Easier than email

2008-10-06T08:24:00.000-07:00

A couple weekends ago Jer and I went for a hike, these are the pictures of the second one.

Climbing

2008-10-06T08:12:00.000-07:00

This weekend I took abut 18 people climbing at Wasootch, a very accessible climbing area in Kananaskis. The ironic part is that I have never climbed outdoors before. I ended up leading a 5.9 and although tough was a huge accomplishment once I finished it. Either way, here are the pictures.

West Coast Trail Photos!

2008-09-24T08:31:00.001-07:00

Mildly eager at the start.

This is why I hike

Playing the Cribbs Creek Olympics with some hiking compatriots.

The caber toss.

My room for the night.

Inches from a big drop.

Do they ever end? I will never again complain about having to clean the eaves.

The beautiful solidarity.

Owens point, watch yourself with the tide.

Tide pools.

Stump wedged forever.

Remnants of the old telegraph line.

Some tricky rock scaling.

A long beach walk after Owens.

Don't get caught down here when the tide comes in.

This was most likely the closest to the ground of the log walks. Several were 15 ft+.

One of many cable cars. A world of fun.

They warned us, if you see a cougar, think about how many times it's seen you.

On and on.

No barrier stopping one from a quick dip.

The new suspension bridge, replacing the one wiped out by landslide.

Some Vancouver friends departing in the morning.

The challenge... to get over there.

The beach of Chez Monique and numerous whales.

Hole in the wall.

Tsusiat Falls, the evening of a wicked storm and equally good bonfire.

My tap.

Carmanah point.

Why are France and Germany different directions?

Northway Photos!!

2008-09-24T07:41:00.000-07:00

On trip day 3 of 6, after some windy paddling.

Some dinner time tunes.

Waiting to head back to camp after a 3 day.

Cliffs on a 3 day.

Sliding under a bridge on a 7 day.

Right in the middle of nowhere. Look closely.

Rotting Moose on Little Joe.

Swimming on Burnt Island.

The results of pitching a tent on a hill.

Rock Jumping on Bonnechere

A still smoking tree right after being struck by lightning.

Porky.

The tarp being put to good use.

View from Maple Mountain, Temagami.

Wendigo bush whack.

Accommodation for a night.

Through the thrushes with Wendigo (boys camp).

The CITS (counsellors in training) on Camp Birthday.

Fire tower on Maple Mountain with the CITS.

Portaging around endless hydro dams (and several blast sites) on the Montreal river.

Sunrise from Maple Mountain.

The long climb up the tower.

First night of CIT trip on a gorgeous Lake Temagami.

How we approach the docks to pick up campers, to the tune of "stand up, stand up, we won't shut up until you stand up!"

Waking up in the fire tower.

The Staff.

Delicious fresh diner.

After a slightly involuntary swim for one counsellor.

Competition at its best.

Making my mark on Maple Mountain.

Best way to dry off.

Catching up!

2008-09-19T20:36:00.000-07:00

I'm not sure why, but since returning from 50 days of wilderness I've had an incredibly tough time sitting down and writing this. This will be my third attempt, and hopefully the first successful one.

Northway Lodge!

I had a really hard time deciding whether I should go to Northway or not. With one year of school, tuition and bills left the though of next to volunteer work seemed threatening. But as with so many things in my life, my mom was the inspiration. As soon as she uttered the words 'I would be extremely surprised if you did this', I knew I had to go.

As it turns out, it was by far one of the best decisions of my life. Before going I knew little, if nothing about tripping, but I left an experienced guide with 40 days of trips under my belt. Had I not done this, the West Coast Trail would have been a much different experience.

In summary the summer was broken into 13 day quarters, 10 days of tripping, 40 total. For the first half I was with Northway (the girls camp) on trips ranging from 2 to an amazing 7 day trip from the NW corner all the way east then back down. The other guides were amazing, I learned more than I ever expected, the campers were great, giving endless hours of entertainment and finally the counsellors were great, essentially doing all the dirty work with the kids while we did all the other stuff. On each trip there were 2 guides, 1 counsellor and 3 kids, so some pretty spectacular 1-1 ratios.

The food was mostly powdered and carbs, but some of the most delicious I've ever had, entirely due to the appetites we had after jogging portages.

After the half I moved over to Wendigo, the much (7 boys) smaller boys camp for a 7 day and a 3 day. I got to plan out the 3 day which was an awesome experience, it ended up being a bushwack in the SE corner just north of the highway.

Then I got a pretty big compliment for a first year guide, I was sent on the Counsellor In Training (CIT) trip, for 10 days in Temagami. I also got to plan part of this one out. We got ourselves to the fire tower on Maple Mountain, then down the Montreal river to the Ottawa, then up the Matebychewan and back to the NE arm for a pickup.

I literally got paid to go on canoe trip in one of the most beautiful places on earth for an entire summer. Depending on a Canada World Youth application I hope to go back in Rob Morgan's (soon to be) newly refurbished cedar strip.

West Coast Trail!

The trail was pretty epic. I started out with a 70lb pack at km 77 from Port Renfrew, which just so happened to be the hardest end and made my way up to Bamfield. I was aiming to do it in 7-8 days, as I had some time to kill before making my way to Tofino, but a heavy storm on evening 5 pushed me to do the last and extremely boring 25 km in one day, finishing it up in 6. Although I hiked alone, I met several others at campsites and by night 3 we had quite a roaming possy. There was a couple from Vancouver as well as 3 20 year olds hiking with their parents who started separately but met up along the way. Campfire games included Cribs Creek Olympics feature the taber toss, discus, shot put, greco roman wrestling and tug o' war, sponsored by some vile rum 151. In fact we kept touch and are going on a hike sometime early October.

I would definitely do this trip again, it was by far the most beautiful and entertaining hike I have ever done. Because of its fame it gets a lot of non-hikers heading out on it, which provides the entertainment, but the coastline is some of the most beautiful I have ever trudged along. Pictures to come! If you decide to go, the later the season the less rain (supposedly), though people hiking towards us told me they just had 3 straight days of pouring. Be sure you're in shape, just because its famous doesn't mean its easy, there are endless ladders, fallen log walks and shifty boardwalks to make your way along.

Tofino/Vancouver!

After finishing the trail in Bamfield and meeting some other survivors for beer, I made my way to Ucelete and then Tofino for 4 days of surfing. Tara, Andrew and several others drove up the next day and we met for several epic days of sunrises and sunsets. Twice we got up to watch the sunrise, once making hash browns on the Tofino wharf with a side of oatlmeal and Baileys. We also trekked down to a beach two nights for a sunset, the second night with a bonfire and dinner on driftwood. Truly a time to remember.

Through various means everyone then headed back to Vancouver for several days of touristing and partying. I went to hang out with the every welcoming Jason and Kelly which was an awesome time as always, then went back to see the other guys for a hike and a bike around Stanley Park. Not to mention various degrees of all you can eat Japanese and Mongolian.

Calgary!

Calgary is good! Despite the odd hours at the pool, I decided not to work much this year so am depending on OSAP for such necessities as groceries, activities and trips across the country. Despite 6 courses, I signed up for ultimate, dodgeball and triathlon club which should keep me busy for a little while. Classes are going alright, I'm pretty happy this is my last year though.

Ha! I did it! I hope everyone is doing amazingly, if anyone reads this. I'll be home for Christmas and look forward to some winter camping and road trips up to Algonquin. Pictures to come!!

Algonquin Address

2008-06-23T10:24:00.000-07:00

Did I ever mention I LOVE mail? Well handy as I happen to have my summer address right here:

Trace Gillespie

Camp Northway

Lock Box 10003

Algonquin Park, Ontario

P1H 2G7 Canada

Pottery

2008-06-01T05:09:00.000-07:00

Each semester my pottery instructor puts everyones stuff up on the website, here's mine. Some of the pieces that survived U.S customs.

http://www.kansaigaidai.ac.jp/teachers/inomata/exhibition/08spring/08s.html

Yoga for the unyoga

2008-05-28T15:31:00.000-07:00

If I’m going to make a fool of myself, I might as well do it right. I’ve tried yoga before, going to a semester of perpetually dull classes in first year university where I would frequently break into dance-like spasms simply to keep myself amused in the giant wall of mirrors.

Before I go on, you should know I don’t consider myself either an athletic chump or expert. I have never run at the front of the pack, or specialized in any sport enough to be considered good. But, I am a 21 year old male with a variety of races under my belt ranging from small triathlons to the aforementioned epic hike, in combination with a summer of tree planting I like to think I know hard work when I see it. So when my mom told me that she was becoming a regular at the local hot yoga studio, something that has always interested me I decided to sign up for a trial membership.

Before I went in the studio, the instructor looked me in the eye and said ‘at some point your going to realize this is damn hot’, of course I gave the appropriate smile and nod and acknowledged that it was after all aptly referred to as hot yoga. Turns out it really wasn’t that hot. When you’re just lying down it’s barely hot enough to make one lightly sweat, but hardly near unbearable. It takes about 60-90 minutes of moving in directions I never thought possible while doing my utter best not to revert back the awkwardness that characterized the first 18 years of my life to reveal its true suffocating heat. In true fashion of one young man in a room of 20 beautiful women, I failed miserably and instead replaced wishes of confidence and charisma with dizzying blood rushes and a dire need to vomit.

