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!

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.

Let's Adventure!

I will be leaving Kyoto tonight on a voyage of discovery! Actually, it turns out I should have left early this morning, but due to a misunderstanding of what Saturday night meant (due to my ferry time scheduled for 00:45am), I've missed my original ferry. What a balls-up! However, the nice people at Shin-Nihonkai Ferry have been able to change my departure to the time I originally expected, but I am now leaving with Josh from a different port and arriving in Hokkaido at a different entry point (but still just an hour from Sapporo by train). Phew! What a relief!

Anyhoo, my trip reads as follows: after taking the train from Kyoto up North Honshu, Josh and I leave Tsuruga at 1:15am on a 20 hour ferry trip to Tomakomai. Arrive the same evening and take the train to Sapporo. Enjoy the snow festival, the freezing cold and the company of SOAS' Sapporo gents, before a return ferry trip (from Otaru to Maizuru), leaving the night of the 10th and I will end up back in Kyoto in time for bed the following day. After another day to catch my breath, it's off to Beijing with Baptiste and Ilan on the 13th February. We'll spend a few days there (shopping, Forbidden City, Great Wall), and hope to take in the sights of Xian and Shanghai (providing we have the time and resources) and celebrate the Chinese New Year. And will also meet up with Rob once I can work out a time our paths can cross. But it's onwards to Thailand on the 24th to meet up with Parn, enjoy the warm weather, beaches, sights of outstanding beauty and whatever else has been planned for us (exciting stuff indeed). And the seasoned traveller shall return to Japan on the 11th March. Hooray!

I've bought a digital camera for my travels, so hope to take plenty of snaps. Not sure how regularly I'm going to be on the internet, so can't guarantee news and photos as and when it happens, but expect a bumper update upon my return, and I should still be checking my emails from time to time. Until I'm back in Japan, here's a little edit I put together using footage from the infamous Zelda: The Wand of Gamelon. However, when I made mine, I didn't realise just how many other people had made their own mixes. As a result, mine looks somewhat inferior in the madness department, but I think it works all the same. Once you've watched my effort, be sure to view everyone else's, and the original animations themselves. It's pretty hideous, but no worse than the original American cartoon series ("Well excuuuuuuuse me, Princess!" x infinity):

My Friends in Ambridge

It's exam time, with revision, presentations and essays all on the agenda, but almost instantly after they've finished, I'm heading to Hokkaido, China and Thailand, so I don't know when I'll get another opportunity to post some recent news before then. So I just wanted to write a little bit about my visit to Sanjusangen-do Temple on Sunday 14th January (the weekend after we returned to university).


I had visited Sanjusangen-do with Harry in 2004 during my first trip to Japan and had been meaning to make a return trip, and that day was the perfect time to do so, as they were holding theire annual archery tournament. I woke up early to make my way there in good time, but it was already hustling and bustling before 10am. The crowds were gathered, the flags unfurled, and the food stalls already cooking away (including baked potatoes, but apparently sans fillings).

Of course, a large proportion of the crowd consisted of the archers themselves, both male and female, dressed in traiditional attire and kimonos. It seems this particular event, the Toshi-ya Matsuri, is heavily connected with the Coming of Age Day that thad taken place the Monday before, in which those who turned 20 the previous year visit temples and shrines smartly dressed and celebrate their adulthood. Both events used to take place on the 15th January, but the Coming of Age Day was moved to the first Monday of the month a few years ago, and subsequently this event at Sanjusangendo was moved to a Sunday (to maximise attendees, no doubt). It only then became clear to me that those competing weren't professional archers, but I guess those who had recently come of age and this was an accompanying ritual. Considering there were thousands taking part, I thought it had been doubtful that there were so many Edo-period archers in Kyoto anyway.

