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.

Japan = the patch

According to David Sedaris (who writes hilarious short stories by the way) the best way to quit smoking is to move to Japan and learn Japanese for 3 months. He also discusses the hilarious ashtray pictures from my previous post with Jon Stewart, who finds them just as funny as I do. Enjoy.

Smoke baby pt. 3

Recently in Japan, cigarette vending machines have begun to require special age verification "Taspo" cards to purchase cigarettes. It turns out they're a pain in the ass to obtain, so a Japanese company is planning to use face scanning technology to determine age.

Cigarette machines may get face scanners

So in honour of this new technology, here's more advertisment poetry to get lung cancer by.

(I carry a 700C fire in my hand with people walking all around me.)

(click to enlarge)

A little, law mentor

People who translate professionally require a great deal of training because each language has differing grammar and syntax, nuances and slang. This is why, if you run webpages through the Google translator, they often don’t make any sense. Similar mistakes are often made by students who attempt to express themselves using only an electronic dictionary, often to amusing ends.

This principle was applied to a classic Japanese fairy tale, “The Inch High Samurai”. The text was translated from old Japanese, into English, and then back into modern Japanese. So here’s the story of “A Little Law Mentor”

It is ancient times. The close couple who was not blessed with child treasure lived in a certain village of Osaka. "God, even a child like a fingertip doesn't mind. Please give it if you please." Every day, the married couple put together and did a hand prayer in God of Sumiyoshi grand shrine. Then, 2 peoples are surprised because the baby of a fingertip limit is really born. The baby was named A little, law mentor, and it was very loved.

Whether they're some years has passed. However, A little, law mentor doesn't grow at all. Such certain day and A little, law mentor said. "Father, mother, and I want to become a respectable adult in the capital. I will go out to travel in the future." "It was wrapped hard." A little, law mentor pricks the waist with a sword of a pin, rides in a boat of a bowl, uses chopsticks as a paddle and takes a travel. Day of rain and of wind rose, pool river finally to arrive to the capital of the capital, they were possible.

When I walked with the brassiere, brassiere, it came out to the very big Mister's mansion. "Hello hello, as for me A little law mentor. I want to meet the Mister by all means." When A little law mentor was found, the Mister liked him by a look. "Ho-ho, this is he who seems fascinating. The favorite just is be here."

The mister had a princess of one. "Charming one" The princess likes A little, law mentor very much, compose and study a song and any time collaboration. A little, law mentor is also frantic in meeting the expectation of a princess.

A matter of a certain day, the princess was accompanied by A little, law mentor and went for the worship to the Merciful Goddess. Then I am a thing of the return road.

Large two bogles showed suddenly and attacked the princess. "Oh dear, this is a beautiful damsel. I will monopolize it."

"Rude bad bogles, this A little, law mentor is a partner, preparedness margin!"

"A little, law mentor extracts the sword of a pin from the waist and is skipping to the bogles.

"It is an impudent boy. Your something eating. The bogle picked up crib, A little, law mentor and has swallowed it. But, A little, law mentor runs intensely while the sword of the pin is being stuck in the stomach of bogle. "Ray and ray hi!" The bogle cannot bear. " I am painful, and this is a Japanese syllabary bowl. "The bogle escaped at full speed, when A little, law mentor was breathed out.

After the bogles escaped, a mallet rolled. "Oh, this is a dollar spinner that everything says a desire is realized." "The princess, please enlarge my back with this dollar spinner." "That the height of that which is big Kiku, A little, law mentor is big Kiku." Ton Caroline Ton Caroline. In the degree where the priness shakes the dollar spinner, the back is extended rapidly.

A little, law mentor became overnight a splendid young man. Afterwords, A little, law mentor was to call parents in the capital, and to have lived happily with the princess indefinetely.
A Happy ending.