After eventually regaining control of my gag reflex I was able to continue and once again contort myself into positions that sounded more like exotic dishes than spine stretching exercises. When it was all over I picked up my 10 pound lighter frame and mopped up my 10 pound heavier clothes and staggered my way to a shower. In the end, I absolutely love it. I have a totally new respect for people who do this on a regular basis. Undoubtedly, due to the extra heat of my first class and my lack of fitness it was the most difficult activity I have ever done. It took me a second time to realize how good it makes me feel, despite having minimal balance and barely fulfilling the requirements of each pose it’s definitely something I can see pursuing.

2008-05-19T16:59:00.001-07:00

More pictures:

http://www.zooomr.com/photos/jyves/sets/32162

100km and not a whole lot to show

2008-05-17T06:11:00.000-07:00

Those smiles are about to get smacked off by the trail.

Checkpoint 3, still early, about 25km in, still looking sparky.

In the last 5km, the joy returns.

I think the concept of 'not being so bright' really isn't given enough credit in our society. I think to much emphasis is placed on education and not enough on action. Plus, there are advantages to not being the sharpest tool in the shed. Take for example ignorance, it truly is bliss. Or maybe pain or being in trouble, I think that people who struggle mentally in life may have a higher resistance, or maybe ignorance to pain caused by a lifetime of struggling to make themselves understood. As for trouble, we may just really not know when we're in it.

Being one of these people I can attest to its beauty. For example, not knowing is quite equivalent to not caring, making my life much more stress free when I am unwilling or incapable of sweating the small stuff. Once in a while though, this ignorance gets me into trouble. While it usually allows me to push myself beyond what I believe I am capable of, it also puts me in situations where I am actually incapable, and must overcome anyways.

Take for example walking 100 km. Why? I know I can do a 30-40k hike with a decent pace, but it is apparently a totally different world to do 3 of this hikes in a row. I've heard a variety of explanations for such challenges... I like a challenge, I feed on pain, I like free food or I want a good story at a party, but the best one I think is that I do it for the t-shirt. Basically, 28 hours and 36 minutes later I am even further from having an answer than ever. I really have no clue why I just did that.

We set off at a jog with 200 other teams of 4 people from a track near Odawara at 9 am Saturay, near Nagoya (halfway between Osaka and Tokyo) and ran the first couple km to avoid a bottleneck in the trail.

There were 3 others on my team, AK, a montreal hasher and the team organizer, Akemi, a japanese hasher and Carsten a Danish hasher and most competitive of the group. The course was cut up into lengths between 6 and 18km with checkstops in between. The checks were pretty much the highlight with locally made miso, yakisoba, ice cream, and an amalgamation of everything else. All was decent until the 2-6:30 am stage 6-7. After about 65k, even though 2/3 were over we all reached an incredibly new low of exhaustion. I also ate an expired (or so I found out after) energy gel which induced the demand to vomit for several hours on top of a mountain, truly pleasurable. There were also several points where my knees buckled due to falling asleep while walking. We had exhausted every word association game possible where 3 of the 4 had english as a second language and just about run every other topic into the ground, including having me recite every Japanese word I knew. Luckily at the next rest stop we had sun, ice cream and I grabbed a 10 minute power nap which carried me to the finish.

I'm still having difficult processing the whole event. In reality, our bodies did not finish that race, our minds did it for us. We weren't really adequately trained for the pace we were going, but still managed a 28th place of the 200 teams. In so many ways it all feels like a dream, were it not for the aches and pains I would have happily called it a hallucination. The recovery is unlike any other I've had before. It's not the sharp pains of lactic acid that ware off in a few days, instead there's a deep physical and mental exhaustion that is still with me 2 days after. I also think my foot arch collapsed... smooth.

The terrain varied from new roads, to logging roads, to singletrack along ridges and peaks, but had elevation gains and drops unlike anything I have ever hiked before. Luckily rain held off for most of the event, but the ground was still slick with mud from a previous day's pour. I would say I got to see a whole new side to the country, but in many ways feel that I got to see 28 hours of the 3 feet of ground in front of me.

The biggest part was the mental weight of knowing how far we had to go, and the group pressure to beat the previous years time. The joy of finding out you only had 38 more km to go at 2 am doesn't last long. Luckily the course was staffed by incredible volunteers who would burst into applause each time we arrived at a checkpoint, kind of made you feel like a celebrity. Really until we saw the finish line it felt as though it would never end. With a pace starting at 5km/h then slowing down to 3km/h 16k stages were stretched into 5 hour behemoths.

Would I do it again? Not anytime soon. I also would definitely not recommend it to anyone not properly trained (i.e. me). It had a totally different feel to it than finishing the marathon, rather than the joy of having completed 42k and loved every second of it, I was simply ecstatic to take my shoes off. I'm not sure if any of this makes any sense, but if not, go walk 100km and we can talk. More pictures to come.

According to a United Nations press release my feet have recently been declared a chemical weapon with imminent threat capabilities. Luckily I was saved by UNESCO who just named them a world heritage site due to the previously undiscovered species living on them. I think the message is clear.

2008-04-25T22:27:00.000-07:00

Osaka Bay at sunrise.

The moon looked a lot bigger in real.

Kobe at sunrise.

Waterfall near downtown Kobe.

Last night was our 'night training' for the trailwalk. We took off around 10:30p.m and did a 35km+ route to downtown Kobe arriving around 7 a.m. I haven't slept since I woke up Friday morning...39 hours ago. I suppose I should get around to that, but as I've discovered my previously medieval ability to procrastinate can also apply to basic human functions. Awesome.

As school is winding down, so is my most important subject, and as a result I spent the morning throwing (making) my last pieces of pottery. The awesome past is that I've gone from cups and bowls to vase's and today threw my first Nabe pot (very large bowl).

The hike was great, except the fact that it was one third the distance we'll be walking in three weeks. That's kind of... intimidating to say the least. Go do something really hard, done? Now do it twice more. It's like saying, 'oh great, you've run a marathon? Your less than halfway to a 100k! Keep going.' But as I've found the best way to deal with things is not by walking 100 km, its by walking to the top of the hill, then seeing what's around the next corner, then the next... and eventually you're there.

2008-04-22T03:30:00.001-07:00

This is Japan:

As reported by the Asahi Shimbun on April 22, there have been a recent spur of tulip vandalism throughout the country. It began with one serial tulip assaulter and has since spawned copycats throughout the country. The vandals have police mystified, despite posting officers at major tulip collections the vandals were still able to take the heads of several hundred flowers. The Shimbun was also able to interview a local psychiatrist and gain insight into the acts, noting them to indicate a 'disregard for life' and are 'the signs of an oppressive society'.

Tulips.

This sounds like a romance novel gone wrong. Don't piss me off, or I'll steal your tulips. Take that botanists!!

Gauntlet and Hash

2008-04-21T06:00:00.000-07:00

Well in my infinite amount of free time I submitted an article and photos to the U of C student paper, and it ended up getting published. Check 'er out.

The photos are pretty much as cliche Japan as you can get, but I suppose that exists for a reason.

http://gauntlet.ucalgary.ca/~gauntlet/eg/eg2/20080417/Travel2008.pdf

This weekend was mildly epic as far as weekends go. I've come to accept that 90% of my life happens on weekends, the rest is just a nap until Friday.

Saturday was a pretty solid run which reminded me that when you don't use it, you lose it, and I clearly have, but was still great to get out. Sunday was the red dress Hash then the trailwalker fundraiser party, all of which were off the hook. I was given my official and honorary Hash nickname of Icy Booty, best not to ask.

Trailwalker 2008

2008-04-21T05:56:00.000-07:00

On May 16th, myself and three others are going to do the Oxfam 100km trailwalk from Odawara city to Lake Yamanaka Japan, overlooking Mt. Fuji. As part of getting to do this event we've agreed to raise a minimum of 120,000 Yen, about $1,200 to benefit Oxfam, and so far have hit just over 100,000 Yen. I was hoping to ask if you would be willing to donate any amount, no matter the size to help us reach our goal.

The team name is Kinky Hashers (Kinki is the region we live in) team #47, and you can donate online athttps://oxfam.jp/forms/en/sponsor_teams_form.html. Should you have any questions please feel free to let me know.
The full event details can be found here: http://www.trailwalker.jp/en/aboutus/event_information/


Many thanks!

2008-04-18T10:10:00.000-07:00

From the Kobe Sakura Hash and bbq.

2008-04-16T16:25:00.000-07:00

Last night I was having trouble falling asleep then about 1 a.m I heard the closet squeak, then the earth gave me a free massage. Actually, most people would call it an earthquake, and it was pretty damn cool. I don't imagine it was that strong, but it lasted for a couple seconds and the aftershocks lasted for about 15 minutes. It kind of felt like I was suddenly sleeping on a water bed. Apparently this is pretty run of the mill in Japan. Neato.

2008-04-16T03:38:00.000-07:00

Well, the verdicts in. It doesn't look like I'll be spending the summer in the Sault this year, as I've taken the job in Algonquin. This is good because I can spend more time in Toronto, and a bit more relaxed job as well as doing an extra online course and hopefully getting some first aid stuff topped up.

The flip side it that it's shabby because I haven't been up in a long while, and this job doesn't quite offer the material benefits of the other. Such is life! All day long staring at a blackboard and I start to hallucinate, or rather see the future and of course its filled images of canoes, campfires and jumping in the lake on demand. I'm pretty happy being a 21 year old child, hopefully this is a trend I can continue for the rest of my life.

