Fuji Adventures (Part II - The Definitely UNplanned Part)

Eric and Robert were still up the mountain, probably on their way down. We were all ready to head back to Kawaguchiko Station and home - hot, exhausted, but feeling rather proud of ourselves.

"Still at the top. Haven't seen Robert." - text message from Eric.

Uh-oh. Eric and Robert were not together. Eric was at the top, okay. Robert was not. That's okay, we'll just wait....

We couldn't get ahold of Robert. At 1pm, we still hadn't gotten in touch with him - Rumiko and I spoke to the local police, and gave them his description and explained the situation. We were worried, but not too worried - we just figured he was on his way down slowly.

At 3pm, it was time for our bus to leave, but we weren't going to leave Robert and Eric up the mountain by themselves. So most of the students left, but Rumiko, Qijin, Alex, and me stayed. We were able to get in touch with Eric again, and asked him to come down the mountain - hopefully meeting up with Robert on the way. When Eric showed up at 6pm, without Robert, we realized we needed to do something. Robert was not on his way down, he doesn't have tons of outdoor experience soon, and it would be getting dark soon. The police station was closed; no one answered the phone, either.

I am (by nature) a worrier. I was quite proud of myself throughout the day for keeping my worrying to a minimum. Worrying doesn't help, and the chances that something was seriously wrong were small. But by now, we were all a little worried -and rightfully so. We decided that before we did anything drastic, we should call Jenny (our coop coordinator) in Canada, and let her know what was going on, and get her opinion on what to do. I was nominated to call (how did that happen?!). I'll be honest - I was getting really worried about Robert; add to that calling Jenny at 2am to tell her that we lost someone on Mount Fuji....my stomach was doing sommersaults, and I was worrying, nervous, and a little scared.

It was 2am on Saturday morning in Canada - I left a voicemail message on Jenny's blackberry and Yuko's (other coordinator) cellphone. Then we got Jenny's home number and I called it - she answered the phone. Her first question was, "Are you alright??" - I assured her I was, but that we had a small problem. She suggested that we make sure he hadn't left the mountain and was back in his dorm, and that I call Takemori-San to see what he would suggest (as he would be more aware of who might be able to help find him). While Alex tried to get ahold of someone at the dorm, I called Takemori-San. He was also concerned, and said he would make some phone calls to see what he could do. He called me back soon after and said that the local police would be looking for Robert.

Two hikers walked by(who looked like they spoke English), coming down from the mountain, so I asked if they had seen Robert. To my surprise - and great relief - they said they might have. I yelled for Alex, and he and Qijin got directions to where they may have seen him, and took off back up the mountain. 3 people to worry about. It was getting dark, and shortly after Alex and Qijin left, it started raining. We got a phone call from Alex saying that they wouldn't let them go further up the mountain without flashlights and raingear. It was about 7:30pm, dark, and raining. But we needed to find Robert, and soon. Rumiko and Eric took flashlights and jackets, and went to meet Alex and Qijin. I stayed at the bottom, 3 cellphones in hand, hoping and praying that everyone would make it back.

I was standing under a small shelter, in the dark and pouring rain. To be honest, I was pretty worried and scared - 5 of my friends were up the mountain, it was dark and pouring rain, there was nothing I could do but wait, and I felt somewhat in charge and responsible for the situation.

Just as Alex and Qijin were getting their stuff from Rumi and Eric, they got a call that someone had found Robert. Alex and Qijin headed up the mountain (again) to meet Robert and his rescuer partway up. 'Breathing a sigh of relief' would be an understatement; but I was still a little nervous, hoping that everyone would make it back safely. Finally, Rumi & Eric emerged from the darkness, and started to figure out how we could get home (definitely missed our bus). At about 9pm, Alex, Qijin, and Robert also emerged from the darkness.

