Moving to a new blog

As with many things, all good things must come to an end and so it is for this particular section of my blogs.   Due to a recent snafu with google, I had a problem with a flag for "spamming" on a few places I post to.   This is partially my fault, but I have not had the same success with sharing my writing and travels with people since then.  Recently there was a problem with Google where I made multiple posts by accident on a few communities, and as a result I was flagged for spam.  There is no way to appeal such a decision, as Google does not list any contact information to appeal, and many communities do not list moderators. So now, I have lost these years worth of work and networking. As such I am going to make a new blog and keep this one up for posterity's sake. 

Links to my new frontpage, my travel blog and my writing journal can be found on the right but you can follow the links here as well.

Looking back I have fond memories writing here, and while my initial blogging was about my book, my craft of writing I see that people enjoyed my travel blogs more.  I have some ideas on how I want to capitalize on this, hopefully to the advantage of my regular writing.   The Blackwood Blog served its purpose.  It was conceived out of my creative spark, but it changed over time.   I thank my lucky stars I had the opportunity to write here and I look forward to continuing.  To those who follow me, and who like reading, I thank you as well.   I hope you will follow me to the new blog.  I hope those who look back here will find some nice insights and ideas about writing and travel in general.

For now though, a new possibility stands before me with the promise of new paths to traverse.

Japan Revisited - Off the Beaten Track pt 2 - Nokogiriyama

Imagine if you will a city in the mountains, a temple city carved out of granite and stone overlooking the sea.   Now imagine it is long forgotten, the buildings are swept away by the sands of time, leaving only the pathways, the carved monuments and the lost warren of passageways in their place.   You are an explorer, following a long forgotten road and you stumble out onto a cliff upon the sea, and sitting there is a statue of the Buddha.   He sits upon a lotus blossom, holding an austere, meditative expression as he has for hundreds of years since the last human being beheld him.   This is what it is like to walk the trails of Mount Nokogiriyama in Chiba Prefecture.

The Many Statues

Mount Nokogiriyama has a storied history.   After doing some research I learned there were temples all over the mountain, but many were burned down in conflicts over the centuries.  The Buddhist monks who carved many of the statues were persecuted here, and some of the statues had their heads lobbed off (incidentally some are still missing heads.  You find them in the dozens in little alcoves as you wander down VERY steep and very wet walkways that dive down into gorges carved by the passage of time.

Missing a head

Even decapitated as many are, one finds little vignettes here and there.  At one point you will come upon two statues facing one another and poised as if a moment before they were alive and carrying on a conversation.  Then you, the visitor, stumbles along, and they have to turn back to stone until you go away and they can carry on their gossip.   

A little conversation

 As I walked along the pathways, the thought occurred to me that a place like this could never exist in the US.  First of all, there's almost no wheelchair access to most of these hollows.  Secondly, there's hardly any space where there are railings, and what few are there, the slippery stone makes it to the point where you wonder how no one sues someone.   I say this with the jaded retrospect of a person used to people sueing everyone over the smallest thing in national parks or state parks or whatever.   In a way its refreshing, a glimpse into something rough and beautiful, and it makes it all the more superb because you don't get quite as many people in some of the places.  

Nature abounds here.  One catches little spaces where mushrooms grow on logs, or a hint of birds in the trees or maybe a scattering of deer in the forest below.  

Something Wild

I used the lost city trope earlier, but it really suits Nokogiriyama.   This was a temple complex, and as one wanders trhough the forest, you get a sense of these structures but then you lose it again.  Its easy to imagine you are an explorer coming here for the first time.  You come around a corner full of trees and then, there just off to the side, you see the most remarkable statue of Buddha just behind the branches of one tree.   I caught the shot below in such a moment, and I wondered if this is what the explorers of Ankor Wat felt in a way.   That moment of intrinsic excitement to see something new and beautiful you have never seen before.   

Emerging into the "Lost City"

The Great Buddha here is the main attrraction, though my father and mother both liked Kannon in the narrow gap more. He is the largest stone Buddha in Japan.  By comparison, the great one in Nara felt like it was ten times this size (and it probably is though I don't have the exact numbers.)  That one also had a different expression, more serene and gentle.   This Buddha, as my mother put it, "looks like he is ready to smote with a thunderbolt."  Its a very stern and austere expression, one you don't see in many Buddha.   he holds in his hand a brazier or urn of some kind, and smaller Buddha are carved around the halo of his head.  

