Fireworks in Tokyo

Me and Mr. and Mrs. Iizuka. They hosted the party. They were wonderful hosts.

I got into Tokyo around 2:00 today. I found my hotel, relaxed and got some groceries. Around 5:00 My friend Mr. Fukuwara came by the hotel. He had invited me to come see the fireworks at a party with him tonight. Before we went to the fireworks he showed me all around Asakusa. It was really busy. There were tons of little shops.

We got to the party around 615. The hosts were Mr. and Mrs. Iizuka. They were both very kind. They told me to make myself at home and offered me beer and lots of food. The food was great. I don't know the name of a lot of the food but it was really good. As the night went on I found out that Mrs. Iizuka was a master at Braille art (art for the blind) for children. I loved seeing her pictures and touching them because all the pictures felt so nice and soft.
Some food at the party!

The mother of Ms. Iizuka is 90 years old. She is a master archer in Japan. She teaches classes. I saw her. I could not believe she was 90. She was extremely aware of her surroundings and had no issues climbing 3 flights of stairs. She had focus and poise. It was amazing to meet her. Unfortunately I was too shy to ask for a picture. I actually felt a little bit star struck to be around a woman of her stature. It was incredible. 90 years old and a master archer that teaches people of all ages. She has been training in the art of archer y for 70 years. 70 YEARS!

Mr. Furukawa was very fun (as I am beginning to believe he always is fun! Lots of fun!). He introduced me to Mr. and Mrs. Tsunashima. They were both very kind and spoke good English. Mr. Tsunashima is 53 years old and had just recently run a half marathon in about 2 hours. He is in excellent condition. Mr. and Mrs. Tsuanashima knew that I was coming so they got me a present. It is a beautiful towel that shows the emblems of different Japanese lineages. At first, I told them I wanted to frame it but they told me that I must use it to wipe off my sweat when I do Aikido. I told them it was beautiful and that I would really like to frame it but they insisted that I use it for Aikido. So from here on out this towel will be used for Aikido.

Me, Mr. Fukuwara and Ms. Tsunashima eating food and hanging out.
Mr. Fukuwara is a great host because of his excitement and positive energy. He is probably about 5 feet 5 inches tall (maybe smaller) 63 years old and filled with tons of energy. He is a master in the art of Jukendo and has invited me to train with him tomorrow. I am very excited (and of course a little nervous). He is also in incredible shape. 2 weeks ago Mr. Fukuwara ran a half marathon. I asked him "how long did you train for it?" He laughed and said "I didn't really train". I said "not at all". He said "Well, I tried to run but I only did once a month". He didn't realize how incredible this was. He said it with embarrassment that he didn't train. I listened with astonishment that this man ran a half marathon with no training.

While all this was going on there was awesome ("sugoi" in Japanese) fireworks going on in the background. I enjoyed my time so much.

At the end of the night they wanted to make sure I made it home safely so they went with me on the subway (even though I told them I was sure I would be fine) and gave me very clear directions on how to get to my location. They went out of their way so much to help me.

Me, Mr. Fukuwara, and Mr. Tsunashima (maybe having a little too much fun)

I am constantly filled with gratitude for all the kindness I have been given while in Japan. Repeatedly I have wished that I could speak Japanese for the sole purpose of thanking people for their kindness. Unfortunately I am always left with only being able to bow and state a brief "Domo Arigato".

Nara

Today I visited Nara. Nara is a small town that is famous for it's beauty, temples, and overly friendly deer. It is about 45 minutes by JR train from Kyoto. As soon as I got there I grabbed a map from a tourist center. I then asked one of the people working at the station "I have one day in Nara. What should I go see?" He gave me some advice and I was on my way.

Nara is a small town so I decided I would just walk everywhere. As I got further from the station I realized why it was so famous. I saw a pond and in the pond there were lots of fish and also small little turtles. I saw deer come right up to people. I saw temples and shrines. I saw many sculptures. I saw beautiful and peaceful nature.


About 15 minutes walking distance from the station is Nara Park. It was really peaceful and nice. It was so nice I just sat down in the park for about an hour and read my book. As can be seeing in the pictures there are lots of deer in Nara (especially in Nara Park). The deer are not shy at all. They will come right up to you.

