Jigoku Meguri

Today we went on the “Hell” Tour in Beppu. The “Hell” Tour is so called because there are nine hot springs in Beppu that consist of boiling mud. I listed the info about the 2300+ hot springs in Beppu yesterday but apparently touring the plain vanilla hot springs is not a big tourist attraction. Of course some of them are located in people’s private homes so it is not as though you could get to them. If you had a hot spring at your house would you invite a slew of tourists in? I am guessing not.

Anyway the “Hell” Tour (or Jigoku Meguri) is a big tourist attraction in Beppu which is otherwise a bit out of the way. The word “jigoku” takes its meaning, “burning hell” from the ancient Buddhist sutras. Writer and Buddhist priest Kon Toukou, winner of the Naoki Award (the what?) in 1957, said, “Human beings need to experience hell in this life at least once, to empty themselves of their superfluous accumulations, to reflect on their past conduct, and to contemplate the path ahead. For this important purpose, I highly recommend a visit to Beppu, to witness the many aspects of hell. Only those who have been through hell and lived to recount the experience, are worthy to be called real human beings.” To which my rude American response is, “Dude, it is just some bubbling, steaming mud. Get real. You want to experience hell? Try 12 hours in an airplane. Imagine not being able to get off for all eternity.” Still the “Hell” Tour was pretty cool. It doesn’t hurt that the jigoku are located in picturesque surroundings (see photos). Beppu itself is a beautiful city along the shoreline surrounded by green, tree covered mountains. The jigoku themselves are located in lovely gardens.

Following the jigoku meguri we took the bullet train to Kyoto. This was coming full circle for Nancy and me as we had previously taken the bullet train from Kyoto to Hakata and now we took the train from Hakata to Kyoto. Gotta say I love the bullet train. Hope I live to see the completion of the one us much maligned California voters approved. Aside from the fact that I would be going to (ugh) LA I would rather do it at 150 miles per hour on a train while working on my laptop and being served snacks by a cute young Japanese woman (well in California she would probably be a cute young Hispanic woman but I am not fussy when it comes to cute young women) rather than behind the wheel of a car.

Point of fact I can’t wait to get behind the wheel of a car again. Or get a decent California Zinfandel (note to California wineries: the French and Australians have cornered the Japanese market, opportunity knocks). Or hear some good old American rock ‘n’ roll. Much as I have enjoyed (and continue to enjoy) this trip I am ready to return home. Rag tag bunch that you may be we miss all of you. See you soon.

Photos: (Copy and paste if link won't work.)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23858&id=1680191390&l=4224b1d469

Kumamoto Castle

No blog today but here are some photos of Kumamoto Castle. It was used as a setting for the Tom Cruise movie The Last Samurai. Fortunately I am better looking than Tom Cruise so the photos look great. (Delusional in Japan?)

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23809&id=1680191390&l=19c209b8a6

Oita

Yesterday’s visit to Mt. Aso the volcano was pretty much a bust. The entire volcanic peak was enshrouded in fog and completely invisible. First time on the tour that the weather was uncooperative. This morning, however, clear with unlimited visibility so at least we saw the mountain from the hotel. We started the day with an exciting bus trip over a snow covered mountain pass (think Donner Summit with a two lane blacktop) to the next prefecture. Everyone in the bus was nervous and kept questioning why, when the other buses were putting on chains, we just kept passing them. The bus driver spoke no English but eventually we got the message that we were not stopping to put on chains because we did not have any. Fortunately the bus driver was very skilled and we made it without incident.

First stop was the Yufuin Folkcraft Village. Essentially this is a quasi-museum that preserves and features hand crafts from ancient Japan. Paper making, weaving, cloth dying, glass blowing and other crafts were featured along with the requisite shops. Commercialism aside watching actual people do this ancient work was fascinating.

Next stop was the Oita Agricultural Park, a research and educational facility. We were welcomed with another speech. We had lunch there in the cafeteria (another Japanese buffet, if I get a chance I will have to devote one of these posts to the subject of food in Japan). After lunch we had some free time to roam through the facility (including gift shop, camellia sale and camellia bonsai exhibit). After that the group was loaded onto one of those electric trams like you see at amusement parks and trucked around the lake to the camellia garden. There was not enough room on the tram for everyone so Colin (from Australia) and I were left behind. About ten minutes later the female guides found us both and ushered us out to the waiting limousine (I lie; it was a little tiny Nissan, a model not available in the US). Nonetheless Colin and I got to look down our noses at the common folk who had to ride in the open tram (did I mention that it was cold and windy?) when we arrived at the camellia garden.

From the Ag Center we bussed on to the Oita Floriculture Research Institute where we were welcomed with yet another speech. As Oita is near Beppu the Research Institute had a hot springs on the grounds which they used to both heat their offices and laboratories and a glass conservatory. We walked through the conservatory which was like most conservatories (think the one in Golden Gate Park) featuring orchids and other tropical plants. Outside and up the hill was the (we build suspense here) camellia garden. Touring a camellia garden with camellia lovers is an amusing experience (fortunately, since I have had to do it several times on this tour). They can name almost every plant they see, search for the ID if they can’t and get excited if it is a variety unavailable in their home country. Ever read One Flew Over the Cuckoo’s Nest? There is a scene in the novel when the residents of the mental institution take a field trip. At one of the stops their group makes up the vast majority of people present so their perspective on reality becomes the norm. In the usual mix in the world at large camellia lovers might be viewed as eccentric. In the context of this tour I am the eccentric. Obviously this is not a new experience for me.