The Great Buddha of Nokogiriyama

The Buddha and his attendants, even the Kannon are all a part of this complex called Nihon-ji Temple.  According to my research this was done in 1783 though the temple dates from the 700s.  The Kannon statue shared in a previous post is newer still, carved in remembrance for the lost in World War II.   Strange to see it and think how old it looks.  One of the pieces of literature I read said it took 17 carvers 7 years but I cannot confirm that at the moment.  

Peaceful Respite

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Standing at the foot of the statue, the one thing I regretted was the weather.  I've seen pictures of this place with blue skies and it is a very different feel.  The gray leant to the solemn mood of the place.  

"He looks like he's ready to smote with a thunderbolt" -Mom

Just next to the Buddha is a mound of tiny broken Jizo statues around a main statue of the God of protecting children.  I believe this is a "jizo" grave.  People take broken statues and leave them here in reverence.  

Many Jizo

A Deis

Wandering back along the trails, I found many more little vinyettes.  A  lone statue perched on a precipice of rock, watching over the path with a quiet, almost amused expression at the ex pence of slipping travelers below.  In another spot another figure, almost like an emperor over a court of semi-broken statues beneath.  

Weary Traveler

Another statue rested over a pool, gazing down into the waters with a look of thoughtful contemplation.

Private Pool

This is about as tall as I am at 6'1"

One amusing acdode on the pathways and how precarious they were that day was this post above, showing a narrow tunnel carved into the rock.   I had to duck WAY down to get under here.  Not meant for tall foreigners I assume.   But beyond it was a beautiful space with water trickling down into a pool above some stairs.  This may be a place for penitent meditation.  

Waterfall

Not long after our exploration we wandered back to the tram and waited our turn to go down and find some lunch.   While waiting I had a chance to try some sweet basted mochi which was sitting on a charcoal grill on the way there.  The smell alone was enticing.   The ride down was an exercise in my own tension, as I am dreadfully afraid of heights.   I kept it together to film us getting down to the bottom.  

Delicious roasted Mochi

There isn't much in the way of food in the town at the bottom of the hill, but we did find a lovely little pizza joint run by a young group of friends who were probably about my age if not a little older.   Mom sat in the front and beckoned people inside and they worked the pizza oven and the counter.  It was a wonderful, friendly atmosphere, warm from the cold outside.   They had pretty good English, and after hours walking and slipping, a hot pizza was JUST the remedy I needed for my hunger.   


On the whole, Nokogiriyama is the perfect example of how a step beyond the known will open you up for remarkable adventure.  There is a mystical quality to the mountain, an adventure aspect that you don't expect so close to Tokyo.   You can literally be just a few hours from perhaps one of the greatest metropolitan areas in the world, and you find a natural, ancient place such as this.  You meet people who are locals, you see the way people interact.   In some ways it was like I was a local myself, just for a moment.   I think that is what this journey was all about, and it was just getting started.   Next time I will continue on my adventure, and close my thoughts on Tokyo.  

The Pizza Place in town

Pizza Place Menu

Delicious

The Tram Ride

Japan Revisited - Off the Beaten Track pt 1 - Chiba

When you travel to Japan, and especially Tokyo, it is easy to go to places that all the tour books list:  Akihabara, Ginza, The Imperial Palace, everyone knows them and everyone goes to them.  That isn't the way real traveling is done.   No, a real traveler can balance the known with the unknown, step off the beaten track.   In travel, especially to Japan, wonders await beyond every open Torii gate, down disused paths and train lines traveled only by locals from far flung places.   In order to understand the heart, the soul of Japan, you have to know to step beyond yourself, and look for something you never would expect.

