It's a Golden Week!

Japan has taken a break, well sort of.  It's May and the country is celebrating 'Golden Week', a time when three different events are celebrated. Also add to this Showa Day, on April 29th, which celebrates Emperor Showa's birthday. He is the previous emperor and not to be confused with the current Emperor, whose birthday is celebrated on December 23rd. It is the longest vacation period for many in Japan and sees people heading off in all directions, within and outside the country. Many people used the time to head north and help the community of Fukushima clean up. My teacher Toshiko's husband was one of those volunteers. Like any one who has visited the area, he was shocked that in reality, not on a TV screen, the situation is far worse.

May 3rd is .....Constitution Memorial Day (Kenpo kinenbi). On this day in 1947, the new post war constitution came into effect.

May 4th is...... Greenery Day (Midori no hi). The day is dedicated to the environment and nature. Greenery Day used to be celebrated on April 29, the birthday of Emperor Showa, because he loved plants and nature.

Before being declared Greenery Day, May 4 used to be a national holiday due to a law, which declares that a day falling between two national holidays becomes a national holiday. 

And finally May 5th is....Children's Day (Kodomo no hi). The Boy's Festival (Tango no Sekku) is celebrated on this day. Families pray for the health and future success of their sons by hanging up carp streamers and displaying samurai dolls, both symbolizing strength, power and success in life.  Shops, apartments, rivers and streets are decorated with the big carp windsocks. 

As these holidays fell mid week, Steve took the Monday as a day of his holidays, which gave him a one week break. Initially, we had planned to go away but, as it is the busiest holiday period of the year, bookings were tight and quite honestly we couldn't be bothered. The first few days saw us heading off on our bikes and 'knocking up' a few kilometres that way. 

On the Friday, we covered 40 kilometres heading north towards Tokyo. We rode along major roadways and also poked around back streets and wharf areas.

The weather was perfect, t-shirt material, and we had a wonderful time. The blossoms have gone, the tulips are nearly spent.....

.....and the flavour of the month is the azalea.

The trees have leaves, the grass has returned and everything is green. It is easy to see why this is a favoured season!!

There is never a dull moment, you just never know what you will see. Heading home there was live entertainment at Akarenga Soko (Red Brick Buildings).

On Saturday we headed south, riding over familiar territory and also finding places we haven't been. We ended up in Yokohama Seaside at the Mitsui Outlet (Japan's Direct Factory Outlets) where we had lunch. I had spaghetti carbonara and Steve had pizza (which numbers did we order?).

We only covered 33 kilometres but added some serious hills and even steep steps, which gave us no choice but to carry the bikes. Next time I will take the bike with lots of gears, not the 'granny bike' which is the name my Japan bike has been given.  I just can't resist the comfortable seat. Approaching home we rode along Motomachi Street to buy bread at Pompadour's. We crossed paths with this cute little guy, a teacup poodle. He was attracting quite a bit of attention! He would probably set you back about $3,000 and that wouldn't include the outfit. I suspect those divine shoes cost more than my runners.

It really is great fun cruising around on the bikes. When our time in Japan comes to an end, I know bike riding will be high on my list of favourite and memorable experiences.

 

On Monday we decided to rest our legs and take a drive to the Boso Peninsula. A trip just before New Year, with four of our 'alien' visitors, saw us head down to the southern tip. The post, 'Another Peninsula', described our trip through the Tokyo Aqua Line and some of the places we visited that day. Like anywhere though, one visit is never enough and barely touches the surface. The Boso Peninsula is in the southern part of of the Chiba prefecture, to the east of Tokyo. Chiba city is the prefectural capital, and is at the northeast end of Tokyo Bay. On this trip we planned to head towards Choshi in the north then make our way down the east coast, checking out surf beaches as we went.  

We took the Tokyo Bay Aqualine Tunnel on our previous trip. On that trip, though, we didn't stop where the tunnel exits the water on to the artificial island, Umihotaru. From the viewing platform we looked back to where we had come under the water and where the tunnel exited.

A bridge then completes the 15.1 km journey to the other side of the bay.  

Like everywhere in Japan the island is home to another multi storey building, five in this case. With the normal abundance of shops and eating places it is a very popular stopping point. The colours in this artwork  were great!!