I then went to see Kasuga Temple. Before I reached Kasuga temple there was a garden called Kasuga garden. I decided to explore it for a little bit. It was really beautiful. My words and explanations can do little justice.
Me in front of Kasuga Temple

After I went to the park for a while I went to Kasuga Temple. Even though I have seeing many temples and shrines in Japan it was still very cool to see this temple. It was in a forested area. As I walked in the quiet forest I thought about Samurai, seppuku (honorary suicide), buddo (the warriors code of honor), and Japanese culture. This probably was because I had read many pages in my book that day (the book is Shogun b James Clavel).

Mission: Run Blindly then Find Way Home

Today was the first day I have taken a run in Kyoto. I like taking a run in a town because it allows me to get a sense of the geography. It also allows me to see more of the town at a reasonable pace.

This run was different then any run I have taken in Japan. Before I left I put two maps in my pocket, my bus pass and my camera. The two maps were the bus map and the Kyoto geography map. I then just started running. I knew the general direction I wanted to head. My plan was to run as far away from the hostel as possible in 45 minutes. I then would use the map, subways and buses to find my way back to the hostel. The plan worked well. I ran for 45 minutes and then pulled out the map. I found my location in the city. I then pulled out the bus map. The only setback was that I had ran far enough away so that none of the buses in this area were of any service to me. I then looked at the Kyoto map and found a subway. I then went into the subway to see where it would take me. After looking at my own maps and the subway maps for a little bit I found a way to get about 10 minutes walking distance from the hostel for under $2. Mission Accomplished… Now if I could only find my way in Los Angeles I might be able to claim I actually do have a sense of direction.

Castles, Temples, and Shrines Oh My!

Me in front of Kinkajuki Temple.

Today I went out and saw some sights in Kyoto. I used their bus system to get everywhere. It was really easy. I found myself really enjoying trying to figure out how the transit system worked. I would walk to a location and then look at the geography map and bus map and try to figure out how to get to different locations. The more I have travelled the more comfortable I have become with transportation. Ironically this increases the likelihood that I will get lost because I am more willing to just go somewhere because I have confidence that I will be able to figure out how to get back.

I saw two of their major sights. I saw the Nijo Castle and the Kinkakuji Temple. The nijo castle was really cool. There was a very beautiful tea garden after the castle.

Below to the left is a picture of me in front of Nijo Castle

Above to the right is a picture of Nijo Castle and the tea garden.

The Kinkakuji temple was awesome. This is a major historic sight in Japan. It is a national treasure. When I entered the garden there was a huge golden temple ( I assume this is Kinkakuji temple but I wasn't quite clear on it).
This is a picture of Kinkajuki Temple.

New Town, New Friends, and Lost...

My first night in Kyoto I got in around 5:00. I was hanging out in the lobby area and met a couple guys. There names were Rowan and Alex. Rowan was from the UK but is currently living in Melbourne, Australia. Alex is from Quebec, Canada. We decided we would all get dinner together in Kyotos downtown area.

We spent a good hour just walking around and trying to find somewhere to eat. The problem was that it was difficult to find a place that was cheap, offered a lot of food and had english menus with pictures. Eventually we found a place that we thought met all 3 criteria. They had an English menu, the prices were reasonable and we just crossed our fingers and hoped the meals were of good size. The thing about Japan is that sometimes the portions are incredibly small. I would say that in some cases (okay, many cases) the appetizers in the United States are bigger than the full meals in Japan. I have noticed this in particular at more expensive places.

When we got our food we realized why it was so cheap. The food tasted great. But the portions were tiny. I didn't really feel any different after the meal than I did before. So we headed to the local convenient store to get a more substantial dinner.
This is Rowan after he got some food from the convenient store

After that we headed to a bar to grab a drink. I met an Australian named Chris. Chris was 35 years old and this was his first time travelling by himself. He had just finished a mountain bike excursion across Mongolia. On a whim he decided to come to Japan for about a week. I enjoyed talking with him and hearing his story. He had a 10 year old daughter that he said he was beginning to really miss. Him and the mother had separated. He didn't go into detail but I appreciated his honesty and sincerity. We had a good old fashioned man bond.

From left to right (Chris, Me, Rowan, and Alex)

On the way back Rowan thought it would be a good idea to follow the river for a while. I thought this was a good idea too until we got lost. We were walking on the street to head back to our hostel and all of a sudden all of us realized that something just seemed wrong. It was taking way too long. During this time Rowan had been doing most of the navigating. Alex and I had pretty much remained quiet. I had given one piece of advice that turned out wrong. Eventually Alex spoke up. Since he he had remained silent thus far (meaning he hadn't been incorrect yet) I decided to jump on his ship and let him be captain. Eventually we found our way back.

