Hey guys, I've only got 8min, cuz I'm on one of this stupid computers that you have to keep feeding coins in order to operate.
Just wanted to let everyone know that we survived the experience in Aomori. Jay was eaten by hobos, but it's the kind of sacrifice you have to make...
Actually, things went very well. After the festival we managed to find a grubby little inn that had one free room. Gray and Jay were sleeping on the floor, but it was a better than an alley, and it was the sacrifice we were all willing to make to see the Nebuta Matsuri (WHICH WAS AWESOME!!!!)
We're in the city of Narita right now, we fly home tomorrow. *sniffle* :(
To my co-workers, I'll see you all Tuesday. To everyone else, I'll be sure to get in touch as soon as possible. I've returned my rental phone, so I'll be out of touch till I touch down on Canadian soil. I'll talk to you all soon!
4.5 min left, gotta run!
Sunday 5 August 2007
Friday 3 August 2007
A Quick Status Update
Hi everyone! It's currently 9:45am in Tomakomai, and I'm checking out in 10min. From here we are going to Aomori for the Nebuta Festival. It's the biggest Matsuri in all of Japan, so we couldn't miss it... despite the fact that even with advance notice we were unable to secure a room in Aomori. So it was decided that, being the hardy adventurers that we are, we would attend the festival and worry about the consequences later. As such I will probably be sleeping in an alley somewhere tonight, and while even the alleys in Japan have pretty good internet access, I may not have a chance to make a post. We'll be in Narita tomorrow, spending the night there and then jumping on a plane at noon the next day. Hard to say if I'll get on before then.
My posts have been infrequent, and sometimes rushed, so keep your eyes peeled for some more detailed stories, even after I've returned home. Sayonara for now guys... wish us luck!
My posts have been infrequent, and sometimes rushed, so keep your eyes peeled for some more detailed stories, even after I've returned home. Sayonara for now guys... wish us luck!
Thursday 2 August 2007
Fire and Water
Hey guys!
Thanks again to everyone who has been posting, it's great to see so many people keeping track of our progress here. To answer Dave's question, the cars here aren't too exciting I'm afriad. Actually had a hard time getting my Suzuki WagonR up some of the steeper areas around Mt Osore. Now that we're in Hokkaido Jay has rented a Nissan Cube (yes, it's actually called a cube... looks like it too...) and we've been bombing around in that.
We had a bit of a misadventure yesterday in our Cube, as it just so happens. Actually, it wasn't so much a 'misadventure' as it was a 'lack of adventure.' Something to realize about Japan is that their highway system is laughable (either that or the Canadian system is fantastic.) All roads that I have seen thus far have a posted limit of either 40 or 50 km/h. The ONLY exception to this is the toll roads which charge ridiculous rates. We went to Daisetsuzan National Park yesterday, which is 200 km away. To me that's about a 2 hour drive... that's just the way I'm used to thinking about that kind of distance. Well, we didn't feel like spending $50 just to go that far, so we took the regular 'highways' which are posted at 50 km/h and riddled with traffic lights. In the end we didn't make it to the park until about 5:30 in the afternoon, took a quick hike around the base of Asahi-dake (the highest mountain on Hokkaido) and then had to get going. In order to get home before dawn we just shelled out the $50. Bit of a let-down, but I guess it was a learning experience.
Today, however, turned out quite nice. Armed with the knowledge that any drive is a serious drive in this country, we decided for a much closer destination and made for the mountains around Toya-ko Onsen. The region is actively volcanic, and it made for some great scenery, and some nice hiking. The first stop was the area of Nishikawa, a crater near the base of Mt Usu. Our violent friend Usu has blown 4 times since 1910, and Nishikawa was the most recent, having blown out the side of Usu in 2000. The eruption, and resulting earthquakes, levelled everything in the area, and they have left what they could untouched, with just a roped-off walk way running through the remains of a small town. We were able to view the destruction left by the explosion in the form of downed power lines, broken roads, and collapsed buildings. The walk is lined with hissing vents firing steam into the air. VERY COOL!
We went from there to a newly formed peak that just popped up in 1941, Showashinzan. After a few months of near contant earthquakes a vegetable field near Mt Usu found itself 50 meters higher in the air than when it started. Over the course of the next two years the now VERY active volcano rose to a height of around 400 meters. Not bad for two year's work. Unfortunately the authorities find Showashinzan to be just active enough that they won't let me climb it. Damn. I've always been of the opinion that I can be the judge of whether or not something is dangerous based on my making down the mountain with both legs intact. However, I think that there are few places in the world where the local authorities will just let me take my life into my own hands. So much for personal accountability.
