(Sent: Tue, December 23, 2003 5:49 pm)

Having been to Japan before and done many of the tourist things, this time was set aside to spend time with Brodie and Keiko. Together we organised a skiing trip to Hokkaido Island for my last three days, and Brodie and Keiko took time off to take me to some places that we missed last time. It was not a rest, as I had originally planned, but it was lots of fun.

FRI: A Long Flight

Leaving Korea, I flew first to Hong Kong (again), before flying onward to Japan. I was hoping to spend time in Hong Kong itself, but discovered that when you have a transiting ticket, there is a tiny little cross that prevents you from being processed by customs. As a result I was destined to spend my time breathing airconditioning instead of fresh smog.

Finding My Way In A Foreign Land

To make things easier for Brodie, I offered to find my own way from the airport to his place. He agreed, and sent me some instructions to follow. I failed at the first step, until some kind Japanese girl showed me what to do and directed me to my first train. After that I had it sorted and proceeded to follow the directions to the letter. Although there were times I was not sure, it all worked out in the end.

Travelling on trains in Japan is not easy, but with most signs containing English versions of the Japanese word, it is possible. Sometimes directions are needed and this is often found by talking with the Station managers who, through broken English and hand gestures, can normally get the message across.

Two Brothers in Japan

Arriving earlier than expected, I caught Brodie in the bath, but quickly made myself at home. We spend some time catching up on the latest news and then watch Keiko live on the Shopping channel on TV. She is working for her company, Black and Decker tools, demonstrating the "Scum Buster". I did not get to catch up with her until the next afternoon because of all of her TV work, giving her only a few hours sleep in between shows.

SAT: Party Time

Brodie and I clean up the house for the party tonight. I am not here as a tourist so it is good to stay at home and chat. We head out for a late lunch at a place very near Brod's work place. The Ramen is delicious and the serves are huge, which is why the shop is so popular that you need to line up to get in.

By the time we return, Keiko has come home and we find her asleep after so much work. We catch up quickly before starting our cooking for the party. I cook Chocolate Self-Saucing Pudding, something I love, and so did everyone else at the party too. Brodie prepared a bunch of pizzas, and Keiko some salads and dips.

The party was great. It was wonderful to meet many of Brodie's and Keiko's friends. I spent much of my time getting to know Fabien, one of Brodie's adventure racing friends, who is a really nice guy. Most people left by midnight, since that is when the last trains leave, and after a chat with those left, we retire by 2am.

SUN: A Walk Through Tokyo Hot Spots

After waking late and cleaning up after the party, we head out for a quick lunch of local food. A quick stop at home to get our gear and we are off again to Kuramache, one of Tokyo's hot spots where the clothes are way out and there are people to match them. It is full of people everywhere. As we walk down the street, we just move with the flow of people. Trying to cross the flood of people through the street is a tricky business and takes some daring and good luck, but we turn a corner and head down a street that is still heavily crowded, but slightly less than the one we were just on.

Shopping here is fun, although we did not buy anything. I wanted to return to get some things I saw, but time and knowlege of where to go eludes me. Watching the people pass, I see way out and wacky hairstyles, radical and daring clothes, and just plain weird stuff too. It is a really interesting wander.

We walk out of this place for a further 20 minutes until we reach Roppongi Hills, a place full of Christmas lights and many expensive shops. As I take lots of photos, I notice that many people around me are doing the same thing, with their mobile phones. Brodie explains to me that the phones here have some very good cameras on them now.

Last item for the night is a bookshop combined with Starbucks coffee shop. We wander around the bookshop for a while before heading home again. One of the things I am really enjoying about this time in Japan is that the things we are doing are normal everyday things. This is what I was wanting.

MON: A Ride By The Sea

Taking the bikes on the train (in bags so the people do not get dirtied from them), we head out to the coast. I have never seen the Japanese coastline before so I am looking forward to seeing it. There are two bikes and three people, so I hire myself a genuine one-gear, basket on the handlebars, chainguarded Japanese bicycle. This is what most people ride in Tokyo.

The first thing I notice about this bike is how high the only gear really is. Now I understand why most people push this thing up hills. Using my one gear we all head out for lunch at a Soba restuarant. It is housed in an old storage building, but now looks much nicer. Soba is a cold noodle, somewhat like vermicelli, served with Gobo which is deep fried vegetables and many sauces. It was very nice, right down to the crunchy prawn's tail. Afterwards, we poured the water that the Soba was cooked in into our sauce to make a delicious soup to finish with.

