeys love hanging out in the warm onsen. Only for monkeys though!
Snow monkeys love hanging out in the warm onsen. Only for monkeys though!
Snow monkeys love hanging out in the warm onsen. Only for monkeys though!
Snow monkeys love hanging out in the warm onsen. Only for monkeys though!
Snow monkeys love hanging out in the warm onsen. Only for monkeys though!
Naturally, monkeys climb trees too.
Saori pointing out the portraits of the monkey tribes current and past leaders. It’s like a country club.
Pre-onsen lunch. Very tasty!
After snow monkeys, we went back to our homestay and changed into comfy robes and not so comfy wooden flip flops, grabbed our keys, and went out to hit all 9 Shibu Onsen Onsens. The red pouch I’m holding has my onsen cloth, which has the names of all 9 onesns, and is stamped at each one. Saori is holding her key, attached to a piece of wood with a map of town.
The onsen path is popular, and people show up in all sorts of nice robes. You can also see these women are wearing the traditional wodden onsen flip flops. They’re not super comfortable, but it is possible to walk around town in them. The two wood bars on the bottom facilitate a rocking motion when walking.
Stamping my 1st onsen.
Each onsen requires a key to get into, and the mens and womens doors are on separate sides.
Saori and I enjoyed the public onsens separately of course, but got back together for the occasional foot onsen in the center of town.
Egg Onsen!
Shibu onsen as the sun sets, with traditional tatimi rooms everywhere.
After a long day of snow monkeying and onsening, we of course needed a sushi dinner.
And some meat skewers and beer for dinner #2
Strangely, Shibu Onsen also has a couple of cork-gun shooting galleries. People love it!
What to do after a long day of snow monkeys, onsens, sushi, meat skewers, and beer? Karaoke.
Vending machines are everywhere, and this one brews fresh coffee on demand.
My first stop in Japan was Tokyo, to run the 2015 Tokyo Marathon. Miho and I had originally entered the marathon registration lottery months before, however unfortunately, only I won an entry. I still had a good run without her – although not nearly as much fun or motivation to kick ass!
Running through the streets of Tokyo was an energizing experience. I ran the full marathon without really much training since I was in Antarctica beforehand. However, the energy of the cheering crowd lining all 26 miles of the course kept me going. Here a few pics from the run.
The Tokyo Marathon expo was held at the Tokyo Big Sight event hall – a giant conference hall with lots of spaces. The strucutre itself is quite epic to begin with.
Walking through the registration expo, everybody gets lots of promo items. Although this looks like I was receiving a magical free beer.. it was in fact a nonalcoholic “malt drink”. Hmmm.
Lots and lots of vendors at the expo.
The next morning at the starting area – there were three snacks to have before the race. Tomatoes, bananas, and an apple flavored energy gel, which came out of a foil “capri-sun”-like packet. I had all three, and then packed up my pre-race gear into my baggage bag, and gave it to the appropriate baggage truck. Typical marathon procedure, almost exaclly the same as before the NYC Marathon.
Lots of marathon volunteers were all excited to be there. Japanese people have good energy.
Photo courtesy of Photocreate Co.,Ltd at https://tm15eng.allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?page_id=238626&tag=81479&tag_code=zekken
Photo courtesy of Photocreate Co.,Ltd at https://tm15eng.allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?page_id=238626&tag=81479&tag_code=zekken
Photo courtesy of Photocreate Co.,Ltd at https://tm15eng.allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?page_id=238626&tag=81479&tag_code=zekken
Photo courtesy of Photocreate Co.,Ltd at https://tm15eng.allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?page_id=238626&tag=81479&tag_code=zekken
Photo courtesy of Photocreate Co.,Ltd at https://tm15eng.allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?page_id=238626&tag=81479&tag_code=zekken
Photo courtesy of Photocreate Co.,Ltd at https://tm15eng.allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?page_id=238626&tag=81479&tag_code=zekken
I finished in 4:31. It wasn’t my best marathon time, but it felt great to run, and was fun to see lots of neighborhoods of Tokyo.
