Minakami Adventure weekend

Here I am, three days after returning from a weekend away in Minakami and I am still finding a few bruises and feeling pain from muscles I didn't know I had. (Whether they are from the outdoor activities or the dancing afterwards I'm not sure) Definitely a sign of a good weekend away.

 We met the Tokyo Snow Club bus at Shinjuku at 6:45am on Saturday and headed off for a 3 hour drive to Minakami with some rest stops for food and bathroom breaks along the way.  It takes 1 hour 20 on the shinkansen, which was handy for a couple of people who missed the early morning bus and were able to catch up with us at our accommodation.

Minakami is heaven for outdoor enthusiasts. The river Tone runs through the centre of the town and is where the rafting, kayaking and canyoning takes place. Skiing and snowboarding can be done on the surrounding mountains in winter. There is also bungee jumping, paragliding, mountain biking and the like.

We signed up for canyoning on the Saturday afternoon. We dumped our bags in our room at Canyons Minakami and chilled out in the common room until it was time to get ready to go. It was a bit of an epic struggle to get dressed. Wetsuit socks followed by long johns followed by jacket and canyoning shoes. Then outside to get a harness, gloves, life jacket and helmet. Man were we cooking once we were loaded onto the mini bus. Sweat dripped us off like sumos in a sauna.

We had signed up for the Nishikuro canyon course but as soon as we got into the water after a quick abseiling practice, a pretty intense dump of rain started. The guides decided it wasn't safe to continue so we loaded back onto the bus and headed to the Fox Canyon instead. Lucky for us, the water levels were safer here and we were able to slide down waterfalls feet first on our stomachs or headfirst on our backs.  We could also jump, dive, bomb or back-flip into the deeper water.

 Amazing what you can push yourself to do when you are in a group and there is only one way out and that is down. I'm not a super strong swimmer so I felt a bit nervous sliding down a waterfall but you are roped into your harness for half o the drop and by the time they released me I was totally ready to speed up my descent. Fun times had by all.

Video here if you want to see what canyoning is like in Fox Canyon.

A shower never felt so good after peeling off all the wetsuit layers. And that first beer afterwards went down a treat. And the next beer while we watched the rugby and the next few while we had the group BBQ. And the next few while the snow club guys did their DJ sets....

 Unfortunately the beers didn't help me out the next day when my brain decided to forget how to get dressed in all those layers of wetsuit stuff to go rafting. I managed to put my left leg through one section instead of my right leg. And it took me FOREVER to work out why I then couldn't zip myself up properly.

My issues didn't end there, once we were in the raft getting our instructions my brain decided to go AWOL and I got a bit of a telling off for not being able to squeeze my feet into the right position quick enough. Fortunately my brain woke up again once we were in the water bouncing around and I managed to avoid being launched out of the raft. Unlike a couple of our mates who popped out at one point and were swept over to the side when our raft decided to do a semi flip.

Our guide was hilarious and rafting was heaps of fun. We got to do another cliff jump at one point too. I have decided the best tactic for me is to get in there and jump without thinking. If I take too long and spend too much time anticipating what will happen I get a bit chicken. So I got to the front of the queue, jumped where the guide pointed and screamed till I hit the water. Bam! What a rush!

After rafting, we were starving. So we hit up a local soba place and got stuck into some delicious noodles and tempura. The noodles are hand rolled fresh everyday. And the tempura was to die for.

 Website  - Kadoya Soba

After packing up at Canyons lodge we were back onto the bus with a stop off at Takaragawa Onsen. I had to steel my onsen nerves again, as this would be my first mixed onsen experience. This onsen allows you to hire towels to wear in the water so you are not bearing all to the general public.

 However, the majority of the guys still only get around with the small towels, known by us gaijin as 'd*ck towels'. They don't cover much and they are white, which means they become pretty damn see through when wet! I was too tired to care about a few eyeful's of old man junk so I decided to stick it out in the general pool areas but I can understand why a few of the girls chose to head to the women's only section.

The women's towels were not exactly large either and I had to keep my hand clamped tightly at the fold to stop my own privates being out on display. I noticed a few of the old ducks were wearing loose cotton dresses in the water, think that would be a much better option that a towel!

Despite the awkwardness of trying to stay covered, it was a beautiful setting for an outdoor onsen. The tree covered mountains made for a very scenic backdrop as you soaked in the hot water. It was cute seeing an old fella give his missus as neck massage too. And there were plenty of people enjoying beers while they soaked. I can see why the Japanese dig this stuff.


Now back to my recovery on the couch :)

Forget Disney, Fuji-Q is where the big kid rides are at!

Best way to hit up Fuji-Q is to reserve a bus seat online and get the  Toku-Q Pack. It costs 7,300 yen and gets you return bus tickets from Shinjuku West bus station to Fuji-Q and a day pass which gives you unlimited rides for the day. You just reserve your seat online, payment for your ticket is when you turn up at the Keio bus ticket office.