I haven't been so excited to see three people in a long time. Robert was okay - wet, sunburnt, hungry, and tired - but okay. We were all relieved and happy to climb on the last bus back to Kawaguchiko Station. Unfortunately, the night wasn't over yet - but most of the stress was. We realized that we couldn't get home that night - the trains would stop running when we were halfway there. So instead, we spent the night at an inn near the station.

It was extra trouble and stress, because we wouldn't be at work on Monday morning. But we all got in touch with our supervisors to let them know, and I decided that I was going to enjoy the night in the Inn. Might as well, there's nothing else we can do! Japanese hotels & inns have a sort of Yukatta - pajamas, if you will. I convinced Rumi to wear them too, and we ventured to the 7-11 in them. :)

Again - note how funny I look in a Japanese getup

We also met a random friend named Dustin. He was wandering around the train station, looking a little lost, while we were trying to figure out if we could get home. He kept getting closer, so finally I said, "Hi! You look lost!" Turns out he was, and he was happy to meet some English speaking people.

He was also stuck there for the night (planning to climb Fuji with friends, but missed his bus up to the mountain) - so I invited him to tag along with us. He got a room, the three guys got a tatami mat room, and Rumi and I got a room. We went to the 7-11 for some food (nothing else was open), and had a mini celebration party before we finally went to bed (at 1am).

(Random friend Dustin on the left...)

At 5am, bright and early, I woke up and jumped out of bed and - couldn't move. My legs were in so much pain. Scratch that. All of me was in so much pain. The dreaded after-hiking pain. I shuffled my way to the bathroom, fell into the shower, and attempted to wash the dirt, sunscreen, and pain away. The first two went. The latter didn't. We caught the first train at 5:20am, and split up part way. Alex and Robert went North; Rumiko and I and Eric headed south. After a convoluted combination of trains and Shinkansen, I got home at noon. Takemori-San (kindly) told me I could wait until the afternoon to come into work, so I had some lunch and then went into work.

And that is the end of the Fuji saga. A great hike, beautiful sunrise, long desert, volcano full of stress, late nights, fun Inn, much pain, $450 extra, and a half a day at work later...we survived, and we're all safe - which is what counts. But - it was quite the adventure!

Fuji Adventures (Part I - The Planned Part)

Mount Fuji is the highest point in Japan. (Incidentally, I have also been to the lowest 'mountain' in Japan - Tempozan. It's a grand total of 4 meters high, and considered Japan's lowest mountain.) Mount Fuji is a dormant volcano - it last erupted in November 1707. It's 3776 m (12388.45 feet) above sea level. There are many climbs you can do, the longest taking over 20 hours. We decided to do a shorter one (limited time, large group with various fitness levels) - and took a bus to the 5th Station. But I'm getting ahead of myself... let's start from the beginning...

I jumped on the bus at Namba, and dozed until Rumiko got on in Kyoto. We had a lovely trip, with intermittant sleeping and ice cream at 2am. Doesn't get much better than that! We met up with Matt at Shinjuku, when we finally arrived in Tokyo. Getting off the bus I was almost chilly, but it soon warmed up to that nice Japan summer... sticky and sweaty and hot hot hot! The three of us explored Shinjuku and Shibuya. Rumi and I were on a mission - we wanted to bring a cake up Mount Fuji. It was Alex's birthday the week before, and we decided to have a surprise-on-top-of-Mt-Fuji-party for him. We found a nice caramel cake that wouldn't squish too easily in my backpack.

We headed back to Shinjuku for 3pm to meet the rest of the coop students, and caught our bus to Kawaguchiko Station. Even the bus ride up was fun....a little napping, and a little snacking, and some giggles. Alex had brought a big bag of banana chips, nuts, and dried plums. (I've learned that you can always count on Alex to have some kind of awesome food, or find some. I think like hanging around with this guy!) I haven't seen banana chips since I got here, so I was pretty psyched to try some (so was Rumiko) ...."Banana Chips?!?"

At Kawaguchiko Station, we had some lunch (Horse meat, anyone? Actually tasted pretty good!) and caught another bus up to Kawaguchiko 5th Station at 2305 meters. We started climbing by 9:30pm...

