More in the Middle

Well, certainly taking a 14-month break is not the ideal way to finish one's travel blog...

But I think it can be done.  Because there is still so much, it seems useful to summarize up to this point:  I've left off about halfway through the three weeks, in the city of Matsumoto.  Since Matsumoto is on the other side of the Japanese Alps from Tokyo (north side), I continued my loop north and west to Kanazawa.  After a couple days there, I headed south to Kyoto for a few days (including a half-day in Himeji) and then closed the loop with a day and a half in Tokyo.

That's the quick version.

Kanazawa
Kanazawa, almost on the Sea of Japan on the central north coast, was the capital one of the most productive (thus richest) regions of Japan.  The Maeda clan ruled here for centuries, as a reward for their support of Hideyoshi, and then the Tokugawa (who ruled from 1600ish-1870ish as shogun).  Now with about the same population of Portland, Kanazawa has maintained many of its historic districts, including the Samurai District, the Geisha District, and the huge Kenroku-en Garden.  The Garden was built in the 1630s, probably in several phases, and at least partly as way of storing water for firefighting.  It was the Outer Garden for the now-completely reconstructed Kanazawa Castle, itself worth a wander for the range of views of the city, as well as a really detailed explanation of 'how you build a castle wall in Japan.'  I took careful notes.

Unfortunately, this was about the point of the trip where the backpack, the constant changing of cities, and the summer weather caught up with me.  I was disappointed in myself, having lived in North Carolina for years, but 90 degrees with 80% humidity turned out to be my undoing.  And then the rains, for which Kanazawa is also famous (I mentioned their agricultural success here....?).

So, the second day in Kanazawa, I didn't do that much.  The fish market was probably the highlight.  Earlier that week, I had seen forklifts in Hachinohe loading large stacks of styrofoam boxes, which struck me as odd.  Styrofoam being, you know, pretty light.  OF COURSE....they were full of fish and ice.  And now, here's a bunch of styro boxes, stacked up in this market.  Also, some boxes full of water, with air bubblers running into them for the...live flounder.  Just lying there at the bottom, hoping no one would notice them.  Blink.  Blink.

Having looked at some of the fantastic little streets in and around the Geisha District the day before (funny, no one seemed to be around in the morning....), my Day Two exploration was along a winding canal/stream, thoroughly walled in rock but surrounded by all manner of restaurants and boutiques and little houses.  This was just a block or two off The Main Drag.  Impressive contrast.  But it also rained like crazy that day, so hunkering down in the hotel wasn't so bad.  A related note: umbrellas are generally considered public property in Japan.  If it's in the umbrella rack, dripping, you can apparently walk off with it.  Which inspired a couple of after-dinner "&*$#!" moments...

I didn't get to everything I'd hoped to in Kanazawa, mostly notably the Sea of Japan, less than a mile away.  I guess the compromise was:  given the rain, the Sea of Japan had, instead, come to me.  This region of Japan, is also well-known for its onsen (including one where they soft-boil eggs in the water (yum?)).  Missed those, too.  Whenever I go back, I expect I'll spend a bunch of time poking around here more carefully.

Although we'll see about the eggs...

On Onsen

Dawn, who I work with, has been to Japan many times to visit her husband's family.  "There are two things you must not miss in Japan," she told me before I left.  "Trains and onsen."  'Trains' I get, am easily pumped up for, and have mentioned/will mention often in this blog.  'Hot springs' are...fine, but I haven't really gone out of my way for them.

But Dawn was right.  And I was wrong: apparently, I AM going to wax poetical about onsen.

'Onsen' (I understand there are no plural forms in Japanese grammar) are a kind of hot springs bathhouse.  Depending on where you are, the water may contain some kind of minerals, that have some kind of healing property and some of them (like Asama Onsen) have been around for centuries.  You can find bathhouses with heated water, but, to be an onsen, the water has to be geo-thermally heated (as I understand it), not a water-heater.  Surprising NO ONE, the Japanese have a national agency that certifies which places are 'onsen,' and which are merely 'sento.'

Because onsen are important to the Japanese, as Dawn suggests.  They're not merely hot springs, although I can only speculate why not.  Part of it is probably the ritual:  everyone soaps off before, swimsuits are not allowed, no tattoos (it's a family place...Japanese gangsters [yakuza] are known for tattoos), and you're not allowed to put your face in the water, so you keep your little face cloth on top of your head.  Obviously, they're divided into men's and women's, and I didn't see a lot of socializing.  Then again, as a gaijin (foreigner), it's entirely possible people didn't want to talk around me.

And then....you soak.  Mostly it's in the hot pool, but there's also a cold pool, and typically a bench or two out in a walled garden.  In one hotel, the whole onsen was on the 15th floor, so the bench was out on the balcony behind a 5-foot wall.  The whole experience, taken over 30-40 minutes, is surprisingly soothing, but also invigorating....and very Japanese.

We talked with a local owner in Ishinomaki.  If I recall, his onsen was completely slammed after the tsunami, and a pump failure nearly created a crisis.  Sure, folks wanted to clean off, but it was clearly a much needed comfort.  I'd be interested to know what percent of the population uses an onsen, and how often.  I'M certainly a fan...