Long Term Backpacking – Maintaining Motivation

What do you want from me? Stop it. I am tired of having to report to you like some exchange student away from home. Maybe I just want to get lost in Japan. I feel guilty for not posting more on a blog, but ironically you have all the time in the world but some things feel like a bother. This is a turn off for a reader I imagine. I think its more descriptive; however, of the reality of traveling in a foreign country for a long period of time. There comes a certain point where enough is enough. Why am I doing this?

Let me start off with saying that wherever you last think I was I have ended up on the island of Shikoku. Are you tired of hearing these words: It is amazing.

This is one of the bridges I biked across on my journey of island hopping.

Shikoku is the hidden gem of Japan. Within the shadow of a week I have biked 50 kilometers across bridges leaping from island to island in the middle of the ocean. I have hiked to the top of two mountains where Indiana Jones style shrines are tucked away in mystical fashion. I’ve visited an island with wild deer and watched the sunset from a deserted beach. I have gone to the oldest onsen in Shikoku, reminiscent of Spirited Away’s bathhouse. I have met some very interesting people and spent several days wandering the coastline with two of them.

Yet it’s hard to write about. I think its hard to write about because no words or pictures can describe the emotional, visual and cultural experience that I am having. Wherever I go the work of God greets me. It speaks to me in words I can only feel but cannot hear.

Matsuyama Castle. I’ve now visited 7 castles in Japan. This is my favorite so far.

I’ve turned a corner on the trip. I’ve officially moved from being a tourist, keen on seeing the sights, to a journeyman – looking for every day examples of life and experiences within the country itself. You can only look at so many shrines, and visit so many castles. You can see museums, parks, and special attractions. Now I look more for the events that will put me in touch with everyday life. I find it most interesting. How long can I keep this up? Actually, how long can I afford to keep it up. I am enjoying the traveling and seeing the different people, food and cultures throughout Japan but I also look forward to settling down in Tokyo for a long stretch to just live day by day.

For every journey however it definitely has its ups and down. Ironically I feel like I can go from one to the other in the matter of an hour several times a day. At moments you feel weary and your feet drag and within the hour something will change your demeanor compeletely. Usually it will be from noticing an amazing glimpse at life, an interaction between two people, are catching a sight that you wonder if anyone else noticed or would have seen the beauty.

Dogo Onsen in Matsuyama

Its been a real fitness buster for me as well. No I am not losing weight because I can’t stop eating the amazing food either, but my body was not ready for the ongoing trek of walking, hiking, climbing, biking and backpacking that has become my every day life. Tomorrow I will be dressing in my shirt and tie and strapping on a 50 pound backpack to trek through the streets of Kochi in order to go to church. This will be the smallest branch I’ve visited yet. I’m sure the people will freak. They will probably wonder if I am one of the brethren coming to speak to them. How can I complain though? Every where I look examples peer back at me of working hard. Elder folk are literally bent over at a ninety degree angle from farming. Office workers hustle to and from their fifteen hour work days. For them rejuvenation comes in the form of the Onsen, or bath house. It works wonders.

I saw these two guys come in separately, fall asleep, and this is the result.

My biggest piece of advice for anyone that is trying to backpack long distances or for extended periods of time is to weather the difficult times with some rest. Tomorrow is a new day. I’ve gone to bed several times on this journey wondering if I have what is needed to continue on. I feel completely different in the morning. New people, new places, and new examples of human interaction that inspire and bring a smile to your face.

Hostel or Hostile?