Almost officially, I'll be home May 22 to June 25th, then again in August for a week or so.

I know I've said this every post for awhile, but its hard to imagine there's only... 36 days left. Not that I'm counting or anything....

I love Japan, I really do. If you haven't been, I highly recommend it. Its definitely the top on my list of island countries that start with a J that are south of mainland China. Its just the thought of spending my evenings on the back deck with beer, barbecues and friends is way to tempting. I'm pretty sure I could have told you this in grade 12, but I'm happy to use the excuse that I'm not cut out for a desk, or at least with every inch of my being I reject it. Its slightly unfortunate that Japan had to bear the brunt of my annoyance at being asked to visit one for several hours a day.

On the eve of another test, I can go in tomorrow with my chin high knowing that no matter the outcome of this piece of academic toilet paper, that the night before I successfully perused every one of Calgary's online bike shops, and not only that, but I also caught a solid half an hour of the latest Die Hard movie. Without the valuable knowledge and lasting images of Cervelo's beautiful 2008 P3 Carbon triathlon bike, I feel that my life would have been just that little bit less complete.

2008-04-13T06:56:00.000-07:00

The photos from the Tokyo Marathon course are up and there's some pretty awesome shots should you have the time. Check out the ones from the start, it gives you an idea of the masses of people.

http://www.tokyo42195.org/index_en.html#

2008-04-12T06:36:00.000-07:00

The few, half over remaining cherry blossoms

This is totally uncharacteristic landscape for Japan, though a gorgeous rock garden.

Mr. Al-Kanida

A wrap around staircase carved into the sand/rock.

I think people meditate underneath this.

I don't know if this is a cherry blossom, but I'm going to say it is.

Kobe

Well today was quite an epic hike in many ways. First, it reminded me of why I came to this country. Ironically enough it has nothing to do with classrooms or computer screens and everything to do with mountains and not being in a classroom. We did a 30k through the Rokko range just a brief walk up from Kobe.

Second... it was epic, and fun. The terrain was pretty normal Japan for the most part except for the sand/rock park pictured above. I'd love to write more, as there's so much to write, but once again I'm exhausted and going to bed. Read the Gauntlet!

2008-04-09T03:30:00.001-07:00

How can there possibly only be 43 days left? A mere 6 weeks tomorrow and I will be getting on a plane... We had a 'how to checkout' meeting tonight.

I'm looking forward to being out of school and into summer, but have mixed feelings about leaving Japan. It has offered such awesome experiences and sights, but I really feel that I've seen the majority of it. But then again, when I started school I felt as though I was done with the country and was quickly disproved. I have yet to make it to Hokkaido, much of Kyushu or any of the islands, as it does not appear my trip to Okinawa will take shape.

I've gotten some more pots and such back from ceramics which both adds to my oh this is 'funky' pile, and oh this will be fun to smash pile.

The good news is that in 5 weeks and 1 day I will be walking 100 km for Oxfam as part of a hash inspired team the Kinki (region I'm in) Trailwalkers. It should take just over 24 hours and be quite an experience as it goes through the mountains and ends up with a beautiful view of Mt. Fuji. I'm going to try to ignore the fact that I have exams the day before and Monday after and simply realize that in 10 years I won't remember a grade, but I will remember this hike.

Hashing has been great, we did a gorgeous hike in the Rokko mtn. range, walking distance from the main Kobe station for about 4 hours, then met for a hash afterwards. It led us through some incredible cherry blossom (sakura) tunnels and viewing spots and finished off with a bbq at a river crowded with families and Japanese fascinated with these foreigners who ran, ate and drank all in excess. I also have it on good authority that P.E.I is about to receive its first Sakura compliments of a hasher.

Should any of you be at the U of C, keep an eye out for the travel supplement in coming weeks, there may be an article from Japan in there.

2008-03-26T04:03:00.000-07:00

P.S. St. Patrick's was spend with the Hash in Osaka where we donned pieces of green (shower cap for me) and did another splendid jog through the inner city, and as it turns out the Japanese have never heard of the celebration. This was quickly proved to me upon entering the first empty Irish pub I have ever been in on Pats day, and by the 11p.m last call... a true travesty.

Though to their credit, they did have Guinness on tap.

Kyoto, Nara, Osaka, Tokyo, Nagano and a pleasant return to the world of wandering

2008-03-26T03:39:00.001-07:00

Well then, last week was reading week, so I took off Friday afternoon to head to Kyoto. Spent a day meandering there and made a weak attempt to see the royal palace, but ended just going to the pub. After that was a day in Osaka where we found the perfect example of why I love Japan. We got off the train around 10 and wandered the streets attempting to find our hostel, although we had a general area indication, the actual address as as mysterious as what sort of urban planners are employed by the Japanese. Despite numerous calls, the hostel, which later turned out to be a converted house, did not pick up. I asked one guy who was on his evening stroll coming back from an onsen and he had never heard of it (we were literally standing 4 houses down from it when I asked, it just had no visible signs), though he was determined to get us a place to stay. After going the opposite direction and inquiring at a number of restaurants he found a darkened house in an indoor shopping mall that was supposedly a homestay. In literally every other country I know, I would be putting my money in my shoe and running the opposite way, but in true Japanese style this was not the case. After realizing he had no idea where he was going I made my way back to the reference point, several minutes later and more unanswered calls the older gentleman came back and said 'you stay my home, I have 2 home, no one there, no money, you stay'. Ok now, your walking down the street on your way home, and two foreigners ask for directions you've never heard of, you can't help so you go home and they go on their way, or.. you offer your second apartment to the two complete strangers. Just as he was calling whomever needed to be called after we accepted, the hostel called and sad they'd pick us up (walk from 5 houses away), so we regretfully refused. Truly a movement of generosity if there ever was.

After that we headed to Himeji, and Nara for a sight of the worlds biggest wooden structure, or some sort of grand title like that and took the town by storm on bicycle.

Then it was off to Tokyo on the dreadfully insomnia-tic yet impressively cheap overnight bus. It somehow managed to stop at every highway stop possible between the hours of 11 and 6 a.m, plus the seats, sort of like your regular greyhound, but it was on the lower level so the ceiling was 5 feet high and the seats built for a Japanese frame.

We kicked the day off in Tokyo with a visit to the tsukiji fish market and some ever incredible sushi, then to the electric district Akhibara, somewhere else I can't remember and finally to Ikebukuro for a pint. Then to Junko's for an ever lovely and generous visit.

The next day was an earl morning departure to Nagano, the site of the 1998 Olympic games. We spent about 4 hours in the city, half of which was trying to find the rest of the city, then saw an impressive old temple with a completely black underground maze which turned out to just be a big circle. That evening we bussed it to a local ski area, Tokushima to stay in a perfectly gorgeous hostel/traditional Inn. About 5 minutes after dropping the bags off we had established ourselves with a case of brew and snacks for some cards with a brit we met on the bus. The next day was a spectacular return to the world of snow and beautiful mountains, where we managed to rent everything at half the price of any Alberta resort, though the hill was more reminiscent of Ontario.

The following day was an epic 12 hour trek first to Nagoya, a transportation hub, then to town x, to find out that was not the line we wanted at all (my fault), and finally got to Osaka on a local train around 9 Saturday night.

This week has been an impressive jolt, shake and slap back to reality with midterms once or twice a day for 4 days this week, 3 next.

If anyone ever tells you that the best way to experience a culture is to study in it, I have this to say. Its not. The best way to experience a culture is travel travel travel, hang out with the locals, learn the language beforehand and if you get a chance spent an extended amount of time in one place getting to know the area intimately. If you study, the focus is on classes, its to easy to stay in the confines of dorms and when you do venture out its to easy to do it with people who speak your language. I most certainly learned and experienced more of Japanese culture in the first month than in the previous 2 combined. I certainly have no regrets (besides my inability or lack of foresight to learn Japanese), and I certainly would not know any of this if I hadn't done it, I just know for next time.

The linguist and the deep fried patty

2008-03-09T01:54:00.000-08:00

For someone who's published 32 books in linguistics (likely exaggerated), he had an incredibly amusing habit of repeating the last three words of every sentence three time. "I have been to Canada, been to Canada, been to Canada". I never asked him his name, but I imagine he is a relative of Jacob two-two.

He was a linguistics professor at Kyoto University, and I was lost. After spending 10 minutes staring at a map I came to the realization that though I knew where I was, I had no idea where I was going. But apparently at the rip old age of 24 (plus or minus 50) this guy was going to get me to cooking class if it meant running the holy gauntlet.

When someone usually asks me a question about English it typically starts with the words, how do you say... but two-two said he had a question about english, then stopped and pulled out an inch thick dictionary manuscript that I was to edit. When I would point out an error, he would stop, mull it over and eventually correct it, taking an excessively long time to do it, so I decided a little more grace with grammar correction was needed. After that if he noticed I was looking up for any extended period of time would tap the sheets and say concentrate, in that laughing, but I'm not actually joking sort of way.

The Japanese can be so utterly polite when put on the spot that they often go to extraordinary lengths to help the lost foreigners. In this case, it meant walking 20 minutes out of his was to hand deliver me to the second floor room I was meant to be at an hour earlier.

