Zamimi, Japan 10/30/06

Zamimi, Japan 10/30/06
- Okinawa Islands -

It’s a quiet, overcast day here on the island. Well they are all quiet days here or at least the 4 days that I spent here were. Our new "local" friend, Joost (Yost), says it’s off the peak season right now but judging by the facilities on the island I can not imagine that the busy time is anything like the high end tourist time that I am accustomed to.

They have been lazy days here for me but that’s not to say we have not done anything. There has been lots of sitting or lying around reading books but that only fills in the gaps between self regulated activities. We spent most of one day at a beach perched on some lounge chairs as a base for the day. At our leisure we went snorkeling on the reef that sits just a few meters from shore. I also strapped on the Teva`s and went exploring some, up and over the rock ridge that surrounded the beach. In between, the exploring and snorkeling I would just lie around and read. Ahhhh, very nice! I wrapped up that day with another great run. This time my route looped around most of the island on the West side. It was another amazing run with gorgeous views. A run that you try to commit to memory so you can recall it when I am one day stuck on a treadmill in some gym.

The guest house we are staying at, Sendoron, serves breakfast at 8 a.m. and dinner at 6 p.m. everyday. Other than that our days have had no structure. We play all day like kids and then get home in time for dinner. I squeeze in a workout and "shower" up by 6 p.m. each day just in time to join the other guests in the dinning room. I do so love a routine. Odd I know for all my self proclaimed spontaneity. I will also admit to looking forward to eating the great food but would really like to find a chair waiting for me. I am reminded at every meal, as I sit on the floor shifting around constantly to keep blood flowing to my legs; I really need to do more yoga. My flexibility sucks!

After plenty of beach time on the previous day Dave finally talked me into renting scooters. I was very reluctant to do so. I have always preferred renting bikes. Partly because of the physical activity but also because of Key West. Since my first visit there I have been annoyed at the drunk meatheads zipping all over the island and constantly honking their tiny high pitched horns. It drives me nuts! It`s a small, quiet island. Why do you need to zip around it?

I kept telling Dave I hated scooters on Islands plus I really didn`t think there was more to see that I had not already seen on one of my runs. I finally gave in. There are two places that have a handful of scooters to rent on the island. We tried the first one but no one was there. I don`t mean it was closed I mean literally no one was there. The door was wide open; keys were sitting in the scooters, we stood around, we looked around. I yelled a few "sumimason" (excuse me) but no one appeared in any direction for blocks. Did I mention how great this island is?!

We found a nice lady at stop 2 that had us write our names and address on a piece of paper. We paid her 3,000 Yen each (about $30) and off we went. No deposit. No credit card. No insurance waiver. No map. No instructions. Just handed us a helmet as we got on the scooters.

I stated it verbally to Dave afterwards but will put it in writing here. I was wrong. The scooters were a blast! No, I will not be renting them in Key West anytime soon but on this little, hilly, island with no other tourists zipping around honking their horns it was perfect. I think Dave and I covered every section of the paved road on the island and even some of the dirt parts too. It took less than 3 hours.

Our last couple nights have been at "Churashi Qpa-ku" which as I am told is a play on the words Jurassic Park; a Japanese play on words obviously, to match the 6 foot x 8 foot metal T-Rex skeleton that sits on the deck of this open air bar. We had set off in search of a place called Urazum described in the short 2 paragraphs that the Rough Guide dedicated to this island as the place to "repair to" but as we approached the guide book recommended place we heard the unmistakable sound of people drinking around the corner. The Urazum place was quiet so we followed the noise. It was coming from a place surrounded by a fence with flashing Christmas light. Perfect!

We stepped onto the deck to see about 10 guys to our left eating and drinking around a bbq. A private party it appeared. The only other group was a round plastic table of about 5 guys drinking, smoking and laughing. Everyone was Japanese and you could tell right away that the table of 5 were all divers, fisherman, etc. Locals. It was in the biz night! As we stood at the front of the deck a white guy in the back looked up with a surprised look on his face and said, "Hey, how ya doin?" I think we were just as surprised as him to see a white guy standing there. That's when we met Joost.

The night proceeded like so many others I don`t know why they continue to amuse me so much. Within a few beers the table of locals invites us to join them. With the assistance of Joost, our Dutch bartender/manager/only employee and a few English speaking girls that arrived soon after us, we laughed and drank the night away with all of them.

After our first round of beers, after joining the locals table, Dave apparently felt comfortable and decided despite the HUGE language difficulties to ask a question that he posed to me a few days earlier. I didn`t know the answer and apparently it occupied his thoughts ever since. I almost spit my beer out when Dave said "Have you guys seen the Karate Kid Part II? Wasn`t Mr. Myagi from one of these islands? You know when he fought Sato." There was some confusion at first. A lot of words in Japanese were exchanged around the table until I finally heard the word Karate Kid which was then repeated by all of them. "Ahhh, yes, Karate Kid!" Followed by the easily recognizable Crane form. I laughed out loud and so did everyone else.