So it was with me, as I searched for places to visit in Japan, to mix old with new, I decided to look up day trips from Tokyo and found the wonderful blog "Zooming Japan" and 19 day trips from Tokyo.  I cruised through the first few listings, places I knew, until I discovered some I hadn't.  In my initial plan, I hoped that my family could take more day trips to some of these places, but in the end, we only managed to get to one:  Nokogiriyama.  From what I saw back then, it looked like a marvelous place with hiking, some beautiful carvings of Buddha's and incredible views.   It was some 3-4 hours by train from Tokyo Station to what is called the "Boso Penninsula" in the Chiba ward of Tokyo. Truth be told, it wasn't easy finding a rout there, and it is closer to Haneda Airport than anything else.  All the same, my family boarded a train -very- early in the morning and headed off into the unknown.

Brief Glimpse at Disneyland/Disneysea.  Don't blink, you'll miss it!

The Nokogiriyama Ropeway opens at 9AM, so we had to get up around 5 or 6 to hope we could get there before the crowds.   Traveling was an adventure in itself, because it required a Shikansen and then a local train to get to Hamakanaya Station which lies on the other side of Tokyo Bay.  There is a Ferry that goes over there, but given my propensity for seasickness, I decided to avoid that.   At first one passes along through the city and some highly industrial areas.  At one point, we flashed by Disneyland and Tokyo Disneysea, and I managed to get a quick shot of it before we went by again.  I'll talk more of that later, but someday I would like to visit that place.  Eventually the modern structures gave way to fields and farms, then mountains, and then finally the wide open sea, with a tiny little town resting on the edge of the hills.   This was our destination.  Kanaya.

Hama Kanaya (Nokogiriyama Station)

The town of  Kanaya is very much a fishing village, getting off we almost wondered if we were in the wrong place at first, but as we wandered outside we saw a large sign that showed the mountain and some directions to get there (in Japanese of course.)   Wandering through this sleepy place, we didn't see much other than an occasional cat or some other travelers.  In a way it was refreshing after the hustle and bustle of Tokyo, an opening to the quiet lives of ordianry Japanese who live and work in places like this where western tourists do not go.   

Looking up at Nokogiriyama

From our walk, we could see the mountainside itself, a network of ridges with square holes and grooves cut out of it.  In our terrestrial vantage point, it looked very odd, with trees growing from the base, but even here I could see the ropeway that connected the town to the top of the mountain.  This is actually a place that isn't that well known to many Japanese either.  Though we saw plenty of people on the mountain later on, one of the women we stumbled onto in our walks was surprised we found it.  She was a local from Japan, and spoke very good English, but even she had only recently found this place after living in Japan her whole life.   Just a testament to the fine work at that blog for people like me to get here.  

Down the Tramway

The tramway itself was nothing special, about a 5-10 minute ride up the steep embankments overlooking the town.  I managed to get a good view out the window, but the car was fairly packed even though we got there early in the morning.   At the top we emerged out with a little map, and started along the forested pathways that wove along the mountainside.

Distant towns

From our new vantage point, we could see a larger city to the north and many mountains stretching off into the mists beyond us.  On a good day one has views of Fuji, Tokyo and some other areas, we were not so lucky.  In a way though it gave it a unique, mystical quality.    

Now, the layman or laywoman who has read a bit now might wonder why there are carvings up on a mountainside.   Well, Nokogiriyama was once a quarry, and after its use was done, artisans came and made two major carvings here.  The paths that wind around the mountainside weave through the old quarry, though I am sure some are modern, you would not know it.  The ways on the mountain are steep, and there is no such thing here as "wheelchair access"  in some areas.  I would dare to say that with some of the recent rainfall, the water coming down the mountain and other factors, it could be a dangerous hike for some.  All the same, it is worth seeing, as my readers will soon discover.

Misty Lands

Its strange to think that such unspoiled country exists so close to one of the most densely populated areas on earth.  Standing on the tops of these hills you might be forgiven for thinking your anywhere else on earth.   With deeply wooded areas, winding paths through the rock and rising hills in the mist, Nokogiryama had a magical quality in the fog for me.    Every corner provides a new surprise. 

 Wandering down through a narrow gorge, the walls look like ripples were cast into molten earth, and left to harden.  Then one sees flat stone ahead, carved by what looks like thousands upon thousands of chisels.  Its all perfectly square, or rectangular, and then you see it, carved into a recess in the wall:  a statue of Kannon.

