9/16/11. Fuji-San 1

We woke up at 7 AM, and Shizuka made us an American breakfast of toast, runny scrambled eggs, tea, and juice. The bread here is so good - it's really fluffy but has a nice chewy texture when you bite down on it. Yum.

It took an hour of calling, but we were able to get a hold of the 5th and 6th stations of the Fujinomiya trail and verify that they were open. This might need a little explanation. There are 5 climbing routes on Fuji, and each route has 9 stations (at different elevations) that have huts where climbers can recuperate. The climb from the 5th stations take 4-7 hours (depending upon which trail you take), and climbing down takes ~3 hours. The official climbing season ends in August, and by September the bus schedules for the mountain are significantly reduced, and many of the huts close.

If you're short on time, you typically catch a ride on a bus up to the 5th station, spend half a day there, and finish the climb starting at 1 AM or so to catch the sunrise at 5:30 AM. That was our plan, so we wanted to make sure a hut at 5th or 6th station was open. Our plan was to take the Fujinomiya trail, which is the shortest route (and one of the most strenuous). Open huts = yippee!

After saying goodbye to our hosts, we took off for Kyoto station and got more yen. I picked up some Yatsuhashi to bring home, and we mailed our post cards to various friends and family. I never used to send them, but after finding out how good it feels to receive them, I'm going to make sure to send at least a few on each trip (to those who didn't get any this trip, I didn't have your addresses memorized!).

From Kyoto station we were supposed to take a Kodama train (a step below the fastest bullet train) to Shin-Fuji Station at the base of the mountain, but it we accidentally got on a Nozomi train (the fastest bullet train)! Luckily it was going the right direction.

It was a simple mistake. Ghyrn and I were taking pictures, and when a train arrived at our platform (slightly early) we figured it was our train and there was a 5 minute loading time. Nope. About a minute after getting on, we felt the train move and the scenery outside began to whiz by at 186 mph!

We asked the conductor for advice, and were able to get off at Nagoya station to transfer to the right train. Phew! Normally it wouldn't have been too big a deal, but we were on a tight schedule to catch the last bus to Fujinomiya 5th station.

After getting on the right train, we commenced the picture taking, goofed around, and arrived at Shin-Fuji. The lady at the information desk (where we had to buy tickets) was a total mom and kept telling us to put safety first. "I can't recommend you to climb the mountain, but climbers do climb the mountain off season. Please be safe!"

We got some snacks at the station, and caught the bus up. It was a bit windy, and the bus driver drove like a maniac, but the views were stunning once we got above the clouds!

Minor setback 1: 5th station wasn't actually open. Just the bathrooms! Fortunately 6th station was only a 20 minute hike up, so we went there and found that they were open. Nice!

Minor setback 2: 200 yen to use the bathroom = pee in the grass outside the hut.

We were pretty starving at this point because it was around 5 PM and we hadn't eaten lunch, so we stopped next door and found a local dude eating some tasty-looking noodles. "Oishi desu ka?" [Is that delicious?] I asked. "HAI!" [YES]! The guy responded. He told us it was Fujinomiya Yakisoba, and we sat down and ordered some from the hut-keeper.

It was oishi indeed. Best mountain noodles I've ever eaten.

We introduced ourselves to our new friend, Katsuhiko Kimura, who had finished the climb earlier that day. He showed us a picture of himself at the top, and said it was freezing up there! Actually, there wasn't much talking - he had a translator on his phone and was typing in Japanese/showing us the screen. I'd type back and he'd translate it to Japanese again. It was cool and kind of funny because the translator wasn't quite perfect!

The last thing he typed before going outside was " Please take care of the body when preparing to climb," which I took as more advice to be safe  :)

We took pictures with him, and went back to our hut to relax before our hike.

We're about to go to sleep at 7PM and wake up at 1AM to start the climb to catch the sunrise! I'm starting to hear some raindrops on our roof, but hopefully the rain clears before we start to climb. I'm really glad we brought our waterproof gear now  :D

9/15/11. Did you know Kyoto is an anagram for Tokyo?

Ugh. I haven't brushed my teeth in way too long.
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We arrived at Kyoto Station at 7:30 AM, right on schedule! It's crazy how everything here is so on time. Even buses.

The ride was pretty relaxing, and I'm surprised by how much I was able to sleep. Usually I need an eye bra, but I put a blanket over the hood on our seats, and was able to tune out most of the sunlight the next morning.

There were a few pitstops, and I got out for most of them to stretch my legs. The bonus was at the last stop where I picked up some yatsuhashi, a type of mochi specific to the Kyoto/Osaka area!