Before I could watch any archery, it was time to take a walk through the temple itself. As it was the main thoroughfare to get to the best archery viewing position, the crowds shuffled through with a very pushy (and frankly un-Buddhist) attitude. Which is a shame, as the temple is a truly awe-inspiring. The long, narrow hall is filled with over a thousand life-size Buddhist statues lined up row after row. Cameras are banned, but they wouldn't be able to fully capture the magnificence on view anyway. As this was a special day, the central Kannon was the focus of worship as the monks were out in force. As I turned a corner, one monk was sitting in a raised box of sorts, chanting and flicking holy water with a stick from a dish. I stood back as others shuffled past, offering money for the privilige of getting a few droplets of water, but the monk acknowledged my presence and gave me a little splash anyway, which was nice. It all felt very spiritual, you know? At that point, I felt that, despite all the wars and conflict it's responsible for, organised religion has also inspired art and architecture of immense beauty. How uncharacteristically profound of me, I know.


I finally squeezed myself out of the temple to a platform overlooking the shooting range. Ten competitors lined up with two shots each before the next batch got a turn and so on. I didn't take any pictures or video footage of the targets, because they seldom hit a thing! I guess they must've all been amateurs, as the people keeping the scoreboard looked pretty disinterested, but I guess it was more a chance for parents to watch their children act all grown up and handle a weapon (it was an interesting experience being surrounded by people with potentially lethal equipment). I think you got a certificate if you actually hit the target, because there were very few people who had competed clutching one. Unfortunately, I couldn't stick around to watch the female competitors, but I had an inkling that they'd be a lot better than the guys.

For more pictures of bows and arrows, click here to look at the snaps I uploaded.

I returned to Mukaijima in time for lunch and with the vouchers I picked up near Sanjusangen-do, a trip to McDonald's to indulge in the new MegaMac was a must. I'd seen ads for it everywhere, and just on the way to Sanjusangen-do, it was a major topic of conversation amongst those in my proximity. It's as if Super Size Me never happened! And it certainly lives up to the promise of 4 beef patties in one mouthful. In fact, it's become so popular in Japan, they've extended the length of the campaign as they're dealing with the kinds of shortages, queues and store limitations that would usually typify a next-gen games console launch. Will I get another chance to eat one before they vanish? Only time will tell.

And finally, I had to just post a little about these guys:

This was the night of the Coming of Age Day and the day before we started back at Doshisha. Myself, Neil and Baptiste were just leaving the Round One amusement centre in Sanjo when a white minivan drove past with the door open, revealing the Power Rangers (or at least, a band of similarly colour-coordinated super-heroes) singing and shouting. Once we started to head to Shijo station, they reappeared on the streets, a group of young Japanese guys, drunkedly celebrating their coming of age by running around Kyoto on a chilly night, armed with a banana and posing for photos. They very kindly offered to assume superhero stances (I gave them an Ultraman stance which proved to be a hit) for this photo, which features the Pink and Yellow Rangers getting extremely close and cosy (always thought they were a couple). As we said our thanks and goodbyes, they replied with a hearty English "HAPPY BIRTHDAY!" - I think they misunderstood that lesson, but I'm not going to hold that against them, as they're probably too busy saving the earth and battling giant aliens and robots to really care. Kudos, sirs - you are true heroes indeed!

New Year's Revolution

This fortnight break for Christmas and New Year has predominantly involved me sleeping until noon, doing very little work, and then going to bed. Which would be fine if this were a typical winter holiday, except this is merely a short gap before my end-of-term exams, reports and presentations, i.e. I should really be spending my time studying and not typing up blogs.

Nevertheless, I must endeavour to tell you about my New Year experience, as it was obviously different than usual. Myself, Talyn, Anthony and Iran met up for dinner at a lovely soba restaurant in Shinkyogoku, followed by an impromptu photo sticker-booth session before heading off to do New Year Japanese style at Yasaka Shrine, the place to do it apparently. And even though this was a highly important religious event in the Japanese calendar (more so than even Talk Like A Pirate Day - savvy?), there were still plenty of stalls about, peddling hot food, snacks, sweets, raffles, toys and games.