There were about 30 people, 6-7 of which were foreigners at the Kyoto Cooking Circle (Japanese reference to a club) and we made udon...something big and deep fried, with a rice dish. Though this was not exactly a tantalizing menu, I did learn how to make a mean broth and next month is hand rolled sushi and red bean desserts, both a personal favourite.

2008-02-29T20:53:00.000-08:00

Well I had an absolutely spectacular experience last night. It involved running like a maniac with 14 others through a packed downtown Osaka looking for chalk marks along the side of the road. I signed up for the third Leap Year run with the Kinky Full Moon Hash Harriers.

It took us an hour to run the course, and the coolest part of it was that it was designed so everyone of all speeds finished right at the same time. This was then followed by a 'circle', also known as downers, or an excuse to pound back some suds, or have them poured over your head. The group was about half foreigners and half Japanese, all incredibly fun people.

So I'm going to give you a present. I dont like giving things that just get stored and forgotten, so we'll do this instead. Go for one single run with the local HHH. If you don't like it, consider it the physical equivalent to a bad cd on your birthday.

If you live in Toronto: http://hogtownh3.com/

If you live in the Sault, theres a running club, but I can't find a hash.

If you live in Vancouver: http://www.vanhash.com/site

If you live in Calgary: http://onon.org/asm/

If your from other: http://gotothehash.net/

Please go. You don't have to be a jogger, one hash vet told me a story last night about walking one course with another guy and finishing 10 minutes after the front runners who had sprinted the whole thing. You'll meet some awesome people, hear some horribly dirty jokes and gain a new appreciation for tylenol. Seriously, the worst part of my night last night was having to skip out on the first pub of 4 so I would make the last train home. Do it!

2008-02-28T06:16:00.001-08:00

Some of these are pretty humiliating, but still give a pretty accurate depiction of how I felt.

If it doesnt work, search 27963 from the tokyo marathon photo page.

http://tm2008eng.allsports.jp/photo/photo_list_tag_search.php?tag_code=zekken&tag=27963

The Art of Continuous Horizontal Falling.

2008-02-17T23:12:00.000-08:00

This shirt got a lot of "GOO KAANADA"

Just half of the epic chaos that was bag reclaiming.

Tokyo Big Sight, a monstrously big creation.

Step one: Wake up at 6:00, breakfast at 6:20, out of the house and at the station by 10 to 7.

Arrive at Shinjuku station and then the starting gates around 7:30. Load bag then do a warm up and prep for a 9:10 start.

Step two: 0-10km hold a 155 bpm heart rate, pace at 5:30. 10-20km raise pace slightly to around 158, pace to 5:15. Drink every water station, have a gel from stash. 20-30k raise hr to 160 bpm, pace to about 5:00 per km. 30k-finish, open 'er up, slowly build to a full out sprint, hr at 160-65bpm, pace 4:45, 100% last 2.2km. Glide gracefully over the finish line at 3:50 or lower, gently mop brow and go about the days business.

This was how it was going to happen. Now all I had to do was fall asleep, wake up, and perform the plan as proposed.

Thats the truly great things about plans, is that you think your being proactive. Planning exists by nature to avoid any problems. Of course, I am told I come from a family that has an issue with doing things the easy way. The main issue I have with planning is that I really only think of things once. Oh that? Right, I better remember it, then I go on to immediately forget said object. So planning is more counter productive than anything, as when it comes time to put it into action, I've already thought of it once so ignore it a second time around.

The morning went something a little more like this. Smooth, would be the operable word. I woke up had a breakfast of champions, including omochee, a rice cake known both as a pre-race snack eaten by Japanese marathon runners and for its penchant for causing death by choking in the elderly. When served properly it is a delicious white pastry that resembles something between a marshmallow and gummy bears with that quality of sticks to the top of your mouth so often found with peanut-butter-on-a-spoon. Its then lightly toasted, dipped in soy and wrapped in norii.

I then left Junko's and arrived in Shinjuku, a 10 minute walk from City Hall, and the start, when I heard a man talking about something he had gotten at the previous years NYC marathon. I looked over and he had several people clustered around his right foot. Gosh, I wonder what that could be. Maybe a timing chip? Oh... a timing chip.

The sprint back through Shinjuku station and back east took about 45 minutes. Luckily Junko met me at the station with said black timing chip, of which I had so carefully left out in its clear plastic bag in my darkened room. The only issue was that I had only budgeted enough time to get from A to B, not A to B, B to A, A to B. I figured that the average morning commuter would have some more sympathy if they saw a giant bag emblazoned with TOKYO MARATHON on it before they got knocked over, and as such managed to make it back 10 minutes after the trucks were supposed to have closed, yet still managed to get mine in. Though in my rush, I realized I had unfortunately not taken any of my bars, gels or camera out of the pockets of the sweater I just packed away.

Finally, I made my way through the starting area with a Swedish (I think) fellow. I started to feel a whole lot better about my training when he told me he had never run over 2.5 hours. The starting area was an experience in itself.

There were 40,000 people stretched around several city blocks. 10,000 or so were for the 10k race, and 30 for the marathon. I was in the 3rd starting block from the front and got a decent view of the proceedings. In true Japanese style the start was not marked by waving cheerleaders or witty commentary by some celebrity athlete, instead one side had about 100 men and their wives in suits in grandstands who looked as though they were prepared for a state funeral, and the other had a mens choir that was singing what sounded to me like the Russian National anthem.

As for weather, last year a number of people hadn't ran due to extreme cold and rain, but this year boasted not a single cloud in the sky and temperatures warm enough for many to run in shorts and gloves and provide me with a satisfyingly painful sunburn. The route was good, rather ordinary as it was through downtown Tokyo, and the path didn't get to intimate with any cultural heritage sites it passed. For example the palace grounds are always closed, but it was cool to go by it, and some of the other temples would have been hard to spot unless you knew they were there. At some point I think we passed the fish market, but I didn't recognize it.

The crowd is probably the biggest reason I was able to smile for 3 hours and 53 minutes. They lined the entire 42k going from 1 to 5 deep at some points. They were truly Japanese, some as silent and stoic as statues, and others a level of cheering that often reached hysteria when a loved one was spotted. Water stations were every 2-3k and food stations started around the 25/30k mark with bananas and raisins, then adding chocolate, M&M's and red bean paste buns that tasted like baked flour. One of the most fantastic parts of the audience was the food they were handing out. Despite entire tables of untouched water cups people were handing out their own along with boxes of chocolates, sweets, baked goods and even sushi at one point. I think a Japanese lady I was running near got as big a kick out of that as I did.

Despite some achilles issues, things were going awesome, then at maybe 30k I thought, 'gosh 12k sure is a long ways to sprint, maybe I'll just wait a bit", this was repeated just about every k up until 33/35. I guess I had mixed some food properly or got a sugar rush or something because I could just not hold it in any longer. These people just had to know how happy I was to be there! They had to know how much I loved this city! They had to cheer louder! And I was going to be the one to tell them! I think for the next 3k I must have given out 200 high fives. I started clapping incessantly and trying to get people riled up. I ran facing backwards for awhile, I danced at one point and once tried to stop and hug a water volunteer but fearing this large alien creature she was having none of it. There are a lot of cameras at such a big run, and I decided I wanted to get a photo of me. And really the only way to ensure this was going to happen was by doing something stupid. Clearly I wasn't dressed stupidly enough, so I found someone who was. First it was a big asian/african guy dressed in victorian style drag running with a fan that got a crowd reaction, then it was a guy in a blue power rangers costume who looked like the full face mask wasn't the best idea he had ever had. So while the cameras focused on them I ran in the background giving my true KISS (rock band) salute, with tongue wagging and fingers raised in rocker style. I don't know if this was effective, or just made a whole lot of Japanese people never want to go to Canada, but it was at least 3km of amusement for me.

Another awesome runner was high five girl. I think out of 30 000 people, she likely gave high fives to 20 000 of them. Literally, thats all she did the entire race. But if she had become one of the victims of roadside carnage that began littering the streets around 15k, I would have happily carried her the rest. Its runners like that, that give an awesome boost.

When I got around 40k that boost of elation came back. I realized that my muscles didn't have enough in them to push my heart past 156bpm, and pain passed somewhere around the 36k mark right where I realized I was no longer running, now I was falling forward. Instead of pain I was once again overcome with an overly emotional joy. This time it wasn't for the race or the people, it was that in a mere 2195m I would no longer be running. I actually turned to one guy and said "Can you believe it? We're almost there! I can't even believe it!" And literally, it seemed like one of the greatest wonders of the world. Then with not an inch of feeling in the woodblocks I once called legs I picked up the pace and finished. I pulled another Toronto waterfront half and saved half an ounce of energy to speed by about 100 people in the last 200m to the finish line. Which is both an ego boost when the crowd roars and then when they wake you up an hour later, you can truly say you gave it everything you have.

It was an awesome experience, and I would truly recommend it to everyone. Don't think its beyond your means, its not. If anything, this race was a lesson in not judging a book by its cover. Several times I saw someone fast looking pass me by and considered pacing off them, then several km later I would pass them as they walked or wheezed by the side of the road. People of literally all shapes and sizes, few young many older, big, small, you name it. Despite being overly competitive I realized part way through the race (right when I realized I couldn't feel my legs) that this had barely anything to do with running. It was entirely taking the opportunity to do something challenging in a spectacular environment. But if you do do it, Train!!!