From the Showashinzan we took a quick cable car ride to a plateau very near the summit of Mt Usu. Cool ride, but once again I wish they'd drop the fences the prevent me from scrambling to the top and/or severe injury. During our wanderings up there the wind picked up... a lot. Gray saw on the news that we've got another typhoon on the way, and I think it may be starting effect the weather up here. By the time we got down to the bottom of the mountain it was POURING! It was a bummer because the nearby town of Toya apparently puts on a fireworks show every evening in the summer, and I wanted to see that. Fortunately though, we'd already put in a very full day in the area, so it wasn't too disappointing that we had to leave early.
On our way back we found a VERY interesting restaurant. The outside had been designed with a very nautical theme, looking very much like a sea-side shanty. The inside continued the look, but chose to accent that with American country-western 'music' being played. Throw in the fact that the food (which from the nautical theme we assumed would be seafood) was based largely on large ground beef patties stuffed with a variety of interesting things, and the whole combination was wildly clashing, and fantastically Japanese. It turned out to be a really excellent meal.
Well guys, that's all for now. One more day in Tomakomai, and then the next day we're back to Aomori where we'll hopefully catch the Nebuta Matsuri, assuming that it doesn't get rained-out. Wish us luck!
Thanks again to everyone who has been posting, it's great to see so many people keeping track of our progress here. To answer Dave's question, the cars here aren't too exciting I'm afriad. Actually had a hard time getting my Suzuki WagonR up some of the steeper areas around Mt Osore. Now that we're in Hokkaido Jay has rented a Nissan Cube (yes, it's actually called a cube... looks like it too...) and we've been bombing around in that.
We had a bit of a misadventure yesterday in our Cube, as it just so happens. Actually, it wasn't so much a 'misadventure' as it was a 'lack of adventure.' Something to realize about Japan is that their highway system is laughable (either that or the Canadian system is fantastic.) All roads that I have seen thus far have a posted limit of either 40 or 50 km/h. The ONLY exception to this is the toll roads which charge ridiculous rates. We went to Daisetsuzan National Park yesterday, which is 200 km away. To me that's about a 2 hour drive... that's just the way I'm used to thinking about that kind of distance. Well, we didn't feel like spending $50 just to go that far, so we took the regular 'highways' which are posted at 50 km/h and riddled with traffic lights. In the end we didn't make it to the park until about 5:30 in the afternoon, took a quick hike around the base of Asahi-dake (the highest mountain on Hokkaido) and then had to get going. In order to get home before dawn we just shelled out the $50. Bit of a let-down, but I guess it was a learning experience.
Today, however, turned out quite nice. Armed with the knowledge that any drive is a serious drive in this country, we decided for a much closer destination and made for the mountains around Toya-ko Onsen. The region is actively volcanic, and it made for some great scenery, and some nice hiking. The first stop was the area of Nishikawa, a crater near the base of Mt Usu. Our violent friend Usu has blown 4 times since 1910, and Nishikawa was the most recent, having blown out the side of Usu in 2000. The eruption, and resulting earthquakes, levelled everything in the area, and they have left what they could untouched, with just a roped-off walk way running through the remains of a small town. We were able to view the destruction left by the explosion in the form of downed power lines, broken roads, and collapsed buildings. The walk is lined with hissing vents firing steam into the air. VERY COOL!
We went from there to a newly formed peak that just popped up in 1941, Showashinzan. After a few months of near contant earthquakes a vegetable field near Mt Usu found itself 50 meters higher in the air than when it started. Over the course of the next two years the now VERY active volcano rose to a height of around 400 meters. Not bad for two year's work. Unfortunately the authorities find Showashinzan to be just active enough that they won't let me climb it. Damn. I've always been of the opinion that I can be the judge of whether or not something is dangerous based on my making down the mountain with both legs intact. However, I think that there are few places in the world where the local authorities will just let me take my life into my own hands. So much for personal accountability.
From the Showashinzan we took a quick cable car ride to a plateau very near the summit of Mt Usu. Cool ride, but once again I wish they'd drop the fences the prevent me from scrambling to the top and/or severe injury. During our wanderings up there the wind picked up... a lot. Gray saw on the news that we've got another typhoon on the way, and I think it may be starting effect the weather up here. By the time we got down to the bottom of the mountain it was POURING! It was a bummer because the nearby town of Toya apparently puts on a fireworks show every evening in the summer, and I wanted to see that. Fortunately though, we'd already put in a very full day in the area, so it wasn't too disappointing that we had to leave early.
On our way back we found a VERY interesting restaurant. The outside had been designed with a very nautical theme, looking very much like a sea-side shanty. The inside continued the look, but chose to accent that with American country-western 'music' being played. Throw in the fact that the food (which from the nautical theme we assumed would be seafood) was based largely on large ground beef patties stuffed with a variety of interesting things, and the whole combination was wildly clashing, and fantastically Japanese. It turned out to be a really excellent meal.
Well guys, that's all for now. One more day in Tomakomai, and then the next day we're back to Aomori where we'll hopefully catch the Nebuta Matsuri, assuming that it doesn't get rained-out. Wish us luck!
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