Oni - Jon

ONI ... (the devil) ... this guy turns into the devil with great sound effects and leering eyes four times a day.

Our Noboribetsu Adventure

Noboribetsu nestles in a canyon leading up to a live volcanic cauldron bubbling sulphur-laden spring water to warm Japanese onsen (spas) so tourists throughout Asia can get naked together.

Jon and I arrived at 10:30 PM after a blazing ride on the Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train) from Tokyo to the end of Honshu Island and through the world’s longest underwater tunnel to the island of Hokkaido followed by a slower trip around the Pacific coastline. The coastline is rugged with fishing villages separated by verdant forests.

When we get there, the station is vacant. After being surrounded by people, it’s strangely quiet. We hop in the lone taxi out front, and I look to Jon for the name of the hotel we’re staying at. When he says “Noboribetsu Onsen Hotel,” the driver looks perplexed, but takes off up the canyon nonetheless. Eventually, we end up at our hoteland are escorted to our room by the typically helpful bellman.

Our room is a traditional Japanese hotel room. We take off our shoes as we walk in and change into slippers. The floor is covered with mats and our mattresses are made up and lying on the floor. There is a small Japanese tea table next to our mattresses with pillows for us to sit on. An older bellman appears out of nowhere, alerted to our presence by the staff downstairs, and presents us with the two largest sets of robes he can find (we’re bigger than the normal Asian guests apparently).

The spas at the hotel are open 24 hours a day, and Jon and I are fatigued after 10 hours of train travel and curious. We change into our bathing suits, put on our robes and meander around the hotel complex until we find the spa. Everyone we run into in this town is relaxed, informal, and immensely friendly. They’re all here for a good time far away from the normal hustle and formality of Japanese life. As we get to the entrance to the spa, pair of older Japanese ladies make sure to point us towards the men’s spa (marked in blue) and away from the women’s spa (marked in pink). We’d have figured it out eventually!

We take off our shoes and walk into a sort of locker room. There are rows of shelves with baskets for one’s robes and a bunch of Japanese guys walking around naked with little towels in front of them. We were told to bring our little towels (about the size of a wash cloth) with us to the spa, but not told why. Jon and I aren’t sure if we’re supposed to disrobe, so being the brave one, I send Jon out into the spa (with his bathing suit) to figure out what’s going on. When he doesn’t return, I proceed to strip, grab a big towel as well as the little towel, and follow him into the spa.

The spa is a huge, two-story sprawling arrangement of several pools about two feet deep. Each pool has a different kind of mineral water flowing through it at different temperatures. The eleven waters that flow through Noboribetsu all start from the volcanic cauldron literally in the backyard of our hotel at around 190 degrees F. After flowing through various channels, the temperature is brought down to various bathing temperatures from almost scalding to simply warm. Each of the different waters is supposed to have different healing properties for everything that ails you. Both Jon and I can vouch that it’s sure relaxing.

However, standing there naked with my towels I wasn’t yet relaxed. Before you get in the spas you are supposed to wash off as was evident from the five Japanese guys sitting on little plastic stools in front of a river of warm water in various stages of washing and rinsing. Jon had already washed off and was sitting in the big central pool with his little towel on his head, his eyes closed, and his bathing suit on. I pointed out to him that we were supposed to strip and wash down first. We both found our own little stools and I proceeded to wash away a days worth of grime before climbing back into the little pools.

We got over our initial modesty pretty quickly, and, despite some stupid gaijen moves (like Dad using a big towel for his head or Jon sitting in the cold water stream used for washing your feet), we got the hang of it. The spas are really relaxing. The outdoor ones (shielded from view of the volcano tourists by hedges) are nice in the cool mountain air.

After the long trip and our first spa expedition, Jon and I were hungry. Unfortunately, it was now nearly midnight and the town was starting to close down. Jon and I stumbled on to this great little restaurant that served a dish known in Noboribetsu as “Genghis Kahn”. In the center of each wooden rectangular table was a brick fire pit filled with ashes. After seating us, the waiter went to the back of the restaurant and, with a propane torch, toasted a pile of wood coals. With tongs he placed the coals in our fire pit and laid a steel grill on top. We were ready to barbeque! The waiter brought out dipping sauce and a big plate of thinly sliced steak and onions. Jon and I went to it, grilling, dipping, eating, and drinking (Asahi for Dad, Coke for Jon) until we had our fill. Jon spotted potstickers at another table, and we shared an order of those too.
By the time we laid down on the mattresses on the floor, we were full, relaxed, and sleepy and snoozed blissfully to until breakfast time.