What did I learn? First off always bring a map of my own. Second, never leave navigation up to the guy that got you lost in the first place. Third, always ask the really quiet guy his opinion. Fourth, I like the slang in Australian English.

Travelling, Zelda, Bo Jackson and Childhood Dreams

As a small child (8 years old) one of my favorite video games was Zelda. In the videogame a young boy named Link set out on a journey all through the land of Hyrule in search of the princess Zelda. As Link travels on his journey he hears many lengeds about a boy that the ancestors have spoke of for centuries that will save the land of Hyrule. As time goes on it becomes apparent that Link is this boy. On one level the story seems cliché. It is about a boy that sets out on a journey to save the princess Zelda from the evil villain Gannon. But if we look deeper into the storyline we realize why this story is so fascinating, engaging and inspiring.

The storyline of Zelda is filled with many archetypes that make a story go from good to great. There is the courageous hero archetype. There is the evil villain archetype. There is the good innocent peasant archetype. There are the unexpected peasant hero archetypes. Over the course of the story there are many instances when Link cannot succeed on his own. He must be given a hand by fate. All of these elements make for a great story because we can relate to them.




I think there are a few key elements that made me love Link as a child and still love him to this day. Link was a regular boy that set out on an adventure. He knew his destiny and he followed it with courage and faith. He never questioned his journey. He only questioned how to get there. Link is courageous. He walks right into his fear.



At times it doesn't make sense how the events will link together. But in the end it all makes sense. Every event in Links life is necessary for him to reach the next level. Anyone who played the game knows that you cannot skip dungeons because every dungeon requires all the skills learned in previous dungeons.

I think that the same elements that made me love Link as a child, and as an adult are the same elements that attract me to travelling. I want to go on adventures. I want to conquer my fears. I want to know my life has purpose. One of the most touching elements of Links story is when it becomes apparent that Link is "the one the ancestors spoke of". This is so touching because it unquestionably brings a sense of purpose to Link's life. Link's purpose is to save humanity from evil. This is a much larger and obvious purpose then most will ever have.



Inside of me is still that small child that wants to set out on a journey. To travel the world, to conquer my fears, to bring right where there is wrong. Yet, unlike Link I am vulnerable to my fears. I wonder if I will make friends? will I be lonely? will I get lost? should I be focused on my career? am I wasting my time? what about retirement?

I don't know my purpose as clearly as Link did. I am not fearless. I don't have a princess to get stolen. But like Link, I can demand more of myself. I can strive to do things I don't think I can do. I can strive to be someone that finds his purpose and lives his life according to it.

I think as small children we often have more insight into our dreams then we do as adults. I think it is good to ask yourself "when I was a child who did I want to be?" I wanted to be Link, a ninja, the ultimate warrior, and Bo Jackson. The "who" may sound ridiculous but the "why" can bring us answers that we have been in search of for a very long time...

A Volcano in the Same Shirt I Wore Yesterday

Today I went to Aso. This is about 3 hours by train from Beppu. This is a very small mountain town. It is very peaceful and beautiful here. I like it because everything is very slow and relaxed. 15 minutes walking to the west gets you to one side of town 15 minutes walking to the east gets you to the other side of town.

About 30 minutes by bus from Aso is Mount Aso. This is a famous volcano in Japan. I went there today. On the way up to the volcano it was really beautiful. It was very green. As soon as I got to the area near the volcano I wanted to take a run so I locked up my backpack and started running for a little bit. After my run I went back and got all of my things and started the hike up the mountain so I could see the crater. When I got to the top it was very smoky from the volcano. It was really awesome to see. All around the volcano the ground was very dark. I saw some green in the distance so I decided to hike for a little while in that area. While I was doing this the rain started to come down really hard. I didn't know the next time I would be in Aso so I decided I could deal with it.




Eventually I decided to go back down the mountain. On my way down the rain started to come down really hard. It even hailed a little bit. When I finally got to the bottom I was so wet that my shoes were squeaking from the moisture in them. My shirt was soaking wet. I took off my sock and rang them out. Now of course after a day like this I had to head an Onsen. There happened to be one right by my hostel. So I went there for about an hour and I am now relaxing back at the hostel.