It's basically a square mochi sheet that has been folded in half with a sweet filling inside. The ones we got were filled with red bean and chestnuts, but I saw some strawberry flavored ones too. Delicious. I'll pick some up for Channon. She better thank me because I'm taking them up and down Fuji with me.

We ate them for breakfast at the station before figuring out how to get to our place in Kyoto, a short subway and walk away. 

At the door we were greeted by our host, Shizuka, who is a teacher. It wasn't actually her place, but she and her husband Gavin were looking after it for their friend. Since this was going to be our only day in Kyoto, we dropped off our things and I sent a quick email to the twitter friends and fam letting them know I'm alive. Shizuku pointed out cool things to visit on a map, and we were off!

We got some pretty sweet shots at the local botanical garden, but it was pretty dang hot. I definitely wasn't expecting this weather (weather.com sucks in Asia!), so we headed back to charge Ghyrn's camera and change. Shizuka's inlaws were there visiting from Australia, so we had a nice chat with them and played with their dog, Amber. 

[I can't believe I didn't take a picture of her!]

Back out to explore Kyoto and get fat. We went straight to the food market and arcade (read: mall), where I wanted to eat everything! Vendors were selling sashimi, mochi, fried tofu, and all kinds of fruit. I wish I could spend a few more days here and try everything.

We decided on a hole in the wall place that had all kinds of chirashi (mixed rice bowl) and ton-katsu (fried pork cutlet), and I was able to whip out some Japanese. "Mizu oku desai" = "Please bring me some water, biatch." Without the biatch, though, because that'd be rude.

After lunch we headed to Gion, an older region of Kyoto. There were too many temples and shrines to count, but it was pretty cool seeing the architecture and way of life here. School kids were everywhere, buying ice cream and walking around in their huge vibrant Nikes. Old people were doing the same thing, but without the Nikes. Taking pictures with the kids was also pretty entertaining. Apparently, you don't have to be white to draw attention - just from America!

Some highlights from the day were:

1) Trying Matcha (powdered green tea) shaved ice

2) Ghyrn getting interviewed by a group of school kids. It was funny! They gave him a card saying that they had to interview a foreigner for a school assignment. Some of the questions were "Is this your first time in Japan? What is your favorite Japanese food? What is your favorite Japanese cartoon?" Yes, Mochi, and anything by Miyazaki! Afterward, one kid gave origami cranes to G as a gift:

3) Seeing geishas acting the fool:

4) Walking the Path of Enlightenment, a stone walkway that runs beside a stream past temples and old houses.

We were pretty beat after the walk, so we headed to the local college area, and got Okonomiyaki, a fried cabbage pancake that is pretty tasty!

I got rice cake and beef in mine, and it gave it this really nice chewy texture and savory flavor. I gotta add this to the list of things I have to try to make when I get back. 

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It took us longer than expected to get back to our place because we walked too far past the subway station. When we finally got home, Gavin was there with his parents, so we talked about the things we did that day and let them know we were climbing a mountain tomorrow. They called us crazy  :D

The day was mostly a blur because of the amount of walking, unexpected heat, and lack of sleep, but it was nice seeing a more traditional part of Japan. I think we're spreading things out nicely - we're seeing Kyoto, going to climb Mount Fuji, and then partying in Tokyo! Time to shower (which is very much needed) and brush my teeth. Night!

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I had to pee in the middle of the night. This place is straight out of a Japanese horror movie like the Grudge. I don't get the willies that often, but this house is creeepy in the dark!

9/14/11. Where the party at?

What to do during our half morning in HK? Eat baked goods and buy electronics!

You know what's awesome? Not having jet lag. Or a cell phone for that matter. Usually I check my email first thing in the morning, and I didn't have the "luxury"  of doing that here. Leaving my laptop and blackberry at home was such a good decision.

We got ready and headed to a bakery for a quick breakfast. The pastries we got were delicious, but man did we get pushed around in line! I felt like a total tourist while fumbling for change in my money belt. No laughing at my fanny pack!

My goal is to not lose weight on this trip. I weighed myself before leaving for Asia. 148.6 lbs. I know I won't gain weight, but I lost 10 lbs in Europe because of all the walking. That's not going to happen here.

We wolfed down our goods on the way to a mall, and Ghyrn got his Sony NEX-5N. He's been looking at the camera for a while and it's pretty sweet! It was just released in the States and has been around for a few weeks in Asia. I'm looking forward to seeing the sweet shots he's going to get on Mt. Fuji and the rest of Japan, Seoul, and HK part 2.

P.S. My bathroom schedule is totally messed up right now. I usually go every morning at like 9 AM, but my body has no idea what time zone I'm in. Hopefully it readjusts quickly.