You would think that would be enough of a comic break through but no Dave persisted. In the middle of the laughing he jumped in "No, no. No crane. Part 2. Number 2. The drum!" Already on the Karate Kid subject a few of them quickly jumped to number 2 and demonstrated The Drum maneuver almost knocking some beers on the table. Eventually Joost did some translating for us and Dave`s question was answered. Yes, Mr. Myagi was from Okinawa but Pat Morita the actor was born in the US so they don`t really take much pride in it.

So there you have it. You put a bunch of guys around a table drinking beer and even if they don`t speak the same language the conversation will still be about something stupid. I`ll leave out the full details of when they broke out a digital camera and started taking close up pictures of all of our arm pits to see which one looked more like a vagina. Ahhh, you gotta love life in the islands, no matter which islands they are. They also taught me some island slang and toasts but I was only left with a headache in the morning and not the linguistics leason from the night before.

Joost closed up shop around 10 p.m. and the crowd was thinned down to just us 3 white guys, 4 dive captains, and the 2 girls visiting from Tokyo. We moved to under the awning that covers half the deck in an attempt to keep the noise down for the neighbors. After another round of drinks that became impossible so we all moved into the little shipping container that Joost lives in. Beer ran out so Dave and I switched to the local drink Awamori. I cut mine and Dave's with some water but it still went down hard. Kind of like vodka mixed with sake. Boy that sounds delicious! I can`t imagine why we didn`t like it! Not able to stomach another drink we headed home around 1 a.m. I smiled the short 2 blocks home and it wasn`t all because of the alcohol. I love making new friends!

Our new friend Joost even set up a solo dive trip for us that we went on this morning. Yep, I am finally a scuba diver. It was just a little 35 minute dive with Joost, Dave, and a dive captain that is friends with Joost but I loved it. I still need to get certified and plan to do so in Thailand but Joost's friend walked me through everything and then eased me through each step until he was comfortable with me not freaking out and off we went. I loved it!

We have spent the rest of today hanging out with Joost at Jurasic Park. Him in his hamick, Dave reading at the table next to me, me writting away pausing now and then to talk and laugh. Joost had his mini disk playing an impressive assortment of music from around the world. Some Dutch, some Okinawa, some Belgium, The Stones and Marley thrown in too. Joost had never heard of Jimmy Buffett so I hooked up the iPod and gave him a quick crash course. Lets hope I come back one day to find a bunch of drunk Japanese dive boat captains singing along to Why Don`t We Get Drunk.

Our only pause this afternoon has been to help Joost haul the trash to the incinerator over the hill. Who could pass up a trip to the dump?! Joost even came back with a beat up accordian. "What a find!" he said. If it wasn`t for the Dutch accent I would have thought it was MJ standing there! We leave today on the 4 p.m. ferry. A night in Naha, a flight back to Nagoya, and then another flight the day after that. Dave to Chicago and me to Bangkok. I am glad we had this one last lazy day to hang out in Zamimi before quickly ending the Japan section of my trip.

MJF

Okinawa Islands, Japan 10/27/06

Zamimi Village, Okinawa Islands, Japan, 10/27/06

Island time! Just in time too cause I was getting tired! Dave and I arrived here on the 4 p.m. ferry today. Just enough time to check into our guest house and squeeze in a run before dinner which was served at 6 p.m. promptly. It’s a quiet evening now and I can already feel my batteries start to recharge which is odd because physically I also feel drained, probably because of the 8K mountain run. The mind and spirit get so excited at the gorgeous scenery, and they race with thoughts of exploring it all in the next few days. The body just keeps churning along up hill after hill. I probably looked like a dog at the park.

Zamimi is a small island. Population 1000 and I think they must have padded that stat for more funding or something because it feels more like 500. Like the other many islands that make up what is known as Okinawa it is surrounded by beautiful coral beaches and reefs, crystal blue water, lush green mountains, and laid back islanders. Much like Hiroshima of course this place conjures up images of WWII and John Wayne movies but we have not made it to any of those memorials on the South end of the main island, and Zamimi only served as a US staging area so it’s kind of hard to imagine this place in a state of war. As Dave put it, "Can you imagine what these laid back simple islanders thought when they woke up one morning and saw ships about as big as this island off the shore?!"

So why am I so tired? After Hiroshima we basically went on a sight seeing sprint. Well as fast as a sprint is when you are hauling a full pack with you where ever you go and step one at every new place starts with finding a place to stay that night.

