Ep. 19 The Great, Circuitous Zoo-Regard

Following a week of jubilation and holiday hi-jinx, our hero was ready and rip-roaring to visit the undersea world of wild delights known as: aquarium. But what's this? Changed plans at the last minute left me stranded and adrift, not a plan in sight and only my wits for comfort. What was our hero to do in such a daring 'dicament? Make the best of it, of course.

So, karmatically, I had this coming. I am always early to work, I am emphatically on time to my personal schedule on weekends, but have someone else try to plan a day for me and I can, at times, be a tad tardy. To be honest, it runs in the family. This particular karma-punch came from the effects my tardiness at Nikko caused--again, I am really sorry that it happened. I had planned a rather nice day at a spectacular aquarium with some friends and, the night before...plans changed. They decided to spend the night drinking in Tokyo. Now, trains in Japan are not like trains in many US cities, in that they do stop running during the most dead parts of the night. This pause is usually after midnight. So, a night of drinking in Tokyo is, quite literally, a night of drinking in Tokyo. As such, our 3pm meeting time was just a tad too early for my companions, and as I'd rather share this experience and the aquarium was a tad expensive, I was left relatively plan-less. However, a few days ago I had decided to join my predecessor on a fun adventure out to a Book-Off extravaganza. Book Off is a Japanese chain book store, so my Portland Powells senses were a bit uppity about going to a chain book store. But I went anyway, and ended up having a blast. I don't get to nerd out as much as I would like to over here, so it was nice to talk to someone really nerdy. We wandered around the mall, shop to shop, looking at things. The book store itself felt like the love-child of a, "Good Will" and a book store. They had everything, from clothes to DVDs to CDs. Oh, and they had books too, against the far wall. Because, being a book store and all, they kind of have to have a few of those. Still,

it did live up to its name as a bazaar.
We then had lunch together, and went off to the pet store. I don't know what it is about these places, but they depress me. No, I know exactly what depresses me:

It's those two eyes, pressed against the glass, looking cold, and scared, and utterly confused and alone. It's the idea that this little guy has to sit here day after day, and hope that his cute appearance gets him adopted before he grows too old. Don't get me wrong, apparently pets get a great life over here, and being a Papillion means he'll probably get adopted soon, but that doesn't mean that it doesn't depress me. Now, yes, I do realize that this depression is partially biologically driven so that we'll always take care of our offspring when they're small, cute, and useless. That does not change the fact that it can be depressing.
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Speaking of small, cute things, there was a religious children's performance in the mall the other morning.

Your average Japanese person celebrates Christmas, but without any hint of a religious aspect. These kids, however, sang many well known songs (in Japanese) and were darn cute to boot. Now, back to my daily inanity.
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After a few hours of exploration, my companion and I parted ways in Omiya. She needed to go home and, darn it, I wanted to do something besides wandering around a mall. What better way to forget the depression of small, cute animals in small cages than to see large, less cute animals in...big-yet-still-small cages. That's right, I went to a zoo.

In Ueno park.

Which had water writing.

Photo monkey was excited to go to

The Ueno zoo.

 So, if the statues weren't obvious, this zoo has pandas:

That's right, a Japanese zoo has pandas on loan from China. Now, after the travesty known as the Omiya zoo, my hopes were not high, and at first I was not impressed. The Panda cages were pretty big, but the elephants' enclosure was a tad small--I know, they're huge so it's hard to make anything big enough--and one of the tapirs had an obvious bad limp. However, I was quickly impressed by the rest of the zoo. I even got lost and went in circles for a good twenty minutes. Now, it is getting late here, so I'm going to just upload a bunch of zoo photos:

This is the best squirrel photo I got. How I miss the fluffy devil spawn and their suicidal road-dashes.

Nice antlers...must be feeding time.

I am Simba now!

 The polar bear enclosure was impressive, and I got there just as they were feeding him. There was a hole in the ice that I got to watch him climb out of! It was very impressive.

The closest I want to be to a grizzly bear.

In Japan, they have sun bears...

that actually move and do things.

No, I am Simba!

Anteaters are surprisingly acrobatic.

Of the two Dholes, on knows how to relax...

while the other's a tad upbeat.

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 I saw this scene while wandering around lost. Yes, there were a lot of people around, but a little patience got me this great shot of mother and child. Even in the wild, most great apes are good parents to their offspring. Also, fun fact: monkeys have tails, apes don't. Just saying.