2008-02-14T05:52:00.000-08:00

Well 3-4 times a week for 18 weeks has led me here. With a guestimate average of 40k/week thats 720km spread over 54 runs it's been a long time coming. Its time to see if a diet of instant noodles, beer and hot sauce pays off.

I must admit I am thoroughly looking forward to not running anymore. I think backpacking had a pretty negative effect by turning running into work rather than pleasure, and now I'd do just about anything to focus on another sport. Then again, with temperatures hitting the -40 range, I think I left Calgary at the right time.

So, on Sunday at 9 a.m Tokyo time, myself and 29,999 other people will launch forward in a giant mass to weave 42.2 km through the worlds 13th biggest city. If the forecast and past years are any indication it should be a chilly 5 degrees, yet hopefully without the rain of past years.

I find when I squeeze the significance out of a run, telling myself its nothing, then 40 steps out the door I literally feel annoyed its not over yet. But at the same time, picturing a 10k run, then thinking about doing it 4 times can be an intimidating thought in itself. So instead I'm going on a sightseeing jog with a big audience.

Sidenote, I went on a shopping spree today. I bought a digital camera, Japanese/English dictionary, mp3, digital TV and a gps with internet/email capabilities. It also all happens to come in one handy package called a cellphone, undoubtedly Japans most popular object.

I dont know if they'll do live updates, but if they do the website is www.tokyo42195.org/index_en.html and my bib number is 27 963. I'm also taking public donations in my name for the Tokyo Incorporated Taxi Company, 42 km adds up.

2008-02-12T06:46:00.000-08:00

There's a reason they serve alcohol in bigger glasses at karaoke.

Tonight I was invited to an evening of sophisticated entertainment in downtown Hirakata for a taste of Japanese Karaoke. Despite having tests tomorrow and the next day, I figured correctly in that hops and loud noises help you concentrate. As it turns out trying to read the words on Japanese songs was awesome Hiragana practice, despite only knowing every third character.

Rather than the North American style of karaoke, in Japan you rent a room with a tv, 2 mics and unlimited drinks for a specified time period. Drinks are ordered through an intercom and songs are decided through a remote. Its weird because there isn't the pressure of being on stage, yet Japanese people are unusually good at karaoke, mostly ending in disgrace for westerners (moi). Its probably a good thing I didn't know drinks were unlimited, otherwise Ring of Fire would have gotten a whole lot more animated. The slightly odd thing about the Japanese and Karaoke is that it's not only something to do when you want to make a fool of yourself or have a good time with friends, I saw several rooms with only one or two people in them, making one question what the occupants were thinking. "Hey lets go on our first date to sing out of tune 80's songs to generic 70's music videos", or "gosh, I know I should go home to the wife and kids, but instead I'm going to go sit in a room alone and pretend I'm the American Idol winner."

Golden.

2008-02-11T05:04:00.000-08:00

At the highest point of the worlds (13th) highest ferris wheel.

Osaka Castle, I'm sure the elevator was for the 18th Century warlord who didn't deal with stairs to well.

Sky Garden building, Osaka has some gorgeous modern architecture.

Escalators.

Kansai Gaidai is about 30k that way.

Worst place in Japan to be during an earthquake.

Downtown Osaka

I took the day off from being a slug and went into Osaka to play tourist for the afternoon. It was an unusually gorgeous day which always helps. I checked out the sky garden tower, pictured above, then what is supposedly the worlds largest, and possibly slowest ferris wheel. Even if it isn't the worlds largest, it may be the highest as its placed on the 7th floor of a shopping centre. Then off to the reconstructed Osaka castle. On the way home I thought it'd be fun to get lost in miles of underground malls while endlessly searching for a railway I was nowhere near. Turns out that wasn't a shortcut.

(I just checked it out, and the worlds highest is in Beijing to be finished in 2009, the one pictured shoots around 13th.)

2008-02-09T18:38:00.000-08:00

Well there's a definite lack of silver mines and awesome experiences to report, so life at KG will have to do.

We're in the middle of a long weekend, and coupling that with a one day snow storm has given me time to do a giant amount of absolutely nothing. Tests are a weekly occurrence with the emphasis placed on language classes over academic options. I am now and sure to be continually surprised at how much the are able to cram in our brains. Despite this a lot of the knowledge has a magical ability to fly right out the other side when the test is over.

The Tokyo race is a week today which makes me feel like I should be nervous, but I've run my head through it a couple times and think its better to try not to over think it, what will be will be.

Food is proving to be somewhat expensive, but then again I do eat 2 lunches and 2 dinners a day, something that will hopefully slow after the race. I've registered in the Nagano Marathon in April, but am thinking I will stop doing long distance running for a while, its way to hard to fit in with classes.

Because of how our term is situated and how the Japanese term is scheduled, all the Japanese students are on holidays from now until April, meaning the school is very empty and everything (gym, cafeteria, gates) is on a limited schedule until they return. Also the schools thriving club and circle (clubs are like varsity teams, circles are like intramurals) is put on hold until everyone comes back, and of course, we leave.

I think ceramics is going to be a blast, its spaced over 3 days of the week, totaling 8 hours, but if our movement so far is an gauge then we should be making "masterpieces" (sensee's words) by the end of the semester.

In true Gillespie fashion rather than taking my time to study, I've been planing out the next 2 trips after this, both epic journeys covering the better part of the globe, and probably not the best way to keep myself focused on the task at hand.

Ever want to keep connected with Canada? I highly recommend Vinyl Cafe podcasts from CBC, it's becoming a weekly highlight for me.

KGU "We offer a wide international program for your Japanese children to experience, while keeping the barbarians safely in their cages"

2008-02-03T04:22:00.000-08:00

Betty, the fifth member of the bicycle family.

In Canada we have U-locks and still have problems with theft. In Japan they have 1 inch locks that stop one side of a wheels spokes. You can still move the bike backwards, but unless you have a screwdriver or physically turn the lock away you may face some minor issues when trying to bike away. Also they don't lock the bikes to anything. Despite having a complex registration and parking system the Japanese still complain of bike theft as an issue. This is in many ways reinforcing the Japanese way, society pressure rather than physically practical applications.

Seminar House II, my new home.

It's pretty great to have a balcony, but it is the traditional Japanese type with a view of someone else's balcony on one side and a brick wall on the other.

Kansai Gaidai University's basketball courts/astroturf.

The first and only day I've seen sun. The whole campus was built at the same time so every building looks exactly the same.

2008-02-01T06:40:00.000-08:00

Once in a while when your traveling you come across something really incredible, something that just makes all the exhaustion, money and stress really worth it. Today, I made such a discovery. It happened at a relatively simple moment while ambling downtown Hirikata. I was wandering through a chapters-indigo type store wishing I could read a single sign, yet regretting many of North Americas more popular culture exports. This is where I came upon the first accurately named place I have found yet. It was inauspicious as any other basement grocery store, yet the sign that displayed its name didn't have the usual Japanese products arranged elegantly to pull people in. Instead it showed imported Italian olive oil and balsamic. After being drawn down to it I found the golden prize.

First of all, don't get me wrong, I love foreign food. When I go to a country, more than anything I feel one should always go for the cow's tongue instead of french fries and push the culinary boundaries dictated by culture, but when a nations most popular dish is breaded cutlet, some branching out may be called for. But there comes a point of eating enough pickled and raw foods that the true cravings break through.

Imagine being a Japanese person in Nebraska. All you want is some decent sushi, tempura and maybe some pickled radish, but the closest thing thing to fish you can find is some deep fried concoction served with oily piece of potato. It doesn't take long to get worn down. It took me about two weeks to realize my complete and utter love for blue cheese, kobassa, fresh crusty breads and cereal not coated in sugar.

It was finally at the said supermarket accurately named "Lucky" that I managed to score some of these beauties. Though true kobassa has yet to be discovered I'm now eating Danish blue, french baguettes and british muesli compliments of Lucky.

2008-01-30T06:17:00.000-08:00

Its kind of like a car. Or really anything that can go fast that can also be stopped suddenly. One second your speeding by at 100 km/h the next you hit a brick wall and all motion ceases. When two polar opposites meet. Backpacking then stopping to work is one thing, but stopping to study is a totally different matter.

Either way life is good. Classes haven't started yet, so life is even better.

The campus is a bit bigger than expected but we're pretty much confined to the dorms, and one or two buildings on campus. I've bought a bike, which is perhaps the world coolest thing on two wheels. I never thought anything with a basket on the front could be so cool. Also I've found a pretty good group of guys from europe, the u.s and australia who make exploring the neighborhood a bit more interesting. Plus that we all stand out as 6' and above kind of make for interesting reactions when we go out. At a ramen place today a Japanese high school student walked in, looked at one of the guys who's 6'5 and let out a long impressive "wwwowww" Last night was a bar hop around including a place called "mummy's" accurately named the partner of "daddy's shoes" just up the block. Plus it provides a gourmet alternative to instant rice and curry that comes from something resembling the Canadian Forces emergency rations, just boil and serve. The latest extrodinaire was cow tongue done with green onions, salt and a pound of butter. Not quite as tender as beef, but clearly still from the same family.

I dont know if it's just because I've stopped moving, but man I had three dinners the other night. Literally I cant even remember eating this much while planting. And I've come to accept chocolate as a food group, and as someone very wise noted, 'it's not an addiction, its a way of life."