The door opens. Walking miles and miles every day usually puts me in a deep slumber, but this time the sound awakens me. Perhaps because the stranger is making more noise than the usual middle of the night arriver. I fumble around my body for my phone, its usually laying somewhere underneath me keeping me hooked in by osmosis. My eyes try to adjust to the hypnotic sexy illuminescent glow of the screen. 1:43. Judas priest, who is coming in at this time and making so much noise? My unknown roommate, one of eight, is fumbling around in the dark and waking up everyone in the process. “Choko.” Really, is that what he just said? Is that even Japanese? “Choko,” I can tell he is trying to whisper it but it comes out more like a hoarse exclamation. I’m fully awake now listening to some asian wandering around our room in pitch black trying to whisper a word I don’t understand. He stumbles. Maybe he falls. I’m not sure. If I am lucky he hit his head and knocked himself up. That’ll give us peace and quiet for a little while. Then my curtain opens. A faint shadow formed by the small amount of light in the room starts moving onto my bed. I can smell the reak of alcohol immediately. “Um, no,” is all I manage to get out. He falls out of my bed and onto the floor. “So sorry. Sorry.” He finds a way onto his feet and fumbles trying to get the blinds closed. For another 5 minutes I listen to him go from bunk to bunk. I’m not sure what he is looking for. I presume its his own bed. Eventually I hear him give up and sit on the floor whining like a puppy wanting to sleep with its master. Whimpering? Is this man really whimpering? Do I get up and help him find a corner to sleep in? Do I throw him my blanket and tell him to shutup. Do I drop an F bomb, the only word he would understand to show how annoying this is? My mind starts rolling these questions around in my head, thankfully causing me to fall asleep. Luckily when I awaken in the morning there is no trace of my midnight intruder.

Welcome to Hostile living, or Hostel living if you prefer. For the unadventurous type, the idea of backpacking around a country is most intimidating when pondering a sleeping situation. Where do you stay from place to place that doesn’t cost an arm and a leg? Where do I stay that will be safe? There are pros and cons of sleeping in Hostels, and I want to go over a few of them that I have experienced in my limited time as a hostel traveler.

SIDE NOTE: I’ve been in Fukuoka, an incredibly westernized city on the island of Kyushu. In fact Fukuoka is credited with being a city that led Japan in modernizing itself to be compatible with the rest of the world. It has certainly become the gateway to Asia, with such close proximity to China, the North China Sea, and the closest major city to Europe. Here in Fukuoka I stayed at Hana Hostel. The hostel is in the middle of a covered shopping street next to an Owl Cafe. Yes, this would be a cafe with dozens and dozens of owls sitting on perches that you take pictures of while ordering incredibly overpriced drinks and buying owl trinkets.

Price

The winner is undeniably Hostel in this situation. This is the major function and role a hostel serves. A hostel will cost between 1800 yen to 3000 yen / person. This is roughly $16 – $28 each night. You are not going to beat those prices in comparison with hotels, ryokans or any other accomodation save a free couch.

Accommodations

This is obviously where the hostel loses. The accommodation is going to be at best an extremely large cubicle or bunk bed. I had the rare fortune of finding the place in Aoshima that provided a very comfortable bed without having a bunkmate above or below me. However I sacrificed privacy for this one. Most are simliar to capsule hotels, with a little more room for you to sleep next to your backpack. Dark curtains are provided to slide in front of your bed to give yourself a shield that you pretend will keep you safe from the world. When you arrive you receive a set of sheets and pillow case to make your bed to protect you from the grungy bacteria that survived the bleaching and wash cycle of the comforter and pillow.

Location

Location, location, location. This is where I believe the hostel wins. Certainly major hotels are situated in places for tourists, but they are also situated in places where everything around them is going to be more expensive. One can find a hostel in almost any place and usually they are located to transportation services but in side streets, backstreets, or simply off to one side of the expensive parts of the city. If you want to see the city for more than the leaders want you to see, then a hostel will give you a more realistic look at it.

Amenities

Well it is what it is. Hostel loses. You share bathrooms, showers, and usually rent towels and laundry services. There is a shared dining area. What more can I say.

So we are at 2-2 which leads me to the last category and the most controversial one. It brings us full circle to my introduction. People.

People

In a hostel you are subject to becoming 12-48 hour roommates with people you’ve never met before. This has tremendous cons and pros at the same time. On one hand I have met the most interesting people, had the most interesting dining experiences, and really enjoyed the best times with Japanese, European and even South American visitors through hostels. Everyone has a story and it’s interesting to hear them. Its never as simple as I am on a vacation. People who stay in hostels are usually quirky, adventurous or on a mission of sorts. For example my Argentinian acquaintances, brother and sister, were in Kagoshima looking for the remains of their grandfather. He came from the small city and they had one clue (a stamp with the family name) to look for where he was buried. They were in town to track it down. One sad part of staying in hostels is the constant event of saying goodbye. You make friends and then you have to leave them.

