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we arrive in the early evening, and carrying our heavy packs around has been wearing a bit thin. we make our way to our hostel, a streetcar ride, a short walk to the river, a quiet street, old stone bridges and the city has already drawn us in. then we are welcomed at the lovely akari hostel, a quick walk to get our bearings, some groceries and my dinner. we venture out again, this city is beautiful. the search for stephen's dinner, an hour later, he picks a really nice kushi/yakitori restaurant. the staff, friendly and helpful. wandering back, it is slow, and quiet here, and has this great energy.
with only one full day here, we try to get up early to go to nearby ioujima island for swimming and onsen. miss the ferry, rearrange our plans, and visit peace park and the Nagasaki National Peace Memorial hall 'ahead of schedule'. Nagasaki seems less talked about, but is equally as sobering as Hiroshima, sharing a history that speaks of a great inhumanity. it is important to bear witness, and to learn. the hall is stunningly designed, we take our time and absorb the monumental scale and immense impact of the memorial hall.
head back to the ferry, making it to the island in the late afternoon. the beach, a 30 minute walk from the ferry port, is empty except for a man with his two young children. it is peaceful, the water is cool. the beach facilities area appears to be closed for the season, meaning no access to change rooms or anything else in the area for that matter. then on to the onsen. i guess we should have checked, as it is the norm here, but we are refused entry because of our tattoos. tattoos in Japan were/are often associated to the yakuza (mafia) and therefore not welcomed in most public baths. disappointed, we leave, no relaxing onsen soak and no shower to clean off the sandy beach residue from our bodies and nowhere to change out of our swimwear. the next ferry is not for an hour, everything is closed, we wait. that night, spent in the hostel talking with guests until 2am. lovely conversation, an intersection of cultures. not enough time here, but well spent.
a journey to find vegan food for laurel when we are traveling is always an adventure. sometimes frustrating, sometimes exhilarating, sometimes successful and sometimes not so successful, but there's never a dull moment looking for vegan food especially when you don't speak the language very well. the latest adventure has to be the most inspired one in quite some time.
it was on our second night in kanazawa, japan, where there are few vegetarian options, let alone vegan ones. laurel has found an indonesian restaurant called "legian" through our travel guide. it is not a vegetarian restaurant, but apparently they are very accommodating for all sorts of diets, including vegetarian and vegan ones. we hope this is the case.
so, we mark it on our map and make our way towards the area around dinner time... a few strolls up and down and around the alley way where the restaurant is suppose to be and we are out of luck. its either not here or there is no english sign. after some more time wandering, i decide to find food for myself and we spot this interesting looking restaurant. they had no english menu, but we decided to stay anyways. they sit us at the back bench, facing the kitchen (very common seating in japanese style restaurants) and there is this huge shellacked deer leg (complete from thigh to hoof) displayed on the counter top right in front of us. yes, this grosses laurel out just a little bit. we ask to move and sit somewhere else away from the hoofed display. there was some written story about the significance behind the deer leg, but we couldn't understand it. anyways, i manage to get some food and beer and we settle up our bill and head out. on our way out a restaurant staff member (the only one who speaks a little english) follows us out and chats with us a little about where we're from, tell us about some interesting sites to see, etc. so, at this point i decide to ask him if he knew where this "legian" restaurant was. after about a minute or so, we are confident that we are both speaking of the same "legian" indonesian restaurant. yes, there is hope yet! the letter "L" in japan is commonly pronounced as an "R", so we have now determined the restaurant should be pronounced "regian". he points our way on the map and it is in the other direction of the alley way section we had been walking on. doh! confident now, we say domo arrigato gozaimasu to our new friend and head off in the "other" direction.
