Undokai

The first week back to school was spent practicing for the Undokai, or sports festival. Every school here has one of these. The elementary schools had theirs much earlier, but the junior high schools have them at the beginning of the second semester.

Practicing for the sports festival involved wearing a lot of sunscreen and spending time out in the hot sun watching kids run around and do things that American kids their age would never do. I was asked to join in with the Suzume Odori, or sparrow dance with the second year students. It is a traditional dance that originated when the Samurai Date Masamune, who is from Iwadeyama (where I work), built his castle in Sendai and this dance was performed, or improvised, by his servants. It is performed with decorative fans, and the movements are reminiscent of a sparrow's movements. Everyone knows this dance at my school except for me, and I was only told that I should perform a couple days before the sports festival, so I think I was meant to make a fool of myself. However, before the actual Undokai on Saturday, I practiced in my room, watching the Suzume Odori on YouTube. I don't know how much it helped, but I got a few compliments afterwards.

I also competed in the relay race when the different sports teams competed against each other. I was asked to be on the teachers' team. Right before I raced, the English teacher told me that they were all insured in case they get hurt, but I was not, so not to get hurt. I agreed, and ran as fast as I could, but we still ended up in second place, with the baseball club in first :(

The coolest part of the sports festival was when the students made different shapes and structures with each other, and I captured an image of the final result of each of their attempts:

For this one, everyone had to do a handstand and their partner had to hold them up by their legs. These performances are all about what people can accomplish by working together (I am assuming)

For this one, a smaller kid is lifted up on someone's shoulders.

This tower is formed by one kid standing on two others' backs. The girls just stand on each others' legs.

And this is the pyramid, which was the most difficult one for them to do.

And for this one, they all sat down using each other to lean upon.

In other news, I have long fingernails now! :-)

温泉 (Onsen)

Onsen is the Japanese word for hot spring. In Japan, onsens were once used as places for public bathing. Now, they are popular spots for domestic tourism and often surrounded by a ryokan, or hotel/resort. There are many different types of onsen, including indoor and outdoor facilities. Onsens are located near volcanoes and the naturally hot spring water is used to fill large baths. It is said that the onsen water has medicinal properties and it is the popular belief that soaking in an onsen is a good way to heal aches, pains, and other things such as regulating blood pressure and improving the skin.

The ryokan that I am staying at, Fujishima Ryokan, is a resort for people who want to use the onsen as well as for permanent residents and short term residents. The onsen that the ryokan houses is an indoor one, with natural hot spring water.

Although the onsens are more popular during the winter, there have been many people around during the summer as well. It is especially busy during holidays and on weekends. The majority of the visitors are middle aged or elderly, but occasionally there are some young couples and groups that come in. I even saw a few foreigners from Australia one weekend. Many people who visit the onsen that I live at are locals from the Kawatabi and Naruko area who pop in regularly.

There are four onsens in Fujishima Ryokan: Two separate large ones for men and women and two separate small ones for men and women. The small ones are equipped with soap and shampoo and are slightly more expensive than the large ones. Both onsens have shower heads, buckets, and stools to sit on. You must shower before you get into the onsen and I usually shower afterwards as well, because the water doesn't always look so clean. However, I haven't been using the onsens lately because it is too hot.

Anyways, I was finally able to snap some shots of the onsens in the early mornings before they were occupied.
Large onsen

Large onsen

Large onsen

Onsen Etiquette

Large Onsen Locker room

Small Onsen

Small Onsen

Small Onsen Showers

Dead Sunflowers and Signs

Sanbongi, a town that is a short distance from me is famous for it's field of sunflowers. It is the second biggest field of sunflowers in all of Japan. There are 460,000 sunflowers every year from July to the end of August. I went to see these sunflowers a few days ago, but I was sad to find that the entire field of sunflowers had died already.


But on the bright side, I have finally discovered a fully functional gym that exists in the town of Furukawa (the main town in Osaki City, where I live). It isn't too far away and it is cheap, so I will definitely be going there often. I have been getting tired of exercising at home, so it will be a good change. Not only is it a gym, but it has what is pretty much a waterpark inside, complete with a lap pool, a hot tub, a pool with a large slide, and a sauna.




New Sushi restaurant that is opening soon: Hamazushi!

