Japan...What we MISS

I've been asked quite often what I miss or liked most about Japan. It was a huge hunk of time, especially for our first international trip together, and even more so when we were camping the entire way. Alright, I wouldn't really consider it camping since we had nice restrooms (which also acted as laundry and shower), fresh water (drink-able too, which was great for cooking and refilling our water bottles), plus we were up off the ground. Even now I would probably state I'm not a huge camping fan, but when it comes to travel I love urban camping and the price tag of 0.00 USD. Ok, back to what I miss, since I have my hammock hanging up as a bed, I can't really say I miss it. 

I miss the people and culture. Everyone was very polite, carrying, hospitable, and willing to go out of their way to help. It was a huge shock coming back to the states...I bowed whenever I said thank you for the first little while. Even now (a whole year later) I sometimes start to bow when I really want to say "thank you". In a way I feel (at least in my mind) just words don't carry the same weight anymore. Action, and bowing, which takes your whole body to do, shows how much you appreciate it - ie the deeper the bow, the more appreciative you are. Well that was an interesting side note....

FRESH fruit!!!

Yes these fruit prices range from 18 USD to 98 USD, generally they were cheaper, but these are for presents/gifts, not for general consumption....they just looked SO pretty.

We miss fresh fruit. Yes, you can walk into any grocery store in America and get "fresh" fruit, but do they look like this? And, I swear that the carrots, cabbage, pretty much every fruit and vegetable we ate there tasted a WHOLE lot better than what we get here in the States. 

I would also say I miss 7-Eleven. I've even gone to their Japanese site to day dream again about the amazing food they always had at the ready. The caramel macchiato ice cream cones, the pasta and rice curry they would microwave for me and the sticky buns filled with delicious meat and vegetables. And to know that they had all been fresh delivered to the store that morning or afternoon and not sat there for a week or more. Man I miss the fresh, convenience store food. We had heard tales about street food, especially in some of the less developed countries, but I had serious withdrawals from 7-Eleven, Lawson's, Cirlce-K, and Family Mart food. Sometimes, just to switch it up we would stop at an actual Grocery Store to raid their fresh, ready to eat food. Ahh, the dreams about handing over yen and saying "yes" to having the store attendant microwave my food, to then walk to a nearby park that would be our home for the night to eat dinner. Yes, I've actually dreamed in Japanese about the food and having them microwave it for me, sad? maybe, funny? heck yes!

Val (left) and I (Ash on the right) in front of the first Onsen we visited. This one is located in Beppu, which is known for its many many Onsen. The person that was kind enough to take the photo for us is a native Japanese girl (mid 20's) that we met in the bath and started chatting with us. 

While we did utilize many public bathrooms to wash, freshen up, brush teeth, deodorize, ect. we enjoyed the opportunities to enjoy traditional Japanese bathing. Onsens and how the Japanese regularly bathe by having a little shower that you sit in front of to scrub and rinse and then a large tub to soak in afterwards, makes so much sense. I've found myself countless time wishing for one of those little seats in front of a shower faucet, trying to balance in a shower as the curtain starts to engulf you isn't much fun. I think they have the right idea. We weren't able to take photos inside any of the public baths due to wanted privacy (I would be a little wary if they were willing to allow photographs when you're walking around nude), but I did find some photos on the internet.

Demonstrates the little stool in front of the spigot to scrub and wash
Plus the large bath to soak.  

Onsen that has an outdoor section. 

Gear: Nube & Hammock Set-Up

This site is no longer going to be updated. I have upgraded my site and the new location is:

http://worldgallivant.com/2016/03/25/best-hammock-set-up/

We found that the Nubé and Hambunk set-up created and sold by Sierra Madre Search was the system that was easiest to manage with the most protection wrapped into a nice well thought out package.   Here are some of the things we did to make it even easier.

•  A: Hang both the Nubé tie and the hammock's e-z Slings from the same point, as high up the tree as you can reach
• This way there is enough room to hang both hammocks and the bottom luggage compartment, if you don't hang them both at the highest point, the luggage will be to low to the ground to use or the Pares sleeper will be sitting on top of the luggage...neither of those options is convenient 
• Sometimes this is not possible due to smaller trees or too many limbs and then we worked around the luggage being stored below by clipping the backpack onto the carabiner  at the foot end and then tightened the waist and chest straps tightly on the hammock and all was dry.