The first part of the climb was great - we split up into two groups, one a bit faster, and headed up the mountain. Since it was evening, the hot sun was gone, and we were moving pretty quickly. We stopped to chat and snack and have a break. Partway up, somewhere after the 6th station, we caught upto the people. It was a little crowded, but not too bad - we moved our way through and still kept up a good pace. But after one of the many 7th stations, the people multiplied. By this time, we had split up a bit further; Alex and Keith and I were ahead of our original group of 7 or so. Alex booted it on ahead from there, and Keith and I hiked together for a bit. We took four steps or so, then waited, stuck in the crowd, for a few minutes. 4 more steps. Wait. 5 steps! Wait. 4 steps..... we were able to go around the crowds a bit, and get ahead, but it was still slow going. Alex got bored and waited for us, then the three of us kept moving. Slowly. Keith got lost in the crowd somewhere, and Alex and I finally decided we had had enough. It was after 3:30am, and we wanted to make it to the top for the sunrise. So, we got serious. We dodged and weaved and pushed and shoved (only a little) and fought our way up and around the masses. And we made it!

We got to the top just after 4am, stopped at the bathroom then booked it for a peak on the mountain, to watch the sunrise. Just as it started, a body fell on us from behind, and Keith rolled beside us to watch, too. There are no words to describe how incredible it was to watch the sunrise, so I'll just let it speak for itself.





We waited for the rest of the group to catch up. The top of the mountain was freezing cold, and everyone was pretty exhausted.



Rumi and I quickly organized the impromptu birthday party for Alex, everyone had a bite of cake, and we decided to go down. Everyone was there except 3 students; one was waiting for us partway down, and the other two had been left together, moving at a slower pace.

You know those movies where people are walking through the desert, without food, water, or hope. Their limbs are limp, their feet drag...their faces are dirty and their eyes are glazed over.



That was us. The 'trail' (if you can call it that) down has no vegetation, no shade, no grass, no life. It is endless switchbacks of red dirt and rock, in 40 degree heat. I felt like the living dead, and probably looked it, judging by how some of the other people looked. We were tired, hot, hungry, and the switchbacks just kept on coming....

We finally made it down around 10am, and gained a bit more energy - having completed the climb, and conquered Mount Fuji. It had been about 7 hours up, and 4 hours down. We had met up with the one coop student on the way down, and were just waiting for the other two to make it down. We tried calling them, but cell service was pretty off-and-on...so we sat in some shade (still ridiculously hot, though), rested our legs, and waited. Little did we know, our day was just beginning...

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Serenity & Sanctuary

Today could not have been improved upon in any way. It was a perfect day of solitude in a place of serenity and sanctuary. I realize that sometimes I blog a little wordy/dramatically, but it really was.

I decided to do some exploring on my own, instead of spending the day at home in my dorm room. I read about a walking trail from Ikoma Station to Ishikiri Station. I took a train to Ikoma station, and started on my way. Unfortunately, I wasn't able to find any maps or specific directions online, so I decided to wing it. Which turned out to be...pretty...wingy. I had no idea where I was going. But with the help (again) of some very nice people, lots of pointing and incomprehensible Japanese, I managed to find my way to the walking trail. I'm not sure I went the right way, because it turned out to be more of a hike....with my pretty new shirt, purse, and sandals, I wasn't dressed for hiking. But the trail was nice and it was so beautiful, I went anyways.


On the (fun) cable car on the way up the mountain...turns out there's also a kids amusement park at the top!
This is my fancy new 'Japanese Shirt' that I spoke of...

I met a few people on the trail, but not many. We exchanged nods and 'Konnichi-wa's, and occasionally I asked to make sure I was still heading towards Ishikiri. They all thought it was just delightful that I was walking by myself, in my sandals. One guy asked if I was alone, another woman wasn't sure I should continue in my sandals. Everyone was very friendly, albeit giggling and smiling a lot when they saw me, and watching me until I was out of sight.



