Tokyo Day 2: Hiking, Kenchoji Temple and Sky Tree

After seeing the Great Buddha it was time to move to another part of the city. About 300 meters behind the Great Buddha was a hiking trail I had been looking forward to trekking for at least a month. It wouldn't be a tough hike, it was just over  2 kilometers (approx. 1.3 miles for you American folk) with only one upward part. Luckily I started on the upward part. I say luckily due to the fact that it was scorching hot and it was better to get it over at the beginning and enjoy the breeze laden trail the rest of the way. Nearly every Japanese person I past said "Konichiwa" (good afternoon) as we passed. I found it rather interesting that the American foreigners I crossed paths with acted as if I wasn't even there even when I said "good afternoon" to them. So much for a common bond among countrymen!

     ^trail of destiny^

     ^view of Kamakura from the trail^

Now Japan is a relatively safe place to travel with the exception of one creature. This creature, to put it simply, is the asshole of the wild. It's powerful, it always sounds angry (though it's not particularly aggressive), and will send grown men running in the opposite direction. What is it you ask? The Japanese Hornet. It can grown up to 4 cm (1.6 in) long and kills more people (due to anaphylactic shock after its venom has entered the body) than both bears and snakes combined. Many points throughout my hike I happened upon these devilish creatures and quickly strode past them. At one point I was surrounded by the buzzing of 6 wings and decided to run to get away from them. I laughed at how silly I must have appeared and then I heard the scream of a young woman. "AHHHHHHHH!" accompanied by the tromping of feet in a full sprint. Suddenly a young British woman came around a bend in the trail flailing her arms and screaming. Then she saw me and regained what appeared to be her normal composure with the exception of a bright red face. I asked if she was okay and then she went on a rant about the wasps and how they were chasing her. We quickly parted ways but I enjoyed a good laugh after she was out of earshot.

The hike began next to the road, traveled through a thin forest which gradually became deeper until I was surrounded by trees. Then the trail led up a stairway and into a residential neighborhood. From there the trail branched off in several directions. I took the trail leading toward Ugafukujin Shrine. The next photo describes what this shrine is for if you're interested:

    

Inside the shrine many people were washing money in hopes that it would come back doubly to them. I'm not quite sure where these legends originate or how people substantiate them but they do appear to be wildly popular superstitions. Who knows maybe if you believe in something enough it will appear to come true?

      ^people washing money^

newly weds entering  Ugafukujin Shrine

After leaving the shrine I made my way down a hill back into  residential Kamakura. On the hill I passed a group of young college age guys who gave me an emphatic, "Hello!" and muttered something about me being a foreigner. I said hello back and they all burst out in excitement giving me the thumbs up and telling me to have a great day. I wish I would have snapped a picture of this Motley crew but alas I didn't and they will only live on in this blog and in memory. It's random moments such as these that make traveling exciting. Even sharing just a momentary connection with people helps to make the world a smaller and more beautiful place for both parties.

 Ugafukujin Shrine

 

neighborhood below the shrine

   

The path I took winded through a neighborhood and I decided to head toward my final destination Kenchoji Temple. It was another 2 kilometers winding through residential areas until I would reach the temple. I decided to take a back road up a hill to save some time. Along the way I found Jokomyoji a small but beautiful temple in the middle of a neighborhood. This temple features statues of the Amida trinity. Behind the temple lies a hill lies the grave of Reizei Tamesuki the founder of the Noble Reizei Family of Poets.

Jokomyoji Temple

From there I took a path which during the Kamakura period was an important trade road essentially cutting the journey through the city in half. In modern times it is nothing more than a one way road traversed by bikers, walkers and scooters. Along the way I followed an old woman who could hike like a mountain goat. She never broke her stride even when the hill was tough. On the opposite side I passed the entrance to a house that was rather impressive. It made me consider how I would like the gate to my future house to be in my future castle.

Finally I arrived at Kenchoji Temple. As I walked up to the gate I had the sudden realization  that I might be too late to the party. The gates were closed and only two young women sat outside of them looking at their cell phones and chatting away hysterically. On the sign next to them the operating hours were posted. I had missed the time by just ten minutes.

 It was then I noticed a side gate had been left open. I casually strolled in with my camera in hand and began shooting pictures. One person I passed by gave me an odd look but decided I must be there for a reason and simply said hello as she passed. I was in!

Kenchoji Temple is rated as the greatest of five Zen temples in Kamakura. It was founded in 1252 and finished in 1253. It was originally headed by a Chinese Zen master by the name of Renkei Doryu* who had come to Japan in 1246 and had spent some time in other areas before settling in Kamakura.

