The End, Three Goodbyes

Na-roshima looks happy (perhaps because she is finally able to get away from us?)  She's heading "home" to mom and dad near Hiroshima.  Perhaps the somewhat angry JR station man behind her is jealous?  She was a wonderful and happy addition to our tour, and we missed her on our last day in Sapporo.
You say goodbye, and I say Hello Kitty.  Steve gets into Hello Kitty's head here, but managed to keep his Hello Kitty product consumption to reasonable amounts on the trip.  Steve is now on to China, where he will be able to find where they actually manufactured all of his Hello Kitty items.
This is the closest Alex ever came to seeing Mt. Fuji.  Otherwise, not a single regret for the best trip he's ever had.  Our rough guide here is weather-beaten, and we are exhausted, but we have learned much, we managed not to kill each other, and I think we have become better friends for our troubles.  Now Alex is off to the UK to go into Abraham Lincoln overload (he's already read WAY too much about him throughout this trip.)

Thank you for reading this blog.  When we return from our journeys more pictures will be posted, as well as more thoughts on Japan's government and economy.  Hasta,,

Alex and Steve

Sapporo, July 1

Alex, Steve, and Na-poro found their way back to Sapporo to observe the final stage of the life-cycle of Hokkaido's wheat and barley crops.  Things to note:

Alex becomes part of the advertising campaign.
The most impressive part of Sapporo's establishment is their museum floor dedicated to their advertising history.  Early on they used women in most of their ads.
Some time in the 60's they started using men more frequently.
In the obligatory exhibit on how beer is made, Sapporo has provided an unusual twist.  They have made it into a children's exhibit, with cute little toys explaining the steps to a frothy brew.  We aren't sure that the little guy swimming on the giant beer mug at the end provides the best role model, but then again, we're imposing our prudish American ideals about imbibing certain beverages.

Road Trip through Central Hokkaido, June 29 - July 1

The doors to the cabs are always open, and the engine is always running (we think this cuts into their profit margin pretty heavily).  The cabs are immaculate, but in Asahikawa they were all lacking for customers.

We found our way to the most agrarian settings in Central Hokkaido (the advantage of having a car for a few days.)  Alex has decided it's going to be a good wheat harvest this year.

Alex couldn't get to milking a real cow, but this plastic one didn't object to his clammy hands on its udder.  We observed the cheese-making process in Furano, and at the end we sampled some cuttlefish ink cheese (yum).

We have nothing enthusiastic to say about Asahikawa.  We went to the movies.  Harry Potter wasn't out yet, so we caught Star Trek (which both Steve and Na-hura liked.)

Below are three unrepentant flower shots.
Alex frolics among the flowers that we can't name.
Nao-vender is caught candidly smiling, as Alex tries to get her to pose for the right photo among the lavender fields of central Hokkaido.
Steve.

Saffro Capsule Night, Sapporo, June 28

One of our cheapest nights in Japan occurred in the nightlife district of Sapporo at the Saffro Hotel with 3 floors for men, one for women, and a deluxe "super-sized" capsule for two.  The hotel also offered a deluxe Japanese bath with a ornate "powder room" for men. At 4100 yen, the capsule offers one of the best deals in Sapporo where simple business hotels are more than double that rate. Twelve capsules per floor with a hallway narrower than our office at Lowell, the downside to the capsule is not only limited space, but snoring in adjacent capsules, men entering other men's capsules to chat, and  people climbing above our heads on small ladders.  As one enters the hotel, you are required to get a key to lock your shoes; in turn, said key must be exchanged for another key that opens your locker in the bath to store personal items.  Alcoholic consumption is monitored and those with tattoos are not allowed.   

Alex enjoying his night in  a 2.5 x 2.5  x 6' capsule room, akin to a pigeon in a Skinner box while Steve has trouble entering his capsule--and even more trouble sleeping.

Alex's future Faux-Yoga Website Photos, June 27/28, Toya

Actually, I'm not founding a faux-yoga website.  But Steve says that the photo below is reminiscent of all those annoying yogi websites.  After leaving Hakodate, we traveled along the coast, and up a hill to the mountain resort town of Toya.  Toya has a large lake, an active volcano nearby, and supposedly excellent skiing a short drive away.  So why were we there?  Two reasons:  R and R, and to visit the G-8's 2008 conference site.  The town was transformed by the appearance of Bush, Brown, Putin, and company last year and we wanted to see why they came all the way up here.  It's very pleasant, and frankly, we could have spent another day or two in Toya, but we couldn't help feeling that the town had built itself up a little too much.  They did re-do their waterfront, with a series of avant-garde sculptures dotting the walkway by the water.  So after noting the effects of the G-8 on the town, we decided to play a bit, here is evidence that we had a little bit of fun.


Performance art?
Alex takes one on the chin from this guy, who is the ad-man for this company that sells sweet-potato cookies that "taste like the real thing!"

Na-Toya and Alex enjoyed volcanic-rock roasted REAL sweet potatoes that were sold at a road-side stand, and the real thing is about 1,000 times better than the cookie.

But the real punch was packed by the volcano next to the town (last eruption was 2000), which hurled rocks into this elementary school house wall and nearby home: a reminder of the impermanence of Toya, and indeed us all.