After an Japanese-style breakfast buffet and another dip in the spa (we were pro’s by this time), Jon and I decided to explore Noboribetsu.

The rest of the story is told in pictures: bears, Ainu huts, volcanic cauldrons, and pictures of us with the mascot of Noboribetsu – the devil.

Many waters to soothe the ragged travelers...

At the Noboribetsu Onsen Ryokan (Spa Hotel) in full gown. Note: beds are on the floor

Dad chilling on the floor drinking some tea before the SPA!!!!

Wheres Waldo (Jon)? Noboribetsu style!

Jon in the small Hakodate station

what do you get if you send a guy with a pink shirt hurtling along at 250kmph? ME!

Me busting a gut on the Shinkansen....

Mr. Toad's Wild Ride

Today dad had to go to the office to do some wheelings and dealings, so I was left in the middle of one of the largest cities on the planet, with ¥ 30,000 (about $300) and a rail pass which lets me go to wherever I want in the entirety of Japan on its rail network (if you plan on going to Japan, you must buy either the Japan Rail Pass, if you are going all over Japan like we are, or a Regional Rail Pass, if you are going to just one section of Japan). Wow. The first thing I decided to do was go to a part of the city which was informally claimed by the “Otaku”, or geeks. This mecca of gamers and other assorted geeks is called Akihabara. To get to Akihabara, I took a local train around the center of Tokyo. Bunched in with many other passengers, and at least a head taller than the rest of the crowd, I had my first experience with the real side of Japan. People (general populus, almost no children on the train) were almost all listening to music, and also were either messing with their phones (text messaging, checking messages, etc.) or they were reading manga. Manga is the name for those Japanese comic books which you see in the back of book stores with the Dungeons and Dragons manuals. Here, every generation was reading them, from one of the oldest passengers all the way to the teenagers. And us in the US make fun of people who read books with pictures! Once in Akihabara, I start down one street. Not much is found until I spot a Arcade. All of you who actually know me know that I am a Gamer (geek who specializes in video games), so I of course have to try every game there. One of my favorites is this game called Taito Drum Master. This is a game where you have a Japanese style drum and two stick to hit it with. The two places in which you can hit this drum are either in the middle or on the edge with a rim shot (technical term). This game is all centered on the rhythmic tappings and drummings displayed on the screen. I give a game a 5/5. Other than that, there were many claw games and other random games. After the arcade, I found a street bustling with shoppers. I am finally here. In downtown Akihabara, you can buy almost every commercial electronic device made (exceptions include UNIVAC and Cray Supercomputers; there’s simply just no market for those these days!) I buy myself two games, one is an English version game which will not come out for a year in the US, and a game which I so far have not found anywhere on the internet or in other markets, and a remote for my iPod. After I am done with my shopping, I grab a train down to Tokyo. In Tokyo, I check out the Imperial Palace (you aren’t allowed to go on the grounds) and putter around Tokyo. Now the Adventure begins. When arriving in Japan yesterday, dad and I took the Narita Express from Narita Airport to Shinjuku, making a stop at Tokyo station. I saw that the express was in, so I grabbed it thinking I was going to Shinjuku. At this time, I was really tired from hiking all over Tokyo, so I sit down and fall asleep. When I awake, I realize I am almost at Narita Airport, oops, wrong way. I freak out, then get off the train at the next stop and rush to the schedule screens (screens where the destination, train number and track number are listed). Here, I see a local train going to Tokyo, I rush down to the track to see it just closing, so I holler to the station conductor (guy on the platform who whistles to the train conductor that it’s time to leave) that I need to get on. He stops the train and mutters baka gaijin (stupid foreigner) and I get on. Once on the train, I settle in and watch the scenery. Since this is my second day in Tokyo, I don’t really know the surroundings, and after a long time, I start seeing the ocean. Let me repeat that, the OCEAN. (Tokyo is not on an ocean for those who do not have a map with them.) I once again freak out but then calm myself. I get off at the next train stop, Mobara. This stop is right next to the ocean and the area reminds me of Monterrey, blissfully foggy and a little rocky. I then go to the Station Conductor and ask in the most simple way possible, how to get to Tokyo. He then looks at me kind of weird and points up to the station terminal. Inside, I ask the ticket person how to get to Tokyo. She tells me to go to Chiba and then connect to Tokyo. I take her directions and finally get to Tokyo Station. At Tokyo station I grab a bowl of Spicy Udon and as all of you know what I would do, add more spice to it. The other businessmen inside the café keep giving me looks which are a cross between respect for the dead and that I was crazy. I finish the bowl without a glass of water and get up to leave. The businessman next to me gives me a little head bow and mutters something like crazy foreigner. I then start to make my way back to the Hotel. Halfway there, I check the cell phone my dad’s company lent us and see that my dad’s friend/coworker, Shiogeo Shiobara (Shio) who was with my dad had tried to call multiple times. I then call and assure him that I am fine. I then make it to my room and get undressed and take a shower because I am going to dinner and Karaoke with dad and his friends/coworkers!

