Wintertime Blues in Japan

Tuesday, December 05, 2006


Category: Travel and Places

When you are a foreigner in Japan, their ain`t no cure for the Wintertime blues. This year, I elected to stay in Japan due to the expensive plane tickets back to the US or anywhere from Japan for that matter since this would be the time that the Japanese travel due to the last three days of December and the first three days in January being days when everything is closed and on holiday schedule.

First, as a foreigner in Japan at this time of the year, you are away from family. Christmas and Thanksgiving are those times when you go home if given the chance. In Japan, this imported holiday has been big in decorations but even bigger with the lovers and the love hotels in Japan are booked a year in advance for this day. Clearly, this is in conflict with this Christian holiday were the birth of Jesus is celebrated. Non-Japanese will go out for singing and dancing and whatnot for New Years which is in conflict with the Japanese who go to the local shrines for worship and to the nearby family's home and have a Japanese version of the holiday spread consisting of osechi ryouri (a variety of dishes prepared for New Year's such as fish cakes, seafood, cooked vegetables, cooked beans, candied chestnuts etc.). Very Japanese and takes some getting use to.

Then, there is the chill factor which requires sitting on a cold commode (unless you have a fancy toilet that warms the lid), and no central heating in the average Japanese dwelling. I remember our first winter in Japan, we didn't have a bed and sleeping on a futon on top of a tatami mat and relying on a wall danbou (which acts like a air conditioner in the summer). Ours would blow out hot air but since it is at the top of the wall, it would never get down to us on the floor.

Lastly, besides visiting with family, going to church, eating a big ham, exchanging gifts and calling up family and friends to wish them a happy holiday season, I really miss watching American Football games. At this time of the year, there are football games nearly on a daily basis ranging from a post-season bowl game in Hawaii to the annual bowl game in Atlanta and all places in between. One of my fondest memory was watching the New Year's Day 1981 Sugar Bowl on TV where a freshman by the name of Hershel Walker led the Univ. of Georgia Bulldogs past the Notre Dame Fighting Irish for the National Championship. I've been a UGA football fan since which hasn't been easy growing up in South Carolina.

In Japan, there is the annual American Football game known as the Rice Bowl which is played in the Tokyo Dome. The top Japanese university team takes on the top semi-pro company team. It's just not the same.


The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 6 & 7: Places in Japan, Lake Hakone and Miyajima

Today's Picture #1- Family Trip, April 2005
Story behind the picture:

April 2, 2005 in Tokyo's Ebisu District, my wife and I had our wedding with both of our families at the ceremony. Since this was my family's first time outside the U.S., we showed them around the Kanto area with a visit to Lake Hakone located at the base of Mt. Fuji in Kanagawa Prefecture. As seen in the previous First Friday Foto installment, the orange gateway (torii) pictured from across the way is now seen up close with a middle-age woman in a kimono pouring bottles of water. I assume that she is performing a ritual and is cleansing the area, but am not certain.

How to get there:

Ebisu, located on Tokyo's Yamanote Line is located next to Shibuya and Roppongi. Since Yamanote travels Tokyo's perimiter, getting to the Yamanote Line and to Ebisu is convenient.

Lake Hakone, , known for its view of Mount Fuji, onsens and soba noodle restaurants is best traveled by taking the Romance Train from Tokyo's Shinjuku Station.


Today's Picture #2- Miyajima Trip, April 2006
Story behind the picture:

Spring break, my wife and I hopped a plane from Tokyo's Haneda Airport and flew down to Hiroshima. Hiroshima translated means "Wide Island". In Hiroshima, is the scenic Miyajima Town meaning "Shrine Island". Miyajima has several deer that coexist among the droves of tourist (foreign and Japanese) that flock to this attraction. Here, a deer drinks from a stream under cherry blossoms not quite in full bloom.

