Asuke Revisited

We took off to Asuke on what promised to be a beautiful, sunny, warm day. Once again the promise of sakura was in the air. The drive was fabulous because the mountains were just barely tinged with a hint of pink. Asuke itself was in ready for action. The entire entrance was filled with vendors, all trying to sell you various handmade crafts, some exquisite and others that were…well…interesting.
Even though we have been there a number of times, we still discovered new things. They have a wonderful restaurant in the back of the traditional village – and it’s all Tofu!!! I was thrilled. It was truly delightful. We tried out a number of different things on the menu and were delighted with all of them.

Visiting Japan

This has been quite a week, taking Mom around to all of our favorite places here in Japan. We began with a trip to Nagoya Castle where the Sakura blossoms are attempting to bloom. The entire country is on edge just waiting for the day to come. Every place is set up, waiting for the blooms and all of the crowds that will follow.
Nagoya Castle was quiet still…a few blossoms to ooh and ah about but the promise is there. This particular weekend they had a number of programs already in place. Numerous groups were playing for the, admittedly, small crowds. We did get to see a ninja presentation that was very entertaining, even though it was all done in Japanese. They were quite good and very funny.

Izu Coastline

The trip home was plagued with rain but the advantage was it kept the tourists home. We had a delightful trip following the coastline and viewing some of the spectacular scenery.

Izu Peninsula

Jeff decided that Gabby, our navie system, needed an outing so we took off for a long weekend on the Izu Peninsula. It’s one of the hot spots to travel to here in Japan and particularly popular with the folks in Tokyo because it is so close. We learned, through a prolonged, attempted, sightseeing excursion one afternoon, that the eastern side of the peninsula is actually one large parking lot. Fortunately, there is an inland route to get to the tip and we used it on the way down. There is even a spiral bridge on the road…we made 2 complete revolutions coming down the bridge…just like in a parking lot but free-standing in the middle of nowhere!!!
Except for our rather dull crawl up the coast (we gave up after 2 hours-took us a while to figure out it was pointless), we spent most of our time in Shimoda.
History alert!!! This city/port is the location where the American Black Ship, (Kurofune in Japanese), entered in the 19th century. Prior to this there was a national isolation policy which had preserved Japanese heritage by making any exchange with foreign countries illegal. Whew! end of lesson.
The port and the surrounding areas are gorgeous. We spent most of the morning hiking between Shimoda lighthouse, Tsumekizaki and Sazaki, a neighboring fishing village with its own, smaller lighthouse. It was our only sunny day and the view and scenery was spectacular.
Later, we took the ropeway up to the top of the hill that overlooks the port where the Black Ship entered. They have a lot of information about that first contact. It’s interesting…we’ve been told that school books here portray Perry with a slightly wild look to him….

Home delivery

We came upon this truck, unloading large machinery, on our way out of our ryokan. The road is quite wide at this point, but he's using the whole thing. We had never seen a truck up in the air like this. The man was very quick as he switched two machines, bowing to us as he raced from one to the other. When he finally brought the truck back down to a more normal setting he bowed once more and then quickly moved the truck.

Those wide streets

Here's a picture of our car coming up a two-way street! (it's actually the road to the ryokan as well as a number of homes) Obviously, you’ve got to wait your turn. THEY race up and down it…we crawled. To top it off, it’s roughly a 110 degree turn into this road.

Unique Signage

There are some things that are just very different here in Japan. One is the stray road sign you might just encounter.....

The sunsets were outstanding. We had a hotel with a view of the setting sun and was it ever a treat to watch it nightly. The colors, the peace, the serenity, the cows…it was definitely a picture perfect opportunity.

Fish Zoo

One thing we did get to do on the boat excursions was to stop by a fish market. Not the run of the mill market we think of…it was kinda like a zoo as well as a market place. They had some fish that were there just to show the tourists…hence the picture of me feeding a manta ray!! It fluttered up to take the food, though I have to admit I dropped the food more than I actually got it in the guys mouth! The kids were much better at it.

