三社祭 2009 Sanja Matsuri

Another year, another Sanja Matsuri. 

Once again, the idle monkey trainer got out for the fun and exercise of trying to carry a two ton portable shrine through the narrow streets of Asakusa. (Full disclosure, the mikoshi above was the smaller and more comfortable of the two carried that day.) And somehow among all the photographs taken of a Westerner in matsuri clothing, the idle monkey trainer managed to get the photograph below.

This just in...

I think this rather speaks for itself. (From the Japan Times)

ALTAR OR BUST



Triumph model Hiromi Nishiuchi poses in a "konkatsu" (husband-hunting) bra in Tokyo on Wednesday. The bra sports a clock that allows the wearer to set an engagement date. Unless an engagement ring is inserted into the ring holder, the clock will count down to the appointed date and set off the alarm. Konkatsu has become a buzzword for women seeking security amid these recessionary times. The bra is not for sale. YOSHIAKI MIURA PHOTO

TSHA at the Korea Cup 2009

The TSHA started this year’s Korea tournament in less-than-stellar fashion, dropping 6 – 1 to the Selects on a cloudy Seoul morning. Following a team meeting that lasted the entire interval between games, the TSHA came out much better against the Geckos, but still fell 3 – 1. In game three, TSHA took on the All-Drinkers, a band of pink-clad drunks, and pulled out a 4 – 0 shutout by taking advantage of some miscues that should have really gone the other way. This win was enough, however, to propel TSHA out of the first round and into the quarter finals, despite dropping the final game of the opening round in a close-fought outing with rain beginning to make things a bit slick. 

In the quarterfinals TSHA faced off against pool-B top seed Suwon, winner of the past three cups and one of the favorites to win this year. With the rain coming down and large puddles forming, the TSHA came out strong with Sean opening the scoring and giving TSHA the lead. Suwon was not to give up, however, and came back to tie it up a few minutes later. By this point the conditions had worsened, and despite this playing to TSHA’s strength as “mudders”, Dave went down hard and had to leave the game with a broken wrist. At the whistle, the teams were tied at one a piece and faced a shootout.  

Gord led off for the TSHA, shooting first, but getting stopped by the Suwon goalie. Suwon then scored on their first attempt. Chad answered on TSHA’s second shot, holding on to the ball to the last second before putting it in. Suwon’s Scott succumbed to the wet conditions and failed to find the back of the net. Sean for TSHA came down and dribbled the ball through the legs of the Suwon goalie to put TSHA up 2 – 1 in the shootout. Eric then came up with another big save and TSHA knocked Suwon from the competition.  

In the semi-finals the Selects and TSHA faced each other again. Conditions on the rink continued to decline, with small ponds forming in the corners and along the boards. Clearing attempts and shots were often accompanied by sprays of water. Perhaps needless to say, it was a very different game from the first meeting of these two teams. Slipping and sliding, the Selects managed a goal, and were able to hold on to the lead. With only a few seconds left, TSHA was putting the pressure on, and Chad was able to pull the ball away from a diving Selects goalie behind the net, but TSHA could not get a handle on it in the crowd in front of the net and the Selects were able to clear it out to the red line as time expired. The Selects would go on to defeat the Geckos in the finals to secure the Cup.

More photographs and details of ther tournament are to be found on the Tokyo Street Hockey Association website. 

I went to North Korea

Following Japan’s defeat in WWII, the Korean peninsula was effectively divided between a Western-backed government south of the 38th parallel and a Soviet-backed government to the north. In a few short years, the North would launch an attack on the South in an attempt to unify the peninsula. It nearly worked, until intervention by US and others pushed the communists back to nearly China, who then entered the fray, helping to return the line of control close to the 38th parallel. In 1953 an armistice was signed and a military demarcation line established that split the Koreas in two. IT was also decided there would be a four-kilometer wide demilitarized zone established to keep the armies apart. This heavily mined zone now draws millions of tourists per year – on both sides of the border. 

