Mt. Fuji

In late August we decided that we could not possibly leave Japan without climbing Mt. Fuji. It is believed that all Japanese should make the venture once in their lifetime. Before we came to Japan I was really looking forward to it and made sure to bring all of my climbing gear from an ice axe to my crampons. It turns out there is no snow on Fuji during the summer rendering my all important climbing gear useless. Essentially all you need according to the various blogs and travel guides is a pair of good walking shoes, warm clothes, and a flash light. Armed with these basic necessities we headed out toward Japan's tallest peak.

The climb was unlike anything I have experienced. A set trail is lined by a chain-link fence all the way up to the peak and can offer some support for the rocky parts. About half the trail consists of scrambling up boulders. This boulder trail is lined by japanese huts located sporadically all the way up the mountain. These huts serve as a resting place for many tourists, and costs around 4000 yen for a two hour nap. They also act as restaurants and convenience stores. In true Japanese fashion, you can buy beer at the summit. Nothing like a nice cold one sitting at 12,388 ft above sea level.

Overall the climb was not too terribly difficult, however, the lines of people approaching the summit got to be a little annoying to say the least. We encountered many tour groups on the way up, mostly consisting of elderly and out of shape climbers that were boldly fulfilling their destiny of climbing the great Mt. Fujisan . It was slow going as you get trapped behind them. Several times Kim and I had to stop as we were literally getting sleepy and dizzy, mostly due to altitude, but partly because I could not get my heart rate up beyond resting state. On top of the dismal crawl up the slopes the tour guides made sure they were heard by screaming directions all the way up. Due to these factors and the fact that sitting on top of a mountain peak freezing our butts off did not sound too appealing, the trip up took about 6 hrs (start 10pm, end 4am).

At the summit it is packed with people waiting for sunrise. We did not take any pics on the way up since it was completely pitch black. Sunrise at the summit is beautiful, but be warned it does get rather chilly. I could not sit still as my feet were completely frozen. Apparently the cold weather is leading cause of death on Mt. Fuji such as the incident this year where two climbers died of hypothermia in July at 34 degrees Fahrenheit. How they managed to die of hypothermia at that temperature and no one helped them is beyond me. Oh and I forgot to mention that in addition to the numerous huts on top of the summit there is also a post office!

Now I had done my fair share of research before the climb and even inquired with people who have climbed it before to ensure that we were prepared and in for a good time. From what I gathered from various sources everyone came to the same consensus on all details and noting in passing that the walk down wasn't exactly a good time. I really wasn't concerned about the walk down as it usually is not a fun endeavor in any climb you do. You are tired, your feet hurt, and it seems to last forever. People failed to mention that the way down Fuji, really sucks!!!! No one, and I mean no one put an emphasis to say, "the way down is a freaking nightmare!" The trail you take down consists of probably 100 switchbacks, with blocks of ten switchbacks visible to the naked eye. Once you reach the end of that ten, you peer over and low and behold another 10 switchbacks. This continues for about 2- 4 hrs (we did it in 3 hrs) all the way down. On top of this you are hiking in sand-like dirt with mixed gravel. The rocks grind into the base of your heal and manage to settle inside your shoes causing you to stop every five or so switchbacks to dump the collection of volcanic rumble. To make matters worse dust gets kicked up into your eyes rendering you blind partially down the climb.

I think my feet are permanently damaged. I had a pair of old trail running shoes that were fairly worn out. I definitely suffered, but not as bad as the guy wearing his pristine new white sneakers that thought it was a great idea to break in his new sneaks by climbing a mountain. I remember sitting up on top of the summit and Kim asked me why some of these Japanese guys were wearing gators, and I thought "well there is no snow, and no forest, they must be stupid." Or freaking geniuses!!! haha

If you climb Fuji here is my recommendation. Wear solid hiking shoes with gators, and bring a pair of trekking poles. If you have these three simple items the climb down Fuji will be a breeze and you won't have the negative perception that Kim and I will always have of the Mt. Fuji climb. I also recommend to climb during the day and catch sunset. It might be a little hot, but you will avoid lines and literally scale the mountain in half the time.

Madness at the summit





Crater at the summit. Directly across is the highest point on the mountain.

Hordes of Japanese watching sunrise.

$100 says Kim is making peace signs underneath her gloves.

Standing at the summit.



Fuji san casting its shadow.



This pic is of people approaching the summit as we make our treacherous descent down the endless switchbacks.

Look at her, she's miserable. Just plain lost all hope.

This @%#$L@ sucks!

View from the bottom of the switchbacks from hell

Temblor shakes Tokyo!