Japan has lots of large bugs, insects, and especially spiders. There are mountain flies near the onsen, and when they sting you, the affected skin swells up into a welt. I have been fortunate enough not to be stung by one so far.

Park Hyatt Tokyo: The Lost in Translation Experience

So we all know that Lost in Translation is my favorite movie of all time. And it was filmed on location in Japan, with most scenes centering around the Park Hyatt hotel that the two main characters stayed in. Well, while walking around in Shinjuku, I realized that I was in the same area that the film was set in and I looked up the Park Hyatt building and found that it is a huge, luxurious skyscraper that has a hotel inside it.

This is a view of the Park Hyatt Hotel from the Japanese Metropolitan Government building's observatory floor.

This is the Park Hyatt building upon my arrival.

The air in this hotel was a little more expensive to breathe than other hotels that I have been to.


This is the hotel's library.


This is a shot of the swimming pool that Charlotte and Bob visit during the movie. It is on the top of the skyscraper with a view of the city.

This is a restaurant that was filmed during the movie while Charlotte and Bob discussed leaving Tokyo.

And finally, I made it all the way to the top floor, where the New York Bar and Grill is located. A hostess stopped me at the elevator and I told her I was just looking. She explained that there was a dress code for this bar and grill and "half pants" and sandals were not allowed. She told me that I could look at the entrance. I walked over and asked if I could take a picture and she allowed me to. This bar was used many times throughout the movie when Bob and Charlotte could not sleep and they would end up talking in the bar.

Climbing Mt. Fuji

Mount Fuji, or Fuji-san, is Japan's tallest mountain. It is 3,776 meters high. It is one of Japan's Three Holy Mountains and is often used in art as an iconic symbol of Japan. It is an active volcano, but has not erupted in over 300 years.


Tyler and I met his friend Yuu in Tokyo at the bus stop. She was going with us to Fuji to climb the mountain, along with Tyler's friend Amanda, who was meeting us at Fuji.
Upon boarding the bus in Tokyo, I had no idea what I was getting myself into. However, I did know that after a week in Tokyo, I had little energy left and had not slept well enough to be climbing a mountain that was so tall.
From Tokyo, the bus ride took 2 and a half hours. It was beautifully scenic countryside with mountains all over the place. I kept looking at the mountains and wondering where Fuji was. I fell asleep and when I woke up I glanced out the window and saw this unbelievably beautiful and daunting mountain on the horizon. The tip of the mountain was surrounded in fog and it seemed to go up into the sky forever. I looked over at Tyler and pointed out the window. He looked back and laughed and we were both questioning our decision to attempt this climb.
At the base of the mountain, there was a station with supplies. Once I stepped out of the bus, I realized that the air was much cooler than it was in Tokyo. I changed into winter clothes next to the lockers and bought a headlamp because night was falling. We met up with Amanda and I bought some water and a Calorie Mate. There were many people preparing to climb the mountain and we decided to go ahead and get started. Night had fallen by the time we left the station. We turned on our headlamps and started up the mountain at about 7:30pm.

After climbing for a little while, we reached another station where we could rest. The first part was a steep incline on dirt and gravel and was pretty easy going. After the first station, it became increasingly more difficult to push your way upwards and keep your footing. We were having to rest for a short time at each station. By about the third station, I noticed that Tyler was not having the best time and that he was struggling with his heavy backpack. I asked him how heavy the backpack was and he handed it to me and my arm fell with the weight. Probably about 30 pounds or more. I offered to carry it for him but he would not have it. I told him that I wanted more of a challenge and strapped the backpack on and headed towards the next incline. I could tell that he was relieved that I had decided to carry the backpack. I really didn't notice the extra weight for a while.

But then it got steeper. The path was not so much a walking path as it was a climbing path and at times I had to use my hands to grasp the rocks and pull myself up. Some climbers had sticks and poles to balance themselves and help use upper and lower body strength to climb up. The higher up we climbed, the farther apart the rest stops were. I became thirsty and by the fourth or fifth stop I ran out of water. Luckily, Amanda brought tons of water with her that I was able to drink, or I would have had to buy the water from the stops which were priced at about $4 a bottle.

The farther up we got, the fog began to get thicker and thicker. The air was harder to breathe and when I was out of breath at the top of a climb, it took much longer for me to get my breathing back to normal.