Visiting Seoul, it is hard to imagine this is a country still at war. The city could easily be described as a version of Tokyo stuck in the eighties (though without the property boom). It is a modern, prosperous city that happens to be located an hour from the DMZ and its somewhat hostile neighbor. The bus from Seoul’s luxurious Lotte Hotel travels along the Han River, which runs through the middle of Seoul. At this point, the river is a stretch of green, dotted with baseball and soccer fields. Just at the northern edge of the city, however, the riverside changes character, with razor wire and guard towers giving the first visual evidence that the country remains on edge. Civilians are not allowed access to the river here, because as recently as the eighties the North was sending squads of assassins down it toward Seoul.  

Warming overtures made by the South in recent years are in physical evidence inside the DMZ, with a new (yet unused) train station and warehouse park to serve Hyundai’s ambitious industrial park just across the border. There is an odd air about strolling around an obviously fairly new and entirely unused train station. From the observatory at the top of a nearby hill, one gets a good look into North Korea, at the industrial park, and Propaganda Village as it is called from the southern side of the line.  The South erected a large flag and tower in Freedom Village, so the North had to top them with an even larger tower and flag. (Pictured below from the JSA)

At least four tunnels under the border have been discovered, each angled down at three degrees toward the north to drain water away. The third tunnel to be discovered is part of the tourist route, complete with train to ferry visitors up and down (there is an optional and cheap tour walking access as well). Inside the low, narrow tunnel are descriptions of their discovery and presumed use.  

The last of the morning session was a visit to Freedom Bridge -- blocked off now -- but built exclusively for the exchange of POWs.  Later we were to get a view of the Bridge of No Return, which crosses a small river in the JSA. POWs returning for both sides were given the option, at the center of the bridge, to choose the side on which they would spend the rest of their lives, hence the name.

The afternoon session took us back into the DMZ and this time into the Joint Security Area (JSA), the UN-administered zone that includes Panmunjeom (Peace Village) and the buildings where members from North and South delegations can sit down to talk. Inside the JSA there is an almost palpable tension in the air, particularly at Panmunjeom. We were reminded that tensions were higher because of recent moves by the North to shut down access to the industrial park and demand re-negotiations of the contracts for workers, despite those not being due for a few years. The recent missile launch also added to tensions. The drive from the briefing room to the Peace Village is not long, and passes Freedom Village, a civilian residence of a few hundred people inside the JSA, where residence pay no tax, are exempt from conscription and must follow strict curfews, while they grow rice and ginseng. Along the road are more checkpoints, as well as the signs that warn of mines that are ubiquitous in the DMZ, and blocks of concrete above the road, rigged with explosives to buy a few-minutes’ time if tanks come rumbling down from the North.  

In the Peace Village you are told to behave like (presumably well-behaved) elementary students, and walk two by two, following all instructions. There is tension in the air, given off by the stern mannerisms of the ROK MPs that flank the procession and keep watch inside the buildings. The US MP who guided us was only slightly more conversational at one point. You are told not to point or even smile at the North Korean soldiers that you see, and definitely not to speak to them if they try to speak to you. On our visit we could only see one, standing guard in front of their main building, occasionally getting binoculars to view us in the pagoda. (Pictured at top) It is certain, though, that many others were watching from the windows of the buildings.

Back in time - sort of

Tokyo has an uncountable (at least for an idle monkey trainer) number of museums scattered throughout the city. Last weekend, the Idle Monkey Trainer wandered over to one such museum, the Fukugawa Edo Museum. This is a rather modest musuem of a recreated Edo-era piece of town. The indoor, life-size model shows several typical buildings and streets as they would have been laid out in the 19th century.


Even at that point the city held close to a million people, about half of whom were samurai-class, in rather tight quarters. The above is a the typical room of a married couple (minus one wall). Volunteer guides are eager to escort visitors around the museum floor, offering a bit of history and quizzing visitors. Incidentally, during the explanation of this house, the answer to the guide's question about where they kept their underwear is not, "They didn't wear any?"


