Its called Yakitori Jisan... This exercise/dance has become something of a cult sensation here thanks to the internet (at least that's what I could make out from the story on the local news tonight). And the same woman in the pink top is always leading groups in the dance... Beware: the song will be burned in your brain if you listen to it too often! Check it out here:
(As you can see, I'm trying to learn a little of the native language now - been taking a class... Mayu, don't make fun if I said that incorrectly... But that's "Hello/Good afternoon. How are you?" I think...)
Thursday, I took off for a little afternoon sightseeing at Odawara Castle, about an hour from our little castle. I know I sound repititive, but there is nothing better than living in a place where you can jump on a train and then jump off said train and you are steps from where you want to be. The US could learn a thing or two about "transportation" over here if they'd just give it a try. It sure as heck beats driving all the time. I digress...
Back to the topic at hand - Odawara Castle... or "The OC" as I like to call it. I would try to explain its history but would totally screw that up, so here's a short take I found online...
The history of Odawara-jo actually began in the Kamakura Period with a palace built by Dohi Sanehira. Hojo Soun conquered the area and stole the mansion in 1495. He built his castle on the site of the former palace and his family reigned over Odawara-jo until it was conquered by Toyotomi Hideyoshi in 1590. The final step in Hideyoshi's reunification of Japan was his victory at Odawara.
Basically, this castle was first conquered by the Hojo clan and then ruled by them for five generations - known as the Five Hojo. The Hojo clan built an ever-expanding empire in the region and was the final holdout in Hideyoshi effort to reunify the country. The Hojo actually signed a "Non-aggression Pact" with Hideyoshi - and then one of the Hojo lieutenants went off solo with some warriors and picked a fight with Hideyoshi's army. Hideyoshi took this as a betrayal of the Hojo's word and well, the rest is history... Hideyoshi finally defeated the Hojo in 1590. Very soap opera-like, those clans...
After that, the castle was occupied by the ruling class until the mid-1800's (the end of the Edo Period) when the Meiji dynasty dismantled all of the remaining palaces as a sign of their vanquishing the samurai culture.
In 1960, Odawara painstakingly rebuilt the castle on the same spot, as a museum displaying items from the Edo Period and Shogun culture. Extremely fascinating to see the artifacts, weaponry, armor, etc. The samurai were not only great warriors (and badasses in general), but very innovative in developing everyday tools, like my favorite - a "travel kit" that included a pocket-size abacus, writing instruments and 'component tools' that could be "snapped" together from several pieces - all in a small travel case.
Sorry for the rambling Japanese history lesson. Back to the sightseeing.
I was walking the grounds, trying to find two things at every opportunity - shade and water. Its beastly hot and humid here these days. But I traverse the long set of steps up to the main castle grounds and what do I encounter? An elephant. Yep, big ole pachyderm just chilling and getting hosed down right there in the middle of the castle courtyard. I'm not sure if that was part of the Hojo's fleet of armored personnel carriers or what but elephant + heat = you want to keep moving. Oh yeah, and some monkeys were in a cage running around too. Anyway, I made my way past the elephant and toured the castle/museum, grounds and such.
Every time I find something like this, I want to learn more about Japanese history. The few little morsels I've learned are so interesting and I feel like I never learned a thing about Asia in school. We always studied European history to death - the Tudors and Stuarts and Henry VIII and such, but never a thing about Japan, China, etc. Not sure why. But on the flip side, you look back at the histories of Japan or Persia or Africa or Scotland and they're not that different. A lot of 'clans' or 'tribes' fighting each other for more territory, more control over resources or someone betraying their word to someone else and all that - and you know, when you boil it down, its not that different today in some corners of the world (and some corporate offices too!).
I've rambled far more than I should, so below is some photos I took at "The OC" - and one I took outside the KFC on the way back to the train station (statue of Col. Sanders donning his yukata/summer kimono...). Enjoy!
I've done some questionable things in my life, but this past Saturday night (July 12), around 1AM, I was really wondering if I'd lost my damn mind...
You see, J. and I, on the spur of the moment more or less, agreed to go on a little adventure with some of her co-workers. We agreed - and then jumped in the car and actually went along - on an "overnight" hike to the top of Mt. Fuji. Fuji-san is considered a national treasure here, as it should be. It is perhaps the most spectacular natural wonder I've ever laid eyes on. On a clear day, it can be seen from virtually anywhere in this part of the country. It rises boldly into the clouds with its snow-capped peak. Not a chain of mountains, per se, just one. Just one beautiful monument to remind us all that the natural world is bigger, more beautiful and more complex than anything man hath created - no matter how hard he tries.
As such, Mt. Fuji is only open to hikers in July and August due to the weather conditions in the upper altitudes and general safety reasons. So, climbing Mt. Fuji is something of a rite of passage to the people here and the window for accomplishing it is narrow.
To add a further wrinkle, many, like us, climb the Fuji-san at night in order to catch sunrise from the top of the mountain. We arrived and loaded our packs, hitting the trail just after 9:30PM Saturday night. Since Mt. Fuji is a dormant volcano (last erupted in 1707), much of the terrain, and thus, much of the trail, is soft volcanic ash/sand with a number of old lava boulders here and there. Therefore, our hike felt as if we were trying to climb a massive sand dune over...and over...and over. Around 3AM, exhausted and very cold (it was around 30 degrees with 30 mph winds), we stopped just above 10,000 feet. At that point on the trail, 2-3 trails came together and there were people wall-to-wall and we were told it would take another 2-3 hours to get to the top. We decided to sit tight and catch the sunrise where we were.
