Japan - Hakone

The next stop was Hakone. 

Day 1

Hakone welcomed us with even more rain - more then we expected. Right, and we had to take a public transportation into the heart of the district. So completely wet first we took the train, and then the bus, and then over the mountains into the valley. (Somehow google maps denied the existents of buses and suggested the more exotic route to the hotel, included 2 cable cards, 1 tram, 2 trans and about 30 min of walking) 

Completely tired (try to sit in a crowded bus with 3 kids and have all your luggage there at the same time), we have arrive at the hotel. 

So upon arrives, the girls hit the gym... NOOOO! The girls hit the hot springs. Oh, yes

So an onset is a term for hot springs. As being close to volcanically active place, we had the hot springs right in our hotel. There are both outdoors and indoors baths. They are a major attraction in Japan drawing thousands of people who want to get away form the hectic life and relax. In Japanese these baths more often called "naked communion" for breaking down barrios and getting to know people in the relaxes homey atmosphere. Traditionally, men and women bathed together at the onset but gender separation has been enforced since the opening of Japan to the West. And another interesting details about many onset bath is the people with tattoos, even when tattoos are small and "peaceful" are banned from using the baths. In Japan the tattoos are connected with a badge of criminality and despite of your reasons, the rules are the rules, strictly enforced against all.

So why the boys were doing... God knows what.... the girls hit the baths. Hot springs, sauna, lotions, cremes, and finally, we were ready for dinner.

While finding a suitable place just next to our hotel, we were ready for the next treat. 

We ended up to have a treat of waguy (literally "Japanese cow"). The meat from such waguy cattle is know for its quality, and demands a high price. Le me explain you something, because of Japan's isolated areas, different breeding and seeing techniques were used such as massaging (yes, you heard me right) and adding beer (yes, guys) or sake to their feeing regimen. This was done to aid in digestion and induce hunger during humid seasons, but it appears to have no effect on the meat's flavour. Massaging have been introduced to prevent muscles crampon on small farms in Japan where the animals did not have sufficient room to use their muscles. 

I must admit, the best meat I have tried. Could be my cattle was massaged more then usual, could be the effect of the spring baths but we all went to bed happier then ever. 

Day 2

Even more rain. Oh dear, right, we are from Denmark, we will not melt. So off we go, with 3 children again.                                             Luckily our hotel was pretty close to Lake Ashi, or Hakone Lake. It is a scrater lake that lies along the southwest wall of the caldera of Mt Hakone.  Several boats, designed to be sailing warships provide with a beautiful view of the surrounding. However, I believe marketing hasn't been the strongest in this part of the world. We all know that naming a boat "Titanic" probably the most wisest idea. So how about naming one of the ships "Vasa", you know after a Swedish warship build in 1626 and foundered and sank after sailing less than a nautical mile (1.5 km) into her maiden voyage on August 10th, 1628? 

Anyway at least during our sailing trip none bothered anyone with the safety instructions, so we could enjoy the scenery, a bit grey and foggy at times, but in the dry conditions. 

 Finishing with the ship we decided to try out the suggested route of Google maps and took a trip on the Hakone Ropeway to the Great boiling Valley, and then slowing going down with Hakone Tozan Cable Car funicular railway. I can only imagine us with 3 bags, a stroller and 3 kids on that route to the hotel... (I don't say it is not possible but I am grateful that Morten was able to find an alternative route) 

And then.... right in the mountains... the discovery of the trip...

HOT CAFFE LATTE AND FRENCH HOT-DOG! 

If you don't live in North America, you will not understand me. French hot-dog, that crunchy pork (yes, non-kosher) hot-dog. It just felt right, after the whole day when it was raining cats and dogs we got us a treat. 

Day 3

We woke up with the sunshine and right out of our window there is was...

Mt. Fuji - the highest mountain in Japan at 3,776.24 m (12,389 ft) and it is an active stratovolcano. It has exceptionally symmetrical cone. It is a well-known symbol of Japan and it is more a "sculptural" rather than a "natural" heritage site. And then you thing, wait a minute, where is the snow? Well... We asked ourselves the same question. The snow is there, but only several months a year, so the pictures we see on numerous postcards and calendars is there just not in October month. 

 The lake and the surrounding looked much more picturesque then the day before.

