Today I will visit Kawagoe. The temple museum and the palace are closed but I will check out the rest. The travel will also brings me to Shinjuku. I will give my camera to Pentax for a checkup. The Pentax forum is opening at 110:30am. I can pickup my camera at 1pm. Plenty o time to buy souvenirs in Harajuku and Omotesando. Back at Pentax bad news are wainting for me. The K-10 is a goner. The mount of the CCD ship is broken. The K-m is defocussed. It will take at least 3 weeks to fix it. They try to do a software workaround. I check out the new K-30. This version isn’t available in Germany.
Warehouse District
Candy Ally
Kawagoe-jo
Kitain Temple
Kitain Temple
Kawagoe Gallery
At 2pm I am sitting in the local to Kawagoe. There is a nice shopping street for souvenirs. At the end of the shopping area the part with the old houses begins. Kawagoe is called Little Edo. And this area is the reason why. Unfortunately this street is also the major road during rush hour. At the end is a place called candy corner. A small street with a dozen candy shops. Japan is strange. Then I go to the temple. It is closed but I can visit the outside. Next stop is the temple. The activities for New Year are finally over. All booths are closed. I run back to the shopping street. There should a nice bottle of sake somewhere. I am still looking for souvenirs.
Back at Tokyo I totally lost track of time. I forgot Hide. Damned. It is already 8pm when i arrive at the hotel. I am not in the mood for a late night stroll thru Shinjuku or Shibuya. Therefore I check out another bar in Ueno.
I know that this entry isn’t that long, but there wasn’t something happening today. Tomorrow I move to my last stop, Narita. Looks like I visited every important part of Tokyo. There are only two open projects left: The last metropolitain gardens and the Yamanote tour. Maybe some clubs and a matsuri. For the next time I have to find someting really special.
Now it is time to go back to the hotel. The monorail brought me up to Big Sigth, now go further to the terminal station Toyoso. All these island are new. The didn’t exist when I was here last time (2004). Even Big Sight wasn’t built back then. Crazy. 8 years ago this was part of Tokyo bay. Here in Toyoso I have to change into the subway. I asume that this streets were the coastline before. The houses are looking old. But before I start into the subway, I order myself a big bowl of ramen. I only forgot that I am still in uniform. This causes some irritation.
Schrein in Iidabashi
Werbung in Akihabara
Mt. Fuji, View from Tokyo
Schrein in Iidabashi
Rainbow Bridge
Shopping Street in Iidabashi
Iidabashi Gallery
Late in the afternoon I start to find the district called Iidabashi. The Lonely Planet mentioned it to be a point of interest in Tokyo. I don’t know why. This place is nothing special. There are two nice shrines here; an old one and a moder one. There are some side alleys. Ok, there are some more. It is like a maze. GPS would really be a benefit. And it is a residental area. Maybe that is what the LP meant by „an old part of Tokyo“. After several turns I am back at the main road, that is a pedestrial area until 6pm. It is the first I spot supermarket and a drugstore in Tokyo.
It is getting dark. Therefore I start towards the Sky tree. Maybe there are some waiting tickets left. Holidays are over and there may be less people. I get one and can pick up my ticket in 90 minutes. That gives me some time to pick up my tripod in the hotel. But again I underestimated the distances and the travel time in Tokyo. I arrive back at the tower a few minutes before my time is over. And in addition I get myself lost in the maze of floors and stairways. Not easy to find 5F. Even worse. They order me into the wrong queue. The first time I have to act like an American to correct it. Otherwise the waiting ticket is void.
Again I have to wait before I can buy the final ticket. 2000 yen. Pricy. And then there is some waiting again; in front of the elevator. There really are many tourists here. The elevator is going up with a speed of 23 miles/hour. This means 1968 ft/min or 3 floors/second.
This is a view. Tokyo at night. And there are no sky scraper or tall buildings around. Therefore it looks even higher. Tokyo is in every direction; up to the horizon. All these lights. There is an area with multi-story apartment buildings that have an access balcony. In front of every door is a light bulb. Are there are many light bulbs. To many to count. Behing each lamp is living at least one person. Wow.
There, between the tall buildings, is the Sumidagawa with all the bridges. The buildings get lower into the opposite direction. I see the curve of the river I only knew from google maps. Then this other river is the Arakawa. And this really long building. is this the building they built as a fire division wall? It is approximately a half mile long.
And then there is this darkness underneath the Sky Tree. The district Musashi is old and basically filled with small business and residential buildings. No skyscraper. Surrounded by the rest of Tokyo, it looks like a black hole. No doubt that the Sky Tree with its 10 story shopping mall will change this area of Tokyo forever.
Tokyo von 350m
Tokyo Sumidagawa von 350m
Tokyo von 450m
Tokyo von 350m
Sky Tree
Sky Tree Gallery
A second elevator brings my up to the 450m level. Another 100m of height. Crazy. Ok, I have to pay another 1000 yen, but is worth the trip. The elevator has a glass roof and the elevator shaft is illuminated. 100m in blue. Futuristic.