Since embarking on this tour and meeting Beate (pronounced bee-ah-tuh, from Germany) Nancy’s love of a variety of camellias known as Higos has deepened. Beate gave a presentation on Higos at the congress. Nancy was impressed with both the presentation and the presenter so she has decided to become the California Queen of the Higos (did I mention eccentricity?).

Our hotel that night was in Hiji a town south of Beppu. Like Nagasaki, Fukue and probably many Japanese cities Hiji is built at the foot of the mountains on a strip of flat land that is the shoreline. Consequently we had gorgeous views from our seventh floor room both morning and night. This was also one of the more elegant hotels we stayed in. Although Japanese baths were available there was also a karaoke bar available. Nancy decided that she needed to perform. The bar did not open until nine but Nancy, Juliet (a partying Australian naturally) and I went down just after nine. I went on two conditions: 1) I would not sing and 2) I would drink. Fueled by Asashi Nancy belted out a rendition of “California Dreaming.” The crowd went wild and we quit while we were ahead. I am going to do the same.

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23667&id=1680191390&l=4f3959aacb

Kurume Kapers

So we settled in Kurume for three days. Nancy attended presentations in the morning while I did laundry, got the blog caught up and, on the final day went “parading” in Kurume (if the reference is obscure watch “A Hard Day’s Night” again). The photo album that shares this post’s name includes random shots taken over this three day period as we toured private gardens, a public park and my unguided parading. Officially we visited Kumamoto Castle, Suizenji-koen and various private gardens which, of course, have no name.

Here is what the guide book says about Kumamoto Castle. “Kumamoto Castle is Japan’s third biggest and one of its most romantic looking by night. It was used during the filming of Tom Cruise’s 2003 movie, The Last Samurai.” The day we went was overcast and it had been raining during the night and morning. It did not rain while we were there but the grey, gloomy aspect actually suited the castle I think. You can judge for yourself from the photos.

About Suizenji-koen the guidebook says, “an elaborate garden dating from 1632 . . . containing a series of scenes (including a miniature Mount Fuji).” For both the castle and the garden I will once again defer to the photos. In fact, I will create a separate album for each of them as they were very photogenic. I will do that tomorrow if we have Internet access at the next hotel as it is getting late and I want to get this blog and album done then get to bed.

In Karume there was an opening and a closing banquet but in between we were on our own for dinner for three nights in a row. Some spontaneous law of attraction brought together the Klan Kurume consisting of Nancy, Barbara and I as well as David (from Huntington Gardens) and Frank (from a botanical garden in Virginia the name of which now escapes me, I will correct this error in a later post, I promise Frank). Frank and David were on the pre-tour and we had been hanging out a bit. The Klan Kurume was completed with the addition of Matt and Elizabeth (the Kurume Kids), a young couple from Philadelphia where Matt works at Longwood Gardens. We went in search of first noodle soup, then ramen (a Kurume specialty) and then just very Japanese food.

Both Nancy and I have acquired a new appreciation for Japanese cuisine on this trip although it still has the capacity to draw forth a heartfelt, “Yuck!” on occasion. Frank had lived in Japan some years earlier and still retained a mastery of “restaurant Japanese” which served us well. (Frank also was quite knowledgeable about Japan to the extent that Matt dubbed him Frankapedia.) It was Frank who introduced us to Calpis. Calpis (yes, pronounced just as you would imagine) is a fermented milk drink. When I heard that the dreaded yuck factor seemed to be looming but in fact it tastes wonderful, like a slightly less sweet and slightly less carbonated version of 7-Up. The world is stranger than I had imagined.

We were very successful all three nights. The first night we found an excellent noodle shop in the Kurume train station. The second night Frank had the girl at the hotel reception desk recommend her favorite ramen shop. Hot noodle soup and/or ramen are what Frank termed “Japanese comfort food,” warm, savory, safe. No yuck factor.

The third night we ventured a bit further afield finding a small Japanese restaurant down an alley across from the train station. Emboldened by beer and sake we ordered squid, scallops, gyoza, pizza and (thanks to Matt) raw horse meat. (Matt, I managed to get two paragraphs in before the horse meat got associated with your name.) Matt and I were the only ones who tried it. Didn’t taste bad but has an unpleasant fatty texture.

The closing banquet was an elaborate buffet at a hotel different from the one where the congress was held and where Nancy and I had stayed. Many of the meals we have been served have been buffets. This apparently works best for both the tour company and the touristas. From my point of view it gives me a chance to try a small bite of foods I am unfamiliar with to gauge the yuck factor before a set amount is heaped on my plate.

