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Riding the Mangatrain
Jun 2nd, 2009
On mornings I go running, I take the train to work. The station is right next to my place, and the station I get off at is like 50 feet from my office entrance. The train I take is on the Senseki Line, which goes from Sendai all the way out to Ishinomaki out on the Pacific Coast. Sometimes I get to ride what I call the Mangatrain. I don’t read comics anymore so I wasn’t sure what characters these were, but it always made me a little happier when I saw it rolling down the tracks.
Upon doing some research, I found that the actual name of this train is the “Mangattan Liner”. Since Ishinomaki is home to the Ishinomori Manga Museum this train is undoubtedly an homage/advertisement to Shotaro Ishinomori and his famous work.
The train has four cars, which you can see in the illustration below. First is the “Cyborg 009″ car, featuring characters from this famous manga/anime. Next is the “____-jidai (____-period)” car (I can’t quite make that last kanji out), featuring characters from various manga, including Sandarabocchi さんだらぼっち. After that is the “Comedy” car with various silly characters. Finally there’s the “Hero” car, featuring the famous Kamen Rider!
Many thanks to Chimihen for the illustration and the additional info (Japanese website). When I first rode the train, the interior was plastered with comic book pages, not regular train advertisements. I guess however that the economics of it all won out; the next time I got to ride the Mangattan Liner all the comics were replaced with the usual ads.
Check out the brief slideshow below to see the Mangattan Liner up close and personal, and also check out this post over at Pink Tentacle to see some other beautifully painted manga-themed trains throughout Japan.
A Trip to Yagiyama Zoo
May 25th, 2009
We’ve been meaning to make it up to the zoo since last year, even before we moved to Sendai. It’s pretty good considering its small size, with a variety of birds, reptiles, and animals from all around the world. The primates were particularly interesting; we got to feed some of them, and witnessed a couple fights. Across the street from the zoo is Sendai’s amusement park, Bennyland. Looks more geared for young children, but I’m sure we’ll make the trip there sometime this summer anyways.
Got to play around a little with my trusty little Casio EX-V8 at the zoo too. Along with taking great quality stereo video, you can get a true 14x optical zoom when shooting at 2M. Most of the photos below were taken at the telephoto end of the lens. As you can see the zoom and image stabilization work pretty good for such a small and inexpensive camera. It’s really a shame for consumers that Casio discontinued this line after only 2 models. I got mine though so I guess that’s all that matters!
Yakyu 野球 (Baseball)
May 11th, 2009
One of the things I was looking forward to the most when I got transferred to Sendai was the chance to check out some professional Japanese baseball. Sendai is the home of the Tohoku Rakuten Golden Eagles. Let’s break down the name first. Tohoku is the northern region of Honshu (the main) island. Rakuten is the name of a giant online store in Japan. The Golden Eagles (more commonly known as the Eagles) is the name of the team. Here in Japan teams are named after their main sponsor. It’s a little tacky coming from North America, but at least my local team isn’t named Nippon Ham like Sapporo’s team.
There are 12 teams in Nippon Pro Baseball (NPB), divided into two leagues, Central and Pacific. The Eagles are in the Pacific League, which has a designated hitter like MLB’s American League. In the Central League the pitchers hit, like MLB’s National League. If you remember Mr. Baseball, you know that NPB is pretty different than MLB. In NPB, there can be tie games. NPB is generally less aggressive than MLB, and there is more bunting. The season is almost as long as MLB’s, playing 144 games.
Kyoko and I’ve been to 4 games this season, and we’re also going to 2 games this week. I guess I’m back into baseball, at least the Japanese version. Here are a few reasons why…
The Eagles’ home field, Kleenex Stadium, is not only the softest stadium in NPB but also the smallest, with a capacity of just over 20,000. Because of this there really isn’t a bad seat in the house. Kleenex Stadium is also an open stadium. Watching MLB games in the old Kingdome and BC Place, it never really felt like a real ballpark. Having the sun beat down on you on a Sunday afternoon or sitting under the bright lights on a Thursday evening, being out in the open definitely adds to the overall experience.
Ticket prices. The outfield bleachers, which are general admission, cost around $10-15. The most expensive tickets, behind home plate, will run you around $70. Similarly located seats to a Blue Jays game will cost you $31 and $210 respectively. And that’s for the crappy Blue Jays in the craptastic Skydome.
