You're out of here ...

Day 179 - Wednesday 9 July 2008

How things move quickly in the world of the budget travel industry - in 3 weeks the Sakura Hotel in Ikebukuro (Tokyo) has added a cafe, cheap breakfast service (it doesn't seem right eating toast and not rice at the start of the day now) and a fleet of great internet ready computers - so here I am again - unexpectedly!

Although there's not a whole load to add - I'm back where I've been before for just about the only time on this journey - and it's been strangely great - travelling back to Tokyo on the shinkansen felt a bit like returning home - and in a way - I guess it was - because a world traveller has no home - 'hello again the Tokyo Metro and Subway' - 'oh, I know where I can eat today, there's that ace place in Ueno' - and I've cherished it - and loved it!

Because last night I enjoyed one of my new fave things in life - I headed off to the Jingu Stadium in Roppongi (the stadium was home to the 1964 Olympics of that Summer) and watched my new team (Japanese anyway) the Tokyo Yakult Swallows take on the hapless Yokohama Baystars











Now you'll immeditaely notice the prevalence of the sponsor in the team name of the Swallows - and that rule presides over the rest of the teams here - expect the Baystars - who are sponsored by a whaling company and dropped that part of their name about a decade ago at the height of whaling controversy - who would like to bet how long it will be until it's the Lichfield E-Initiative Men's Hockey First XI!

I booked my tickets ages ago (and judging by the size of the crowd probably the first ticket sold) so got a front row seat - in right field - right in front of the Swallows bull pen - a brilliant opportunity to snap close up shots of these professionals - and realise how difficult sports photography is - just to get the subject in focus - so I had a go and here's a couple!

Number 48 - Jun Hagiwara - a pitcher who did nothing last night - literally - except chuck a couple of looseners!











Number 44 - Kosuke Matsui - read above for Jun - it's a funny life being a pitcher!

And during the warm up before the match started a funny thing happened - in Japan - and less so in Tokyo but it does still happen - when western faces are in the same vicinity you go 'oh look, someone else who's not from Japan' - and then often share an acknowledgement - and it seems that even the world of NPB (Nippon Professional Baseball) shares this feeling

Because you'll notice in the shot below the face of Wilson Antonio Valdez (I assume ex-Major League Baseball player) - who - as you can see - looked straight down the lens here - and afterwards when I lowered the camera - smiled at me - and we exchanged the afore-mentioned nod and greeting - a top player as well - one of their starting infielders ...

The game itself was a joy - a comfortable 5-0 win for the Swallows and a lesson for sporting administrators that promotion and relegation is a good thing to raise standards - it would certainly focus the minds of the Baystars languishing at the foot of the Central League but ready to play again next year - it took them half the game to get a base hit (someone just making it to first base!) - now I'll admit to not knowing this for fact (relegation not the base hit) - there are minor leagues here in Japan but I'll be amazed if they feed directly into NPB

And as for the atmosphere - well - even a stadium just a quarter full had an atmosphere second only to English football - none of the Chris Daffin school of 'entertain me, I've come here to be entertained' - the craziest, most wonderful people in the world provide their own fun - they sing a different song for each of their players when they come into bat - they raise and lower those umbrellas of theirs 'Mary Poppins style' when they score a run - they whack their plastic bats together - and they contribute to it all being very loud for very long (all 2 hours 44 minutes of the game) - and they just come along to soak it all up after work (an 1800 start time) even if they're an attractive 20 something woman on her own - who kindly took this shot of me immediately before the first pitch - see how quiet it is before the crowds dashed from their offices!

And the reason I love this game so much is that it's so follow-able - no matter what point of the social spectrum you're in - a ticket for 15 quid - a free programme - an authentic replica shirt with a stitched name and number for 27 quid - thaaaaaank you very much - I bought one - and will proudly hang it in my new home!

I also visited the junlge on my way back to Tokyo and got a bit of a shock when I pulled back some long grass and saw one of Asia's finest creatures staring back at me - I'm actually typing this from Tokyo General Hospital nursing my shredded body back to ...

