Saturday, March 31, 2007

Spring 2007 > China > Part I

BEIJING BOUND

I don't know how many people apply for re-entry permits on the day of travel with luggage in tow, but it was a good thing that mine was done and dusted within fifteen minutes as I hadn't been able to get one the day before as National Foundation Day was being observed. Nevertheless, Baptiste, myself and Ilan (who's idea of backpacking appeared to be dragging an almost monolithic suitcase around) caught the train to Kansai International Aiport without a hitch. I guess it wasn't peak travel season, as the airport was near-empty, as was our flight, which left ten minutes early anyway.

China Air was to be our airline for the trip, but I can't say I'd recommend them at all. The food was okay, the service unexceptional, the Chinglish news headlines amusing - but their take-off and landing and frequent turbulence didn't fill me with much confidence. Having bagged the window seat, I got to see China from above, but all I could see were vast expanses of brown dirt, puncuated with identikit blocks of skyscrapers, often regimented in colour coding like giant Lego. The airport staff provided us with endless forms to fill in for our enjoyment, but we were approved entry with no hint of resistance (although later experiences ran far less smoothly). Once processed, it was time to 'queue' for a taxi and throw ourselves head first into Chinese society - how we could have ever done it without Ilan, I have no idea, as a typical Chinese conversation sounds more like a vicious argument or bile-spewing rant than a polite exchange of words.

We were heading to Beijing Train Station but the ride there took an unbelievable length of time, with very long expressways that took us past crumbling shacks at the foot of neon-lit skyscrapers (and Tesco in the distance). Queueing is not a recognised activity among most Chinese, and the same rules do not apply for the highway code. Indicating is optional, road markings and lanes are merely suggested guidelines, the horn should be used as frequently as possible and if the jam is too bad, use of the pavement is advised. We were told the traffic situation has gotten especially bad over the past decade, with many abandoning bicycles for cars, and forgoing the admittedly useless public transportation network (in which you have to take a bus to get to a subway station, with an archaic ticketing system anyway) for taxis. This despite the fact that all the roads are massively wide, yet every hour feels like rush hour. With the swell in road-use, the pollution has gotten worse, with smog masking hilltop views and dirt lingering in the air. This was to greet us upon our arrival at the train station, as a cold wind blasted grit into our eyes and down the back of our throats. Hundreds of people had massed at the ticket booths to buy up seats for their impending migration home for the holiday season, and we were extremely lucky to get soft sleeper tickets for our Beijing to Shanghai leg.

Tired and cold, we taxi'd to Soiran's brother's university. Soirin greeted us with a warm welcome and some recently learned English (surprising even his sister) and took us to an on-campus, but yet still huge and ornate, restaurant to eat and meet his friends, all with varying levels of English ability. Soirin seemed very interested to know what our opinions were on Karl Marx and Taiwan, but we weren't really in the right frame of mind to begin a debate on such hot topics. Instead, we were introduced to another Chinese custom in which, rather than everyone saying "Cheers!" at one time, you must perform the act one on one multiple times offering a different reason for raising your glass each time. Every conversation seemed to begin or end with yet another "Cheers!". After food came the search for accommodation, and with no nearby hostels accepting foreign gents such as Baptiste and I (can't blame them), we ended up in a cheap nice hotel. We then ended the evening with a bout of karaoke, and while English songs were few and the microphones kept breaking, our sore throats at the end were proof of something.

The next morning was hurried as our Chinese friends had found us a new place to stay. Their ex-headmaster apparently knew the manager of the Redwall Hotel near the Forbidden City, and, for some reason I'll never figure out (maybe he thought we were international cultural ambassadors or I was an Olympic official, scoping out Beijing in lieu of London's plans in 5 years time), we were allowed to stay for three days. Free of charge. And this wasn't some run-down dirty hostel - this was a rather swish upscale hotel! However, this was all on one condition: that we have lunch with them in the hotel restaurant. Well, it's not like we could or would refuse, so we were all ushered into the private backroom for a lavish feast. Not only were the headmaster and the hotel manager's family and friends in attendance, but at the head of the table was a member of the Chinese army! Now, it's very hard being thrust into these opulent dinners with such esteemed company, especially when you don't understand the language, so you are mostly silent, but also because you're being presented with unusual food you are not used to and actually don't like especially - how the hell do you deal with it without seeming rude and ungrateful? After numerous cheers and toasts (they pressured us into choosing beer, only for them to all drink apple juice instead), dish after dish appeared on the table. I stomached the giant jelly mushroom starter as best I could, but I was almost finished off by a rogue chili that left me breathless and tear-jerked for a good five minutes - I don't think anyone important noticed, thankfully. But I genuinely can't say I like spicy foods now as a whole since my visit to China and Thailand - they really do cross the boundaries of taste there! Luckily, there was a good deal of vegetables and genuine authentic Peking Duck to satisfy everyone.