• B: Nubé Ridge-line Adjustment:
• The main line that we used to attach the Nubé to the tree was Zing-It Line
• To attach to the tree, the end of the Zing-it Line had a Titanium Dutch hook so that it could easily be hooked back to it's self after being wrapped around the tree. The other end had a dutch fly to allow for tightening easily... then the Nubé was adjusted to center with the Prusik Knots.
• Val made a couple loops that contained Prusik Knots (see link for Animated Knots illustration of how to tie these knots) using more of the Zing-it line. The Prusik knot was made around the long length of line that we used to attach the Nubé to the trees.  The loop of the remaining knot was then attached to the Nubé.
• If you look at the photos of it hanging you will see that we started with this continuous line from tree to tree.. but soon found that loosening one end to move the Nubé to the other could be totally avoided by cutting it in the center.

• C: Nubé guyline adjustment:
• The main guy-line rope was Zing-It line that is very durable and offered in a bright yellow that makes it easy to see at night, decreasing your chances of tripping over it.
• Once again we used the very nice Prusik Knot to allow adjustments of how tight the guy lines were. These adjustments allowed for quick changes in how much ventilation, possible protection we would need during a rain storm, and how low the Nubé was going to sit. Zing-It line is light weight, doesn't absorb water or dirt, doesn't stretch and super strong.
• Initially we attached tubing to the guy-line that would allow for the line to stretch and contract due to humidity and rain, but due to extensive use of the Nubé the tubing began to wear out (we are unsure of how much they helped as we have used them throughout our trip). Moving forward we would probably remove the tubing and create a system similar to the Nubé ridgeline where the extra line would be-able to be stored under the Velcro-tabs. Could reverse the cording so the extra cording could store in the Velcro, and one could adjust the tension from under the Nubé no need to go out in the rain to tighten things down.

• D: Hammock attachment hints (How to sleep in ham-bunks comfortably):
• To hang the hammocks just-so took some trial and error on our parts, but as we had 40+ days to figure it out and we were properly incentivized with quality of sleep hanging in the balance we found the perfect set-up for us (mind you, this hang was perfect for US, it may not be the perfect hang for you).
• Once you have each hung an e-z sling, take one for the  Xplor carabiners and attach it to a loop that appears to be a high enough point that you can then hang the hammock level with the other e-z sling point.
• Now, this is the toughest part (especially when you are exhausted, it may take two of you and in many cases it did for us) STRETCH the Xplor as tight as you can possible get is so that when it hangs it is perfectly flat. HINT: Have a couple extra loops of rope that can act as adjusters to create more options for hanging distances; our loops of Amsteel Blue 7/64 were about 6" in diameter when flattened and can be folded in half to allow for more versatility. Or if you're willing you could put more knots in the easy sling for a tight hang. 

• How to make more room in the Xplor:
• I (Ash) was the one that slept in the Xplor, my backpack was the REI Lookout 40L, which I would place up in my hammock. Once in my hammock and inside my sleeping bag I would place the backpack under my knees, this way my knees were bent up (more comfortable for me) and the Xplor was widened out so that I would have more adjustment room.
• Since coming back, both Val and I have exchanged our normal beds for hammocks, I have placed two pillows and a queen-sized down blanket in exchange for the REI backpack to facilitate the same effect.  I found without this the hammock tends to squeeze the shoulders.
• Another tip would be to sleep opposite of each other so that the Xplor sleeper's head will be at the toes of the Pares sleeper and vice-versa. This helps when handing items back and forth and when the Pares sleeper starts packing things up... she only knocks about my legs and such while stuffing her sleeping bag into a stuff sack. And is very helpful when zipping up the netting for a bug free sleep!

Examples of the adjustments we made and what it actually looks like:

...

Japan: Week 5

This site is no longer going to be updated. I have upgraded my site and the new location is:

http://worldgallivant.com

1. Kumano Kodo & Gorge
2. Katsuura, Nachi, & Nagoya
3. Nagoya & Yamaguchi
4. Akiyoshidai & Asa
5. Asa & Matsue
6. Matsue & Kanazawa
7. Kanazawa & Wajima

Here is a map of the route we took and the exact places. Wow did we make it far during our first week. We were traveling at the speed of a Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train)! Sadly Google Map doesn't allow you to have all those points while in public transportation mode, but we did travel the entire way on JR train.