Finding the Keio ticket office can be a bit tricky. I had to ask a couple of people for directions. You come out of the Shinjuku station west exit and the ticket office is  between Yodobashi and the Keio department store. The buses out to Fuji-Q do fill up so it is best to reserve your seats at least a couple of days ahead.  The bus rides takes an hour and 40 minutes.

Just be aware that they do seem to close the theme park on random days. We had reserved seats on the bus for last Tuesday but when we turned up at the ticket office there was a big sign up saying Fuji-Q closed for the day. There is a calender showing the closed days but it is only on the Japanese version of the Fuji-Q website. The slightest bit of rain also means the majority of rides get stopped so you might want to keep that in mind during the rainy season.

Once you arrive the fun begins! These roller-coasters are not for the faint hearted. Or for anyone with any of the many, many ailments they list while you wait in the queue. You can't be too old either, all the rides have age limits, some of which are 59. So sorry Mum & Dad, you guys are out.

We hit up Fujiyama first, mainly because it is the first one on your left after you get through the entry gate. Probably not the best move as it was also the longest wait we had for the day, 50 minutes. Better idea would be to head to the back of the park and make your way back towards the entry gate and skip some of the queues.

Fujiyama was my favourite ride of the day. It is long, it is fast and it has a 70m drop. As the crank the ride slowly up the steepest section, my palms were sweating, I felt slightly sick and I started questioning my own sanity. I had my eyes squeezed shut for most of the descent but man what a rush!

Everyone looks a little dishevelled at the end of the ride. 

Next we conquered Takabisha, the roller-coaster with the steepest drop in the world, a 121 degree tilt. I was very surprised that I got off this ride without losing my dignity. I have never felt fear on a ride like I did on this one. I can't believe this ride is in the same country as the lame ones at DisneySea. Its like going for a spin in my 1976 Datsun and then being taken round the Nuburgring in a Porsche 911.

I feel justified in nearly turning my trousers brown, its in the Guinness book of records. It is officially scary. 

Next up we went on Dodonpa, one hell of a fast roller-coaster. It hits 172km/hr at 1.8 seconds after the ride starts. Reminded me of the super man ride at Movie World, Gold Coast. Think it has the same G force, at 4.25. Awesome stuff.

Unfortunately, the last of the big 4 roller-coasters was not open. Eejanaika has 14 rolls and you have to take your shoes off to ride it. Will have to go back and try that one!!

After some Mos burger for lunch we checked out some of the tamer rides. It was pretty hot and humid so we thought we would go on a water ride. We were pretty amused to see everyone shelling out an extra 100 yen to buy ponchos to wear on the ride. What is the point of going on a water themed ride to stay dry?

Well, they all had the last laugh because we got soaked!! Good excuse to have an ice cream while we dried off.

No other rides really deserve a special mention unless you are into the anime Evangelion. They have a pretty cool display of stuff from the series you can pose for cheesy photos with.

Oh yeah, going on the little kid roller-coaster 'A little ride on the clouds' was pretty funny too. Mainly because the ride was designed for an adult to sit with a kid being held in front. No-one in the queue had a kid with them but we were all still told to get on the ride 2 by 2. Watching two blokes squeeze onto a ride together and cuddle was one of the funnier sights of the day. Awkward giggles all round.

Oh yeah, token photo of Mt Fuji from the bus stop. Only time she popped out of the mist for us.

Mt Takao, a nice way to escape the city for a day

So what do you do when your plans to go to Fuji Q theme park are thrown off course? Look up suggestions for day trips from Tokyo online, discuss with your friend which places she has already visited and see what you are left with. That was how we wound up on train to Mt Takao, a 50 minute trip from Shinjuku on the Keio line. Takaosanguchi station is at the base of the mountain.

You can get a 20% discount if you buy your cable car ticket for the mountain at the same time you purchase your round trip train ticket from Shinjuku or Shibuya train station.  You can choose if you want to get the cable car one way or return. It is 480 yen one way or 930 yen return for cable car. 390 yen each way for the train trip.

Using Trail 1, walking from the bottom to the summit takes 90 minutes or you take the cable car which drops you halfway up. We chose to get the cable car up and walk back down. Trail 1 is an easy paved path, there are other more advanced trails that take you past other features such as suspension bridges and waterfalls. You can see views of Tokyo from the observation area near the cable car station.

Along Trail 1 we stopped at the Yakuoin temple and checked out the statues of the long nosed mountain gods. The temple was a bit unusual with a different style of statues and fountains then I  had seen at other places. You can spot the long nosed goblin statues along the hiking trails as well.