Photo courtesy of Photocreate Co.,Ltd at https://tm15eng.allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?page_id=238626&tag=81479&tag_code=zekken
After the race, naturally I sampled lots of street food from the cutest food trucks I’ve ever seen.
Kyoto, Japan – the final stop on my journey through Asia, and certainly a beautiful one. I had just spent 5 days in Tokyo with friends, and although I really really really loved Tokyo, I wanted to experience riding on the bullet train, and wanted to see the Japanese cultural capital of Kyoto.
Although Kyoto was very very beautiful, I only spent one day there – When I arrived, I realized that I really wanted more time in Tokyo, and would rather return to Kyoto when i could spend a lot more time, more than I had left in my trip. However, my one single day in Kyoto was beautiful – I got up early in the morning, took a bus to the north side of town, and then spent the rest of the day walking back to K’s House Hostel, where I was staying.
To get from Tokyo to Kyoto, I took the Shinkansen bullet train – it was fast, and expensive! My dinner that night was a boxed dinner from a local vendor – nice and neat.
Temples, everywhere. All beautiful.
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As serenely beautiful as Kyoto was, there was also a huge amount of tourists on some of the main streets. Notably, there’s a huge business of selling boxed pastries and food items, pre-packaged to give as gifts. Also notably, it was at the end of the day on my day in Kyoto that my Sony RX100 camera died on me. I’m glad it hung in there until almost the end!
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After a day in Kyoto, I briefly returned to Tokyo, and then got on my flight to head back to the USA.
My friend Taeko was nice enough to come meet me in Tokyo, and after spending a few days there, her and I met up with another friend and the three of us set off by car down to Yokohama.
More vending machines for ordering at fast food joints!
Chinatown in Yokohama
My favourite drink!
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A quintissential activity for any traveler visiting Tokyo for the first time is a pre-dawn visit to the tuna auction at the Tsujiki Fish Market – and I did just that.
About 4 in the morning, trucks full of flash frozen tuna start arriving and offloading the fish into the auction house. Small forklifts zip around everywhere, and the area is full of activity from every angle.
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The group of 40 tourists who were allowed in every day wear green vests. We were then escorted from the main office building to the tuna auction floor. On the auctionhouse floor, tuna buyers walk around with small hooks and flashlights, peeling back a pre-cut piece of tuna flesh and inspecting the quality of the meat. This happens for about 20 minutes, and then the auctioning begins. It’s all very hectic and fast, and seems to accomplish its purpose. Before long, we were being ushered out again.
After the tuna auction, I met a few other travelers, and the four of us sat down at one of the Sushi Bars inside the fish market. It was obviously the freshest sushi I’ve ever had.
Surrounding the fish market are all sorts of accessory dealers, including lots of custom knife shops.
Japan, at long last. It was the #1 country on my to-do list for many years, and I was glad to finally make it there. Although Japan is obviously not part of the traditional Southeast Asia travelers route, I was able to get a 10 day stopover there as part of my USAP return ticket, and so it didn’t cost me anything to spend some time there. I also had a number of friends in Japan, so it was good opportunity to reconnect! My time was limited, but I tried to make the most of it.
Tokyo is a massive city, and space is at an incredible premium. My first few days in Tokyo, I stayed at the Khaosan Capsule Hostel, which was great! A comfy common area, super cool staff, and cozy pods for everybody to sleep in. Although my pod was small, it was very clean and nice, and I loved staying there. That’s actually the vibe I got from Japan in general – everything is small, precisely engineered, clean, and nice. What a great combination.
One of the first stops I made was Akihabara, which is filled with electronics, video games, manga, and maid cafes. Certainly an interesting mix. I loved that each neighborhood in Tokyo had a unique flavor to it. Retail shops in Akihabara are filled to the max with whatever they’re selling. Ads are everywhere, and inventory is stacked as high as possible. In the electronics store Yodobashi, i spent hours playing with every single piece of camera gear imaginable. Paradise!
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I was fortunate to meet up with two friends in Tokyo – Toshi and Taeko. It was great reconnecting with them, and exploring the city with two super cool Japanese people! We had a great time.
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Making Takoyaki!
