Kamakura (June 21-22)

Kamakura is about an hour's train ride south of Tokyo, but the distance doesn't do justice to how different the two places are.  Kamakura's a small beach town with a pretty significant history.  It's often called a former capital of Japan, and historical sources make reference to the Kamakura period in the same way they refer to the Nara, Kyoto, and Edo periods--eras defined by the location of Japan's capital.  According to Wikipedia, however, Kamakura was neither a de jure nor a de facto capital, merely the residence of the Shogun for a time, during which Kyoto was still the capital.  There's no arguing Kamakura's historical or cultural significance, however, and in fact in 1250 CE it was the fourth largest city in the world in terms of population (also according to Wikipedia).  During this time, Buddhist temples in the area developed and thrived, many of which are still in good shape today.

Knowing Kamakura's reputation as a beach town, I was excited to arrive on a bright, sunny afternoon, and after finding and checking into my hostel I asked for the nearest beach and hustled to take advantage of the remaining light.  Walking from the road to the small bay not five minutes from the hostel, I saw surfers galore, validating my beachy ambitions, and I made double-time down the steps of the public access, only to find a rather unappealing beach.  The bay itself was beautiful, but the beach was rocky, and littered with debris, of both the seaweed and trash varieties.  Walking down the beach in hopes of finding a better spot I found two dead and bloody seagulls, effectively killing the remainder of my beach desires.  I contented myself walking up and down the shore, looking for sea glass, on special request from Sarah.  Above: The view from the beach 

As dusk crept on, I ventured back up to the road to read on a bench and watch the sunset--over the land, disappointingly enough--and on my way I passed a 'Beware of Hawks' sign, which explained both the dead seagulls and the paucity of sunbathers.  Looking overhead I did see several hawks hovering effortlessly and looking out to sea, taking advantage of the last of the day's thermals rising from the beach.  Above: The sun sets on a monument near the beach

The next day I toured all of the major temples in the area and was blown away by the architecture and the scenery.  The majority of the temples are located to the north of the actual town, nestled into the mountainside, and can be connected via a hiking course.  It rained throughout the day, and the lush green mountains' peaks were usually obscured by fog, lending an otherworldly feel to the  sacred spaces.  This was negated somewhat by the flocks of tourists.  It's common practice for elementary and junior high students to get steep discounts at religious and historical tourist sites, to promote field trips, and it is an incredibly effective policy.  In the course of the day I saw no less than 30 school groups.  The students look very serious in their uniforms, but this solemnity is quickly corrected by the chorus of enthusiastic 'hellos' I got from a third of the students.  After an acknowledgement, either through a wave, or a greeting, they would inevitably bid me a formulaic--although equally enthusiastic--farewell of 'see you'.  Above: Hard rain falls on the garden at Engakuji temple

One temple I visited had the most beautiful hydrangeas I've ever seen, and had rows upon rows of them in their gardens, but the place was so popular that moving through the gardens was like waiting on line at Disney World, and getting a photo without a tourist's disembodied limb was a challenging task.  Nevertheless, the sights were incredible, particularly the daibutsu, the great Buddha, statue, which at the time I thought was the largest Buddha statue in Japan.  I would discover my mistake a few days later, in Nara, at the actual largest Buddha statue in Japan.  Nevertheless, the daibutsu in Kamakura is no slouch, being in the open air actually makes it feel larger than its counterpart in Nara, and being able to go into the hollow interior of the statue gives it extra points in my book.  Above: Me with the daibutsu.  I'm standing too far forward to get a good sense of scale--plus, I'm pretty tall.  This statue is massive.

Overall, Kamakura was a beautiful town, and a great experience, even if I didn't get my beach time!

