Golden Week 2008 ...

Golden Week is the first week in Japan and consists of a series of 4 holidays in a row. May 3rd, 4th, 5th & 6th are all national holidays but typically the entire week is taken as a vacation time. Golden Week is considered to be the longest vacation time of the year for many employers and many families use this time to travel both domestically and internationally. "Golden Week is an extremely popular time to travel. Flights, trains, and hotels are often fully booked despite significantly higher rates at this time. Popular foreign destinations in Asia, Guam, Saipan, Hawaii, and major cities on the west coast of North America, such as Los Angeles, Seattle, San Francisco, and Vancouver, as well as in Europe, are affected during these seasons by huge numbers of Japanese tourists" (duh).

We decided to plan a camping trip to an island south of Okayama called Shikoku. I wasn't quite sure of what to expect from camping in Japan, but any chance to sleep in a tent & sit by a campfire sounded pretty sweet to me. We rented a couple cars, packed them full of everything we needed, crammed everyone in & headed out.

Road tripping in Japan is great. It's usually great no matter where you are as long as you're with good people and this trip was no exception. At least everything was great until we had to cross the Seto Hashi (an incredibly long, two story suspension bridge). Anyone who knows me well knows that I have a full blown phobia of large bridges and this one is insane. I spent the entire 20 minutes it took to cross it with my head down, hyperventilating & tears streaming down my face. Yea, I know - I'm a wuss. After finally crossing the bridge of evil, we made it into Shikoku and drove down the coast until we got to our campsite at Shirahama. The drive was beautiful and there was sun & the ocean & waves & surfers & everything that was exactly what we wanted. We couldn't have been more excited.

Our little campsite (that's right, all 5 tents):

and the view from our tent, absolutely gorgeous:
After we got camp set up and ready to go, it took us a whole ten minutes to get our suits on & get in the water. It was cold, but oh so nice.

& as soon as we all got out, these adorable Japanese kids got in.

It was like we were swimming in shifts.

From left to right ... Tapio, Bernie, Olli, me, Andy, Andrew, Amanda, Amy & Meghan:

Day two we went to another larger beach with better waves to make some attempts at surfing, catch some sun and play in the sand. Although the attempts at surfing were pretty poor, the problem wasn't with the waves. Instead of trying to surf back to America, Amanda and I spent our time swimming and avoiding the jellyfish.

We also spent a lot of time playing in the sand like the kids that we are.

Our standard breakfast, lunch & dinner:
Night number 2 consisted of bad 80's pop songs and early 90's r&b one hit wonders, star gazing on the beach and drinking a few too many beverages. Everything was great and we were on vacation. Couldn't have asked for anything better ... except for maybe not having to wake up early the next morning. We spent day number 3 driving to Kochi city to scope out Kochi Castle. It was raining so we figured taking a drive and being cultural was the way to go. What we didn't take into consideration (or at least I didn't) was the drive through the mountains & the ups & downs & twists & turns & the stops & gos & the fasts & the slows. With 5 people in our small car & my pounding headache, I wasn't exactly in heaven.

The mountains were beautiful, despite the queasiness.

Andy & I were sick backseat buddies ...

After about 4 hours in the car, we got to Kochi, spent 45 minutes at the castle & then headed back ... only driving up the coast instead of through the mountains. Although we didn't stay for very long (really, no one was feeling really well), the castle was still beautiful. They always are.

The view from the top:

The castle gardens:

and some statues:

And then we left. Short, sweet, and to the point. We headed back to Shirahama and my sleeping bag and tent had never sounded so good. We spent the last night making smores, laying on the beach looking for shooting stars (which we successfully found), telling old stories and making new memories.

The next morning we took down, packed up, and said goodbye to beach.

Our camping crew in our pilgrimage hats:

much love

-tara-

xx

The Insanity of Hello Kitty ...

Hello Kitty is outrageous. She's everywhere for starters & her followers are addicted. I know we have Hello Kitty back in the States, but I swear to you that every Japanese person has at least one Hello Kitty related item in their possession. Many of them have a serious collection and I would go as far to say some have small Hello Kitty shrines. Maybe I'm exaggerating, but maybe not.

