A View from the Top

Last weekend I climbed Mt. Hakusan, thus completing my climb of Japan's "Three Holy Mountains "(along with Mt. Tateyama and Mt. Fuji). This was by far the most beautiful climb, although it was the most difficult. The weather was good for the entire climb, and despite the serious muscle pain I'm now feeling, it was a worthwhile experience.

The torii gate at the beginning of the trail.

This is the trail near the top of the mountain. It took around 5 hours to climb (that's out of shape asthmatic speed for those keeping score).

This is the lodge where we stayed near the top before the final ascent to see the sunrise. The tiny bump in the middle of the mountain is the shrine at the very top.

Unlike the vast nothingness surrounding Mt. Fuji, Hakusan is part of a mountain range.

The clouds looked like the ocean at sunset.

Sunset near the top.

Sunrise at the peak.

Will, Yuka and I at the summit.

Me at the top around 5am.

Unlike the lazy, disgruntled monks at the top of Mt. Tateyama, two monks climbed to the top of the mountain for sunrise to say a prayer.

The shrine and prayer at the top.


Me perched atop a precarious rock on the way down.


The view from atop the rock.


The kind of beauty God must look at every morning.

Two weeks ago I had a week's vacation and traveled around the island of Shikoku. When I have some time, I'll post some of those pics and anything else I find from the last month or so.

"What are you anyways?"

I've been asked by several people, as all travelers are inevitably asked, "Why did you came to Japan?" And for the most part, the answer is mood dependent. It runs the gamut from "I like sushi" to "I want to find myself, and become more independent". I suppose the second answer is more to the point. Recently I came across an animated short that really sums up the true answer for me.

What are you Anyways?

Although I can't say I identify with all of the themes in the film, the title alone struck home for me. When I was 10, a girl a little younger than me approached me on the street and asked me, word for word, "What are you anyways?" I replied "human". She didn't understand, decided for herself that I was Native American, and walked away.

Being here has answered a lot of questions, some of which I never thought to ask before, but most importantly it has answered the question posed in the above film.

What am I anyways?

Canadian. 110%

Things I've Mounted Lately...

Last Weekend, myself and a few brave souls climbed Tateyama. This is the second of the three Holy Mountains in Japan I've stood on the peak of (after Mt. Fuji) . That tiny bump slightly right of centre is over 3000m high and the goal of the climb. It also has a shrine and a place to spend money.

This is the early trip optimism shot while we were on the trolley going up the mountain. We started our climb around 2400m up.

The journey begins...

We had to stop several times on the path to let people pass. It was barely wide enough for one. That kid up there slipped and fell right in front of Graeme, and so we did what any good person would. We laughed at him.

This is the section we climbed in the dark. On the bottom right is the lodge where we stayed the night. The hump in the middle is the tease that makes you think you're at the top, but you're so not. The top left is where the monks were surprisingly unappreciative of us dropping in at 5am.

Although we woke up at 3am and climbed in the pitch dark to see the sunrise, there was nothing but gray fog at the summit. So this beautiful sunset shot will have to suffice.

The shrine at the top. It looks like we're about to pass through the gate from purgatory into our respective destinations.

Me and Will at the very very top. Looking cold.

Gaijin in the mist

Although it's early July, there's still 2m of snow on the ground. I climbed all of this in running shoes.

Onward to Hell. After we came back down the mountain, we decided to trek through hell. It's actually a large sulfur pit called Jigokudani (Hell Valley). It smelled like rotten eggs and the clouds were strong enough to tarnish my silver ring.

Graeme and Will, go to hell.

There were sirens on all of the paths to warn you if you were about to suffocate from all of the gas. There were also several warning signs, such as this one telling us not to punch the clouds...

But Graeme did it anyways.

I call this the devil's chimney.

Greetings from the stinkiest place on earth. Wish you were here.

More Tateyama fun at Graeme's blog

Happy Canada Day!

Poutine in Japan!

Those of you reading this comfortably in Canada can’t appreciate how difficult it is to make poutine in Japan. First off, the gravy came to Japan in dried packet form from Canada, because it’s next to impossible to find gravy in Japan. Secondly, cheese is 3 – 4 times as expensive in Japan, and you can’t get real cheese curds. We had to settle for pizza cheese. We also opted to cut the fries ourselves because no one has an oven, so a cookie sheet of McCain crinkle cuts is out of the question.

Our previous attempts had been a combination of frozen McDonalds style fries, demi-glaze sauce (which, although brown is definitely not gravy), and convenience store cheese snacks (which, to our chagrin, were not actually cheese, but some sort of processed fish cheese substance). Needless to say when we attempted to consume it, somewhere a Canadian flag spontaneously burst into flames.

But with this triumph, we have spread the joy of poutine and restored out Canadian honour.

A blog for all seasons 1

The rainy season is now upon us here in Japan, so naturally, I’ll be spending the next week holed up in my apartment building an ark. And in true Japanese style it will be small and fuel efficient. I thought in honour of the crappy weather, and my having been here for over a year, I’d show you Kanazawa in different seasons.

This is the lantern at Oyama Shrine.

Teenage Mutant Ninja Bread

In general, when people think of Japanese food, rice and fish come to mind. However, European bakeries are very popular in Japan, my two favourites being 'Vie de France' and 'German Bakery'. Since most people don't have ovens, these are the places to go for baked goods, and due to their unfortunate convenience, are an easy way to gain 10 pounds.

This little guy is a meronpan (melon bread). They aren't usually shaped like turtles, nor do they taste like melon. They have a hard outer layer that makes them look like a cantaloupe, hence the name. They're slightly sweet and easy to eat, and occasionally adorable.

Tea for Two

Last weekend I attended a tea ceremony at Seison-kaku, a villa built in the 1800’s for the mother of the reigning lord at the time. The building is located in Kenrokuen, the garden Kanazawa is famous for. The room is seldom used in order to properly preserve it, and this historical consideration is said to improve the ceremony.

I decided to wear (and purchase) a kimono for the occasion, since it was on my to-do-list while I was in Japan.

The type of kimono I’m wearing is a Furisode (translation: swinging sleeves). These kimono are made of brightly coloured silk and are worn by young, unmarried women, usually at their coming of age ceremony when they’re 20 years old. These kimono can cost as much as a small car (around ¥1,000,000 or $10,000 US), but I bought mine at a used kimono shop, so it was considerably less. I also bought the embroidered obi (sash), and the tabi (split toed socks) for the occasion.

A special thanks to Kazuyo’s mother for dressing me. It’s a lot more involved than it looks.