Date: 2008-05-10 22:54 Subject: A Startling Encounter Security: Public Mood: amused Music: 'All The Lonely People' - The Beatles

It seems I am beating rohantm to the punch on this. He invited me up to L.A. this weekend and together we visited the Renaissance Pleasure Fair... it's not as dirty as it sounds. Our first goal was to see the Bold and Stupid Men, a comedy swordfighting team. We missed the first half of the show, so after witnessing a jousting contest, we returned for a later show. Halfway through that showing, a couple came and sat in front of me... and the man was Richard Hatch. No, not that Richard Hatch. A reality TV "star" would not warrant mention, but the only actor to be in both Battlestar Galactica shows is definitely a treat. He was cunningly disguised (wearing sunglasses) but it looked and sounded just like him. I did not say anything to him, because everyone is entitled to a weekend off and if he wanted to be bothered by fans, I'm sure he could have found a convention to attend.
Neat though the encounter was, it got even better when his companion ensured he was selected by the Bold and Stupid Men for their 'improvement seminar' where a bunch of guys got taken up onto stage and taught how to act like real Renaissance Men. While I would have thought he'd still try to keep a low profile, Hatch hammed it up gloriously, though as Rohan pointed out, he was really bad at taking direction. But the crowning moment was when the men were send back to give their ladies a kiss to show how much they'd learned, and wow... Richard Hatch sure can kiss. At least as far as I could judge, sitting right behind them, though one of the Men did host his own seminar on the subject.
It was a good day all told, even counting my disastrous Rock Band performance. It was fun to wander the Ren Faire (which was huge!) as I'd not done that for years, and I bought a fantastic hat for far too much money. The Faire was bookended by two good meals, breakfast at The Original Pancake House and dinner at The Yard House. And the night before, Rohan introduced me to the first beer I have EVER liked. Though since you need a corkscrew to get at it, I probably won't be drinking it much.

Date: 2008-05-06 18:39 Subject: What am I reading? Security: Public Location: Huntsville, Alabama Mood: not dead

Well currently, I’m reading: 1. Cartomancy which is the sequel to the book Michael Stackpole gave me for free last Comic-Con. 2. A Scholar of Magics by Caroline Stevermer which I took an awfully long time to get my hands on considering that I read the previous book every couple of years. 3. The rulebook for Spirit of the Century in the hopes of playing it in an online game soon. 4. Weapons of the Gods Companion, an expansion to a role-playing game that, while my one attempt to run it didn’t go well, it was a lot of fun to read.

But what I really want to talk about is a book I’m not, technically, reading, because I have it on my iPod. The Jungle Books by Rudyard Kipling, volumes one and two. I can still picture the battered paperback I had as a kid that I read through many times, and I was thrilled to find it at the library because it’d been decades since the last time. While I am familiar with the animated versions  (Chuck Jones did an excellent job with Rikki Tikki Tavi… Disney, not so much with the Mowgli stories) it’s the original stories that made such an impression on me… or so I thought.

I expected to just reacquaint myself with beloved stories from my youth, but I’d forgotten that there were parts of that book that I had never bothered to read. While Tumai of the Elephants and The Miracle of the Langours don’t ring a bell at all, I know that Servants of the Queen was in my book, yet I had never read it. The one I’m in the middle of now, The Undertakers, is the new discovery I like best so far. It’s a discussion between a crane, a jackal, and a crocodile, and I wonder if those are all Egyptian gods of the dead which would explain the title. None of the stories I’ve discovered so far have involved Mowgli, so I can see why I might have skipped over them, but I can’t help but wonder if there are other stories from my childhood that I don’t know as well as I think. Was there a little stuffed lamb in the Hundred Acre Wood whose adventures never engaged me? A Narnia book that I never got through? (That’s possible, actually, because I have no recollection of The Silver Chair save that the cover showed a prince heroically stabbing a chair). Forgotten stories aside, the ones I remembered have not lost any enjoyment for me, and my favorite (Red Dog) is still to come.