To enroll for classes we had to draw numbers today, literally pulling paper from a box and I scored the ever unlucky 344th leading me to expect that I will not get one or any of the courses I hoped for, especially ceramics. But such is life, I'm sure other doors will be opened.

Oh and another mildly interesting fact, while out for a run I realized I was parallel to a path I had been on from a 40k out of Kyoto awhile back, meaning that not only do I have a 50k running route but also that I can bike directly to downtown Kyoto in just under 2 hours and make for an interesting trip. Plus being in one place and no longer having to do searches i the dark for running paths is mighty handy.

Call for advice! I just got a job offer for Northway camp this summer working as a canoe trip leader in Algonquin from June 24-mid August and I have to respond imminently. The only reason I delay is that there may be other opportunities: working with Chris doing confined space stuff, living in Quebec and studying French... that's all I got. Plus it's pretty much volunteer. I'm not sure if it would hold the peaceful bliss and educational experience that I picture, but could still be an experience.

Many of the people here are literally getting right off the plane and into school, then finishing school and getting back on the plane. How lucky I am! Plus one of the guys I was with ordered french fries last night, and another wont stop complaining about how everything smells of fish. Honestly?!

I've decided its best to fill my Canada craving with podcast downloads from CBC. Love it.

2008-01-25T03:36:00.000-08:00

-The hosts

A-bomb dome, one of the few standing buildings, about 600m from the hypocentre.

Iwami Ginza Tori

The world's largest rice scoop that will never touch rice!

After a quick tour of Hiroshima mom headed off to Tokyo then Toronto and I went to Kurashiki to check out the old town. It was exciting enough town for me to move to another more important area of focus, Japanese bakery's.

There are several things one must understand before going into a Japanese bakery, first and foremost: don't.

But now that you've made the mistake, passed the void and picked up a tray and tongs you may have some questions. No, that isn't as good as it looks. Really nothing is. No, thats no icing its butter. That isn't a baguette its limp bread filled with sugared margarine. Yes that is a hot dog, yes it is wrapped in a pizza. No those aren't raisins, its chocolate. It is always chocolate. Yes thats white bread with butter on it, you'll be hard pressed to find anything less white than me. No, I don't think you should buy that, you should ever have come in here. Those things that are garnishing those other things, yeah... you don't want to know what either of them are. So just stay away, this is the voice of reason and experience talking.

The same thing goes for getting generous rides from Japanese people. Just because they all have GPS' in their car, doesn't mean they use them. Also, just because roads or rather freeway exits have do no enter on them, does not mean people know how to read them. I am frequently amazed by my own and other humans capacity for blatant life threatening ignorance.

Tomorrow...a new home!

Iwami Ginza

2008-01-20T04:19:00.000-08:00

The world's largest hourglass, it runs for exactly one year turning every December 31 at midnight.

Most mine entrances were about the size of a doggy door. The mine ran for 400 years and the used to employ 10 year old kids to do the digging.

Iwami Ginza Silver mine.

We reached the peak of tourism cheese today. We went to a sand museum. I know there are museums for shoes and other random objects, but this is one for sand. Who knew? Impressively only half of the museum was devoted to sand while the other half contained awesomely horrible galactica meets wildlife meets holistic therapy paintings. It made for an odd combination.

We also hit up the ever fascinating silver mines which provided the majority of Japans silver for over 400 years. The day was then wrapped up with a scalding hot onsen to burn away the snow storm.

Oh and I got lost running. Then by some miracle and a farmer with good hand gestures and some english I came out of the forest literally on the opposite side of town from where I had started and only 4k from the hostel, not the 11 expected. I'm going off to polish my horseshoe.

Nagasaki, Lazy travelers, fast trains, boats and such!

2008-01-19T03:30:00.000-08:00

Just a little sulfurous gas. This spot is named the Japanese word for hell, then each part of the hot springs has hell in its name.

Heres an incredibly cheesy tourist picture in front of a spot that 26 christian followers were sacrificed. Pleasant.

Peace memorial... no comment.

The Nuclear Bomb Hypocentre. On August 9, 1945 at 11:02 a.m the 'big boy' nuclear bomb exploded 500m above this point.

'big boy'

Right then, volcanoes... From there we went to Unzen (the hot springs noted above) to check out some more volcanoes, but seeing as the beer hall was closed there didn't seem much reward for a hike, so we took the early bus onto Nagasaki.

After checking into an ever so dingy ryokan we started the sightseeing with the old dutch and portugese settlements. If any of you have ever read Shogun, you have an idea of what I'm talking about. If you have never read Shogun, do so. Immediately. It's written by James Clavell.

The next day we made our way to the ever horrific nuclear bomb park and museum as well as the hypocentre of the bomb. I think for some reason Nagasaki is ignored in favor of Hiroshima, despite being the larger of the 2 bombs it was the second, and not quit as a shock as the world's first. Since then there have been over 2,000 atomic bomb tests, over 1,000 of those are by the U.S. So who's the terrorist?

In a horribly ironic way Nagasaki's current success and the end of the war is a testament to the force of violence. In a much more forceful way, the bombs were horrific in a totally indescribable way of which I will not even attempt to touch on. If you are ever in Japan I highly recommend a visit to open our eyes just that little bit more.

After seeing all Nagasaki had to offer we jumped the trains to Nima, where we are tonight and to the lovely abode of a Buddhist priest and his wife, most certainly off the tourist track, or so I like to believe. Tomorrow is a long run followed by silver mines and Im sure an excess of temples/shrines and just maybe some more old stuff.

While eating breakfast on a bench at the train station an elderly lady and what appeared to be her middle aged daughter joined me at the bench for a discussion. Of course this was a somewhat unusual discussion considering I don't speak a word of Japanese and she didn't speak a word of english yet she managed to go on, without pause, for just over 10 minutes. At first when she did pause to breathe I would say something along the lines of 'I don't speak Japanese', in english of course, but as this soon proved useless I just resorted to the occasional 'hi' (yes) every so often. Then at one point the eager elderly lady pulled out a pamphlet and handed it over hoping that I could read and maybe understand the word of god through it. Of course this was only one of my possible conclusions as to her intentions, the other main possibility that crossed my mind was that they were both either covert spies or more likely expert con artists. As she handed me the pamphlet the younger lady walked around behind me and placed both her hand on my back, which could signify a relaxing shiatsu massage, an attempt to draw the sin out of me, or preparation to hit a fully paralyzing nerve to temporarily immobilize me while they purged me of all my worldly belongings. Luckily for me none of the above was true and I got off with several more hi's and other vague Japanese words which may or may not have been correct for the situation, whatever situation that was.

Tonight I had the opportunity to try on a traditional dragon slayer dress, or so described by our hosts and their ever helpful 30 minute video detailing the last ceremony of the dragons. Pretty cool actually.

p.s.

2008-01-16T06:36:00.000-08:00

Just forgot to mention. Though we have both been thoroughly enjoying our anonymity, and for the most part the stares are to a minimum, mom had a flashback while we were at the volcano. When she used to travel Japanese people used to come up to her and take photos with her in front of sights as if they were best friends. Well sure enough a Korean woman got her husband and child to stand aside and take a photo with the white lady at the volcano. Which by the by is named Naka-dake.

This example aside its kind of fantastic traveling in a place where your not the target audience and therefore mostly ignored. Apologies if this has been mentioned already.

Kyushu Island, Castles, Volcanoes and sheep innards!

2008-01-16T05:56:00.000-08:00

We climbed that peak!

Wow

Down at the rim.

Turret of a castle in Kumamoto

To get a true idea of this, many many photos are required. Note the bomb shelter.

Ironically its pointing away from the pavement. I guess I can no longer make fun our Japanese tourists in Canada for taking pictures of inanimate objects.

Fields of ash

A continuation of the rim we climbed.

Well now, I may have mentioned this before but just to catch up we were last in Kobe and met up with some of moms friends who took us to a local and renowned pottery village. We saw lots of pottery. I did a sudoku. As eating is such a social thing, we did a lot of that as well.

Next we got the overnight ferry to Kyushu Island where we then took the bus to Aso and the above featured Mt. Aso and accompanying volcanoes. The authorities sporadically close the mountain due to wind and gas conditions, but as we were waiting for the bus our luck struck and it was re-opened on high alert. Once at the rim, we couldnt get to close so decided to go for a stroll down the boardwalk pictured above, then to the base of the upper mountain. As you may know, my mom has an incredible fascination for whatever may be around the next corner. Using this to my advantage I convinced her halfway up the mountain until we heard an alarm, but since we didn't speak any Japanese we decided to ignore the flow of cars leaving the parking lot and continue to the peak. Although we joked about possible excuses pending our arrest upon returning to base, the volcano has been active twice in the last thirty years killing several people each time.

From the peak we got some of the most stunning views of the crater and came to realize that in fact we were in a larger crater of its own encompassing several mountains and surrounding towns. Once we made it back down and to the rim they had reopened it for viewing so we got some good views of the innerds. One of the coolest things is looking at that water and steam and thinking 'thats from the center of the earth' (or at least close to it). Despite a wish for magma it is most likely better left in the earth.

Then today we took an early (for us) bus into kumamoto to check out a castle, then split up and mom investigated some pottery while I went for a run.

Along our tour de castle, we went into a reconstructued samuri house and had another interesting experience of Japanese hospitality.