More photos:

Kamakura

Tokyo (June 18-21)

Tokyo is an overwhelming place.  For all of London's quiet splendor, Tokyo has a swaggering extravagance that constantly asserts its modernity.  Districts like Shinjuku and Akihabara in Central Tokyo feel like they were taken straight from a science fiction movie.  Video billboards dominate major streets, and architectural wonders of steel and glass are on every other corner.  Advertisements are bold, colorful, and huge; consumer culture dictates the aesthetics of public space.  In the trendier districts, masses of humanity flock from department store to department store in what Lonely Planet's Japan guidebook calls "contented consumer mode."  Wading down sidewalks every so often one's path leads by a ubiquitous pachinko parlor as someone emerges into the open air, leaving behind the roar of music and the tinkle of hundreds of thousands of yen converted into ball bearings.

And yet outside of the city center it couldn't be more apparent that futuristic Tokyo was built in the increasingly removed past.  The bulk of construction in Tokyo happened in the 1980s, during the country's most successful bubble.  In the 90s the bubble burst, and the rampant and widespread urban expansion slowed.  While the most popular districts in the heart of Tokyo showed no sign of halting construction, the surrounding business districts remain frozen in the speculative future of the '80s.  Science fiction author William Gibson says it best in Wired Magazine:

You can see more chronological strata of futuristic design in a Tokyo streetscape than anywhere else in the world. Like successive layers of Tomorrowlands, older ones showing through when the newer ones start to peel.

In his fantastic article Gibson captures teriffically the spirit of Tokyo's trendy center.  He draws a comparison to Blade Runner, and the analogy is an inevitable one.  Minus the the whole dystopian aspect, Tokyo really feels like a distant future dreamed up in the not-so-distant past.

One of the things I most enjoyed in Tokyo was going to the top of the the Mori Tower in Roppongi, Tokyo's hip and international-friendly cosmopolitan district.  On the 52nd floor of the tower is an  observation deck, from which one may look over Tokyo in 360 degrees.  I went at night, and it was incredible to see the lights of skyscrapers as far as the eye could see in every direction.  I was completely unable to see the end of Tokyo's urban sprawl.  It was an experience which really made me appreciate mankind's ability to change and dominate its environment, and in an incredibly short period of time.  Two centuries prior, Tokyo was a fishing village, and now as far as the eye can see its rooftops mingle with the clouds.  Of course, I forgot my camera, so its an image that will have to live in my memory, unless I manage to go back on my return to Tokyo.

The tower's top floor houses Mori Art Museum, a museum which focuses primarily on multimedia installations, and which was interesting to say the least.  My favorite installation was one in which a Japanese artist, Aikawa Masaru had intricately recreated the cover and packaging of 50 or so of his favorite British and American rock albums, and then recorded his own versions of each of the albums, singing unaccompanied and making up the lyrics where he didn't know them.  A poignant example:  "I once had a girl, / or should I say / shi sha la la."  I liked that the piece spoke about how manufacturing and distribution processes fundamentally alter how we view and consume art, but also that the artist didn't take himself too seriously.  Check out his website for artwork.

Despite all of the fantastic metropolitan scenery, another favorite experience of mine was dedicating a bright, warm Sunday to wandering through Yoyogi park, and seeing Tokyoites take advantage of such wonderful weather.  The park was packed, with musicians, dancers, revelers, and even jugglers, and it was refreshing to see people out enjoying nature and one another's company, especially coming from the expensive and at times seemingly shallow urban center.  In the park's sports facility I got to watch some street and pickup basketball--in my hiking boots, watch was all I did--and tried double dutch jump rope for the first time, thanks to the urgent insistence of some friendly kids. (Above:  Yoyogi park.  Below left: Street ballers showing off.  Below right: My new friends, for whose jump rope I was much too tall.)