Onward we ride until we reach our ultimate destination, the beach. Sitting here we watch the many windsurfers and sailing boats on the water and munch on the chocolates and icecreams we bought from a local shop. It is very relaxing and enjoyable. While there, we notice an old guy go for a swim in the freezing waters, and then stand naked on the beach while he dried off. As we rode off, he was relieving himself against the retaining wall only metres from the public toilets. I do not know if this is normal old guy behaviour, but it was for this guy.

To return to our train station we ride around the coastline, through two road tunnels penetrating mountains, and along the footpath dodging pedestrians. Actually, it is normal that bikes ride on the footpath and most pedestrians will get out of the way for a bike if possible.

Near our train station is a temple that we visit for the time we have remaining. There have been many renovations in this place, making it look very modern and colourful. The strong colours in the trees on the surrounding hills catches my eye the most though. Being almost winter, this is now a rare sight as most trees have already lost their leaves.

A Japanese-Korean Dinner

With bikes in tow, we stop at a local Korean restaurant for dinner. Brodie loves Korean food as much as I do, so it is a real treat. Being in Japan, some of the foods and presentation of it is more Japanese than Korean, but the food is still delicious. I introduce Brodie to my favourite Korean drink, Soju which is known in Japan as Chamyzu, and Brodie and I drink beyond a casual social level. As a result we find ourselves boisterous and noisy, but also telling a few home truths. It is a fun night.

We are back to two bikes and three people, so Keiko takes the train and Brodie and I ride in our happy state. Our riding is good but our noise is high and we laugh an evil laugh loudly every time we pass someone. I cannot vouch for the people we pass, but Brodie and I are having a lot of fun.

Reaching home, we decide to ride on to meet Keiko on the way home from the train. It was somewhere around here that things started to go wrong. Brodie first discovers the limits of friction, crashing lightly as he tries to turn a corner far too fast and too sharp. He walks away from that one laughing and we ride on. The next time he is not so lucky.

Just as we round a corner, Brodie tries to bunny-hop his bike over a man-hole cover but instead plants it heavily on top of the slippery metal lid. His bike slides out from under him and all I see is body bike body bike body. What a spectacular crash that was. The outcome of that was a very sore shoulder and a slight roughing up everywhere else.

As we were putting the bike back in order, Keiko arrives from the train, so we all walk home together, telling of our adventures on the bikes. The next day is planned to be very early so we all climb into bed for an early night.

TUE: Fishies Galore

Climbing out of bed at 4:30am was not fun, but we wanted to see the Tokyo Fish Markets and this was the best time to see them. One problem though. Brodie wakes up with a tremendous pain in his shoulder and thinks it is broken. Instead of leaving for the Markets, we make a number of phone calls to see if he can get medical attention.

Tokyo runs by the clock and it seems that unless it is life-threatening they will not look at you outside of hours. After I make up a quick sling for Brod we decide to continue on to the Markets anyway.

Arriving at the fish markets before sunrise, we head our way directly to the auctions. This is what Brodie missed seeing last time he was here. The sight was stunning. Massive Tuna fish, some the size of Keiko, frozen solid, we scattered everywhere upon the floor of a huge shed. Among them were dozens of people milling around. Some bidding at a current auction, others checking the quality of the fish around them. Some, like us, were tourists taking in the amazing scene and trying to capture it on camera.

From the auction we try to head to the Markets themselves, but are stopped by the constant traffic upon one of the throughways that separate us. On this pathway are dozens of motorised trolleys, hand pulled trays, motor scooters, light trucks, and people. Between them all is hardly enough room to fit your legs. The mass of equipment edges forward, stopping at times and then moving again. For every person that turns off down another lane, three more replace them in the main lane. Crossing looks formidable, but we luck upon a moment where all is stopped and we navigate our way through the tight gaps.

The markets are huge, spanning acres of land. We walk for what seems like ages to reach the end of them, and we started from somewhere in the middle. Water inundates the floor, spilled over from tanks and hoses at every vendor. Each shop displays its wares, some fish are common to most while others are unique to them alone. There is marine creatures of all descriptions. Octopuses, Crabs, Fish, Eels, Sea Snakes, Turtles, Prawns, Squid, Shellfish, Crustacions, and many other creatures or parts of them that defy description. These were in any form of frozen, fresh, or still alive.