Crowds gathered for okera maeri, in which you light a small strip of rope from the temple flame to be taken back with you to light the first household fire of the new year. It was also an opportunity to warm your hands on what was an exceptionally cold night. We headed through the Shrine to wander around Maruyama Park in the moonlight and engaged in a rendition of A-Ha's Take On Me with a soba-seller on the way. After a brief stop in a warm, indoor souvenir shop, we walked past the main gate and up the staircase to Chionin Temple, home of Pure Land Buddhism and the biggest bell in Japan - perfect for the joya no kane ritual, in which the New Year is ushered in by ringing the temple bell 108 times to purge mankind of the 108 Buddhist sins. The crowds had gathered and we joined the winding line to watch the ritual take place.We arrived around bong #35 to see the 17 monks swing the beam into the giant bell, a spectacular sight indeed. As we hung around to catch some more bongs, Lenka popped out of nowhere! She and her boyfriend James had been there since 8.30pm (we'd only got there around 10.30pm) and were braving the freezing temperature to watch the event in its entirerity. We decided to leave around bong #56, half an hour to midnight.

But what to do and where to go when the big hand touched the little hand? Time was ticking away, Ilan had vanished and Tal was queueing for a curry! With minutes to spare, all members of our party assembled in front of a less then impressive clock by Maruyama Park to watch the countdown. But it still said 11:55 when our mobile phones read 00:00 - so we let out a whoop and a squeal and danced about. However, the Japanese didn't do a damn thing. While my usual New Year's peaks at this time, the actual turning of the clock is relatively insignificant in Japan, as one takes the whole night and into the first sunrise of morning to make their temple visits (which explained the vast queues to get into Yasaka Shrine as we left at around 2am). Not me though, it was too too cold. I'm not keen on celebrating Christmas in the southern hemisphere, but I'd be quite happy to celebrate the New Year in a warm climate, that's for sure.

I spoke to Baptiste, Parn, John Dykes and Rory Chu on the phone from Tokyo as a couple of other foreigners came over to offer us champagne. Tal and Tony had to get up early in the morning, so they left soon after midnight - but myself and Ilan stayed to watch a young circus tricks performer. If you've been to an eight-year-old's birthday party, you've already seen his act (Wow! Balloon poodle!), but it was all fresh to the majority of spectators. Either it was lack of experience or the cold or both (or all three), but his tricks were rarely 100% successful (dropping a juggling ball here and there), so when it came to the knives and flaming torches, it made it all a little more exciting, but fortunately (or perhaps unfortunately), nothing disastrous happened.

Although the crowds were still very much out in force with roads closed and policemen and green beret-wearing guards diverting people down alleyways, it was time to return to Mukaijima around 2am - good to see the trains running throughout the whole night, though it'd also be welcome on Fridays and Saturdays every week.

The next two days were spent as mentioned before, but I made the effort to visit Heian Shrine for Hatsumode (the first visit of the year) to see what all the fuss was about. And even though it was now the 3rd day of the holidays, the crowds in Kyoto were even busier than on New Year's Eve. The stalls were all present and correct as thousands descended on the shrine to offer money, tie little paper strips to branches, make inscriptions on wooden plaques (there was a sign showing who in particular should do so, based on age and gender, probably connected with those born in a Year of the Boar as is 2007), buy souvenir arrows - no idea what it was all about, but interesting to see all the same. Some people even came in traditional garb, both men and women, but even then, the fashionistas were clearly in competition. One gaggle of kimono girls had more accessories on them than a teenager's mobile phone.

That evening, it was a Mukaijima karaoke session, which was pretty much like every other one, except I had a nice cocktail called Violet Fizz (or Violent Fish as it came to be known) that tasted like alcoholic Parma Violet sweets. Nice. And then it was back to reality, and as every bit exciting as that sounds.

More photos naturally at MyFlickr. And I'll leave with another funny sign I spotted at a garage/petrol station a couple of months ago, offering sage advice for the new year ahead. Have fun in 2007, boys and girls!