The trail was in large part big stone steps and staircases, interluded by rocky paths and dirt trail. There was a light and cool breeze, and overhead the path was shaded by brush and trees of all kinds. The birds chirped and sang, and from time to time I could hear water in the distance. It was so beautiful and serene; I sat, from time to time, just to take it all in and imprint it in my memory. I walked slowly, partially due to my footwear (or lack thereof), but mostly because I wished I could walk forever. About halfway through, I came to a shrine - perfectly situated in the trees. Made of stone and faded wood, it didn't look at all out of place. I washed my hands in the fountain and stepped inside to look around. There were several statues and buildings, but most of the buildings were closed. One was open - so I stepped up to the door and peeked around the corner. It was beautifully decorated, and there was a lady sitting inside at a desk. I quickly stepped away from the door and back down the steps, but then decided to go inside and look around. I always find myself hesitant to enter such a holy and revered place - lest I do something to embarass myself or offend other visitors. But everyone is very forgiving and friendly, and I knew I would regret it if I didn't go inside.



As I expected, she just smiled at me as I looked around . . . I never tire of the ornate gold carvings and beautiful flowing paintings. Just before I reached the door to leave, the woman offered me some tea. I accepted and she laid out a cushion, then poured me some tea and ran into the back - coming back with a packaged cookie. The gesture was so kindhearted and genuine, it made me feel as welcome as if I was an honored guest and friend. We chatted a bit - with some difficulty as my Japanese is somewhat lacking - about where I was from, what I was doing in Japan, and her trip to Canada some years ago. As I had finished my tea and we had finished talking, I heard several people coming and decided to leave so they could pray and worship. I thanked her from the bottom of my heart, conveying my gratitude as best I could - because it really did mean a lot to me that she had taken the time to talk to me and give me tea and a cookie.


The rest of the trail was downhill - every couple hundred feet were statues, often with incense or flowers or candles in front of them. I found a waterfall to the side of the path and sat for a few minutes - all I could hear were the birds and the water; all I could see was greens and natural browns, and the wet rock wall.




The trail turned into a paved road, with neat little houses on both sides. As I was walking, I heard a clackety-clack noise, and saw a big water wheel to my right. Set up under a covered area was a smaller water wheel with big wooden hammers that made the noise I had heard. Beside it was the larger water wheel - still functioning, but looking as though it had seen generations come and go more than once or twice. There was a little information board with old pieces of similar equipment, and pictures and captions (none of which I could read).


There was a map of the area, once the road got closer to town. I almost headed to the train station, but I noticed pictures for another temple off to the side. Of course - I had to go see it. I wasn't disappointed - again, it was beautiful and as tranquil as any place I've been. There were some more small ones that I visited as well - one had over 700 small statues in glass cases. Every temple and shrine was neat and well cared for, with small offerings and prayer requests on and around it.



When I was satisfied that I hadn't missed anything, I continued into town, and explored a short shopping street. I had a delicious (and well-deserved) lunch before I headed back to the train station.



I spend a lot of my time alone - but the solitude of being in the green forest, just with the birds, the running water, and the timeworn statues...it was different. A sanctuary of solitude that released all but peace and joy from my heart and soul.



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Awajishima (Awaji Island)

I didn't want to go, and I wasn't going to go. But what else was I going to do? Have a quiet weekend to myself? Like I don't get enough of those!

Saturday, 6:30am - Bright and early (too early) morning....

I met up with Satomi & Mai in the hallway, and once we woke up Myu (who slept in), we left the dormitory. I am a planning person. When I go on a trip, I have maps and itineraries and directions... but this trip was a complete unknown to me. I didn't know where we were going, who we were meeting, when or where we were meeting them, what we would eat - nothing! Not knowing any of this, I didn't have to worry about being late or getting lost or getting hungry or forgetting something; I just followed Satomi & Mai.