The final banquet, as delicious and delightful as it was, did feature a couple of off key notes. When the meal began we were all (200 of us if you recall) invited to help ourselves. Plates and cutlery were stacked at both ends of the buffet table and in the middle. No flow was established and mild chaos ensued. At nine, just as the party was getting rolling, closing time was announced and we were requested to leave. Hint to ICS: If you want to attract young people to the camellia world don’t stop the party just when the young folk are getting rolling. The Klan decided that in future the Australians should organize the party since, at the risk of both over generalizing and stereotyping, they seem to be a fun loving group.

The bus leaves early friends so I will quit here. On to Beppu (love that name) tomorrow. Guidebook again, “Beppu boasts 2849 hot springs . . . plus nine jigoku (hells) of bubbling mud and geysers.” Away we go. “The humming of the tires/It sure is pretty/I’m thinking ‘bout the women in Kurume City/Hey! I’m on the road again.” (With apologies to Tom Rush for altering the lyrics but that has been my traveling theme song since I first heard it in the mid-sixties so I feel as though I own it.)

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23559&id=1680191390&l=1bef66dece

Ishibashi Cultural Center

Our first full day in Kurume the tour took us to the Ishibashi Cultural Center. Another highlight; what an amazing place! The Center was donated to the city of Karume in 1956 by a native son, Shojiro Ishibashi, the founder of the Bridgestone Corporation. (A parenthetical aside. Bridgestone is well known to Americans for Bridgestone tires. Have you seen “Lost in Translation” where Bill Murray plays an American celebrity who comes to Japan to do an advertisement for the Japanese market? Leonardo Di Caprio’s face is everywhere we have been in Japan pushing Bridgestone tires.) You can check out the Center’s website and brush up on your Japanese at www.ishibashi-bunka.jp. The center includes an art museum, music auditorium, culture hall, library and other facilities. The grounds encompass a swan pond, a rakusui pond and a lotus pond. There is a cherry lane, a rose garden, an iris garden and, of course, a camellia garden.

We had the great good fortune of being there on a day when the sun was shining brightly and the temperature was in the low 60’s so we could wander around freely in comfort. In a small area near the library there was a pavilion of merchants demonstrating their wares. One booth featured 3-D television. I had to stand behind the last row of seats to make the 3-D glasses work over my prescription lenses so I could both see the screen and get the effect but it was very cool. I stood through the whole demo video, about 10 minutes. This was also where I did some sake tasting and bought the non-alcoholic rice drink mentioned in a previous post. The high end sake was also excellent but I decided to pass on that for the time being.

The outdoor stage featured a constant stream of performers although the only ones that presented a photo op that I saw were the young dancers who are featured in one shot included in the accompanying photo album. The art museum was a revelation to me as I was totally unfamiliar with Japanese art other than the well known woodblock prints of Hokkusai and others working in the past. The museum had a great deal of contemporary art (by which I mean 20th Century) that I was completely unfamiliar with. A wide range of styles and subject matter were represented and some of the artists were outstanding. The most dramatic painting was one entitled “Dying Soldiers” which I photographed. Hopefully you will be able to discern the details when you view the photo in the accompanying album.

On display expressly for the camellia festival in one large room were some incredible ancient bonsai trees and camellias as well as a collection of camellias not commonly found in the USA including several varieties with yellow flowers from Vietnam and China.

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23437&id=1680191390&l=7881f66916

Please note. If you read the previous post but wondered where the photos were I forgot to add the URL. That mistake is now fixed. Please go back and enjoy the photos.

Dali-ng at Genkai

The visit to the Genkai Energy Park was and will undoubtedly continue to be the strangest day of the tour. Genkai Energy Park is the euphemistic name for a large nuclear reactor located on the bay in Saga Prefecture (prefectures in Japan are analogous to a state or county in the USA). The full official title is the Genkai Nuclear Power Station of Kyushu Electric Power Company, Inc. It is also the home of a famous camellia garden and several ancient camellia trees the oldest of which is estimated to be 450 years old, making your faithful correspondent seem young by comparison.

If this has not become clear from reading between the lines camellias are a big, big deal in Japan, much more so than in the States and way beyond the impact of this relatively small (200+) congress. Consequently preserving the ancient camellia trees and adding a garden was a PR master stroke. Like most Americans I have decidedly mixed emotions about nuclear power, lately I have been acquiring new information and rethinking my position but it makes my head hurt so I will not impose that pain on you. I have no way of actually knowing what the general Japanese attitude towards nuclear power is but I can tell from visiting the Genkai plant that there is money in it. I would guess that the Japanese public has reservations akin to those found in the USA and the Kyushu Power Company (hey, I’m a government bureaucrat, let’s call them the KPC) has spared no expense in their public relations campaign to endear themselves to the community. According to the KPC brochure radiation in the vicinity of the plant is kept to .001 millisverts (?). Waste is compacted, sealed in drums, stored mid-term at the plant and long term at the “Low-Level Radioactive Waste Disposal Center at Rokkasho-mura in Aomori Prefecture.” This information was confirmed by our English speaking guide (we had a Japanese speaker as well). I could trust the English speaking guide implicitly as his name was Mr. Russell and he was from Portland, Oregon.

