Something Worth Seeing

I woke up Thursday morning and began a somewhat ridiculous day of travel. I walked to the train station and caught a bus for one hour to the city of Kofu. From there I had to take a train to Shiorijiri, then transfer to a different train to Nagano. I found out when I got to Nagano that the hostel I booked was in Hakuba which was not as close to Nagano as I thought. It was going to be a 5 hour wait for the next bus to Hakuba, so I threw my bag in a train station locker and went for a walk around Nagano.

The only thing that I knew to see for sure was the Zenkoji Temple which only opens for one month every 7 years. I looked at a map at the train station and then made my way, as best as I could, to the temple. Needless to say it was a huge attraction, and there were many Japanese tourists. I checked it out, walked through, took some pictures and then made my way back to catch my bus.

As I was riding on the one hour bus ride to Hakuba, I began to be more and more thrilled with my choice to come to this place. Everyone I had met was talking about the benefits of going to Kyoto or Osaka instead, but I stuck with my choice of going to a less touristy place. The bus ride took me through green rolling mountains, and eventually to the base of the Japanese Alps where snow capped peaks were to be seen everywhere.

Hakuba is a ski resort destination, and it played the same role in the Nagano Olympics that Whistler will play in the Vancouver Olympics. On Friday I rented a bike and rode around Hakuba through rice fields and quiet town streets. I'm sure that Osaka and Kyoto have many nice things to see, but for me, this was the Japan I came to see. By coming to a smaller town out of tourist season, it felt like, and was probably a fact, that I was the only traveller in town. There was even less english than usual, but it didn't play much of a factor. On Saturday, I took the gondola up to the top of one of the ski resorts where there were still 2 runs open, and plenty of skiiers believe it or not. I then hiked to the top of a nearby mountain and enjoyed the view of the town and rice fields in the valley below. I then went back down the mountain and hopped back on the bike for some more casual riding.

Another bonus of coming was that I was the only person staying in the hostel, and the owners, who live at the hostel, invited me to eat meals with them. I got to experience more traditional Japanese food, and share stories about travelling. The owners lived in New Zealand for a few years to practice their english, so they were able to tell me what I should see when I fly down there.

Today I hopped a bus back to Tokyo and was able to get some revenge. After 3 days at Mt. Fuji and not being able to see it, today was clear and the bus ride had a good view of the huge mountain. Not willing to let a mountain defeat me, I stood strong and did not take a picture of it. Josh 1 Stubborn Mountain 0. Take that Fuji! In Tokyo I caught the metro to my hostel. Even after such a short time in Tokyo I am already quite confident in figuring out the ridiculously complicated subway system, which even leaves locals confused frequently. After I checked in to the hostel I set out to accomplish the one thing I wanted to make sure I did when I came back to Tokyo. I walked to the Ryogoku Kokugikan to try my luck at seeing if I could lock up a ticket to the Sumo Grand Tournament which happens May 10-24. To my surprise I ended up getting lucky and was able to get a ticket easily. So tomorrow I will go to the Sumo Stadium in the morning, and spend all day there watching and experiencing Sumo live and in person. I imagine that it will easily be a highlight of my time in Japan.

After Sumo Monday, I will get ready for my flight Tuesday night. It leaves Tokyo Tuesday night and arrives in Christchurch, New Zealand on Wednesday morning. I have already confirmed for my first 2 nights there that I will couchsurf with a Canadian/New Zealand couple. The beauty of travelling continues....

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