Lunch finished abruptly, and the rest of the day was spent in one of Beijing's many shopping emporiums, filled with stalls offering various goods of varying legitimacy. I settled on a new (if crap) watch for my travels, which started out at 68 yuan (about £4.50). I've never enjoyed haggling - I feel like the shopping experience should be a joyous one shared between supplier and consumer, not a depressing argument where you try and out-stingy each other - but in China it is de rigeur. After I gave a few dummy near-walkoffs, I got it down to 35 yuan, almost half price. I told Ilan, but she was not impressed, saying I should have got it down to 20-25 yuan. I thought I did good for a novice, but there's just no pleasing some people. We finished up in a Beijing 2008 souvenir shop (one of many around the country) and a Starbucks (one of many around the country), before a quick evening visit to Tiannamen Square.


What a place to spend Valentine's Day, indeed! It was rather chilly, but the dark blue sky, black birds and white lights made for some lovely snapshots. The Gate of Heavenly Peace, with Mao's image still lovingly adorned upon it, had a large police and guard presence, as it also did pushy souvenir vendors flogging their wares. In what would come to typify our journey in Beijing and Shanghai, at every turn someone would pounce upin us to desperately sell their tacky goods. Ilan advised us to brush them off with a simple smile, dismissive wave and a 'xie xie' ("thanks", but in this context "no thanks"). This worked most of the time, though they'd usually answer back in Chinese as we walked off - obviously some sort of insult flung at us, but we didn't understand, so who cares? It seems that the Chinese people we met were either really rude and aggressive or incredibly nice and friendly. Sometimes it was hard to judge which was which, but more on the nice ones later...

The So siblings had to catch a flight back home, so we bid our farewells, and continued to have a peek around Tiannamen Square at night. After about an hour, we walked back to the hotel, which must have taken close to another hour, as it became very clear that Beijing is a very, very big city. We found a fast-food restaurant nearby offering bowls of yummy beef rice and some very familiar tasting warm soya milk, and then went to a dodgy DVD/CD shop, filled with boxsets with bad blurbs and print jobs. It was not long before we returned to our lovely new hotel for a good sleep before our early wake-up for our busy tour the next day.


AND ALWAYS LET YOUR CONSCIENCE BE YOUR GUIDE

We woke at 6am to catch our 7:20am tourist bus as we were to take in the ancient sights outside Beijing. We were joined by a rather moody and pushy Indian couple, and Johannes, a friendly German in his late 40s with four kids, but still on a fun vacation (with Australia next). Our tour guide for the day was Wendy, a saucy Chinese lady in her mid-40s, with a good command of English and a wicked sense of humour. Her topics of conversations included: the Emperor's laziness as a result of his 1000 concubines (and comparing him to Bill Clinton); eunuchs; 'Audi' Schroeder (four wives = four rings); monkey brains, and how eating them makes you smart; Chinese vodka, and dragon-tiger soup (made from snake and cat). As we left Beijing city, we drove past the new Olympic buildings, including the main Bird Nest stadium, the bubble-walled swimming pool and the swish velodrome. However, our main ports of call were to be the Great Wall and the Ming Tombs, but beforehand, we were introduced to another interesting feature of Chinese tourism - the Happiness Store.

Dressed up like a factory museum, you are led on a little tour, explaining the history of a particular Chinese commodity (in this case, jade), then you get a look at the manufacturing process, before being ushered into the gift shop. Now, most museums have a gift shop, but in this case the gift shop IS the museum - everything's for sale and everyone is trying to sell you everything. Maybe it was because this was our first such retailer, but we found the jade factory the least pushy of them all, and we were quite happy to indulge them with some little purchases, given that we had little time to look for souvenirs elsewhere. Obviously there are all sorts of behind-the-scenes dealings between shops, tour operators, hotels and the government, but they really have to practice their sales techniques better. The customer is more likely to be turned off a purchase if they feel like they are being bullied, tricked and cheated - maybe others would submit and pay to get them to go away, but you shouldn't have to. Sort it out guys!

We arrived at the Badaling section of the Great Wall around 9-ish. The sun was out, the weather was fine, and the stretch of the wall across the length of the valley was virtually empty. And for no reason at all, there was a camel sitting in the car park. Us brave young souls picked the hard section to climb up, and rock hard it was too. The first section practically killed us, as if we were climbing the tip of an upside-down iceberg. An iceberg made of STEPS. Some were one brick high, while others were three or more, making for very uneven, calf-and-thigh destroying strikeforce impact. The numerous watchtowers offered some respite as a place to catch our breath, but we made it to the top of the peak, making us great men in the eyes of Mao. Getting back down was just as tricky though, and falling head over heels was an all-too-real possibility. But we made it to the bottom without injury.