There’s also a section in the outfield that’s simply a grass field. Bring a blanket and have a picnic while you watch the game and enjoy the day.
Drinking. Japan of course has a legendary drinking culture, and at the ballpark it’s no different. Countless girls dressed in beer logo baseball uniforms endlessly parade around the stadium, lugging mini-kegs of cold beer, chu-hi, or soft drinks. If you prefer to stand in a line, a selection of hot or cold sake can also be enjoyed. Hot for those chilly spring and autumn night games, cold for the summer. Prices range from $4-6.
However, if you don’t feel like paying for your booze, not to worry. Not only are you allowed to bring outside alcohol into the stadium, the staff will happily pour your can of beer into a cup for you! I tell you, it doesn’t get much better than that.
There’s a lot more I can say about the Japanese baseball experience, but for today let’s leave it at that. Below are photos taken from a few of the games we saw last month. There’s also a video of the “7th Inning Stretch“, Japanese-style. Enjoy!
A Trip To Wakuya Castle
Mar 21st, 2009
Friday was a national holiday in Japan, Shunbun no hi (春分の日), also known as Spring Equinox. I needed to buy some duct tape, and tools to dismantle my home gym as the packing slowly rounds into form. I figured I’d also make it out to Wakuya and check out the remains of its castle since the weather was so nice.
From the JNTO Website:
Watari Shigemune, a military commander, became the governor of Wakuya Castle (Wakuya-jo) in 1591, and for 277 years from that time the castle remained in the possession of the Sendai Clan, which governed this region. Backed by a hill and guarded at the front by the river, Wakuya Castle was a natural fortress. It had no castle tower but instead a row of buildings resembling manors. It was completely destroyed by accidental fire in 1689, then rebuilt over a period of several years. When political power shifted from the Edo Shogunate to the Meiji Government in the mid-19th century, many castles, symbols of the samurai’s political power, were destroyed, including most of the buildings of Wakuya Castle. Only the stone walls and the taikodo turret now remain. A three-storied tower-like building stands adjacent to the castle, exhibiting related materials.
The small park where the castle resides looks like it would be really nice in the spring when the cherry blossoms bloom. I will be somewhere else during Hanami however. Shiroishi or Kakunodate are on the short list this year.
Running Up The Coast, Part 3
Mar 16th, 2009
As we were leaving the Daikannon at Kamaishi, I gave Lester a call in Morioka. I think the last time we got together was back in November and I figured that since we would be in the general vicinity we’d stop by and have some dinner. After asking his girlfriend if he could come out and play with his friends, I said I’d give him a call when we arrived in Morioka. Before that though, Craig and I had to make it to our 3rd and final stop on our sightseeing tour of Iwate, Jodogahama Beach in Miyako City.
After stopping by a Lawson’s to get some quick energy we hit the road again. By this time we’d been on the road for 6 or 7 hours. I was a little worried that we wouldn’t have enough light to check out the beach, but there was really nothing we could do about getting their any faster. We cut through the mountains, going through 15-20 tunnels of various sizes and lengths.
Jodogahama Beach (the green marker) isn’t your typical sandy beach, rather a brief respite from the rocky cliffs that line Iwate’s coast. The park surrounding the beach looked nice; large with lots of small trails going in every direction. You can also rent boats and navigate the bay. Surely it’s a beautiful place to visit in the spring and summer.
Jodogahama Beach, Miyako City, Iwate Prefecture
Having taken our fill of photos, we set off for Morioka, and dinner. We followed the Shimohei River back into the mountains, encountering quite a bit of snow as we progressed inland. I would’ve liked to make it up to Ryusendo Cave, but we just didn’t have the time.
Finally making it into Morioka, we met up with Lester and Rie and feasted on some yakiniku. Yakiniku is probably my favourite dining experience in Japan. The only thing that would’ve made it a perfect meal was a nice tall frosty beer, but alas I was the driver.
Feeling adequately recharged for the drive home, we said farewell to Morioka and headed south back to Miyagi Prefecture, this time on the expressway. Craig helped keep me awake by talking movies, and before we knew it we were back home. The longest 600 kilometers I’ve ever driven, we were on the road for 14 hours, driving 11 of them. I slept well that night!