Island Hopping in Malaysia

The claim is that Malaysia is the land of 100 islands and the Langkawi area certainly works at providing its portion of the 100. It is surrounded by a large number of small islands, some of them very, very small islands, imagine car size. We spent one day on an island hopping tour, again on one of the small boats, though this time with about 10 other people. This time they took us to some of the small islands to spend some time. The day was gorgeous so we had a wonderful time soaring through the water, smacking into the backwash from other speeding boats and having water splashed up into the boat as the drivers raced to the first island. I actually think their goal was to get to the island as fast as possible because then they got to lie back on the boat for and hour or so while all of us crazy tourists took a walk UP the hill to the small lake hidden in the jungle. Well..it’s actually not hidden very well because there’s a walkway heading up to it, complete with toilet facilities (that you pay for), drink stand (no ice) and, when you get to this hidden lake, they have paddle boats available for only a small fee. So much for back to nature.

After their siesta, we visited a beach for more swimming and lounging around, us on the beach, them in their boats. Here again they had a food hut…perhaps the destinations were chosen by the availability of facilities to fleece the tourist??? It was pleasant to swim, the water warm, the beach clean (for a beach) and I just like being warm and in the sun!!!

Bats in Malaysia

Bats! We got to see bats in their caves!!! We cruised on the little river boat up to “Crocodile Rock”. There they manipulated the boat INTO the mouth of the cave, coming very close to the top of our boat. However, we were well rewarded with a view of bats roosting inside the ‘belly’ of the crocodile. They also took us to a nearby cave where we could walk through and see the limestone caverns along with hundreds of bats. On my side of the lantern, it was cool to see so many bats up in the far reaches of the cave. I’m sure on the other side of the light, the bats were not too pleased to be disturbed in the middle of their night. Some fussed and watched us pass, others just snuggled into their wings and attempted to ignore us.
With over 100 different species of bats in Malaysia, I have no idea which bats we had the opportunity to disturb.

Mangrove Swamps

Mangroves happen to be the weirdest trees I’ve ever seen. They look like they have these long, spindly legs that they stand on, almost like they’re ready to walk out of the swamp on their own.
Now…since the rest of us don’t have boats or the knowledge of the swamps and the swamps have all these crocodiles and snakes and bats and insects living in there (it’s a cool swamp), they have come up with a fool proof way to treat/fleece all of the tourists…excursions into the swamps. Our two guides took us off into the mangrove swamp, first stop watching the eagles feed. Now we were totally impressed. The eagles were circling overhead, performing aerial tricks, swooping in, latching onto small fish…the perfect photo opportunity. I just had to know what fish was in such plentiful supply to have so many eagles all in one place, repeatedly diving in for the kill. Well…it’s a very rare species designed to convince tourists that the eagles always congregate in one spot to eat their favorite food…chicken skins.

Langkawi Island

Langkawi ! An island paradise! Blue sky! Blue sea! Rainforests, waterfalls, mangroves, and, most of all…WARMTH.
Our hotel was like a step back in time - right out of Swiss Family Robinson. Old wooden building, wooden shutters and a view of the forest that was totally relaxing and welcoming. It was such a treat to wake up to the birds and clean smells and delightful scenery every morning.

News Flash from Japan

OK...you've got to check out Nancy's blog about their trip to Japan. It's absolutely fabulous. You can find it at: http://www.nancyoster.blogspot.com/
She has included lots of the Engrish available here in Japan.

Petronus Towers

The fabled Petronus towers, the tallest in the world for a little while at least, are cool, towering, gigantic, colossal and absolutely magnificent. Standing below them and looking up makes you want to fall over backwards! They seem to spiral as they rise, making them appear to be taller and taller, almost reaching into the stratosphere. It’s hard to get a picture of them that really shows how awesome they are.
Inside is a food court to beat all food courts. The variety of foods is unbelievable and any kind of eating beliefs, preferences or restrictions can be met and any finicky eater pleased. We spent a long time just looking at the variety, Indian, Pakistan, Chinese (a couple of kinds), Malay, Pilipino, and who knows what else. Before we could even decide what to choose we had to go around a few times!
We had hoped to go up to the skywalk but, alas, you must have a ticket. You can sign up for one the night before and they hand out tickets at 8:30 in the morning - if you don’t get one of the tickets then, you don’t get to go up. Just a warning…plan ahead….