Having made our way into the house and realized it was surrounded by raked gravel I thought this would be the prime opportunity to make splash so (very jokingly) pushed mom towards it. From there on the sole security guard followed us around in an impressively creepy fashion, showing up outside each window as we walked by. The second thing was after leaving our shoes at the door, mine with the laces left as they fell, we returned to find both our shoes straightened with the laces tucked in. Who know you could find a whole country filled with obsessive compulsive people? I am truly impressed.

Tonight was another desperate search for a restaurant that had both plastic depictions in the window (necessary for pointing and nodding) and doesn't represent a Japanese Denny's. We ended up with a delish korean meal cooked at the table that was unfortunately topped with a chicken resembling meat turning out to be sheep's stomach. Know how people stick gum on the bottom of desks and chairs? Imagine boiling that.

Tomorrow...more volcanoes!

p.s. kudos to mom for keeping up on the mountain. Once again proving you dictate how you age.

Koyosan and Kobe beef!

2008-01-12T03:56:00.000-08:00

Old giant cemetary

One of Japans many contradictions. This is in the corporate area of the 800 year old cemetary.

Sitting here with a gorgeous view of downtown Kobe skyline enjoying a particularly bad Japanese beer thinking about how fantastic it can be to be over 10,000 km from anywhere familiar. Today we went from Koyosan, or Mt. Koyo to Kobe and spent most of the day either in transit or attempting to find the hostel.

Our victory in finally finding the hostel was eventually rewarded with several ekonimayike and brews, eventually leaving a cumulative tab equivalent to a weeks grocery shopping in Canada. Either was, lesson learned and experienced.

Tomorrow we are of to see moms friends, then an overnight ferry to Beppu on Kyushu Island. There should be excessive amounts of pottery and volcanoes. Cool pictures to come.

Despite Japan having excessive prices due to their incredibly inefficient delivery system (ironically it is intentional so everyone has a job, trading low unemployment rate for high prices, keeps a happy economy) it somehow has incredibly cheap alcohol. Beer is par, but wine is from $5 bottle and hard alcohol is about 2/3 the price with a bottle of decent blended scotch going for $10+. Primo.

2008-01-11T00:08:00.000-08:00

The near vertical tram up from the railway to the village

Thought BC had old growth?

Of all the photos that dont do justice, this is the biggest. This thing is massive, it has 5 golden Buddha's inside. That doorway is about 3-4 times my height.

Well after one or two to many days in Kyoto we decided to burn rubber for the mountains. Our last day based in Kyoto we headed out of town to a beautifully set onsen or hot springs for an afternoon of steaming relaxation. On the return we did a side trip to visit my soon to be school, which actually turns out to be huge and filled with mostly Japanese students, not the small private school I had heard it was.

Then after a run and a leisurely morning we jumped on the train to Mt. Koya and the neighboring town Koyosan. The train dropped us at the base for the near vertical train pictured above that felt more like an elevator than cable car. Then we spent the last few hours squeezed under one umbrella touring the cities historic temples and shrines.

I've figure it out. Should the behemoth of a school I am about to attend just happen to disintegrate in worldly act of god, then Im going to put plan B into effect.

Plan B is activated upon moms departure and completes somewhere in the next 5-25 years. It starts with an overnight ferry to China, from where I will follow the silk road hitchhiking and peddling my service as a man servant or maybe fan holder.

When I make it as far as India I will pay Steven a visit and have him show me the ways. Then onto France to meet Andy and experience some fine French Cuisine. Then up to Sweden to couch surf with Robin for a bit, and finally, providing no one else establishes themselves abroad I'll head down to the Mediterranean to deck scrub my way across the Atlantic to the Caribbean where I will work the boats until I hit retirement age, or decide there's more to life. Unlikely.

2008-01-09T04:34:00.000-08:00

Makes you appreciate not being a monk. Shoveling snow suddenly seems easy.

Fushimi Inari temple of 40,000 Tora's. The big orange is a Tora.

Foxes keeping guard

-

'Bridge to Heaven'... they didnt let us through.

Well overall a mellow couple days. Yesterday mom went to visit an old friend and see some wild pottery and kimono exhibits. Unfortunately for me, I had to go running, sure missed out on that pottery. So I did a long run along a big Kyoto valley but decided it was time to double back when red signs depicting angry cobra's started to line the path. We later met up, but I was short on energy and the whole need to be fed every 30-40 minutes becomes waring.

With high ambitions we set off for the Fushimi Inari temple of 40,000 Tora's and due to a national festival were greeted with a spectacular street of vendors. Though we limited ourselves to sushi and dried persimmons some were marketing salted snakes. Imagine a snake, all curled up. Now imagine it salted, dead in a bag, but still all curled up and intact, less a flattened head. Tasty.

We then planned a day trip to the opposing coast, but turned out to be $200 round trip, so saved that for another day. Then in the true Gillespie, and possibly backpacker stle we headed to the pub. Nothing polishes off a day like giant bottles of brew and anonymous unnamed delicacies while receiving a Japanese lesson from the cook.

After an english menu and several rounds we found ourselves back at the hostel where an interesting thing happened.

Mom has some friends, Pat and Dave Prescott who she used to be good friends with but has lost contact with in the previous years. Last she heard they were in Perth then Brunei, but had no way of contacting them. So tonight when we came back I was having a read and she decided to head into the common area where she struck up a conversation with a kiwi (New Zealander) and found out the woman worked in Brunei. Mom-"I've been to NZ, and got some friends from there who used to live in Dunedin, then moved to Perth and then took work at a university in Brunei" Random kiwi-"Oh you must be talking about the Prescott's". Weird. Anyways so this lady who my mom completely randomly started a conversation with just happens to work closely with a family Jan hasn't talked to in 10-15 years. Small world.

So next time your somewhere and you think, what the hell I'll never be here again my reputation doesn't matter. Think again.

Eel sandwiches with green tea ice cream for dinner!

2008-01-07T02:58:00.000-08:00

The ever gorgeous bamboo forests of Kyoto

Think crouching tiger hidden dragon.

Some movie stars villa, gorgeousness

A Pagoda of mammoth proportions, and my lame attempt and artistic-ness.

Sweeping roof

Lets ignore the phallic symbol

The Golden Temple and most likely one of the top most photographed spots in Japan. For a reason.

The definition of Zen Buddhism

Doorway!

Well today was conquer Kyoto epic day. Between meals, snacks and pre-meals, plus coffee breaks and deserts we managed to squeeze in what seemed like innumerable temples and shrines. The pictures sort of tell themselves, yet don't even come close. We bought a bus pass and polished off the north and west of Kyoto with hopes of hitting up the SE tomorrow after a long run.

You know if you were to put our situation into a sentence or headline it might sound kind of weird. 21 year old travels Japan with 60 year old mother. But actually its enlightening. Enlightening in the sense that she has money and I do not. No really, I think were both doing things we wouldn't normally on a trip such as this. For me, its largely based in not living off pb sandwiches, for her its taking the time to sit and enjoy. Either way we know how to eat well, drink even better and compensate for each others losses. I can't read/speak Japanese, she can. She can't hear I can. It makes for an interesting combination really, I translate silence to Japanese... she translates Japanese to English. I show her one pot dishes for dinner, she shows me that we can afford the ingredients. She carefully reads the Japanese lettering on signs, sounding out each syllable and character... I read the english below it. "Pa...go....da..." "Ya think?" (said while standing in front of a giant pagoda).

Finally caught up! Kiln's, the 70's, wandering, dirty hostels craziness!

2008-01-06T07:37:00.000-08:00

Himeji Castle at dusk.

We were to late for entry so thought we'd spite them by standing outside and acting like tourists.

Stunning. This main castle has two fish on its top roof, barely visible, that were supposed to protect it against fire. Seems to have worked.

Old Kiln (24 hour firing, wood burning, 4 fires a year)

New Kiln (6 hour firing, kerosene, limitless fires a year)

If you look closely everything is lined with cracks from being smashed, then glued back together. There's patience.

The shrine. It has some important meaning to do with full moons and a pilgrimage.

Massive. Note the mother at the bottom.

Boats harvesting nori, the seaweed used for sushi. Thats a boat pulling the nets over it, rather than in, ingenius,

Two of moms friends from the 70's.

A fine place for lunch. The bridge to the left rivals San Fran no doubt.

The kiln mom did pottery at 30 some odd years ago. She has pictures of that and it literally hasn't changed one bit. The shelves are rearranged due to the 1996 earthquake that rocked the area (5,000+ killed), but besides that everythings the same. Creepy.

So cool!

Awesome!!! 300km/h!! Super duper!!

Temple in an epic food market downtown Kyoto.

Who needs McD's? Bento's to go!

You thought heels were hard?

Excuse the randomized order of these photos. Today we hit up moms old stomping grounds in Asakusa, where she spent most of her time in her early 20's making pottery. It was eerily the same as the photos she brought. She got to see some people she hadn't seen for 20 years exactly, which makes me wonder who Im going to travel across the globe to see in 20+ years. How about you come visit me.

We also moved hostels from old, cheap and disgusting to new, cheap and gorgeous. Wireless net helps to. There's actually a ridiculous amount to say and tell. So much in fact that Im going to go to bed.

But from what I can salvage from my sleep starved brain is that this trip is spectacular. I absolutely love travelling, and I highly recommend you stand up from you computer immediately. Now go to the airport. Now buy a plane ticket. Stop reading you should be on the plane by now.