Lunch was at another of those tourist stores, but with a restaurant attached, offering cheap but quite nice local dishes to a endless stream of tourist groups doing the same circuit. It's not what either of us would have wanted to do ideally, but money and time restrictions applied. Next were the Ming Tombs, home to various Ming emperors. Not sure which one we visited, but it was filled with traditional Chinese architecture that was at first interesting and pretty, but most places used the same designs and colour schemes, so looking back, it was rather ho-hum. Still, it was worth going just to hang out and joke around with Wendy. She enthusiastically pointed out the three 'woman trees' that grew out of the stonework, which would offer us concubines if we gave them a stroke. Knowing my luck, I had a sneaking suspicion I'd end up with concublokes instead. And while the colour schemes were repeated ad infinitum, the predominace of red (for happiness) got us thinking about the succesful US brands like Coca-Cola and KFC that had made in-roads to China. Heck, McDonald's Golden Arches represent the offical yellow colour of the imperial household. Our final stop was a little teahouse back in town, where we got to sample various Chinese tea and buy them (yes, that old tactic again). But it was a genuinely pleasant finish to the tour, and the various flavours were rather lovely.

Our tour had reached an end, but there was still a whole evening of entertainment ahead. We were going to head to the Drum and Bell Towers, but we got hopelessly lost on the way (it would turn out we made just one wrong turn) and ended up in Bei Hai Park as the sun was setting, which was a nice enough replacement anyway. The lake was still super frosty despite it not being too cold now, but just dry (the reverse of Hokkaido). There we met a father and his son (armed with a toy wooden sword) who spoke with us for a long time in English about all sorts of things as we walked around the edge of the lake - international trade, US slang, the tourist business. And while the odd word would defeat us (it took us a long time to register the word 'niche'), they were good company as we said our goodbyes and pressed on north. We headed to the bar and restaurant area around the hutongs along Qin Hai and Hou Hai, which had a wonderful cosompolitan atmosphere missing from the centre of town. Fireworks were being let off here and there (some right next to us from the fronts of businesses), adding to the vibrant feel, even if it was only Thursday night. We settled on dinner at the Alpha Omega Club, which featured live traditional music, followed by a funk-soul band (playing all the regional standards, as well as "Fever"). It had been a long hard day, so we rewarded ourselves with a load of junky food, with chicken nuggets, french fries, steak and black pepper sauce and a Hawaiian pizza (with banana). It weren't cheap, but we wanted to splash out - we were on holiday anyway, so why not? Once we were back at the hotel, we copped Zs pretty quickly - even if we were both coughing like crazy from the pollution and previous ailments.


BIG EMPTY

Some lucky kanji guesses at the bus stop got us transportation down to the Temple of Heaven, where the Emperor would have once performed various rituals for the benefit of the whole nation. We entered at the East Gate and were greeted with a gathering of old folk down the Long Corridor, having a nice sing-song. It seems parks are where people come to just do whatever they like, from tai chi to impromptu music performances, with audiences welcome but not necessary. We decided to take a very long walk down towards the South gate to enjoy the temple the right way round, but were met with very large walls blocking the route and the odd cypress wood. Nevertheless, we passed through the various stages of the temple site, from the Circular Altar to the Imperial Vault of Heaven (complete with Echo Wall which supposedly allows you to communicate with another on the opposite side of the courtyard, but we were either doing it wrong or it didn't work or there were too many people or all three). And then the long walk to the Hall for the Prayer of Good Harvests. It was at this point that Baptiste received the dreaded 'change battery screen' of death. We bought some choccie biccies to cheer us up and then spent a long time trying to find a way out of the park and then trying to find a place to eat, but the latter proved fruitless. If we were going to make our train to Shanghai and fit in the Forbidden City, we'd have to rely on biscuits for now.


Luckily, the Forbidden City was situated next to our hotel, so getting back to our bags wouldn't be a problem. Still, we didn't have time for an English-speaking guide, be they flesh and blood or the sultry voice of Roger Moore on the headsets offered. Our favourite spot in the Forbidden City was actually right at the start; a small garden filled with pavilions and gnarled trees. We walked through the length of the city's walls from north to south, with vast expanses and temples, huge squares, amphitheatre-esque tiers and a river running through. The main halls were closed to the public, undergoing restoration in time for the Olympics, but they had handily put up a replacement image across the scaffolding. Against our better judgment, we were yet again ensnared in the whole buy-me trap, as we offered a few minutes to look at an art exhibition which turned into 'students' from a Mongolian art school trying to sell their work (i.e. mass-produced prints) - we left quickly, rudely and unimpressed, with it all wearing a bit thin.

Once we exited the Forbidden City, we took a quick walk up Coal Hill to see into the whole complex, but the fog and smog and sunlight hindered visibility somewhat. However, we did get to eavesdrop on a Japanese tour guide - it's great, because they won't think you understand so you can leech off free guide info. Unfortunately, it has to be said that both of these grand sights were pretty underwhelming. Oh, they were big and nicely constructed and world famous and all, but it all felt somewhat soulless and uninspiring. I guess when something is so big, the personal touch is lost, but even then, I was expecting to be wowed by the Forbidden City at least, but left with a feeling that can only be summed up with 'meh'.

