Tokyo

Last Friday my immersion program in Kanazawa ended, so I came to Tokyo for some sight-seeing.

First of all, getting to Tokyo itself was interesting - I actually hitchhiked from Kanazawa! It was actually my first time hitchhiking, so I went with a friend I met through the immersion program. All told, we took about seven different cars, traveling from rest area to rest area towards Tokyo. It was a fun way to meet people and practice Japanese - definitely a more interesting experience than just taking the train. People were very kind, and many drivers even gave us cold drinks. The most interesting ride was a van full of young people heading towards a music festival - they even gave us some food!

On Sunday, I finally met my conversation partner of over a year in person. For the past year, we've been regularly Skyping - half an hour in English, half an hour in Japanese - but we had never actually met in person. (I actually have two such partners, and met the other one in Kobe a few weeks ago.) We went to Akihabara - the unofficial capital of Japanese comics, anime, and video games. I bought a Mario RPG game thinking it would be a fun way to practice reading Japanese. We also went to a bar, and I tried some Japanese sake for the first time - it's very refreshing, and neither too strong nor too weak.

We also went to the Sky Tree, the world's second-tallest tower

On Monday and Tuesday, I went with my hitchhiking friend to nearby Mt. Fuji. Although it is the tallest mountain in Japan, it is actually a fairly easy mountain to climb. Virtually no climbing experience is necessary, nor special mountaineering equipment. It's also easily accessible by public transportation. Add in its world-wide fame, and the result is that tons of tourists come to climb the mountain. Near the summit, people literally line up in a queue! Even so, it was a rewarding experience. We actually stayed overnight at a mountain hut so we could summit early in the morning to watch the sunrise, a beloved Fuji tradition. Best of all, it didn't rain the entire hike except the last ten minutes or so.

Words of wisdom at the mountain hut

Mt. Fuji's famous sunrise

Another reason climbing Mt. Fuji is easy is that you can buy food and refreshments along your way to the top. These vending machines are actually at the summit!

An active volcano, Mt. Fuji last erupted about three centuries ago. I really enjoyed the volcanic rocks.

The summit at last! We spent about seven hours ascending, but we actually took a rather leisurely pace. 

On Wednesday, I met one of my friends who lives in Tokyo. I met her at the weekly Japanese tables hosted by our university last year. We did some sightseeing together with her twin sister. Although they are both at near-native level in English, they kindly spoke Japanese with me the whole day. We toured some Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines, shopped at the Tokyo Tower, visited a cat cafe, and went to a traditional Japanese pub (izakaya, 居酒屋)

Statue of the Buddha 

The cat cafe, if you hadn't already guessed

The cats were not as impressed as we were.

Izakaya

神戸 (Kobe)

The weekend before last, I had a three-day weekend, so I took a trip to Kobe. For over a year, I've been doing a conversation exchange online via Skype with someone who lives in Kobe, so we finally met in person for the first time. It was interesting to meet after only knowing each other online. We frequently switched back and forth between Japanese and English; sometimes I would even speak in English and she would talk in Japanese. 

On Thursday night, we saw a movie at the theatre she works at with one of her co-workers. It was all in Japanese of course, so I could only understand about 60% of the dialogue, but it was interesting nonetheless. Strangely, in Japanese movie theaters patrons get assigned seating when they buy their tickets, and everyone stayed to watch all of the credits.

On Saturday, we went to Universal Studios Japan! The best part of it was the Harry Potter World - my friend kindly lent me a Slytherin costume to wear. I also had some of the famous butter beer when I toured the Hogsmeade replica. We went to nearly every ride and attraction, and it was a fun way to improve my Japanese listening. The only bad part was that it rained nearly the entire time.

On Saturday, I hiked a nearby mountain to see a waterfall. Japan has a very high concentration of mountains, so I thought it was only fitting to do at least one mountain hike during my stay. Along the way I passed a temple. I think the monk was very surprised to see me. After the hike, I did some more sightseeing in the city, including a beautiful shrine.

