Drums of Spring

If there is anything Japan loves more than traveling, its making travel related lists. They have been doing it for centuries, and lists include the top 100 mountain peaks, the top 100 scenic places of unusual smells and the top 3 gardens. Living in Kanazawa as I did, I saw plenty of Kenrokuen, which is one of those top gardens.

However, I had failed to see any of the other two until this past weekend. Kairakuen in Mito city Ibaraki prefecture is the newest of the gardens, built in the mid 1800s. It is best known for its plum blossoms, and we are fast approaching prime plum blossom season. Please note I said, fast approaching rather than in the middle of. Last weekend was pretty chilly, and while the flowers want to bloom, few of them had managed it.

Despite the weather and conspicuous lack of flowers the garden had set up a large festival and light up. Food booths, candles, lanterns, taiko drumming, dancing and even a fireworks display were all on tap for the evening.

One booth had a glowing image of the Japanese guardian of the underworld looming over it. They were selling local sake, and I just had to buy some. You could buy it in cheap paper cups, or for a bit more in a cedar box. The box was yours to keep, and refills were only two dollars. Not a bad deal at all. Also on offer were some amazing beef strips on a stick and a chashu burger. Chashu is the pork rounds you get on ramen, and is generally quite salty, fatty and smoothly delicious. This massive chunk of it on a bun was amazing, far better than I had expected, and I had expected great things.

Strangely enough, there were dozens of cosplayers. All over the garden were people impressively bedecked as their favorite character. Some I recognized, but a lot went over my head. We saw two different versions of Date Masamune, samurai overlord of Sendai city and general all around badass. There was also a Naruto, and a mini Naruto, a Ruoni Kenshin and plenty more. You could tell that a lot of time and effort had gone into these costumes, and they were really into it.

One of the best bits was the taiko. I always enjoy a good taiko show, and the Mito players were excellent. Tess enjoyed how the style in the Kanto was very different from what she has seen up in the wilds of the Noto peninsula. I went ahead and shot some video, its a little shaky and cuts off early but should give an idea of how the performance went.

The fireworks that finished the night were short, but fun. It was getting pretty cold by that point, and I doubt anybody really wanted to watch a more typical show. We all had a fantastic time, though I don't know that Kairakuen will supplant Kenrokuen in my heart.

Riding the Shink

 Shortly after Christmas Tess and I took a trip to Sendai. One reason we wanted to go was less about Sendai and more about the mode of transportation you can use. The new E5 Series Shinkansen, which runs the northern route from Tokyo to Aomori Prefecture at the far tip of Honshu.

We had to change trains at Omiya station, to catch our E5 Hayabusa. This is the newest Shinkansen, and only went into regular service last March, just a few days before the earthquake disrupted the northbound trainlines. 

This new trainset is one of the sleekest yet, and has a top design speed of 320 km/h (299 mph), but currently only runs at 300 km/h (186 mph). This is still fast enough to cover 321 kilometers between Omiya and Sendai in a mere 71 minutes. 

I have always said that the Shinkansen is the only way to travel. For pure speed and comfort, it is just pure bliss on tracks. And the new trains are even better!

2011

Tokyo Waterfront

 

Snow in Aizu-Wakamatsu, Fukushima Prefecture.

 

Plum Blossoms in Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture.

Cherry Blossoms in Takasaki, Gunma Prefecture.

Rice Paddies in Ishikawa Prefecture

Shibuya, Tokyo

Shirane-san crater, Gunma Prefecture

Starbucks, Insaong shopping street, Seoul.

Candles, Takasaki

Fritz the family dog, Rocky Mountains of Colorado

Garden in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture

Panda Bear in Ueno Zoo, Tokyo

Panorama, Ikaho Onsen, Gunma Prefecture

Garlic and Chili Peppers

Chicken Calbi

You cannot live in Japan for as long as I have and not love Japanese food. However, you cannot live in Japan for as long as I have and not be just a little sick of Japanese food. As delicious as it is, sometimes Japanese cuisine is just a little too refined, and a little too under-spiced. (Wasabi aside)

Traveling to Korea was more than just a chance to see some new sights. It was a chance to eat my way through some of the best food on the planet. I must admit, this took me by surprise. I have always enjoyed such stalwarts as bibinba and Korean BBQ, but the huge variety and tons of amazing flavors rather blindsided me.

Like most in most Asian countries, eating in Korea is about more than just sustenance. Eating out is a chance to excite your taste buds while you enjoy the company of your friends and family. The first part is covered with liberal application of chili paste and garlic in most meals. Some of the worst (best?) garlic breath of my life was on Jeju island, and not Italy as one might expect. After the more subtle flavors that predominate in Japan, I was pretty excited at the thrice daily chance to sear a few layers off of my tongue.

As mentioned, eating is very communal in Korea. Rather than pick a dish and order it for yourself, most restaurants will serve up a huge main dish, with five endlessly refillable side dishes to share. These side dishes were quite interesting. Usually composed of a variety of kimchee or two, with other various veggies, pickles and what have you. They were often mysterious, but always delicious. Top the meal off with few bottles of cheap beer and/ or soju and by the end everybody feels great.