Glad we've got that settled.

We'll be in Kyoto until at least the 10th doing day trips around everything fantastic this massive area has to offer, so don't touch that remote folks! In next episode we may see the shrine of 1000 Tora's, one of Japan's top 3 sights, more people from the 70's, some deers in a park, crazy shrines and maybe even... I lost my train of thought.

Oh!!! We saw a Geisha! Supposedly this is big news as their in high decline, and it was pretty dang cool. Geisha are similar to courtesans without prostitution. They get upwards for $3000 for a night of entertainment involving music, dance, excessive drink, and I dont know what else, as I clearly don't have 300,000 Yen. They dress in traditional Kimono's and are painted up much like a porcelain doll with their most attractive feature (in Japanese culture) being the back of their neck, so this s strongly emphasized in dress and make up. Wild.

Takayama! Snow, mountains, old houses, pancakes and brews!

2008-01-06T06:56:00.000-08:00

Old stuff in Takayama.

The Japanese love their plastic restaurant displays. They come in handy when ordering. This one if by far the best I have ever seen.

Thatched roof houses.

This roof (made of straw) can hold up to 2m of snow... intense. They make big bonfires though.

Takayama Old district, no bombing here!

More Takayama old district.

Gorgeous. Photos don't do it.

Badgers save the day!! Theres a legend about a wild forest fire that suddenly stopped, and no one knew why. But when they went to investigate they found the body of a badger, so claimed it was something holy. So now they shoot them and stuff them. How quaint. Note the sake bottle.

A museum in Takayama.

We opted for the bus to Takayama, saving several thousand Yen and thinking of how much fun it would be. Fun as in that sort of white knuckle-I-dont-want-to-die sort of way. Its fun when its intentional like a roller coaster, not so much on icy bridges in a bus.

Either way, we got there and it was fantastic. The first night I went for a long run, following a path parallel to the highway through several small towns ad over a mountain and back. It was gorgeous combined with the snow storm, though not exactly prime running weather.

Our place of residence was the quaint temple turned hostel that proves once and for all that paper has no insulating properties. Turns out we were onto something when we invented insulation (1 point North America, 50 points Japan).

We tackled some temples and museums as well as the untouched old district, one of the only remaining after the war, earthquakes, tsunamis and on. Though we missed the Sake brewery tours opening in a week, we did score some gorgeous wood work we're telling ourselves is hand crafted in a village known for its lacquer rather than made in China.

What sort of attractions do you put into a town that has an old district? Thats right, an older district. But this one you have to pay for. This is the above photos of houses that bring new meaning to the word thatched. The roofs were over a meter thick with straw and utterly gorgeous as the insides were decked out in traditional Japanese dark wood (nontechnical name).

We also had our first shot at Japanese street meat, also known as those ball things and okonomiyaki, basically lunch pancakes. Comined with some asahi, both were delish. I highly recommend.

Finally, we were off to Kyoto, but how? The bus was sold out, so we were left but with one option (drumroll please) Bullet train!!!

Oh and we found an imported Smokey the bear photo-op. One of those things where you stick your face in place of smokies. It was featured at the Teddy bear eco village.

Sometimes its best no to ask.

The rest of Tokyo.

2008-01-06T06:12:00.000-08:00

New Years celebrations at the temple.

The infamous omelette rice on plastic display. Check the one out that looks like vomit... There's even a kids version.

As close as we could get to the Imperial Palace.

Seriously?

So now gone from Tokyo, a quick recap. New Years was interesting. In our ever exciting schedule we were asleep by 10 and woken up at 11:50 by our expectant hosts awaiting our departure for the temple. Though actual New Years likely happened on the way there, we neglected a countdown and went straight for the sake. Before this though was another mammoth Tokyo lineup to ring a bell and pray to Buddha, though it was cool to be the only tourists there.

The next day we had a meal Junko had sweated over for several days, and was a good insight into traditional Japanese cooking. As was custom, this meal lasted for three days and consisted of numerous plates of raw meat, from fish to horse. The other dishes might be best left mysterious, but it soon became clear the Japanese love their jellies. Overall it was a great experience and Junko and Ishiyama are amazing and warm hosts. We felt totally welcome and made ourselves at home.

As they were making themselves busy with inlaws we decided to meet up with Brendan, mom's colleagues son and walk around electric town and the edo museum, then made our way to Tokyo's answer to Kensington for a beer and a feast. Beer was easy to come by, especially good beer. The feast proved slightly more difficult. We went into the most avant-garde restaurant we could find, which also happened to be the only one ope due to New Year celebrations. With a pint and a box of sake downed we turned to the completely indecipherable menu. This is one of the reasons we travel so well together. We love to eat, and are fairly indiscriminate about what we're eating. After finally giving up and using sign language to place 2 orders of crab we sat back and waited. While our mouths were watering we started to look around and notice that, my all the dishes were small around us, this may just be a tapas bar. Sure enough, two solitary crab legs and a lemon slice round the corner in return for our 1000 Yen. Needless to say, we made a hasty exit, found a supermarket and gorged on take away bar food and some more brew's. You probably had to be there, but it was one of those look back and laugh at it moments.

Next... to Takayama.

More pictures

2007-12-31T01:53:00.001-08:00

Family Plot's

Tokyo University:

Asahi Brewery:

Crazy intersection

Tsukiji Fish Market etc.

2007-12-30T21:02:00.000-08:00

My day just doesn't seem that bad anymore.

"Naughty children have been here", apparently the fisherman either liked what his jacket claimed or (preferably) had no clue. As some writer pointed out, the plethora of ridiculous translations were not for westerners, but instead for novice Japanese readers.

Either way, the fish market rocked. It was one of those sort of awesome mixes between disgust at how we are raping and pillaging our world, yet doing it in a totally interesting way. Interesting in the sense that I've just had the worlds best sushi. To emphasize the difference, Toronto sushi is sort that is represented by a kid building a sand castle and calling it the worlds biggest object. Tokyo sushi is the CN tower that smashes the kids castle while screaming a maniacal laugh.

If photos hadn't been prohibited, I would devote this page to touting one of the best meals you can ever have. There were things I don't even want to discuss they were so good. Though the visuals were mixed, one was sea urchin that resembled a synthesis of tongue and poo, but tasted like pure ocean. Even the more basic tuna and salmon were the freshest I have ever had.

Anyways, refer to pictures for giant tuna, we were late so missed the really big ones, but the below were 45kg+.

Also, the red squid were dyed red, as in Japan red is the colour of good luck so when they cut into it for New Year celebrations it spills red, providing the family with good fortune (I suppose). Interested in the definition of cruel and unusual punishment? Go to the UN website...or go to the Tsukiji fish market. Many of the fish pictured are still alive, and are only killed when they flop around enough to jump out of their boxes.

The picture of an intersection doesn't really do the trick. Its like a 70m x 70m 5 way intersection flooded with cars, then for about 5 seconds its bare, then suddenly overflowing with what has to be over 300 people at least. The big black building with inanimate gold object on top is the Asahi beer brewery designed by a French architect to resemble a beer mug with a big gold inanimate object on top.

The temple and street is the oldest temple in Tokyo, built around 628 A.D and the street is a mammoth assortment of people, mainly Asian tourists and the given tourist garb. The best part about being me among Tokyo's 12.5 million people (4 x Toronto, 12 x Calgary) is that I can see over about 11 million of them. I may wander off and lose everyone I'm with, but I can just stand up straight and see pretty much as far as you can go. Not to say there aren't Japanese people taller than me, also gaijin (white devil/people), but their definitely to a minimum.

Finally, we went to visit the graves of the Ishiyama family, and saw some interesting rituals. Supposedly the graves contain the bodies of many generations, though from a practical perspective I hope this is purely symbolic.

Happy New Year!

2007-12-29T05:19:00.000-08:00

Well then! Tokyo it is. We've been here for a day and a night and so far I'm pretty blown away. Im slowly beginning to remember all the fantastic things about traveling. Such as, ordering and eating something of unknown origin, finding out that yes, Japan has fantastic toilets and they do have heated seats, the beauty of being somewhere and realizing that if the person leading you around just walked away, that you would literally and truly not be able to find your way home... ever. The list goes on.

Junko and Ishiyama are great and being super accomodating. Tomorrow we visit the world's largest fish market for a sushi breakfast and then attend a ceremony at the family temple/shrine in prep for the new year.

I'd really like to fill this with super witty insights into Japanese culture and mentality, not to mention the hilarious and numerous mistranslations of english that spot the city. But instead Im going to go to bed. Because thats one of the best parts of traveling, doing nothing and being completely and utterly bombed every single day.

If these pictures work..Calgary has park and rides, heres the Tokyo version. Toronto has the Don river, heres the Japanese way. And some pictures of the all intimidating shinjuku and its plethora of neon. We went to an underground (everything is underground) food market, and without a doubt 1/2 of it was entirely chocolate. It was a beautiful sight.

Hahaha How vain!

2007-12-20T23:26:00.000-08:00

Well Im going to pretend that this isn't the most significant sign of self-absorption that I have yet to produce and instead tell myself that this is easier and quite (unlikely) less cheesy than mass emails.

I have yet to leave the country, but providing tomorrow's Visa pickup will do so on Thursday the 27th. So, considering Toronto consists of little more than ridiculous debauchery and killer Danko Jones concerts I will refrain from wasting any more of your time.

Thank you.