And now it was a time to visit the Great boiling Valley. Owakudani is a volcanic valley with active sulphur vents (smells like rotten eggs) and hot springs in Hakone. The smoke that you can see are not, as one our friends thought, clouds but volcanic activity. 

The boiled eggs turn black and smell slightly sulphuric but taste as a regular egg. Consuming the efts is said to increase longevity. Eating one, according to Japanese legend, is said to add seven (7!) years of your life (the children were informed about the circumstances of this meal). One may eat up to 2 and a half for up to 17 and a half years (YES!!!!) but earring a whole third is said to be highly unadvised.

So insuring that we will be around additional 17 and a half years, and at the same time deducting those years by breathing the "lovely" sulphur, which quickly deadens the sense of smell and with increasing quantities can quickly lead to death...

We enjoyed to the full the scenic views of the valley, lake and mount Fuji. 

Japan - Tokyo

Something we thought of covering for a while but didn't have time so far.
Still suffering for a major jet-lag, I will try to use my time proper and divided between Visio diagrams and this blog.
Yes, we are back from Japan, a country where I spend my childhood and a so to say a "Disneyland" all over the place.
We spend about 2 weeks visiting friends (the whole purpose of the visit), travelling and trying to embrace and enrich ourselves with the culture.
Now from the beginning:
Japan met us 17 hours before we actually step on the soul of the islands, to be exact at JFK. Not only we got the treatment of a life time (Gold star alliance status of our children helps tremendously), but the fact of being a family with 3 children going to Japan for travelling (and not being stationed over there) is a rare thing for the staff. In my understanding flying with ANA airlines is quite uncommon as only 30% of the whole flight was booked. While throwing ourselves into Japanese dinner noodles we had a pleasant 14.5 hour non-stop flight to Tokyo.

Funny, I was not sure what expectations I had of Japan. When you are a kid, you see everything big, the weather is always sunny, the food is always horrible. Anyway, Tokyo saw quite chaotic the way I remember, big (I guess few more high-rises were build), colourful and rainy.

Day 1

Just getting over jet-lag and getting used to the surrounding. I decided to throw the guys into the deep and show them the kitchen of Japan.

  Somehow there is a myth that Japan is all about sushi. Japanese cuisine is not just the food, it is all about ingredients, process of preparation and way of eating it.

There are several rules regarding the food ethics, such as

• It is customary to eat rice to the last grain. 
• It is not customary to ask for a special requests at restaurants. 
• Before eating you will be provided with either a hot or cold towel. This is for cleaning hands and hands only and before eating, not after. 
• The proper usage of chopsticks is very important. Chopsticks are veneer left sticking vertically into rice, as this resembles some funeral rituals in Japan. 

It i the whole art of preparing the food. Observing the whole process, communication within the kitchen, which is actually right in front of you, is absolutely amazing. While some of the things look very wicked the taste is very good and fresh.
And of course it is absolutely necessary to have a great company at hand to join you for such a treat.

Day 2

 While coming to Japan to discover the cultural size of this amazing country, we walked into the temples, wondered on the street or just observed the people.

Ema (絵馬) are small wooden plaques where a worshipper can write his/her prayers or wishes. It is left handing up at the shrine, where the spirits receive them. Different shrines have different images that represent that particular place, and many include the word "wish" (願意). 

 As you know Japan is the Buddhist country. Buddhist temples exist side by side with Shinto shrines, and both share the features of Japanese architecture. Tori, the gates, that usually associated only with Shinto, can be found at both, but the entrance to a shrive can be marked by a gate which can dry often be found at temples as well.

It is amazingly peaceful sight right in the heart of Tokyo. One can see busies people coming in during their lucch breaks in their suits and ties, take off their shoes, say a prayer, ring the bell and go back to the chaos of Tokyo. While looking at the madness of the city itself I wonder how these two worlds can be side by side and play in harmony with each other.  

And of course the excuse of all trip was TUG 2013, where at the end of the day, we managed to see all our friends, get to know new people and just enjoy ourselves with a company of NERDS (sorry guys for the label (I am one of them)). 

 

 Day 3 

Transportation in Japan is a chapter of its own. Everything nice and clean, trains run on time and efficiently. The essential information is translated into English.  