The hostel is really nice. In fact, this is probably the nicest hostel I have ever stayed at. It is insanely clean. It has many decorations. It has nice wooden floors. The bathrooms are pristine. The staff is really friendly and speaks excellent English. All of this and I am only paying 28 dollars a night.

This is a picture of the kitchen at my hostel.

Tomorrow I am off to Kyoto. It will take me about 7 hours by train. I will transfer to 4 different trains on the way. I don't mind though. I like looking a the scenery and the trains are comfortable.

Good Sights, Good People and an Onsen

Today was my last day in Beppu. I decided I would go see more hotsprings (because hotsprings are awesome). Yesterday I met a 24 year old named Yun. He was from Korea. He came to Japan because he wanted to practice his Japanese. Yun told me that his initial plan was to simply stay in Tokyo but then a Japanese friend had convinced him to come to Beppu. But his friend was busy today. So I invited Yun to come with me to the hotsprings. It was really funny talking to him. He told me wanted to experience and "American party". I told him he saw too many movies. I did share with him a few college stories to heighten his interest. I'm sure these stories only perpetuated the stereotype of the American party.

We went to a nearby town called Kannawa. We saw one hotspring that shot out water from the ground. It was cool. The water was about 250 degrees and was shooting out of the ground at ridiculous speeds.

Yun and I in front of the hotspring before it erupted.


A distant view of one of the hotsprings.

Next we went to a hotspring that due to it's temperature creates a perfect breeding ground for crocodiles. So we got to see lots of crocodiles. It was cool. They were way less agile then I expected.
A crocodile

We then went to an awesome onsen. It was at the top story of a hotel. The onsen was outdoors and overlooked the entire city of Beppu. In the distance the ocean could be seeing. It was great.

Then when we got back to the hostel there were some people going to dinner so we went with them. I like meeting new people. I especially like learning about their culture and sharing stories about my own culture. I met two guys from Holland. I liked talking with them. The most interesting thing is that as we talked more I realized how much we had in common. They are a western culture. Of course, there are some differences (just like there are differences in the United States) but on larger concepts like individualism our cultures were on the same page. When I meet new people that I enjoy I always give my contact information and tell them if they are ever in California I'll show them around for a few days. They then always extend the invitation to their country. I love this. I think the best way to get to know an area is to experience it with a local. I have met people from Holland, Germany, Israel, Korea, New Zealand, Denmark and many other countries. The more people I meet the smaller the world feels.

Left to right: Alex (from Holland), Me, Tor (from japan), Danny (from Holland), Ayumi (from Japan), and Yun (from Korea) with his eyes closed.
Left to right: Alex, Me, and Tor

The Final Plan

I have booked everything for the last portion of my trip. I am heading to Aso today (July 27th). Aso is a small mountain town. It has a volcano that I plan to go near and explore. There are supposed to be many beautiful hikes in Aso. I will leave Aso tomorrow (July 28th). I will then head to kyoto for 3 days. On my last day in Kyoto I am going to head to Nara and possibly a town nearby Nara where the ninja originates from.

I will then head to Tokyo on July 31st. I will then fly out of Tokyo back to San Francisco on August 3rd. My plane arrives at 930 in the morning on August 3rd in San Francisco.

Culture, Kids, Geography and a Festival

I arrived in Beppu on Friday July 23rd. This just happened to be around the same time that Beppu has it's annual summer 5 day festival. This festival is filled with daily markets, dancing, singing, fireworks and interesting cultural displays. There are tons of food vendors. It is just like a farmers market. I like it because I get to see some of the food that Beppu has at a farmers market. It is also really interesting walking around and watching people interact.

Here is a little bit of background knowledge to give some context. Japan is made up of 4 main islands (there are many smaller islands). The 4 islands are: Honsho, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido. The best comparison I could give to the United States is it is kind of like: The west coast, the east coast, the midwest, etc. Except here the islands are very clearly defined. Honshu is the main island where many of the famous cities are located (Tokyo, Nagoya, Hiroshima, etc). Just like in the states (with the west coast, east coast, midwest, etc) each of these islands has its own culture and personality.