Kannon Carving

This statue of Kanon must be a good two stories tall, carved fromt he solid earth by such hands to create beauty from the roughest earth.  To its right is a deep chasm, a great overlook perched above it, like a roaring lions head raised to the sky.  On the wall opposite are Japanese letters, or words, I do not know what they say.  

Kanon and the Precipice, Looking up, it looks like a lion to me

Looking up at the statue, and the surroundings, I was struck dumb with a sense of awe.  There were only a few people down here, so it was eerily silent.  One stands at the threshold of this stone statue as explorers must have done before the Sphinx or the temples of Luxor.  The stoic, watchful face of the Kannon is firm, betraying no emotion.   It is clothed in traditional Indian clothes and beads, weilding what looks to be a scepter.

Which kannon of the many there are I cannot say it is, but whoever carved it, also carved the words in the wall to explain it, or perhaps it is a poem.

Close up of Kannon

Standing in the presence of the statue, one's eyes raise to a rocky outcropping high above.  I mentioned from our angle it looks like its carved itself into a lion's face, but I think the rock is natural.  It juts out like a thumb against the sky, and we could see people climbing up on it.  Rather precarious, but I wanted to go check it out.  So we made our way out of the narrow canyon and up along a steep set of pathways.

Unknown Writing

To say that something like this wouldn't exist in the United States is an understatement.  I've been to places like Zion National Park where the only way to angel's flight is a narrow path with chain guards on the rock side of a steep 2000 foot drop.  This however, is something that would never pass anything in the US.  The rocky outcropping with a view over the Kannon and the forest of trees is a remarkable feature.  People climb up a VERY steep cliff, yes a cliff, to reach this.   Then they amble out on this jut of rock, and they take a picture.  How long the outcropping has been there I don't know.

Looking out

My parents and I were brave enough to go out ourselves, though getting up the cliff was no easy task and summoning the courage to stand on the rock, doubly so for me.  Still they were very good sports. 

My folks on the edge (along with the picture below)

The view from here is remarkable with the clouds and the sea.  You can look down into the gorge with the Kannon, but then you have to scramble back down this cliff.  I remind you, the "Stairs" are carved only by the travel of human feet.  And with the rain it is much more treacherous than it looks and even now it still looks treacherous.  

Perilous climb down

Of course, our exploration of Nokogiriyama was not done.  There is still the more famous Buddha statue that features on many pictures of the place.  I wanted to open however, with how I found this remarkable location and to stress once again, that when you travel, you must go off the beaten path.

Next time:  Off the Beaten Track Pt 2 - Buddhas of Nokogiriyama

Japan Revisited - Ginza Glitz and Gluttony

Before I begin, a bit of backstory.  The Japanese do nothing in half-measures, especially when it comes to shopping.  Visit Tokyo or Japan in general and you will see shopping streets, little shrine kiosks, restaurants, gift shops in the basements of subways and whole buildings dedicated to Hello Kitty merchandise.  Even so, one place in Japan, and Tokyo in particular epitomizes the pinnacle of shopping the Japanese way.  That place is Ginza.   

Say what you will about the price of living in Japan, about how expensive it is to travel there, that is nothing compared to the cost of average land in Ginza, which estimates 29.6 million yen per square meter.  Now imagine that land, an entire section of city 215 acres is devoted entirely to the best of the best department stores, shops and retail in Tokyo.   Yes, in Ginza, shopping is king, and the champions of Ginza are the big name Japanese department stores.  You may know their names:  Wako, Matsuya, and Matsuzakaya, and Mitsukoshi.  

Mitsukoshi sits across the street from the landmark Wako Department Store, with its clock tower, as the internationally recognized symbol of the district.  While more modern in comparison, Mitsukoshi is no less oppulent and beautiful on the inside by comparison to its pre-war art-deco neighbor.  It is not just the shopping that makes Ginza the epitome of retail however, it is the people and the service, but more on that later - This is Ginza, Gliza and Gluttony. 

Rain Upon Ginza

 A light misting of rain settled over the city of Tokyo, coating the glass and steel of buildings in a sheen that caught what faded light filtered through the clouds.   Amid the drizzle, my parents and I stood beneath an umbrella staring sideways and longways at a map of Ginza trying to find their way.

