The Kamakura Adventure

My wife graciously allowed me to buy a two week JR pass due to the fact that we ended up having to stay in Japan longer than anticipated.  I tend to get a little antsy and depressed if I stay in one area too long, which had happened during our trip two years ago.  So in order to keep my wanderlust in check and possibly to get me out of her hair for a bit, she allowed me to do some traveling on my own.

I have traveled pretty extensively throughout Japan.  I haven't been everywhere, but I've been to my fair share of places.  I've tapped out most of central and Western Japan.  Since we were going to be staying in Nagoya, I needed to make sure that my destinations were all in easy striking distance from my home base.  Therefore, I couldn't realistically travel to Kyushu or Shikoku.  Tohoku was also out.  I poured through Wikitravel and my old copy of Lonely Planet Japan and Google Maps to determine my journeys.

The most obvious choice, to me,  for my first jaunt was Kamakura.  I had never been and it looked to be a reasonable distance from Nagoya.

Making my way to Nagoya Station and booking my seat on the shinkansen was easy.  I bought some food for the trip and otherwise prepared for my trip.  The trip to Shin-Yokohama station was uneventful.  However, when I got to Shin-Yokohama I realized something.  I had no idea how to go to Kamakura.  I looked at the map with all the train lines on it and had a basic idea as how to go.  I found my way to Yokohama pretty easily.  The funny thing is that Yokohama Station seemed bigger and busier than Shin-Yokohama.  Shin-Yokohama had only the shinkansen and one other train line going into it whereas Yokohama had several.  I guess it was my mistake to associate anything with "shin" in its title to automatically mean it's better.

I found my way to a little tourist information center in Yokohama station.  I really liked this TI because they actually knew how to do their job.  Several times in several countries I have been led astray by idiotic TI staff members who had no idea about their city and would dole out useless or wrong information and cause confusion.  Not the Yokohama TI staff.  I asked about Kamakura and not only did they know exactly how to get there, they also had these nifty little cards with directions on how to get there!  I have never seen this before, but I loved it!  So many times I have had to go back to a TI to get new directions because I had forgotten something.  I made my way to the appropriate train platform and began the final leg to Kamakura.

I arrived in Kamakura and for some reason I was under the impression that my goal, the Giant Buddha, would be right near the station.  I was wrong.  I found the handy city map (just outside of the station's main entrance, to the right) and found that the temple was just under 2km away.  Rather than waste money on a bus, I decided to walk it.  The walk wasn't bad.  It was a bit hot, but other than that, it was good.  After about 15 minutes or so, I found my destination.

One of the weirdest or quirkiest things I found about the temple area was that there was a little shop selling replica weapons.  They had all sorts of things from samurai weapons to M1 Garands.  15 or 20 years ago, I would've bought something.  As it is, I looked through it and went to the temple.

The temple was good.  There's not much to it.  You turn a corner and BAM!  There's the Giant Buddah.  It's a great statue and it was neat looking at.  I loved taking pictures.  It was so serene once you found a way to keep the other tourists out of your shot.  Looking back at some of my pictures it almost seems like I was the only person there.  But pictures can sometimes be deceiving.  The place was packed.

I wandered a bit and decided that I should probably make my way back to the train station since I had  a fairly long journey back home.  On my way out I saw a large map of the area.  I could see the path that I had taken to the temple, but couldn't help notice that there seemed to be a hiking path located near by.  Never one to shirk an adventure, I went with the hike.

I got to the street and turned the opposite way from where I came and set out.  I could see some distance away a road tunnel and right next to it, a very small path leading up the steep hill.  The path was rough and a little steep.  It was also obviously not heavily traversed.  It was overgrown and generally unkempt.  Immediately after cresting the hill, I saw a dilapidated, old house.  I tensed up.  This structure was unexpected and when I'm hiking I don't like seeing strange and unexpected buildings.  It gave me the creeps as visions of J-horror flooded my brain.  I pressed on and suddenly saw people approaching me.  The path was not wholly unused.  I was safe from the phantoms of my imagination.

The trail was nice.  In parts it overlooked the town and you could just see a bit of the ocean.  I chatted with the occasional fellow hiker, who was often just as surprised to see me as I was them.  The trail seemed to run along the spine of a mountain (or tall hill).  It was wooded and gave some nice views of the land below.  After about 20 minutes, I suddenly emerged into a small residential area.

One of my whole reasons for choosing the hike was to see some more of what Kamakura had to offer.  The main objective was to check out Sasuke Inari Shrine.  It's a fox spirit shrine and an unofficial hobby of mine is to visit those particular shrines.  Shortly after beginning my trek down the hill and towards the shrine I met a middle aged gentleman who stopped me and engaged in the typical conversation of where I was from, what I was doing and so forth.  As I was edging away, he smiles and says "Please visit Zeniari Benzaiten Ugafuku Jinja" and proceeds to tell me how to go the aforementioned shrine.  Since it was recommended by a local, I decided to check it out.  And boy am I glad I did.

First off, I nearly passed the shrine entirely since the entrance was hidden from the direction I was coming.  There was a torii and I thought nothing of it, but suddenly realized that Zenirai should be around there.  I turned around and saw a cave behind the torii.  Of all the shrines and temples I've visited in Japan this one is the most unique.  It's in a hollow completely surrounded by rock.  There is also a spring inside of another cave that according to legend, if you wash money in the waters it will multiply and return to you.  Not wanting to be greedy, I only washed 1000 yen.

After a long while I decided to head out and begin the trek to the station.  Along the way I finally found Sasuke Inari Shrine.  It's a bit hard to find, being tucked way back in a neighborhood.  In my opinion it wasn't worth the trouble.  It was small and nice and totally deserving to be off the beaten path.