Date: 2008-02-29 16:01 Subject: Off Traveling Again Security: Public Location: Colorado Springs, CO Mood: breathless Music: "The Preamble Song" - Schoolhouse Rock

I suppose I could have mentioned it sooner, but I've spent the past week in Colorado Springs. I'd never been to this state before, and it seems nice except for the fact that the inhabitants have taken most of the air and are hoarding it away somewhere.  I keep finding myself out of breath and am dismayed by my poor condition before remembering that it's more likely due to the lack of oxygen. Doubtless the people who reside here must suffer some kind of brain deficiency due to the thin air.

Speaking of which, while I was here I got to reunite with a friend from my Air Force days in Nebraska. It was marvelous to see her again, as it had been nearly ten years since we last laid eyes on each other and we'd fallen out of contact in the meantime because we're both really bad at keeping in touch. But she's doing well, travels to even nicer places for work than I do, and she suggested excellent restaurants where we shared a pair of dinners.

Speaking of dinners, I ate well. I got to enjoy goulash-topped french fries and paid a visit to the local Waffle House, but the high point was unquestionably a meal of elk medallions in a port wine sauce. I'd never had elk before and it was really quite extraordinary.

When not dining or lazing about the hotel room rereading The Three Musketeers, I managed to do some sightseeing. I hiked the Garden of the Gods, explored the Cave of the Winds, and ascended to the top of the Seven Falls. I had also hoped to take a train to the top of Pike's Peak, but there was snow on Tuesday and they hadn't got the track cleared all the way. Oh yeah, I got to drive in the snow. That was a novelty, as it had been a long time. Fortunately, there was no incident.

Oh yeah, and I did some work. Work went well.

Date: 2008-02-19 17:03 Subject: Politics makes me angry Security: Public Mood: angry

There's a point that Glenn Greenwald made in a recent column regarding the FISA bill that I am disappointed to not see anywhere else. So I am doing what little I can to spread it.

The claim that telecoms will cease to cooperate without retroactive immunity is deeply dishonest on multiple levels, but the dishonesty is most easily understood when one realizes that, under the law, telecoms are required to cooperate with legal requests from the government. They don't have the option to "refuse." Without amnesty, telecoms will be reluctant in the future to break the law again, which we should want. But there is no risk that they will refuse requests to cooperate with legal surveillance, particularly since they are legally obligated to cooperate in those circumstances. The claim the telcoms will cease to cooperate with surveillance requests is pure fear-mongering, and is purely dishonest.

Date: 2008-02-03 19:47 Subject: Superbowl Thoughts Security: Public Mood: cheerful Music: 'American Girl' - Tom Petty and the Heartbreakers

I can't remember ever watching a Superbowl and coming out of it talking about the game, rather than the commercials. Well done, Giants!

But if I were going to talk about the commercials, I'd say my favorite was the one for Wall-E.

Date: 2008-01-21 12:05 Subject: Did I mention I was going to Hawaii? I didn't? Oops. Security: Public Mood: relaxed

So barely three months from my last visit, barely three months from getting back from Japan, I was off to Hawaii again. After visits from her other two children, Mother decided that she was ready for me to come as well. This was my first visit since my father passed, and I was somewhat anxious. Her first marriage was in 1954, and for fifty-four years she had pretty much never been alone. Now she was, and I had no idea if she’d be able to cope.

Date: 2008-01-02 22:55 Subject: Where my free time has gone Security: Public Mood: tired Music: What do you think?

I resisted the karaoke games and the guitar games, but when Rock Band combined the two and added MORE COWBELL, it had me. The drums are really neat too, but I am hopelessly inept at them. But they were useful to hook rohantm to the extent that he now has an xbox 360 and we can play together over the internet. ^^

Also there's Assassin's Creed in which you can play a silent, deadly assassin who stalks the streets in search of his prey. Or, if you're like me, you can spend hours bouncing across the rooftops shouting, "Spoooon!"

Date: 2008-01-01 21:56 Subject: Japan Pictures... kinda Security: Public Mood: calm Music: Motteke! Sērāfuku

Photos from Japan were promised, but if I try to do them all at once it'll never happen, so here's a start.

