When I’m Not Blogging, I Possibly Visited … (Part Last)

 Matsumoto, Nagano Prefecture

 

Hidden treasures close by always leave me slapping my head thinking “Why haven’t I visited here before?” … but so do mosquitoes around a re-hab center.

 

Only a 3 hour drive from where I live; Matsumoto in my guide book is described as:

The city has a somewhat lazy, dishevelled feel to it, though the coming of the 1998 Winter Olympics will probably force the people to spruce things up a bit.

Hey! those “lonely planet” books are expensive!

 

 The city has a fascination with frogs for some reason.

 

 Matsumoto Castle is one of the Top 3 Castles in Japan. I’ve visited the other 2: Himeji and Kumamoto before.
I didn’t mean to, things just happen like that to me.

Built in 1504 and completed in 1614, it’s pretty old. It was scheduled for the scrap heap when the Meiji Restoration period was in full swing; but some locals thought that would suck, so the city bought it … and the rest is history … but so is the past.

Why was it called the “Meiji Restoration” when they went around wrecking and tearing old stuff down? Stupid Meiji Restoration!

 

 The castle somehow looks better in black and white.

I took this photo from one of the sniper windows, while slowly … ever so slowly … winding, shuffling, and climbing my way to the top of the castle, in my socks and everything!

Those are all the people who joined the line after I joined the line.

The castle looks like it has 5 floors, but there are really 6: one is secret. (you’re going to have to scroll back up to check this out, because I don’t have any more photos of it)

 

From what I saw Matsumoto looked like a very nice city, but with limited time before joining the final traffic jam of the trip there wasn’t time to explore anything else. I’ll definitely go back again.

 And that was the end of this year’s Golden Week adventure.

Another vacation packed away in a can along with all the other vacation memories in my head.

 

 

note: arriving home it was all the usually post-trip stuff: laundry, lawn mowing,  photos, milk purchases, and distributing the obligatory omiyage (souvenirs) to my neighbour and co-workers.

 

 

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When I’m Not Blogging, I Possibly Visited … (Part 5)

 The Toilet! 

“Your mission, Planetross, should you decide to accept it,
is . . . to go to Shikoku and see if anyone is really there at all.
 As always, should you or any member of your P.R.
Force be caught or killed, the secretary will disavow
any knowledge of your actions. This toilet will
auto-flush in five seconds.”
 

You know Shikoku … one of the 4 main islands of Japan. If Japan was a band, Shikoku would be the bass player.

I freely admit my knowledge of Shikoku is spotty.
I know that: it’s kind of roundy on the map, it’s connected to Honshu by 3 bridges, it has 88 temples that you can visit, if you’ve got loads of time … and really like temples … and I’m not talkin’ ’bout those Shirley type ones … or those ones on your head.

I asked my co-pilot “don’t put me on your blog … unless I’m distorted and yawning” what Shikoku had to offer. She said, “it’s kind of roundy on the map, it’s connected to Honshu by 3 bridges, and it has 88 temples“.

She said she used to work with  someone from Shikoku once and they were nice, but sometimes arrived at work 5 minutes late.

After that scary story, I rolled up my window and locked the doors.

 On arrival, I could tell these Shikokuites were going to be a sarcastic bunch. I liked them immediately.

They were a bit out of fashion though. But I could live with that because …

 they had giant bonsai trees  everywhere!!!!

With only one day to see anything, the decision was made to go to Takamatsu, Kagawa Prefecture.

 It was a tough decision about where to go first:
Ritsurin Koen (not in the top 3 parks to visit in Japan, but an edgy contender to nudge out the top 3 and my garden),
Yashimaji Temple (#84 of the 88 big ones), 
or
Shikokumura (old building from around Shikoku).

We went Ritsurin Park first because it was nearest … and the other 2 attractions were close together about 5 km away … and we didn’t really care about them that much other than day fillers.

Ritsurin Park was great: giant bonsai everywhere, little bridges conveniently located in areas between land, and even ice cream vendors!

Next stop was the Temple which was pretty good to wander around. All I remember about it was a surviving apple/cherry tree planted by some monk about 800 years ago. He wrote, “If someone asks ‘What tree is this?”, tell them ‘It is my tree.‘” … selfish bastard. 