If you have not been to Kamakura, I highly recommend it.  It makes for a really nice day trip, one that I wouldn't mind going back in the future.

Kaisho no mori

Never listen to weather reports without observing the weather yourself. Building your plans around them can be frustrating and potentially disasterous. I found this out in part today.

Yesterday the forcast was for thunderstorms all day today in the Seto area. As such, my fiance and I decided to hunker down and spend the day inside and to not heed our normal bed time. This morning when we woke up at the nice hour of 9, we couldn't help but notice the bright sunshine streaming into our bedroom window.

While eating breakfast we decided to scrap our plans and revert to Plan B. Plan B entailed going on a hike somewhere in our immediate area. We thought about Inuyama or the EXPO park, but we eventually decided on Kaisho no mori, a wooded area rather near to my fiance's mother's house. We hastily packed our bags and set out, on foot, for our destination.

The sun beat down on our necks as we navigated city streets drawing ever closer to Kaisho no mori. We consumed quite a bit of our water before we even set food in the woods. To rectify this we stopped at the last convenience store on our path for some supplies.

Resupplied we continued toward our goal.

It was surprising how suddenly and completely the transition from city to backwoods happened. One minute we were in the middle of a nice suburban community and with the turn of a corner we were in a deep, rather dark forest. This area was pretty nice. It was originally a small farming village until the early 20th century when its residents began to head to the city for work and a new lifestyle. Now it is a protected forest and leisure hiking site for local people.

I thought it looked like a setting for a horror movie. All it lacked were scary residents, staring you down. There were times that if felt eerily like someone or something was about to reveal itself to us and then hunt us down and eat us. The fiance, more than a couple times, wimpered and muttered that the area looked as if ghosts should populate it. I didn't disagree.

Other than its supernatural aura, it was a great hike. The scenery was great and offered itself to the imagination. At one point the air was thick with the scent of cedar. It was truly a nice hike.

It wasn't hard like Gozaisho was either. There were a few inclines and some uneven parts, but most people could handle it. However, there were times that the path was less than ambiguous and it really looked like we were about be kidnapped to be part of some mountain person's dinner. Also, you must be a little adventurous and very observant. Most places have signs indicating where to go, but some do not. The path for pond (one of the main attractions of this area) is not marked well at all. In fact, if someone had not written on a "Fires Prohibited" sign and indicated the way, we would have missed it altogether.

I did the hike in shorts, but there were some areas that pants would have been preferable. Tall grasses and weeds often line the path and my legs are full of red marks from those obstacles. As with most forest paths, hiking boots are recommended. Kaisho no mori can be done in shoes, but as mentioned above, some places are a bit tricky and the added support and traction of boots came in handy.

Overall it was a great hike and it was a great way to get out of the house and enjoy some sunshine. If you do choose this place, please be aware that Japanese adders call this place home, so exercise caution.

Mt. Gozaisho

I like hiking. I've been doing it since I was a kid. I love being outdoors and being in touch with nature. It's just peaceful and calming.

When I returned to Japan 10 days ago, my buddy Patrick almost immediately sent me an invite to climb a mountain with him and our friend Paul. I was a bit jet lagged still and didn't really want to go, but the promise of hanging out with two of my good friends changed my mind.

The mountain in mind was Gozaisho in the Suzuka Range. It sits basically on the border of Mie and Shiga prefectures. The best way to get there is by car, but it is also on the Kintetsu Yunoyama line. Yunoyama station is the terminus for the line and the closest station the the mountain.

My fiance packed me a nice lunch (full of energy promoting goodness) and I packed my bag. I was up early the next morning (partially in thanks to the jet lag) and was actually 15 minutes or so early. Patrick grabbed Paul and I at the 7-11 in Komaki city and we were off.

The initial parts of the mountain were pretty easy. Things started off in a nice little forest and the weather was dry and cool. Very quickly, however, it became much more challenging. The path began going up steep embankments and would at times disappear entirely. Still the weather was on our side and it was enjoyable talking with my friends.

The path continued with it's unpredictability. We would be on somewhat level terrain and suddenly the path would veer right and we'd be climbing a steep wall of rock or muddy forest. Sometimes we needed the small trees that lined the path to help pull us up. It was pretty fun actually.

Though the weather was cool we still took frequent water breaks and other rest breaks (I'm not in the best of shape right now). This was probably the hardest mountain I've climbed to date. Fuji was taller, but the terrain was not as crazy and the slope was more moderate. Ibukiyama was tough, but due to the uneven terrain of Gozaisho, it wins the hardest mountain award.

It was funny seeing the people at the top of the mountain who took the cable car. They gave us odd stares as we came stumbling up the path all dirty and sweaty. We gave them the stares of "you didn't earn this". I definitely felt accomplished after reaching the top, pushing myself through areas I didn't think I'd make it and then seeing everyone else who cheated. I felt like I had done something worthwhile. I climbed a mountain.

Though the mountain is tough, you don't need much in the terms of equipment. We had no ropes or crampons and didn't need them. Basically all you need is a pair of good hiking boots and a pack. I did not have a camelback, but I highly recommend one. They are a great item to have while hiking. Another item which I found invaluable was bug spray. That stuff was a life saver. The mosquitoes were pretty bad on the mountain and could really ruin an otherwise great day. Another essential item is head gear. I actually forgot my cap in the States, but had my backup bandana ready. Just one thing, make sure the bandana is color fast. Mine was supposed to be, but after a couple hours of hiking my forehead was blue.

If you choose to climb Gozaisho, make sure you are prepared. And don't give up. It seems tough, but as Paul said "The easisest way down a mountain is getting to the top".