We returned to the hotel to pack up and check out (no bill!), then hopped in a cab to the train station with great difficulty thanks to big bags and little room. A quick meal at Yoshinoya (a Sinnified fast-food version of it anyway) before we joined the masses at the station waiting room. I asked one of the station officials for information, but he seemed more interested talking to me about sport. As soon as anyone finds out I'm English, all they want to talk about is football, which leaves me just smiling and nodding and not contributing, and probably makes them feel like they're getting the language wrong when they aren't. For instance, this guy was telling me how the Chinese team and an English team had just 'fought' each other. I just thought he meant it in the sense of competing. It was only a few days later when I found about the actual QPR Vs. China's Olympic Team brawl (BBC coverage / Fox Soccer Report) with kung-fu kicks a-plenty he had been referring to. He also said Bruce Lee was his hero, so I thought the use of wording was appropriate.

We huddled en masse onto the train and found our room occupied, but it turned out to be a mix-up on their part and not ours - though quite a bit of rubbish had been left behind. Nevertheless, we had the whole room to ourselves, and we relaxed in our beds, staring out of the window into the night, watching cities pass by and fireworks pop in the air. It was my first time travelling on an overnight train, so I had all the giddy excitedness usually attributed to those a quarter my age. But I did eventually get some sleep, as we were to arrive in Shanghai the following morning...

Coming in Part II: Shanghai - skyscrapers, vagabonds and hover trains!

Wednesday, March 21, 2007

Spring 2007 > Hokkaido > Part II

BOARD STUPID
Wednesday 7th February - time to hit the slopes! Repeatedly, with a hearty thud (or thunk). The trains took Dan, Thom, Jona, Josh and myself out to Teine and then a bus trip up to the Olympia ski area. It was a virtual white-out through the windows, and when we disembarked, we plunged straight into thick, deep, beautiful snow. It was the perfect soft powdery kind that was ideal for falling into, like a marshmallow pillow canvas, or something. We were here for the night-time ski session and it was getting dark as we ventured off to rent our gear. Jona and Thom opted to ski, as they had had previous experience when younger, while Josh and I decided on snowboarding, because we're cool. Also, we figured that, while we may fall over more often than if we were skiing, it would hurt less when we inevitably did so. Dan joined us snowboarding, kindly acting as our mentor; though he'd only been a few times before, his advice and encouragement saw us through. After getting suited and booted, strapped and frapped (that word choice is actually cleverer than anticipated), we made our unstable advance to the ski-lift.

Being hoisted up on the ski-lift was a very relaxing experience, looking down at the genuinely glistening snow while more of the stuff gently lands on you from above. But once I get to the top, it's time to make the quicker journey back down. At first, I fell over a lot. Sometimes on my back, sometimes on my face, sometimes after multiple rotations. With my thickening facial hair, the snow would cling to the whole of my visage, and my hair started to freeze (it was the closest thing to a shower I'd had for days, and when the hat came back on, it froze onto the fabric). The trick was not to head straight, as you bomb down at a dangerous pace, but to weave side-to-side across the slope. I didn't manage to attain the perfect line a la 1080° (which, let's be honest, was the driving force behind me picking snowboarding over skiing - as was Ski or Die), sticking to a far safer to-and-fro stance-switch falling-leaf motion, but I got pretty good at it, and towards the end I was falling over only a couple of times a run. Over the course of the four hour session, I probably clocked up about 15 runs, some through very thick snow, with only one brief moment when the weather cleared to allow a beautiful view towards Sapporo. Frozen and exhausted, I called it quits a bit earlier than the others, so I could take a few snaps and eat a spicy frankfurter. But soon after, we were all back in Teine looking for something more nourishing, and, after a Mexican restaurant apologised for not having any tacos, we dined at the next door yakinikku. All kinds of animal parts devoured, from pig ear to chicken heart to beef something - but all good.