The opposite side of this is that you have to deal with people that you don’t and probably would never want to live with. They smell, they are messy, intrusive, loud, or just plain rude. It grates on your nerves and you think to yourself never again. For example, a drunk chinese man trying to crawl into bed with you is not an example of fun hostel living.

So is it hostel or hostile living? Well, I guess that is what I signed up for. I can’t really side for one over the other, because at certain moments I feel completely different. As I reflect, however, I do know that whatever annoyances surface I would gladly endure for the opportunities I’ve had to meet interesting people and create some good memories. I only hope that I don’t have such a negative experience to cause me to swear it off for good.

As a side note: Yes that is me engaged in my favorite hobby in the feature photo, playing games. I found a group and about 20 of us got together and played games for about eight hours. I played four games I’ve never played including Dead of Winter, a game I own but have never played. But now I know how and it was excellent.

Don’t Rush the Land of the Rising Sun

Time simply doesn’t stop. I’ve learned this already in life; but I have to keep reminding myself how important it is to enjoy the moment. Moments are special, but they are just that. No matter how hard you try it is almost impossible to make a moment last. So enjoy it and don’t rush. The sun rises to its established time table and nothing we can do will change that. We hurry from one thing to the next, worried about what we are doing or if we are wasting time. How can we make certain events happen sooner? There is peace in allowing the world to flow around you. Easy to say when I’m not faced with any deadlines in the next few months, right?

I sat in Kagoshima, planning out the next phases of my trip with some friends. Each one was trying to figure out where to go, trying to make the most out of the time he or she had left. Klaus, my new Austrian acquaintance with whom I shared another exceptional bowl of Ramen, was actually leaving in two days and trying to make the most of every second. All of them hurriedly tried to reach the biggest and most well known cities they could find. I took a different approach. I looked at the map and went in the opposite direction of the largest groupings of people and ended up booking in Aoshima on the eastern coast of the island of Kyushu. It paid off.

Aoshima is a little town with quiet streets that meander toward sandy beaches. No signs, no commericalism, just quiet roads. My abode turned out to be beautiful. A house which has been decked out in traditional japanese decor. You can see the tatami mat floors, the shouji doors of rice paper and the beautiful simplicity.

Dropping off my baggage I went straight toward the main attraction I had read about in Aoshima. The Ogre’s Washboard. This is an incredible natural phenomenon where the ocean’s waves have eroded the lava rock into perfect lines of rock stretching out like a peninsula into the ocean. Depending on the tide you can wander out onto them from an island bridge looking at the pools of water with fish, crabs, and sea sponges. A few local fishermen had traversed to the outer extent, casting their lines into the deeper pools on the otherside. For someone who loves the ocean, nature, and science, it was a perfect moment to spend the afternoon.

The hostel owner, a hippie surfer, told me the sunrises are fantastic. I, however, found myself sleeping in a bit and then making my way by an old train to a rural city in the mountains to the south. Obi. I didn’t realize how synergetic my decisions were going to turn out to be. As you pull up into the train station you immediately recognize the difference in the homes sitting near the train stop. The half bamboo pipe style roofs set my realization off immediately. This town was not only old but it was traditionally a samurai village from centuries before. The Obi clan is oneof the more famous clans of samurai. Before long I walked streets and entered historic homes of samurai families and villagers before making my final stop at the Obi Castle. There is a simplistic beauty with the way they arranged their homes. My favorite part of the castle, however, were the training grounds above in a quiet grove of giant trees with a lime green moss as a forest floor.

My time in Aoshima was a quiet one. I did end up making one friend, a japanese student traveling the countryside. We spent the evening chatting and eating before I prepared to leave. Ironically I was going to forego seeing the sunrise for a few extra minutes of sleep, but it would have been a waste of that perfect moment. Too worried about sleep, too worried about time. Go enjoy the sunrise. I’ve attached links to the videos. Interesting to me is that most of the photos I take turn out to be fair depictions of the beauty of my surroundings, but no video or picture I am qualified to take comes even close to the grandeur of the sunrise on an island of rocks on the edge of the ocean.

https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=oXigfD4hHdc

火 is the kanji symbol for fire. This element is the overwhelming insignia for the last four or five days of my journey in Kyushu. From the pummeling smoke to a deep red sun, my experience has been one of heat, even in the midst of colder weather.