Date: 2007-12-26 23:03 Subject: Admitting I have a problem is the first step, right? Security: Public Mood: lethargic Music: 'Sweet Child of Mine' Guns and Roses

Once I finally recovered from my Asian Bird Flu, I scrambled to do Christmas mailing stuff for the family. One of the things I managed was the one-page letter summarizing all the stuff I'd done this year. I certainly couldn't remember much, but luckily I had my journal here to remind me, though I did leave out some things like the Florida trip and the second visit to Seattle. But mainly I found that I enjoyed going back and reading what I wrote, and it made me wish I'd done more.

Not enough, you may note, to actually get me to do more...

Date: 2007-12-23 22:24 Subject: Long-promised photos! Security: Public Mood: accomplished Music: 'Carol of the Bells' - Metallica

I'm acutely conscious of the fact that all the photos I took of Japan aren't doing any good unless I actually put them somewhere people can see them, so today I finally updated my Flickr site... with pictures from the Alaska trip three months ago. Have to tackle things in order. ^^;

Date: 2007-12-04 08:45 Subject: Japan Trip Day Twenty-One - Should Have Quit While I Was Ahead Security: Public Location: Oak Hotel, Highashi-Ueno 6-1-2, Tokyo, Japan Mood: rushed Music: 'The Final Countdown' - Europe

Quick note here before I go offline for the trip home. Yesterday was not fun, as the medication seemed to do nothing. At dinner time I went back and got some throat spray but that wasn't helping either. I went to bed early and had an unpleasant night, as I started coughing which would wake me up every five minutes. Though thanks to the Tales of the Otori audiobooks I've been listening to this trip, my mind somehow produced an entertaining  zombie-ninja scenario that I'd drift in and out of. Finally at four in the morning I got up to get some bread and OJ since my medication has to be taken with food, and things got better. For the past four hours there's been very little coughing and I've gotten some good rest.

But of course, now that I'm finally comfortable, it can't last, as I have to check out at ten and I have yet to pack. After I leave, I'll have about three hours left in the area before I need to get my train to the airport., though the wisest thing would be to go to the airport right away and just find someplace quiet to sit and relax. But for now, I've got to get moving. Thanks to everyone for putting up with my complaints and spamming of your friends lists, and for your comments. It let me still feel connected, and helped me enjoy what turned out to be a good vacation.

But had I gone home eight days ago it would have been a much better vacation. :P

Date: 2007-12-03 13:00 Subject: Japan Trip Day Twenty – It Just Gets Better and Better Security: Public Location: Oak Hotel, Highashi-Ueno 6-1-2, Tokyo, Japan Mood: cranky Music: Super Mario theme

No reason to be upset that I’m sick, forcing me to stay in on my last full day in Japan, because it’s raining anyway.

No reason to be upset that it’s raining, forcing me to stay in on my last full day in Japan, because I’m sick anyway.

 
I think I’m still going to be upset. I’m feeling a little better, probably because I am staying inside and doing nothing. Unfortunately, the ibuprofen I brought with me, which seemed to work best for my symptoms, is just about gone, so I had to venture out to a Japanese drug store and find a replacement. And as far as I can tell, what I got is also ibuprofen, though it seems to be mixed with other stuff as well. Trying to translate the directions has kept me occupied since getting back. One dose is three pills and you can take three doses per day, and you should do it within thirty minutes of eating… I think. I don’t think it’ll make me drowsy, which is a pity because I really want to sleep through tomorrow’s long plane ride.

I can take some small comfort in that I prepared for this scenario. I have DVDs to watch on the computer (though only one seems to work), Final Fantasy Tactics on the PSP, and video podcasts on the iPhone (Bikini News asked to be mentioned), not to mention the usual amusements that can be found on the Internet. But it’s small comfort indeed, because I have all that at home, whereas Akibahara or the Ueno Zoo is only fifteen minutes away, and my chance to experience them is being wasted.

Also, still no Black Sun Avatar episodes on iTunes. Grrrrr.