Kuala Lumpur

T’was the middle of vacation
And all through the house
All the heaters were running
To warm up the …
Freezing people within!

I do believe we left the land of the freezing sun at the perfect time. The cold was seeping into our bones and we all needed to be warmed…While Nancy and Dave returned to the sea and sun in Santa Barbara, we headed to the sea and sun in Malaysia.
Just the name, Kuala Lumpur, conjures up pictures of mystery and the exotic and indeed we found it. Our friend Robert helped us through the first hurdle…the mystery of getting past the myriad of taxi drivers, all attempting to give us a ride…and for MANY different prices. They followed you like porters on a train, each hoping you’d change your mind as they changed the price, each trying to out bargain the other. We’d have fallen for the first ruse if we hadn’t had Robert along to keep us moving.
While Jeff and Robert took off for a day in the electronic stores, Maria and I tackled the subway system for a trip into Kuala Lumpur, through a mosque, street markets and finally the famous Petronus Towers.
Malaysia represents a mixture of many different peoples and beliefs…Indians, Malays, Chinese, Hindis, Muslims, Christians and tourists to cover just a few. It’s remarkable to walk down the street and see the confusing swirl of colors and costumes and listen to the blending of the languages and the smells! The foods were sumptuous!
They allow all people to come and view the gardens around the mosque…and they even provide the head scarves and a long robe so that you’re appropriately attired to enter. It’s interesting…the women need to be covered but the men could wear shorts or whatever and they were fine.

More Snow!

Here are some more pictures of the snow taken from the house.

SNOW!!

Oh my gosh! Did we ever have the snow-globe Christmas! We had assured Nancy and Dave that the weather here was cold, but not really too bad. Thank goodness they came with LOTS of warm clothing. We had a dusting on Saturday before they arrived but it really wasn’t too bad, enough to be pretty, a bit nippy but nice. Well…I guess that Japan thought they needed a bit more of a welcome. We woke up Monday morning to 6 inches of fresh snow. It was absolutely gorgeous but cold!! We decided quite quickly that staying home was a VERY good idea.

Kyoto Silver Pavilion

We had the opportunity to travel once again to Kyoto, this time with Nancy and Dave. We decided to take off to the east side of the city and take in the “Silver Pavilion” as well as a stroll down the “Philosopher’s Walk”
First, the Ginkaku-ji temple is misnamed. It translates to the ‘silver pavilion’ but it has never been silver. The story goes that it was supposed to be silver someday but it never seemed to happen. The shogun who built it really wanted it to be his retirement villa. The lower floor is very small and was supposed to be the “living” quarters. Apparently the 2nd floor actually had a Buddhist image and was eventually changed into a temple. The temple itself is quite small and modest but the garden is spectacular. Once you are past the pavilion, you enter the garden itself.
The garden is actually divided into two parts, though it doesn’t really start out with a garden like we usually imagine. It is a “karaesanisui” garden or a ‘dry’ garden. First you get a view of a cone shaped structure that rises about 2 meters. It is called a “kogetsudai” or ‘moon-viewing platform’. It is supposed to resemble Mount Fuji but it really requires a bit of imagination. After Mt. Fuji, you come to a ‘garden’ that is actually a 2-foot high platform that is sculpted to be a “sea”. Once again, imagination is required. It’s a sand structure with alternating “waves” and flat sections. The labor required to maintain the structure must be spectacular. It really is pleasing to look at and easy to get lost in. Though it’s amazing at any time of the day, it is said the best view of the garden is at night with a full moon shining on the sand, making it truly resemble a calm, peaceful, silver sea. Unfortunately, I had to copy that from the brochure information because alas, we were there during the day and I’ll have to take their word for it.
After this you walk through a more traditional garden, complete with fabulous, manicured trails, perfect trees and groomed moss (yes, I know…it’s the stuff we in the Pacific NW usually wage war against. I’ve come to have a new appreciation of it). The number of varieties and their infinite colors is really pretty spectacular. There are a number of beautiful pools and waterfalls as you wind your way through the grounds. It would be quite easy to sit for a long time to enjoy it.
The Philosopher’s Walk was delightful. There is a small canal complete with trees and gardens and, of course, the tiny shops. We strolled down the path, taking in the old structures, meandering through the stores and checking out the street food. It was way too cold to have many of them open but we took advantage of the ones that were.