Even today it is an important monastery for monks in training. A casual stroll through the grounds will reveal a treasure trove of buildings, statues, gardens and other things of interest. The main temple buildings and the observatory were my favorite places at this site.

Overall I was more impressed by this temple than the Great Buddha. It is hard to imagine the countless people who have strolled through these grounds. And even harder still to see the impressions it had left upon them. All I know is that Kenchoji Temple is one place I wont easily forget.

There's one piece of advice I feel I should share before moving on. If you plan to see these places I would recommend coming really early or really late (preferably before closing time). You will get to see them without the chaos tourists tend to bring with them. Especially in the case of Kenchoji the lack of people gave it an inspiring and tranquil atmosphere. Throughout my entire time there I couldn't help but think how lucky I was to be able to enjoy that space in peace. It also gave me ample time to reflect on how limited our time is here and how we should enjoy it and pursue what we love with unabashed tenacity.

After venturing to the observatory of Kenchoji it was time to head back toward the train station and Tokyo.

Along the way I decided to pass through what appeared to be a park. Its name is Tsuruoka Hachiman Gu. I wish I could give you more information but at this point I was pretty drained and just wanted to take in one last site before the train. It had a wonderful temple like thing a lotus patch and even a gentleman practicing martial arts. Overall it was a lovely park that I wish I had spent even just a few more moments at.

From there my feet lead me through Kamakura's shopping street. Souvenirs and typical Japanese goodies were for sale throughout the entire area. I casually walked through a few and then saw a beautiful site. A woman was helping her incredibly aged mother walk down the street inch by inch. The patience that this woman had really struck me in a deep way. As they inched forward the woman's face remained free from irritation as her hands gently guided her along the side of the busy street. This was to be my last impression of Kamakura.

On the return trip to Tokyo I was much more tired than I had expected to be. Luckily I was able to find a seat where leaning my head back and catching a quick snooze was possible. This ride offered just as many interesting characters as the morning trip had.

First there was a group of college age guys next to me. One of them passed out in a rather funny way and his buddy and I caught each other trying to snap a quick picture of him. His friend laughed and laughed and laughed. Later on we were both able to snap a quick picture.

The next notable character was a middle aged man who got on the train halfway through my journey back to the city. He seemed common enough until he pulled out a paper from his bag. Needless to say this wasn't your typical newspaper. Plastered on the back was a couple in the midst of the horizontal mambo. Take a close look for yourself:

After nightfall I finally arrived at Tokyo Station. It is a much more beautiful sight at night! From there I made the final leg of my trip to my hotel The Agora Place. It`s a nice place with decent rates. The highlight for me was that I was able to see Sky Tree from my room!

After a 20 minute nap in a cloud of a bed it was time to grub. Kitty corner to the hotel was a sushi place. This is was exactly the treat I was looking for. I went in and was greeted by a middle aged woman named Keiko. She was thrilled after she learned I could speak a little broken Japanese and asked me all the typical questions: "where are you from? How old are you? Do you live in Japan etc." Luckily I was able to answer them (to some degree) and she was polite and friendly for the remainder of my stay there.

Yes, I know my hair is sexy

The sushi chef was also incredibly kind. He asked the same questions and allowed me to take a few photo's of a master at work.

It was getting late but there was one last place I wanted to see, Skytree.

Well it is a lot bigger than I imagined and I realized that as I walked there. I could see it from my hotel so I had guessed it wasn't that far away. Well I was wrong. It was exactly 2 kilometers (once again for you American Folk (1.24 miles). Which wouldn't be so bad if my poor feet hadn't traversed all of Kamakura... but now I'm just whining so I'll stop.

After I had reached there it was already closed (for future reference it closes at (8:30 pm). Now, usually this would be a major bummer but it is a beautiful sight at night and I was also able to meet a few people along the way. Two of whom were young skateboarders who were trying to photobomb a picture of mine. I asked them if I could take a picture and they were overjoyed at the prospect. One of them spoke amazing English. We shared a few moments chatting and then they rolled back into the night.

From there I took another route back to the hotel taking in all this area of Tokyo had to offer. It was a nice stroll and I happened upon a site that brought a smile to my face. Apparently police officers wear helmets inside their cars. One step closer to being real Robo Cops.

I finally arrived at my hotel and drifted into the land of Morpheus.



Stay tuned to day 3 of Tokyo up next!Some of the highlights include Ueno, a reunion with some friends from the UK and Shinjuku nightlife .

