Goodbye

Unfortunately we don’t think this will be a short goodbye. Out of all of the goodbyes we had to make in the last week of our adventure we were both dreading this one the most. 

For only a short while we have been acquainted, but for years we have known about you, known about your wisdom, beauty and kindness. But for all our admiration of you, we have only spent a short time together, and now like a plaster we must say goodbye.

Man, have we done some crazy stuff together. Dancing together under the stars to Kodo on Sado Island, singing under umbrellas in Hiroshima and who can forget the countless days riding on the snow, watching each other do crazier and crazier things. However memorable these moments were it is not this side of our friendship we will miss the most.

As soon as we got off the plane you welcomed us with arms wide open. You didn’t see us for who we were, but you saw us for who we are and who we can be. You didn’t see the world in black and grey, your view was a kaleidoscope of new colours. We came to you in your time of need, when others were leaving you. We saw that what you needed the most was friendship. Only friendship: not probing enquiry into the danger that others saw in you. We selfishly think that in some small way we helped you through your time of need, and our support for you will never fade even though the distance between us grows.

But, for every moment we helped you, you helped us back tenfold. You saw us at our worst, when desperate thoughts of loneliness and desperation filled our minds; it was you who helped us think clearly. It was you who showed us the true meaning of life. Through our friendship over the year you showed us that our potential, love and sense of joy are limitless. Every day we were together you taught us a new lesson, some were big and others were small and insignificant on face value. Our friendship stood the test of time.

So Japan, we are proud to call you by name, we are proud to call you home and were even prouder that we can call you one of life’s dear friends. This is not goodbye, but a quick ‘see ya later’. In the future our paths will cross again, we’re sure, and when they do we know our friendship will pick up where we left it.

Thank you Japan, your friendship will always be a treasured memory for us.

ありがとう日本

Aimee and Craig.

Kampai.

Over the last year we have had the absolute pleasure of sharing Kampai with a lot of different people. Here are a few pictures of these awesome people.

Cheers guys!!

Mt Fuji: It was the worst of times, it was the best of times.

After the epic weekend we have just had, a small blog entry does not seem to do it justice. Mt Fuji was a place on our Japan wish list, with climbing Mt Fuji the ultimate goal. Nobody could foresee the spectrum of emotions we would encounter over 48 hours. So I’ll just start at the beginning.

It was the worst of times:

We decided to join the pilgrimage, that so many Japanese do, to the summit of Fuji to catch the rising sun, a symbol of the Japanese resilience and fortitude. We started our 27 hour journey on the Saturday morning, driving across the country to Mt Fuji. After a small stop sightseeing around the Fuji lakes district we organised our equipment ready for the midnight assault of Fuji san. We started walking at 9.45pm. The plan was to climb continuously through the night reaching the summit for sunrise at 4.20am. The climb was tough but we made steady time. Feeling little affects of the altitude we pressed on to the 8th station. With two and a half hours until sunrise we thought we had timed it perfectly. Unfortunately, 20,000 other climbers all had the same thought. At the 8th station we came to a complete stand still. As two tracks converged to one so did the crowds. With the amount of people and rapidly deteriorating weather our steady pace slowed. What was meant to take 30mins to the next station took over an hour and a half. As the pace slowed the more we felt the cold and after a further hour waiting in line we could take the cold no more. We made the heart breaking decision to turn back, only 200 metres from the summit. We were wet, tired and cold and had a demoralising 4 hour walk down to the fifth station, a walk that seemed to take forever. Dejected we made it down to the bottom, with a horrid feeling of achieving nothing more than wasting 27 hours of our lives that we would never get back. Aimee and I both swore off mountain climbing for the rest of our lives from that point! Oh the irony that would follow.

After we had rested I couldn’t help feel that we had been ripped off, that a goal that we had set ourselves would forever be unachieved. The more I tried to convince myself that it was out of our hands the more I became frustrated. For 300m to get in the way of glory is a hard fact to swallow.