Beppu is in Kyushu. I was shocked when I first got to Kyushu because there was actually trash on the ground. Also, in kyushu I have seeing fat Japanese people(Japanese people are very thin). It feels more laid back in Kyushu and a little bit more western. I notice children wearing baggy clothes with their boxers showing. I did not see this in Honshu at all. It is hard for me to understand if the lifestyle in Beppu is like all of Kyushu or simply Beppu. Beppu kind of has a little bit of a Vegas feel to it but less glamorous. There are many Pachinko Slots in Beppu (this is like Japanese gambling slot machines but uses silver balls. I don't quite understand it). There are also many strip clubs in Beppu (I have gone to none!) There seems to be a laid back vibe among the people and culture here.

Back to the original point, the festival has been really cool. Yesterday there was a fireworks display and a huge line of Japanese dancers all dressed in Yukatas (traditional Japanese summer wear that looks like robes). It was really cool. I love watching little children because this provides me with a door to the culture. Kids do as they please, as if no one is watching. I love watching them because they could just as easily be american. I see kids staring at trees and singing to themselves. I see them playing with each other. I see brothers and sisters annoying each other. I see kids getting excited about little things in their environment. It amazes me how similar yet different we all are.

Some of the dancers from the festival

This is rice wrapped in thin beef

f. Some food I got at the festival. I think it was fried chicken...



Tony (a fellow californian that is travelling around the world), Mathew (a hilarious German who has primarily gotten around Japan by hitchhiking) and I went to the farmers market and explored. One of the funny things is that we went to a convenient store. Mathew grabbed beers for all of us. When we got outside Mathew opened his beer up and started drinking. Tony and I looked at each other and said "you can do that?!" Mathew said "do what?" Tony and I quickly said "we got to take a picture of this!" Mathew started laughing. He said in Germany you can have an open container (just like in Japan) in public. To him it was no big deal. To us it was novelty.

Mathew Tony and I showing off our beers in public


Mathew saw these woman and told them "we must take a picture with you because of your beauty"

New Friends, Hot Springs, and Onsens in Beppu

Yesterday while I was in the Lobby I met a guy named Tony Sun. Tony is from Orange county and had recently quit his job to travel the world. Tony has traveled for the past 4 months all around Asia. He has been to Korea, Cambodia, Vietnam and now Japan (I am sure I am forgetting some of the other countries he has been). I asked him how long he plans to travel. He said he thinks it will probably take him about a year and a half to go all the places he wants to go. Tony inspired me because of his story. Tony had a good job back in the states. He has his MBA. He is 31 years old. He told me that he found himself getting a feeling in his gut this year that said "isn't there more out there then just this." He made the decision to quit his job and to travel.

Today Tony and I went to Kanawa (a nearby town of Beppu) and explored their hotsprings. The hotsprings are called "Jigokus". The translation of Jigoku is hell. They are called this because of their heat and color. We saw two hells. They were awesome to look at. One of them was a light sea blue. The other one was a deep red. The cool thing about these is that they are completely natural. The coloring occurs due to different chemical compositions of the ground and the water. Each Jigoku has it's own story. There are 8 different Jigokus but we only had time to see two of them. One of the really fun things was trying to find the Jigokus. They were fairly far apart from each other so we walked around the town quite a bit. This is a very small town and it was really interesting to see the town.

Tony and me in front of a jigoku

Me in front of a jigoku


This is a view of Kannawa

Of course after we went to the Jigokus we went to an Onsen. The onsen had 6 different types of baths. It had indoor onsens and outdoor onsens. The outdoor onsen was awesome. At one point it began to rain a little bit while I was sitting in the outside onsen. I love sitting outside in a warm onsen when it is raining… Yes I'm addicted.

Beppu

I got into Beppu on Friday July 23rd. Beppu is famous for it's Onsens and natural hotsprings. An Onsen is a Japanese bathing house. I would say that a Japanese onsen is like a large American hot tub. Except the water is made up of natural mineral water. To my surprise I have come to love Onsens. I have gone to an Onsen the last 2 days. Below are some pictures that I snuck of an Onsen I went to yesterday. I also took a quick video(bottom of the post).


This is a picture of the onsen


The Onsen I went to was in Kannawa. This is a small town that is near Beppu. The onse was outside and I was the only one there. It also had a very nice tea garden. After I hung out in the onsen for about 30 minutes I explored the tea garden. It was really nice and peaceful. It had some stairways that went up the hill pretty far. After I got pretty sweaty I went back to the onsen and chilled in it for about 45 minutes... I tell you I'm getting addicted. .

This is a picture of in the tea garden.

This is a quick video of the onsen. I'm not supposed to do this because people might be naked...