Top 6: South Korea

This week I'll be welcoming you back to the land of Kimchi, soju and plastic surgery epidemics. That's right I'm talking about the bounteous country South Korea! I'm going to highlight my top 6 (top 5 is too cliche and I'm too lazy for top 10) things I loved about Korea! So grab your note pad, some hot coco and enjoy the show!

Number 6: The Ease of Travel

No matter where you are traveling it will be a breeze to travel in Korea. You say you live in Busan and want to take a day trip to Seoul? No problem! Hop on the early KTX (bullet train) and in just under 4 hours you're there! Need a cheap lift from the rural life to the city? Hop on the bus! Need to get from one end of Seoul to the other? The subway has what you need! Korea has one of the best and cheapest mass transportation systems I've ever had the pleasure of enjoying. In my time there I took buses, planes, boats and trains with little or no problems (with the exception of getting lost in Seoul once...). Now, many of you may worry how you will navigate through these options. The good news is that most signs are written in Korean, English and Chinese/Japanese. So if you can read one of these languages you're in good shape!

You can't buy excitement like this.

My favorite was the KTX. It hauls ass through the countryside getting you from Busan to Seoul pretty quickly. The first time I went to Seoul (around New Years) there weren't any seats available so we had to stand for most of the trip. But, even then watching the world fly by outside was worth the trip.

Hauling ass on the KTX

On a regular day it's pretty easy to get a seat (get one early if you plan on traveling during major holidays) and they are comfy enough to sleep in! You can also take regular trains, which are only a little cheaper, though they slug along at a comfortable pace they are rather aged and can be uncomfortable (especially on a 5+ hour ride home from partying in Seoul).

Waiting in line to get a KTX ticket. The machines in the back can also be used to purchase tickets.

My second choice would be the subway. For the love of god they are wildly entertaining places to use for travel. I can honestly say all walks of life have transpired in front of my naive American eyes while journeying through the subways of Korea; young lovers, old lovers, beggars, millionaires and everyone in between will use the subway at some point. 

The Korean who developed the Flux capacitor 

I can't tell if he loves or hates animals. EVERYTHING he was wearing was made from some type of animal.

If you can manage I'd recommend the running of the subway goers. What's that you ask? It's basically a herd, maybe a mob, of people running to catch the subway train before it departs the station. Be careful of the Ajimas (Sp?) they will not hesitate to hit, push or yell at you in an insane manner to get onto the train!

Lost in Seoul

There's also one more thing to mention when using the subways get an electronic pass. You can find these at just about every convenience store within proximity of the subway. You can load them up using machines at the stations and they will save you tons of time you'd otherwise spend digging for change. In many places these passes can be used on buses and trains too! Bee Yaw!

Sweet hair dude!

Subway romance

My least favorite form of travel would have to be buses. There is nothing explicitly wrong with them (except the city bus drivers are fucking crazy and drive like alcoholics riding the highway to hell). I'm reminded of the time when my girlfriend came to visit me and the driver didn't even fully stop to let us off the bus (Tuck and Roll! Tuck and ROLL!)

bus depot in Gimhae

 I also get motion sickness while on buses so this may influence my opinion, though there were plenty of folks who would rather take the bus than anything else. This will be your cheapest form of transportation by far. The long range buses are much more comfortable and the drivers drive in a much more hospitable fashion. Basically what I want to say is this: If you can, take the subway in the city.

Luckiest ticket I ever bought

Number 5: Technology of the Future

Now you can probably guess where this is going. Asia= impressive technology. And in a way you are indeed correct. Korea can be a technological play land, fraught with glimpses into the future of the modern world. You can order your groceries from your fridge, cell phone stores are conveniently located on just about every block (no joke), building facades tantalize street dwellers with pictures or adverts and every apartment has a video camera next to the door so you can see who rung you at 3 in the morning.

mall in Busan

As mentioned before the electronic subway cards were lovely in and of themselves and Korea seems to be trying ever-harder to push itself to the front of the technological world. The prices for cellphones and their plans are also relatively cheap (in comparison to the USA) which stems from the fact that it's a rather small market and even smaller country. It's much easier to cover a country roughly the size of Utah than the entire continental US.

I'm sorry my photo's of the technology are a bit lacking in substance!

Number 4: Cheap Booze, Great Service, and Freebies

No the BJ is not a freebie

One of the best things about Asia in general is no tipping. I know there are many of you who live on tips and I respect that. When I'm in the States I have always tried to keep that in mind, but life is lovely without tipping. In my time in Korea I tipped two people, both taxi drivers (once because my friend puked on the side of the car... and the driver hadn't noticed yet. Sorry random taxi man).