 

Rice field in Takahara about 4 hrs
into our pilgrimage

Woods on between Takahara
and Jujo-oji

Val found the Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage on the National Geographic website. After the Onaida Nature Trail I was a little hesitant to go on another Japanese hike, but since National Geographic recommended it, we thought it shouldn’t be too hard, so we began our pilgrimage. The beginning of our hike began in a slight sprinkle but it eventually dried out. The cloud formations and atmosphere or the whole hike was miraculous. With the mist rolling in through the woods, the bright orange crabs crawling by, dark red wood chips covering the walkway, and the bright green leaves, the pilgrimage was interesting, but not as easy of a hike as we had hoped. At one point, we came out at a hilltop village surrounded by rice fields all the way near the top of this mountain range in the Kii Peninsula. By this time, we were completely exhausted, even though it was only six in the evening. We opted to set up our home and go to sleep. The next day we finished our pilgrimage, which ended at the next closest bus stop that would take us to the shrines.

Dorokyo Gorge in Shiko

Dorokyo Gorge in Shiko

Kurano Nashi Grand Shrine Torii

We eventually made our way the Grand Nachi Shrine, which was located by one of the tallest waterfalls in Japan. At the top of the stairs to the shrine, we were greeted by the unforgettable scent of incense. The pagoda with the waterfall in the distance was remarkable, even now it looks like it was photo-shopped, and the experience was surreal. The shrine was one of the best that we visited and the different shops that lined some of the walk-ways were nice. I found a fantastic re-usable bag for Val.

Kurano Nashi Pagoda
with "tallest" waterfall
in Japan

Leaving the Kii Peninsula we headed for Nagoya, which is also the closest connection to the Shinkansen to our next location. Interestingly we could not find a park in Nagoya to camp out in, but we did find a park-ish area that was around the Nagoya Noh Theater and that is where we slept. It was a great find for us. It was a little farther away from traffic, so it was quieter. In addition, it had less foot traffic as well, so we were able to sleep in.

After visiting a few other destinations, we eventually made it to Kanazawa. Before leaving this destination for the rice fields, we had to check out the castle. We had previously checked out Himeji Castle, but could not enter the main castle as it is under renovation. Here was us hoping we could see the interior of Kanazawa Castle…alas the actual castle was destroyed hundreds of years ago and they are working on reconstructing the castle following old photos, plans, and pieces that had survived from the original.

Japan: Week 4

This site is no longer going to be updated. I have upgraded my site and the new location is:

http://worldgallivant.com

1. Toyota & Osaka
2. Osaka, Ikeda, & Takeda
3. Takeda to Shirahama
4. Shirahama
5. Shirahama
6. Shirahama to Kii-Tanabe
7. Kumano Kodo Pilgrimage

Here is a map of the route we took and the exact places. Wow did we make it far during our first week. We were traveling at the speed of a Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train)! Sadly Google Map doesn't allow you to have all those points while in public transportation mode, but we did travel the entire way on JR train.

We went from a rain forest to an automobile factory in Toyota. Yes, it’s named after the Toyoda family which owns Toyota. Val found a sign out by the water fountain that said “this is not a gargle station”. Our response was “What is a gargle station and why is there a sign against it?” It was our next mission: where/what is the gargle station and why do they have it in an automobile museum. Going into the women’s bathroom there was a random spout maybe that is it…so we had to take a video of this new and amazing contraption. The spout shot amazing tasting minty goodness into your mouth so that you could gargle it and have lovely smelling breath. 

We both tried it out and really wanted one back in the states. Oh, the Japanese have so many cool gadgets all over the place. The gargle station was probably the highlight of our tour at the Toyota Kaikan Museum.

Osaka, Tempozan Ferris 

Wheel from the ferry dock

During our return visit to Osaka, we decided to stay near the Tempozan Ferris wheel, one of the largest in the world. It was a good place that was out of the main city, plus we could check one of our attractions off the list: riding the Ferris wheel. Although the major cities were one of the main things we were extremely excited about when planning the trip, they didn’t really live up to all the hype. The very next day we visited the Instant Ramen Museum and then off to Takeda.

Takeda Castle Ruins

Takeda Castle Ruins were in middle of nowhere. We had just reached Takeda city right before the last bus left to the castle ruins. The ruins have been quoted as being the castle in the sky, since on occasion it is completely shrouded in clouds. Catching the very last bus to the ruins, it allowed us to catch the sun setting, creating very beautiful photos and an astonishing atmosphere.