We took a ferry to the island of Miyajima, about 30 minutes off the coast of Hiroshima. It was pretty touristy but in a totally Japanese way so I actually didn’t have too much trouble with it. Miyajima is on the World Heritage list because it is a sacred Buddhist place and has several ancient temples and shrines. I know, I know...more temples and shrines but I will say that these were the most impressive thus far.

We stayed the night on the island after a long search for accommodations. I felt like I was in a scene from 7 Years In Tibet as Dave and I hiked around the old town for an hour with our gear. There was not a single other Westerner in sight. Plus I finally had the occasion to slip on the ol`hiking boots. Giddy up! Give me something to climb!!

Miyajima is home to the sacred Mt. Misen; a 529 meter peak with a few different trails leading to the top. A far cry from Fuji but it will have to do for now. Near the top of are more temples and shrines, including a fire that legend says has been burning for 1200 years...a wood fire mind you. Tended to by the island monks who keep adding logs. It wasn’t a big fire either. You doze off on your shift and it’s all over!

I was more impressed with just the view. Looking out onto Japans Inland Sea with shadows of islands and mountains fading into the distance there is no wonder why 1200 years ago one monk decided to stay up there and build a fire. I would like to have stayed myself but we couldn’t. Like I said we were on a sprint.

We caught a late afternoon ferry back to Hiroshima, a cab back to the greatest hotel in Japan, The Dormy Inn (OK that’s just my opinion but I really do like that place and it’s not just because of the free washing machines and comfy pj`s. It just felt homey.) and then off to the airport at 5 a.m.

I think that was the day that drained us. After the very active day on Miyajima a 5 a.m. wake up call followed by more miles wandering around Naha, Okinawa...most of the time with those packs on again...mentally and physically we were tired.

Naha is an OK town. Kind of like Key West but with more school kids and less drunks. The later of which of course is what makes Key West so fun though which is why Naha just gets an OK rating. Central Okinawa, which is the area that Naha is in, is also home to a large US military base. I expected to feel this presences and culture mix but it actually feels like I am getting deeper and deeper into Japan. Few people now speak English and if they do it`s only a few words. No worries of course. I'm still get along just fine with the exception of bus and ferry schedules. With no English letters any where on the signs we have to find an info stand and play the bumbling tourist role to figure things out.

My limited vocabulary still gets me around though and my new rule is to always memorize the following words before entering a foreign speaking country:

Hello, Good Bye, Thank You, Please, Excuse Me, Yes, No, Beer, and Water.

That’s my minimum of course. I’d love to speak any other language fluently but for now I’ll just have to get by being polite, drunk, and hydrated.

The island is so quiet right now. It’s 10 p.m. and the only sound is a dog barking and some crickets. It’s about time to go lay out my bed...oh ya forgot to mention. We are staying in more and more Japanese style places. No beds, sometimes no chairs, and the baths that I thought were such a novelty in previous entries are now the only option. I always wanted a shower with a seat in it but I am not sure if a little stool, at a shower 3 feet off the floor, in a wide open room with more little showers is what I had in mind. I have to admit though it really doesn’t bother me that much.

The food has been fantastic! I don`t have a clue what most of it is but I have not found a thing I don`t like. Plus Dave doesn`t dig on seafood so I get double of most things! Good thing I am running a lot!
MJF

Hiroshima, Japan 10/23/06

Hiroshima, Japan 10/23/06

Ahhh, finally a day to sit around and write, well kind of, even today has consisted of about 6 hours of walking around; exploring a new city and seeking out some specific landmarks, most specifically the Peace Museum and memorial.

I have now been in Japan for over a week. I have visited the cities of Nagoya, Osaka, Koyoto, Nara, Ki Katsuura, Okazaki, and finally Hiroshima the last of which has been by far my favorite. Not to say of course that I didn’t enjoy the others. Hell any new place is hard to be bad in my mind. Any new experience alone gives me pleasure. Plus on this trip, up until now, I have had an excellent local tour guide and new friends to hang out with. Again, always a good time for me.

Japan and East Asia were chosen as my first section of world travel, after quitting my full time job, to coincide with the wedding of Dave’s brother, and my former fellow Camp Drake staffer, Tim Krug. Tim has lived in Japan for the last 7 years and 2 days ago was married to his Japanese girlfriend of about 6 years.

Dave has been one of my best friends since we were 13 so with Tim only a couple years younger than us I basically grew up with him too. I was honored to be invited to his wedding and even more delighted to actually be able to get to Japan for the occasion.

The wedding was amazing! A cultural experience I will never forget. Tim planned a week of sight seeing and travels before the wedding for his guests, which consisted of about 14 of us, so the entire week was more of the experience than just the actual wedding.
We spent the first few nights in Osaka with day trips to the temples and shrines in Koyoto and Nara. Both were culturally amazing places and very beautiful. One early morning, when I was probably fighting some minor jet lag, I found myself wide awake at 5:30 a.m. To pass the time until breakfast I read the beginning of "The Teachings of Buddha" that was located next to the Bible in my hotel room. I found it very interesting and when I made it to the Temple at Todai-Ji I was able to understand a bit more of the customs and information.