Finally, on Sunday, I met my friend again to do more sightseeing and, more importantly, eat some world-famous Kobe beef! We chatted with the chef and learned some interesting things about Kobe beef:

(1) Employees massage the cows to make their muscles more tender

(2) The cows get to drink beer (to stimulate their appetite)

(3) Every cow gets a specially-selected diet based on her characteristics 

(4) Only virgin cows can become Kobe beef because they are thought to have more tender meet

(5) It's very expensive! I only ordered 60 grams for 2500¥ (about 160 USD / lb)

To save money, I stayed at an Internet cafe, sleeping on the mat in a private cubicle. As you might guess, patrons at the Internet cafe have unlimited access to internet, some drinks, and also comics (even adults read comics in Japan) for a set time. The private cubicles are just big enough for a poor student to sleep in. There were also some, er, interesting patrons. Let's just say there was not much competition for the showers!  

All and all, lots of great memories made! Plus my Japanese improved a lot!

日本: The first two weeks

I've been in Japan for two weeks now - it's been a fantastic experience so far! Starting with customs at the airport, I've spoken virtually no English since coming here. My Japanese, especially my listening comprehension, has really improved. I'm pleasantly surprised I've been able to communicate.

The first weekend, there was a local festival in Ishikawa. I joined hundreds of people in doing a series of traditional dances for three hours. The best part was I got to wear a neat costume for it! There was also a parade in honor of the festival, but I only saw it for a few minutes.

Also on the first weekend, I went to see a circus (unfortunately photography was forbidden.) The acrobats were particularly impressive. Whenever they were preparing for the next trick, two clowns performed dumbshows and usually forced a couple hapless audience members to be a part of it. As it turns out, I was selected to be in one of them, along with three other friends in the same program. First we had to impersonate some animals and do a silly dance, then the four of us sat down in chairs. The clowns contorted our bodies into a convoluted shape and then took the four chairs from underneath us, though we didn't fall because each of us used our knees as a "chair" for someone else's back. Then the clowns left us quite helplessly, and we awkwardly wormed our way out of the mess to the amusement of the audience.

After the circus was over, I was interviewed (in Japanese!) by a local newspaper. I was actually pictured and quoted in a newspaper article!

I'm in the center with the green shirt. Sorry, I'm too lazy to translate the whole thing :)

This weekend was as packed as the first. On Saturday, I toured a Buddhist temple with my host family. It was breathtaking, and also surprisingly big.

In the evening, some of my host family's relatives came to visit. We had make-it-yourself sushi (options of squid, octopus, tuna, shrimp, and various fish.) I also played Mario Kart and Super Smash Bros. with the children. Back in high school I was an avid Nintendo fan, so it was interesting to play the games in their original versions. I even played a Pictionary variant and another word game in Japanese.

Finally, today I participated in a volley ball tournament hosted by the international exchange program at the local university. My team won six games undefeated, though I cannot claim much credit for the victories :)

Tramping

One of the main attractions of New Zealand is the great tramping ("tramping" is NZ-speak for "hiking"). During my autumn break, I went on two tramps: a 4-day tramp in the Tongariro National Park and a 3-day tramp on Stewart Island.

Tongariro National Park is right in the middle of the North Island. It has active volcanoes and beautiful rock landscapes. The track I took actually circumnavigates Mt. Nguarahoe, which appeared as Mt. Doom in the Lord of the Rings movies (Kiwis are extremely proud of these films.)

View of Lake Tama. It was steep climbing up here, so I was the only one there. A perfect place for lunch.

I started the hike bursting with pep and enthusiasm. I really enjoyed myself - on the first day.

Taranaki Falls

But alas, it was too good to last, and it came to pass that a mighty storm struck the land. The second day was, well, miserable. It turns out that active volcanoes have toxic gases, and instead of smelling the trees I got a nice whiff of sulphur throughout the hike. As the wind blew volcanic gases into my eyes, my eyes were so irritated I shed a few manly tears. 

