Wanderlust

First of all, happy new year (even though it's way too late). I've changed the template and theme for the blog, so if things aren't working properly I'll try and get it fixed soon. Probably my own fault for using free templates! I'm going to try and write more this year, especially as I'm starting work on my research project at university. 

Anyway, onto today's topic.

As I've grown older, I've had an increasing sense of wanderlust. Sometimes it is just a fanciful idea triggered by a photo of some far off land. Sometimes it is a stagnant feeling of being in the same place for too long. Sometimes it is a pulling in my chest that strikes without warning.

I have been lucky enough to travel a fair bit with school and university, and on holiday. Despite that, I want to see so much more of the world.  I want to meet its people and taste its fruits. I want to climb its mountains and touch the skies of every continent, if not every country.

Not only are destinations exhilarating, I think there is something magnificent about flying as well. Man wasn't meant to see above the clouds - especially so far above them - and it leaves me with a sense of awe every single time. There's a sort of serene beauty to it, and the breaks in the clouds offer a wonderful perspective of the planet. Perhaps it's partly due to my interest in geology, but I love being able to look out of that tiny window and see the Earth as it is - following rivers across the landscape, watching mountains rise up out of their foothills, finding lakes nestled between them. It's a really rather lovely feeling.

Right. That's enough of that. My next trip is to Iceland (I'm leaving in 2 days, in fact). It's only a short break, but I'll get to see a lot. I'm travelling along the SE coast which is pretty much the only section of the coast road that I haven't seen yet. I'll be taking a lot of photos with my new camera, and hopefully the weather will be half-way decent. It's forecasted for a week of heavy rain at the moment... Nevertheless, I will be posting them on my flickr. I'm still getting the hang of it, but I've already uploaded some from my previous trips to Iceland and Japan.

Oh, and just so you know - I have always gone to Iceland through Discover the World. I'd highly recommend them. They are incredibly easy to deal with and very helpful. They offer a range of packages and self-drive holidays throughout the year, and I think the prices are pretty good. For example, this next trip cost me roughly £500 for four days, but that is including flights, accommodation, transport, two meals a day, and a guide.

In order to make this a little more fun, I've made a few playlists based on some of the places I've been and what I listen to to remind me of them (and what sets of my wanderlust). I am fully aware that not all the songs are by artists from the specific country or region, but the feel of the music is fitting.

You can listen to them by clicking the images below. I recommend listening to them on shuffle, and there may be a little overlap between playlists.

Brits on Tour, Invisible Mountains, and Octopus Balls

Brits on Tour (2015.08.25)

My co-worker's friends came to visit Odawara and I got to tag along. It was a really good day out, but I was shattered by the end of it.

Anyway, we kicked the day off by going to Odawara Castle. Building work is still going on there, so you can't get inside at the moment. We did meet and cuddle a super fluffy dog, so it wasn't a completely wasted trip. From there, we went for a quick stroll at the beach (I picked up a rock a a souvenir because I'm a geologist and that's what we do). It was pretty windy and definitely not the warmest day to go, but not all that bad. "Bracing" is what I'd call it.

The next stop was Daiyuzan Saijo-ji. I've been a few times before (you can read about it here), but I'm always happy to go back there. It's definitely my favourite temple. We had the joy of finding a monk practicing playing the horns used during prayer, and by practicing I mean he was really practicing. That man is not the most musically talented person in the world. Before leaving, we climbed the 100 steps, which damn nearly killed me, and met a sumo wrestler.

Here are some photos from this trip to the temple.

Afterwards, we headed out for a meal and many many many drinks.

So yeah, good day out.

Mt. Fuji the Invisible (2015.08.27)

Got up super early to get on a train to meet my boss for the promised Fuji 5th Sation day-trip. As with all my days off, it was cloudy, and the promised views of said mountain did not happen. The only times I've ever seen Fuji is from the end of my road on my way to work. Each time I've gone somewhere that should have some good views of the mountain, it's always hiding in cloud.

Anyway, we ended up getting the bus from a car park up to the 5th station. Once there, we had a look around the shrine (dedicated to safety when climbing the mountain) and bought some souvenirs before jumping on a different bus to go back down again.

The tubes are supposed to grant you a long life and wealth if you go through them. I did both. I'll take all the help I can get.

When I say the view was non-existent, I really do mean it.

Next was the Funatsu Tainai 船津体内 lava tree moulds. 

These formed when lava flowed across tree trunks, incinerating the wood and leaving a hollow shell. The site is sacred to those who follow Fuji-ko, and is used to purify themselves and to pray for safety when making their pilgrimage. The goddess of Mt. Fuji, Konohana Sakuya Hime, is enshrined within the tree moulds. As such, it is interesting on both a cultural and geological view.

The entrance to the caves here are inside the shrine building.

From a practical point of view, if you are tall this is not the place for you. I could barely make it through and I'm only 5'7". Both my boss and I scratched our backs and pretty much crippled ourselves from being crouched for so long. Here are some photos from inside the caves.

After Funatsu Tainai, we went to a different set of caves - Narusawa 鳴沢 Ice Cave. There was a a small entrance fee and the option to wear a hard-hat if you so wish. I chose not to because I'm a geologist who likes to live on the edge. The signs are also rather interesting.

Anyway, this cave is significantly easier to move through than Funatsu Tainai, although the ground was really slippy in places. It's much more impressive than in winter, although there was still a fair amount of ice in it when we went.