The grounds of the plant are immaculate; the ancient camellias were preserved and given a featured role in the landscape. A camellia garden was added. Inside the plant there is a fancy high tech auditorium where cute little cartoon characters give you a very sanitary education regarding your friend nuclear power. There is also a small museum featuring artifacts from Japanese history. Again, rather than bore you with inadequate description I will refer you to the photos in the matching album.

For our visit we were given the royal treatment. The banners here welcomed the “2010 Camellia Summit.” Our status elevated from the lowly level of “Congress.” A subtle form of flattery perhaps? We were treated to a tour of the plant, a gourmet buffet lunch, taiko drummers (professionals this time), traditional dancers, a tea ceremony and, of course, a tour of the camellia gardens. So beautiful is the conservatory where the lunch was held that KPC actually rents it out for weddings. Now that destination weddings have become a fad perhaps some Americans will choose to get married at the Genkai Energy Park. What did Mickey sing to Sylvia? Love is strange? Love is not alone in that.

Nancy was ecstatic over the ancient camellias and the traditional dance. She chatted with the dancing sensei; a woman in her 70’s who is clearly a master of the art. The two women bonded quickly and the sensei informed Nancy that we would see her and the troupe again at the closing banquet in Karume. All in all it was another great day spiced nicely with just a soupcon of the surreal.

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23407&id=1680191390&l=3a3e0d13fc

Matsura M'dear?

Whew! After constantly being on the move we are finally getting a chance to catch our breath. We have settled in our hotel in Karume and the 2010 International Camellia Congress is underway. Nancy is attending the morning talks and I am in our room drinking the non-alcoholic rice drink which I scored yesterday at the sake tasting booth (details later) and trying to organize my thoughts (what a concept!) to get the old blog in order and up-to-date.

Today’s subject will be our visit to the town of Matsura (has a famous camellia forest, I know you are shocked) and the Kyushu Ceramic Factory (perhaps not the appropriate word) and Museum. The “factory” is either the only place or one of the few (lost in translation) places in Japan that still makes ceramic pottery by hand and then fires it in a large kiln heated by burning pine wood. The process was fascinating and the results stunning but the photos in the matching album will probably give you a better sense of it then any thousand words I could type. The Museum has both ancient and contemporary handmade ceramics on permanent display and, during our visit, was also displaying the Shibata Collection, Arita porcelains from the Edo period (1603 -1867) donated by Mr. and Mrs. Shibata.

The funniest bit at the ceramic factory occurred when our guide was explaining to us about the hand painting of the designs on the porcelain prior to firing. The person doing the painting at the station we were stopped at was female. Our guide told us that it “had to be virgin.” One of our group, a boisterous and very funny Englishman began teasing the women that they would not qualify to work as painters at the Kyushu plant. Later, after we were back on the bus, he stood up and apologized to the assembled passengers. Turns out it is the brushes used in painting that must be virgin, i.e. not previously used on another piece, not the women who do the painting.

We then took a short bus ride to the town of Matsura, home to a famous camellia forest. The town welcomed us with open arms. Once again we were treated to speeches from dignitaries such as the mayor of Matsura. There was also taiko drumming, a display of bonsai camellias and art work by the local school children. Warm, friendly and wonderful but Goto is still number one.

At the camellia forest they apologized for the fact that the weather has been unseasonably warm prior to our arrival so the camellias had bloomed early and were past their peak. The camellia enthusiasts participated in planting some camellia bushes. We non-enthusiasts urged them on explaining how pleasant it was to watch them work. They were not as appreciative as one might have expected.

Despite the lack of blooms the forest is in a gorgeous location right on the coast so the hike, invigorating after some time on the bus, led us through the forest with occasional scenic views and then down to the beautiful beach.

The next couple of hours were a bit more grueling. As the forest hike was mildly rugged several members of the tour had opted to skip it and go directly on to that night’s hotel. This involved a bit of shifting from bus to bus. The hike bus was a bit overloaded as a consequence. The bus is equipped with fold down seats that drop into the aisle for just such situations but they are to comfort as skunk is to aroma. By the time we got to the hotel certain individuals who shall remain nameless felt as though they had been thoroughly beaten by Yakuza and had been magically transformed into Mr. Crankypants.

The hotel that we had been brought to was called the New Amsterdam and is set, along with about ten other hotels, in a Japanese theme park called Huis Ten Bosch. The entire place is designed to mimic a village in Holland (go figure) complete with thousands of blooming tulips and a huge rose garden (guess who loved that) although the roses were not yet in bloom. There were several restaurants scattered throughout the grounds but Mr. Crankypants insisted on going to the closest one which turned out to be an outrageously expensive gourmet buffet. Still, Mr. Crankypants was able to obtain a fairly decent French Pinot Noir and apply the analgesic effects of alcohol to his battered body. That accomplished a hardy meal featuring the famous Kobe beef and something the non-English speaking chef referred to as “super pork” was enjoyed by our threesome and our newly acquired friends Kathy and Roger from Oregon. When the meal was complete even Mrs. Not Quite So Cranky had to acknowledge that it had been an excellent meal.

The New Amsterdam Hotel is, and will probably remain, the swankiest hotel we have stayed in on the tour. The room was huge and included a raised platform with a table and specially designed chairs so you could sit on the floor Japanese style and still enjoy back support (see photo). Swanky or no there was no Internet access. Zip, zero, none. This is why this entry is being completed and uploaded four days after the fact.