Right next to Yoyogi Park is the Olympic stadium built when Tokyo hosted the 1964 Olympics.  I was lucky enough to get to watch Japan's World Cup match against the Netherlands there, and I was one of very few foreigners to do so, a slightly vain point of pride.  Unlike the performance at Trafalgar, this one went off without a hitch, and my buddy Yuma and I had a great time, despite Japan's unfortunate loss.  I learned some of Japan's fight songs, and was excited to get to experience some sports-induced nationalistic fervor.  I didn't realize how popular soccer is in Japan (the Japanese call it sakka, not football!), but kids everywhere seem to play it, and the country followed Japan's unfortunately shortlived run into the tournament with great excitement. (Below: Shinjuku skyline and a rapidly filling stadium)

When it came time to leave Tokyo I was a little disappointed.  I realize now that I could have easily spent seven weeks in Tokyo and never run out of things to see.  I've got a lot of stuff on my to-do list for when I return for a week in August.

Thanks for reading!  Follow my Twitter for more, ah, current updates.

Mitchell

More photos:

Tokyo

Catching Up

First of all, I'm sorry to have been so long without an update.  In the frenzy of traveling it's been difficult, first to find an internet terminal, and second, to set aside valuable sightseeing time to update my pictures or blog.  Where I had hoped that my first post might serve as a model for near-daily updates, I'm quickly realizing that this kind of frequency is going to be unrealistic.  I'll try to have pictures for each day of travel, and in the hope that a picture really is worth a thousand words, forego some of the lesser details of each day, focusing instead on the highlights.

My second day in London, Saturday, I wandered around Trafalgar Square and the surrounding area.  As I mentioned in my last post, it was the day of the America-England match, and the whole city was buzzing with the kind of national fervor that only sports can inspire.  Trafalgar was a hub for pre-game festivities, and rarely would more than a minute pass between enthusiastic choruses of "Rule, Britannia."  Seeing a beer in every hand, I decided to make my first legal alcohol purchase, but, as a visitor, wanted to make sure there wasn't anything I needed to know before cracking open a cold one in public, so I approached two friendly looking police offficers.

Me:  "Excuse me, it's legal to have open containers of alcohol here, right?"
First officer:  "Uhm yeah.  I think so."
Second officer:  "I've never been told differently."

If drinking in public was a crime, clearly it was not one I was likely to be arrested for.  I gathered from locals that the match was to be shown on a giant screen in the square, so I found a good spot and settled in, enjoying the festive spirit.  As good a spot as I secured, however, I was out of luck, because a technological failure prevented the screening, much to everyone's disappointment.  When I realized that I wasn't going to be able to watch the game, I began scrambling to find a pub in which to watch it.  Unfortunately, this was a remarkably popular plan, and pub after pub was filled to capacity, with little chance of anyone leaving before the end of the game.  Eventually I found a sports pub with a glass front, and a giant television, and joined a crowd of fans watching from the sidewalk.  It wasn't the most atmospheric spot, but it didn't lack for enthusiasm, and soon officers were necessary to keep us from blocking the flow of traffic.

In the end, America drew England 1-1, and the Britons were horrified.  The game created instant cameraderie between Americans on the street, and the gloomy local vibe couldn't bring me down.

What almost did, however, was the two hours it took me to find the hostel that I booked because of its location, Swiss Cottage: far enough from central London to be very reasonably priced, but still only five minutes from an Underground station.  The hostel was so far out of London, in fact, as to be just outside the range of all four of my maps.  Undeterred, I copied down directions from the Underground station and embarked.  Unfortunately, both lines running near Swiss Cottage were down for weekend maintenance.  After finally parsing London's labyrinthine bus system I eventually found the neighborhood, and wandered, asking anyone who happened to be out so late. I found the place around 1:30, and slept very, very soundly.

Sunday, I awandered to a neighborhood called Marylebone and found a wonderful annual street fair reminiscent of Bele Chere.  Local vendors were selling local wares, and it was fun milling around and sampling delicious food.  At exactly five, though, the festival ended, and ironfisted security prevented any further sales.  Not to be kept down by the man, however, I managed to buy a block of goat cheese by forgetting three pounds on the table at the sellers' instruction.  Along with a baguette from a local bakery, the cheese made a delicious, if rich, supper, and I ate in an old churchyard where Edmond Hoyle is buried.

