Daniel's Top 10 Experiences in Japan: Number 7

Number 7: A Winter Visit to Hell Valley

For our good friend Laura​'s birthday last year, we set course for the mountains of Nagano Prefecture, to a little hot spring town located in the affectionately named Jigokudani, or "Hell Valley."  We stayed in a small Japanese Inn, where we checked our shoes at the front door and transferred into slippers to protect the woven straw mats that composed the majority of the floors.  The cozy lobby was cluttered with kerosene heaters, posters advertising local businesses and festivals, souvenir keychains, coat racks, and Japanese calligraphy.  We headed up to our Japanese-style rooms on the second floor, then soon made the trek to the basement to try the natural in-house hot spring.   Below ground level, the walls looked to be cut from the earth, with water droplets forming from the steam emanating off the baths.  The water was worthy of its location in Hell Valley, because it about seared the flesh off my leg when I stepped in.  Carson​ and I had to leave the cold-water faucet running for a good 5 minutes before the bath was a suitable temperature.

At check-in, we were given a key to the various hot spring baths located along the main street of the town.  Each one had different kinds of water (mineral-rich, muddy, clear, etc) and was supposed to cure a different ailment (bad joints, muscle pain, you get the idea.)  In the morning, with frost dusting the tree branches and the occasional snowflake alighting on my head, I donned the robe and winter vest provided by the inn, slipped into some wooden sandals at the front door, and set off to try out a few baths.  I wandered the narrow, winding streets of the town, avoiding icy patches on the brick roads until I got too cold, at which point I'd pull the key from the pocket of my vest and enter the nearest hot spring for a few minutes, until sweat was dripping off my nose and my skin had turned red.  I'd then towel off, get dressed, and continue my walk, grateful for the cold morning air.  Exploring the maze-like town before most of the occupants were awake is one of my favorite memories of the trip.  Japanese streets are usually narrow and cramped, and I've actually come to like them a lot (granted, I rarely have to drive on them, which I imagine would change my perspective a bit).  The streets of the town were especially windy and narrow, with power lines and drain pipes, heating units and mailboxes all latching onto buildings and hanging over the streets.

Later that day, we headed further up the valley, parked the car, and made a short hike through falling snow to the famous monkey hot springs.  Sure enough, there were monkeys everywhere, playing in the snow and chasing each other and eating food provided by the park's staff.  And of course, monkeys taking baths.  The four of us watched the little guys do their thing until we couldn't feel our fingers, then headed back down to civilization.

Soft boiled eggs, cooked using the natural water from "Hell Valley" hot springs.

Me, Jorden, Laura, and Carson in the lobby of our Japanese inn.

Monkey life.

A big fancy Japanese inn (not the one we stayed in) I found during my morning walk.

The snowy path up to the monkey hot spring.

Jorden walking the streets of the hot spring town.

Experience number 6 is right around the corner!

Daniel's Top 10 Experiences in Japan: Number 8

Number 8: Climbing Japan's Three "Holy Mountains."

It wasn't long after moving to Ishikawa prefecture, bordered on one side by the Sea of Japan and on the other by mountains, that Jorden and I heard of Japan's thee holy peaks.  Of course, everyone's heard of Mt. Fuji, Japan's tallest mountain.  But there are two others - and both not too far from our city - which have achieved "holy" status.  Full disclaimer: despite having climbed all three, I never did my research to discover why exactly they're any more or less holy than any other mountains in Japan, since Shintoism essentially teachers that everything has a deity associated with it.  Sorry!

Anyway, I decided to roll these three experiences into one for the sake of convenience.  The mountains in question are Mt. Haku (2,702m, 8,864ft) Mt. Tate (pronounced tah-tay; 3,003m, 9,852ft) and of course Mt. Fuji (3,776m, 12,388ft). Sure, they're not much compared to Colorado's peaks... but they made for some great, scenic hiking.

Our first adventure was soon after arriving in Japan, when Jorden and I borrowed a friend's car and did a one day up-and-back on Mt. Haku. Actually, you can look back over this blog to this post and see a bunch of pictures from when we climbed Hakusan the first time!  Escaping the humid, stifling heat of the city was great, and for most of the day we had perfect mountain-climbing weather. But as we closed in on the summit, clouds rolled in and completely obscured any view. Last year I got my revenge, however, when our friend from church, Shiro, invited me to do an overnight trip. We started in the afternoon and hiked for a few hours, then spent the night at a shelter hut. We were up and at 'em the next morning by 3am, and managed to summit just as the sun was rising.

Tateyama proved to be quite the experience as well. I climbed with Shiro, my friend Joe, and John of brother-in-law fame, back in August 2014.  But for the entire hike we were in the clouds, being saturated with moisture and battling both the wind and icy footing. At the summit, the wind was gusting so hard that I opted for the "three points of contact" rule so as not to be blown into oblivion.

For Fuji, I did a solo trip in June of this year, the weekend before climbing season started (in order to avoid the crowds).  I retraced the steps that Jake, Dad, and I tried many years ago. This time I wasn't forced by a typhoon to spend the night in a bathroom, and instead climbed to the 8th station for dinner and a short sleep. The next morning I hit the trail again at 2am to make the 5:30 sunrise. Though the wind was miserably cold and strong, the views from the top were amazing, and I even got a clear view of the sunrise.

Not having a car, Jorden and I didn't get many chances to go hiking and escape the urban areas of Japan. So, these three trips definitely make my list!  Now, here's some pictures:

The Fuji trailhead.  By climbing while the trail was "closed," I avoided the legendary crowds of people on the summit!

The hearth at the mountain lodge I stayed at on Fuji.