It was the best of times:

We awoke on the Monday morning, physically feeling better, mentally still gutted that we had come so close. We ventured out for breakfast at a local café at the base of Mt Fuji. The weather was clear and we had a perfect view of Mt Fuji, stoically standing there almost taunting us. What started as an offhand comment to try climbing it again turned into a quickly eaten breakfast and a hasty trip to the konbini to stock up on supplies. At 12pm we boarded the bus back to the fifth station to attempt it again. As we stood at the bottom looking up to the summit, we knew that it was mind over matter. Physically this would be no problem, but to erase the thoughts of failure and replace them with affirmations of positivity would be the challenge. Exactly 36 hours after turning back so close, we stood on top of Japan, 3776m high. Feeling that not only had we beaten this mountain that had so cruelly robbed and mocked us, but we had beaten our own self doubt. We had climbed this mountain not just once but twice now, in the same weekend. After spending a short time at the summit meeting new people we started our trek back down. This decent was not like the first, with the sense of accomplishment and adrenaline in our bodies, replacing the feeling of exhaustion. We bounded down the mountain with purpose. So strong was our conviction to complete this goal, we turned a 10 hour hike into a sub six hour journey, to the point where we ran the last 2 km to get under six hours.

As the old adage goes, "pain is temporary, glory is forever!" and by the end we were definitely in pain.

This year in Japan has always been about a deeper meaning. Hidden in the challenges and successes has been a sense of personal growth. Mt Fuji was definitely no exception to this. We both have always been goal driven people and this was the biggest test so far.

Mt Fuji will continue to be an iconic symbol in Japanese culture, and now it will be an iconic symbol in both of our lives. A symbol of strength that will continue to provide motivation long after we have left the shores of Japan.

Mt Fuji: it was the worst of times, it was the best of times.

Enjoy.

Saturday night at 9.45pm: leaving the 5th station. We had no idea of what was to come.

 With the sun rising in the background we had to make a tough decision to turn back.

Take two! Mt Fuji in the background waiting to be conquered. 

We were here 36 hours ago, in completely different weather conditions

 At the summit on our second attempt. Took 3.50 to climb.

Takamasa, a firefighter from Kanagawa we met while walking. He runs this six times every season.

Seeing the world feet first: Mt Fuji

Lambie-kins our faithful travel partner. Along with out Mt Fuji walking stick, with stamps from each hut.

While waiting for the bus home we saw an awesome sunset from the 5th station on the Yoshida side.

Beached as in Japan.

As the summer nights grow longer we have resumed our exercise regime of running in the evening. But, after a collective 310 km’s; well actually 309, I don't like rounding up, my knee has started showing signs of sitting at a desk for the last eleven months. As a result our planned mountain climbing excursion with my Japanese teacher had to be replaced with a more leisurely activity, and what more says leisurely like a Sunday drive.

Along with our Sunday drive we decided to watch our adopted baseball team, the Hiroshima Carp. Looking at the nearest Japanese map you'll notice that our proximity to our local team makes it very difficult to be loyal supporters. So when they were playing at a stadium only an hour away we decided to get our 'konbini' bought shirts from the draw and go see the Carps finally win a game. It was a relaxing way to spend an afternoon; watching baseball at the foot of Tateyama and the Japanese Alps and getting half of our bodies sun burnt.

After eleven months we are becoming more and more Japanese and so too is our dependence on the 7-11. By the Sunday morning we had completed a full cycle of meals bought and eaten solely from the konbini. Only to be broken by some ramen later that day.

After eating our sandwiches for breakfast we jumped in our little car and embarked on our Sunday drive around the Noto peninsula. A drive filled with sweet bridges, winding inaka roads, a hole in the rock and experiencing how Japanese people enjoy the seaside.

Once we had driven around the peninsular it was time to make our way home via the 26 tunnels between Toyama and home. To kill the time and maybe some brain cells we found out that we could hold our breath for a 1500m tunnel, there were several failed attempts and dizzy spells during the long tunnels.

A great weekend and one of the last road trips we will have in goggles. Sniff sniff!

Enjoy!

Enjoying another day at the baseball.  

Seeing the world feet first: Toyama. Sorry Aimee, all photos showed your ankle tan lines. 

Japan's hole in the rock. 

The Japanese beach experience. Just drive your car on to and park it at the tide mark.

A walk through old and new.