Shirahahama beach in Shirahama

Both Val and I were whipped out from all of the travel back and forth. We needed a little break from moving at the speed of a Shinkansen. We knew that if we wanted to go on the National Geographic hike on Kii Peninsula we needed to head near the beginning of the hike, which is located by Shirahama. Getting off the bus in complete darkness we were unsure of where the beach was as you could not see the sand or anything, you couldn't even smell the salt air of the ocean. The driver sounded sure and even insisted that we were at the Shirarahama beach, so we had to trust him. Low and behold, the bus drove away and poof there were the palm leaves rustling in the slight ocean breeze and the sound of the crashing waves in the dark; we were officially at the beach, which was very reassuring to both Val and I. The next morning we awoke to the sound of waves, crows, and toes in the sand. This beach is one of the most beautiful places we have ever been.  We had found a tropical paradise in Japan just by chance!                             

Japan: Week 3

This site is no longer going to be updated. I have upgraded my site and the new location is:

http://worldgallivant.com

1. Sakurajima & Kagoshima
2. Yakushima: Onaida Nature Trail
3. Yakushima: Onaida Nature Trail
4. Yakushima: Onaida Nature Trail
5. Yakushima: Sea Turtles
6. Yakushima to Kagoshima
7. Kagoshima to Toyota

Here is a map of the route we took and the exact places. Wow did we make it far during our first week. We were traveling at the speed of a Shinkansen (Japanese bullet train)! Sadly Google Map doesn't allow you to have all those points while in public transportation mode, but we did travel the entire way on JR train.

The cats that had made Sakurajima
Island their home were very
friendly and more then willing to take
some of my left over food.

Waking up in the Dinosaur Park, the submarine was still there. I was happy to see it because then hopefully I would be able to watch it submerge. Just as I stopped filming the sub and turned my back, it went under. It was a little frustrating, but we had to make it to the ferry to head off to Yakushima and the forest that Hayao Miyazaki used as inspiration for Princess Mononoke, one of the films that inspired me to visit Japan in the first place. There are homeless cats everywhere in Japan, some more comfortable around people than others, but many of them are taken care of my locals that bring water and food for them.  The cats on Sakurajima that we fed with some leftover lunch were very friendly. One of them even snuggled up with me after eating and drank some water that I put into the plastic base that my ice cream cone had come in – yum yum ice cream by the way.

Ash on Boat with Yakushima Island behind her

The portion of trail I went on was under the forest canopy the entire way except at the very end where I was surrounded by misty clouds and amazing ancient trees! Although lonely planet and the Yakushima tourist center both quoted that the Onaida Nature Trail would only take 7-8 hours it took me a total of two and a half days. It was ridiculous how crazy the trail was; the people seriously marked trees in the complete wilderness with pink plastic tape and then called it a trail. The trail was full of obstacles, large boulders, streams, mountains after mountains to climb, river, and two groups of monkeys. It was so rigorous that I had to camp out in nature two nights and filter water. The first night I slept under a wonderfully placed rest hut that was stuck to the side of a very steep section of the trail; luckily the huts pillars were far enough apart for me to hang my hammock because there were benches right in the center, but not big enough to do anything except cook or sit on.

Near the end of the Oneida Nature Trail their is a clearing
where you have to climb over this large fallen tree. The
View was incredible and mystifying.

The trees were so close together, it was difficult finding a place to hang the hammock on the second night, but if there is a will there is a way! After emerging from this beautiful but exhausting hike we were then off to see the sea turtles.... We got to the beach earlier in the day and went cross the highway into some trees and hung the Nubé (our home). We watched a long video of what type of turtles we may be seeing (all in Japanese of course). During this video all the non-Japanese speaking tourists’ followed two gecko's as they searched for their next meal near the lights, that were on the hut we were all huddled under, trying to avoid the torrential down pour, and one very large spider that just stayed half way hidden (don't think his whole body could fit in the crack he called home). We after much dead silence (10 pm rolled around and some people went home) we were suddenly ushered single file holding onto the shoulder of the person in front of you out deep into the sand.  This beach is where they allowed us to see a female Loggerhead Sea Turtle laying eggs. She was beautiful, she was approximately 5 foot in length, 4 foot wide with a neck of about 8 inches in diameter, as she began burring the eggs, wildlife officials took blood samples, tagged her back fin and replaced a GPS tag in her front fin.  They dig up the eggs to count and protect them; in July you can watch the babies scurry back to the sea, from human dug nests. We loved this experience!
After leaving the southern island of Yakushima, we took the four-hour ferry ride to Kagoshima and some of our beloved 7-eleven food, and then slept in our fantastic hammocks. Luckily, we had grown accustomed to hanging the Nubé no matter what the weather, so when it rained that night we were nice and dry. The puddle that was similar to a lake under our Nubé was something else. It made it a little interesting when getting out and breaking down camp. 