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Vending machines are everywhere, and sell anything you could ever want. This vending machine worked off one giant TV-sized touchscreen, and sold about 100 products.
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There are entire arcades willed with photobooths, which make all sorts of photos for people. Huge packs of girls show up together with full makeup on, and spend entire evenings takings glamour shots.
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Shibuya Crossing – very busy indeed!
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Checking out an expat bar with friends.
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Lunch counters in Japan are very very efficient. You order and pay from a vending machine, and then give your ticket to a cook who makes the food for you. No sitting, only standing for rapid turnover!
Japanese apartments are cozy and very nice. Perfect for hanging out with friends.
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After living in NYC for about 7 years, I thought I was fairly well accustomed to living in small quarters – studio apartment, storage everywhere, continuously optimizing my use of space. But of course, the Japanese have us New Yorkers beat when it comes to efficiently using space. After a bit of digging around on the monster web, here’s a few cool examples of tiny Japanese architecture, “kyo-sho-jutaku” in Japanese, apparently.
The River Side House in Tokyo, designed by Mizuishi Architect Atelier. I love the architect’s use of the top attic space for a childs play area, keeping the space safe for kids with railings, but still allowing lots of natural light to pass through. The other notable area of the house is the office/common area, with large windows on either side, and a full length bench that hides lots of storage boxes.
Quick video today – Monocle Magazine just posted an interesting video on a new Capsule Hotel in Japan. I’d love to stay at a place like this someday!
From Monocle:
The 9 Hours is the brand new capsule hotel unveiled in December 2009 by Tokyo-based Cubic Corp. Designed in a collaboration with designer Fumie Shibata of Design Studio S, it looks nothing like its predecessors and represents a revolution in the capsule concept. Gabriel Leigh visits the hotel to see what’s different.
Summary:
“Japan” “Mobile” “Social Media” – what do you see when you have these words together? Cyber utopia? Shrinking Galapagos? Ninjas with high-tech swords? It’s about time we know what the real scenes are in Japan. With the leaders of the mobile social media in Japan, we will discuss what the Japanese mobile social media world looks like, where they are headed, and how the “outer world” will affect / or be affected. Needless to give examples like the explosive rise of Twitter in Japan, the question is not whether the country is the “land of the rising sun” in mobile social media or not – it’s how high has the sun risen, and why. (more…)
Panel – Big in Japan: Outreaching to a Unique Market
Japan has ubiquitous high-speed coverage and a voracious appetite for tech gadgets, however, their tools have developed with entirely different features than other countries. For example: Japan’s “”Galapo-phones”” commonly include streaming TV and multi-character sets, Mixii and Gree each have more than 30 million users on their social networks, and Yahoo is a whole different experience from US counter-part. With meteoric growth in Twitter and network tools, Japan aims on becoming the regional leader for emerging social web technologies — much like their early leadership in consumer electronics and gaming industries. This presents opportunities for collaboration and partnerships but localizing requires more than translation. This panel will discuss the unique characteristics of Japanese web and mobile market including tactics for connecting to markets, identifying opportunities, and outreaching to audiences, plus understanding unexpected cultural nuances and consumer expectations.
The yet to be released Canon EOS 5DmkII, in addition to 21 Megapixel stills, also takes full 1080P 30FPS video, Akihabara News just posted another stunning, unofficial Canon EOS 5DmkII HD video, taken with presumably a pre-production sample of the camera. It goes on sale at the end of the month, at which point expect some self-shot HD goodness. Until then, enjoy these shots from Japan. Watch full screen for full effect…in full HD!
One of the most exciting aspects for me, in terms of being able to shoot HD video with a DSLR, is playing with aperture for interesting DOF effects and control. That, and having the ability to capture the scene, whether in high res stills, or high def video – definitely a game changer. Finally, that last track in the video is “Poupées Russes” by Kraked Unit, a French group. Great beat – found it also used in this car commercial, as well as appearing in a French movie soundtrack. The track starts around 2:46. Reminds me of the days of Pelican City (Danger Mouse’s early college work) which was definitely frequent Acid Lounge material.