Date: 2007-12-02 21:13 Subject: Japan Trip Day Nineteen – Feeling Better, But It Won’t Last Security: Public Location: Oak Hotel, Highashi-Ueno 6-1-2, Tokyo, Japan Mood: hot Music: Macross Song Collection

I’ve established that nothing happened Monday through Friday last week, but what about the days at either end? Well, Sunday was spent doing the thing I most wanted to do on the main island… visiting the second-largest aquarium in the world (Curse you, Georgia Aquarium!) On my last visit to Japan, I’d been very impressed by the whale shark at the Osaka aquarium, so when I learned that Okinawa had whale sharkS, I knew I wanted to go there. It’s at the northern part of the island, and would be hard to reach on my own, but luckily Keith and his son were up for the trip as well, so I had a ride. The drive up took about two hours and was interesting enough… Okinawa looks just like a tropical island version of Japan would look, only without the giant hotels of Maui, though I understand they have those further north.

We wanted to have lunch first, but we arrived during the half hour the restaurant was closed to switch from breakfast to lunch, and the kid said he could hold out a few hours until we’d seen the aquarium. This was a lie, but one that ended up working in our favor.

I won’t say much about the aquarium because alas, I didn’t record my thoughts in a timely manner. I will say that it’s a fine aquarium with scary, scary lobsters. For me, it was all about the big tank in the middle. But before we quite got there, we found a café in the aquarium itself, and since the kid was now starving to death, we took a break. The menu was limited to stuff that could be produced quickly since there was such high turnover, but it offered taco rice, something I was eager to try. The food turned out to be disappointing… I think taco rice is a valid concept, but was not executed well. The view, however, more than made up for it, because we were actually by a window on the main tank so while we ate the whale sharks would swim by. And they are HUGE! As far as I could tell, the ones at this aquarium are only half the size of the largest ever found, but they are still HUGE! We got an even better view of them when we left the café and went to stand in front of the largest acrylic panel in the world, because how else would you view the largest fish in the world? I do a disservice to all the other fish in the tank who did a find job of swimming around in a big circle, particularly some manta rays that did not look at all small, even next to the whale sharks. My favorite moment though was when we got around to the other side of the tank from the café, where there was a spot that let you actually get beneath the water. At one point I had one whale shark swimming in front of me while two others passed overhead. Now that’s an experience you can get nowhere else in the world (except for the Georgia aquarium, since they have four.)

It actually took quite a while just to get through the aquarium, so even though it was one part of a whole entertainment park complex, we were ready to head back afterwards. We did visit the turtles (Finding Nemo was right, baby turtles are cute) and we got to watch the manatees get fed. I wasn’t expecting to find manatees in Japan, and Keith’s son must have been impressed with them because he asked his father if he could have one. I negotiated an agreement where Keith agreed, if his son saved up to buy the manatee himself.

And then there was the drive home, which was made much faster by using the toll road, and let me see more of the island’s interior. All in all, it was a big win, and definitely the high point of my Okinawa visit.

Health update: my throat has largely stopped being sore, but I’m not fooled because the same thing happened yesterday. Not that I’m complaining. I am feeling really hot, though, which is probably not a good sign. Unless I feel all better, I will try and stay in bed tomorrow, though it would be easier if iTunes would post Friday’s Avatar episodes. :P

Date: 2007-12-02 13:33 Subject: Japan Trip Day Nineteen - Stupid typhoons! Can't you read a calendar? Security: Public Location: Hard Rock Cafe Ueno-Eki, Ueno 7-1-1, Tokyo, Japan Mood: grumpy Music: “I’ll Stop The World” – Modern English

I had to get out and get food, and the Family Restaurant Jonathan’s I had planned to try was closed today for some reason, so I wandered deliriously until I ended up at the Hard Rock Café. Illness can be the only logical reason why I am willingly sitting at the ‘Madonna Wall’ though if the platinum record for ‘Like a Virgin’ right next to my table is to be believed, I’m actually in Tel Aviv. The Hard Rock Café may not seem like the best source for quality Japanese cooking, but I’m feeling weak, and I’m hoping they have a good shirt to replace the Osaka one I got last time that is now worn out. But getting back to catching up…

The flight from Fukuoka to Okinawa wasn’t long and it had some unexpected delights. To be specific, I got excellent aerial views of Aso-san, Sakurajima and Yakushima. It made for a great ending/recap of my visit to Kyushu.