At the Temple, however, I think it was my healthy lifestyle and not my brief Buddhist readings that helped me secure a corner in eternal Paradise. According to legend if you can fit through the small hole in one of the temples large support columns, a hole believed to be the same size as the nostril on the huge bronze Buddha that the temple houses, you are either reserved a corner in paradise or some other benefit depending on which guide book you read. The hole in the column looked snug but it was no smaller than any cave entrance I have pushed myself through. I cut in line by some school kids and I pulled myself through to the cheers of on lookers.

The nights in Osaka were a lot of fun with everyone. Tim even added more to the cultural experience when he gave us all an authentic kimono. We wore them to dinner our last night out in Osaka and we tore up the town. I had a moment that froze in my mind at about 1 a.m. when I realized I was drunk, throwing darts, and wearing a kimono in Japan. Now that’s a night that doesn’t happen a lot.

After Osaka the group journeyed way off the gaijn (outsider/foreigner) path when we arrived by train in Ki Katsuura. It’s located on the coast, south of Osaka, and we stayed right on the water in a resort called The Hotel Urashima. The hotel is built on, and even in, a mountain peninsula and features a few natural on sen`s, (bath) that are filled by hot springs that are directed into the baths.

Just thinking about our first trip to the on sen cracks me up! Talk about your cultural experiences; Walking through the lobby with just a small bath robe on made all of us giggle like we were 12. Luckily Tim was there to guide us all through the process of showering, bathing, and even which little towel you use to…uhhh, cover your manhood. It’s weird to get used to walking around naked, and sober mind you, with all your friends....and their Dad and brothers! Soon we all relaxed and enjoyed the experience. Since then I have even gone to one of the on sens by myself. It is located in the hotel here in Hiroshima and I wrapped up my travel day there last night. Look at me go! It wasn’t a natural hot spring like Ki Katsuura but the sauna and hot tub were still very nice.

Tim’s week long tour culminated last Saturday at the wedding of him and Yumiko. It was a beautiful Shinto ceremony at a very old shrine in Okazaki. During the ceremony I watched Tim read, in what sounded like perfect Japanese to me, his marriage vows. I looked at his beautiful wife in a traditional wedding kimono. All I could think of during the ceremony was of young Tim; the smart, young staffer at Camp Drake that I grew up with. Who would have ever thought that his life would lead him to here? It just reminded me once again that it is a small world and even in one short lifetime the path of life can take you anywhere.

I had a blast at the receptions that followed the ceremony, all 3 of them actually, which is probably why I’m still avoiding the biiru (beer). The Japanese have a great custom of never pouring your own glass. You are to take care of your friend’s glass and fill it when they get low. I thought this was a great idea until Tim’s new 20 year old cousin taught me his version of the tradition. His custom was: he fills your glass, you fill his, and then you both chug. When he beats you, which he always did, he announces he is number 1 and you are number 2 or 3 or 4...depending on how many people are participating. I think counting was the only English he knew but when you are “Number 1” you don’t need to know much else.

Yesterday Dave and I arrived here in Hiroshima. We are wide open until November 1 when Dave heads home and I head off for other destinations. We had hoped, me especially, to head to Mount Fuji for some serious hiking but it’s the off season for hiking Fuji and even though it’s still possible the more I read the more it sounds less than ideal. Our plan now is to spend a few days here and then possibly jump to Okinawa, Vietnam, or Northern Thailand. Who knows?! I love it! Have backpack and money, will travel!

Dave and I both really like Hiroshima. It has a good feel. Clean and wide open spaces. Good restaurants, bars, and cafes that look foreign but inviting to all; beautiful streetscapes and public spaces along flowing rivers. Not what I imagined for the historical place of mass destruction.

The Peace Park is a beautiful place. Proof again that the human spirit is capable of creating great spaces but usually only after equally great destruction. I think just as amazing as Tim Krug standing in a samurai kimono getting married in Japan, it was hard for me to imagine a boy from Philo, Illinois, USA standing next to the shell of a building that 61 years ago was frozen in time by the blast of the world’s first atomic bomb attack. It’s hard to imagine that 61 years from now my grandkids could be sightseeing in Baghdad or Afghanistan but like I said earlier, anything is possible.

Of course that statement also allows for the possibility that 61 years from now kids won’t be able to go anywhere, or worst yet, we blow ourselves up before 61 years even passes. Let’s hope that the fact that I am standing in Hiroshima, and possibly heading to Vietnam in a day or so, is a trend that shows that mankind is on the right track.

MJF