30 weary minutes later, our hopes fade and we are at a loss again. no "legian" anywhere to be found on this side either?? dejected and tired, laurel decides to call it quits and head back to the hotel to cook some noodles we had bought earlier at the grocery store... but, before i completely throw in the towel, i run upstairs to a restaurant that looked like they might have an idea!! yes, thats what it looked like to me. anyways, the lady at the bar looked like she was going to turn us away before we even said anything, but when i asked her if she had heard of this indonesian restaurant called "regian", she developed a puzzled look and started to ask around to the other staff members. no one seemed to know, but then i saw a light bulb shine above her head and she said "ahhh! regian" and waved us to follow her out the door, back down the stairs and to the street. there, she walked us a little down the street and then she pointed us back in the direction of the alley we had come from early and showed us the area on the map where we had walked over many times earlier that evening. but the confidence in her "ahhh!" instills a ray of hope in us once again and we decide to make our way back to alley 1 and look one last time for "legian".
tired, but not discouraged we wander the same alley way, pass the same signs for the 4th or 5th time and check the same side alleys and back streets, but still no sign of the restaurant known as "legian". is it time for us to finally head back to the hotel? standing on a dark back street thinking, looking, we spot what looks like a restaurant with a couple of workers inside. we decide this will be the last people was ask for help and i stroll through the door and somewhat startle the chef who is the only one still in the room (we realized later that this was actually the back entrance for the restaurant). i ask him in my limited japanese if he knew where this restaurant called "legian" was? and he like the lady, gave me a puzzled look or curiosity. as we wait, he inquires with his co-workers and they look on our map and scratch their heads and call someone else over. we follow them around to the "front" of the restaurant which is actually on alley 1 and we had passed it many times before. they say "chotto matte" (wait a minute) as one of the other staff members gets on his phone.
after some time, we hear him say "gaijin" and "Legian" on the phone, and he seems happy with his situation. we stand by waiting curiously with the chef still looking at our map. he hangs up, hands his apron to chef and waves us to follow him. we start to walk back towards alley 2. he makes small talk in our 5 minute walk, asking where we're from, etc. and when we reach the main intersection where alley 1 crosses over to alley 2. we stop and he makes a call on his phone and begins to look across the street. at this point we had realized that he had actually called "legian" and that someone from the restaurant was actually coming to meet us to walk us to the restaurant! can you believe that?!! sugoi!! a young fellow appears talking on his cell phone and they make contact and we are passed on to our new escort. we follow him down alley 2 passed all the places we walked by earlier, then turn down a side street by "pole pole"; a reggae bar which we walked by earlier, to an entrance way just behind the bar on the back street. at last we found "legian"!!!
after all that, we knew the rest would be anti-climatic. we managed to communicate laurel's dietary needs and at last, she finally got to eat a nice vegan dinner! the food was good, but nothing as spectacular as being passed from one restaurant's worker to another restaurant's worker!!
there is a point to this story, other than the shear unbelievable extent of people's generosity with their time and effort, for what amounted to an $18.00 meal. all the effort that went into helping 2 strangers who cannot speak their language, find a little restaurant, and without ever asking why?, or saying "why not eat at our restaurant?". just because that is the way it is here. we encounter it everyday with almost everything, the need for people to give their utmost attention, patience and effort no matter how menial the task or job at hand and without any thought for compensation or reward. we have had many experiences like this on our journey so far, but this one we felt compelled to share. these little things speak volumes when you are in a land where communication can be so minimal or even nil, yet the impact on you can be so great.
hiroshima. september 4th
our anniversary! in transit from osaka to hiroshima after 8 days in the metropolis. what a contrast! we arrive in the early evening, and although it is still a big city, it lacks the hustle and bustle of a major city center. another j-hoppers, not as stylish as the osaka one, nor are we meeting as many of the other patrons, but the staff seems just as friendly and helpful. we are directed to the closest 'vegan friendly' restaurant, and make our way there for a late dinner. Nora-Ya, cute little place with a local feel. fortunately for us, there is a gentleman there who translates the do's and dont's of my diet to a woman who is very eager to accomadate. a lovely japanese meal made of organic local food for our 16th anniversary dinner! oishii! a really nice night.
hiroshima. september 5th
a day with huge impact. a sobering visit to the peace memorial museum and park here in hiroshima. words alone cannot describe such an event the way added images and accounts can. being here, long after the aftermath, in this city of peace. and needing to be here, to know, to see, to understand in some small way. what a nightmarish moment in history. one of many from this war. is there really a way to understand something like this?