The museum comes complete with canal and boat (a main form of public transport on what was already "reclaimed" land.*) And, this being spring in Japan, nowhere is complete without blooming cherry trees.



Those interested in seeing a bit of the way Edo was, will find the musuem a short walk from Kiyosumi-shirakawa station on the Oedo and Hanzomon subway lines. Admission is 300 yen for adults.


Also just a couple minutes from the station is Kiyosumi Teien (Garden). The garden is full of large stones, providing pathways through the shallower portions of the pond and allowing up close encounters with what appear to be well-nourished but still very hungry koi (carp).
As with any pond or garden in Japan, there are also plenty of turtles, some balancing.
There is also an open space away from the pond which has an enourmous cherry tree and memorial for the Japanese poet Basho, with one of his poems carved in a large stone. "The sound of a frog, jumping into an old pond."
In many ways it is quite typical of Japanese gardens, but offers a nice retreat from the constant concrete buzz of modern Tokyo for 150 yen admission.

Sakura Blossoms and Booze

Spring has arrived in Japan, and although it is a little early for the sakura blossoms, the parks are filling with people getting drunk under the trees.

This is, of course, the time of year that people look forward to for months. Preparations can be very involved or spur of the moment. From April 1st it will also be the responsibility of the newly graduated employees to hang out in parks to hold spaces until their new bosses and co-workers get out of work and can get drunk under the trees.

It's also the time of year when you get out your pink dress, fuzzy paws and camp out and dance by mountains of garbage. Women, too. 

Special thanks to the newly certified doctor who slept in the park overnight to hold on to the prime spot in Ueno Park next to the dancer.

Enoshima, Kanagawa

On Enoshima, an island sitting only about an hour south of central Tokyo, there is a set of caves containing various carvings of Buddhist statues. Access to the caves is obtained by either walking over the island or by taking a boat from the causeway. The boat costs 400 yen per person. Walking is free, unless you opt for the escalators to the top, which run 750 yen for use of all three, and to reach the caves you still need to walk down the other side.

 

The approach and entrance to the caves have obviously seen some fairly recent renovation, with a wide concrete bridge arcing around the cliff faces and keeping visitors safely above the rocky flats (and more interesting things). Along the cliff wall the old access path is still visible (though crumbling) and looked a lot more fun. Once inside, vertical fish tanks (sans fish, but the first sporting a little blue plastic dolphin) line a tunnel to the main cave. There are also some historic photos of some early tourists to the site adorning the walls.

 

The 500 yen entrance fee includes the use of a thin candle lamp, the necessity of which the idle monkey trainer failed to see. The main cave itself is relatively well lighted. Plexiglas separates the statues and the lighting from the visitors. The ceilings are low, and covered with one of three things: wire caging to keep rocks from falling on people, Plexiglas to keep water from falling on people, or foam padding to keep people off the roof. All are secured with large, exposed bolts, so caution is necessary. A good deal of the time you are in the caves will be spent in a hunched position if you are over four-feet tall, more if you’re over six-feet tall. The cave system is not very extensive, however, so it is not a long time.

 

The second cave is even more disappointing. In its farthest reaches is a plastic-looking dragon (safely in a fenced area), surrounded by black lights and phosphorous rocks. Despite the natural occurrence of phosphorous rocks in the area, the bright colors of these rocks appear false.

 

The tidal pools that can be accessed along the rocky and wind-swept coast near the cave entrance turned out to be largely devoid of life apart from some plants. I did spot one, very small, dead crab. (There was more live sea life seen at the sushi shop during dinner than witnessed while on the island.) Still, the few merchants along the route sell (or perhaps rent) small nets for kids to use in trying to capture anything they might find. There were a few intrepid youngsters giving it a try, but not seeming to have much luck.

Researchers in Japan have taken one step closer to fulfilling the dreams of many otaku (generally lonely, comic-obsessed, socially awkward, single men who keep Tokyo's 'maid cafes' busy). Spending $2 million dollars, they have developed a robotic catwalk model that can move her (animation-inspired) face to show "emotion".  With the build of an 'average Japanese woman,' the robot will make her fashion show debut over the weekend. 