After dinner I wandered through a few local pubs, and watched the Germany-Australia game with Germans, Australians, and a friendly old New Zealander.  After some time, I got a tip that the street festival hadn't ended so much as transitioned to a nearby park, and I went there to lounge on the grass and hear some great, live music.

Monday I made it to Buckingham Palace and to Westminster Abbey, as well as Parliament.  I missed the changing of the guard at the palace, but I took lots of pictures of the lavish monuments nearby.  Westminster Abbey was incredible, in much the same way St.Paul's Cathedral was.  I was able to see the burial places of Henry V, and Henry VII, Elizabeth I, and Mary, Queen of Scots, among countless others.  The history of the place was fantastic, and I spent the whole afternoon there.  As I was leaving, visitors were arriving for evening service, which helped me to appreciate the abbey's role as a living place of worship, rather than just a museum.

Parliament was equally impressive.  The two houses meet in an ornate palace (of which Big Ben is a part).  The halls are massive and ornately decorated, and, to their credit, thoroughly impress upon one the significance of the events taking place.  To me, however, they also felt incredibly removed from the goings on of the rest of the city.  On my way through security, I voluntarily produced my second--and last, since my first knife went missing two nights prior--pocket knife when asked if I was carrying anything metal or potentially dangerous.  Security was horrified at the size of the knife, and I briefly relished in fitting the image of the brash American cowboy.  My enthusiasm was pre-empted, however, when I was taken to meet with a police officer, who informed me that locking blades are illegal in the U.K.  Shocked, I pleaded to keep the knife and the friendly officer complied, on the condition that I not carry it for the rest of my time in London.  I eagerly agreed, and went on to watch Parliament.

I sat in on both houses for about twenty minutes apiece, before heading off.  Afterward I walked along the River Thames, gradually making my way to the London Eye.  I made it as they were closing, only to be informed that without buying a ticket, I wouldn't be able to ride, and that the ticket office was closed.  Seeing my disappointment, the fellow working the line asked if it was my last chance to see it in London.  I told him in earnest that it was, and he quickly ushered me through for free.  Once through the gate, however, I had to go through security, with a man less forgiving than the police officer at Parliament.  He refused to return my knife to me, and as a foreigner possessing an illegal item, we both knew I had very little leverage.

Having paid my admission, I rode the London Eye and had my breath taken away by the spectacular view of the city.  I'm not sure it was worth the knife, but it was a valuable experience nonetheless.

 Tuesday, the day of my flight, I wanted to make sure I had Indian food, as I'd been told London is the best place to get Indian food outside of India.  I found a restaurant near Tate Modern, and I wasn't disappointed.  I had amazing vindaloo that came with Cobra, a tasty British-Indian beer.  Afterward, I dashed off to Tate Modern to see as much of the museum as possible before heading to the airport.  I was only able to stay briefly, but I enjoyed rushing through the gallery, and I was able to see Dali's Metamorphosis of Narcissus, a favorite of mine.  Afterward, knowing that I had no time to waste in getting to the airport I hustled back to the Underground station in order to get to Liverpool Street station to reclaim my pack before heading off to Heathrow.

As I descended into the station, I heard an ominous voice:  "Due to a person under the train, expect heavy delays on the Northern line".  This incredibly oblique message meant bad news.  Apprehensively, I proceeded to the platform, where I saw throngs of people waiting.  After several minutes the next train arrived, and I knew I was not in luck.  The car was a veritable sardine tin, with people packed wall-to-wall and hardly room to scratch one's nose.  A couple of brave souls attempted to board, but were repelled by the sheer human density.  I turned and fled, racing to the nearest station running another line, Blackfriar's and fearing I had cut it too close.  I sprinted north, no doubt a comic sight in my socks and sandals, daypack bouncing.  I made the station in record time, but was horrified to see that it was closed for repair.  Barely stopping to consult my map I proceeded to the next closest station, St. Paul's, a half an hour after I had no time to waste.

