Nezu Shrine

Type:
Religious site

Location:
Bunkyo-ku, Tokyo

How to get there:
Nezu Station (C-14) is eight stops from Otemachi on the Tokyo Metro Chiyoda Line.

Entry:
Free

Time needed:
Up to 30 minutes

Summary:
At 300 years old, Nezu Shrine is one of the oldest original structures in Tokyo although you would be hard-pressed to notice. Its brilliant red gate, with its Buddhist character out-of-place in a Shinto shrine, makes an immediate impression as you approach from the street. It’s grounds are also home to Otome Inari Shrine, its corridor of torii gates reminiscent of the major Inari shrine at Fushimi (Inari is the goddess of rice – feudal lords used pay wages in rice – and is thus associated with success). The modest size of the grounds make it a short stop, but the surrounding shitamachi area known as Yanesen (Yanaka, Nezu, Sendagi) has a several minor sights worth seeing.

Highlights:
Despite it being early January, the plum blossoms were starting to bloom. They should be in full bloom in February, and if you visit in Golden Week, you’ll be treated to a plethora of colour from the azelea and wisteria thriving around the grounds.

Watch out for:
The torii gates. No, really. They’re quite low and I had to duck (I’m 5′ 7”). Giants beware!

Food and Drink:
10-15 minutes walk from the Shrine is Kamachiku, a family run home-made udon restaurant. It is closed on Mondays, so I was sadly disappointed, but it comes highly recommended. Be sure to get there early (11am-12pm seems best) as the food disappears quickly. See the map below for its location.

Visited:
11th January 2010, 14:30 p.m.

Busy?:
Not really, although during the azalea blooming season and the Shrine’s Azalea Matsuri (late April-Early May) you should expect crowds.

Map:

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Gallery:

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Reflections on my first full-year in Japan

I have been in Japan for one year and 156 days now, a little over 17 months. 2009 was my first full year here, and while the rest of the country tries to forget about the past 12 months in their bonenkai (忘年会), I’m trying my best to understand just what has happened to me this year.

Work

I’ve been through a difficult learning curve. Teaching young kids from day one, I began to find my ground in 2009. I’ve discovered which students and classes I adore, and which ones cause me problems. I’ve found a rhythm of games and work that is serving me well. If anything, I am better than ever with my very young learners, but I’ve yet to find the correct formula for older elementary and junior high school kids.

As for my working life, I feel appreciated and largely respected by my bosses and peers. This is very important for me: in such a decentralised system, your relationship with your colleagues can change the tone of your day significantly. I’ve also consolidated my teaching days into three schools, two of which are close to my home. Working 20 minutes from home as opposed to an hour away is the difference between being home just after 9pm, or being home at 10pm.

That said, I am considering what will come next. The job market is idle at the moment, but if I were to see a full-time job teaching adults for about the same pay, I would start looking to jump ship. I’m in no rush though, I don’t hate my job, it’s just that it is the kids that can ruin my day. Adults much less so. Yet, like I said, there is no rush.

On Keiko’s side, her work is moving in the right direction, if not quickly and smoothly enough. The poor girl has been working solid and much harder than I have. She deserves a long holiday and a big bonus, but neither are going to happen.

Verdict: Positive

Resolution(s):

• Find a less dry way to teach higher-level concepts (such as tenses and adverbs) to older children.
• Consolidate more working days closer to home.

Family

We started off 2009 by purchasing Ebichu, our hamster. He’s been an adorable and lovely addition to our family. He never bites and is low maintenance. So far, he’s never been sick, and he’s great to have around (even if he’s a pain to arrange a babysitter for). We love him as a family member. He might even be considered a substitute for the child that we’ve long wanted and came close to having this year.

The day I found I Keiko was pregnant, my heart pounded with anxiety… the doctor doubted it would come to term and Keiko was suffering from pain. After a few weeks, another doctor told us we would probably be fine. I felt myself ready to burst out with joy: I was going to be a dad. Only, I wasn’t.