Although it is now claimed there are no plans to commercialize this particular robot, I have to wonder if in a country so anime (animation)- and robot-obsessed, and one in which 'love dolls' can be rented and delivered like pizza, if we won't be seeing a sex-bot version in the next few years.

You can see the creepy little thing here:

http://www.reuters.com/news/video?videoId=100425&newsChannel=oddlyEnoughNews

Views of Hakuba, Japan

The Idle Monkey Trainer managed a weekend out of the city and on the snow at the end of February.   The conditions were more like late March, with melting snow and emerging rocks and streams. Still good times were had. 

The start house from the downhill at the 1998 Winter Olympics has seen better days and  appears to have fallen into disuse.

"Chicken Gyoza" a rather unique take on the regular dumpling, or some sort of freakish (but delicious) mutant offspring of chicken wings and dumplings. 

Mall rats

The economic downturn in the global economy has spawned reports of doom and economic malaise across the world. The Japanese press is no exception, with near daily reports of on the troubles of the major exporters of consumer products from cars (who would have ever believed Toyota would face trouble) to electronics.

The Japanese consumer has never been the driving economic force that the U.S. consumer is (was). Still, the reports of malls going under in America (I have heard one commentator speak of “ghost malls”) has not spread to Japan. If the Idle Monkey Trainer’s Sunday afternoon visit to the newish Koshigaya Lake Town Mall, a scant hour’s train ride from central Tokyo, is any indication Japanese malls are booming.

The mall sprawls across a couple of kilometers (and takes nearly 25 minutes for Japanese television reporters to walk across) and is divided into two sections called Wind and Forest (there was no forest anywhere to be seen). It has somehow gained a reputation for being cheap. Personally, I am not so sure. The mall is packed with the usual retailers that are found in Tokyo’s other shopping districts, with no real discernible difference in price, at least as far as I could tell.

In some ways, however, it had distinct advantages. The most prominent, to the Idle Monkey Trainer anyway, was the space. Despite the number of people, the mall does not feel overly crowded, though there were still lines of 30-plus minutes at KrispyKreme and Cold Stone Creamery – just as you’d expect in Shinjuku.

Kamakura sits sandwiched between ocean and low hills, about an hour and a quarter by train from Tokyo. For a time, known appropriately as the Kamakura period, it served as the seat of power. Now Kamakura draws tourists from Tokyo and around the world. Last Saturday it drew the Idle Monkey Trainer – a frequent enough occurrence.

 

On this occasion, however, I took a stroll along the trail of the Seven Happy Gods. Starting at a small shrine and cemetery near Kita-Kamakura station, the trail leads through a total of seven shrines – one for each of the Shinto deities. Completing the trail is supposed to bring happiness and good fortune.

 

According to the website Shonan Sport Site, the trail takes three hours to complete, not including time to enjoy the quiet of the shrines or to take photographs. Thinking this to be the case, I was prepared for a walk twice the length of what was actually required. In fact, three hours was the total amount of time I took, including time to search out statues and dally a bit at each shrine.

Not all the shrines have a statue of the god to be found. The first, however, does have a tall statue of the happiness god, waiting in a cave (as the sign informs) for one to rub his belly for luck. My own belly, not as developed, is probably not as lucky.

The route wanders past the largest and perhaps most well visited shrine in Kamakura, and touches on a small island. The trail then takes to the less traveled streets and shrines.

The third shrine boasts blooming flowers year round, and even some of the trees were in on the act, despite it being mid-January.

Stop four housed a little statue of finely carved wood in a glass case, and a more easily photographed stone carving of the same god. Shrine number six on the trail featured a large green roof that (to my eye at least) resembled a turtle shell. It was then a bit of a walk to the sixth shrine.

Having gotten a later jump on the day than had been hoped for (owing to a bit of idleness in the morning), it was nearing closing time for the sixth shrine. With a few minutes to spare, however, a short statue of the god Ebisu was the reward for a trip up a few flights of stairs. In the spring and early summer this shrine opens its “trail of prosperity,” leading up the hill behind the main shrine building and through famous azalea blooms. The garden area also offers good views of Kamakura and the beach.