Spicy delicious amazing chicken

Now you may think the service would suffer due to this... and you'd be wrong. At nearly every place the service was great. From bars, to clubs, to restaurants and beyond the staff were generally friendly, helpful and kind.

The beer was lackluster though. If it weren't for the quantity given it would be beer purgatory. For $3-5 you get a nice frosty brew about the size of an English pint. As stated before it's no craft brew but it's manageable. Also if you want to spend a few extra bucks you can pick up imported beer (from all over the globe) but they can add up quickly! I've already talked about soju before but it mixes well with the Korean beer and you should give it a shot at least once.

just another Thursday night

Soju dreams

If you find yourself thirsty in Seoul I would highly recommend finding and going to Craftworks Taphouse & Bistro. Hands down they had the best beer in Korea!

When you go to a Korean BBQ restaurant be ready for your table to be covered in plates. Along with your meal come many free items such as onions or leaves to wrap your meat in. I believe most folks find the onions extra delectable so load up on those! If you run out they'll more than likely bring more too!

Finally the spicy, spicy, lovely, oh so incredibly fucking great spicy food is at your fingertips 24/7. The Korean folks LOVE their hot/spicy foods. Now, this isn't Hispanic food spicy, not even Indian curry spicy... this is flaming hot, burning the inside of your mouth and stomach spicy! Before Korea I wasn't a big fan of spicy foods. Though after my time there I find myself craving them all the time! I had countless meals crying my eyes out due to the level of spiciness! Tears of pure joy.

Power food!

Number 3: All the Pretty Flashing Lights

Entertainment is around every corner in Korea. Most of the population reside within cities which offer a plethora of entertainment activities. Of course they have "traditional" things such as drinking the night away and awaking on a park bench hurling up soju from the night before. But, this is not your only option by far!

Arcades! Video game rooms/arcades pop up every now and again on most trips through the cities. some are rather large and are really popular with young and middle aged alike. I wouldn't recommend dueling one of the seasoned natives on any game though. For many folks this is a pastime they have spent countless hours doing. Also some of these places offer a member card which allows you to pay a small fee (usually by the hour) to play any game you want for free (no need to carry around all that clunky change Yipee!).

4d Ride

Time Crisis grand champion

Digital Golf. I'll be the first to tell you that I'm no Tiger Woods but I do enjoy a lazy round of golf now and again. I'd prefer to play outside but why do that when you can play inside? Digital golf is another one of the things koreans are crazy about. For about $10-23 you can play 9-18 holes of golf with a few buddies and never leave the climate controlled room (great for  freezing balls cold, titillatingly hot or rainy days). You can also bring in your own beer or food. Or they can order take out food for you. along with the room you also get a few complimentary goodies, usually biscuits, cookies, coffee or tea.

Need to become a beefcake? No worries gyms are also all over the place. Some are small one room affairs, others are $100+ monthly fee mistresses waiting for you to come back and pound the weights on the daily. Regardless of what you choose you can't go wrong with a little exercise to counter the effects of beer/soju and bar snack intake.

BEEEFCAAAKKEE!!

Batting cages. We all know what they are. Once and awhile we all want to take a bat and swing at some shit. These are sometimes tucked away in small corners of the city so keep an eye out for them. Also Karaoke and DVD rooms are all over the place. It would appear Koreans love to sing. Sometimes they are brilliant singers and well... other times they sound like banshees from hell. Regardless a trip or stay in Korea can't be complete without at least one night at a Norebang (Karaoke room).

Karaoke

If you're looking for a little culture try one of the museums! Most are free to enter... YES, I SAID FREE! Many of the towns and cities have at least one historical site or museum and often enough they have something in English to help guide your wanderings through the history of the hermit kingdom. I'd personally highly recommend the Korean war museum in Seoul.

Gyeongbokgung

Gyeongbokgung

King Suro's tomb in Gimhae

Do you just want to throw your purses into a pile and dance it all out? No problem! Clubs are easily accessed especially in the larger cities. Be careful though there are some places which won't allow foreigners to enter (their too scared our devil good looks and silver tongues will impregnate their men and women alike!). Find a few Korean friends and this could possibly be rectified. Be prepared to rock your face off!

The Blue Monkey in Busan

Club Fix

Club fix. This girl was nearly naked by the time her boyfriend
 found her and took her off  the stage. Party on Korea!