SNOWFEST '07

The following day was time to take in the wonders of the Sapporo Snow Festival, with a whole bunch of classmates as well. We decided to go in the evening for the more dramatic lighting, and while we didn't get round to visiting Satoland (a mini snowpark a bus ride away), the fabulous sculptures on offer across the whole length of Odori Park was breath-taking (well, not literally, that would be a severe health risk for any public gathering). The sculptures themselves ranged from giant corporate-sponsored constructions to local citizens' efforts to replicate well-known cartoon characters and the like. It was also absolutely freezing. Highlights included...
  • Danpa - the inverse Panda and Hokkaido mascot, though no-one really knows why. He was at the foot of TV Tower entertaining (annoying) the crowd (people queueing for the Tower).
  • The Hall of Supreme Harmony Ice Stage - I was due to see the real thing in Beijing at the Forbidden City, but was more impressive (also the real thing was closed when I went there). Included live music and some ridiculous girl and boy bands.
  • Genki-kun the Cow appearing on the Milk Land Hokkaido stage to a ditty with the lyrics "Ushi! Ushi! Ushi!" ("Cow! Cow! Cow!").
  • L'Art De Fumer - an old-fashioned bus converted into a portable smoke den.
  • The wonderful replica of Hikone Castle (pictured - behind Chris and Jona, that is).
  • Ainosato Kyoikudai's own effort - a deformed Winnie-the-Pooh clasping a globe (with a not-to-scale giant Japan) towards his groin. It seemed unsightly bulges from the crotch region was something of a running theme.
  • Posters and stalls demanding the return of the Northern Territories to Japan - made all the more amusing by the huge influx of Russian tourists in town for the festival.
I could mention more, but it's probably just worth taking a look at my pictures yourself. I'm not going to do all the bloody work. Or take a virtual 3D CG trip of the festival area at the official site.

THE LAMB BARON VS. COUNT DRACULA

The next day saw a return to Saporro city centre for a brief spell of shopping - predominantly on the search for souvenirs. Much of the shop we visited seemed to be taken up with limited edition regional variations of Kit Kat - one of the only predominant British foods in Japan and also insanely popular (there's currently a cherry blossom seasonal Kit Kat doing the rounds). While the sealion, sea-urchin and bear curries were tempting (me to be sick and cry), I stuck with a neat Ezo Brown Bear tin case, covered in all kinds of bizarre slogans like "Mother nature is always dangerous and merciless for human being. But it's just a harmony for the nature itself. Enjoy four seasons as the season is" and "Firestorm is misterious (sic). It shines in the dark and on your mind and captures everything." The official site for all the merchandise can be found here.
Once the rest of the SOAS Hokkaidoites had gathered, along with Cassie who'd popped up from Tokyo, we headed off to Sapporo Beer Garden, home to Sapporo Beer, in Sapporo. Sapporo. It's a fun town name to say, isn't it? Better than LON-DON, anyway. There we had two hours of all we could eat sizzle-your-own-lamb and vegetables and all we could drink beer. It was the first time that a Baikingu Sutairu (Viking Style - Japanese name for all-you-can-eat) meal felt like a Scandanavian banquet of old, with grand tables, a wonderful setting (inside an old factory building), and endless booze and baby sheep flesh. We even got bibs - which were more like paper aprons (or paprons) than anything. As I liked my lamb quite well-done, the others kept taking the meat I was preparing, so, in response to my whinging, I had a whole sizzle section to myself, earning me the title of Lamb Baron - nice.
Reeking of meat and beer, it was back into town for a brief spell of karaoke. But this was going to be karaoke like no other (is that now a trademark of Sony or can I still use it?). This was Surira (Thriller) Karaoke. Taking its cues from the Michael Jackson classic, the exterior and entrance hall was decked in full spooky decor; a giant Dracula face outside, classic horror film posters indoors, a coffin, skeletons, crosses, decapitated monster heads, cobwebs - it was as if some guy owned a karaoke box and his friend had all these unwanted Halloween decorations to shift, and the idea was born. Even the staff were dressed in blood red shirts and black ties (but maybe they all just really dug Kraftwerk's The Man-Machine). And what's even better is that this isn't a one-off, but a chain (though sadly limited to Hokkaido). As we walked down the dungeon corridors, the room was something of a disappointment, with nothing horrific about it (well, except the drab brown wallpaper). Nevertheless, it was still a short but sweet karaoke burst before the last train home.

END OF ONE JOURNEY, PRELUDE TO ANOTHER
We reached Otaru in the evening before our ferry trip home, and were pleased to find another snow festival had just gotten underway. Named the 'Snow Gleaming Festival', the streets of the city that went along the old train track and the surrounds were covered in snow and dotted with candles and fire-cups, stacked up in various formations with snow balls, pots, cylinders and all sorts of shapes. There were snow tunnels, igloos and pyramids too. It was a nice surprise, although with all our luggage in tow we weren't exactly in the right gear for it. Still, we headed down to Otaru canal for a look at the light displays there, passing a wonderful old bank building, some large fish emporiums, a pony-drawn carriage and another Thriller Karaoke (this one with a giant bat on the roof). It seemed like a nice town to spend a day in, but we had a ferry to catch, and after some dinner and Mister Donuts (natch), we were off to the port.

