More Japan: Sunday

Sunday,we took a combination of trains to get to Hakone, which is apparently a well-known getaway just outside of Tokyo.

On the down side, as it was a three-day holiday weekend for the vernal equinox, things were rather crowded and we ended up sitting in traffic for approximately half of our time there. On the up side, the weather was lovely; we had some fantastic views of Mt. Fuji; and we ended the day at the amazing Tenzan Onsen, where we scrubbed up and then soaked (nekkid and segregated) under the stars in the natural hot springs.

I think I'd recommend against getting whatever bus pass we got, at least for times likely to be busy: ours were ¥3900, which got us a city bus (in a nearly perpetual, if generally scenic, traffic jam, until we were dropped off to walk the last half mile up to Owakudani--and then back down the mountain) and a ferry ride, individual trips that could presumably have been had for approximately a third of that. In general I prefer trains, and would suggest that in Hakone, too.

An onsen soak, on the other hand, is definitely unmissable.

Here are pictures (full album here):

Back

So, I'm back from my whirlwind Tokyo trip, and am blaming jet-lag on my lack of ability to get much of anything done since (including blogging).

I left Tokyo Wednesday at 2:50 p.m. and arrived in Mpls at about 11:50 p.m. the same day, which was a bit of a thrill. I made it to a lecture that evening after just a short nap, went to bed at a decent hour, and thought I'd be able to get up the next morning, but was sorely mistaken. Opening my eyes after a good eight hours of sleep, I saw speeding trains,* kanji characters, and wobbling lines, and decided I was better off leaving my eyes closed. The lines were still wobbly when I opened my eyes at noon, but I was able to get out of bed, anyway. Friday, I was fine. Friday night, I slept another twelve hours. But today I woke at a reasonable hour, ran a sunny six miles with a friend, and have high hopes for being finally completely recovered.

Thankfully, I had none of this trouble while I was in Japan. After arriving Friday evening, I did wake up at 4 a.m. Saturday, though I had, after all, been sleeping on a floor so hard it left my hip bruised (and prompted me to switch, for the following nights, to the 4-foot long love seat/couch). I was able to sleep until 6 or so, and thereafter had a completely normal schedule.

Here are pictures, mostly of Saturday, but also with a few from the flight and the Friday night arrival (click here to view the entire album and larger images):


More to come!

*I've dreamed about trains every day I've been back.

Tokyo

I am here, safe and sound, if a bit overwhelmed and feeling far more boorish, loutish, and generally socially unacceptable than I have in a long while. Oh, and stupid. Being unable to read the vast majority of the ubiquitous verbiage (or, for that matter, even to decode its characters) has large and undoubted advantages, but also contributes greatly to the feeling of childish incompetency.

Sigh.

In better news, today I was able to spend a long time viewing and writing notes on the piece I traveled here to see. We spent the early evening in a beautiful park, found a charming vegetarian restaurant for dinner, and saw the lights and bustle of Shibuya before heading back home to Yokohama.

Tomorrow: Hakone!

Detroit

Hello, remaining readers. I am chagrined to see that it has been more than a week since I've posted here, despite the many exciting happenings in the interim. (The Suzanne Farrel ballet! A rock show! Thai-themed dinner party! Hidden Falls! Roomba! New luggage! [The latter modeled, at left, by David, who demonstrates its Helium lightness, even fully loaded. I was all stoked about the deal I got on it at Macy's--60% off as part of some big sale that started yesterday--until I saw the Amazon prices. Ahh, well. These days, getting Amazon prices in person, with no shipping charges, is still no mean feat... especially when you've left it to the last minute.])

When I started this at about 1:00 a.m. this morning, I was sitting in this same comfy seat in the Detroit airport, although the water feature--now sending up dancing streams of pressurized water--was sussurating placidly and the terminal was almost entirely deserted. It was a little eerie, actually: such a large, shiny space half locked away behind metal bars, and half inviting nearly unlimited exploration.

Now, on the other hand, at 6:30, the place is bustling and I'm so distracted by the endlessly changing crowds that I can hardly write. Seriously: a young dude in shorts just walked by in a bright yellow plastic pith helmet.

6:30 a.m. here makes it 7:30 p.m. in Tokyo, for which I depart in about seven hours. My grand plan last night had been to try to stay up and convince my body that it was the middle of the afternoon in an attempt to defray the effects of jet lag. It would undoubtedly have been easier had these colorful crowds been streaming by then, but as it was, I made it to a paltry 2:00 a.m. local time before curling up in this chair and sleeping until 5:30. I don't know if it was the crowds, the fountains, or the chirping of the birds (of which there seems to be a surprisingly large, and not unpleasantly loud, population) that awakened me, but I got up and printed my boarding pass before returning to my post here. And now, although it's a nearly-acceptable bedtime in Tokyo, things here will only get brighter, louder, and less sleep-conducive.

I'm writing from David's tiny Net book, which he kindly loaned me for the trip. The keyboard is ridiculously compressed, but its trade-off in size and weight is completely worth it, as is the cheap ($8 for 24 hours of Internet) entertainment (and of course being able to reach out and touch all of you). I'll try to use it to keep in touch during the trip and to post some pictures--especially because where else on earth would you feel more justified posing in front of famous landmarks while someone else takes your photo (perhaps whilst you flash a peace sign)?

I'm only going to be in Japan for a total of about five days, and already I'm anticipating the surreality of the whole adventure. Starting out sleep-deprived will undoubtedly only add to that; hopefully I can get another nap or two in before I get there.

Memories

My mom forwarded me this picture today, from a friend who had sent it to her.

I thought it was taken in the summer of 2005, when I lived with my parents in southern California and worked at the same hospital as my mom, until I realized that this particular friend's birthday, which we had been celebrating that day, is in January. Revised date estimate: January 8, 2006.
Ohhh, winter in southern California. How I miss you.

Chicago

This weekend, I was in Chicago and Urbana-Champaign. I presented at a conference that I had signed up for primarily in the interest in having my department reimburse me for visiting Ellen, and which I had been cursing over the past few weeks for causing me to write, and then completely re-write, a paper that would figure little in my actual dissertation.

However, to my great surprise, the conference ended up being the best I've ever attended--despite the fact that the organizers' laptop wouldn't read my DVD and I had to show the clip on a television cart, and that they had no way for me to advance my own slides, so I had to indicate each of my approximately 45 slide changes to the guy running the laptop. The organizers were helpful and friendly, the presenters gave interesting papers and asked smart questions, and there was even a nice lunch on Friday. It was great.

On Saturday afternoon Ellen and I rode bikes, hiked, explored one of UIUC's fantastic round barns, and later made delicious Indian food. Sunday we took the bus into Chicago and spent the afternoon there before I caught my MegaBus back to Mpls (one of those overnight affairs, made more delightful by an entirely sold-out bus). I am back home exhausted from a weekend that was full, exhausting, and completely worth it.

All the outdoor photos are courtesy of Ellen (as were the bike I rode and the jacket and helmet I wore).