 

Knowing it might be too late (everything seems to close at 4:30 p.m. in the winter) a visit was made to the final shrine. Fortunately this final stop did not have an entrance gate, and indeed even the room that holds the sacred masks was still open (for a nominal fee of 100 yen).

 

As the light faded on departure from the shrine, an elderly resident of 20-plus years explained (three times) and made it understood (once) that after a few minutes’ wait, the enoden (Enoshima Train) would eclipse the shrine entrance. This, apparently, is a sight to behold and entices photographers from around Japan.

And so, idly, I waited.

Tournament Hockey

On the past Sunday, January 18th, the Tokyo Street Hockey Association (TSHA) took to the surface in Tokyo to compete in a showcase tournament ahead of the start of a ball hockey league. Despite play that ranged from poor to mediocre and only scoring a total of three goals in four regulation games, TSHA managed a 2nd place finish. It took six shooters in a shootout for TSHA to advance over the Ushida Tigers. The team representing the Japan Street and Ball Hockey Federation (JSBHF) took first in a sudden death overtime.  You can read the full account of the day on the TSHA website. 

Learning Japanese

As I was looking up the word 電動 (electric) this afternoon, the dictionary I was using came up with this example:

電動じゃなくて手動のマスターベーションでは十分な刺激が得にくい
It's difficult to provide adequate stimulation through manual masturbation.

Nikko, Japan

The town of Nikko lies about a two-hour train ride north of Tokyo in the hills of Tochigi prefecture. Famous for its temples and shrines, Nikko is also well known for monkeys. So, on a clear January 3rd, the idle monkey trainer ventured forth to experience the town.

 

The main attraction of Nikko is a rare clustering of temples and shrines, called Tosho-gu. The complex is the final resting place for the Tokugawa Ieyasu (died 1617). Now a World Heritage Site, the complex stands out among Japanese temples and shrines for a couple of reasons. The first is the proximity of Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines. The second is the bright coloration of the buildings. In contrast to many temples and shrines in Japan, those at Tosho-gu are brilliantly adorned with gold, as well as the more traditional red.

 

Along the walls and eves are also numerous intricate carvings of animals and people. Perhaps the most famous of which are the three monkeys covering their eyes, ears and mouth to symbolize the Buddhist doctrine of “see no evil, hear no evil, speak no evil” (see photo at top) and the sleeping cats. The latter are reputed to be near life-like due to their intricacy (and require an additional 530 yen to view). 　

 

Up the mountain from Nikko are the Koggen Falls and the Nikko National Park. The falls take a spectacular drop from a lake, and are reputed to have drawn forlorn and unrequited lovers to make a final leap for centuries. Once source has it that more people jump here than from San Francisco’s Golden Gate Bridge. Other sources have said that the national police each winter take advantage of the freezing of the falls to dive the pool at the base and remove the summer’s leapers. Sadly, it gets dark in Japan very early in winter, and when the idle monkey trainer arrived at the falls it was well past dark. Only the faintest ghost of the falls could be seen in the cold light of the crescent moon.

The only other let-down of the day was that Nikko’s famed monkeys were nowhere to be seen. And so, the idle monkey trainer remained idle.

Happy New Year

The idle monkey trainer has been too idle to even update the blog in over a month. My sincerest apologies to both my readers. And Happy New Year! May your year of the ox be a good one. (And yes, I fully realize that the animal sculpture pictured above is not, in fact, an ox.)

We are the champions -- of Kariya

The Tokyo Street Hockey Association (TSHA) got on a fast train last weekend to join the 3rd annual Kariya, Japan ball hockey tournament. It was a less than ideal day for ball hockey, with steady and at times heavier rain persisting for most of the day. In the end, however, the sun came out and the TSHA faced off against Ball Hockey United, who had made the trip from Canada as part of a sister city exchange. The only two six-man teams, meaning no substitutes or line changes, battled hard for the trophy, but it was the TSHA that took the prize, dominating play throughout. 