Me at the summit of Fuji.  The wind was inflating my rain coat so I look like Superman.

The caldera of Mt. Fuji!  Right before sunrise.

The summit of Fuji, with the sunrise in the background.

Looking towards Tokyo, seeing the sunrise.

Our first trip to Hakusan... couldn't see anything!

...And my second attempt, when a bunch of friends.  This time we saw the sunrise!

About to head down Hakusan after watching the sunrise.

John, Joe, and I at the top of Tateyama.  We were inside a cloud the entire time so we were soaked when we summited.

Shiro, Carole, and Russ making their way over the glaciers on Mt. Tateyama.

The elevation marker on to of Mt. Tateyama.

Curios what made the #7 spot?  Stay tuned!

Daniel's Top Ten Experiences in Japan: Number 9

Number 9: A Road Trip into the Noto Peninsula, May 2015

We've made many trips into the beautiful, rural peninsula that composes the northern half of our prefecture. But, our recent trip with our friends Laura and Carson during Golden Week (a slew of Japanese national holidays in early May) was definitely the best. We set off for the city of Nanao first to witness their legendary Seihaku Festival, wherein enormous parade floats the size of buildings are pulled and maneuvered through the streets by fleets of people.

Next we drove all the way to the tip of the peninsula and stayed in an epic guest house where we had a 100-tatami mat main room (about 1,770 square feet!) and several other stories with rooms, hallways, stairs, a stage, and lounges all to ourselves. On the first floor, we even had free access to a public bath. The guest house was a stone's throw away from Mistukejima, a Noto island landmark.

That night, we dined at the famous Nihonkai Club restaurant/brewery, something we'd been meaning to do for years.  Founded by a guy from the Czech Republic, the Nihonkai (or "Sea of Japan") Club brews award-winning beers of all colors and flavors.  I particularly enjoyed their Imperial Stout.  In a country where virtually all the major beers taste the exact same, it was a breath of fresh air (or a gulp of fresh brew?) to have some fresh-made variety.

Upon waking, we set out to have a cup of coffee at Nizami Coffee, a favorite coffee shop that was the subject of a recent Japanese movie.  This enormously popular roaster/seller draws a huge crowd despite it's extremely rural location (there are no trains that run that far up into the peninsula, and the bus ride from Kanazawa takes about 4 hours).

Next we took a long, leisurely drive along the coast of the peninsula, stopping off to see such points of interest as Japan's oldest lighthouse, a rock in the shape of Godzilla, A crazy-expensive Japanese inn that's lit completely with kerosene lanterns, a town celebrating Boy's Day with hundreds of carp-shaped banners, AND Senmaida, or "1000 Rice Fields."

The Noto Peninsula is something I'll never forget, and something I already miss about Ishikawa.

Jorden and I with one of the huge Seihaku Festival floats in the background.  They're four stories tall!

The main room (1,770 square feet) of the guest house we stayed in... and we had it all to ourselves!

Me at Mitsukejima, a 5-minute walk from our guest house.

Jorde, me, Laura, and Carson at Rokkasaki Lighthouse, Japan's oldest.

Jorden and Laura waiting for our food at the Nihonkai Club restaurant/brewery.

The adventurers at Senmaida, or "!,000 rice fields."

Jorden enjoying the view of the Boy's Day decorations.  The carp-shaped banners signify strength and vitality.

Stay tuned for Part Three!

Daniel's Top Ten Experiences in Japan: Number 10

Hello faithful readers!

As time has gone on and Jorden and I have become accustomed to our life here in Japan, it's become harder and harder to keep this blog current.  We're no longer surprised when we see octopus tentacles in our grocery store, or Shinto priests in full regalia riding bicycles on their way to work.  We're used to the cute things our students say, and quirks and hiccups of living life in a place where we're still working hard to understand the language.

But, our time in Japan will soon be at an end.  As you've probably heard, Jorden and I will be returning to the States on July 23rd, which by my account is about 10 days away.

So, to wrap up our time in Japan, I've decided to do a daily series: Daniel's Top 10 Experiences in Japan!

Without further delay, here is part one:

Number 10: Nara in the Fall (November 2013)

My old friend from high school, Hans, made a trek out to Japan to visit us in the fall of 2013.  We set off for Osaka and Nara, about a 4-hour train ride from our home in Ishikawa prefecture.  We spent the first day in Osaka, seeing the castle and exploring the modern, neon-lit streets.  Osaka's been described to me as "the less-classy Tokyo," and I definitely agree with that statement.  It's got all of the metropolitan hustle, infrastructure, and buildings.... but with more of a casual, sloppy vibe.  We sat down for Thanksgiving Dinner in an Izakaya, or Japanese pub, and clanged our beer mugs together before feasting on fried balls of octopus (expat life...) We visited the Osaka aquarium, and rode a huge ferris wheel with views over Osaka Bay.

But the best part for me was our journey to Nara, the ancient capital of Japan.  It's peppered with temples, shrines, and parks -- and crawling with hundreds of semi-domesticated deer, all of which have had their antlers sawed off due to their propensity to head-butt tourists in an effort to get snacks.  In November, the trees were beginning to erupt in reds and yellows.  We walked for most of the day, with clouds threatening rain and deer threatening our pockets. We saw the Great Buddha, countless temples, and a few amazingly manicured gardens, made even more spectacular by the falling leaves.

At the temple of the Great Buddha.  The building is enormous!

Stopping at a tea shop during our walk.

One of the infamous Nara deer, looking for a handout.

Hans and I enjoying Nara in the fall.

Jorden impersonating a deer.

That's all for now - thanks for reading, and be ready for Part Two!