The slow and painful moments that it took to acknowledge the doctor’s news, the floods of tears that followed, and the inevitable dive into depression I will never forget about this year. We learned this just two days before we were to move home. Our new house still reminds me of our loss. We chose it knowing that we would have a baby here where they could spend their first few years pottering around our small garden, playing in the nearby parks, and walking along the river. The house is great (although it’s much colder in winter than we expected), but until I fill that gap in our lives, I will always be living in that moment.

Verdict: Negative

Resolution(s):

• None (yet).

Friends

This has been a pretty good year for catching up with friends. Chikara was here for most of the year so we spent a good deal of time together. Nori came back in the summer so I was able to see both of them together, a throwback to our Aberystwyth days. But now Chikara’s back in the UK and Nori’s hard at work, so it’s not easy to see two of my best friends as often as I’d like.

As for friends back home, Rory came over (twice in 12 months). Although I didn’t get a chance to get to know him while we lived in Aber, it’s great to have that chance even though I live abroad. On the other hand, despite deciding to get a job here, Andy hasn’t made it to Japan yet. I hope that 2010 changes that.

Finally, I’ve networked a lot more this year, and it’s paid off. Earlier in the year I met Bryan (sadly, just before he went back to the States) for a drink, and I love the idea of catching an after-work or Saturday night drink with anyone following me here or on Twitter. (Just no murderers, please!) In addition, after learning some lessons from last year’s Christmas parties, I’ve managed to get more people into my contacts list.

Verdict: Positive

Resolution(s):

• Try to get out for drinks more often and meet new people.

Travel

I still have many places to visit in Japan. I didn’t do much sightseeing in 2008 as I was adjusting to work and married life, but this year I’ve made it to a few places: Enoshima, Odawara, Sagamiko, and more. I like local tourism, seeings things that are nearby on a day-trip or long weekend. Whereas many Tokyoites jet off to far-flung regions of Japan, that just stresses me out. There are still many local places that I want to visit this year, and I’d like to arrange another longer-stay holiday at some point in the year.

Verdict: Positive

Resolution(s):

• Visit Nikko, Karuizawa, and Ikebukuro (I can’t believe I’ve still not been there).
• Try to go on at least one longer-haul holiday.

Language

This year has been difficult for my Japanese skills. I’m still improving, but for months I had no teacher after the move from Sagamihara to Kawasaki. Now I have one, but she doesn’t teach on national holidays which, when you have a lesson on Mondays, is a constant annoyance.

I’m still overly shy and embarrassed by my Japanese, but if the alcohol’s flowing then so can the language. On the plus side, I can to talk to Keiko’s parents on the phone more fluently than ever. However, I need to talk more to help overcome my insecurities, so I’m trying to find a local language exchange partner. No luck yet.

Finally, I’ve succumbed to the idea that I should take a Japanese test. I have two options: JLPT5 or the J-Test. I don’t feel like I would struggle too much to pass JLPT5, but I’d like the experience of taking that kind of test. The higher-level tests (Levels 1 and 2) are important to employers, plus a pass might increase my confidence.

Verdict: Positive

Resolution(s):

• Try to supplement my private lessons with a group lesson.
• Find a language exchange partner or someone whom I can talk to entirely in Japanese.
• Apply to take a Japanese test.

Health & Lifestyle

Finally, I’d like to note that 2009 has been an excellent one for my body. Having grown up a fussy child, I’m only now beginning to eat most common vegetables. In addition, I’ve been trying to lose weight: I started this year in the gym, but gave up my membership as work became busier in the summer. However, since finishing at the gym, I’ve been losing weight due to better eating and my better understanding of calorie intake. This is a first for me, and it’s something I really hope I can continue.

Verdict: Positive

Resolution(s):

• Go out running more frequently (at least in the warmer months).
• Drop 5kg in a sustainable fashion.