After that I said stuff like:
“If someone asks whose van is this? Tell them it is Ross’ van.“
and
” If someone asks whose gum this is? Tell them it is Ross’ gum.“
and
“If someone asks whose smell this is? Tell them it is the dog’s smell.“

 

The sleeper attraction was definitely “Shikokumura”.

It started with a cool bridge.

And then went on to produce a sugarcane farm building, a No theatre, old farmhouses, a very old soy sauce factory, ….

old fishing equipment stuff for catching octopuses … or octopi if you are being anal, and even a lighthouse which supposedly was erased from all Japanese maps during WWII because it was very important. I didn’t take a photo of it …  because why break tradition.

During the evening I visited the longest covered shopping arcade in Japan; visited a nice bar/restaurant which had great seafood, but pretty crappy chicken, and  saw this little “Butaman” (pork dumpling shop) which reminded me of Peter Gabriel’s  “Steam“.

The next morning, it was back on the road with only one more stop before back home for rest … and an end to this serialized series.

I’d like to say that I was at highspeeds when I snapped this big rig’s doll collection, but I think my mirror gives me away.

Another traffic jam!

Finally there was the bridge off of Shikoku … and a big Ferris Wheel!

Overall this one day trip to Shikoku was just a teaser. If I’m still blogging next year this time … or this year next time,  it will probably be about a return visit to Japan’s secret island and all the amazing stuff that is … Shikoku!

 

note: the last installment of this series is last … and next!   … and then it will be back to little short small tiny quick fast speedy stuff … hopefully.

double note: little short small tiny quick fast speedy stuff actually takes more thinking than these big long tall lothargic gigantic loquatious lengthy big things.

 

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When I’m Not Blogging, I Possibly Visited … (Part 4)

Iwakuni, Yamaguchi Prefecture

 

About an hour away from Hiroshima is a bridge.

Sure there are a lot famous bridges in the world: the Golden Gate one, the Sydney Harbour one, the Bridge on the River Kwai one, the Charles one, the skinny one in Amsterdam, the London one … but I think that one is falling down, the one that is Too Far, …

I wouldn’t go out of my way to see a bridge usually, but I’d seen this one before earlier previously and thought it was worth going a little out of my way … even though I really wasn’t heading in any direction or way anyway.

The parking lot is the river bed or former river bed.

 I’ve never seen chalked out handicap parking before, but someone was on the ball with this idea. I think the person who limed out the symbols here should be doing the fields at the world cup: I can spot talent sometimes.

 The Kintai Bridge was originally built across the Nishiki river in 1673. In 1950 it was destroyed by a typhoon. It was rebuilt shortly after and is a recreation of the original. It was renovated again 2004. 

I guess they rebuilt it the same way for cultural or sentimental reasons. All it really does is connect the tourist traps on one side of the river with the tourist traps on the other side of the river.

You have to pay to walk over it too!  Both ways!! … and they check carefully too and punch your tickets!!!

There are 2 other bridges about 100 meters away from this one that you can drive or walk over for free  … but this one seems to be the most popular of the bunch.
Maybe in 300 years, people will have to pay to use those other bridges and they will look really cool too. I can’t wait!

 I guess the river either gets high at some times of the year or the builders had pretty high expectations for the river.

There is a rebuilt castle at the top of a hill with a convenient cable car running up to it.  … or maybe the cable car was built first and then someone realized that the cable car business was slow because there was nothing to go and see.
I don’t know. When I start thinking of these “chicken versus the egg” type scenarios my mind gets all wigglely and I smell smoke.

 There is a place where you can see white snakes which is pretty cool; some places to eat lunch which are very convenient if you arrive when you’re hungry; and there are even places where you can buy souvenirs and food products for other people who might be wanting a key chain or may be hungry when you see them back at home or work.

 I think this person wore a kimono for a photo opportunity … because she knew there were no plywood things that you can stick your head through.

 I don’t know how the bridge got into this photo! I was just taking a picture of my van … looking very vanly … honest.