Right on cue, at 4:30AM, the sun began to peek over the horizon and was a beautiful site to behold. Worth the trip! But I have to say, it was great to do once, but not sure I'll be going back to tackle it again anytime soon...
After a rousing, good ole American-style July 4 full of BBQ and fireworks, J. and I took off to Tokyo the following day to explore Asakusa Kannon and the surrounding neighborhood, before hopping across town to Roppongi. That is like going from the 7th Century to the 23rd Century in a 15 minute subway trip!
Asakusa Kannon is the oldest Buddhist Temple in Tokyo. Built in the 7th Century (643 AD I read somewhere), it is a popular tourist destination, but also popular with the local populi as well. Each year on New Years Day, hundreds of thousands of Japanese citizens come to the temple to pray, meditate and ask for blessings for the new year. It is a fascinating place as the immediate area has been preserved as it stood during the Edo Period. There is an enormous open-air market with stalls selling everything from handmade paper to artwork to tortoise shell jewelry to parasols. Truly a step back in time.
We ventured over to Roppongi after the tranquility of the temple. It was as if we'd stepped into the land of the Jetsons with trains whistling by overhead, bright neon signs and futuristic glass and steel skyscrapers everywhere. Roppongi is a popular shopping, restaurant and nightspot - as well as home to many of the foreign embassies and ex-pats. You see the Western influences right before your eyes.
J. and I laughed because we stopped on this blisteringly hot day for a rest and drink at a coffee shop next to a 3-level Banana Republic store when we'd been in a 7th century Buddhist temple minutes before. From 7th C. Buddha to Banana Republic in minutes. That's Tokyo for you!
After a rest, we headed for Tokyo Tower and spent an hour in the observation deck looking out over the city - and it seems to go on without end. Yes, its touristy, but not a bad way to spend an hour if you have the time and are in the neighborhood.
Once again, I'm playing catch-up from past events here in the Land of the Rising Sun...
About 2 weeks ago (June 28 to be exact), I was mildly bored and without a plan. What to do? What to do??? Hmmm... So, on the spur of the moment on Saturday afternoon, I took off to Yokohama to catch the Yokohama F. Marinos soccer/football match at Nissan Stadium. Back in DC, this time of year could be counted on for 2 things - 1. A pre-game meal of great chips and queso, tacos and beer/margaritas at La Plaza on Capitol Hill. and 2. DC United soccer at Estadio RFK.
Well, the Yokohama trip wasn't quite the same (I didn't see any rats around Nissan Stadium like the ones at RFK...), but it did work. Before the soccer, I circled and doubled-back and read information kiosk until I found it! Yes, the search was over - for I'd FINALLY located the Yokohama branch of El Torito. Its on the 28th floor of the Sky Plaza Building in downtown Yokohama with spectacular views of the city -and even the Tokyo skyline looks like its only blocks to the north.
So, once I was settled into my seat at El Torito, I began to inhale chips and salsa like... well, like a man who hasn't had them in over 2 months. And the best part, I was able to wash it down with a Budweiser (only Y750 for the beer = $7.00... but worth every penny...). Food was great and then it was off to the stadium for the big match with Jubilo Inwata.
Made it to the stadium just as kickoff was taking place and sat in General Admission about 5 rows from the field. I have to say, the F. Marino fans and Jubilo fans can match any European supporters cheer for cheer and song for song. Great atmosphere. However, the field is surrounded by a track and seems to be a mile away. Plus, the stadium is huge so there are lots of empty seats further dampening some of the enthusiasm, but good time regardless. Jubilo ended up winning 1-0.
Interesting culturalism witnessed: At the end of the match, I start gathering my things and preparing to head for the exit. I notice everyone is sticking around and walking down to the rail. A minute later, all of the Yokohama players come to rail and bow to the crowd (who cheer), then, they make their way to the next corner of the stadium and bow, making their way to each corner of the stadium to bow to the fans as a gesture of "thanks" to the fans. Pretty nice scene to witness.
Now that I've been in Japan for a couple of months, I've finally started to "figure out" a few of those little things in life that we don't realize we need, but are needed to keep one sane. For instance, I've found this great English language weekend guide/pop culture magazine called Tokyo Metropolis. It may not sound like much, but I feel as if I've discovered the Rosetta Stone! It lists restaurants, concerts, museum exhibits, sporting events and anything else you can imagine going on in Yokohama and Tokyo - along with a healthy dose of news and information for the ex-pat crowd here. Until I begin my Japanese language class this week, I still need these kinds of things to lead me around and tell me what is what.
Another small achievement is finding a decent radio station - InterFM (76.1 on your FM dial...). Again, I wouldn't die without it, but as one who appreciates a good tune, its nice to hop in the car and have a listen to something interesting. (Sidebar: Today, as I was driving around Yokosuka, I heard an updated version of "Kung Fu Fighting" - made me laugh to think I was driving around Japan with that as my soundtrack...) Anyway, where was I? Oh yes, back to the point of the title of this entry.
Tonight, as I was driving home, I heard a great Japanese all-female band called Lazy Guns Brisky. Love them! I even sat in the car for a few minutes just so I could hear some more of their music. They were being "featured" on InterFM to coincide with their CD release party in Tokyo tonight.
Here's the only thing I could find on YouTube - their song, "Michigan":