Thankfully the journey was far calmer than our first trip. The vessel was of a slightly different layout, but had similar amenities (plus Hyper Bishi Bashi Champ in the arcade). For some reason, the various areas and rooms were all space-themed, with Cafe Galaxy, Astronaut Smoking Room (probably not safe in an all-oxygen environment), Jupiter Restaurant and Milky Way Forward Saloon. This time round, the cinema was operational, so we bought snacks and drinks and watched Harry Potter and the Goblet of Fire in Japanese with English subtitles. Then it was time for Josh and I to take the plunge for our first sento experience - getting nekkid in a room full of strangers, having a wash, a dip and a sauna trip. I'm not going to lie - it was awkward at first. Of course, your average Japanese person has been brought up to just shed their kit in public whenever necessary, but my career of public exposure consists almost entirely of swift swimming pool changing rooms keks-droppage. However, if you don't dwell on it, any nerves soon dissipitate and you just get on with it as if it's perfectly natural (which it is, I guess). And at least we got a nice view out towards the ocean.

We arrived on time this time, but we had expected a bus service in the direction of Maizuru; instead there was only one headed to Shin-Osaka. So a taxi to the station followed by the last train to Kyoto (changing twice) had to do instead. Josh got off at Nijo, but by the time I got to Kyoto, the underground had closed, so one more taxi journey back to Mukaijima. I had to keep the driver waiting as I was 200 yen short, so Baptiste had to come out round the corner (they're never able to actually park outside the halls, they always miss the entrance or go round in circles and drop me elsewhere) and lend me the remaining fee. But I was back. I was home. And I was off to China in a day.

Remember to check up on all my glorious Hokkaido piccurs nyah.

Coming soon: Beijing! Shanghai! Xi'an!

Thursday, March 15, 2007

Spring 2007 > Hokkaido > Part I

BEST LAID PLANS

No sooner had I finished watching The Departed did I find out my ferry had also departed - without me on it. I returned a call to Shin Nihonkai Ferry company. Apparently I had missed my boat to Otaru, having left Maizuru earlier that morning. Clearly the travel agent's idea of Saturday night translated literally as 'during the night-time on Saturday, so early Saturday morning also counts'. After a bit of a messy 20 minute phonecall, our tickets were to be transferred to the ferry from Tsuruga to Tomakomai, leaving around the time we had intended to leave anyway, just to and from slightly different locations. I rush to a nearby JTB office to confirm the details, alert Josh to the situation but advise it has already been sorted and we meet at Kyoto Station as planned. However, our voyage was to hit another little snag - and we hadn't even left the city yet.

I was walking towards Mukaijima station, kitted out with all my luggage, when the ferry office phones again to tell me that our ferry was delayed due to rough weather. I spent a long time on the phone with a very patient lady, trying to figure out if it was actually going to go at all, what other passengers were doing, whether I should book another ferry...But all uncertain replies. After talking with Josh, we decided to head there anyway and wait either at the port or on board for the ferry to leave. It was unlikely we'd arrive on Sunday evening now...

The first snow appeared on our train to Tsuruga - a mere taste of what was to come. Although it was snow festival season, we were a little suprised how few people were on the train, the bus to the port and finally waiting for the ferry. I guess if you've got the funds to pay the ludicrous mark-up Sapporo hotels impinge during the festival, you'd probably be Shinkansenning or flying. Still no idea of when departure time was going to be, but we were welcomed aboard at 11.30pm and Josh and I were a little startled by how grand the main entrance was. Big shiny staircases and all - faux-grander but fancy nonetheless. We were sleeping in a big shared space with a simple mat, blanket and pillow for comfort, but it was better than I'd expected it to be. Settled in, we took a quick tour (air hockey!), then sat in the main lounge, drinking beer and eating snacks and waiting for the damn thing to 'hoist anchor and set sail'. But still no movement by 2am, at which point we decided to call it a night. Nevertheless, we stayed up for an hour or so more, as a group of Japanese workers had appeared in our dorm and began chatting with us in English and Japanese. They offered us rice cakes, dried squid, shucho, salami and cheese with little salami chunks in. And then they went and got us another beer each. Not wishing to upset our uninvited hosts, we ate and drank as much as we could stomach - but our stomachs were soon to take an assault of another kind.

I slept comfortably enough, waking intermittently (especially when we finally departed at 5.30am), but finding the experience of sleeping on a giant flat firm water bed very interesting. It was around 11.30am when I awoke properly, but it was not until I was standing that the feeling of nausea sunk in terribly. The heat of the room, the constant swaying, all that food and booze - I clasped my mouth, put on my shoes, and staggered uncontrollably to the lavvies to let rip. I managed to fight the urge to vom everywhere, but I have never felt so ill for so long. I buy some seasickness tablets and water but I didn't imagine they'd have any effect.
Out on deck felt better. The sun and fresh air belied the choppy waters rocking the passengers from side to side, but inside was still more comfortable. Walking around was a virtual impossibility, like living in a fun house with no means of escape. And while others seemed to be coping better (the staff were irritatingly well-composed), hearing someone vomit in the cubicle opposite while you're already on the verge of doing so mid-relief isn't going to help matters. The on-board cinema had opened up but our feature presentations were cancelled due to the weather conditions. I slouch in my seat and drift off for a while until Josh appears with his laptop and we watch The Lost City to take our minds off our sickness. No matter how our bodies felt, energy was necessary, so we dine a la vending machine while watching TV shows on cultural celebrations and ridiculous song extravaganzas (The X-Factor would never work here). Tired of consciousness in this condition, I crash around 8pm.