Everywhere you go in Japan you can find Hello Kitty. EVERYWHERE. I was at the most country, hick town in the middle of nowhere Japan & found her at the only store for 50km. There are stores dedicated to her, movies and tv shows featuring her, amusement parks influenced by her, and young children (and some adults) obsessed with her. It's no secret that the Japanese culture is all about anime and it is a serious question when people ask you what character you like. At first I couldn't take this question seriously & the standard response was, "I don't have one", but this got nothing short of wide eyes and dropped jaws. I learned to find one I liked. Amanda fits right in. She loves Hello Kitty. I, on the other hand, am partial to Rilakkuma but I'll write about that later. I don't want to take the attention away from the craze of Hello Kitty.

The logo is plastered all over standard accessories like cell phones, key chains, straps, bags, jewelry and of course clothing, but you can also find her in what I first thought to be ridiculous places. Now I don't really look twice at Hello Kitty shoes, cars, or fingernails. Here are some of the crazy Hello Kitty things I've seen, although I won't take credit for most of the pictures. I swiped some of them off the internet. Whoops. :)

Hardcore rockers jam out with a Hello Kitty guitar, I can only imagine.

Not only did she tap into the music market, she is known in the food world as well.

In the form of poptarts:

And of course you'll need something to toast your poptart in:

And since we're in Japan, you have to eat sushi.

What's more Japanese than Hello Kitty sushi?

And she processed herself into some strange edible somethings that you can find in pasta.

And to prove Hello Kitty is marketed towards an adult audience as well, you can find a bottle of Hello Kitty wine.

And then you have the Hello Kitty vehicles. They're definitely not the standard and I don't see them on the daily, but the fact that they exist is crazy enough for me. Seriously, who drives these things?

Who doesn't want to travel in Hello Kitty style?

Or maybe you just want to accessorize your vehicle:

And of course she finds her way onto tour buses. I must say I'm slightly disappointed. Of all the bus tours Amanda & I have been on, we never toured around in a Hello Kitty bus.
And then to top it off, as if the cars, trailers, & buses weren't enough, you can catch a flight on the Hello Kitty Jet. EVA Air was crazy enough to paint her and the family right on the side of their airplane for all of your traveling enjoyment. And have no fear, the inside is apparently as nuts as the outside.

"EVA repeated the livery theme inside the cabin by creating a Hello Kitty fantasy with sweet Hello Kitty paintings on the walls, and by outfitting flight attendants with Hello Kitty ribbons for their hair and Hello Kitty aprons. Passengers booked on EVA’s Hello Kitty Jet will get pink Hello Kitty boarding passes and luggage tags. Onboard, they will enjoy a series of in flight Hello Kitty service accessories, Hello Kitty meals, and have access to exclusive EVA Air Hello Kitty duty-free shopping. "

And if that isn't enough to make you sick, why not get married in a Hello Kitty themed wedding?

All you need to do is get yourself a Hello Kitty wedding dress:

And matching wedding bands (yes, they are engraved with the logo):

And then book yourself the wedding of your Hello Kitty dreams at the following website:

Hankyu Princesskitty Wedding and you're set. Seriously, who does this?

Watch this clip too: Who does this?

And, just for Matt, in case you have an extra $5,000 laying around and nothing to do with it, you can buy yourself a set of solid gold Hello Kitty playing cards. You think I'm joking right? I'm so not ... According to the website, "On September 27, Sanrio announced plans to begin selling solid gold Hello Kitty playing cards, which the company will make available through its online shop beginning October 3. Each of the 54 cards (2 jokers included) measures 58 x 89 mm and is made from 0.73 gram of 99.99% pure gold. Pressed to a thickness of 7 microns with precision rolling technology developed by the Mitsubishi Materials Corporation, the cards are sealed in a protective laminate printed with colorful designs that depict Hello Kitty in royal dress."

much love
-tara-
xx

Geisha Spotting ...

I'm going to quote Wikipedia all over this blog for fear that I'm going to give false information, so here it goes ...

