First visit to Tokyo

Miss Chiara and I (an Italian who is a teacher at our school) went to town yesterday. I haven't been in a hurry to get there but I just can't wait to get back now. Having based the trip round food, I was not disappointed. It was a wonderful experience. Rivers of people endlessly stream into the maze of streets, buildings, bars and "businesses affecting public morals" i.e. sex shops.

The first restaurant (it took some finding) everyone shouted 'irasshaimase!' (welcome!) We sat at a low table on the mat to eat soba, buckwheat and wheat noodles served in a light broth. It's very healthy and not altogether exciting but the setting was great and the waitress looked more like a nursing sister from years ago.

We took a ride up many many floors of a 243 m tall Tokyo City Hall -impressive architecture. This was the scene that greeted us, great views. This is a good website for more photos from the City Hall

By then I had built up a mighty appetitite and found Sri Lankan specialities with flatbreads and fantastic curries, quite different to the normal Indian curries with distinctive flavours of their own.

By then I had had it with the crowds. Great to know that I can come back again and try to pick off a different place - it's massive aye.

Kumotori-san, Tokyos highest mountain in the Chichibu-Tama National Park

Was I ever going to get there? Four trains later and an hour and a half bus ride I was finally deposited at 1090m at a mountain temple. Hard to believe it but I was still in Tokyo.

I started off alone but in Japan in the weekends you never stay lonely for too long and I was grateful to catch up with other hikers.

Soon the sun disappeared and it began snowing, thick heavy flakes soon covering the ground. After a good climb I reached a log hut that was full that night, I shared a bedroom with 12 other women laid out like sardines sleeping on a very thin mattress. Going to the toilet was quite something at midnight.

Foreigners are suprisingly rare in the mountains, I've seen only one or two. I had plenty of locals keen to try out their English on me that night in the mountain hut. They are truly impressed that I come from New Zealand and many know about the Milford Track.

The next morning I was on the path to the top (2018m) to fantastic clear skies at 4.30am. This is what greeted me and made the experience almost life changing until a large number of people arrived in my footsteps.

The Japanese Alps look very much like our Southern Alps in the this photo. Theres too much snow to go there at this time, thats the next adventure.

Traditional Japan

It has suprised me that there are still women wearing kimonos everyday. They aren't young and sadly it will go in the next generation.
However riding a bike in a kimono...well maybe not.
I found this shop that rents out kimonos and think that this young lady will be having a fitting for her wedding.
I also had the opportunity to see these sumptuous kimonos on display at the ceremony. Learning how to dress a lady in kimono is an art and takes many years of learning to master. The ladies told me in Japanese.

Enoshima - the beach

I love the surfies answer to saving the planet, get down to the beach with your surf board strapped to your bike: that is cool.

The Tsunami warning notices show us where we should head in the event.

I live about 5 kms from the beach, a peaceful bike ride off the main route following the river. Fujisan is in the photo to the right hidden a little by the hot day haze.

There are always many surfers waiting for an elusive wave, wind surfers, beach volleyball, small sailing boats and fishing boats. Fishing from the wharf is popular too though the water looks none too wholesome to me.

Mountainous Japan

In the weekends I feel immense relief that I have managed to escape the urban jungle and I live 50kms from Tokyo! The teachers I work with consider where I live and work 'the country' to which I thought was funny and sort of sad that they hadn't experienced country as we know it.
By now on my hikes I see that the efficient transport can whisk anyone out and there are plenty of trekkers about which is just as well as I need them to show me the way with Japanese script on the signs or in this photo the directions have faded off altogether.



76% of Japan is mountainous. That means of course that ¾ of the population live in the urban areas. (that is 127 mill pop) Every little space being used up by buildings or veggie plots: land is apparently as expensive as the house is to build.

Fuji san is a feature of all of my walks as so far I am confined to the Tokyo region with only weekend getaways. A perfect volcanic shape, the symbol of Japan you can see from very near where I live but only on a clear day, the rest of the time it is in haze or clouds.

Out trekking and even where I live it is very rare to see tourists. Tokyo is different of course. On the mountains people are a bit suprised to see me and like to practise their English on me which is great because by then I am ready to have a chat, being all alone as I am.

My pad

The apartment I live in is in the photo, just above the second roof on the left. It overlooks a cabbage patch (and lots of other buildings) and came omplete with a bike, heaven. OK so its not the most up to date Sarah Ulmer speed bike but it's great and everyday I'm on it discovering new places.
Wow Moments

My first of many ‘wow’ moments when I hit Japan was buying sushi packs from the food stall at the airport, I was so hungry and was bliss to find this treat as common as potato chips are in NZ.

The second was being whisked along in the bullet train, with Japan unfolding out the window, feeling like I was watching TV.

The third being met by my school secretary and being taken to a restaurant beautifully kitted out Japanese style. We watched the chef (apparently his training is eight years long) expertly slice raw tuna, squid, salmon and prawns to lie piggy backed on rice, so delicious.

I spent the first day in a daze, wandering into a spa that I thought was a supermarket and being asked to take my shoes off, what a scene, it took me ages for me to convince them that I wasn’t staying. No Japanese - well it can be a problem but people so helpful and charming going out of their way to show me where to go as I am always getting hopelessly lost.

Mums car would not be out of place here, little Suzuki’s and bikes rule. Pollution is not a problem to me biking, the cars are so late model but…what a lot of traffic and I do have to watch my back on the bike.

Welcome to Japan

Shellfish is very different to shellfish as we know it.

This enjoyable meal was eel (unangi), a popular delicacy in Japan. It's cooked over hot coals and brushed with soy sauce & saki. Lovely.

High in the mountains there are these shrines.
Japan wasn't really on my wish list of 'places to go'. My presumption was that it was westernised – actually calligraphy and tea ceremony are subjects taught at my school and all around where I live I stumble upon temples.

Having said that, there's all the shopping a girl could wish for. The supermarkets are an array of sushi, fish, tofu, rice, miso and I like the saki shelves too. Many evenings I wander round the shelves (I'm wondering if food shopping is becoming a compensation for missing Jo!)

I have arrived in spring, the best season for weather along with autumn. The famous cherry blossoms are a national obsession with families and friends gathering to eat together for outdoor picnics. Judging by the smell of moth balls and alcohol on the train in the weekend, best clothes and beers or sake go hand in hand.