Summary

On the whole, I had a rather good year. I’m fitter and healthier than ever, living in a cosy apartment and getting on well in my work. The things I wanted to do in Japan are being done, even if it’s happening slower than I expected. Even though we went through the toughest experience of our lives in the summer, we are nevertheless stronger and more determined because of it. In sum, not a great year, but not too terrible either: there is still room for improvement in 2010.

Happy New Year everyone!

Kyoto: A Retrospective

For many people, Kyoto is the best place to go in Japan, a wonderful land of shrines, traditional architecture and geisha. There is no denying that everyone who comes to Japan, especially those living here, should see Kyoto. However, once you go beyond tourism, life perhaps isn’t so great.

With some days off and little else to do, Keiko and I made our way down to Kyoto, a second time for both of us. I had spent a month in Kyoto back in the summer of 2006, and Keiko had been sightseeing there sometime before that. We’d thus seen most of what we need to see, and only had to stay for a short time. After only two days there, I came to appreciate the differences between Kanto (the region around Tokyo) and Kansai (around Osaka), and my opinion of Kyoto has become far more complex.

Last week, I felt that Kyoto was a quaint place, rather convenient but ultimately lacked urban planning and effective conservation efforts. I believed that Kyoto’s highly developed bus system was an excellent means of getting about, and that it was nice to be in a city where you could walk home within two hours at worst. The hyper-locality of its shops and stores, and its wealth of independent businesses, worked in the city’s favour. Also, it was close to other major cities: Osaka (less than an hour away), Nagoya and Kobe (both about two hours away). Much of this still holds true in my mind, but whereas I once believed that I could easily live in a place like Kyoto (after all, is it so much different to much of the UK’s towns and cities?), now I can barely imagine it.

Take the buses, for instance. You might need to walk 5 minutes to your nearest bus stop. Then you may have to ride the bus for an hour just to get to the station or some other destination. Particularly on the tourist routes to places like Gion or Kinkakuji, the bus can be as crowded as any Tokyo train, and much less comfortable. In Kyoto, you enter the bus from the centre and exit from the front. This means that people in the back have to push their way through a 4 metre-long crowded aisle in other to get out of a packed bus. Kyoto buses, at least around the central wards, are flat-rate, ¥220 for an adult. You pay this at the front of the bus as you exit, in contrast to my local Kawasaki buses, which are also flat-rate (and ¥20 cheaper) where you pay on entry at the front and exit through the central door. This gives the driver more control over how many people squeeze into the bus, as well as making it easier for people to exit.

At one point, on the way to Kinkakuji on an unbelievably packed bus, a man somewhere behind me told me to ‘sit down’. The reason being that there was a priority seat right in front of me, and if I sat down it would give people some more space. I knew for a fact however, that there were some older people around me, and thus I was reluctant to do so, instead hoping that such a person would take it. Indeed, unable to turn around and offer it to anyone, a middle-aged woman beside me tugged on the shoulder of an old lady and invited her to take the seat. I couldn’t help but think that if that guy wanted to sit down, he should have done so himself instead of ordering me around. Keiko told me that that is just the way people from Kansai are (although Kanto vs Kansai is a rather big rivalry, people from Hokkaido are supposedly very intolerant of Kansai manners). I am inclined to agree, I cannot think of a time I have been on a cramped train when I heard people calling out for others to move forwards (even though they couldn’t move at all): on the whole, people in Kanto are far more impersonal and business-like with strangers. They may be rude, but they aren’t overtly angry for the most part.

These incidents with the buses, and the amount of time I spent standing up on them, made me realise just how inconvenient a place it is. From my house in Kawasaki, I can walk to the station in 10 minutes and reach Shibuya in 20 minutes, Yokohama in 35, and Tachikawa in 40. I can catch a bus to the next station down from me and be there in 10 minutes, I can walk to the next station up from me in about 30 minutes. The buses don’t stop until after 11, and even then, there are special late buses until 1 am. If you were to work in Tokyo and finish at 9pm, you could get back home by about 10:30 no matter where you lived in this area. By contrast, if someone worked in Osaka and went home to Kyoto, they’d be stuck with either an expensive taxi ride, long bike ride, or a longer walk if they lived in the north or south of the city. This is one of the key benefits of living in one of Kanagawa’s station towns, a suburban area full of commuters which exists simply because there is a station nearby, but it is one that holds true for much of Kanagawa, Tokyo, Chiba and Saitama.