Some of the highlights for me included huge Flounder fish the size of my whole arm, Kingfish as tiny as my forearm, buckets filled full of squirming eels, bandsaws in action cutting frozen Tunas into sections, and so many people rushing around everywhere. The buzz was very high.

From here we stopped at a Sushi restaurant inside the Markets to enjoy some fresh Sushi. I was not very hungry (and did not very much like raw fish either) so I let Brodie and Keiko enjoy most of it.

Hospital Stop

With Brodie's arm still hurting badly, we checked him into the hospital on the way home. This hospital was huge. The Reception area sported ten desks and processed Brodie very fast. The next time he comes there is a different area with as many places to check in, where you insert your new electronic card into a machine and enter your ailment. I also noticed a dozen electronic machines that looked like ATMs but were actually where you paid your bill at the end.

Moving on to the consultation area, we find the medical discipline Brodie needs among the many hallways accommodating each one. At Brodie's hallway, just as with all of them, there are a dozen identical rooms, all with sliding doors. An electronic screen flashes your number telling you which room to go to and who is before you. Everything here appears electronic and is highly efficient.

Riding Tokyo

We wait with Brodie for a while and then Keiko and I head home, letting him look after himself. At home the bed looks too nice and I wake to discover from Brodie that nothing is broken, only bruised. Emboldened by that knowlege, Brod sheds the sling and we both ride off to his work. I then try to ride home again, and after getting lost and finding myself again, I make it home.

My afternoon is spent writing emails and working on computers until Brodie and Keiko arrive to cook a wonderful Aussie meal of steak and three vegetables. We sit around and chat for a bit, then check the trains for me to get to Mt Fuji tomorrow before calling it a night.

WED: Climbing Mount Fuji

Today I made my ascent on Mount Fuji. It failed, but I had a very good go at it.

Arriving at my last train station I assemble the bike, find a locality map and head off for my goal - to ride to the top of the Mt Fuji road. I am surprised to discover that the road there starts going uphill while still in the town and stays going uphill from there onwards. There is not one downhill part in it for the entire trip.

Having not ridden a bicycle seriously for several years I was ill equipped to make this ride, but a determined attitude covered over my weak muscles. My usual speeds for a hill of this gradient was at least 15km/h and often up to 22km/h, but in my current condition I was getting around 9km/h. This made it a slow ride.

I had a time limit, which made my slow riding all the more frustrating, but I knew too that tomorrow I am snowboarding so to push really hard now would be to have legs of jelly when I wanted to use them. This would not do. My current speed was the best compromise I could afford.

Passing through the toll gate, I was sure it would not be too long before the top. The road had distance markers and I had it worked out (a bit like my taxi trip in Guangzhou) that it was only 15kms to the top. When I passed the 17kms mark and was running very low on time I realised how wrong I was.

Just short of the 20km mark I had to stop. Time had beaten me. I had made it to the Third Step, a sign which I did not really understand, but because there was a First and Second Step it still had significance. Here I stopped and ate my lunch, tasty rice snacks, amongst the snow that surrounded me.

It was really cold after stopping riding, so I rugged up with my woolen gloves, beanie and two jumpers. This was now toasty warm, until I started my downhill ride. Judging by the slope of the hill I was expecting to soar down the hill at a brisk 35km/h. Instead I found myself speeding down the entire slope at over 50km/h. Since this was the marked speed for the road, I was not passed by any cars until I reached the bottom.

There was one problem with this sort of speed. The wind cut through everything I had on. My lips turned numb with the cold. I could not feel them. The woolen gloves provided no protection at all for my hands either. They turned numb, then started to get painful. It was freezing and I needed my brakes for the icy corners. Fortunately my hands continued to work, although it was hard to tell they were even there.

After more than 2-1/2hrs of climbing, I made it back down in 30 minutes. What a ride. Even my eyes were numb from the cold. First stop back in town was for chocolate and a drink. Resting while eating these helped my hands thaw out and gave my body a chance to recover from the pounding I had just given it by trying to ride up the mountain.

Looking at my watch I discovered that my train was almost due, so I packed up the bike and headed home. Fuji had won against me this time, but I will be back to beat it next time.

Late Night on Computers

Arriving home earlier than Brodie and Keiko, I prepare the house for when they arrive, only to get a phone call from Brod telling me that he was working back to finish something before our ski trip tomorrow. So instead, I head over to his work. Here, while Brod worked, I sorted out my photos and ended up putting them all on the Internet. Somewhere during this process, Brodie had finished his work and was ready to go home. It took us another hour before we were there, somewhere just before midnight.