Penguins! But couldn't really catch the fun drip feature.

Zelda fans rejoice!

Huh, naked mole-rats that aren't in a pile up...

Bush Babies! Really cute and unbelievably tiny.

 Without going into why, I really hate the flash feature on cameras. Yes, there is a reason why I'm saying that here, but I'm a little embarrassed to tell the tale. This, however, was natural lighting, and it turned out just fine.

Last, but not least, an Okapi. The butt of a zebra, the body of a horse, and the closest relation (I think) of giraffe. These creatures are well adapted to their rainforest home, able to blend into both low grasses and heavy trees. They also have rather long tongues.
So, the Ueno Zoo was actually pretty good as far as zoos go (Oregon Zoo, you have spoiled me). Next, however, I decided to go to the Kyu-Shiba-rikyo Gardens. Billed as a taste of Edo and, "impressive view of rocks," it really it a peaceful place in the middle of the city...at least, I would say that if it really could get out of the city.

What a pretty pond...and buildings.

That reflection is amazing...and buildings.

The center of the park...and buildings.

 At least in the Ueno Zoo, the buildings were far off and subtle.

Far away, and if you happen to squint and see the pagoda, that's the Benten temple.

The distant Sky Tree.

But no, in the middle of what should be a calm park, there's the sight of towering buildings and the roar of cars and trains. Don't get me wrong, I think that Tokyo is a fantastic city where one can find anything and everything. However, more and more I am even more glad for how far out I am. I can get out of the city, I don't have to listen to traffic. All in all, it's a bliss for me that I don't have to look far to find the quiet. One last picture about the gardens, before I move on. Sadly, there was a busy street in the way, so I could not get the clarity that I wanted. However...

 

This man and daughter caught my eye. I apologize for the graininess, but this was the best photo that I could take. Part of the reason that I went to the park was that the Pokemon Center is across the street, and I wanted to see their Christmas stuff (I'm a bit addicted, so sue me). However, on this day they were closed, and they're at the top of those stairs. Now, I wasn't the only one surprised by this fact, and I will bet that these two were as well. I don't know what their story was--and I would have missed them if the shop hadn't been closed--but there was such a profound melancholy in the way that they were walking. Clearly, they had been excited to go to the store, and clearly those hopes had been dashed. To top it all off, this little (I'm going to assume here based on the color and what I could see of the child) girl had to walk down steps that were clearly really big for her. Her father (once again, assuming here), carefully walked down each and every step with her. Like I said, I don't know there story, but I wish them both well, and hope that their next parent-child adventure goes much better.
Following that adventure, I went to Akibahara, spent some money, and then went home. I then decided to test my skill at a claw machine--I had some 100 yen coins left over--and was rather perturbed that I could get this with my first coin:

 and no farther. I don't know what kind of anti-gravity device they use, but clearly it works. To be honest, I neither want nor need such speakers, but they would have made such a nice gift, and instead I was thwarted by...I have no idea. That, dear reader, is utter BS, and I doubt that I will be spending money at that arcade any time soon.


I will leave you now with this image:

I don't know what the bridge did, to deserve being chained to its pillars. I didn't know that bridges were a flight risk, but whatever it did must have been bad. Of course, it might be that this particular section was not connected as well as the others, as evidenced just out of shot, and so needed the additional linking in the likely event of a massive earthquake, but either way that's Japan for you. Anyway, this has been another adventure in the austentatious. If you liked me, tell your friends; if you hated me, tell your enemies; and if you didn't care either way, then tell everybody. And now, good night.