The final stop on the tour was Oshino Hakkai 忍野八海. There are 8 ponds (all with an assortment of fish and/or ducks) in a small yet touristy and impossibly busy village. It has a very traditional feel to it, and would be lovely if it weren't for the crowds. There's lots of chance to buy local produce and souvenirs (I bought some tea and a pair of canisters for it). 

There's a traditional house that you can look around as well.

On the other side of the carpark, there's a zen garden. It's quite charming (despite the carpark), and much quieter than the main part of the village. On clear days, the view must be wonderful.

On the way home, we squeezed in a few minutes on the shore of  Yamanaka-ko 山中湖.

All in all, a good day out. It's a pity that the weather wasn't the best, but the clouds did make it all very atmospheric (and much cooler than it would otherwise have been).

Octopus Balls and Chicken Innards (2015.08.27)

After getting home from Fuji, I had an hour or so break before heading into Kamonomiya to meet my favourite barman. Because I like takoyaki, it was decided on my behalf that we would go to Okan (a local takoyaki shop) and try out the menu. It was delicious, but hotter than the surface of the Sun. 

Home-made takoyaki (as this is) is so much better than anything you can buy in the shops. In the end, I ate...

• Standard takoyaki (the picture)
• Takoyaki with salt
• Takoyaki with ponzu (bitter orange sauce kind of thing) and spring onions
• Takoyaki with soy sauce

The one with ponzu is my favourite, I think.

Next on my tour of Kamonomiya restaurants was Capace, though we only stopped in for a drink, before moving on to Kotoriya.

I was given the challenge of eating a range of things. Working left to right, I had chicken liver, chicken neck, more liver, chicken intestines, chicken meat balls.  

It was surprisingly good, especially the liver. The ladies sat next to me kindly bought me a shot of vodka, which helped get rid of the taste of squid, cream cheese, and cucumber that the chef got me to try (and will never try again). 

Afterwards, we went to drink in FuRat (and eat cake if I remember correctly). I ended up staying there until they closed, and then got breakfast on the way home. I was incredibly professional and taught a range of Japanese people to say "do you want to drink tequila?" I hate tequila, but apparently I drink it now.

So, bar Japanese. I've been going to the bar a lot more recently, as I've met some really lovely people who are all very understanding. As a result, they're throwing me a farewell party on the 11th with the view to give me severe alcohol poisoning from what I've gathered. 

Only 8 days left now.

I really don't want to leave.

Emergency Brakes and "Hiking" Up a Mountain

Been a while since I've been anywhere or done anything of interest, but today I changed that.

First of all, though, let's have an earthquake update.

There's been another three that I've felt since I last wrote a post. One was when I was in Tokyo, and had was only small but it had a fair bit of vertical movement which was new to me, and is a good deal more scary. The second was in my local Starbucks, and again was only small. However, two of the baristas ran over to make sure I was OK (which I was, but it was really sweet of them). The last one was yesterday whilst I was on the train to Tokyo. The emergency brakes go on, train stops, everything switches off, ground moves, super fast announcement in Japanese, everything turns on, train starts again, train staff apologise profusely for the inconvenience as if tectonics is somehow their fault.

Speaking of emergency brakes, the train I was on today also slammed them on as we were pulling away from Shinjuku. As a result, the salaryman next to me fell over his briefcase and headbutted me in the stomach.

So, here's a quick summary of the various train lines I've used since I arrived.

• JR Yamanote Line - Busy. You'll never get to sit down.
• Odakyu Line - Cheap, and goes frustratingly near my station but doesn't stop there.
• Daiyuzan Line - The comfiest seats in the world. Full of old people.
• JR Shonan-Shinjuku Line - Emergency brakes for everything.
• Keiyo Line - Might strong air conditioning. A sweater is recommended.

Anyway, moving on to today's adventure...

Takaosan 高尾山 - 699.15m

Not the easiest place to get to from Odawara as it takes a long time, but perfectly doable. My route was:

• Kamonomiya to Shinjuku (Shonan-Shinjuku Line) 1,480円
• Shinjuku to Takaosanguchi (Keio Line) 130円

From Takaosanguchi Station, it's a 5 minute walk up the road to the cable-car and chair-lift platforms. If you buy the round-trip ticket (I recommend it), you can use either method to start your journey, or you can walk. I chose the chair-lift, both up and down.

Now, the guidebook calls the routes around the mountain "a casual hike". I was describe it more as "a relaxing stroll up a large hill with a very nice paved path to follow and lots of signposts". I mean, I saw people walking past me in flipflops and high-heels.

Anyway, as you follow the route you come to Takoasan Yakuou-in Yuki-ji Temple, which is very nice. It is thought to have been built in 744 (Nara Period), and is dedicated to the medicine Buddha - Yakushi Nyorai. However, the temple has experienced a fair number of fires and typhoons, so it has been rebuilt and restored many times. The temple was pretty busy (lots of school groups out today), but once you're on the path it's not too bad.

Here are some photos from the route up to the temple and some of the temple buildings.

As with any of my days off, it was cloudy and pretty damp. As a result, the glorious views across the region and of Mt. Fuji were distinctly non-existent. See?

Right. To summarise...

• Definitely not hiking. I went up in a dress and trainers with no issues. The guys in flipflops also had no issues.
• Get the round-trip ticket. It saves you money.
• Tokens etc. at the temple are much more expensive than normal, but they do have tengu on them. 
• Go on a sunny day. The view is somewhat lacking, otherwise.
• Try the dango. It's delicious.

All in all, not a bad day out. Good change of scene, and a good bit of gentle exercise.