After walking across the bridge … twice, riding the cable car, visiting the castle, eating an ice cream, having lunch, seeing the white snakes, and buying food products for possibly hungry people back at home and work; it was back on the road to ????

 

note:

 

I’m leaving you with a cliffhanger because I like cliffs and hangers … and together they are just so exciting!

But … I did cross this bridge later in the day. I can’t remember what time of day it was though, but possible I was looking West.

 

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Mom Is Going To Be Really Mad At Us!

 

I bet if everyone in the world jumped up and down at the same time, that would wreck the Earth in minutes.

… or does that only work with beds.

 

note: 6.5 billion people pillow fighting would involve … who knows how many pillows!!!

double note: the Earth seems to be going in a milky direction … or way at the moment.

triple note: If the Earth’s gravity was halved instantly, I bet obese people would be having the last laugh … and Sumo wrestling would be the most popular sport.

quadruple note: on planetross less gravity makes people lighthearted.

quintuple note: If the Earth’s gravity was halved instantly, beef would still be on the menu … but I think chickens would just fly away.

 

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When I’m Not Blogging, I Possibly Visited … (Part 3)

Hiroshima, Hiroshima Prefecture

For most Japanese the first thing mentioned about a trip to Hiroshima is ….

okonomiyaki!

Japanese pancake/pizza/serious wodge/gut filler/yummy!

 

 Cooked on a grill and eaten with a metal spatula, okonomiyaki is pure comfort food.

calorie note: “wodge” as defined by planetross: a pasta, potato and lard sandwich.

The next things Japanese people think about Hiroshima are: the Hiroshima Carp baseball team, Momiji Manju snacks, the Miyajima shrine, possibly a tv drama that was shot in Hiroshima … and then just before they have to take off their socks and shoes and start counting out things on their toes, they say “Gen-baku Dome“  Peace Memorial and the A-Bomb Museum.

 

 It’s something from the history books … and most people come and expect to be solemn and miserable, but it’s hard to do in a vibrant city like Hiroshima.

There are many paper origami cranes on display as a memorial to Sadako Sasaki in the park outside the museum.

 

At the far end of the Peace Park there is the A-bomb dome or Gen-baku dome as it’s called in Japan. One of the few building to not be completely obliterated near ground zero on August 6th, 1945.

Here is the dome in better times.

 

There is a “peace flame” and memorial in this large park. The museum is behind anyone who takes this photo.

It’s only about 50 cents U.S. to go in to the museum. It’s interesting, informative, sad, horrible, depressing, and a great reminder  that life is very fragile.

 …  whether young or old; innocent or guilty, life is very precious and needs to be enjoyed every moment.

I’ve visited the museum a few times, but this stopped watch and these words say it all.

_____________________________________________________________

 

After being bummed out in the morning, I was back to being stupid and off to Itsukushima Island and the Miyajima Shrine. A tram and a ferry ride brought me there.

I can’t resist a “dead end” sign.

Arriving at low tide kind of sucked for taking pictures. I was very concerned about taking a photo of the bulldozer while the floating torii gate was in the background, but it was not to be.

There was someone under the shrine digging out excess sand and shooting it out to the bulldozer driver who unloaded it and then scooped, scraped and relocated it to another area. I imagine the guy under the shrine must have been a college student.

Then I was concerned about taking a stupid photo of the floating torii gate on my head.

Then I pretended vandalism.

Then there were monkeys. It can’t get any better than monkeys!!! … can it???

Then I wished I had this on a t-shirt.

Then there was a photo opportunity.    Hey! I call them as I see them!

Then I wanted this sign as a bumpersticker on my van.

 

Then the tide was really out at the shrine and I touched it  … and everything.

 

After that it was back on the ferry and tram, a big okonomiyaki feed and a few beer … and then off to the next destinaton.

 

note: I may just put on a silly short stupid entry tomorrow … as obviously I don’t have essence … because time is of that stuff … and I don’t have much of that possibly … tomorrow.

 

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When I’m Not Blogging, I Possibly Visited … (Part 2)

 Hotel breakfasts in Japan range from simple to extravagant.
This one was pretty good; I had to cook that white fish … by myself! I thought I should’ve gotten a discount for that one.