Even standing still, I felt my heart beating extremely fast. Tyler and Yuu were straggling behind at this point. Amanda said she had been training for this climb for some time now, and we were maintaining the same pace. After we had been climbing for about 2 hours, we tried to rest for a while at one of the rest stops, knowing that if we went any higher, it would be too cold to sleep outside. We curled up on the ground and I set my phone's alarm for one hour. Winds picked up and the cold set in once we had stopped climbing, so we couldn't rest as long as we had hoped. We got up and trudged on. It felt good to exert ourselves again, because we were able to heat ourselves up.
After hours of climbing my feet were numb, my nose running, my face, eyes, ears, and hair were covered in dirt and sand that the wind had blown. It was much colder and the path had become treacherous with rock faces that required every ounce of energy to pull yourself up. It was definitely below freezing at this point. The stations became so far apart that sometimes you couldn't even see them when you looked up. Everytime I thought I saw the top of the mountain, I realized that it was just another rest stop. The top of the mountain seemed impossible to reach. My legs were tired, I was sleepy, I was starting to feel delirious from lack of sleep and probably oxygen. Still, I was reaching the stops before the others and hoping that they would make it to the next one. I was still carrying Tyler's backpack and the extra weight had become such a burden to bear. If you can imagine Frodo and Sam climbing Mount Doom in The Lord of the Rings, you have some idea of how ridiculously difficult it was and how tired and exhausted I felt. After many hours of climbing, we reached the last stop before you reached the top. After this stop, I hoped to reach the top of the mountain soon. But it was not the case. This last stretch seemed to have no end. There were hordes of people trying to reach the top of the mountain before dawn broke. I climbed through and past people and climbed rocks and pulled myself up. I couldn't feel my feet and my balance was off, but I used my hands to support myself. I heard someone behind me gasp and turned to find Amanda had fallen. I reached down to help her back up. She was fine, only a scuffed knee. We were together for a while, not knowing if Tyler and Yuu were still coming. After a while we heard someone say that the sun would rise in thirty minutes and we still could not see the top of the mountain. We passed a gate that gave us false hope, but the climb continued. There was no rest. So many people that you couldn't stop. At times, I had to lean on a rock to keep my legs from collapsing. At this point I decided that I had climbed this far to make it before dawn and I would make it to the top no matter what. I slipped between people and climbed on the outskirts of the trails. I looked back to see if Amanda was still behind me, but she had fallen back. I trudged on until there was another gate and some steep stairs.

After climbing to the top I finally reached the summit of the mountain. There were so many people that I forced myself into the pack and was pushed towards the center. I stepped away from them and stood on a wooden platform to await the sunrise. The air was so cold up here that my North Face jacket was not enough to keep me warm. I looked at the time and it was about 4:30am. I had been climbing for 9 hours. Amanda found me shortly after and we waited together.

The sun came up, but the fog prevented us from seeing it properly. Every now and then, the wind would blow away the fog and the sun would peek through. Everyone on top of the mountain would gasp and run towards the edge to try and get a picture. I wasn't able to get a picture of the sun from the top, but it was a beautiful sight.


Me after reaching the top of the mountain.

Tyler, after finally making it to the summit of the mountain.
We started back down the mountain soon after we had reached the top because it was so cold that we couldn't handle it. We were all shaking uncontrollably.
Some of the most beautiful views were on the way down from the mountain, seeing the sun shining and being at eye level with the clouds.



The way down was not the same trail as the way up. There was a steep, decline trail that zig zagged back and forth with loose gravel and dirt that was hard to keep your balance on. It was easiest to step sideways like you were doing the electric slide.





The further down we went, the higher the sun rose and the warmer it got. The climb down was quicker than the climb up, but still tiring and dangerous. I only fell once going down. We stopped several times to rest.



Overall, it took 15 hours to finish my climb of Mt. Fuji. By the time I reached the station at the bottom, I was so dehydrated, tired, and delirious that I just wanted to be on a train home. It wasn't that easy, however, and I ended up having to take two buses and three shinkansens back to where I live, where Nicole and Will picked me up. I have never been so tired and dirty in my entire life, but I am glad that I was able to climb Mt. Fuji. It was definitely an experience I will never forget, and never repeat.