We met up with four other people at Osaka Station - and Myu came a bit later. From Osaka Station, we started driving (in 2 vehicles). I didn't realize until we started going that I haven't been in a vehicle for 4 months! We drove for quite a while, amidst random kind-of-awkward conversations. They were very friendly towards me and eager to ask questions, and spoke pretty good English if they realized I didn't understand what they were saying in Japanese (although, I have to say - my comprehension is improving!).

We drove through Kobe and Himeji, and then crossed Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge - the world's longest suspension bridge at 1991 meters. Looking out the window, all I could see for miles and miles was the ocean - it was beautiful! I love the city, but being outdoors and near the water, especially the infinite ocean was incredible!


Akashi-Kaikyo Bridge

We stopped for lunch once we got on Awajishima - it was delicious, but disconcerting. We had the season special - a certain kind of fish. It all looked great and delicious...but when I picked up my chopsticks to try some of the fish, I realized it was still a whole fish - face, lips, gills, eyeballs and all! That threw me off a bit... but the fish was delicious. Until the part where I was searching for some more fish meat off the bones and found the eyeball...in trying to move it to the side, I punctured it and it squirted fish-eyeball-juice all over the rest of the fish! I am not a squeamish food person. And I will generally try anything once. But just recalling the juice squirting from the eyeball, and into my food makes my stomach turn over! After I made a face and tried to remove the eyeball, Daigon picked it up, asked if I wanted it (um...no), and ATE IT! Ew. Ew, ew, ew! That is the first food thing here that has actually made my stomach feel wierd.


Lunch - notice the big lips and eyeball. Yummy...?

After lunch, we headed to our campsite - Mongolian hut style! We hauled everything in, and after a brief trip to the onsen (hot spring) for a shower, we cooked up a wonderful barbeque.

It was delicious! Canadian barbeques generally consist of hamburgers, hotdogs, chips, and potato salad. Japanese barbeques consist of raw chicken, beef, and other random animal parts, along with potatoes, eggplant, mushrooms, onions, cabbage...all bbq'd over the flame. And then yakisoba to finish it all off! So yummy!


Japanese barbeque...

Marshmellows for dessert and then...another adventure! Octopus. Stretched over a wooden frame and dried...warm it up over the fire, and have a leg! Strange...but yummy.


Octopus, anyone?

We hung out in our hut for a while, laughing and talking and playing random drinking games (like Ping-Pong-Pang); we were all exhausted, though and eventually went to bed.


Camping...in a Mongolian Hut!

Quiet weekend to myself? Who needs it!

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Wonderful Trip + Awful Pain = Good Mood

Friday after work I met up with Yoda & Mya in the cafeteria and we headed off to Gifu, by train (met up with Satomi), and then by night bus (met up with Yamachung and Hira, friends of Yoda). By time we got on the night bus and started on our way, it was almost midnight. We chatted for a bit then slept until 6am, when we arrived in Gifu! The ski lodge was somewhat similar to Canadian ones, and it was packed! We changed in the dressing room and got our rentals, and were on the hill by 7am! Now that's what I call efficiency....I do things fast and efficiently, but often trips or days with several people involved take a while to get off the ground, by time everyone gets organized. Not this time!

Sometimes I forget how much I love the mountains, the snow, and being up on the hill, but as soon as we stepped outside, I couldn't keep a smile off my face. I was thrilled to be there! Avril Lavigne's 'Girlfriend' was blasting over the loudspeakers (they're all about the North American music), and I couldn't help but sing to it and bounce/dance around - it was great! It snowed all day, beautiful snow, and was pretty windy for part of the day, but it wasn't too cold.

We spent the day doing Green runs b/c Satomi had never boarded before. Since my own boarding skills leave much to be desired, it was a great chance to practice. Last time I went boarding I was trying to learn to impress, but this time taught me how much rewarding it is to accomplish something for yourself, instead of trying to show off to someone else! I was pretty proud of my improvement over the course of the day - I can spin my board, both ways! and carve much better than before. We were up on the hill until 2pm, then quickly changed and grabbed some lunch before jumping back on the bus. We were all pretty exhausted and slept part of the way back. We arrived back at Sannomiya station around 7:30, then Satomi, Yoda, Mya and I split to go back to the dormitory.