"Excuse me, are you lost?"   A Japanese man asked said people, a half-folded newspaper under his arm.  

I turned to him and smiled.  "Hai, excuse me.  We are looking for Ito-ya, Ito-ya department store."  I pointed to a symbol and an address I'd jostled down on the mound of papers I carried.

"Ah, yes, it is this way, follow me."  he replies.

We follow along and I catch a glance back to my Mom as she whispers to me, "This is so nice of him, he's probably on the way to work."  she says.

I nod, but inside I'm thinking as much of our destination as I am the kind gentleman as he starts chatting us up about the United States.  He stops just a block away, and bids us goodbye as I see the symbol of a red paperclip on the side of a building.  No, this isn't Staples.  This is Ito-ya, a 12 level department store wedged between to larger stores, and its dedicated just to stationary.  The Japanese take stationary very seriously, moreso than any other country frankly.   I had promised my Mom that this was the store to go to for beautiful paper, pencils, pens, envelopes, arts and craft supplies - because it is.   Mom loves that sort of stuff, so this was first on my agenda.

Ito-ya - Wall of Colors

Right away Ito-ya breaks conventional wisdom of a department store, as its a very small building but quite tall.  Each floor of the 12 or so levels is dedicated to one thing, be it arts, crafts, paper (wrapping and otherwise) pencils and pens, a restaurant, a hydroponics lab (yes really they grow their own lettuce and some food for the restaurant here.)  A whole separate building out back is just for pens, and arranged like a jewelry store, but more on that later.   We spent a good two to three hours browsing rooms with walls that had color swatches like a paint store, but the swatches were for different colors of paper for journals, scrapbooks and other such things.   Just imagine a high end staples, without the terrible made in China goods and you have Ito-ya.   Oh yes, everything here is made in Japan.  Big surprise.

Ito-ya - Hydroponics

One can spend an hour alone just on the first level, which has tons of postcards and postage, all beautifully crafted.  Of course, that is not the end of it.   Just out back and kitty corner in an older building is the "Pen Department."  Just two levels, one enters this smaller, nondescript building and sees hundreds upon hundeds of pens all displayed like jewelry in cases.   They come in every variety, shape, detail and fine tip.   We aren't talking Bic pens here, these are high class, beautiful pens that use special ink (Which is sold at the store in beautiful glass cases that look like perfume bottles.)

I think my Mom was in heaven, but a little overwhelmed.  She wanted to find a beautiful Japanese pen but it is hard to decide sometimes.   The people who work at the store are as courteous and prompt as anywhere else in Japan.   They snapped right to work when I bought some beautiful wrapping paper with cranes and turtles on it (I later framed it because, good God it was too beautiful to use for wrapping paper.)   They will even ship and mail your goods, put them in special boxes, it is a full service stop.

Of course, Ito-ya wasn't our only destination.  As we finished up, it was about lunch and our other reason to visit Ginza came clear as a dinner bell.   Delicious food...


More on Ito-ya can be found here .

Ito-ya - Pens as Jewelry

I talked about Ginza and Mitsukoshi above as a preface to what lies in store.  In Japan, shopping isn't just about buying clothes or goods, its about food.   Enter almost any store in any part of the city and you will find shopping in the basement with food on display in cases.   This ranges from bento boxes to sushi to full on prepared meals - such basement levels are a combination of supermarket, costco and high end restaurant.

I honed in on Mitsukoshi because of its reputation, and also because I had read it has no less than THREE whole levels dedicated to food - one in the basement and two restaurant levels in the main building.

Okonomiyaki Restaurant

Enter into Mitsukoshi, one enters into what looks like a typical, high end department store (with the obligatory perfume department conspicuously missing at the front door to assault your senses -kudos.) Wind up through the levels one finds floors dedicated to mens, womens, kids, kimonos, house goods, and such, but the two restaurant levels are clearly labeled.  There are no less than 12 stores on each level selling everything from yakkotori to sushi to American, Chinese, French and other cuisines.  The one that caught my attention though was the little hole-in the wall looking joint that was selling the Japanese savory pancakes known as Okonomiyaki.