Tomorrow on to Genkai Energy Park.

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23360&id=1680191390&l=de8aee06f2

Childs Play in Nagasaki

As I feared our day in Nagasaki following the Goto high was a bit of an anti-climax. But not entirely. God had at one more trick up her sleeve (at least).

Some background. Our first day in Nagasaki, before we went to Goto, I saw out the window of our hotel an unusual building below and across the street (more of an alley actually) from our hotel. I was curious so next morning before we got on the bus I ran around the corner to check it out. There was an iron gate (locked) at the entrance to the courtyard that was in front of the building. The plaque stated that the building was the Children’s’ Picture Book Museum.

One of the members of our international entourage (more on that in another blog) is a tall striking white haired woman named Marie. Nancy really likes Marie and they have been hanging out together from time to time. When Nancy asked Marie what she did Marie replied that she was an illustrator of children’s books. I asked Marie if she had seen the book museum. She had not. I told her we would show it to her next morning before we left on the scheduled walking tour.

All three of us were running late the next morning but were determined to see the building, not expecting that it would be open. To cover ourselves we told one of the tour guides that we were going but that we would be back in five minutes; we were just going to look at the building which was right around the corner.

When we got there the sign said the museum opened at 10 a.m. but the gate was open (it was about 8:45). We walked up to the front door. The front door was wide open. We walked in. There was no one there. We called but no one answered. We began to explore. It quickly became apparent that the first floor was the book store. There were shelves of books everywhere and framed art work on the walls. Marie kept recognizing names of fellow illustrators (she had been quite modest with us a later Google search of her name revealed). (http://www.worldcat.org/identities/lccn-n50-20138.)

After about ten minutes a young Japanese woman appeared and was quite upset that we were in the building. “The museum is closed!” Marie introduced herself and gave her a copy of one of her books that she had brought for the express purpose of donating to the museum should the opportunity arise. When the young woman realized she was in the presence of a genuine author and illustrator of children’s books she was beside herself with excitement. She immediately escorted us on a guided off-hours tour of the museum, which occupied the second and third floors of the building. When we decided to purchase some items as gifts for our grandchildren the young woman refused to let Marie pay. (Nancy and I were not so fortunate.)

By now it was well past the time we had promised to be back and even past the time the walking tour was scheduled to leave. We hustled out the door, thanking our young host profusely, and trotted out to the street. We turned left to start back down the hill to the hotel and what did we see? The walking tour coming right up the hill at us not 50 feet away. We broke into laughter and fell into step.

After that the tours of the Glover Gardens and mansion, the site where the 26 Christian martyrs died and the reconstruction of the Dejima village that the Dutch traders had been confined to in the 1800’s was like watching a less than exciting PBS documentary; informative and interesting but lacking in excitement. (With the possible exception of the turtle riding Buddha, see photos.)

As briefly as possible, to bore you as little as possible, here are some interesting factoids from that day:

When Japan first opened to European traders (Dutch, Portuguese, English) they were only allowed to land in Nagasaki and were confined to that city. The Dutch were confined to the compound called Dejima which the Japanese have recreated as a historical monument. A Scotchman, Thomas Blake Glover, who made a fortune selling arms and trading tea, built a house on the hill above the Nagasaki harbor in 1863. Other traders followed suit. Today the various Western style houses have been moved to one area and it is known as “Glover Gardens.” Why is this important? Mr. Glover founded the brewery that today produces Kirin beer.

Those Dutch traders confined to Dejima, one of them, Professor Franciscus Sylvius of Leiden University invented (martini lovers take note) gin in the mid-17th century.

One of the Shoguns, in an attempt to suppress Christianity, crucified 26 Christians (obviously he had no sense of irony). Today they are known as the 26 Christian martyrs and have a small memorial and museum. Best part of visiting that place is you can see the giant Buddha riding on the turtle from there.

We are settled for the next few days in a hotel in Karume with Internet access so hopefully I will be able to get caught up with the blogging. Oyasumi nasai faithful readers.

Photos: http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23312&id=1680191390&l=2955337b8c

A Dancing Lesson From God

I believe it was Kurt Vonnegut, Jr. who said, “Unusual travel suggestions are dancing lessons from God.” I have always considered this useful if not exactly advice at least a proper attitude with which to approach unusual travel suggestions. I am not implying that going to Japan constitutes an unusual travel suggestion; many people travel to Japan. It is a common destination. Goto Island is another story.

Prior to leaving the United States everyone I spoke with regarding this trip, even those who had lived and worked in Japan, would always say, “Where?” when I told them we were going to Goto. Even more startling was when we arrived in Japan the folk we spoke with who were Japanese, born and raised here, would have the same response. No one seemed to know anything about Goto. That being the case the suggestion that we go to Goto definitely seemed to fit the definition of an unusual travel suggestion.