Fretting over our own mortality makes us hungry, so we stopped for ice cream: not just any ice cream, but wasabi ice cream, one of two flavors that Na-Toya insisted we try.  It's surprisingly tasty, but Alex is still recovering from the ensuing heart-burn which left him unable to try the other unusual flavor offered: edamame ice cream!

Steve:  "Let's go on a paddle-boat on the lake"

N and A:  "Sounds great!  Let's go pay." [ed note: both of us confirmed later that we were only enthusiastic about it because Steve was so excited.]

Steve:  [after paying] "No, the waves look too rough, you guys go ahead"

N and A:  "grr."

At the end of every day in Toya they set of fireworks.  Inspired by this revelry, we decided to purchase sparklers at the 7-11 and set off some of our own.  We bought Hello Kitty sparklers, and the result was less than sparkling, but there were a few great moments anyway.

Alex briefly decides to worship Satan in the night.
Na-Toya makes the ghost of Mickey Mouse appear.

Steve is disfigured by Na-Toya's careless handoff of the sparkler.

But no worries:  A little cosmetic surgery and a few days of wearing a Hello Kitty mask, and Steve looks almost normal.

Fish Market, redux

Two words:  Canned Ramen.  In case you're with out heat and water, but can't go with out noodles.
Despite appearances, Steve and Nao-kadate are quite well enjoying this uni (sea urchin) served right in its spiny shell.
The Hakodate Fish Market had a decidedly different feel to it than the Tsukiji Market.  This one was more about selling the final product.  Like a farmer's market in the US.  Good buys and earthy aromas were to be found everywhere: we breakfasted on the juiciest melons on the planet (ok, that's a bit unqualified), uni, toasted dried squid, and then big donburi bowls filled to the brim with crab that was caught that morning.  Hokkaido is renowned throughout Japan for its food products (it's the breadbasket of Japan) and our stop in the gateway to the island did not disappoint in that regard.  We finished our donburi bowls off with a free cup of squid-ink ice cream, which does have a distinct taste, but not one that I could easily describe.  It's tasty either way.

Our train ride from Tokyo to Hakodate was something quite different though.  After enjoying the shinkansen from Tokyo to Hachinohe (at the northern end of Honshu), we took what amounted to a local train through the longest undersea tunnel in the world to Hokkaido.  It was standing room only, and the crowd put rush-hour Tokyo's subways to shame.  It was also three hours long.

Hakodate has a rather large mountain next to it, so Nao-kadate and Alex took the tram up to the top to observe.  You can't see the city lights all too well in the photos, but I assure you it was nice up there.  Alex's camera may have gotten a good picture, but we'll have to wait and see...

Tokyo Highlights

Drinks atop the Park Hyatt Hotel, in Shinjuku.  It's the most amazing view of Tokyo's skyline.  We tried to emulate Bill Murray and look depressed (like Lost in Translation) but just being up there is too good a time.
Here we are with Hajime Funada, one of the most senior members of the Liberal Democratic Party in the House of Representatives.  He's a very friendly guy, and loves all things related to space travel (if he hadn't become a politician he would have been an astronaut.)  We are nobodies in the world, and he is definitely somebody, but he still scheduled half an hour for us with an election season about to begin.

Alex will have MUCH to say about visiting the national parliament building, but here we are with Mr. Suzuki (a good guy who helped us out with getting a behind the scenes tour of the Diet building, including a walk through the tunnel that links the office building and the capitol) and a familiar looking person we will simply call "Not A Funada".
Also in Shibuya, this is purported to be the busiest intersection in the world.  Find Alex!
Shibuya's shopping district, where teenagers and 20-somethings find unlimited shopping opportunities.  You can also get a Hello Kitty rhinestone covered guitar for only $2500.

 
Alex and Steve went to the Parasitological Museum, where they have an exhibit of the longest tape worm ever extracted from a human being (it's in the blue case there.)  Then we had a dinner of noodles.
Knock-off Kitty.  Hand-made in Kamakura for Y100, but quality control is an issue.  This is why Disney so carefully guards its product image in the US.
Diabutsu (Big Buddha).  He's forty feet tall.  
where's Alex?



Alex gets rid of his useless 1 yen coins on buddha statues.  1 yen coins are even more useless than pennies.  They don't yield good or bad luck.  Supposedly 5 yen coins (which are pretty useless) yield good luck when you put them on statues.  10 yen coins are bad luck, but I think that's just because the vending machines still accept them.  In any case, the series above are from a side trip to Kamakura, an hour south of Tokyo.  We were joined by a spectral entity that we called Naomakura
Steve and Alex on the 52^nd Floor of Rappongi Hills Tower.  

Alex, Steve, and an anonymous tourist that looks similar to a colleague (let’s call her Nachiko) pose at the statue of Hachiko, a famous memory-impaired dog who for ten years showed up at this spot in Shibuya, waiting for his master, never understanding that he had passed away. 

Alex, Steve, and an anonymous tourist that looks similar to a colleague (let’s call her Nanime) enjoy sweet treats at a Maid Café, where waitresses dressed in anime outfits are extremely nice and provide very attentive (but entirely innocent) service.  Hello Kitty Cuppucinos are by request.

Kiddy Land, in Harajuku, where you can buy anything for children, ages 0 to 100.  Maturity level can be a bit low.  For the record, these are USB drives.  Alex managed to spend more money here than Steve.