Hint:If you want a better view of any picture, just double click on it then use the back key to return to the Blog.

Even though it was pretty hazy we were afforded fabulous views. Tokyo Bay is a hub of activity with ships lying at anchor waiting to berth and the normal recreational traffic. Overhead there was a never ending stream of jets approaching Haneda Airport. 

We were fascinated by the size of the cutting face from one of the machines used to bore the tunnel.

Each tungsten tip blade bore the signs of the hard work endured!

Once on the peninsula we headed northwards towards the east coast. Our initial plan of heading to Choshi was adjusted as it always seems to take a longer to get anyway here. We changed direction and headed due east to the coast. Passing through bamboo forests and farming land, with newly planted rice in the paddies, the vista was pretty as usual.

The first spot we stopped had the very glamorous name of Hitotsumatsu Seaside Resort. The actual beach was not so glamorous and on the day the surf was pretty flat.

As Australians, we are very spoiled with our beaches and it is hard for beaches, anywhere, to meet the very high benchmarks we have set. This beach and all the others had grey/black sand and quite murky water.

For me though, a beach is a beach and I can always spend hours walking along, with my head down, looking for treasures. Sadly, this beach had little to satisfy my searching!

This surfer had just left the water but looked like he was hesitant to leave just in case he missed a good set.

We moved on down the coast stopping at Torami and Isumi City.

Onjuku was well worth a look, with its wide, lighter sandy beach and bluer water.

Relatively unaffected by any traffic jams it was still dark by the time we returned home!

Each year on May 3rd, the Yokohama International Costume Parade is held. It marks the beginning of the "Opening of the Port Festival", which has taken place every year since 1953. The parade starts off in Yamashita Park and makes its way to Isezaki-cho via the Red Brick Warehouse. On Tuesday we headed off to see the spectacle but we must have missed it, as we never saw any sign of it. Fortunately, there was plenty of free entertainment to amuse us and we enjoyed the normal walk along the foreshore. The weather was delightful and the place was buzzing. In Chinatown, a Chinese dragon did the rounds of all the shops and businesses so there was plenty of noise for hours. What a busy backyard we have!!!

Wednesday saw us head off on the trains.....our destination.....Ueno, north of Tokyo. The streets of Ueno are crowded with shops selling shoes, clothes and more. We wandered around looking for shoes for Steve but couldn't decide. Quite honestly, the unlimited choices are overwhelming. Currently, Ueno Zoo is home to a Giant Panda and the crowds were insane. Japanese people seem to be amazingly patient and will queue for hours. The panda viewing queue weaved through the park and continually doubled back and forth like a huge snake. Security guards directed and guided people and created gaps in the queue, like traffic policeman, to allow pedestrians through. Unbelievable!! 

 Even the tortoises had to queue for a place in the water!!! (See them on the deck below)

Queues aren't for us, particularly 'himself', so we enjoyed watching the free entertainment and selecting food from the many food stalls. Mmmmmm! It was fairly warm, so we also enjoyed pineapple skewers and yummy chocolate cookie icecream.

As the girl played the piano accordion the juggler performed. Dancing around him while he juggled, she created sounds for the actions and built the tension with her music.

We stopped and watched an innings of this Junior Baseball match.

This statue stands at the entrance of the park overlooking Ueno. This is Saigō Takamori, a famous samurai general best known for leading the doomed Satsuma Rebellion against the Meiji government.  This rebellion was inspiration for the movie, 'The Last Samurai'.

As it turns out, 'himself' had another motive for visiting this part of Tokyo. After wandering around the park, we caught a subway train to Kita Senju and then another one to Kita Koshigaya. 

You may ask why it was that 'himself' wanted to spend another 40 minutes on the trains. I call it a 'mid life crisis', but someone had decided he wanted a motorbike. Having sifted through the classifieds on the Internet for weeks, he had decided one bike was really worth a look.......'It's such a good buy, I could sell it and make money!!!'