Unfazed by the rain, I hiked for a good 8 hours all the way into the active volcano zone. The clouds were thick, but I could still enjoy the beautiful scenery and see for centimeters on end. Finally, I returned to the hut, my shoes swooshing with water the whole way. 

At the hut, there was only a few brave geologists and the warden. The warden warned me that it would be too dangerous proceed because of gale-force winds. Since I would likely be the only hiker on the track, he admonished me to turn back. Being a novice hiker, I resignedly accepted his advice.

The rain did not stop all night, and continued all of the next day. I hiked back to the first hut as fast as I could. This time, there was just one other hiker at the hut (there had been about 20 the first night) and the warden. We talked and played cards for about 10 hours since the weather was so terrible outside. At least I had some pleasant company.

It continued to rain all night, and sure enough when I started trekking home the last day it was still raining. Finally, when I was nearly off the trail, the rain stopped.

So, my first tramp was hugely disappointing. I was therefore not expecting much when I went to Stewart Island for my second tramp. Stewart Island is a small island south of the main two islands of New Zealand, and is the southernmost point of New Zealand.

After a long bus ride, I boarded a humble 8-passenger airplane to start my next adventure. The pilot did not look much older than a senior in high school. But alas, I had come too far to turn back.

One lucky passenger gets to sit in the cockpit

Stewart Island from the plane

To my delight, the weather was much better on Stewart Island. It only rained the first night. So I started my tramp off full of confidence.

Entrance to the National Park

When I got to the first hut, I met some friendly fellow travelers: a German, a Czech, and four New Zealanders. It turned out that we were all doing the same route. They were all nice people, which only added to the experience. On the second night the New Zealanders went to the beach to collect some fresh mussels for dinner, and were kind enough to share some with me and the others too. We ate, talked, and played cards together. When one of the New Zealanders saw my pitiful dinner (canned sardines and muesli mix; I did not have any cooking gear to bring so al my food had to be dried or canned), he even gave me some of his hot dinner.

After nightfall, I went kiwi watching with the German. Kiwis are nocturnal, so we patiently waited in the forest with our headlamps (offered to us by the New Zealanders!), not expecting to see anything give their rarity. But to our delight, we were lucky enough to hear the call of the kiwi. I even recorded it on my phone.

Stewart Island is abundant with wildlife. In addition to kiwis, it has a wide variety of bird endemic to New Zealand. I heard some truly beautiful songs and exotic calls. I also saw some white-tailed deer too. One was right outside our hut, and even posed.

Stewart Island also has some interesting industrial ruins. Many decades ago there were saw mills, and there are a couple old machines scattered around the park.

The tramp was simply unforgettable. But I had yet another surprise waiting at the end.

Since travel can be so expensive, I though I would save some money by couch surfing. For those not in the know, it's an internet website where you meet strangers who are willing to let you sleep on their couch for the night, for free. I thought I would try it, so I did couch surfing for my last night on Stewart Island.

I wasn't expecting very much, but I ended up with the saintliest hostesses you can imagine. She was an older woman, and she treated me as if I were her grandson. When I got to her house, I was greeted with warm muffins and tea, a perfect refreshment after a long hike. She continued to feed me well, despite the fact that I had packed my own food, serving fresh fish and chips for dinner. Instead of a  humble couch, I had my own guest suite downstairs. She even drove me around the island for sightseeing and dropped me off at the airport the next morning. She was an inspiring example of the kindness of strangers, and I hope I too can pay it forward some day. New Zealand might be the friendliest country in the world. The geologists, trampers, and my couch-surfing hostess were some of the nicest strangers I've encountered. 

We went to the lighthouse for a good lookout view

So, despite the rain, my autumn break was a great success!
I'm done adventuring around New Zealand, and will probably just stay in Christchurch for the rest of the semester. After all, it is still study abroad. I'm glad I could see so much of New Zealand and meet so many inspiring people.