I made my way to Aso. Yes, this is pronounced exactly like the stereotypical phrase you have heard before from Japanese movies (Private Eyes with Knotts is a perfect example). Aso and other towns along with five mountain peaks sit in a giant caldera formed thousands of years ago by a collapsing volcano. As you enter the valley you are surrounded by perfectly straight mountain side, like a giant tub. It really was another natural marvel, but that is quickly trumped by the peaks standing near you with pummeling smoke shooting out of one.

Nakadake is the peak with an active crater. The crater started smoking in August of 2014 and it is currently under Level 2 warning for eruption. You cannot go within 1 km of the crater. So instead I hiked two of the closest peaks to get the closest I possibly could. Looking down into some of the extinct craters and realizing I was standing atop an old volcano was exciting. I imagine myself in a another time among a series of active events we call natural disasters, but they are cyclical and a part of what happens. I realized standing there that if this volcano erupts, I am dead. There is nothing I could really do. I’m sure the blast would send some type of wave of heat that would scorch me or send rocks shooting like bullets. I don’t know, I’m not a vulcan. Anyway, it was interesting for someone that has always been fascinated with geology.

I’m turning more and more Japanese. I fell asleep on the train on my way back from Obi for 45 minutes only to wake up immediately before my stop. This is exactly what my Japanese neighbors do everyday. It is interesting to watch. They will be nodding and falling over asleep, but they always seem to wake up and walk off the train the moment their stop comes. I won’t be applying for citizenship or anything but at least I am at peace enough with my place in Japan.

Flying South for the Winter

Its tough to leave the mild winter of Utah to Japan where it has been cloudy and cold at best. I decided to travel as far south as possible and make my way north in hopes that I’ll be able to take advantage of nicer weather. So I took off for Kamigochi. It would require me to travel all day by bullet train. https://m.youtube.com/watch?v=UKlUcPsimcE Traveling the Shinkansen across over half of the country is a surreal experience in comparison to the methods we use in the United States. In the matter of four or five hours you pass by millions and millions of lives playing themselves out on a small island in the ocean. Granted Japan is not a small island as islands go, but as a modern and powerful country it is small. Despite the millions of people, however, the country maintains its beauty. Forested hills and mountains poke out of every urban settlement and in the distance the larger mountains are a shadowy reminder of the volcanic heritage. The Shinkansen travels at such amazing speeds, that you barely have time to process the images passing by you. I enjoy traveling. Whether it is in the subway, the train, the shinkansen or plane, a mysterious wonder controls my emotions. Perhaps it is the simple break from the normal life that I’ve grown accustomed to for the whole of my life. Maybe I’m just restless, but the feeling is real. I feel like I could just travel the world over and over again, watching and thinking about what I see. Its a sensory overload for me. My mind doesn’t necessarily become clearer, but I understand and appreciate more about life. The Shinkansen’s interior is nicer than an airplane by a long shot. Seats go back a reasonable distance. Everything is immacutely clean, no surprise. The ride itself is very smooth. Perhaps my personal favorite part of a Shinkansen is its the perfect opportunity to purchase and eat a Bento box. The Bento is as Japanese as Mt. Fuji. A beautifully constructed box with perfectly sized compartments for each element of the meal. The food is surprisingly delicious. I am unaware of how long the food is actually in the Bento before it is sold, but it is a nicely packaged product with good flavor. Its just fun to eat. You feel like a kid with a fun school lunch to show off and eat. Kagoshima is a port city on the bay of the South China Sea. Directly across from the coast (15 minute ferry ride) is one of use the most active volcanoes in the world. So far I’ve had several incredible experiences around Kagoshima. First of all, I traveled to the nearby southern tip of Kyushu to Ibusuki and experienced a hot sand bath. The volcanic thermal energy heats the sand. The Japanese believe it has incredible health benefits to bury yourself in the sand for about fifteen minutes on a routine basis. It opens up all the pores and what not. It was awesome. After the sand bath, I soaked in an onsen for another 20 minutes. I haven’t felt so relaxed and comfortable. I also have to say that the bowl of Ramen I had was incredible. The city is famous for a black pork they raise and use in their cuisine. It was excellent as a part of this ramen. I believe I have to go for a second bowl before I leave the area. The volcano is surreal. I’ve seen the smoke coming from the top of the Popocateptl in Mexico City, but I really never ventured very close to it. I actually stood at the base of this volcanic mountain. I realize I’m going to be all around volcanos in my tour of Japan, but to see it in the skyline, draw close to it by ferry and then wonder if the thing erupted, what would I do? The volcano erupted in January, spreading ash across the city of Kagoshima.