Having been there I can now say that I think Kurt was correct. Going to Goto was a delightful dancing lesson from God. I can honestly say that I have never experienced a more enthusiastic and exuberant welcome any where I have ever been. I have never been as impressed or as charmed by any group of people as I was by the residents of Goto. Neither words nor pictures can convey how amazing this experience was. The only downside is I fear the rest of our Japan trip may suffer by comparison. The bar has been set impossibly high.

I have already mentioned the welcoming dinner but only in passing. I will not cover that ground again as inadequate as the previous description was. Day two started with a short bus ride to a lookout high up on a mountain. Check the photos as they, although inadequate as photos of stunning places always are, are better than any words I could conjure. Once again our guide was the irrepressible Dr. Hiruki ably assisted by a group of animated and enthusiastic young women. (Who, by the way, completely shattered the stereotype of demure, shy Japanese women. Some were quiet but others were raucous and wickedly funny.) From the lookout we went to the botanical garden where there are over 250 camellia cultivars, most in bloom. The botanical garden is also located high in the mountains with stunning views. After a stroll through the garden we were treated to a concert where four older women played traditional Japanese instruments while other traditionally attired women served us tea in a tea ceremony. Following this we had a bento boxed lunch at the local country club.

After lunch we went to the Abunze Visitors Center. It resembled visitors’ centers at national or state parks that you would find here in the US with maps and models, pictures and information about geography, geology, flora and fauna. It was also located right near a rocky shoreline which allowed us to get down to the ocean. From there we went to a house that had been the home of a samurai in early times. There was a display of bonsai camellia plants at the samurai house as an extra bonus.

Following the samurai house we were taken to the jetfoil terminal for the ride back to Nagasaki. As we boarded the boat we were sent off with a concert by the local high school band. On a personal note one of the young ladies who had been a translator/speaker/mistress of ceremonies at the welcoming dinner the previous evening stopped us at the terminal and presented Nancy with a camellia scarf and a camellia charm (the Japanese hang them on their cell phones) as a personal gift. At the dinner Nancy and I were seated at the front on the extreme left (facing the stage). A small podium had been set up there for this young woman to translate and introduce the speakers without actually being on the main stage. When she first came in to take her place at the podium she passed very close to us. Nancy smiled at her as she passed and said, “Koni-chi-wa (Hello).” I followed suit. At the terminal the young woman explained to Nancy that she had been very nervous as she approached the podium as she had never addressed this many people before (there are 85 people on the tour and there were at least a dozen more from Goto present). She said Nancy’s friendly smile and greeting helped put her at ease and she wanted to show her gratitude. There is a photo of Nancy and this young woman taken at the terminal in the matching album.

I may still have two left feet but I have had my dancing lesson from God.

http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23202&id=1680191390&l=eecf595311

Go to Goto: Day One

PRELUDE:

When last we wrote the tour plan to get to Goto Island had gone astray. To get back on track the tour put us all on a bus at 7 a.m., gave us sandwiches for breakfast and headed out for the jetfoil terminal. Only one problem - no coffee. As those who work with Nancy can attest, unlike the Dire Straits song, she does not run “on any heavy fuel.” In the morning she runs on caffeine only. Accept no substitutes.
When we arrived at the terminal we had a short wait. I knew that there was a coffee shop in the terminal from the previous day’s sumo watching. Sophisticated world traveler that I am I went to the shop secure in the knowledge that neither the language nor the cultural difference would be any barrier to my functioning as the mighty hunter who returns with coffee.

Once in the shop I asked the smiling lady if she spoke English. “Yes,” she replied. My heart soared.

“Do you have coffee?” I asked.

“Yes.”

“How much?”

“380 yen.”

I began to dig out my money but she asked me if I had a ticket. When I said no she pointed to a large ticket vending machine and told me I needed a ticket. The sophisticated world traveler quickly slipped a 500 yen coin in the slot, retrieved the 380 yen ticket and his change and returned to the counter.

“I will call you’” she said after taking my money.

I stepped back to wait. She served a couple of other early morning customers then beckoned me over. Smiling she handed me a large, steaming bowl of udon noodle soup.
I hesitated a moment then said, “Coffee?”

“After you finish your soup.” She said.

I was puzzled. What had I said to make her think I wanted soup? Was eating upon noodle soup a prerequisite to obtaining coffee in the morning? For one brief moment I flashed on how weird that would make buying coffee at the Starbucks I had seen since arriving in Japan. Not only would you need to adjust to the bizarro language in which grande means small but you would have to polish off the soup before you got your skinny vanilla latte.

I quickly came back to the moment and asked, “How much?”

“100 yen,” she replied.

“Do I need another ticket?”

“No.”

Now I was really fukken (my Japanese is improving, don’t you think?) baffled but I just smiled my best idiot’s grin (especially easy when the available evidence indicates that you are, in fact, an idiot), said, “Domo” and retreated to a table. I stepped out to ask Nancy if she wanted some udon noodle soup. She looked at me as if I had just asked her if she thought George Clooney was butt ugly and she answered in the way you would expect she would answer that question.

So I went inside and ate three-quarters of the soup (which was delicious by the way). I was negotiating with the waitress for the coffee when Nancy came in to let me know we were boarding. There followed a brief moment of tension while I insisted on securing the coffee, damn it. But coffee secured we got on the jetfoil with minutes to spare. Off to Goto and the tour.