We stopped for supper on the way, which was yummy (as always). (blog detour->->) I think I am a great source of entertainment for my Japanese friends, especially when it comes to food! We stopped at a convenience store before getting on the night bus the first time, and I was looking at all the snacks. There was several kinds of something that looked like beef jerky, except it was fish jerky. That was fine...what really threw me off was the (whole) dried and squished squid!! I thought it was pretty strange, and my friends thought I was pretty funny. (<-<-back on track) At supper, I (again) entertained them by sounding out things on the menu and asking what all the characters were, and looking suspiciously at some interesting dishes (like deep fried minnow-like fish..eyes included!) It was a great night. When I finally hit the pillow after midnight, I was exhausted.

I don't normally get sore after a day of snowboarding, even if I haven't been in a while, but today, I was in pain! I opened my eyes and was impressed at the lack of pain...then I tried to move! I don't think I've ever been so stiff and sore in my life. When I finish this blog post, I'm off to the gym to work and swim away the soreness.

I'm hoping to get to Nagano next weekend for another day or two of skiing! Being up on the hill again and hanging out with some friends made for a great weekend!

Mt. Takamiyama

Yesterday I hiked Mt. Takamiyama in Nara. It was wonderful to get outside again, in the trees and the fresh air, and the snow! - And to get some exercise. I went in a group of nine. There were six men I work with, one man's wife, one man's daughter, and myself. I bought eisen (ice spikes) for my hiking shoes as instructed, and bought some gloves while I was at it (I've never really had a good pair of gloves). We all met at Haibara Station (35 minutes by train from my station). Hanaka (sp?), Yamaguchi-San's daughter was adorable. She had practiced the night before how to say, "My name is Hanaka" in English. At first she was a bit shy, but she quickly warmed up to me. From Haibara station, we took a bus for 40 minutes to the mountain. It was quite busy - apparently it's a popular destination.




It took us about 3 hours to get to the top, with a stop for lunch partway. The scenery was beautiful - despite the fog. At the top was a shrine. The lady who came with us clapped and bowed to it - I believe it was a tribute to ancestors. Just past the top were the ice trees. The pictures below are not sideways and it was not incredibly windy. The ice forms on the trees this way - it has something to do with how the branches vibrate. It was incredible and so beautiful!





The trip down took about 2 1/2 hours. One of the men who came (Hisuzumi-San) had a problem with his leg and had to take it slow. There was a 700 year old tree on the way - it was pretty neat. I wanted to get a tree-hugging picture, but there was a fence around it. :)




When we got down the mountain, we caught the last bus back to Haibara and taxied to an onsen. It was my first visit to a Japanese onsen! I was charged with care of Hanaka (she's only 8). The mens and women's onsens were seperate. We bought tickets from the machine and traded them in for a locker key. I was greatly relieved that the onsen was gender segregated. You are expected to enjoy an onsen minus clothing or a bathing suit - and I believe some onsens are not gender segregated. Being from conservative BC, I am not completely comfortable taking my clothes off in front of a bunch of old ladies, let alone men that I work with!!




Before you enter the onsen you are required to shower and use the provided soap and shampoo, and rinse all the suds away. Hanaka and I enjoyed the warm water of the onsen (which is like a large hottub), then blowdried out hair and met the men outside. Then we went for dinner upstairs. It was a great dinner - instead of everyone ordering a meal, often they just order a bunch of appetizer-type things and everyone shares. At the end of the meal, I asked how much it was and they wouldn't let me pay! I asked if they were sure and they told me I was a guest. I was very grateful and also relieved - I haven't received a paycheque yet, and my funds are running low - I think it was a pretty expensive dinner, too!



It was an awesome day - the scenery, the company, and the exercise. Yamaguchi-San said we would go hiking a time or two again, before I leave in August - and I'm looking forward to it!