We finally arrive at 3am - and with no hope of actually being able to get anywhere at this time, we have to sit it out in the waiting room for another ferry to arrive. Sleep passes much of the time, though an advert for a program on tonight, pitching animals in CG combat to see which would claim victory, does raise a smile (tonight was BEAR vs CROCODILE). Once the second batch of passengers are on terra firma, it's a bus to Tomakomai station, then a train to Iwamizawa and then change to get a train to Sapporo. It's a very long journey, but at least there's plenty of sunrise snowscapes to please the eyes (I would embed the video but Blogger is being arsey).

We arrive at Sapporo station and just miss the train to Ainosato Kyoikudai (where the SOAS crew are studying and living in Hokkaido). It's an hour before another goes that way, but once we reach our final destination, we take a rest in Mister Donut and wait for Jona. It became clear over the course of our stay that food plays an important part in the Hokkaido lifestyle. I guess the eating goes some way to eliminating the cold, and Mister Donut was a popular stop-off point, particularly with the new range of donuts, the discounts on offer and the oh-so-essential Points Card - the light-up donut and beverage cup had already been claimed by Jona and Dan, but their quest for points continued regardless. It was not long before Jona had escorted us back to his halls - 紫藻寮 Shisoryo (Purple Seaweed).

It's on campus and despite being only a couple of decades old, it was pretty run-down. However, the grime and untidiness just added to its charm and character. Stairways filled with binbags, trash all over the shop, stacks of books, piles of clothes - higgledy-piggledy to the max! I was going to be staying in Jona's cluster (you couldn't really call it anything else - just the word 'cluster' has connotations that Shisoryo was more of an organic community than a building), while Josh was staying with Chris, who we met cooking in his kitchen (ah...the kitchens). I handed over some Kyoto omiyage (some traditional sweets and a Shinobi Hello Kitty) and Chris offered something wondrous in return: Yazz - Wanted. "The Only Way Is Up" indeed! Plus 8 other fine dancealicious tracks. Spellbinding stuff indeed, and quite the last thing I expect to receive as a gift in Japan, but that's Chris for ya! We don't stick around long as their Japanese friend Taiki (obsessed with American culture and very cool and funny indeed) has organised a screening of Jackass: Number Two, which we happily watch in one of the university buildings. Thom turns up as well, and I also finally meet the legend that is Kevin - but I'll leave the Hokkaido guys to the Kevin love-in. We meet Dan (who has developed an Animal Crossing addiction the likes of which I haven't seen before) at the international students office and it's not long before we're back at halls playing videogames and watching telly shows.

Then it's off for a big tonkatsu dinner, where Dan dares to deal with the jumbo tonkatsu. Regulars as they all are, they know what they're getting themselves in for, so Josh and I opt for more sensibly-sized portions. It's certainly tasty, but it seems the real reason they've been coming is because of the prizes on offer if you get enough points. Jona and Chris cash in their hard-earned katsu credits for a spangly Toyota remote-controlled car. As deserving as I guess they are, I can't help but think there might be a little kid out there who's been waiting to get that car for ages, only to find it's been claimed by two silly gaijin twice his size.
It's then off to pool and darts - which ends with me pretty much breaking all the darts heads (though I neglect to inform the staff). Josh and I stick around, while the others return to the halls for their regular meeting. From what I hear about these dreaded meetings, they start at 10pm and can last up to three hours, consisting of the Japanese residents airing their greivances, approving rules and regulations, news and information, and so on, while the gaijin feign interest and understanding whilst fighting the urge to doze off or burst out laughing. But this one wraps up quickly being it the last of the term, and we're soon back at their halls, watching The Office and trying out the new RC vehicle. Which drives like a dream. One of those "I'm driving a remote-controlled car dreams".

A FROSTY RECEPTION

Snow and suspicion was in the air today. We had lunch at a little ramen place just opposite the university - which also turns out to serve the most delicious ramen in the world. As a result, Dan said all other ramen had been spoiled as it could never compete. And indeed, the akamiso ramen was simply divine. The restaurant also played some truly ludicrous J-pop with lyrics like "I am Japanesey" and something concerning going to the "hotel lobby". However, our friends were running late to see the Chinese students' presentations, so Jona had to let us in to his halls so we could grab our bags as Josh and I were heading into town.