The Tour

Following the jetfoil ride to Goto we were met at the dock by our tour buses and ferried to the hotel. We dropped our luggage in the lobby and immediately departed for Tama-no-ura. On the trip we discovered that, outside of the port of Goto City, the island is virtually empty. Like Hawaii it is an island where green foliage covered mountains rise steeply from the sea. Unlike Hawaii the foliage is not tropical. Like Hawaii it is beautiful and has many white sandy beaches. Our guide for this journey was Dr. Chuji Hiruki a native of Goto who received a Ph. D. in plant pathology from UC Berkeley in 1963. He taught at Alberta University in Canada for 40 years publishing over 200 research papers and several books before retiring to Goto in 1996. He is currently a vice-president of the International Camellia Society.

Tama-no-ura the place is famous for the discovery there of a variety of camellia now known as tama-no-ura. The first tama-no-ura plant was discovered by a charcoal worker in 1947. It was virtually unknown outside of Goto until 1970 and unknown outside of Japan until its introduction to the West by the incomparable Nuccio’s Nursery in 1979. Nuccio’s successfully introduced a series of cultivars including Tama Bambino and Tama Americano and the plant quickly became a superstar in the world of camellias.

The original Tama-no-ura plant succumbed to over popularity (too many people took too many cuttings). In 2003 Dr. Hikuri led a successful hunt to find the site of the original discovery. His team was successful and the spot is now marked by a metal plaque mounted on a boulder. A second generation Tama-no-ura is planted nearby. This is the spot that an intrepid group of camellia enthusiasts traveled thousands of miles, crossed from the main island, bussed into the mountains and hiked uphill one kilometer over rocky ground through a forest of Japanese cedar and wild camellias to reach.

That accomplished we bussed to a restaurant for lunch then on to the camellia forest at Osezaki Cape. The original plan was to hike through the camellia forest but as the tour was now trying to squeeze the welcoming party scheduled the previous night into this evening’s schedule the time allotted for the camellia forest was cut drastically. Fortunately despite the fact that the sun was shining and the day was brilliant the temperature was low, the wind was howling off the ocean and it was colder than a well digger’s posterior so no one minded too much.

Dinner that evening included a welcoming speech by the first female mayor of Goto City, camellia sushi created especially for the occasion plus entertainment by both a children’s chorus and a local Taiko drumming team. If you can’t enjoy a group of Japanese school girls singing “Do Re Mi” in Japanese you must have a hole in your soul.

Photos at http://www.facebook.com/album.php?aid=23102&id=1680191390&l=3fa52d86a6

Footnote: Goto (Go-tow) is one of a chain of islands off the coast west of Nagasaki. The city of Fukue is there but the island is largely rural and agricultural. Camellia oil is a major export. By Japanese standards Goto seems primitive as our hotel had neither Internet access nor heated toilet seats.

Nagasaki Notations

The official pre-conference tour started today and we took part in the traditional tour activity, we rode on the bus for two hours. In keeping with ancient Asian wisdom which has noted that undertakings often encounter “difficulty at the beginning” today was delightfully error prone.

We started the day with a tour of Dazaifu-Temmangu Shrine. It is a marvelous old Shinto temple but clearly a tourist magnet as we had to walk from the parking lot up a street filled with shops selling jewelry, statuary, clothing and food stuffs. I was fascinated by the food as there were dozens of types of snack food being offered most of which I had never seen before and could not identify. On the way back to the bus I bought a bag of what I termed “Japanese Cracker Jacks.” Indeed they looked and tasted similar to Cracker Jacks but are made with puffed rice rather than popcorn. One of the other passengers on the bus bought a box of plum flavored mochi and we had a high time passing both around the bus for everyone to try. The tour company is quite professional and courteous. They provided us with a snack which consisted of warm crepe like dough filled with a sweetened bean paste and bottled water.

From there we took the two hour bus ride to Nagasaki. It had started raining while we toured the shrine and it rained the entire bus trip. At Nagasaki we were taken to Chinatown where we had an excellent lunch of Chinese food. That is when the fun began.

The original plan was to go to the Nagasaki Port to travel by jetfoil to Fukue Port on Goto Island. (Nagasaki, by the way, is a very scenic port city with a large bay surrounded by hills. Similar to but at the same time quite different from San Francisco Bay.) At lunch we were informed that the jetfoil was cancelled due to the weather, still windy and raining, so a ferry was to substitute. When we arrived at the ferry terminal, however, the ferry too was cancelled. So we spent an hour at the ferry terminal watching sumo wrestling and talking about growing magnolia trees from seed with Steve, a camellia and magnolia fancier from Britain.

The poor harried kids running the tour (three girls and one boy who look to be in their early twenties) had to scramble to arrange lodging for us in Nagasaki as we were supposed to be in the Campana Hotel on Goto. They did a fantastic job getting us into the Ana Hotel Nagasaki Gloverhill.