In terms of trains, Kyoto has a pretty large number. In its both hideously empty but amazingly modern-looking station, Kyoto plays host to several JR lines, and a small subway system. From the basement of the Hankyu department store in Kawaramachi Shijo, a good 15 minute bus ride from the main station, you can catch the Hankyu Kyoto Line to Osaka, about an hour away. Finally, around Shijo, you can take the Randen tram service up into Arashiyama. There seems to be lots of variety, but in fact given how dispersed they are and how you’ll have to jump from operator to operator, getting around in Kyoto without a scooter or bike quickly adds up. One such example of poor integration can be found in the payment system. In Kansai they use ICOCA, an electronic payment system similar to Oyster, instead of JR East’s Suica, or PASMO (used by non-JR companies in Kanto). However, while tourists can use their PASMO or SUICA on Kyoto’s JR lines, I was surprised to have it rejected when trying to get on the subway.

If you like the arty and independent culture that Kyoto offers, with its trendy and expensive areas, then you’d be okay to live there. It’s a place for students and small-businesses, not for the big business culture you see in the Tokyo region. Kyoto is more isolated and dependent on personal transport than a place like this, and that might be fine if you work in the city’s booming tourist industry or at one of its distinguished universities, but as a man accustomed to travelling around to different schools on different days, much further than any Kyoto bus journey, I can’t help but feel that the decentralised business in which I work would be unable to sustain itself in so small and so isolated a city. If it could, then I really wouldn’t want to be working there, where if the bus is full, you can’t get on. Rush hour would be hellish, and the tourist season worse.

Going back to Kyoto has simply highlighted what it is that I like about where I live. Yes, Kyoto has history and green spaces, but the Kamogawa (along which I used to love walking) is full of midges and is nothing compared to the great Tamagawa a stone’s throw from my house. Whether there is a major difference between the people here or there, or not, at least this feels like home. Kyoto, on the other hand, will only ever feel like a maddening tourist destination with little new to offer me.

Golden Week 2009

Golden Week, a series of national holidays that typically result in about a week off from work, was a holiday I was looking forward to. Tokyoites escape to the furthest reaches of Japan or even abroad, but a really wise traveller will attempt to circumvent the traffic and congestion and find a nice corner where they can chill out without getting beaten down by the stress of travelling itself. For me, that corner was Sagamiko.

A 15 minute ride from Hachioji on the Chuo Line, Sagamiko is a man-made lake seemingly a million miles from the bustle of Tokyo, a direct train ride away. The mountains rose up around us, and the city began to disperse into villages. Convenience stores went from ubiquitous to non-existent. In many ways, it was more rural than even Keiko’s hometown in Hokkaido.

We stayed at Tenkachaya, a traditional Japanese inn called a ryokan. The reason we chose it was for its baths, 3 in all, and the price, a very cheap ¥12,000 (including breakfast and dinner). Our room was traditionally styled, wide and furnished with tatami mats and shoji paper screen doors. We did quite well for the price, but I had constantly wondered why it was so cheap.

Located down a steep path on a steep hill, it feels very secluded, despite the nearby town and roads. With the trees and seclusion, however, come the wildlife. Within an hour of us arriving, Keiko had killed a spider, and a cricket (big and black) jumped on me on my way to the toilet. It didn’t stop there.

There was a very nice-sounding hinoki (Japanese Cypress) bath. I say nice-sounding because you have to share it with the other guests: cockroaches (one hogged my tap when I was trying to wash) who love the damp warmth, and centipedes who love the cockroaches. That was all pretty distracting, but not as distracting as the other guests you had to contend with.