You can read the full report here.

The 2008 Yamato Cup

The inaugural Yamato Cup was held October 11, 2008 at Amazing Square in Tokyo. Determination of who would win the coveted Golden Godzilla game down the the final seconds, when the final shot hit the post as time expired. In the end, Team Korea rallied from a 2-0 deficit to defeat the Tokyo Street Hockey Association (TSHA) 6-5. The final game was hard fought by both teams, and those in the arena were treated to fast-paced, back-and-forth ball hockey.

In the challenge for third place, and the slightly less-coveted Silver Gamera, the MHL Misconduct defeated the Boring Sponge with an impressive performance by the fast-passing, talented team. Tied at the end of the first half, the Misconduct opened up the game in the second half and cruised to victory.

Full details of this year's tournament can be found at www.yamatocup.com/2008. Information on how to be involved in next year's tournament can be found at www.yamatocup.com/2009.

German Beer and Sausages

On a brilliant autumn afternoon, the idle monkey trainer took time off from being entirely idle to indulge in the sights, sounds, food and, most importantly, brews of the German people. And as with any fine showcase of German tradition, it was held in Yokohama, Japan.

For two weeks, crowds of people, mostly Japanese, cram into long tables to eat German sausages and drink (expensive) German beer, all while polka bands, clad in lederhosen play. (In what would seem to be a break from true German tradition, however, there was also plenty of Japanese edamame, fried noodles and fried chicken.)
The final day was no exception, as the weather was perfect for an afternoon of drinking.

猿島 - Monkey Island

Being the idle monkey trainer, it seemed only fitting to visit Sarushima (Monkey Island)(pictured above). Monkey Island is the only remaining natural island in Tokyo Bay. It is located only a few minutes by boat from Yokosuka Naval Base, the forward deployment spot for the U.S. Navy's USS George Washington.

Visiting on the day the George Washington -- a nuclear powered vessel -- arrived in port, meant that a protest was inevitable. Being a Thursday, however, may have dampened participation. Or people really don't care. In either case, there were only seven elderly protesters at the station.

Bypassing the protest, we indulged in a couple of local beers - Sarushima, Yokosuka, and Admaarali (named for Admiral Togo), whose flagship from the Ruso-Japan war in 1905-6 did some serious damage to the Russian's Baltic fleet.


It was then off to Monkey Island. The island was used over various centuries as a fort and gun battalion, defending the bay up through the Meiji era. Remnants of the fort still remain on the island. Monkeys, however, do not reside there.

Upon realization of this fact, I was left to ponder why it was called Monkey Island. So with no information presenting itself, I developed a couple of theories about why there were no monkeys. These of course were based solely on the idea that the name Monkey Island implied the presence of monkeys, at least at the time the island was named. If that was true, then the monkeys had been wiped out by something. I formed two theories:

1. The monkeys were eaten into extension by the numerous kites that hover above the island. This theory, however, supposes that the kites hunt monkeys and there was no evidence to support that. The kites witnessed on Thursday showed more scavenger tendencies. Therefore, theory two came into being:

2. The soldiers posted on the island ate the monkeys into extinction. Again, there was no evidence that the soldiers ever ate monkeys.

Neither theory, however, was nearly as interesting as the real source of the name Monkey Island. The real story runs thus:

A boat of Buddhist monks were traveling in the bay by small boat. A massive storm came up and threatened to swamp the boat. A white monkey appeared before the monks and beckoned them to the safety of the island where the monks could ride out the storm. (White, in Japanese folklore, is often representative of ghosts or spirits. Why a monkey, however, is not really clear.)

Global Tito Update

After several months, Global Tito has finally been updated with some pictures from the Trail of the 47 Ronin.

And if that seems like a morbid route to follow, keep in mind this is Japan and you can always make it cute. For example, you can always collect all 47 Hello Kitty Ronin (conveniently available just outside the Sengaku Temple entrance.)