 If none of these suit your fancy you can always check out a professional sports game or go to one of the millions of festivals they have! Do your research! Ask your friends and explore all you can!

LOTTE GIANTS!

Go Camping!

Oktober Fest!

Number 2: The Mountains are Calling will you Answer?

I can't deny it, I love nature. Her sexy slopes, giant peaks, whispering pines and trails that lead to spiritual ecstasy. Hiking also happens to be somewhat of a national pastime for Koreans. Every weekend you'll see Koreans dawned in trendy matching hiking gear heading to the nearest hills to hike the day away.

View from the hill near my apartment

 Being a naturally hilly place it's easy to stumble upon short hikes just about anywhere you go. There was one trail near my apartment that lead to a hill top pagoda and a beautiful view. Now my favorite hike was near Boemosa Temple just outside of Busan.

After viewing the temple grounds you can hike up the hill to the top when a fortified area once stood to guard against the Japanese . Geumjeongsan offers breathtaking views of the Natural Korean landscapes as well as stellar views of Busan.

Geumjeongsan

Geumjeongsan

Be aware there are many, if any, switchbacks on the trails here. Be prepared to hike up, up and up. Also bring plenty of water and grab a trail map for the longer hikes! You don't want to be stuck up there over night!

Busan!

Number 1: Smiling Faces and Beautiful Souls

Whether it was my students, coworkers, new friends (foreign or domestic) the people are what really made Korea great for me. Here are just a few of the faces that altered my life after my time in Korea. I wish I could go over every single one of them in detail but to save time here are just a few of those that stand out the most.

Here are some of my students. I had alternating classes throughout the week. Half of the week they would be with me, the other half with a Korean co-teacher. Throughout that time you really get to see each ones unique personality. Some you wish could be your own kids and others... I truly think anyone who wants to have kids one day should work with children at least once. It can be a major test of your patience but it will be an undeniably rewarding experience. Many of their names have faded from memory but the lessons I learned from them are priceless.

A few of my Korean co-teachers make me look like a ladies man on my last night in Korea. They are amazing people and I'm glad I had the good fortune to meet them. Lovely, lovely, Lovely ladies.

This is the group that came to be known as the Gimhae massive. It consisted of folks from the USA, UK and South Africa. My time wouldn't have been remotely as enjoyable as it was without these folks. Each one bringing something special to the group which added flair a flavor to every trip. Even though many of us are spread back out across the globe I wish them nothing but luck in their future endeavors and still continue to keep in contact with quite a few of them. Good people (even the Redcoats...)

This was the owner of the gym I went to. We would often have conversations in English. He used to be a bodybuilder in Korea and is still incredibly strong.

This handsome gent was one of my best friends in Korea. His English name was Skye and he is one of the better guys I've ever happened upon in my life. 

Almost everyday I'd eat Hansot for lunch. These two are the owners of the store I'd go to. Over the course of a year we became pretty friendly and I was sad to say goodbye to their ever-smiling faces and broken English.

One of the most kind men I've ever met at home or abroad had to be Mr. Ha from Busan. On my last trek up to Boemosa I decided to hike the long trail back into Busan. Along the way I stopped to take a breather and check my map. This man just came up to me and started speaking English. Come to find out he had spent a little over 4 years in America in the 1970's. He was chosen with a dozen or so other people to come to America to learn about agriculture. As we travelled he told me of his times in America, most of them were rather funny which is no easy feat for a second language speaker. He also told me of his childhood after the Korean war. Life was very tough in the hermit kingdom for quite some time. Everyday, rain or shine, he would hike up the mountain to gather water from a Buddhist healing spring for his father (this was a 4 mile round trip) who was ill. After we descended from the mountain (on a trail I had no idea was there) he bought me dinner even though I had offered to pay he refused and simply thanked me for my company. Wherever this guy may be I hope nothing but the best of all possible outcomes for him!

Now this man was a character. He worked at the convenience store below my apartment. He was generally drunk and talkative. We'd often buy beers for each other and try to chit chat. He hoped to open up a martial arts school in the future. He was incredibly proud of his children and even called his daughter (who also happened to be drinking) to chat with me in English. Overall this was one of the people I was most sad to say good bye to.

G-Sac (Gimhae Semi-Athletic Club) This group met up nearly every Sunday to play sports. Whether it was soccer, Frisbee golf, Ultimate Nerf/Frisbee the competition was always fierce. Someone was once stabbed by a trident. 

Stay tuned for my next topic THE BOTTOM SIX OF KOREA. You have to take the good with the bad...