And the additional 100m really make a difference. The sightseeing platform is going slightly uphill. This is the helix a saw from below. It looks strange but is a great idea. The walk ends one level higher at an elevator that goes down to 350m. They seperate the ingoing and outgoing stream of people.
On my next trip I will visit again during daylight. I hope there are less people waiting then. And I will bring a polarisation filter to remove the reflex from the windows. I shall I return at night again. All these lights. They have a hypnotic effect on me. I am like a moth in a lamp store.
There is no report from yesterday, because nothing happened. It sat in busses and trains all the day, or I waited at stations. And all why I enjoyed the onsen after breakfast until 11am and therefore missed the only good connection to Tokyo. At the museum at the Kusatsu bus station I learn something about this place: The water here has a ph level of 2.4. Wow. That is acid. A steel nail dissolves within 18 days, completely. Even concrete is getting erode within days. There are over 100 springs that produces 9.800 gallon/minute of water. The heat power is 1700 million calories per hour. And the european doctor who studied the medical effects of the water was from Germany, from Bietigheim-Bissingen. There is the connection. By the way … I met the the girl from the Izakaya in the train. That wasn’t planned at all. She is also going to Tokyo. But she already had plans for the evening. So I spent the the end of the day in Ueno.
Dezome Shiki 2013, Parade
Dezome Shiki 2013, Abnahme
Dezome Shiki 2013
Dezome Shiki 2013
Dezome Shiki 2013, Parade
Parade
TODAY is the Dezome Shiki. The alarm clock goes off at 7am. Subway at 7:30am. I arrive Tokyo Big Sight at 8:25am. Wow. I took me one hour. Are run thru the hallways. I ask for direction and mention that I have an invitation. The answer: „You are Mr. Boller from Germany? Welcome.“. This I didn’t expected. My seat is on the western side of the VIP area. The third row from the top. I have a perfect view. Next to me are sitting some guy from the austrian embassy and on the other side the chief of the special forces of the Hong Kong police.
The official part begins. Greetings and and some standard talk. Now the vize prime minister of Japan is talking. The flag is hoisted, the national anthem is played. The cadets of the fire fighter academy are marching in perfect formation. IMpressive but a little bit to much military style for a fire department. The speaker (I have a head set with an english translation) says, that marching is trained to raise team spirit and learn to act as a unit. ok.
Dezome Shiki 2013, Fahrzeugparade
Dezome Shiki 2013, Fahrzeugparade
Dezome Shiki 2013, Löschboote
Dezome Shiki 2013, Fahrzeugparade
Dezome Shiki 2013, Helikopter
Fahrzeugparade
Sveral different units are marching by. Then the parade of the fire trucks starts. They really have some cute little cars and also big high tech trucks. Maybe I write more details in a different blog. Just this: They have a „Super Pumper“ that provides easily 1000 gallons/minute by using 6″ hoses.
In the backgroud the fire fighter boats are going into their position and start to produce big fountains of water. 5 helicopter are approaching in formation and flying deep over our heads. This is an every-goes-show.
Next point on the agende is a big exercise; more precise: there are 4 exercises at once. An earthquake related car accident, a burning tall building, a haz mat incident and a rescue from high altitude. The diffrent events start with a delay of approximately 60 seconds. Fire trucks are driven arounf constantly with their sirene on. 50 trucks in total. The helicopters are back. Fire fighter rope down. Injured victims are reeled in. The fire at the haz mat is getting bigger. The haz mat team arrives. The earthquake situation is getting worse. Many rescue teams are working parallel. I don’t know where to look first. Now two automatic water cannons taking care of the haz mat fire.
Dezome Shiki 2013, Übung
Dezome Shiki 2013, Übung
Dezome Shiki 2013, Übung
Dezome Shiki 2013, Übung
Dezome Shiki 2013, Übung
Dezome Shiki 2013, Übung
Dezome Shiki 2013, Übung
Excercise
The show is closed by 10 ladders that roll out a big banner and festoons. The flag is reeled in. What a show. And I watched everything from the VIP section. I walk back into the fair hall. Here trucks and equipment is presented. I skip the technical details. They have an earthquake simulator, games for children, a.s.o. The music corps is playing a concert.
Japanese breakfast at 8am. I get used to it. The time; and the taste. At 9am I start the sightseeing tour. The temperature is still at 17°F and I don’t need gloves. Amazing. It is freezing cold but sunny and warm at the same time. First stop is the post office. Money. It is first day that is not a holiday. Money.
The Yubatake is like yesterday. Amazing and with a strong smell of brimstone. The fount is at the top. The water is running down long wooden channels. The water is cooling down and the brimstone precipitates. Yunohana. It it sold as medicine for a good price.
Yumomi
Kusatsu Onsen
Yubataka
Yubataka, Water Fall
Yumomi
Yumomi Dance Performance
Yu-momi
At 10:30am is a presentation of a traditional way to cool down water. All you need are a lot of long paddles and the same amount of beautiful japanese women. They stir up the hot water. The show also offers some traditional dances and songs. It is some kind of working song to syncronize the movement of the paddles. At the end of the show the tourist can try it. Nice show but the 500 yen are a little bit expensive.