Okonomiyaki - more like Okonomiyummy

I learned about Okonomiyaki in researching for our trip to Japan, and from the moment I saw it, i knew I wanted to try it.   Okonomiyaki is a savory pancake that starts with batter, then cabbage, then sauce, then noodles, then bacon, then more sauce, then bonito flakes, more sauce, eggs, and more batter topped with sauce.    You are probably imagining a dagwood sandwich but its actually quite compact and the taste is extraordinary.   The people running the restaurant were prompt, friendly and we sat there watching them create these dishes like clockwork.   During the course of our meal, a woman next to us nudged my dad and asked if I could finish her own okonomiyaki.  It is just another example of the friendliness of the Japanese.

Looking out at Ginza

We wandered around Mitsukoshi for an hour or so, letting my Mom browse different things.   I cannot speak to the clothes and goods on display myself as I am not one for shopping for such things.  I will say, all the displays were very well done, and spread out so nothing seemed cluttered.  The store itself is clean and the people who work there are polite and deferential to the point you feel like royalty.  This is something unique to Japanese shopping in such a store.  There is customer service, then there is Japanese customer service.  I call it "full service customer service." Anything that can be done to help a customer will be done, to the point that the good people will go out of their way to find a way to help you, even if it means taking more of their own time or sending you to a rival store just so you can find something they don't have.

Its an extraordinary thing, and something that sets Ginza apart from shopping in other stores like I've done in the US.  Eventually we wandered down to the basement, and there we found the most extraordinary sight.

Ready to Eat

The Japanese take food seriously.  It has to be fresh, look good, and you are served it with courtesy and promptness.  Nowhere else is this best on display than in the basement of department stores.  Imagine a space the size of a costco, with displays of the freshest most beautiful food you've ever seen.   Everything from sushi to skewered meat to bento boxes and sweets.   Mitsukoshi has a whole floor dedicated to nothing but sweets.   It is incredibly easy to buy food, take it on home or on trips and the good people will pack it for you with ice and other things to keep it fresh.  Here's some pictures of different things I saw, though I admit I had to do a bit of covert camerawork.  You are technically not supposed to take pictures down there.

Basement of Mitsukoshi

Anthony Bourdain coined the term, "food porn".  Go to to the basement of a department store, and you will be full on into xxx rated deliciousness.

Skewered Goodness

Such delicious displays aren't relegated just to department stores.  I mentioned finding a similar display in the basement of a business building by Tokyo Station, but this was much more expansive.

Nothing but Bento

Cakes

So real you could eat it.

Sugar Perfection

Sushi Jewels

We bought some sweets from the basement and went back upstairs to where the department store has a rooftop garden with tables and benches to sit on.   Here, with little sparrows chirping in the trees, we opened our package and found the most extraordinary looking sweets I have seen in my life.  Of course, the things are wrapped in parcels like a splendid gift waiting to be open.  Nothing is out of place, there isn't even a smudge to the cake frosting like one would expect from being jostled around into the box.

Boxed Surprise

Care in packing

Sweet Satisfaction

Just look at it...

Looking at this now, my mouth still waters recalling it.  This is a combination of mugwart, green matcha and horse chesnut.  Note the slight godl fillagree at the top, the lovely sponge layers.  The greatest surprise of course was that it wasnt too sweet, just sweet enough to enjoy.  This is something I think sorely missing in the US.   We tend to add sugar flavored, sugar coated, frosted pieces of sugar to everything we make.   With our treats unboxed, we sat back to enjoy it in the tranquility of the garten.   The rooftop included little shrines of course, as man rooftop gardens in Japanese Department stores do.   Its a very civilized, quiet place far removed from the hustle and bustle downstairs.

Rooftop shrines

Rooftop Garden

Friendly Sparrows

We left Mitsukoshi amid a drizzle of rain, just in time to hear the Wako department store clock chime.  On the whole, I could have stayed the whole day wandering the different stores, and it worked out well with the rain.   The next day would bring a new adventure however, as we would venture to a place few people who visit Japan have ever heard of.   Next time, Mount Nokogirigama.

Wako Department Store - Symbol of Ginza

Wako Chime Movie