 I absolute love observe people and metro is a good place to do so. I noticed quite a number of people, regarding the age group, play on Nintendo DS. I would probably correct myself, most grown-ups do so, while kids are actually reading books at the most. Tokyo suffers the same problem as New York or Toronto. It is very price to live in downtown, so people commute, sometimes up to 2 hours one way. So I guess this is the way of some kind of killing time for the regular person.

 Not only old temples and busy city life go side by side. The areas of Tokyo differ from each other. While being on one side of the main railway station the buildings are covered with commercials, people dry their laundry on the balconies (after using once a Japanese tumble dryer, I would do exactly the same), street food courts, and small shops.

  

On the other side is the financial (as we will call it) district with massive high-rises, hotels, billion enterprises.   One thing that came on my mind was but what about the earthquakes that hit Japan now and then. Just during our visit there was a major earthquake about 300 km north, and in some area in Tokyo people could feel it. Why to build such a major construction, that potentially can be in the centre of the earthquake. But... remember we are in Japan. And of course Japanese architectures have thought about that as well. So what they did is that used the same technic as it is used in Japanese traditional pagodas. Despite being build without nails and metal parts, some multi-story pagodas have withstood destructive earthquakes and powerful typhoons.  Actually the sturdiness of these structures is due to their flexibility, achieved through their assembly method. During powerful winds or earthquakes, the tiers of the pagodas move independently as if performing an ancient snake dance. On in the case of an earthquake or typhoon, each of the pagoda's tiers vibrates and moves alternately in the opposite direction - so that when the first story of the pagoda sways to the left, the second floor swings to the right, etc. The snake-like movement re-established the balance of the structure in a natural way. The central column serves a a stopper for the base rafters battering against it whenever they are swaying too violently. This movement privets the pagoda or any other building from collapsing. 

 And of course Japan would be Japan without Hello Kiddy, kimono and Japanese fashion that goes as far and having fashion shows for dogs.

Day 4

 

 Another important part of Japanese culture is a traditional tea ceremony. While the guys were hocked on coffee, the girls enjoyed their green tea. The manner in which it is performed, or the art of its performance, is called otemae and (お手前; お点前)  and Zen Buddhism was a primary influent in the development of the tea ceremony. However I will get back to that later.

While heading into the famous temple, we have stopped at the market just in front. I noticed some interesting masks that have been sold. The Hannya (般若) mask is a mark used originally in Noh theatre, represeting a jealous female or serpent (honestly, I do see some resemblance). It possess two sharp bull-like horns, metallic eyes, and a leering mouth split from ear to ear. The Hannya mask is said to be demonic and dangerous but also sorrowful and tormented, displaying the complexity of yuma emotions. When the actor looks straight ahead, the mask appears frightening and andry; whine tilted slightly down, the face of the demon appears to be sorrowful, as though crying. 

 And finally we made it to Senso-ji (金龍山浅草寺). It is an ancient Buddhist temple in Tokyo and one of its most significant.  The surrounding area has many traditional shops and eating places that feature traditional dishes (hand-made nodes, sushi, etc...). The street leading from the Thunder Gate to the temple itself, is lined with small shops selling souvenirs ranging from fans, Buddhist scrolls, from t-shirts to traditional kimono. These shops themselves are part of a living tradition of selling to pilgrims who walked to Senso-ji.

Whiin the temple itself, there are omikuji stalls. For a small donation, one amy consult the oracle and divine answers to their questions. One shake labelled sticks from enclosed metal containers and read the corresponding answers they retrieve fro one of 100 possible drawers.

And at the end a souvenir picture of local school girls and our Justin Bieber (spelled correctly this time). 

Day 5 (last day in Tokyo) 

One couldn't leave Tokyo without visiting Emperor palace. It is a main residence of the emperor of Japan. The total area including the gardens is 3.41 square kilometres. During the height of the 1980s Japanese property bubble, the palace grounds were valued by some as more the nthe value of all the real estate in the state of California, so how about that! If you want to live in style then that's the way to do it!

 And at last we made it that way that we will go to Tokyo Dome. Thunder Dolphin (サンダードルフィン) is something David will remember for a long time. It is a steel roller coaster which is 262 feet tall and the 6th tallest in the world. It is 1,100 m long course passes through both a hole in the LaQua building, and thought the Big-O, the world's fist centerless Ferris while. With the maximum speed of 130 km/h David hair was instantly dry and shaped accordantly where the wind was blowing.