A few types of fish; assorted Japanese pickles and mushroomy things, an orange wedge, a blob of egg, and a blob of tofu floating in some grass or algae or something. They had all you can eat rice and miso soup too … which I did … except it was more like all you can drink for the miso soup part.

If it looks like a big breakfast, it’s because there are 2 of them: someone sat across from me and watched me eat both.

Most of the rest of the rest of the places I stayed at either didn’t offer breakfast or had a “help yourself” to coffee, juice, bread, and rice type deal going on. I would have said all of the rest of the rest of the places had this “help yourself” style, but one didn’t … so I can’t.

Fueled up and ready to roll, I was off to the next destination:

Tōjinbō 東尋坊 , Fukui Prefecture

Wikipedia describes it as: “a series of surreal, eerie basaltic cliffs“.

I think the person who wrote that must have really liked them a lot and had a bigger vocabulary than me.

It was hard to get the “eerie” feeling with 1,000 other people standing all over the place. You just can’t see them in my photos because … I’m really good I guess. I bet I could take pictures at the Olympics and you wouldn’t even know there were any people there … or that the photos were of the Olympics either!

 

If I had to write this one up in Wikipedia, I’d say “It was pretty cool in a day trip sort of way and it didn’t suck”.

Tōjinbō is also a well-known place to commit suicide. According to statistics, as many as 25 people suicide off the cliffs annually. Recently, a retired police officer, Yukio Shige, began patrolling the cliffs and has so far convinced 129 people to not jump and seek help; he keeps in touch with every one of them to this day. (from Wiki)

See! I can be informative sometimes. So stay away from this place at night … unless you want some old cop talking to you and phoning you all the time afterwards.

I spotted a Harajuku girl wobbling and teetering over the rocks. I guess sometimes Harajuku Girls  do travel.
You can take the Girl out of Harajuku, but you can’t take the Harajuku out of the Girl … I guess.

There were a lot of tourist shops selling seafood on sticks, possible art pieces made out of shells, and those toys that look like a ferret’s wrestling with a ball.

 This tombstone/lantern/giant elephant planter shop was a bit slow on the day I was there.

 There was ice cream for sale too. I notice this dropped cone in the parking lot and wondered why the nearby crows weren’t fighting over it. Then I noticed a hawk/kite/thing that crows are scared of thing circling in the sky.

That bird was pretty fast: I was almost tempted to buy an ice cream cone and drop it in the parking lot so I could get a better picture of it. (the bird not the ice cream cone)

The crows swarmed in afterwards for the ice cream spoils. I tucked my spoon back in my pocket.

 

And then I was off to the next destination which was an 8 hour drive like a madman away.

I passed by Obama even, but didn’t have time to stop in and say hello.

 

note: I ate a bunch of clams on a stick while observing the rocks. The clam on a stick seller said my Japanese was really good … until I said I’d lived here for 9 years. Then she kind of just wandered off and pretended to look like she was doing something important.

 

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When I’m Not Blogging, I Possibly Visited … (Part 1)

It was a hard 7 day week of travel: most of the places I visited were 5 or 6 traffic jams away from each other.
Sure Japan looks small on a map, but when you are here it’s a lot bigger.

Like any good trip in my van, it started with a trip to the hardware store for cheap oil to replace the other cheap oil I burn off while driving at highspeeds of up to 75 mph/120 km per hour … sometimes in only 50 or so minutes.

Two hours in to the voyage the van suffered a flat tire … conveniently in a “Road Side Service Area” with a gas station that had a hydraulic jack I could borrow: my jack wasn’t worth … jack.

midnote: this bike is not my van, but I feel it’s pain.

midnote note: this car isn’t my van either.

 

After that it was smooth sailing on 3 winter and 1 summer tire for the rest of the trip: the van was unseasonably well equipped I guess.

 

First Stop: Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture.

 

I was there at the same time last year. I stayed at the same hotel and they even remembered me … probably because I was wearing the exact same clothes as last year … sadly  … or maybe because they could finally collect the money I owed from the mini-bar bill left unpaid.

another midnote: I don’t usually go to mini-bars … they are small and cramped.

another midnote note: I didn’t really have an unpaid mini-bar bill. I just like the idea of hanging out in a mini-bar.