Now I had packed for tomorrow, but Brodie had not. So after a late dinner, packing, a hot bath, and working out how we were going to get to the airport in time for our flight (when the local trains started running too late), we only had two hours sleep before we had to rise again. We all looked very weary.

THU: First Snowboarding Experience

As we take off from Tokyo the sun is just starting to rise. We are lucky to get some good views of Mt Fuji as we head north over Tokyo, allowing us to see Brodie´s flat and the city centre. Once in Hokkaido, we climb onto a bus for a long drive to the resort. Most people on the bus were also on the early flight, resulting in the whole bus sleeping - except me. I was too excited about seeing so many new things, although eventually nodded off for about half an hour.

Tower 1 was our accommodation. One of four 30 story highrises in a cluster. There were other hotels too. After check-in and hiring of gear, Brodie gave me a quick Snowboarding lesson on the gentle slopes and then we headed up the hill. The highest point actually. Brodie was quick to point out to me that this was a green run, but the narrow road with steep sides caused me to doubt him at first.

As I tumbled and fell my way down the track, my skills slowly improved. Although I could still not work out why the board behaved with its own mind, I could often coax it into doing what I wanted at the time. Snowboarding was starting to be fun.

The falls however, caused me much pain and anguish throughout my time there. Some of the falls, such as the ones onto my rear, bore bruises in places not decent to show. But I battled on until the day ended then fell into bed for a deep sleep.

FRI: Taking A Husky Ride

Brodie and I catch a few runs in the morning before we head over to meet Keiko for our Dogsledding experience. I was expecting us to jump onto a sled with an experienced guide. Instead we were each given our own sled and taught how to use it before being set up with our own dog team.

As we learnt to control our sled, Brod and I would have races, both down the hill trying to control the sled to keep it on the groomed slope, and back up the hill again, pitting our running skills against each other. We seemed to be the only ones travelling half way down the slopes.

Driving skills mastered, we headed over to meet the dogs, which were then hooked up to our sleds. Keiko, I and then Brodie were ready first, in that order, and would travel in this group. Unaware that we were waiting for anything, I asked a guide if I could go. I thought he said yes. So I went. Pulled anchor and mushed the dogs into action.

As I raced past Keiko´s sled and dogs, they thought it was time to go also, and took off after me, pulling anchor as they went but leaving Keiko behind with a torn glove from trying to stop them. Hearing all of this commotion behind me I turn to see a runaway sled coming my way, with people running after it and a snow mobile racing beside it.

Gallantly I stop my dogs and anchor my sled in time to jump out and stop the runaway. It was only then that I discover my guide had said no, and all of this confusion was caused by me. Oops.

Snowboarding Take Two

Back on the slopes after a healthy lunch, Brodie finds some powder snow on the edges of a run. With some brief instructions on how it differs from normal snow, Keiko and I head into it for a new experience. Brodie was right. It is very different. We both fall over and discover that getting up in powder is a very tough task. We also discover when we get stuck in the stuff, that powder only works best on steep slopes where you can get moving again.

After our powder experience, we head back up the slopes and travel down many different ones, covering much of the resort as we go. I try to follow behind Brodie at times, to learn from his moves, and by the end of the day am learning how to turn the board properly and get some more stable runs down the hills.

To end the day, Brodie and I do a fun night run down the slopes under scattered lights. It was a lot of fun but without the sun to warm us my face was almost frozen.

Hot Pools For Sore Bodies

With a discount voucher for the hot pools we all head over there directly from the slopes. Here we were presented with a huge complex sporting a wave pool with spa pools beside it, a water-jet massage section, saunas, pressure showers, and an outside pool surrounded by snow which we only discovered after exploring the rest of the place. Only the spas and the outside pool were hot, everything else was luke warm.

Our time here, after our spa and water-jet massage experience, was down near the outside pool. A sauna first, a roll in the snow, then jump into the hot outside pool. Wait there a while then have a snowfight on the way back to the sauna. A roll and lie in the snow, then jump back into the outside pool. This was fun.

We finally had enough and returned to the locker room for a shower and climbed back into our wet smelly ski-gear for dinner across the road. This was an expensive place that did not live up to expectations. With cold food and slow service we felt it was somewhat overpriced, but we had fun regardless.