8 realizations I remembered after returning to Tokyo

Top 8 Perceptions about Tokyo that I remembered after 72 hours

1. Everything is better in Japan. Japan doesn’t have everything. What they do have, however, they have made better. There is incredible thought given to every detail making everything japanese, just a little bit better than its counterpart. From food to waiting in line, everything makes more sense or is better quality. I abhor McDonalds in the United States, but in Japan it tastes rich, fresh and not incredibly greasy and rubbery. Supermarkets sell little cups of Vanilla Ice Cream that is rich enough to make me choose it over a Dairy Queen Blizzard and I grew up on those babies. Waiting in line is a process everyone understands and consequently there is no grouping, butting, or blocking. Escalators have express lanes. If you are going to stand there, you move to the left. People wanting to move quicker pass on the right. Pens, paper, zippers, clothes… it all seems innovated.

2. This is a little bit of a repeat of number one but Japanese food is fantastic and underrated. You don’t see many Japanese joints in the United States, except for sushi bars. However, there is so much more to japanese cuisine than sushi. Ramen, yakiniku, yakitori, tempura, bento boxes, breads, waffles, onoyamiyaki. I love it and I can be a picky eater. I had squid the other night. I usually hate that type of seafood because it can be rubbery and tasteless, but the Japanese do it well. I could live off the convenient store food. They have corndogs to die for. I guess Iron Chef did copy itself off of Japan so in the foodie world they are well aware of Japanese cuisine, but for the regular Joe I promise you the food is worth eating.

3. Tokyo is one of the biggest cities in the world with millions of people everywhere, all the time, but it continues to be one of the cleanest places I’ve ever been. Everything is clean, from the metro station to the backstreets. Parks, roadsides, train tracks… there is little garbage around. I don’t know if there are mystical garbage sprites that come out and wisp away the trash but the city is clean. I’ve walked many parts of the city and I have yet to find a place that felt or looked dirty.

4. The Japanese people have an incredible work ethic. They are tireless workers that take their jobs very seriously. They provide the best customer service no matter the position they hold. It is an expectation to do this for each other. It would be considered horribly rude not to provide A+ service.

5. As you travel the city of Tokyo, there is a distinct feeling the entire machine is going to break someday. Everything runs too perfectly. Everyone puts in ridiculous hours. Riding the train in Tokyo is riding a train with a load of corpses. Everyone is always falling asleep all around you. The only thing keeping anyone awake are their phones. I wonder if the demand and stress of performing in the workplace is going to lead to a system wide shutdown. I had this eerie daydream that the city would suddenly revolt into a revolution comparitive to the French. Blood would run in the streets as they all begin chopping each other up. Japanese anime is very violent and can also be very dark in many circumstances, but yet there is such a lack of violence and hostility that you wonder why these ideas are integrated into their entertainment.

6. Aesthetic is important. The Japanese value the importance of beauty, reflection, and nature. There is natural quality in making something look its very best. This starts in the design process and is carried out in its execution. Buildings are designed creatively and with the aim to please. Gardens and grounds surrounding buildings are important to upkeep. Furthermore there is abundant access to nature throughout one of the most populated places in the world. Parks and trees are in the hands of continual gardeners. A single tree in a large park will be roped off as men work on it as if protecting a member of a royal family.

7. This is going to come across racist, but it is actually the opposite. I see the same faces in Japanese people that I do in America. I’ve looked at hundreds of faces of Japanese people this week. Naively before visiting Japan I would have made the ignorant statement that they all look the same, but the irony is that the ‘sameness’ can be applied to the similarity between American faces and Japanese faces. I start recognizing facial structures and features of people I know in America, just with the base Japanese settings. It is very interesting to realize and notice.

8. Last but certainly not least in my mind… Anime and manga are king. Anime is an integral piece of Japanese culture. Not only for diehard anime fans, but it has spilled over into the eclectic dress and style of most young people in Japan. When I say young I refer to 40 and younger. Advertisements, shows, packaging, and instructions are produced anime style to appeal to everyone.