I claimed my bag, then took the subway to Paddington Station for the Express train to Heathrow, trying to make up any lost time.  I made it to the airport an hour before departure, discouraged, but not entirely without hope. This changed when I found out that the Air China desk had closed 30 minutes prior. Needless to say, I missed my flight.  After receiving the runaround from various airlines, I was eventually able to rebook for the next day.

Pictures:

London - Day 2

London - Day 3

London　- Day 4

London - Day 5

I'm in a beautiful beach town called Kamakura now, but I'm out of time, so I'll try to catch up soon with an account (and more pictures) of my time so far in the Land of the Rising Sun.

Day 2

London is a beautiful city, and not in the way that I expected. Many things are beautiful for their uniformity.  The morning after heavy snow is beautiful for the way the snow disguises the land and presents one with a homogenous landscape of white.  Not being especially familiar with London before this trip, this is the kind of beauty I expected; traditional, historic buildings that embody a timeless image of classical London.  Instead, London's beauty comes from its variety.  The juxtaposition of 40-story skyscrapers and 13th-century churches is like nothing I've seen before.  After climbing nearly 500 feet to the top of St. Paul's cathedral yesterday, I was awed by the beautiful stone spires that punctuate the skyline's steel and glass.  This incredible building--the Gherkin--sits immediately next to the Tower of London.  In addition to this contrast of classic and modern, London has been careful to incorporate the natural into the mix.  I saw a sign yesterday that claimed that London boasts one of the highest tree-to-citizen ratios of any major city.  While a very quick internet search could neither confirm nor deny this, I have no trouble believing it.  Greenspace can be found all throughout the citIy, and even if only in the form of a single row of trees, it provides a refreshing reprieve from what could easily be an industrial metropolis.

After only managing to sleep for an hour Thursday night thanks to a combination of excitement and some of the least comfortable benches conceivable, I rode the six o'clock train into the city, and arrived around 7.  I stowed my bag in an Underground station. I had planned where to go afterward, and had a rough itinerary, but decided instead to meander around, and I'm glad I did.  It was a gray, misty morning, and I had incredible fun wandering around, waking up with the city.  It felt very authentic walking down Liverpool Street with businessmen and -women walking to work.  In my eagerness to fit in, I tried to jaywalk as the Londoners do, with nearly disastrous results. It's very popular to cross halfway and wait at the usually wide median for the remaining lanes of traffic to clear.  I did not immediately understand this, nor was I familiar looking first right, then left.  I had a slightly close encounter with a van that did not seem inclined to slow down.  Afterward, safely on the curb, I made eye contact with a young professional and he and I laughed, perhaps for different reasons.

I wandered around the city until I found St. Paul's cathedral, so I took my wandering inside, and explored it for a couple of hours, joining a tour group of American senior-citizens en route to a cruise.  St. Paul's was one of the most impressive buildings I've ever seen, and was truly an amazing experience.  I'm only disappointed that they don't allow photography, so I can't share just how fantastic it was.  I was able to take pictures from the top, though, so I'll post a couple of those, because the view was spectacular.

After St. Paul's I wandered some more and found myself in a cute district by the Tower Bridge.  Young mothers and their children were out in force, and I ate at a quaint Italian cafe where the owner greeted everyone in Italian, and I watched the kids play while planning my next move.  Afterward, I toured the Tower Bridge, which was to be my last stop before taking the train back out of London for camping in a medieval forest.  I met two guys from Arkansas--Izhar and Caleb--however, who were in London for the day before continuing on a tour de force of Eurasia that would eventually lead to Nepal.  I had great fun talking to them, but I ended up a little behind schedule for camping and had to hurry for fear of losing the light.