Now the good thing about Shisoryo is that you get daily contact with Japanese students, improving everyday conversational skills no end. But then there are the rules and regulations. No showers for guests I can understand, as the communal washroom is downstairs and naked strangers is perhaps going too far and you're using water you're not paying for - besides, we ended up just using the on-campus showers for the gym area. However, guests must also be accompanied at all times, which proved somewhat difficult.

As soon as I grabbed my backpack, I get stopped by four guys in Jona's cluster, some of whom I'd already introduced myself too, who begin to interrogate me, asking who I was, what I was doing and how I'd gotten in. As they led me downstairs, I met with Josh and we explained the situation as best we could. They reminded us of the rule and we apologised profusely. They said it was okay, but it was clear that none of them bought it at all. We left hoping we hadn't messed things up royally. When we met with Jona again, he explained that it had been cleared up and that they did genuinely want to talk with us and get to know us (and we did chat with them a fair amount over the week to let them know we weren't psychos), but it's just they're a real stickler for the rules. They often say "Oh, WE don't mind, but others blah blah blah...", when it's clear they do care, and they don't bat an eyelid when residents bring back girlfriends or have Japanese friends over. All they asked was if I stayed in someone else's cluster one night, which I agreed to (though it never came to pass), and I made more efforts to say "Hi" and give a 自己紹介 (self-introduction) when necessary.

Despite all this, I got an even worse going-over on Friday morning. I'd woken up and was just sitting in the cluster on my own (as I had been permitted to do), waiting for Jona to wake up. There I was, minding my own business, when out comes one of Jona's clustermates (for want of a better word) who gives me a proper bollocking. He says, "This isn't a hotel! This is our space, not your free space! I don't know you're not a robber or a criminal - only Jon knows!". In Japanese, of course. He then tells me I need to go to Jon's room straight away. I say that he hasn't woken up yet, but he tells me to go wake him then. So I do - which is pretty unfair. Tsk, some people...It's a shame that there were a few jerks, as the vast majority of people were very friendly.

But I'm getting ahead of myself - back to Tuesday. Josh and I arrived in Sapporo to go for a little walk around the city, but taking great care to avoid too much snow sculpture-ogling - that was due for Thursday. Instead, we walked to the Old Sapporo Government Building and met a giant snowman. He told us to take a look inside at some of history of Hokkaido exhibits, some of which were good (mammoth teeth!), others a little poor (many displays consisted of photographs of displays in better museums). We also visited the Tokei-dai, the symbol of Sapporo. People come from all over the country to see what Jona had described as "shed with a clock", but I'd say it was more of a 'Wendy house'. Regardless, it was pants. We walked by the TV Tower and decided to head towards the river to see if any interesting was there. The maps about town were grossly unproportional as it took as a long time to walk all the way, only to find nothing but snow. The river wasn't even frozen. Though it goes to show that when we mentioned our trip there, Jona didn't even know there was a river in Sapporo. After a brief 'Who Can Throw A Snowball Further?" competition (curtailed by the fact we couldn't see where they were landing), we motioned back towards town.

We headed to the main shopping district for some arcade games (Time Crisis 4 and the very fun Half Life 2: Survivor), souvenir shops and a peak into the seafood and shellfish restaurants. We hit Susukino, the main entertainment area, which had the streets filled with ice sculptures, many completed, but some still being carved with chainsaws. It was also where the influx of tourists for the snow festival was made very apparent - some idiot American shouting at the top of his lungs "HEY! HEY BECKY! BECKY, LOOK! STARBUCKS! STARBUCKS! HEY, BECKY - THEY GOT STARBUCKS!". There were also a variety of igloo ice-bars, as well as, joy of joys, an ice karaoke box! As we wait in line, we get hot drinks and Josh and I deliberate over which song to pick. Not sure exactly what to plump for that we're both capable of, we settle on David Bowie's "Heroes" (natch) - it's pretty straightforward. And if you get enough points, you can win a Nintendo DS! It's our turn, and we give it our all (as much as you can sat down on an ice bench anyway). Our results screen pops up - 50...80...83! Far better than anyone else we'd seen that evening (mostly 60s and 70s), and only 2 points off a prize (500 yen off something or other). We're congratulated and given a sweets and snacks goodie bag, plus an enthusiastic Japanese couple shake our hands and say we're cool. Nice.

We soon meet Jona, Chris and Dan from their music lesson in town and we head back to Ainosato Kyoikudai to meet with Thom, Taiki, Kevin and the Chinese contingent celebrating a post-presentation party. Many drinking games and snack platters later, it's karaoke for real and super cheap. While Chinese songs dominate the selection (with only "Ring Da Ding Ding Dong" offering much for non-speakers to sing along to), there are plenty of great songs and emotional ballads for us to pour our feelings into after a long hard day. We get back around 3.30am.

Coming soon in Part II: snowboarding, snow sculptures, Sapporo Beer Garden and Surira!

To see all my Hokkaido pictures, check out my Hokkaido Collection on Flickr.