SAT: Powder Snow Fun

Snow. At least 10cms of it had fallen last night, and there was no wind. The best conditions for powder snow. It had been snowing virtually the entire time we were there, but only lightly. It must have got heavier during the night. Now everything was covered in snow, and the trees were highly decorated. It was wonderful.

With so much snow we were eager to be among the first on the slopes, but with getting ready, checking out of the hotel, and getting there we were late. Fortunately many others were too. On our first run down Brodie found some pure powder on the side, untouched. With cries of glee he headed staight for it, with Keiko and me right on his tail. It was heaps of fun in this stuff.

We went in search of new runs and found ourselves back on the Gondola to take us to the top of the mountain. During the ride we spotted some black (hardest) runs full of powder with only a few runs through them. Apart from the fact that they were really really steep, and there were trees through the middle of them, I told Brodie, who was really keen to ski it, that I was game to try if he was.

He was. We left Keiko going down the green slope and Brodie and I took off down the powder run. Steep. Very steep. My crashes saw me tumble for a bit first. Fun though. Very fun, and by the end of it I was boarding like a champion (if you ignored the spills anyway) through deep powder snow. I argued that if Brodie could do it then I could too. I did.

Some other runs and an early lunch later (Rabbit stew for me), and we head back for the same slope, taking Keiko with us. We want her to experience powder, but she feels fear instead. Later, on reflection, she found it an amazing experience and was glad for it, but at the time it was hard going. Once at the bottom, Keiko opts for a rest while Brod and I head off in search of more powder.

We find it on another closed run. There are only a few tracks in the snow and we are really keen to ride it. At the top of the Gondola there are stairs to the left, blocked off, which we need to take to get to our desired run. There are many ski instructors and resort staff around so we wait. And wait, and wait. After what seems like ages, the coast is clear, and we head out to climb these stairs. To our astonishment, the couple that walked out the doors just before us climbs over the barrier and up the stairs too. So we follow them.

Cloud around us restricted visibility as we rode down the groomed slope. I almost missed Brodie in the cloud, who had stopped at the top of our powder run. Launching into it we found pure powder. It was fantastic. Scooting through the soft snow at crazy speeds and carving it up in big sweeps. I loved it. Never have I had that much fun on snow. Snowboarding is so much fun.

For our last run of the day we head over to a distant lift but discover that we are stuck and cannot return the the resort centre in the time we have left. Instead we take a bus. Our time is limited as we need to catch our airport bus by 4pm and this was only 15mins away. I send Brodie and Keiko to our hotel to get the gear and hold the bus if I am late. Meanwhile I head to the resort centre to return our snowboarding gear.

I should have got my shoes before returning my snowboard boots, but with such little time available I didn´t. So after returning my boots, I proceeded to take off my socks and step out onto the snow barefooted, to the astonishment of the hire staff. They could hardly believe it. I turned and ran over the snow to the next building where I retrieved my shoes and caught the next bus to our hotel.

We were late, but the bus waited, and before long we were back at the airport eating a hearty local dinner. On returning to Tokyo, I pack all of my gear and fall into bed for yet another late night. Tomorrow I leave.

SUN: Saying Goodbye

Waking up was hard today. Too little sleep over the last week has almost worn me out. A walk through the brisk morning air and breakfast helps. After a quick chat with the folks I am ready to go, saying goodbye to Keiko first.

Brod and I walk together to the train station. We chat, but I am feeling heavy. The last week has been wonderful to spend this time with him and Keiko. It is very sad to be leaving. I ponder on why I am leaving now. Perhaps my own selfish desires push me on. Maybe it was the right thing to do. I did not know, but I did know that travel can be very emotionally painful.

At the station, we say our goodbyes and I head off to the platform, only to be greeted by Brodie again. He decided to travel with me to Yawata Station, the only change-over I have before the Airport.

We again say our goodbyes. How wonderful it had been to spend time with him and to have so much fun together. The time comes for me to be on the platform and we part. As Brod leaves we strike up another conversation across the tracks. Brod yells out Happy Christmas just as a train arrives, cutting off our conversation. My train arrives at the same time. I climb aboard and am gone. Japan is now a memory.

I am sad, and spend my journey to the airport reflecting on my week. What is left of Japan rushes past me, until finally we descend into the subway that leads to the airport.

Spain is next, as I work my way through Europe.