Hiatus

So, there has been something of a hiatus, not so much in the reading as in life. 'Mere' by Danielle Giles and 'Awake in the Floating City' by Susanna Kwan were both book club books, which, as the year has mostly gone so far, I felt ambivalent about. Both suffered from the same thing in a way, that the author was not sure what kind of book they wanted to write. Especially Floating City; it is sold as some kind of post-apocalypse but that is barely mentioned and morphs into a relationship book with a sideline in artistic expression. Loved Louise Doughty's 'A Bird in Winter', a fast paced drama about a woman agent who goes on the run on discovering high level double agents, excellent escapism. Eurotrash by Christian Kracht was pressed on my by mum, a slightly surreal tale of a mother/son relationship as they trail around Europe with a pile of cash and a colostomy bag. Also listened to 'Cold Enough for Snow' by Jessica Au on the train to Devon, which was a delight. A story of a mother and daughter travelling in Japan.

So, it feels a little as if life came to a halt, several months ago, the day before my birthday, when I phoned mum and she told me my sister has a brain tumour. Very little else has been occupying my thoughts. It is surreal to watch people around you carrying on as normal. So, it has become a thing that is not just happening to her, but to our whole family, and we are closing in around her to take care of her. 

Christopher Hitchens book Mortality, written as he was dying of cancer was not designed to be comforting, but I found it to be, because the temptation is to pretend that this is not happening and it helped to find someone unafraid.

So, there will be something of a hiatus.

Stay safe. Be kind.

Reflections on Monkey

When Monkey first went to Japan back in March 2022 she started sending us 'pyjama selfies', because the hotels provide pyjamas for guests, such a wonderful idea. This was our first pyjama selfie and Tish said we looked like we had joined a cult. 

While I had the overarching plan for our trip to Shikoku it was Monkey who worked out the details; she knew when the trains were running, she found interesting places to see and knew when they were open, she checked what the local specialities to eat were. She found the garden and the workshops and the boat trip, and shared her wisdom about life in Japan. She made the whole trip a delight. I could not have done it without her and would not have wanted to do it with anyone else.

She has struggled with anxiety and depression for much of her 20s and to see how learning Japanese and going to Japan has transformed her makes me love the place even more. She has grown in confidence and become a real grown-up, but retains her childlike enthusiasm for everything she does:

dancing on the udon dough ... don't ask me why

insisting on putting on the entire set of Samurai armour

ice-cream pretty much every day

crossing the vine bridge

and skimming stones in the river down below

We rode bikes and climbed mountains together

We managed to balance the things that I wanted to do and the things she wanted to do to create the perfect holiday ... but we hardly have any photos of the two of us together.

Stay safe. Be kind. 

Reflections on Japan

When you plan something for as long as I planned my trip to Japan the comedown was always going to take a while. We packed every day with interesting and delightful experiences and I came back knowing it cannot be the only time I visit. As a place Japan manages to feel both familiar and utterly different. I was very keen to follow Monkey's advice so as not to be seen as a 'bloody foreigner' by doing stupid, disrespectful things. I confess, I did not manage to speak much Japanese.

Some things will get their own post but this one is an overview of the trip, not necessarily highlights. We tried not to be distracted from what we were doing or seeing by taking too many photos, allowing ourselves to just look and enjoy. 

After a couple of days in Kawagoe and Tokyo we took the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. This was the one place I had very much wanted to visit and really the only tourist stop, though it feels weird to call the Peace Memorial that. It was utterly overwhelming to see the shell of the building and to learn more and understand the impact, both immediate and long term, that the bomb had on the city and people of Hiroshima. The building was iconic even before the war and it marks pretty much ground zero of the explosion and was one of only a few brick structures that remained standing, and after much local debate the city decided to retain this stark reminder of the bomb's impact as part of their commitment to strive for a peaceful future. The Peace Museum tells the background history and then tells the stories of many of the people whose lives were affected, some who died and others who survived. Some of it is quite graphic and not for the faint hearted or those who want their history nicely sanitised. 

From Hiroshima we travelled to Onomichi which is the start of the Shimanami cycle route across the inland sea. This was taken from the top of a small cablecar and looks across the sea towards Shikoku (though I think all the islands are in the way). Mountains were quite a big feature of our trip.

Over two days we cycled about 100 kilometres stopping off half way on Omishima at the Miyaura-Goten hostel, eating wild boar curry and watching the sunset behind the mountains. It was a wonderful traditional old building with 'shoes off by the door please', sliding doors, futons and tatami mats. It was just the kind of place I had hoped to stay since the rest of the time we had boring modern hotels.

The final stretch across to Shikoku is the Kurushima Kaikyo bridge which is 4km long:

We then travelled to Matsuyama to hire a car and spent the next week exploring the island of Shikoku.

We had meals in random roadside restaurants:

Saw the Pacific Ocean (from the other side):

We took tea in the teahouse in the Ritsurin Garden:

Made udon noodles:

Made paper at the Paper Museum:

Crossed the vine bridge in the Iya valley:

Got used to the squatty toilets:

Learned quite a bit of Japanese history, such as the significance of Sakamoto Ryoma:

Saw some castles ... and learned more Japanese history:

Saw lots, and lots and lots of cherry blossom:

... and very much admired the lack of rubbish anywhere that people happened to be gathering:

Walked the very narrow pavements without incident

Travelled by Shinkansen, train, bus, tram, bike, car, cablecar, chairlift, 

riverboat and ferry (back across the Seto Inland Sea to Naoshima):

Spent the night Japanese style:

and visited lots of onsens ... but you cant take photos inside so here is the outside of the Dogo Onsen, one of the oldest hot springs in Japan, claiming a 3,000 year history:

And I didn't use a knife and fork for a fortnight ... but more of that to come.

... meanwhile in Japan

 

Monkey Sensei had a random day off and took herself to DisneySea and had a ten hour day queueing and riding.

Below ... much to her amusement, very expensive skittles in the konbini :

Jellyfish at the aquarium:

A shrine where you can go and pray for your canine friends:

And more magnificent views:

Counting down to my own visit now, only five months.

Stay safe. Be kind. Plan your holiday.

More Japan ...

Tish and Jun have had a packed fortnight of doing a lot of very Japanese stuff ... and some not necessarily very Japanese stuff.

Below ... the 'Otter Café':

Meeting Kanoshizu, who is a Maiko or trainee Geisha, to learn about that tradition:

Becoming Samurai:

Of course, the Studio Ghibli museum:

And at last, some capybara, in their own onsen:

A disturbing encounter with an ostrich (at the zoo not just wandering randomly):

And, more worryingly, walking a suspension bridge with an a typhoon on the way:

Looking down from the Tokyo Skytree:

Monkey had to go back to work yesterday and Tish and Jun come home tomorrow.

It has been an amazing adventure for them.

Meanwhile in Japan ...

 

After months of planning and antici...pation, Tish and Jun made it to Japan yesterday. They have two weeks to explore the country with Monkey Sensei. 

So they jumped right in and had fugu (puffer fish sushi) for dinner:

Then ice cream for breakfast on the Shinkansen to Hiroshima:

I commented on the silly faces so of course they now pull silly faces in all the photos.

I wish I was there too, but now I only have seven months to plan and anticipate till it's my trip.

Stay safe. Be kind. Enjoy other people's holidays vicariously.