Ep. 18.2 Kamakura-ma

So, I'm finally filling in the Kamakura details. This post will not have pictures, as they were included in part one. Where to begin...well, to start with, there were four of us. Two of us arrived geared for hiking, including boots, backpacks, and water bottles. The other two were dressed for more touristy things. Our first stop was the Kamakura daibutsu (giant Buddha statue), which truly is an impressive sight to behold. It stood alone in a courtyard, at the end of a long, wide path; tall, and peaceful. Upon entering the sanctuary, one can immediately feel the sense of awe--the palpable faith--emanating from this space. And yet, for its size and majesty, the daibutsu is rather plain at first glance. Only upon a closer look can the observer see the telltale detail of the robe and the fine, almost impossibly thin wisps of facial hair. Truly, this is a work where faith and art worked hand in hand, and I got to go inside of it.
That's right, for the price of about twenty US cents, you too can enter the daibatsu. I have no idea how often this kind of thing is permitted, or even why, but on the day we went, it was. And why would anyone pass on this kind of experience, I must ask? I don't know, but it must be a compelling reason, because only I went inside. What did I find? It's really dark in there. The entrance is in the pedestal, and the stairs are really dark. It's not much better inside the main space, though. The entire statue is hollow, with only a few gaping holes in its back allowing the entrance of any light...well, in addition to the small back-illumination of the explanatory sign which details the restoration project of the 60's to strengthen it against earthquakes. Those who have read part 1 will note that, aside from the sign, there are no pictures of inside the daibatsu. It's not that they weren't allowed--there were plenty of people with their phones out--but that it somehow felt wrong to try to capture such a special thing with zeros and ones. To be honest, the inside is exactly what one would expect: a lot of bronze. Sure, you can touch the bronze to find that it's warmer on one side than on the other, but at the end of the day it's just a few big, bronze sheets. That's not makes it so special. What gives it the atmosphere is both the reverence that it brings to believers--regardless of what one believes, seeing a true believer in worship at a truly sacred space does give a tangible feeling of the other--and the history. This statue has stood for over seven-hundred years. It has weathered tsunamis, storms, and the open air. It used to be in an enclosed space, but every enclosure was destroyed by the elements. This connection to the past, this brave and majestic ability to boggle the mind, can little be expressed by such small things as words: the most base expression of thought. How, then, could they be expressed via image? Ergo, no photographs, though perhaps my words may paint a vivid enough picture.

After the daibutsu, the sun was getting low in the sky. It's starting to set at about 4:45ish these days, and it sets pretty fast. However, we decided that we had enough time, if we were quick, to get to another, "must see spot!" on the map. So, we started walking along the road. And we walked, and we walked, and we were starting to wonder if maybe we had been walking the wrong way, when we saw them: the stairs. No, malls have stairs. Schools have stairs. Houses have stairs. These were not stairs, these were an apparent trail of doom laid out to foil the unwary. Thankfully, I had on hiking boots, so I was fine. As such, so was another. For the other two, however, a slight difficulty lay ahead; one, because he hadn't been expecting to do any hiking, the other because she is a bit vertically challenged. And these were tall stairs at times. Don't get me wrong, they led to beautiful views, wonderful wildlife, and fantastic conversation, but they were still hard going if you weren't ready for it. Still, it was relaxing to get out into nature again after such a long absence...at least for some of us.

When we finally got to the end of the trail, we all breathed a sigh of relief. However, that relief was quickly muddled by the fact that we didn't know where we were. We could only follow the signs and hope for the best. Along the way, we asked a nice old man to take a picture of all of us. He took one picture with my friends camera, and 29 with mine (no big deal). He then went out of his way to walk us to the temple we were going to, and even introduced us to the stray cat that he looked after. The temple itself was really fun and absolutely beautiful. All in all, I'm glad that I got to go with such amazing people and at the time of year that I did. With all of the fall colors, even though the going might have been harder than anticipated, we all still had a blast (I hope).

Ep. 18.1 Attack of the Killer Baby

Friends make the world,
They link arm in arm
with bonds most covalent
that lead to no harm.


The Japanese rail system: a thing of beauty and tranquility. Normally. A place for profound thoughts and profane tots. Witness today the most terrible of toddler incidents for, viewed by our hero today, an incident occurred. There he stood on a train, bound for beauty and bedlam when, across, entered a Mother, holding her infant progeny. At first all was well, but then our hero noticed a subtle glint of utter malice and babinicle forthought in the child's eyes. Suddenly, quick as a flash, the terrible toddler lashed out towards its mothers eyes with intent to kill. But...what's this? It's attempt at murderous matricide were thwarted by none other than her protective eye ware, code name: GLASSES (Geeky Looking Article Subtly Saves Eyes fromE Smashing). Though its attempt was in vain, it did manage to knock out a single lens, which it then took advantage of by pulling off the glasses and throwing them to the floor. The mother, now aware of her child's intent, managed to sooth it back into a sense of tranquility. But what knew and dastardly despicable thoughts rock upon the bow of baby's brain? I pity the mother.