Running Up The Coast, Part 2
Mar 14th, 2009
Next on our epic 1-day journey through Iwate Prefecture was the Daikannon at Kamaishi City. As we left the outskirts of Ofunato City we saw a sign for Ryorigawa Dam. Why not? We veered off the main road and snaked our way through an unnamed village, possibly going the wrong way up some one way lanes, eventually ending up at the foot of the dam. Got out at the top, snapped a few pics, then we were back on the road again.
Ryorigawa Dam Resevoir
Kamaishi City (the red marker) is famous for a couple of reasons. From Britannica Encyclopedia (remember them?):
Kamaishi was a small fishing village until magnetite was discovered in the area in 1727, and Japan’s first European-style blast furnace was constructed in the city in 1857. In 1885 a government-controlled iron foundry was built using coal from Hokkaido and later using ore from China after the Sino-Japanese War (1894–95). Heavy damage was suffered during World War II, but mining revived after 1945, yielding magnetite ore. Iron and steel, mainly from Britain, are imported through Kamaishi’s harbour, which is also an important fishing port and part of Rikuchu-kaigan National Park.
Apparently Kamaishi is the main supplier of Japan’s pachinko balls as well. The main draw to this seaside town however is the Daikannon statue. We made our way up the spiral staircase to the top and took in the view. Legend has it that those who visit the goddess and ascend the 204 stairs to the top will be filled with a great happiness. I don’t feel terrible as I type this, so maybe it worked!
Some additional information, this time from the Japanese Buddhism Photo Dictionary:
“Originally a girl of T’ang China, who was selling fish on the market. She asked Kannon Bosatsu [Goddess of Mercy] to grant her a good husband. The wish was granted, and later the girl herself was considered an incarnation of Kannon Bosatsu. This form of Kannon (#10 out of 33) is now, in this area, considered the deity of young men looking for wives.”
We decided to skip lunch and make our way even farther north to Miyako City. Originally I had planned to go to Anatoshiiso only, but in all honesty I’m probably never going to be in this neighbourhood again. We would soldier on…
Running Up The Coast, Part 1
Mar 12th, 2009
One last chance for a road trip before the big move, I headed up and over to the Pacific to check out a few famous spots along the Iwate coast. I only had one day to make the trip, and I knew it was going to be a stretch to make it, but I dragged myself out of bed, hopped in the car and headed north, trying not to think of the 11 hour drive ahead. The first stop? The M-shaped rock formation known as Anatoshiiso (the blue marker).
My co-pilot today would be Craig, an American working at a school near mine. To shave a couple hours off the trip we took the expressway up to Ichinoseki. You gotta pay to drive the expressway, but if time is an issue there’s no better way to drive. Unfortunately the local roads are painfully slow, especially deep in the countryside. “True” (extra lane) passing lanes are virtually non-existent, not that it would help avoid all the grandmas and grandpas attempting to drive their shitty little trucks along the windy roads.
We crawled our way east to Kesennuma, where I saw a very underwhelming fireworks show last summer. Reaching the coast, we began our journey north along the local road that winded along the water.
A couple wrong turns later, we arrived at the first of our five stops. As you can see it’s a pretty beautiful scene, and a great way to start off the morning. I’d like to come back and visit again in the summer when the water is nice and warm. Part 2 to come soon…
A nice place to do some cliff jumping, perhaps...
Mt. Odogamori
Mar 8th, 2009
Here’s the next installment of “The Remains of 2008″. From what I can tell I still have 7 more slideshows from last year to upload. Today finds us looking back on our aborted attempt to investigate the earthquake-damaged Mt. Kurikoma region. Like I mentioned before, we were on the top of Mt. Kurikoma just one week before the 6.9M quake rocked Tohoku. We waited 3 months before venturing back out there. Unfortunately the Miyagi side of Kurikoma, the area most heavily hit, was still closed. Consulting Tony’s trusty hiking guide we decided to hike up a (hopefully) less dangerous mountain, Odogamori-san.
Skirting around Kurikoma we saw evidence of the earthquake everywhere. Besides the blocked off roads, we saw many hills where sheets of land had just slid away. Roads were cracked and twisted, with single lane traffic in many sections. It’s all automated though; I guess it works on the Honour System or something.
Along the way we encountered absolutely nobody. Not a single car. Granted we were in rural Miyagi, but it was still pretty eerie to drive through this devastated area and not see anyone out and about.