This is how we came to end up in Kita Koshigaya being driven around by a friendly, typical Queenslander Aussie. We were taken to a house with a small yard overcrowded with motorbikes. Having lived in Japan for 8 years the seller of the bike is reluctantly returning to Australia. His Japanese wife and three children left Japan straight after the earthquake and now won't return, so for him it's sell up and leave. With me muttering under my breath that he's mad and be careful, 'Himself' donned a helmet and took off on the bike for a test ride. Smiling like Chesshire cat, it was obvious what the outcome would be! Guess what?.....he bought it....a Yamaha SR400 and before you ask, 'No I am not going to ride pillion!!!' Excellent.....now we have something else to freight home when we eventually leave the shores of Nihon-go...!
We made the long journey, over 2 hours, home on a multitude of crowded trains.

The bike was delivered to its new home in the basement of our apartment on Thursday. Unbeknown to me, I had left my camera in the guy's van so it was also delivered with the bike. 

As Golden Week concludes, it is now with anticipation and excitement that we await the arrival of our next 'alien visitors', Sarah and Steve. The 'Jenny Lost in Japan Tour' itinerary is ready and waiting!!!! Next week Disneyland (what again?).........lots of trains..... places to go and more!!

Cherry Blossoms in Japan!

All over Japan the blossoms are blooming!!! 

 

Sadly for Japan, this year's cherry blossom season has, naturally, been overshadowed by the horrific losses associated with the recent mega earthquake. But even as the nation continues to shake with hundreds of aftershocks and faces one of the worst nuclear disasters the world has seen, the beautiful blossoms have been spreading across the land. Earthquakes and aftershocks have become so commonplace that they barely raise a head. From a positive perspective....... maybe the blossoms could be seen as symbols of hope and resilience.....maybe even a source of motivation for Japanese people along the long road to recovery. 

Incredibly, within days of the shocking earthquake, these very brave blossoms were sighted in one of the disaster stricken areas.

'Blossom Time', my previous post, mentioned 'hanamis'.......the parties which are held below the blooming trees. Hanamis see families and friends coming together to celebrate and socialise. 

Due to extensive power restrictions, enforced as a result of the Fukushima Power Plant disaster, blossom night viewings, yozakura, have not happened. Of course in many spots, street lighting creates some illumination but not the normal spectacular shows. At one stage there was even an advisory about restricting the number of hanamis, as a sign of respect. In spite of this, even this year, prime positions under the trees were keenly sought.

 

Shinjuku Park was a very popular place for parties and this picture, which appeared on the news, reminded me of the beach crowds in summer. 

Having now experienced a 'Blossom Season' in Japan, I can confirm that it is indeed a beautiful time. Streets, parks, river banks and gardens are pictures of beauty.  Cherry trees cover the hills and, at every turn, one is confronted with masses of blossoms. It is not only an 'alien resident' or 'alien visitor' who is compelled to take endless photos......everyone is enchanted by the beauty. Due to the power restrictions our night view may be absent of the normal bright lights....the ferris wheel may no longer illuminate the sky......but.....the magnificent daytime displays satisfy our visual senses. 

Like always, no amount of photos can demonstrate the beauty.  A camera lens only captures the two dimensional vision..........the panoramic beauty and sense of awe is for the lucky spectators of this wonderful 'show'
.......the star of the show, 'Cherry Blossom' holds her audiences captive. 

Naturally, not all the blossoms opened on the same day. Full bloom, mankai, is usually reached within about one week after the opening of the first blossoms, kaika. Another week later, the blooming peak is over and the blossoms are falling from the trees. Strong wind and rain can cut the blooming season even shorter. We have had a few days of strong winds but the blossoms are hanging in!! 

Over the past few weeks we have observed the beautiful blossoms in many, many places......too many to include in this post. So many photos.......so many sensations.......so many 'ooohs and aaahs!!!'

The avenue of trees in Kamakura created a spectacular walkway. With festivals, weddings, christenings and hanamis, it was just wonderful wandering around.

Temples have been adorned with blossoms. Even our very uninspiring, 'Ishikawacho Station', has had a mini display.

One weekend, looking for somewhere different to go, we headed inland  to a place called Kofu, not to be confused with tofu!! Kofu lies about 120 kilometres west of Tokyo and Yokohama. When heading somewhere new, choosing the correct expressway is always a challenge and exiting at the correct place can also be interesting. In the absence of street names and clear signage, written in text we understand, pinpointing one's accommodation is usually the next dilemma. 

Nestled between the mountains of the Japan Southern Alps,  

Kofu is a large city with over 200,000 people. 