Korea!!!

Korea

It’s amazing how many places you end up going to just because you CAN. I have to admit, that’s one of the best things about living in Asia.
Now I must admit, I never really thought about going to Korea before we moved here. It is supposed to be a shopper’s paradise and many tours take shopping crazed people over there. Boy do they ever fill the streets!!! Not only that, we took the Queen of Shopping with us! Janet (our counselor at school) absolutely loves shopping and was truly in her element, weaving through the throngs of people and booths across Seoul. Nothing like learning from the master!
The city has a cool “City Bus Tour” service that allows you to get on and off the bus for the entire day for only $10. It’s really a great deal. Now, knowing that people come to Korea to shop…guess where some of the stops are???? Well, you got it…it’s the major shopping areas!!! We did not (thankfully) hit all of them but the ones we did were definitely colorful, noisy, and interesting. The first one we hit was the Itaewon area – actually…we went to Itaewon every day we were there!!! They have regular shops along with street vendors selling just about anything you could imagine wanting to buy. The streets are packed with people from all over the world. We were impressed that so many people spoke at least some English, and some quite a bit (far more than I could respond in Korean…TaeKwonDo only provided us with a few useful phrases). Unlike Vietnam, these people were very polite and friendly and while some tried to ‘push’ a bit, they were very calm about it and took “no” for an answer.
Janet is an avid Harley-Davidson rider and has a mission to locate every Harley-Davidson store in the world to take a picture of it – with her in it - and buy some shirts from them. Well…the Seoul HD store happens to be near Itaewon so we took a VERY cheap taxi ride out to it (it was actually only a few long blocks away).
Yongsan Station was Jeff’s love…it was the electronics market area. Janet and I walked around the area while Jeff enjoyed a trip up and down the many floors, dreaming of all that was available.
We did manage to squeeze in a couple of cultural stops…we went to Namsangol, a traditional Korean Village. They had preserved some of the old houses with courtyards and small garden areas around. There’s a larger, more developed one that we just didn’t have time to visit…maybe next time. There are many similarities to Japanese structures with the open doorways, shoes removed and gates at the entranceways. We also saw the Gyeongbkgung Palace. A spectacular palace in a beautiful setting, juxtaposed between stately, modern buildings and vast mountain vistas. Truly a great setting, yet sad to see it encroached upon. Alas…seems to be a problem everywhere.
Not to let you think we passed up on the shopping….we did go to two other huge market areas. The Namdaemun is absolutely gigantic (please forgive me if I’ve named the wrong one…I truly can’t keep the names straight). Anyway….this place is really two shopping areas. One is nothing but street markets, packed so tightly it’s next to impossible to weave your way between the vendors, the stalls, the people, the food…it’s like Otovalo compressed into 2 blocks. Unbelievable!! We ate in one of the many booths there…they did call us in and served us pretty traditional Korean food (of which Jeff, bless his heart, saved me from the meat portions of the dish). Janet and I spent quite a bit longer there while Jeff decided to go back to Yongsan Station (gee, I wonder why). The other section is a HUGE department store type area where you can truly shop until you drop. Apparently they re-open at something like midnight and you can shop until 5:00 AM. We went through it at a far more normal hour.
I couldn’t leave Seoul without a look at the Kukkiwan, the Tae Kwon Do headquarters. I truly expected the place to be closed…it was Sunday when we had the chance to go there. Much to my surprise the place was open and FULL of cars and people. It turns out it was the weekend for the Hanmadang 2005 and we wandered into the opening ceremony!!! I could have watched the forms and sparring all day! There was something pretty special to make it there and actually walk around inside!