How to get there:


Having visited Hiroshima twice, both times were by air from Tokyo's domestic airport, Haneda. The second time, the plane was diverted to Fukuoka, Kyushu due to the inclement weather and we were then forced to travel to our final destination via bullet train. Miyajima, located off the coast of Hiroshima can be reached by ferry.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 4 & 5: Places in Japan, Lake Hakone and Kawaguchi, Saitama

Today's Picture #1- Day Trip to Hakone, January 2005

Story behind the picture:

With life in Japan on hiatus due to Shougatsu (New Year's Holiday), my wife and I found ourselves with a free day and decided to make the commute from Saitama to Hakone located in Kanagawa, south of Tokyo. Shougatsu usually is the last three days of December and the first three days of January and even the hard-working Japanese will take this time off to spend with family where they dine as if it were Thanksgiving and go to the temples.

We headed out early and took local Japan Rail lines from Saitama's Warabi Station to Shinjuku Station. Due to the holiday, loads of salary men and office ladies were light therefore, we managed to sit most of the way. At Shinjuku Station, we transfered to the Odakyuu Line and took their limited express service and arrived at our final destination by mid-morning.

In Hakone, there are many things to do ranging from eating eggs boiled in a geyser of sulfer turning the shell to black to viewing Mt. Fuji on a clear day. There are many hotels such as the oldest Western hotel in Japan, Fujiya.

After spending the day in Hakone, we returned to Shinjuku Station on the Okakyu Line. Along the way, we stopped for dinner at the Shimokitakazawa Station, an area for young people and trendy shops. We ate at an Indian restaurant then returned to Saitama.



Today's Picture #2- Coming of Age Day in Kawaguchi, January 2005

Story behind the picture:

Seijin no Hi (Coming of Age Day) is the right of passage that a young person in Japan takes on their 20th year. Initially held on January 15th, this day is now recognized on the third Monday of January. Young people turn of age wear lovely long-sleeved kimonos for the ladies and suits for the men.

These two young women were out at the Sogo department store at Kawaguchi Station in Saitama. Their parents (not in the picture) had taken them out to lunch at one of the nicer sushi restaurants in Kawaguchi. My wife and I were out eating sushi and the pictures shows these two girls in their best kimonos getting ready to dine on some moriawase nigiri sushi. This is an assortment of raw seafood packed over small handfuls of vinegar-flavored rice with a dab of wasabi between the seafood and rice. This dish can be eaten by hand or chopsticks and is dipped in soy sauce. The soy sauce can have a dab of wasabi added to spice things up. Between the different kinds of nigiri sushi it is recommended to eat the side of gari (thin slices of ginger) to rinse the mouth to savor the next piece of washoku (Japanese cuisine).

Which would you rather have, a plate full of sushi or a pair of 20-year old Japanese girls?

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 3, Bullet Trains and Public Transportation

Today's Picture- Weekend Trip to Niigata, July 2006

Story behind the picture:

As the billboard in Los Angeles read when I was a working class university student commuting between my work shift at the LAX Airport and classes at Cal State-Dominguez Hills, "Life sucks with a car.", courtesy of a local insurance company in an effort to crack down on the recent law requiring drivers to have insurance to operate a vehicle.

One of the biggest differences between Japan and the US are the cost of gas and the convenience of traveling without your own personal car. With gas selling under $2.00 a gallon in my home state of South Carolina as I write, it was a few short months ago that gas around here was selling for twice that this. Even then, gas was roughly half the price than found in Japan at that time. This is a rough estimate since buying gas was not part of my monthly budget when I lived there due to the easy of travel without a car. Of course this line item was replaced with "bus/train fare".

For three years, I traveled to work by either train, bus or bicycle or a combination of train and bus with the most frequent being train and a relative short walk. The downside to this is with inclement weather. These were the days that I wish I had a car but as we all know, cars are not a disposable item therefore you just sucked it up and prepared accordingly. This mentality was acquired from years of playing football, working in less than ideal conditions on two different warships in the US Navy, working my way through college three time zones away from the nearest family member and being the only hakujin (Caucasian, white person) working in a old-fashion traditional Japanese company in the Little Tokyo district of downtown Los Angeles. Just as the one-star Admiral explained to us when we had an awards banquet of sorts when I was junior enlisted E-3 sailor serving as ship's company on board the 35-year-old aircraft carrier, USS Independence, "The Navy life is hard. I don't expect you to totally accept this lifestyle, I expect you to adjust." Then he went on to say that since you are receiving an award that indicated you are meeting and exceeding my expectations. In other words, going to Japan and doing without a car for three years was a personal decision that I endured but made possible due to the Japanese's approach and understanding that a personal vehicle is a luxury item than can not be afforded to everyone.