Investigating things to do in Kofu I had been very excited at the prospect of attending the Shingen-ko Festival. The festival runs over 3 days and the main event is the reenactment of the Koshu Battalion Deployment of Takeda Shingen's Warriors. Takeda Shingen is apparently a name that has echoed throughout Japan for the last 400 years, since the age of the samurai. I went ahead and booked our accommodation at the Dormfy Inn. Dormfy Inn cost us 10800 yen for a double room and breakfast and was very central to everything. Having booked I then discovered that, in light of the Great East Japan Earthquake, it had been cancelled.  Nothing to do but go anyway and enjoy all the other attractions, which included a rope way ride and waterfalls in the surrounding mountains.  As it turns out, many festivities still went ahead anyway. 

The ruins of a castle, which was destroyed in 1727 by fire, stand atop a hill overlooking the streets of Kofu. There were plenty of blossoms to be seen, not only at the castle but all around the streets.

With plenty of things happening, Kofu was a lovely place to wander around. We sat and enjoyed the entertainment at a park below the castle site.

Blossoms surrounded a pagoda we found in the back streets.

Walking around town in the evening, these guys were off to celebrate a little bit more and didn't mind having there photos taken.

This samurai soldier is totally adorned with semi precious stones. Quite amazing!

At a park in Kofu we were very impressed with this stainless steel sculpture. In Japan the abundant stainless steel sculptures are very impressive.

Nothing to do with blossoms, but these little signs at the same park made us giggle. Every piece of dog poo, usually a very uncommon occurrence, was labelled and numbered. I have only included a few, but the grass was dotted with the little signs.

"Your Honour, may I present my evidence in the case against Pooch number 55, who did defecate in our public park!!"

Leaving Kofu behind we meandered around the surrounding mountainsides before heading back to Yokohama and the encumbent traffic jambs that entailed.

Having digressed slightly with my Kofu ramblings, the blossoms around our home in Yamashita-cho have been beautiful.

Minato Mirai, as expected, looked beautiful and was crowded with onlookers. At this time of the year people can be excused for walking around with 'their noses in the air'. Eyes up and cameras and phones snapping has been an even more common sight than normal.

Riding through Odori Park, Kannai with 'alien' visitor, Marion, I spotted a group of people having a hanami. I stopped cycling and reached for my camera. With that, we were invited to join their party. What a lovely experience that was! It turned out that this group was having an 'after party' to celebrate the completion of their English language course. Having just had a lesson myself, it was the perfect opportunity for us to experiment on each other. We sat under the trees snacking on orange quarters and crackers. One lady even performed some magic tricks she had observed in, of all places, Las Vegas. It was a delightful interlude!

After farewelling our 'hanami friends' we stopped and snapped a few more pictures along the nearby river. The week before on 'Blossom Patrol', I had observed that these blossoms were nearly 'on stage'.

On a shopping trip to a Mitsuii Outlet in Minami Osawa, near Hachioji, Steve and I wandered along streets edged with magnolia trees in full bloom. Two weeks later, I returned with our alien visitor and snapped photos of beautiful blossom trees as we walked through a very 'natural type' park.

Out riding with Steve at Negishi Park, not far from home, we observed people having early hanamis with only a few trees blossoming.

 The trees on the hill behind were still bare................

................but just over a week later this is what it looked like!!!

 Even the pets taking a 'leashed' stroll were enjoying the vista.

Trees in Yamashita Park  have been heavily laden with blossoms. It truly is a case of 'sensory overload'.

Having taken a couple of trips to Honmoku, running and riding, I have seen the blossom at various stages. Honmoku is quite close to Yamashita-cho where we live. The main street has been lined with hundreds of beautiful blossom trees.

Kids in Japan are no different to kids anywhere. The boy in the tree was wildly shaking the branches and the others below were grabbing at the falling blossoms. They were in a back street and I am sure they would have been reprimanded, if they had been seen. Had this been the case, you can be sure they would  have quietly and obediently ceased.

Blossoms resemble confetti as they fall to the ground like snow. Riding along you need to keep your lips sealed or risk inhaling the petals.

Sadly all good shows must come to an end!! As we ride around now, bright green leaves are replacing the blossom and decorating the bare branches.....Winter has gone and Summer is on the way. 

  

Arigato gozaimus, 'Cherry Blossom'! 

What a wonderful performance!!