Only joking - bloody good display of animals at The National Science Museum in Ueno Park - an enormous room that covered most of the 5th floor and had almost 100 of the world's most amazing creatures in a glass cabinet - for the first time on this trip it put New York to shame - namely the National History Museum that was very big but had tired looking animals compared to this lot - now I'll admit to being weirded out by 'stuffed animals' - which I guess these were - but they didn't look it - I asked and was told they were stuffed - but I think it might have been lost in translation - they looked like plastic models to me - the Japanese are the best in the world at making toys and things remember - and they had Japanese cavemen that looked amazingly life like - and presumably they weren't stuffed! - anyway - all in all - the Japanese do science very well - a fabulous sphere of a cinema journeying you across and into the planet - and a real feeling for me of being somewhere very different from what I know - because Asian dinosaurs are like nothing I've seen before - and I've now seen a lot of dinsoaurs (including a real footprint in Utah remember!) - horse looking creatures with a tiger like tail and the teeth of a T-Rex - not to mention the deer like antlers - yep - ignore the McDonalds - I'm very clearly on the other side of the world - here's a good example and one for George, mini-Flake and all the other kids!

And changing angle I've now experienced all the range of Japanese accommodations having stayed in the Capsule Inn in Akasaka - these were the places made famous (for me anyway) when Michael Palin used one during Around the World in 80 Days (and it may have been the exact one I used?!) - they're placed in downtown areas of Tokyo for businessmen too lashed to make it home - in fact - maybe I'll open one in Reading ...

As you can see - it's a bit like a dorm room - but for 60 people - I had a top capsule and shimmied up those steps in my yakata (which you'll remember is like a dressing gown) - now going up was OK - but coming back down is a different thing - you try doing it when you're nipping out for a Jimmy Riddle without displaying your crown jewels to the world - Lindsay Lohan, Paris Hilton, Britney Spears - I now know how you feel ...

And here's the surprisingly comfortable room - you can see the metal control panel that does everything except get the thing to leave the earth's orbit - just out of shot on the top left is a TV where I watched the Fed-Ex v Nadal match until they went off for rain and it turned into the best match in history! - contrary to rumours it was easily long enough - and very relaxing after a communal deck level huuuuge bath with plenty of other Japanese men (women are't allowed and it all feels a bit like a working men's club!) - the only problem I had was reflected by how hard the Japanese work - the beeping alarms in the control panel started going off at 0420 and seeemed incredibly difficult to switch off - but all in all, amazing - it was really awesome to have a travel experience that was simply about sleeping!

But before Tokyo I headed into Northern Honshu to rural (for Japan) Yamagata and reminded myself that this was real travel - having to use my best Japanese (which now feels very comfortable just when I no longer need it) and navigate around where there are no other western faces - well - except Steve from Cannock who'd just married a Japanese woman and moved to Yamagata to teach English - there's that weird, coincidence-loving world working again!

I headed to Yamagata for one reason - a mountain top temple complex called Rikkashu-ji but commonly referred to as Yamadera - the mountains were believed to be sacred and the boundary between this life and the afterworld - consequently, there were hundreds of graves and stone lanterns (not to mention Summer flowers!)

There were uber-cool sutras (Buddhist versions of scriptures) carved into the rocks - and the necessary steps - thousands of them to the very top - in 30 degree C heat - I thought some people heading up were going to melt - but the Japanese do sweating so nicely - they all carry a flannel and periodically wipe themselevs down - here's the complex - shot very hazily on my little camera - and the point at which I've put 'a decent piece of photography equipment' on my list of desires for the future - along with a new job I guess - enlarge the shot and look on top of the rocks on either side of the little valley - it's also a good display of that Japanese vegetation - all cedars, maples and bamboo here!

And here's the view from the temple at the top left - now converted to a viewing platform - but imagine monks from centuries ago, sitting cross-legged on tatami mats and contemplating the mysteries of life over this view (that would have been even more amazing if it wasn't the rainy/hazy season!)

I don't think I've explained before but on the way into a Buddhist temple there's very often huge (3m) guardian deities that are ornate, resplendent wooden carvings - and Risshaku-ji was a good example - they're often elaborately painted, always dramatic and sometimes have a little Buddha at their feet ...

But after this bonus post that really is it for Japan - in the last couple of days back among travellers I've been reminded that this country attracts the geeky kids from school who have now grown up - although many are still pretty young - and it's under-standable why - for the 21 year olds who have done New Zealand - go to Japan on the way home - it's even more safe - but will shove you right out of your comfort zone (where you need to be when travelling) - especially when it comes to food - I'm leaving now and my digestive system has done squishy octopus legs, velvety conger eel, crunchy squid and what I can only guess was spine of some sort?!

Oh well - it could be worse - I could be heading to China next ...