If you are wondering about the odd title; it is the title of the article found on Japanese Times Online documenting that what we felt last night was our first legitimate earthquake to actually make the news. At first I thought the word "temblor" was just another example of japlish until I looked it up. To my surprise it actually does mean "earthquake." Look at that, you learn something new everday.

Kim and I have both felt our fair share of tremors during our stay in Tokyo, but most were fairly minor and lasted a mere ten seconds or so. Last night, however, was quite a different experience. This one felt significantly stronger. It really wasn't enough to knock things over, but it was enough for us to start questioning the integrity of the building, and leap for a doorway. It was a pretty scary feeling to just stand there, and feel utterly helpless while mother nature took its hold on the building. The quake seemed like it lasted for 3 minutes, but more realistically probably only for 45 seconds.

I always wondered what it would feel like. Now that I know, I hope that was the last.

Camping? (Long lost blog)

(Here's an old post that I wrote, got lazy with attaching pictures, and pretty much never posted it. Enjoy!)

Kim and I took a little camping trip with some friends up by Mt. Fuji around mid May. Our friend Taleb rented a car and we were off for a new adventure. I have been dying to go camping ever since we landed in Japan. I had all the necessary camping equipment to ensure our comfort and safety, medical kit-check, gas stove-check, sleeping bag-check, rope-check, dynamite-check, emergency bivy-check etc. Kim thinks I'm a bit too over-prepared, but to hell with that you just never know when a grizzly is going to attack! A man must be prepared for anything. The car ride was about, I don't know maybe 2 1/2 or 3 hrs, but time flew by when you are surrounded by good company. Clayton was designated DJ and we played a game of 'guess which movie the music by John Williams is from.' You may think you don't know who John Williams is (I didn't), but trust me, you do know who he is you just don't know it yet. The man is a genius!

After a few detours we arrived at the campsite at around 2 PM. The site was a beautiful lake surrounded by mountains. It was visually stunning, and completely not what I was expecting. Scenic, yes, hotels and bungalows completely surrounding the lake? .... not so much. Not exactly escaping civilization, but it was away from the madness of Tokyo and that is all that matters. When we arrived it basically started raining. Those that were originally going to camp decided to throw in the towel against the elements and sleep in a bungalow. Everyone tried to convince us to stay in the bungalow as well, but I was having none of it. By God we are freaking camping! I did not care if a typhoon came through I was determined to sleep in my tent. Kim being the best fiance a man could ask for stood by her man and we set out to put together our tent.

From about 3 PM on we basically started to eat and drink the day and night away. Taleb marinated pounds and pounds of meat with spices from his home country of Bangladesh. Wee Li, Nix, and Imelda fixed up some fine Singaporean cuisine. It was awesome! We ate so much food it was ridiculous. At one point we even had a card game where instead of taking a drink you had to eat food (thanks Wee LI). I do have to give thanks to Franky for doing a most excellent job of manning the grill.

As for our thrilling night of camping I hardly slept a wink. The rain picked up and pelted the tent, not to mention I thought it was a bright idea to set the tent under some brush to theoretically lighten the blow of the ensuing rain. The rain may have abated a bit as a result, but it didn't stop the wind swept branches from colliding with our tent all night long. Needless to say I've had a better nights sleep and I couldn't help but feel a bit jealous of our friends emerging from the bungalow fresh and rested.

We left the campsite around noon and headed off to Tokyo, but not before taking a quick bath at an Onsen (hot spring) and sampling a bit of the local flavor. The Onsen we went to was equivalent to a really nice spa. The guys broke off from gals into our respective locker rooms. Here you strip down butt naked with your friends, dignity towel in hand, and take a shower next to each other at these little stands (If you have ever seen Mr. Baseball you will get the idea). Coming from the USA this is a rather awkward experience to be hanging out with your boys ... naked. Then you go and relax in the various hot tubs. After the spa treatment we sat down for nice meal of udon noodles with a side of raw horse sashimi. Believe it or not raw horse tastes just like beef. You dip it in a little ginger and soy sauce and you have pretty delicious meal. Cheers!

The Japanese waiting outside a pachinko parlor at 7 am!

Geared up and ready to go

Not entirely sure what I'm doing



Eating Kimi

Crayton, Sang ho, Yu-chan, Kimi!!, Imelda

Skipping rocks

After I'm done poking you I shall thwack you with this ladle!

So I asked Yu-chan to look as gangster as possible and this is what I got. Yu-chan you would make a terrible gangster :P

Warming our buns

The Gang (on the left Yu, Sang ho, Crayton. On right Imelda, Nix, Taleb, and Franky)

Our mighty tent

Imelda, Wee Li, and Yu-chan

Eating Udon Noodles (at least I think that's what it was)

Ahh nothing like a little raw horse sashimi to top off a hearty meal. Yummay!!!!