Singing "Im a barbie girl" in a karaoke bar

Shio and Dad crooning like Bing and Bob!

MAMA-SAN!!!!

Dad and Nishi singing Hotel California... I think the hotel was demolished after that one.....

Our first night on the Tokyo Scene! This is the Ginza District of Tokyo, and we are here seen with the world`s most expensive neon sign!

Finally... TOKYO!!!

I was lucky enough to get a train back from Mobara which was double decker, the problem was that I was stuck on the bottom (this is a passing train)

A picture of urban sprawl around Chiba

The empty train from Mobara to Chiba

Mall or Train Station? Why not both?

oops!

貴社いよいよご清栄のこととお喜び申し上げます。平素は格別のお引き立てを賜り、ありがたく厚く御礼申し上げます。さて (If you can read this, you know a lot more Japanese than I do…..)

Well, sorry about not posting anything, but I’ve had a really hectic past couple days! On Monday, I left on our trip to Japan. This flight was split up into two sections with our first flight going to Honolulu and then connecting from there to Narita International Airport in Tokyo. For our first leg of our flight, my dad and I were lucky enough to get upgraded to first-class! This was a godsend because the flight was around eight hours and for those who know me personally, I am not average size. On the flight, I opened up my laptop and threw in the movie “Lost in Translation” and let the irony set in. (I suggest to anyone flying overseas to bring a DVD player or laptop computer which is DVD compatible!) Once we arrived in Honolulu, we checked our tickets to see what our next gate was. Lo and behold, there wasn’t a gate number printed on our tickets! We asked around and finally found a departure display which showed international flights. We found our flight and got to our gate with plenty of time, so we decided to check out this garden they had in the airport. This garden was actually three distinctly separate gardens (Japanese, Zen Buddhist and Traditional Hawaiian) connected together. These were great places for pictures and the ponds there held some behemoth koi. (One was about four and a half feet long!) We then boarded our plane to Narita, which was another eight hour flight, but this time, we were back in coach. L Finally, we get to Narita. We get our bags, go through customs (really easy here) and grab the Narita Express all the way to Shinjuku, the city in which our hotel is. We then meander through Shinjuku Station (known as the world’s busiest terminal and also the one with the worst documented platforms!) We find our hotel and leave our bags in our room, then go out on the town. Shinjuku is known for being the part of town which never sleeps (except the pachinko parlors, which close at 11). With this in mind, my dad and I find an udon noodle shop down a small alley which was suggested to us by the concierge. After the excellent udon there, we moved down to the main street areas of Shinjuku. There, we see pachinko for the first time and are constantly pursued by people who want us to see their “shows” (yes, those ones). We keep puttering around until we become tired and then make our way back to the hotel. In our hotel room, there was our first introduction to the Japanese Toiletry System. I am amazed these things don’t just wipe our butts for us… but it does give a refreshing spray and blow dry ( #-o ). After that ‘refreshing' experience, we finally went to sleep.

Chillin at the Holiday Inn, i mean the Century Hyatt! Also pictured are not one, not two, but three massive chandeliers!

This is for you Lynnie!

Mainstreet Shinjuku!

Shinjuku Skyline!

This the the regular sized be in Japan... (check out where my feet are!)

The JR Rail Pass, Never leave home to travel all over Japan without it.