The hinoki bath is for men and women, but not at the same time. A sign outside the door announces who’s inside. If the bath is empty, as it was when I first went, you can change the sign from female to male. Keiko assured me it would be fine, but I was a bit worried. I was mid-wash (in Japan you wash outside the bath and then soak inside it) when the anteroom door opened and two people walked in. They didn’t talk as they got undressed, but I stopped washing and prepared myself for the cause of my unease. Sure enough, the bathroom door opened and there stood a stark naked pre-teens girl who immediately shut the door. Okay, I thought, I would be okay. Then the door opened again and it was her mother, who I saw in all her entirety. I looked away, covering my eyes and let out a ‘sumimasen‘, as she also hurriedly closed the door. I took a moment to compose myself and let them leave, and without even setting foot in the bath, I returned to my room. I was worried I would be blamed, and not thinking I turned the sign to ‘female’ on the way out (as I knew they would be back). Thankfully nothing came from it, but I did have to see her and the girl at breakfast the next day and the day after.

The service wasn’t all that bad. The meals were fantastically traditional: nabe, sukiyaki, sashimi, whole fish (heads, eggs, and all), and lots of things that I couldn’t really stomach (I am a big believer in hot/warm food but Japanese food is frequently chilled). Drinks were overpriced, but I was most disappointed to find that they didn’t provide a jug of iced water. If you wanted anything other than alcohol, you had to traipse over to the reception’s vending machine. It wasn’t all that convenient to be honest.

Still, it was still pretty good value for the price. We had a nice peaceful view, 24 hour access to the baths (even if I was scared to venture back to the hinoki one), dinner in our room, and they even made/put away our futons. It was relaxing (for the most part), and that was precisely what we wanted.

When we arrived, we just stayed in the ryokan and relaxed, but after our 8am breakfast on the second day, we went out for a hike. We didn’t really know what to expect, but we traipsed down hillsides (reminscient of North Wales), roadsides, and lakesides. We must have walked a good 15 km all told, including a few rest stops. The sun beat down and Keiko and I are both a bit sunburnt. Not only that, but Keiko has come down with a cold (hopefully not swine flu!), so on the third day we just slowly came home.

We know where Sagamiko is now and, as a result, we can head back for a day trip any time we fancy. It was nice and peaceful and I highly recommend it as a place to unwind. You can rent a boat or pedalo and just take it easy. Sometimes, when you live in the world’s biggest city, that is all you want.

Gallery (after the cut):

Hokkaido: Day Six – Abashiri

There were two places I really wanted to visit in Hokkaido. The first was Asahiyama Zoo, which I visited on Day Four. The second, and top of my list, was Abashiri, home of the notorious Abashiri Prison. Keiko was set to arrive on the 30th, and so, as it is close to Memanbetsu Airport, her mum and I headed to Abashiri.

Abashiri is about 1.5 – 2 hours drive from Ikutahara, including a significant detour for me to look at Lake Saroma. The lake is famous for its 100km ultra marathon, something Keiko once did some interpreting work for, and that to me sounds like a ridiculous idea! That’s over 2 marathons! Crazy. A little further along was Lake Notori, and then Lake Abashiri, both of which had people ice-fishing (a New Year’s tradition). I imagine the place is beautiful in summer, but I can’t fathom quite how it’d appear given the heavy snow while I was there.

Anyway, back to the prison. Abashiri Prison is Japan’s Alcatraz, an inescapable maximum-security hell-hole stretching back over century. If you have seen Star Trek VI: The Undiscovered Country and can remember the Klingon prison moon Rura Penthe, you can imagine what it might have been like being incarcerated there back before it was modernised. The prison was home to many yakuza, and, in the yakuza genre of Japanese cinema, has been the subject of numerous films. The prison has since been modernised into a more cosy location for criminals to do time, the harsh conditions have been recreated or moved up a hillside just outside the town to the Abashiri Prison Museum.

Lots more photos after the cut…