Urban Camping

This site is no longer going to be updated. I have upgraded my site and the new location is:

http://worldgallivant.com

We read a lot about urban camping in Japan, before ever going over there and doing it ourselves. The main thing that made me feel confident about it being safe was that my mother had approved of it and even found it herself AND that on one of the recommendations it had said a police officer had suggested the park first.

Beppu, Beppu Park

Along the way we had asked many tourist centers if there was a place to camp at _____ (fill in the blank), they all would reply that they cannot officially recommend it, but that many people do camp there.

We would of loved to have more ideas of places to stay or that would be good. As we became experienced Japan Urban Campers, three criteria had to be met:

1. A bathroom
2. Two solid, old trees
3. Those trees had to be at a distance of 13 to 16 feet apart (Mother's feet, heel to toe)

Here are a few of the places that we stayed at all around Japan. The only one that we wouldn't recommend is Himeji Castle Park as the security guards didn't really like it, but if pressed to find a place late at night in Himeji we would go back and know that we would have to take it all down before 5 am.

A few of the places we would really recommend/ our favorites:

• Yokohama, Seaside Park: beautiful and a nice way to see the city lights and close to a bathroom
• Shirahama, Shirarahama Beach: we never had to take the hammock and Nube down during our 2.5 day stay, as almost no one walks behind the storage containers placed up by the cement walkway (this was during the weekdays, not sure how that would change during the weekend and high travel season). Very close to a nice bathroom. Beautiful beach.
...

Japan Countdown

This site is no longer going to be updated. I have upgraded my site and the new location is:

http://worldgallivant.com

There are only 6 days until we get on an airplane to head over the pacific ocean to Tokyo, Japan for our 49 day trip to all of the major islands: Honshu, Kyushu, Shikoku, and Hokkaido, plus some minor ones. It feels like yesterday that I got mother to agree to travel to Japan with me, that we drove to Barnes and Noble to pick out a good travel book, and that we purchased an overall map of Japan to start learning the locations and geography. I grew up with manga and anime, like many children in the United States, but as I became older I started falling in love with their traditions, history, and contradictions.

I have compiled a lot of research on the different attractions, combining our interest in the Japanese experience and trying to cut costs. We finally came to the conclusion that we would try camping as much as possible and pay to use onsen/ofuro (indoor bath) or rotenburo (outdoor bath) whenever necessary/we really want to be clean. While in the Grand Canyon we tested out our Sierra Madre 3 person tent with 2 vestibules. The tent was fabulous, it didn't weigh too much, was easy to set up, and had plenty of room for us and our possessions. We did have to clear a path and make sure that we found semi-level location, so we opted into performing research on hammocks, but with hammocks you have to have a shelter in case it rains (we are traveling to Japan during their rainy season).

Sierra Madre Nube and Hambunks

After hours, days, and many google searches later Val found a very interesting hammock set. After watching every video and finally deciding to splurge and purchase this amazing package, we finally received the set over the weekend (5.3.14). Val finally had a chance to set it up yesterday, although rather gusty in Eastern Idaho, and came to the conclusion that after some finagling that it would be perfect for all our trips. We really liked that it had a mosquito net, two could sleep under the same shelter, you could roll everything away to cook under the shelter, you can also convert it into a small tent by using hiking poles to prop up the two points, and it all packed down really small. Val and I are extremely pleased to be taking this on the road with us and can not wait to hang it from some beautiful Japanese trees.

We have also received our:

• Japan Rail passes 
• Studio Ghibli Museum tickets
• Reservation for our first ryokan (traditional hotel)
• Printed our Welcome Cards: discount coupons for different locations that are available to foreign visitors to reduce costs
• Written some common words we will want in Kanji, English, and pronunciation
• Copies of all vital documents
• Received two months worth of medication: you can actually receive a vacation waver from your insurance that allows them to pay for more than one months worth of medication if you are going to be gone
• Medicine documentation for entry: for some medications you actually need to supply documentation to the Japanese government for approval before entering the country. We also found that in the case of bringing medications abroad it makes it easier during customs to have:
• On your doctors letterhead, type of medications, generics/other substitutes, what you are taking the medications for, how long your have been seeing the doctor, and contact information
• Duplicates of the prescription(s)