Who knew there would be two stations with the same name in one prefecture? Well, a lot of people I think, and with diligent research we may have been a part of the chosen many who knew this secret. For our second weekend trip away, Aimee organized a weekend away in Kamikochi and Matsumoto. Matsumoto, home to the oldest castle in Japan, and Kamikochi, a small hiking hamlet nestled in the Japanese Alps. We spent the Saturday strolling around the city of Matsumoto, exploring the castle and being invited by the locals to join in with two Japanese traditions. The first was the fanatical support of your local team. We have seen this already in Hiroshima with the Hiroshima Carps at Mazda Stadium, but this time we were accosted to join in with the festivities at a local bar with the fans of the Matsumoto soccer team. Second, is eating parts of an animal that weren't really considered the prime cut. After enjoying our beer, cow heart and pig intestine, we said our goodbyes and posed for the token Japanese/Gaijin photo and parted ways.

The sense of community in Japan is amazing! Regularly, communities will get together and celebrate local events and band together to help people in need. I do appreciate this sense of community, on several occasions we have been on the receiving end of this good fortune. But, I do have a problem when the community decided to do the 'weed whacking' outside our Ryokan at six am on a Sunday! But, what we thought was inconvenience was a blessing in disguise. We rose early and made our way to Kamikochi. A place interspersed with amazing dams, tunnels and awe-inspiring scenery. Getting there early we had the opportunity to enjoy the peacefulness before the crowds descended.

After some great views, a pleasant walk and several samples of the local omiyage we left on good terms. Leaving a little wiser, now knowing there is more than one station with the name Sawando in Nagano.

 Making new friends, capturing the hearts of the locals and eating the hearts of the cows.

 The upside of waking up at 6am.

Seeing the world feet first, Kamikochi

Takayama

As our time here in Japan draws to a close we are making the most of it and travelling to see some of the hidden treasures that this little country has to offer. This weekend we decided to head to a small town called Takayama and a side trip to Shirakawa-go. Accompanied by two other kiwis we discovered one of the more interesting places I have been to in Japan. This was a small glimpse into old Japan. The definite highlights of the trip were spending a night in the Shinto temple, Zenkoji, and finding two! climbing walls. Shame Joetsu, shame!

Enjoy!

Big chair, little people and good friends. 

Awwwww, cute. Nyujirando! 

The way life was.

Sumo: Changing diapers and cuddles.

I once had a great conversation with a fat man in diapers, but that story is for another time! This story about fat men in diapers is much greater. For our first anniversary Aimee booked a weekend away in Tokyo to watch one of the six big sumo tournaments in Japan and enjoy the Tokyo night life. In the process of a great weekend several lessons were learnt. After the last bout of a sumo match it is protocol to throw your cushion into the Dohyo, if a bar doesn’t advertise prices don’t drink there, all Japanese men really need is just a good cuddle, never wait until the last train for the night and always charge your iPhone!

Enjoy.

 Big men, with amazing flexibility.

 Getting our cat fix at a cat cafe.

Poor dude just needed a cuddle.

Hanami

They’re pink, white, temperamental, come out for ten days a year and the Japanese people go bonkers over them! That’s right, it’s sakura (cherry blossom) time where our little park resembles Shibuya crossing for two weeks of the year. Packed full with festival food, people and beer. Takada Park lived up to all the hype that had preceded it. I have never cared for flowers but the cherry blossoms are such a strong symbol in Japanese culture. With that being said, what a cool night, sharing drinks, laughing with post winter optimism and enjoying the rare WOW! moments that life serves up.

Enjoy.

 Cherry Blossoms in the foreground, Myoko in the background.

 Takada Castle in Hanami

After beers, sake and wine. Janpanm?

Parents visit The quick and the dead.

5 months of excitement finally ended for our families. They had waited so long to come to Japan and when they were here the waiting was still not over. Due to work constraints they had a couple of days in Tokyo by themselves, but forever scheming I got off work and decided to surprise them. After the shock of being surprised by Aimee and I, we decided to see as much of Japan as we could. Spending a day in Tokyo riding trains, three days in Kyoto riding bikes and two days in Hiroshima holding up umbrellas watching baseball. After the east side we returned back to Takada to show our family our little neck of the woods and to explore what Joetsu has to offer. Our families enjoyed their time experiencing two weeks what we have lived with for the last 9 months, and we really enjoyed having them here, impressing them with our poor Japanese.

Enjoy!

 It took a while for mum to get over the surprise. 

 In honor of the shrine, Graham did his best to wear an outfit that matched the color scheme.

Cute kids wanting to practice their English on us at Hiroshima.