Following Google Maps on my iPhone we broke off the pavement and started along a single lane gravel access road into the mountains. As much as I rave about the GPS on my cell phone, the only bad point is that once you’re out of cellular range you lose the map. Your path will still be plotted, and the little icon will still follow the path, but you’ll just be moving along a blank page. But I digress.
Over a sketchy bridge and through a sketchy tunnel, we finally arrived at the parking lot, which was a little space beside the rocky road for a couple of cars to park. We surveyed the map, chose our route, and filled out the logbook just in case the three of us were attacked by bears or zombies or whatever. Like my dad always said, “Safety first, wear a condom.” I’m just kidding, he never said “Safety first”.
About halfway up the very unmaintained trail becomes pretty steep, so there are a series of ropes to help you negotiate the sticky parts. Nothing really dangerous though.
The view from the top.
Kyoko, Tony, and I ate our lunches at the top and enjoyed the cool breeze that rushed up and over the mountain. We still haven’t made it back to Kurikoma, but rest assured it’s on the list for this summer.
This trip also marked the demise of my beloved Sony DSC-P73 digital camera. I used it for 5 years; it was frikking bulletproof I swear. It had been rained on and dropped more times than I can remember, but it kept on shooting great photos. No BS, I must’ve shot over 25,000 photos with this baby. It had virtually full manual control. This was probably a pretty standard feature back in it’s time, but these days full manual on a point and shoot is getting increasingly rare. For this reason only I didn’t replace my camera with another Sony, opting for the great Casio EX-V8 instead. My Sony was a really reliable camera and I was sad to see it go.
A Hidden Gem
Mar 4th, 2009
Two days ago Kyoko and I took the drive west out to Onikobe, an area near the Akita/Yamagata/Miyagi border. Probably known best for its terrible ski hill, Onikobe is also home to many hot springs (onsen). While nearby Naruko Onsen gets most of the hype, being accessible by train and a popular place to view the autumn leaves, there are some great hidden spots along northwestern Miyagi’s winding backwoods roads. On Monday we visited Hounkaku Onsen.
Although we’d been to this region before this was my first time driving there, so I punched in our destination into my iPhone, letting Google Maps plot our course for us. My company car has no navigation system, so the iPhone has been an absolute godsend in helping me not get lost driving around rural Japan. However, it definitely does NOT account for road conditions, weather, time of year, etc. I had already narrowly averted a near disaster back in January, when my phone told me to drive through the still earthquake-damaged Kurikoma region through a blizzard on a one-lane road into uninhabited rural Yamagata in the dead of night on my way up to Akita City.
This time wasn’t nearly as perilous, just a small snow-covered country road heading up into the hills. It was right near the end of the trip so I thought we’d give Google the benefit of the doubt and see if we could make it, in our little Nissan March. The snow became deeper and deeper, and about half a click up the road we came to a stop, unable to make any more forward progress up the hill. “This is why we have to drive backwards in a straight line on our driving test.” I told Kyoko, as we slowly made our way down the winding road in reverse. Strike two Google, strike two… We found a better route to take to the onsen, the turnoff being about 100 meters after our deadend.
Eventually we reached Hounkaku Onsen. I smiled to myself as we parked in the empty lot. One of the best things about having Mondays off is that you can go to most recreation places (onsens, driving ranges, game centers) and they’ll be nearly or completely empty. Kyoko and I try to go to mixed onsens (where the outdoor bath is for men and women, together) if we can. Going to non-mixed onsens, while relaxing, can be pretty boring. Sure, I could strike up a conversation with some random naked dude, but I’d much rather hang out with Kyoko or my friends.
Paying our 500 yen fee we walked through the quiet inn to get to the change rooms. Empty. I quickly showered and then headed outside (The change rooms and indoor baths are segregated). Empty. We had the whole place to ourselves.
As you can see from the photos there is a large rotenburo (open-air bath), and a natural bath complete with a waterfall. The Okami-san (hostess of the inn) warned us that the natural bath would probably be a little chilly, as it had snowed the night before. It doesn’t really start to get nice and hot until June or July. The rotenburo is temperature-controlled, and also features a small cave. It isn’t really a steam room or sauna, but an “Ashi-yu” instead (Ashi = foot or leg, Yu = bath or hot spring). One end of the rotenburo is hotter than the other so you can get warmer or cooler as you please.