As we had a couple of hours to kill before dinner we went for a walk around the area. Fortunately Frank, who is the head of a botanical garden in Virginia that is contemplating adding a camellia section and had been to Nagasaki previously, acted as our guide. We climbed the hill behind the hotel to Glover Garden “named after Thomas Glover, a 19th-century entrepreneur who helped provide arms to supporters of the Meiji Restoration. He also married a geisha, who was widely believed to have been the inspiration behind Puccini’s Madama Butterfly.” Frank was able to tell us that the area around the house was where the European traders, mostly Dutch at first, built houses and lived.

We had a fabulous dinner at the hotel talking (well, in my case listening) about camellias, grafting, hybridizing, showing and so on with a group that included Australians and a couple from the island of Jersey. In order to get back on schedule tomorrow we must be on the bus and off to the jetfoil port at 7 a.m. so I need to sign off and hit the sack. Hopefully I can be more leisurely and detailed in the future.

The Eagle Has Landed

We made it. We landed at Kansai International Airport at about midnight our time (7 p.m. in Japan). Nancy’s sister’s late husband’s family was there to pick us. They drove us back to Osaka where they treated us to a grand dinner of Chinese food (Japanese style). The family is warm, generous, friendly and a couple of them have a wonderful sense of humor. They also invited the sister-in-law’s English teacher, a gregarious Irishman (is that redundant?) named Mike McKenna (www.facebook.com/discoscience). I am not sure if we were very good company as after 12 hours on the plane jet lag hit us like an NFL lineman (the sound you hear is Raymond Chandler turning over in his grave).

We spent the night at the in-laws and then they took us to Kyoto the next day. Before we could even get in the car Nancy spotted camellias in the neighbor’s yard so we had to go next door and meet them. Many of the camellias were bonsai as were several trees.

We toured the famous Moss Temple (reservations must be made months in advance) and the Bamboo Temple. Lots of camellias in bloom at the temples and in resident gardens along the way. Camellias were frequently used as hedges at the temples. The Bamboo Temple (Jizo-In Temple) is small and virtually unknown but it was our favorite. We walked up to a small wooden building on a path through a bamboo forest. Then we sat in the small house while an elderly Japanese woman served us macha (powdered green tea) and sugar cookies while we gazed out at a garden that has been there, green and serene, for hundreds of years (founded in 1367 A.D. by Yoriyuki Hosokawa). We were the only visitors until more arrived just as we were leaving.

The Moss Temple (Saiho-ji) is an entirely different story. To quote from a guide book, “. . . you must apply to the temple well in advance, pay a hefty fee and participate in a Zen service.” The family had made reservations well in advance so we were in. There was a huge crowd there including the first Westerners we had seen since leaving the airport. It is called the Moss Temple because the landscaping, originated by Muso Soseki in 1339, includes “a veritable magic carpet of crushed velvet . . .” which is entirely moss.

Later we saw the Arashiyama Bridge and the Kyoto Station shopping mall. Kyoto Station is a huge, several story tall shopping mall on steroids. I don’t think the relatives were prepared for the McGowan sisters shopping stamina.

Before I succumbed to shopping fatigue I pointed out to Nancy some cute Yellow Submarinish artwork. I wandered off and when I came back Nancy was talking with a small, slight Englishman who turned out to be the artist. We chatted with him for awhile and he was fascinating. As a young man he had been in rock bands opening for the Beatles, Stones, etc. Later he was involved with children’s’ art. Unbeknownst to him he was, as Tom Waits wrote, “big in Japan.” Some Japanese tracked him down and he lives and works there now. You can learn more at www.rabindradanks.com.

Some first impressions after about 24 hours of consciousness in Japan. (Like most first impressions probably not terribly reliable but I know some of you are thinking, “Dude, you have third impressions I wouldn’t trust.)

Young love is in the air. Young couples holding hands are everywhere. (Of course it was a Saturday in the spring.)

Teenage Japanese girls travel in packs (gaggles? giggles?). Boys not so much.
Japan is incredibly urban.

Heated toilet seats are everywhere!

It is a hoot to encounter English words out of context here. There is a fast food chain called “Jolly Pasta.” An apartment rental agency called “Mini Mini.” Another business that I have not determined what called “Texas 1000.” But my favorite so far was on the platform waiting for the bullet train. There they have electronic signs (like BART) announcing incoming train destinations. One was called “Deadhead.” I really want to know where that one goes.

I am posting this from the Hakata Miyako Hotel in Fukuoka. Sayonara cyber buddies.

Last Domestic Post

March 11, the departure date for our Japan trip is now rapidly approaching. Prior to this past weekend our attention was divided because we were also preparing for my son Jeremy’s wedding. The wedding took place (and it was fantastic!) so now we are entirely focused on the trip.

Before we leave the subject of the wedding allow me to point out that while it has no relevance to the trip, Japan or camellias I have taken the liberty of posting here a photo of Nancy and I as we appeared on the wedding day. Brangelina got nothin’ on us baby!

Hopefully Nancy and I will be able to write semi-coherent narratives about our daily activities while traipsing about Japan. Either these narratives will be entertaining and amusing for you all or they will serve as a virtual sleep inducer. Should be a win/win regardless.

We have a house sitter (the cat is very relieved that she does not have to go to the Gulag) so if you need to go by the house for any reason please call and alert the sitter.

Next post will be from Japan.