So, yeah, I went to Kamakura today and, on the way down, watch a baby pretty much destroy its mother's glasses. Nothing actually broke, and she managed to snap the lenses back in, but it was still slightly terrifying to watch. I will update this later with fun stories, but as it is getting late and I want to go to bed ASAP, I will leave pictures instead. Having said that, one thing that did not get captured--aside from evil babies--was my lunch. Due to schedules and things, half of the group was a little bit late. So, the half that was already there went out and got something to eat and explore. After wandering around for a bit, we finally found a place with a decent price. For what amounted to $10.50 each, we got some of the best Indian food that I have ever had. We each got a meal that included a salad, a huge bowl of curry, a ginormous piece of freshly made naan, a drink, and a dessert. I am really glad that I ate so much, because we spent a good deal of time hiking; but that's a tale for a later day. Now: pictures.

Not quite ready for a photo yet with the Buddha.

The four of us with the Buddha

The outside of the Buddha.

The inside of the Buddha.

More outside of Buddha.

Stairs, or Why My Legs Will Hate me in the Morning

Oh...and rocks and trails and things...we went hiking!

Which led to pretty views...

Nurse logs...

Squirrels...

Fall colors...

And fantastic views!

One quick note about this picture. So, we found this amazing view (just look at it!) and we were discussing how to take a picture with all of us, when we saw a guy walking along the side of the road. So, we asked him for a picture, which he took. However, my phone has a shutter thing where if you hold down the photo button, it will take pictures ad-nausea until the shutter is released. This picture is actually the combination of 29 different photos, all of which are saved on my phone. Yes, it is a little full now. He then showed us to the shrine that we were trying to find, and we even met the little stray tabby (named Ginger) that he looked after.

Another great view.

I really like this photo...

But I like this one too...

More evening glow...

Well, those look familiar.

Here we have a black koi and a white koi swimming next to each other in opposite ways. Avatar fans go nuts.

So, those are my photos so far of Kamakura. More details later.


Quixotic. It is rare to find such a good scrabble word with such an easy and visual definition: Oregon weather. Or, I guess, possible Pacific Northwest weather, but I can't really speak for the other parts very well. Only in Oregon have I ever been rained, hailed, snowed, and sunned on in the two minutes it took to walk back to my dorm from class (in that order, with no sleet). Only in Oregon can it be raining and not have a cloud in sight. Oregon is the land of micro-climates, where you grow up always having a shell layer. However, Oregon is not Japan. In Japan, if it is raining when you wake up, it will probably be raining when you go to bed. If it is sunny when you get up, it will likely be sunny when you go to bed. I have never lived in a place with such dependable, predictable weather before, but I now understand why Oregon weather could confuse so many of my friends. It's kind of freaking me out, actually, but it's still a good experience for me to go through. If you still don't know what it means, then think of Don Quixote, the character who is also the namesake of the word. If that doesn't work, then it's probably because you don't fall into the handy Venn-diagram that I have made with words (Oregon weather Don Quixote). Regardless, I have gone from Don Quixote to Sancho Panza, and though it does make packing for the day much easier, it also makes it much less exciting.

On a final note, Merry Christmas. Now that Thanksgiving is well and truly passed in all parts of the world, I can finally say it. To celebrate, I went out Christmas shopping for decorations and gifts. One of my higher items was a tree. Not something fancy or big, but something small that I could personalize if I wanted to...something that might make a nice center piece. I found it alright, but there was one little issue:

Wait...what?!?!

This lovely specimen, the simplest in the store, would have done well in a live play of a certain holiday favorite. It couldn't have been more than a foot and a half tall, and was plain as vanilla. It was even colored the appropriate shade of green which, being in Japan, is a rather amazing occurrence. None of this changes the fact, however, that this fake tree nearly costs as much as the shipping on the box that I sent to the US last week. For those who don't know the conversion, this is a $45 tree. Aside from the price, it was perfect, but I'm really not comfortable on spending that much money for something that will only be up for about a month. I did end up finding per-decorated trees in a corner that not only came pre-strung but were less than half the price. One of them is the current center piece for my table. Quite why it was so much less is beyond me, but then again, in the same store I also saw this:

Uuuuhh...x-mas trees don't go that way...

So I have decided to give up on how Japan deals with Christmas Trees. I have one, it was reasonable if gaudy, so I am thankful for that.
Anyway, this has been another exciting Adventure in the Austentatious. If you like me, tell your friends; if you hate me, tell your enemies; if you didn't care either way, then tell everyone. And now, good night.