Perhaps the only negative was the quality of the water itself. The scent wasn’t filled with sulphur and didn’t make your skin feel soft and slimy, meaning the water was probably low in minerals and chemicals.
The natural bath was a little cool, but nothing like surfing off the coast of Vancouver Island in summer. Kyoko snapped a few photos of me unsuccessfully trying to climb up the waterfall, then we headed back into the heated pool.
The atmosphere was amazing. The splashing of the waterfall, the occasional chirping of the birds (cicadas perhaps?), the sound of snow melting and sliding off the roof… bliss.
First Trip To Fukushima
Feb 27th, 2009
Back in December Kyoko and I made our first trip down to Fukushima Prefecture. Our destination: Takine, home to Abukuma Cave, the only limestone cave open to the public in Japan.
The drive took about 2 1/2 hours, with most of the trip taken on the Tohoku Expressway. Abukuma cave was only discovered in 1969. About 600m of the cave is open to the public, with another 2500m off limits. Basic admission gives you access to most of the public area; from inside the cave system you can also access some very tight and narrow caves for an additional fee. We coughed up the extra dough so we could crawl under and squeeze around the formations, getting some nice close looks at the intricacies of the limestone. Claustrophobics need not apply.
Near the end of the alternate route we began to hear… music. It seemed a little tacky that they would be pumping tunes into the cave, but the music was sounding quite nice, so we walked toward the sounds…
Upon entering the main cave (“The Takine Palace”) we discovered the source of the music — a brass band! We caught the end of their show, which included some Christmas tunes. Needless to say the acoustics in the cave were amazing. It would definitely be a great place to have a big party, except for the fact that people would probably get too drunk and impale themselves on the stalagmites or something. Check out the video on the sidebar, or click here.
After thoroughly exploring the rest of the Palace we headed back outside to the cold. We considered checking out the planetarium show, but about an hour away there was a waterfall that we see before darkness came…
Adventures in Fast Food
Feb 24th, 2009
Spent a cold, dreary Monday afternoon in Sendai. Our mission: to find an apartment. Our goal: to find Northern Japan’s only Wendy’s restaurant.
After visiting Tokyo last weekend and being constantly reminded of all the lovely unhealthy restaurants (Burger King, Wendy’s, Subway) that we are lacking in Tohoku, the hamster started running, and I found the Wendy’s Japan website and searched for any nearby locations. Low and behold there was a lone shining star. And wouldn’t you know it, it was only about half an hour from our apartment!
Giddy with excitement, we decided to get our burger-on after searching for apartments. The nap I would surely need after such a meal certainly would ruin the primary objective. Although I love me a good hamburger, being homeless in Northern Japan is not high on my to-do list.
The map is a little misleading. At the intersection indicated there should be a giant AEON shopping mall, but I guess it was built after Google banged off that map. To make a long story short, there is a mall there, the Wendy’s is there, and it’s NOT at the AEON/Jusco that’s just 5 minutes away on Route 4.
The fries are a little smaller than I remember, but the burgers are spot on. Got a couple of Jr. Cheeseburgers chilling in the fridge that will make a lovely lunch tomorrow…
Riding the Loople Bus
Feb 22nd, 2009
Still digging through photos from last year, this time stumbling across a set from March. Kyoko’s best friend came up from Saitama to visit, so we spent the day in Sendai doing some sightseeing. To be honest there isn’t much historical sightseeing to be done in Sendai proper, but we hopped on the Sendai Loop Bus which takes you around to see the sights.
First stop was the site of Aoba Castle. A giant fire destroyed a lot of the castle in 1882, then the Americans obliterated what was left back in 1945, so there actually isn’t anything to see. I guess the only thing you can see is the view that you would’ve seen if you were looking from the castle out towards what is now downtown Sendai.
All I had was my cellphone camera =/
After that we hopped back on the bus and headed to Zuihoden Mausoleum, where the famous feudal lord Masamune Date rests. Lined with tall cedar trees, it’s a nice peaceful place for a stroll.
We’ll definitely head back up to the Aoba Castle grounds after we move to Sendai next month. I think it would be a cool place to go in the evening to relax, drink a beverage, and enjoy the view.