I was happy enough to come back to okonomiyaki, sushi, shabu shabu and tonkatsu, but Korean cuisine will always hold a special spot in my pantheon of food.

Korean BBQ, one of the best things. Ever.

Lunar Eclipse

Last night saw the last total lunar eclipse for a couple of years. It seems every time one of these rolls around I am either far from the optimal viewing area, or the sky is totally covered with clouds. Luckily this past weekend saw Japan in an excellent place to view the eclipse and the night was as clear a winter night as you could ever ask for.

 

Tess and I were walking back to my house and noticed a bite slowly being taken out of the gorgeous full moon. It was almost unnerving, watching the darkness spread across the face of the moon. It was hard to not stare at it as we walked.

Once we got home, I quickly swapped out lenses on my camera and grabbed my tripod for a little astronomical photography. I must admit, I am pretty happy with the results. My setup for this sort of thing is far from professional, but I got some good shots. It was exciting to watch the moon turn a blood red, and to record it. Though the clear December air was very chilly, it was a good thing I had the fixings for a good nabe dinner once the eclipse had finished.

The Adventures Tintin: The Secret of the Unicorn

The Adventures of Tintin, based on the classic comics by Herge, released last week here in Japan. I grew up surrounded by the colorful characters and interesting situations Tintin finds himself embroiled in, and was eagerly looking forward to the film version. As is often the case, I was worried about how it would translate from page to screen. Though certainly the talent behind the all digital camera has a certain pedigree. Steven Speilberg knows adventure and action set pieces, and producer Peter Jackson well knows how to lovingly adapt a well known work for a new medium. Steven Moffat, one of the screenwriters, is currently running the show for both Doctor Who and Sherlock for the BBC, and has shown a great grasp of both fun and adventure on those programs.

The film is an amalgam of two of the comic adventures, The Secret of the Unicorn and The Crab with the Golden Claws. This necessitated quite a bit of structural change to fit the two together, but the result was quite enjoyable. The basics that make Tintin great survived intact. The interplay between Tintin and the crusty Captain Haddock, the slapstick of the Thompson twins, and the heroism and frequent barking of Snowy the dog are all present and accounted for. As well there are plenty of winks and nods from the Tintin Canon that have made their way into the film.

In short, I had a blast. Tintin is a true comic book film. Filled with adventure, humor, and that sense of hightened reality that comes from the best adventure fiction, be it Indiana Jones or The Three Musketeers. I find myself hoping that Tintin does quite well this holiday season, so that we may see another installment a few years down the line!

The DMZ

Hanging over the hustle and bustle of Seoul is the nearby border with North Korea. It can be hard to believe that a brutal dictatorship exists so close to a vibrant modern state. We couldn't come all the way to South Korea without a trip to the DMZ, or Demilitarized Zone  that separates North from South.


As we got closer to the border fences, pillboxes and watch towers begin to appear. This bridge is one of the only links between the two states, a recently built railway that was hoped to bring the sundered halves closer together.

The first real stop on the tour was at a museum that looked at the history of the Korean war, and the cross border tensions since then. It didn't have the more recent spats listed, but it gave a good overview of things. There was also a video presentation that stressed the nature reserve aspect of the DMZ over the soldiers, pillboxes and landmines aspect. It was fine, but it did seem a bit Pollyanna considering the history and the tensions.

After the museum we got to visit Infiltration Tunnel #3. This is the third of four tunnels that have been found piercing the border. The North Koreans claim it is a coal mine, and planted coal dust to back up their claim. However, the way the tunnel is fashioned and the way it slopes (up towards South Korea) show the lie. It was built for use in a surprise attack. It is estimated that there are many more tunnels that have not been found. Sadly for me, photography was not permitted within the tunnel. In this way, the tour was very highly regulated. Passports were required, and photography was strictly limited. If you were seen taking photographs in a forbidden area, guards would accost you and make you delete the file.

 

Then it was time to journey to an overlook where we could peer into North Korea itself. We were there on a very clear day, and got excellent views of the hills surrounding a North Korean city whose name escapes me. We also got to view what were once the tallest and second tallest flag poles in the world. Each side kept building their flagpole taller, until South Korea stopped bothering. Here again, photography was only allowed to a certain point. From the edge you could see South Korean military fortifications, and they wanted to ensure no agents could photograph the troop dispositions. 

Our last stop was Dorason station. It is a brand new train station that has never been used. It was built to service the same train line the bridge was built for, but relations between North and South soured, and regular service never began. It was eery walking around a shiny but empty train station. 

While we did not get to see the Joint Security Area and the actual border line on this tour, we did get an excellent glimpse of the fractured recent history of the Korean peninsula. It was a fascinating day, and a sobering one as well. A true peace treaty was never signed, and as we have seen in the news there are still flashes and flare ups. While we may hope a resurgent Korean War will never happen, our trip to the DMZ reminded us that it is certainly possible.