I took the train to its farthest extent, a town called Epping, and got there just before 7, and knew I would have to hustle to beat sunset.  I had read that it was only a few-mile walk to the forest from the station, so I checked the map at the station to confirm.  It was a limited map, but listed Epping Forest Council Office, so I disembarked.  I walked a couple of miles along the sidewalk--uphill--through delightful suburbs.  My camera died at the Tower Bridge or I would have documented this portion of my trip.  Finally, around 7:45, I arrived at the Council Office, which I was not surprised to find closed.  I was, however, surprised to find that the community's name was Epping Forest, and that the council office was actually a city hall of sorts.  With no woods to be found.  I decided to go a little farther before turning back, because I knew the walk back through small neighborhoods wouldn't be particularly hazardous in the dark.

A little farther along I saw a sign for Stonards Hill Recreation Park.  Reinvigorated, I quickened my pace and headed toward what could only be a campground.  Unfortunately for me, however, this recreation park turned out to be a playground.  I enlisted the aid of some mountain bikers, who looked like they would know the nearest actual campground was; they informed me that I had come the entirely wrong direction, from the wrong station.  The forest I was looking for was a short walk from the identically-named bus station the town over.  The bikers were incredibly helpful, though, and told me of a path from the playground that led to an ideal site to camp wild.  I thanked them, and they went on their way.

Walking through the parking lot to the playground, I met more locals:  four guys about my age, who greeted me by rolling alongside me in their car, blaring dance music, and bobbing their heads.  After talking with them for several minutes, during which time several of their friends walked up to see the funny American, the driver, Lee, erupted into a stream of expletives and began pointing across the park.  Following his indication, I saw two policemen directly between me and my soon-to-be makeshift campsite.  Lee explained that the cops were 'nicking' the high-school-age kids who had converged on the park at dusk.

Realizing that the police presence prevented any chance of me having a wild campsite set up by dark, I decided to head back to the city.  Lee was kind enough to give me a ride back to the Underground station, during which he told me that while he did listen to dance music, he most enjoyed Kenny Rogers and country-western music.

Back in London, I scrambled and was able to find a room around 11.  Just after 12, I arrived at my hotel and collapsed, falling asleep before even unpacking my things.  All's well that ends well, and I had a teriffic adventure, a good night's sleep, and made friends with some locals.

This has been a much longer post than I had intended.  Here are a few of the pictures I took:

London

And finally, as a bonus, here's a collection of songs that make me think of traveling--from now on I may have to add Kenny Rogers to that list.  This is what I listened to while I packed.

And now, I've got to go.  The afternoon is wasting, and I've got to get ready for America to give England hell in the World Cup game tonight!

Heathrow

After two days of airports, delays, and uncertainty, I've arrived in London, and I couldn't be more excited!

This isn't going to be quite the inaugural post I had hoped for, because my time is running out on this internet terminal, and the airport doesn't have wifi. 

I spent the night in D.C. after missing my connector at Dulles thanks to maintenance delays in Charlotte.  My 9:35 flight this morning didn't leave the ground until noon, and since Heathrow doesn't allow flights in after 11:00 p.m., there was some doubt that we'd be able to fly then.  Luckily, they granted my flight an exception, and we landed here around 12:30.  Since trains don't run this late, I'm crashing in the reception area of the airport until the first train tomorrow.

The uncertain start to my trip has only reinforced to me how enthralled I am to be traveling on my own.  Negotiating my way through foreign countries is going to afford me a degree of profound personal responsibility that I don't always appreciate in my day-to-day life.  While I'm always accountable for my actions' consequences, being in a situation in which they impact me alone, and in which I can't necessarily rely on others for help is both frightening and liberating. 

Significant, personal responsibility is an intrinsic component of consciousness.  As conscious actors, we make decisions.  We choose, for better or for worse, and part of being an adult is understanding the impact and import of those choices. 

Recently, someone asked me what component of my trip excited me the most and I responded, frivolously, the sushi.  This is my more considered response.  I'm most excited for the opportunity to experience and catalyze the primal responsibility of being human.  I probably didn't have to go halfway around the world to do it, but so far I'm glad I have.