"Geisha (芸者) or Geiko (芸妓) are traditional, female Japanese entertainers, whose skills include performing various Japanese arts, such as classical music and dance. Contrary to popular belief, geisha are not prostitutes." (Wikipedia)

To go 'geisha spotting' you need to head to the Gion district of Kyoto. "It eventually evolved to become one of the most exclusive and well-known geisha districts in all of Japan. There is a popular misconception that Gion was a red-light district. However, as it was a geisha district, and as geisha are entertainers, not prostitutes, Gion is not, and never was, a red-light district."

"The geisha in the Gion district do not refer to themselves as geisha; instead, Gion geisha use the local term geiko. While the term geisha means "artist", the more direct term geiko means specifically 'a woman of art.'".

Amanda and I have been to Kyoto a few times and every time we are there we go 'geisha spotting'. We know exactly where to go, what time, how long to wait & what to do when you actually see one. It's kind of like celebrity spotting back home.

"Modern geisha still live in traditional geisha houses called okiya in areas called hanamachi (花街 "flower towns"), particularly during their apprenticeship. Many experienced geisha are successful enough choose to live independently. The elegant, high-culture world that geisha are a part of is called karyūkai (花柳界 "the flower and willow world")."

A lot of geisha come out of this building, but we don't know if it's an okiya or not.

We refer to it as the hideout.

Giesha Street:

"In modern Japan, geisha and maiko are now a rare sight outside hanamachi. In the 1920s there were over 80,000 geisha in Japan, but today there are far fewer. The exact number is unknown to outsiders, and is estimated to be from 1,000 to 2,000, mostly in the resort town of Atami."

Check out those red lips:

"Geisha are often hired to attend parties and gatherings, traditionally at tea houses (茶屋, ochaya) or at traditional Japanese restaurants (ryōtei). Their time is measured by the time it takes an incense stick to burn, and is called senkōdai (線香代, "incense stick fee") or gyokudai (玉代 "jewel fee"). In Kyoto the terms "ohana" (お花）and "hanadai" (花代), meaning "flower fees", are preferred. The customer makes arrangements through the geisha union office (検番 kenban), which keeps each geisha's schedule and makes her appointments both for entertaining and for training."

"There remains some confusion, even within Japan, about the nature of the geisha profession. Geisha are frequently depicted as expensive prostitutes in Western popular culture. Geisha are entertainers, their purpose being to entertain their customer, be it by reciting verse, playing musical instruments, or engaging in light conversation. Geisha engagements may include flirting with men and playful innuendos; however, clients know that nothing more can be expected. In a social style that is uniquely Japanese, men are amused by the illusion of that which is never to be. Geisha do not engage in paid sex with clients."

Whoa, geisha. Where's your make up? Who let her out of the okiya?

This geisha was running SO fast. She clearly didn't want to be photographed.

Sorry!!

So the geishas are kind of stalked by the Japanese/tourist paparazzi, and I'm just as guilty as the next tourist. This poor girl had to have had her picture taken 342 times between the front of the okiya to the taxi. Yes, all of those people are there to see her & get her picture.

A group of geisha paparazzi:

Trying to not stick out as we wait to spot geishas. :)

Amanda, Casey & I ... very patiently waiting for some geisha action.

And somehow we got our own paparazzi.

This man took our picture at least 10 times.

It tends to happen around Japan though. I've had my picture taken several times by the Japanese people. Once a lady in Kyoto asked us to come sit down around her & pose for pictures. Another lady was photographing us through a restaurant window once & another time a group of us were out eating and the people at the table behind us were taking our picture. Yes folks, we're that good looking. :)

This was the first geisha we ever saw on our first trip to Kyoto. We weren't looking for her and she just popped up on this street corner. We were SO excited we took her picture at least 30 times. I was just amazed by how beautiful she was.

Maybe it's her mom, haha.

There was quite a crowd on the corner, in the middle of the street, climbing on benches & dangling out windows to get her picture. I definitely was not the only one.

They don't typically smile so it's a big deal when they do.

Our first official night of geisha spotting we took this ridiculously long video (again, with really poor commentary) because I was supposed to go through the video and cut some good still shots. Yea, kinda need help with that maybe? Cathy? Seth? :)

much love

-tara-

xx