Views around the lake

Fertility Festival

April was a big month for Kim and I. Not only did Kimi turn the big two six, but we got out and about with friends and explored the stranger side of Japan. We went to the Fertility Festival or as most of us Gai Jin know it as the "Penis Festival." It is a celebration of manhood. The men parade around in low cut kimonos with sumo type undies. They hoot and holler as they raise giant phallic symbol shrines into the air. The best part about the festival is the things they sell, from penis pops to penis key chains. You could even buy a daikon (Japanese giant white radish) in the shape of a dong. Overall I wouldn't recommend going to the festival. It was literally packed with Gai Jin, and everyone is pushing and shoving to buy their most favorite Penis memorabilia. I must say it was quite unpleasant. However eating Korean food afterwards with Wee Li, Imelda, Nix, and Renee made it all worth it.

Kim and I also went to an Irish games festival with a soccer team that I played with a couple of times and got a shot at attempting to play a little Gaelic football. I admit that I was absolutely terrible at it, but Kim gave a good showing with her blinding speed. I could go through the painful effort of trying to describe it to you, or you could just click on the hyperlink and read about it. I choose the latter, enjoy.

Last but not least we had our second BBQ event in Tokyo. It was on the same river as our first one, but this time we had a luxury not often found in Tokyo......grass. That's right, good old fashioned natural turf found all over most parts of the world, but seemingly missing from Tokyo. Everyone chilled out for golden week by bringing lots of food and drink and just having some fun in the sun. Will and Clayton provided entertainment by playing the guitar and trumpet while we all sang along to such familiar tunes as John Mellencamp's "Cherry Bomb."

If there is one thing I love about living abroad it is being part of the expat community. You meet so many people from all over the world, and instantly friendships develop. After a soccer match one day I was having a few beers with the boys and had an Englishman to my left, a Kiwi to my right, and a French, Irish and Canadian sitting across from me. You can imagine the fantastic conversations that were shared over a tall glass of cat piss (Japanese beer). Basically everyone prepared to make fun of the lone Frenchman...."um who liberated France again?????" All in good fun and he took it well. I'm sure the Irishman took a couple stabs at me, but I really couldn't understand what the hell he was saying. Good times

Does anyone know where I can find a keychain of a monkey holding a giant penis?
.....those aren't women.....
All these people were pushing and shoving to see some spectacle, so I held up the camera in the air to see what it was. Basically it is a girl riding a rather large wooden dong. Apparently it gives you good luck in the baby making department.
The outfit of the shrine carriers.
The gang: Wee Li, Imelda, Nix, Kim, and David the Glorious

They come in all shapes and sizes.
Kimi tearing it up at Gaelic Football. She is the one with the ball. You can literally see the fear from her opponents.
The Gaelic Football Team
Kim and Clayton doing their Asian thing

Yu-chan and Renee enjoying the finest Chu hi in the land
John is a grilling machine
See I wasn't lying, grass!
Yohei......I think he's drunk
Kim, Rie-chan, and Renee
Terry explaining "G-Bangers" to Yohei

Will singing away

Hanami

Hanami, translated literally means "flower viewing." This the term for going out and looking at cherry blossoms in bloom. I always wondered what was the deal with the Japanese and their cherry blossoms. I mean its a tree with flowers. It would be like driving through the blue ridge mountains and seeing the leaves change in autumn. whoopedy do! You've seen it, its beautiful, move on. It wasn't until I came to Japan that I discovered the true spiritual nature of Hanami. It's not about the flowers and how the trees are lined up to create a beautiful array of color that stimulates the mind, body and soul. No no, its much more than that. Its about throwing a tarp or blanket down with your friends anywhere there is a cherry blossom tree. Everyone brings food and lots of "beverages." It turns into an all out party in Japan for about two weeks. Kim and I celebrated our Hanami in Naka Meguro on a Friday night. We spent it with some of her co-workers and literally we had a tarp down on a sidewalk just eating, drinking and socializing.....good times.

I saw literally a group of about 30 people on a Monday night behind our apartment in our hideous gravel park that contains one cherry blossom tree celebrating Hanami. I have to say I truly embraced Hanami, what a fantastic event. We also went to Shinjuku Koen to view the cherry blossoms there and I must say that is probably one of the the nicest parks I've been to. Extremely well landscaped and the cherry blossoms were not half bad either. All pics are from Shinjuku Koen.

The legions of people celebrating Hanami
Look at the beautiful cherry blossom it is glorious!




Ninja kicks