Known for one of the 3 best gardens in Japan (excluding mine), Kenrokuen  is pretty cool.

 

The garden looked exactly the same as last year … maybe because I was there on the same day as last year.

Same staff: I never forget a hat.

NO! You are not doing it right! Once more from the top!

That’s better!

The fashion police eventually arrested this woman.

 

I revisited the  21st Century Museum  too. Last year there was the amazing Ron Mueck‘s work on display.

 

This isn’t Ron Mueck’s stuff; it’s something else.
I’m not sure what it is, but it looked like the artist was still working on it.

 

This is a close up of one section. If you look really closely, it kind of looks like the inside of my head or junk or both or none. It must be the work of a foreign artist because Japan has different electrical plugs.

And that was about it for Kanazawa this year. I had schedules and deadlines to not meet, but try for anyway.

last midnote: I’ll tell you what happens next … next.

last midnote note: oh yeah! There is a castle in Kanazawa as well.

 

note: I saw the same great roots  as last year at Kenrokuen Garden … and took another picture of them. I am very predictable when I visit places more than once at the same time … … … … of year.

double note: if you don’t know about my love affair with roots, it’s all revealed here.

 

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Cars In Japan

 

Cars in Japan are seriously getting smaller.

 

note: the women are getting taller and thinner too!

 

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Selfish

 

Selfish people never let me get my way!

They should think about “me” once in while … all the time.

… not their “me” …  my “me”.

 

 

note: hey! not everyone can have the last piece of pizza!

double note: I’m very unshellfish … you won’t find me on any seafood restaurant menu.

triple note: i sell fish … I don’t give anything away for free.

quadruple note: Selfish people get stale quickly; they have a very short “self life“.

 

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Out Of Sight, Out Of My Mind

 

Nice day,  innit?

Tammy  over at The Tessarae  wondered if I missed anyone while I was off on vacation.

“Missed” is a pretty strong word, … so is “strong” or “blue cheese“.

Did I think of any of you at all a little bit even fleetingly on my excursion? No, not a bit.

I didn’t think of S. Le  over at I Feel Unusual  at all … which is unusual.

 

 I definitely didn’t think of S. Le‘s witty line to Cynical Scribble  about “alcologic“.

 Tammy   never passed through my mind at all while taking this shot of flowers by a strange bridge thingey.

 

 

 Tacky Raccoons   was the furthest thing from my thoughts, although I thought about his cousin the Drunk Tanuki a little.

 

 Epicurienne   didn’t cross my mind or palate.

 

Bonnie Luria   never crossed my palette or my mind.

 

 sweetiegirlz   and her old buildings never entered my head once.

 

 

 w1kkp  and her photos of normal from a different angle didn’t enter my head once with this shot looking up into the sky over ground zero in Hiroshima.

I must have had amnesia about Buck Frain  while snapping this shot of an art poster outside of … someplace … somewhere.

 

 razzbuffnik   never floated through my head while taking this shot of the floating torii at Miyajima. It only floats when the tide’s in though I guess.

 

 Dennis the Vizsla  never entered the doggie door in my head while I snapped this one.

 Turkish Prawn  and Prairie Flounder  were completely absent while looking at the seriously old guns from the 1500′s tucked away inside Matsumoto Castle.

 

I really didn’t think of Doraz  while extremely happy and warm and fuzzy.

 

I didn’t even remember Hot Lard  while taking this one … which is very difficult to do … because they are just rude.

 

I did think about Jim’s Muse  though.

… and Tony  was always a little out of my mind … but I’ve deleted those photos.

I usually just thought about myself the whole entire time.

 

note: I “heart” all of you  in my blogroll … in a manly non-physical way.

 

double note: I’ve missed out a lot of people on the blogroll. I thought of you constantly, but didn’t take any photos … of  skittles, very strangely organized stuff, funny wordplays, penguins, etc … . (sad face)

triple note: I’m sorry if I haven’t caught up on all your blogs, I will shortly (smiley face)

quadruple note: if I’ve offended anyone by not mentioning them, I haven’t meant to.

 

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