Resuming our fall hike, at the top of Mt. Mitake is Musashi Mitake Jinja.

After exploring the shrine and the views from it (below) we ate lunch in one of the several restaurants near the top (above).

Posted on February 20th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: clouds, mt. mitake. Comments: 1

This random picture showed up on my SD card. I’m guessing Ellie took it while Ryan was breaking down our cartons to recycle.

Truth be told, there isn’t a cheap grocery store within walking distance of our apartment, although there are nearly half a dozen of them. There probably isn’t one in all of Tokyo or even all of Japan for that matter. Sure, a few things are cheaper and a few more can be had for similar prices to those found in the USA, but most supermarket items are priced higher and many are much higher. One example are the beverages shown above. In a regular Japanese supermarket these cost between 180 and 300 yen ($2 – $3.50) each for 1000 ml (1 liter). In the states we are used to purchasing a gallon of milk for a similar price. Unfortunately a gallon is nearly 4 liters, meaning we would pay four times as much.

To make matters a bit better we shop for many of our groceries at a convenience store. I know; that sounds crazy. People don’t shop for groceries at convenience stores in the states. But we go to Lawson 100 here on a daily basis. Everything is 105 yen once you include tax.

Posted on February 19th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: food, nishi-waseda. Comments Off on Lawson 100

Yesterday’s post, or at least the part about making friends in an onsen, reminded me of an experience we had in Hakuba back in October. We went to a great onsen called Kurashita No Yu (倉下の湯) near the river.

The reddish-brown, iron-rich waters were soothing and wonderful. The views weren’t bad either, even with a cloudy sky.

But the best part was the company. Ryan and I made friends with a couple of really nice gents from Kanazawa (金沢). We took photos with them, swapped information, were offered their drinks out of the back of their car, and have kept in contact ever since. Ryan has even been invited to come live with them in a home-stay sort of arrangement this summer.

Posted on February 18th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: hakuba, onsen. Comments Off on Kurashita No Yu (onsen in Hakuba)

For our one night in Nikko we decided upon the Funamiso, about 20 minutes away from downtown Nikko on the train (Kosagoe Station 小佐越駅 covered with our Nikko Pass). We were debating between a place right in Nikko (without an onsen but convenient) or a place far from the city (which would have taken more than an hour to get to from Nikko but with a great-looking onsen). The Funamiso seemed like a happy medium. I’m not sure if this place is technically a hotel, ryokan, minshuku, or pension. I suppose it could fit into any of those categories.

Not being a huge fan of seafood, I opted for the no meal plan at Funamiso. I’m sure I would have enjoyed the shabu-shabu dinner, but 7,000 yen each is more than I want to spend on a single dinner no matter how delicious. Waking up to a Japanese breakfast of fish, rice, and vegetables isn’t my cup of tea either. The no meal plan is affordable at 5,000 yen per person.

Funamiso was a bit disappointing from the outside, but once we made it inside everything was great. The place was very clean, the staff was nice, the views were good, and the outdoor part of the onsen was spectacular. Our room was Japanese style so we slept in futon on tatami floors. We had a private bath in the room that looked like it had never been used. We didn’t use it either. Who would when there is a wonderful onsen downstairs? My only complaint is the privacy fence around the outside onsen. It provided very little privacy (not that I cared) and obstructed the view. Lose the fence and this onsen is close to perfection.

The above picture is from the room on the evening we arrived. The steam from the onsen below beckons. Snow had just fallen. A couple of spotlights allowed onsen users to view the snow-covered trees and a little waterfall into the river even after dark. Speaking of users, I was the only user of the male onsen. Funamiso has several dozen rooms, but only three were being used on this weeknight in February. I had the onsen, all three pools, completely to myself each time. I have had fun talking to random Japanese strangers in onsen, but I didn’t get the chance with this onsen basically being private due to a lack of guests.

We arrived at Funamiso at about dusk. The view from our room was more stunning the next morning as the sun rose.

The moon was setting as the sun was rising.

After checking out we went for a walk that took us over two different bridges spanning the Kinu River (鬼怒川).

Would I recommend Ryokan Funamiso? Absolutely.

Posted on February 17th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: nikko, onsen, reviews, snow, sunrise. Comments: 2

The Sputnik Sweetheart was the third Murakami book I have read and second in the original Japanese. I almost gave up on it in the early going as it seemed rather boring. Things got far more interesting soon thereafter so I’m glad I stuck with it.

Published in Japanese just three years before Kafka on the Shore, there are many similar themes and items touched upon in these two works. I really enjoyed some of the messages near the end of the book and found them to ring very true.

Being a work of fiction, I don’t want to give much away in my assessment. However, I will say that I’m glad to have read スプートニクの恋人, and the Japanese is not very difficult if you can read at least a few hundred kanji. Also, I now want to visit Greece.

Posted on February 16th, 2010 under Japan. Tags: book review, haruki murakami. Comments Off on スプートニクの恋人 (Sputnik Sweetheart) by 村上春樹 (Haruki Murakami)