So. That was the must-have-seen program of this town. I visit the shrine nearby. Like always there are many stairs involved. After that a bus brings me to a station in the mountains. Because I habe no clue, I get of at the wrong place; at the valley station the first rope way. But here I learn that the second ropeway uphill is closed due to heavy wind. Looks like the summit is no option anymore. I decide to walk. It is a 2,5 miles walk. Who cares. I have plenty of time. I try to walk off road but it is impossible. I sink waste-deep into the snow.
At the upper station the wind really is strong and stiring up the powder like snow. I have to learn skiing. It is a 1,5 mile ride downhill and the weather is amazing. After a short break I start the way back.
Sainokawara Rotenburo (Foto: Lori Kusatsu, cc-Lizenz)
After I figured out where I am, I walk to Sainokawara-Rotenburo. It is a public onsen with a really big outdoor tub. And it is not located in a city but outside in nature. This place is awesome. (No cameras allowed inside, therefore a picture from a website.) The inflow is at the rear end of the pond. With 140°F the water is running down the stones. At my side the temperature is less boiling and more comfy (104°F). You can adjust the temperature by moving forth and back in the pond. The japanese know how to relax. It is snowing.
After the bath I walk back to the town center for some shopping. Dinner is at 6pm. Many tiny cups filled with delicious stuff. Wow, it is always plenty of food. The day ends in the rotenburo of the hotel. And like yesterday followed by a visit in the izakaya and another round in the onsen.
Japanese Breakfast at 8:30am; with ham and eggs. Maybe because I am a gaijin. The sake is served because of New Year. Check-out is scheduled for 11am. Plenty of time for onsen. I ask the hotel clerk to give me a little bit of money for my ride to Ueda and charge my credit card. The ATM are still offline. I will take care of all the fees. After a short discussion I get 10.000 yen. The last 400yen in my pocket are not even enough for the train to Ueda.
I also can store my stuff at the counter. That gives me 90 minutes to explore Bessho. At the temple are still running New Year celebrations. The main street is closed. Booths with food and other stuff. Matsuri (festival) feeling.
Kitamuki Kannon, Bessho Onsen
Kitamuki Kannon, Bessho Onsen
Anrakuji Pagode, Bessho Onsen
Jorakuji, Bessho Onsen
Bessho Onsen
Next stop is the octagonal pagoda with a Kannon; the Kannon can not be seen. And the rest of the temple is more or less a construction site. Further to the O-yu, a public bath. Don’t expect too much. It is more or less a bath room, not a spa. But it is relaxing. After that I do a brief stop at a cafe. The owner roasts his own coffee blends. A little bit expensive, but for sure unique. At 2pm I pick up my stuff and thank all the people there many times for all the help.
Back in Ueda I have some time to visit the remains of the castle. There is not much to see. They rebuilt a part of the gate, the wall and the corner towers. The old merchant street is not far away. It is a short street with 10 houses. Here is a bakery, that is run by a friend of the coffee shop owner. A good place for a short break.
Ueda Castle
Ueda
The shinkansen brings me to Take-something-town where I change into a local. 90 minutes later I arrive in a place called Naganoharakusatsuguchi. The bus to Kusatsu is already waiting. I like Japan. Connections are always working. Cool Snow. The display says 18°F. Then there is a street section with grooves. The tires are playing a song! But I cannot identify it.
The bus arrives in Kusatsu. It is snowing. The streets are white. Perfect. I walk to the hotel. I only now the basic direction. But I am confident. I walk down the street half a mile and ask in a conbini (convenient store). 50yards further I have to turn right. It is that simple. And there is a big sign at the junction too. I check-in; including the standard introduction into the onsen rules.
I walk into city center. A quiet walk thru tiny streets covered with snow. Yubate. The big onsen the town is famous for. 17°F. And it is still snowing. I wear a cap but no gloves. But I am „nordisch“ (nordic). The view is impressive (I expected smoething smaller). The smell is too. Waft of mist are floating over the onsen. Brimstone. I take pictures. This is what I wanted. That is what I was looking for. Cold weather, snow, hot springs, remote places at night.
Kiyoshigekan Rotenburo
Yubatake at Night
Yubatake, Kusatsu Onsen
Public Bath Shirohatanoyu, Kusatsu Onsen
Yubatake at Night
The next stop is a izakaya. My fingers and the autofocus of the camera are frozen stiff. Bulls eye. Good food, good sake and good company. The daughter of the owner was in Germany for a student exchange. She was in Bietigheim-Bissingen. Why there? In this one-horse town? I learn: It is the partner city of Kusatsu. And that there is a long tradition between these two palces.
At 11pm I return to the ryokan. There I enjoy the winter night. Sitting in a rotenburo. THe water is not that hot because of the temperature outside. I have some sake with me. It is snowing. I can explain how great this moment is. Sitting in a onsen, outside the house, while it is snowing. This is a lifestyle I could get used to.