The view from the summit was pretty clouded over but we could see glimpses of some of the mountain ranges, apparently you can see Mt Fuji on clear days.  It is also supposed to be a good place to see cherry blossoms a couple of weeks after they have disappeared around Tokyo.

I wouldn't bother with the monkey park, it was pretty sad really. The guide was super friendly and enthusiastic but it was really just a bunch of cranky monkeys fighting over a spot on their dusty hill. You do get entry to a flower garden with the same ticket to the monkey park but nothing was in bloom when we went through. Entry ticket is 480 yen.

All in all it was a nice day trip adventure and I wouldn't mind heading back to check out the beer garden with the all you can eat buffet that runs from late June to early October.

Kyoto: where culture & history slap you in the face

Ah Kyoto! So beautiful, so busy, so much to see. Kyoto was the former capital of Japan and has an amazing 1,600 Buddhist temples and 400 Shinto shrine as well as palaces, gardens and castles.

I have been in Japan for 3 months now and I thought it was about time we made our first visit to Kyoto. I managed to convince Chris to release his hold on the doona cover and dragged him to Tokyo station. After emptying our wallets at the ticket office, we were on the bullet train and arrived at Kyoto station by 11am. It takes 2 hours 45 minutes on the shinkansen and costs 13,220 yen each way.

With a brief pause to admire the impressive architecture of Kyoto station, we caught the many escalators to the top of the cube and dug into a delicious brunch of fried pork cutlets, tonkatsu. I had mine in a lunch set with rice, miso soup and coleslaw. Chris opted for the Katsu Nabe, hot pot set.

Tonkatsu Wako, Level 11, Kyoto station, "Eat Paradise Food Court" if you are in the area....

For better pictures and the full menu - Tonkatsu Wako

Next we joined the crowds of people at the bus station just outside the train station. The buses stops are clearly marked with their destinations and its pretty easy to navigate your way to the sights you want to visit. It is a little more difficult to push your way off at the stop you want as people enter the bus from the rear door while you are still trying to force your way to the front of the bus to pay the driver as you exit. Chris had to use his elbows in a way I have not seen since our last trip to Footscray markets. I did my usual trick and waited for him to clear a path and followed in his wake.

Our first stop was to Sanjusangen-do temple. This was one of the weirdest temples I have visited. First, we walked around the outside gardens which are lush and serene. You follow the path around the large bell that gets rung twice a day and a fountain that is believed to cure children from crying at midnight. Then you wander inside to the main hall and are greeted by the eerie sight of 1,001 statues of Kannon, the Buddhist goddess of mercy. (No photos are allowed). The hall is dark, noisy and full of incense smoke. The clatter of coins into offertory boxes and the laughter of the student groups takes away any sense that this is a place for prayer or quiet reflection. Watching the students posing like the 28  different guardian statues was pretty funny though. And watching their teacher try and co-ordinate a group photo using a megaphone.

Next we walked (via a couple of other small temples and a hillside cemetery) up to Kiyomizu-dera, another famous Buddhist temple complex up in the Higashiyama mountains.

It is quite a big complex with a few crowd pleasing attractions such as the Otowa-no-taki where you drink from the fountain for health and longevity or attempt to navigate your way between the love stones with your eyes closed, if you make it between the stones you will achieve success in love.

The queue to drink from the waterfall fountain.

 The queue leading up to the love stones.

The main hall verandah.

The pagoda poking through the trees.

And you can't have a day out with kimonos and random mascots.

Not wanting to cop any more pointy granny elbows on the bus, we caught the train back to our hotel instead. We stayed at the Dormy Inn Premium which was around $180 a night, pretty reasonable price for Kyoto and very close to the main train station. Huge buffet breakfast, free noodle soup between 9pm & 11pm and an onsen on the top floor made it a winner for us. Dormy Inn Premium Kyoto

On the Sunday we went to Fushimi-Inari, the Shinto shrine complex famous for its thousands of red torii gates and shrines lining the mountainside. This area had a more chilled out vibe, the crowds thinned out as you reached the peak and there was plenty of back trails you could take to find your own space amongst the foliage.

The shrine complex is dedicated to the gods of rice and sake. The fox is believed to be a messenger of the god Inari, god of rice and harvest. You can see the key to the rice granary in the fox's mouth.

The shrine area was beautiful and green with lots of shade which was a relief from the humidity.  Loved all the oldies hiking up and down and stopping for lunch all in a row.

The red torii were stunning.

Bamboo forest

And cute turtles

Lots of animal themed fountains

Nearly at the top

I didn't envy this old guy lugging drinks uphill

It is believed that anyone who folds one thousand paper cranes will be granted a wish by a crane.

After stopping for an ice cream and checking out some of the tourist stalls we caught the local train back to Kyoto station. We recovered our bags from the train station locker, bought a bento box and got on the afternoon shinkansen back to Tokyo.

So long Kyoto, hope to see you again soon!