After getting to the Airport on the metro, we got a quick bite (fried chinese doughnuts and soup noodles) and boarded. This flight itinerary: HK International ->Seoul Incheon -> Tokyo Narita. Flight count: 4.

Noteworthy events on these flights:
1) I got spoken to in Korean.  Count: 1.
2) I realized that facemasks make me nervous. No SARS please! This was when I started carrying my hand sanitizer religiously.
3) I got a customs card to Japan that was in Japanese, and got spoken to in Japanese. Count: 1.
4) We should not have gotten food before the flights. Apparently, even the discount airlines in Asia give a ton of food!. Asiana rocks - we got a meal on a 3 hour flight, and bibimbap on our 1.5 hour flight:

Asia is spoiling me.

Getting off the plane in Tokyo was a bit hectic because we had to catch a train and overnighter bus into Kyoto 40 minutes after landing. 15 minutes to taxi + 20 minutes for immigration and customs + figuring out the airport = not a lot of time!

Here's how it went: we ran off the plane, ran up the stairs and beat all the people in escalators, and were the first in line for immigration and customs. I had printed out a map of the airport terminal before we left on the trip, so finding the Narita Express (N'EX) to Shinagawa Station where our bus was waiting was pretty easy :)

Phew.

The train ride to Shinagawa was just long enough to regain our senses, and after we got off we explored the area a bit. It was funny seeing the flood of white shirts and black pants at 9 PM. Japanese people work hard!

After a while we headed back to the bus stop and got on our overnighter to Kyoto. As expected, I was glued to the window until I got drowsy, and I mistakenly called the Tokyo Tower an Eiffel Tower knockoff. Oops.

Going to sleep now! It was a long day, and I'm looking forward to waking up in Kyoto  :D

9/13/11. And We're Off!

Honestly, it was hard sleeping last night. I always get jittery in anticipation of something exciting - graduations, the first day of school, travelling - and this time was no different. I should have slept like a rock after the festivities this weekend (sister's wedding part 2 and grandma's birthday), but nope!

The alarm clock was ignorant of this fact, so I still got up at 8 this morning. Checklist: 1) Hide my keys in a ziploc bag in a dirt hole under a rock in front of my apartment (to get into my house after coming back home), and 2) Go to the gym. I figured one last workout would help me sleep better on the long flight. 

After I picked up lunch for us at Safeway, James picked me and Ghyrn up to go to SFO. We checked in and  ate our lunch of kettle chips, Arizona iced tea, and Tuscan Chicken Safeway sandwiches. This would be our last American meal for two weeks, so we made it a good one.

Getting through security was a breeze, and even though we got to the airport two hours before our flight, the wait before boarding seemed to fly by. 

The flight to Hong Kong was pretty uneventful, but these were the highlights:

1) Assumptions were made regarding me and my ethnicity, i.e., Ghyrn got immigration documents, but I didn't. I'm pretty sure this won't be the last time it happens on the trip. After all, I do represent all of Asia.

2) I watched way too many movies instead of sleeping. List: The Princess and the Frog, Lilo&Stitch, Watchmen, Shrek, Fast 5, and X-Men: First Class. Asian parents, this is why you shouldn't deprive your children of the television!

3) Our air vents weren't working and it got pretty hot in our seats so we moved to a cooler row. This led to an unfortunate happening (see below).

4) I had the best cup o noodle of my life. 

We landed in HK at 7 PM, as scheduled, and got to immigration before Ghyrn realized he was missing something that was left behind during the seat change. His sunglasses! We raced back to the plane, but they wouldn't let us back on. Half an hour after talking to the Cathay reps, we got them back and headed on and Airport Express train to Kowloon station. A shuttle picked us up and brought us to our hotel. I know, I know, we're supposed to be backpacking, but we figured we needed a good night of sleep before going to Japan the next morning and climbing Fuji-San. Plus, we wanted to stay in a hotel with a nice view of Victoria Harbour!

After dropping off our packs, we walked out along the promenade beside the harbour and I immediately got dehydrated. It's hotter than we expected here! Luckily, vending machines are everywhere and I downed a bottle of water while we took pictures, and took in the spectacular views.

The time difference hit me on the way home, so instead of staying out we got room service for dinner (xo rice rolls and apple tart), showered, and slept on a bed of clouds. It was too soft for me  :)

This trip is starting out way differently than my Eurotrip, but I like it because I don't know what to expect!

Night  :D

9/1/11. I'm getting oldddddd

Not good. Still better than getting bald, though!

I may have to start stocking green dye.