Aside from traveling to work and pursuing my hobby for improving my Japanese at a local university requiring travel by train meaning two transfers and a 20-minute walk, I also traveled from Japan's most northern island, Hokkaido and most southern region, Okinawa and the other regions in between. This was all done without a car. With the rare exception of going to Mount Fuji and Gunma-ken via a rented van when my mother came to visit or when my father-in-law visited Tokyo from his native Kyushu or visa versa, we always traveled by public transportation.

Today's picture was taken on our return from Niigata back to Tokyo in July 2006. For a weekend trip, my wife and I commuted from Warabi Station in Saitama's southern region to Tokyo station (about a 30-minute commute) and met my mother-in-law and sister-in-law and via bullet train arrived in Niigata by lunch time. From there, we checked our baggage into a long-term locker at the train station and did a walking tour and visited the nearby mountains and rode the sky tram up the mountain and road a bob-sled down the mountain until our hotel-ryokan was available. Here, we dined "viking-style" on regional Japanese cuisine and bathed multiple times in the facility's hot spring baths.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 2,The 3rd Most Scenic Place in Japan

Today's Picture- Miyajima, Hiroshima-ken, Japan, April 2006

Story behind the picture:

In April 2006, my wife and I traveled to Hiroshima to visit the place where one of the atomic bombings that ended World War II took place. We later returned in February 2007 where we visited one of Japan's largest Naval bases, Kure.

Aside from Hiroshima (Wide Island) being historic as a modern day city that emphasizes being passivized and police for nuclear weapons, nearby is Japan's third most scenic sightseeing place, Miyajima. I've had some interesting things happen at this place. One time, I went to the nearby mountain by cable car and at the top too a picture of a monkey that nearly attacked me. They inform visitors to not aggravate the monkeys. I wanted the monkey to look at me for a picture and when I whistled at it, it began to charge me. Another thing to note is that Hiroshima's famous food is oysters and okonomiyaki.



The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Japan in Pictures, Volume 1,Sumo Wrestling

In an effort to remain close to the land that saw me come of age and provided me direction which has allowed success, The first Friday of the month will have a picture and the story behind the picture.

Today's Picture- Sumo Wrestling Tournament, Tokyo, September 2004

Story behind the picture:

In September 2004, my wife and I returned to the Kokugikan (Sumo arena in Tokyo) to attend the sumo matches. In January 2002, I attended my first sumo match and was fortunate enough to sit at the lower level but had to sit Indian-style on a hard floor with only a pillow. This time, we sat in regular seating.

The Sumo season begins in January in Tokyo and rotates to the different regions throughout Japan. While the matches are for a few seconds, the tournaments usually last a month and the winner is determined by the number of matches they won for that month. The more tournaments won determines the rank of the wrestlers.

In years past, the sport of Sumo was Japan's national sport like baseball was America's pastime. Now, with American baseball becoming more and more popular with the Japanese due to the success of their sons Matsui and Ichiro in the top-tier league, The Majors, Sumo may be Japan's pastime but baseball is their passion. More and more Japanese make up the roster of American MLB clubs with last year's World Series having Japanese players on both teams.

While visiting Japan, it is recommended to attend a sumo match. The closest station to Kokugikan is Ryogoku Station. Near the stadium is the Edo Museum which is everything from the era of the samurai. Prior to Tokyo becoming the Eastern Capital (a direct translation of the kanji for Tokyo) of the Asian continent, Tokyo was known as Edo and the culture of this era brought us the most famous dish in Japan, sushi.

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10

Tokyo Dome Beer Girls

Tokyo Baseball Stadium Beer Girls
Uploaded by robpongi. - Sitcom, sketch, and standup comedy videos.

 

Photos were taken at the 2005 NFL preseason game between the Indianapolis Colts and Atlanta Falcons played at the Tokyo Dome. 

The Divine Wind Vault http://divinewindvault.blogspot.com (C)2006-10