from Sadako Sasaki's 1000 paper cranes for peace project, which has inspired a continual stream of paper cranes from across the world for the peace memorials both in hiroshima and nagasaki, to the children's memorial statue, to the cenotaph for the victims of the bombing, to the museum describing and portraying the gruesome details of the events and aftermath of the bomb dropped on hiroshima, and to the a-bomb dome, the only monument left standing as a memory of why nuclear bombings and war should never ever happen again. these significant sights are an all too close reminder of just how fragile we still are to another possible nuclear disaster for humanity and the planet.
hiroshima. september 6th
slow start to the day, but once it was under way, a bit of an adventure took us to the fudenosato kobo - the brush museum in kumano village in the hills east of hiroshima. a tram, a train, another train, a bus and a taxi! this museum is dedicated to the art of (japanese) hand-made brush making, for calligraphy, painting, make up. very stylish displays, of art, brushes, photos. this village is home to many of Japan's finest fude crafts people. perfecting the art of brush making. very inspiring. maybe some artwork will show up on here sometime soon...
also currently featured in the museum, an exhibit of fine brush art work by well-known Japanese stars and public figures. most notable to us is the filmmaker "kitano "beat" takeshi".
kumanofude / fudenosato kobo
hiroshima. september 7th
met some other hostellers last night, chatted awhile. got up too late this morning to meet with them and go to miyajima island, so we ended up going on our own in the afternoon. another HOT day, but not as humid, a bit of a relief. a really scenic island an hour from hiroshima, it's sunday, so quite crowded too. made our way out of the crowds of people and wild deer to a beautiful temple, Daishoin. many photos...
beppu. september 8th
beppu, on the island of kyushu. city of onsen, and the sea. my first onsen experience, here in the hostel. (stephen tried one on sado). onsen are hot springs, and are a part of the japanese cultural experience. tomorrow the 'hell tour'... dusk over the mountains was beautiful this evening.
beppu. september 9th
the hell tour!
a sunny HOT day to go to hell! did the Jigoku Meguri ('hell tour') in the mountainous part of beppu today. it is a tour of 8 hot springs that are too hot for bathing, but are natural wonders of visual interest. finished the day with a visit to a bathing onsen, the Hyotan, our first outdoor one. finished our onsen visit with some yummy edamame, and beer (for stephen!). made our way eventually back down to the hostel, and after i cooked myself dinner, we ventured out again on a search for stephen's dinner. tried a small ramen shop, of course with more beer. lovely day in beppu.
chinoike jigoku (blood pool hell)
tatsumaki jigoku (tornado hell)
shiraike jigoku (white pool hell)
oniyama jigoku (devil's mountain hell)
kamado jigoku (oven hell)
yama jigoku (mountain hell)
umi jigoku (sea hell)
oniishibozu jigoku (oniishi shaven head hell)
jigoku meguri
heavy packs, sardine packed trains, no seats. did i mention it was HOT? our trip to the vibrant city that is osaka. another J-Hoppers, newly built, very stylish, nice neighbourhood, awesome staff. cute little izakaya down the street (Koujiya) for drinks and food, chilling out after our first week and a half in japan.
hook up the next night with our friend James, he's here from toronto teaching english. MUCH beer follows for the two boys (at three different bars!), some vegan mexican food and a walk around Dotombori. really nice night, really nice conversation.
late start the next day, we venture to den den town in the early evening, electronics area kind of Yonge street style (toronto reference). wander to Shinsaibashi in search of a macrobiotic restaurant (Maman Terrace), and actually find it! great food, vegan dessert, and a health food store.
a trip to nearby Nara, Basara festival. colourfully costumed groups dancing through the city street. dinner again with James, quiet little indian restaurant, bit skeptical at first, but really good food. the next few days, return visits to Koujiya and Maman Terrace, lazy wandering through the city streets, chatting with staff and guests at the J-Hoppers, lots of photos.
a visit to the National Museum of Art to check out it's architecture, and to the sci-fi looking Floating Garden Obersvatory that night. an outdoor glass elevator high above the city, THEN outdoor glass encased escalators to the open air observation decks! a spectacular view of the city on a really beautiful night. a greater sense of what a sprawling metropolis this is. then a lovely visit from Reina, who came from kyoto after work to join us for dinner. our time spent here, laying low, posting the blog, evening outings, good food.