 As I mentioned before, the Okinawa stay was fraught with difficulty. First there was the weather, which hit Monday with lots of rain and more wind than I’d seen since the time I was in Virginia for that hurricane. Though it prevented me from doing any sight-seeing, and certainly put any plans for visiting Iriomote Island out of the question, I actually enjoyed it for itself. In the afternoons when there was less rain, I’d pull on my jacket and find some errand to run, urging myself to brave the tai-fun. Fortunately, the rain never overpowered the water-resistance of my jacket and, I got to enjoy the wind instead.

The other chief problem with my Okinawa stay was that I was staying with my friend Keith and his family, on Kadena Air Base. While there were many benefits to the arrangements, it did limit my movements. If I left the base, I would not be able to return without calling Keith or Gina (his wife) to come get me, something I was reluctant to do as I was already causing enough trouble. Another catch was that I couldn’t actually do any shopping outside the gift shops… all the other stores required an ID card to get into. Thus, I had to be taken there by my hosts, giving them more trouble.

So from Monday to Friday I was pretty much stuck at home alone, with everyone off to work or school. But I must say, if you have to be stuck during your vacation, try doing it somewhere with an xbox 360, all the Simpsons DVDs, wireless internet, free room and board, Harry Potter sheets and a Yu-Gi-Oh blanket. Keith even let me install World of Warcraft after many days of downloading and I was finally able to get my long-awaited, superfast gyrocopter! Keith and Gina both took me out shopping and while I wasn’t able to find the Yotsuba& toy I was looking for, the Toys Backwards-R Us did have a cool Star Wars diorama showing Luke Skywalker fighting Darth Vader while wearing scuba gear (Splinter of the Mind’s Eye?) I also ate very well, including Kobe beef teppanyaki (where the food is cooked at the table by a highly-skilled professional in an entertaining manner), all-you-can-eat yakiniku (where the food is cooked at the table by a bunch of incompetent amateurs)  and not one but two visits to my favorite Japanese restaurant chain, Curry House Coco. Also, even though I was a week late for Thanksgiving, Gina’s delicious soup made from the leftovers let me get my November turkey fix. If anything, my hosts were too generous, as I had to steal the check at the yakiniku joint in order to buy them dinner at least once, and hide money in the house to pay for my groceries.

Date: 2007-12-02 09:58 Subject: Japan Trip Day Nineteen - This Isn't Fun Anymore Security: Public Location: Oak Hotel, 6-1-6 Highashi-Ueno, Chiyoda-ku, Tokyo, Japan Mood: sick and tired and grumpy Music: "Itsudemo dare ka ga"

Well, things have definitely gone downhill since I quit blogging the trip (not counting Kit-Kat-related entries.) In Okinawa typhoons (no fair, typhoon season is over!) kept me from doing much, and the night before I left I got sick. So I made yesterday's flight back to Tokyo in misery (something about having clogged sinuses made the pressure changes during descent  very unpleasant). I thought maybe I was getting over it, as my throat was no longer sore when I rode the subway in from the airport, but I crashed very early last night and had feverish dreams. I finally got enough sleep, but I'm still in much the same state as I was yesterday morning, only with less energy. I managed to get out long enough to get more orange juice this morning, but since then I've found myself just laying around. I had hoped to go to the zoo today, but that doesn't seem likely. If I find the strength, I may go do some shopping. I even got one of those masks.

Oh, one more thing. There are parts of Tokyo that specialize in certain goods... Jimbouchou is known for used bookstores, for example. Well, as I was walking out last night to get dinner, I passed store after store selling those household shrines used to honor dead family members. Given my recent loss, I found it really disturbing, but that could have just been the fever talking.

Some good and interesting stuff did happen in Okinawa and I'll write about that later. For now... bleah, sick. :P

Date: 2007-12-01 07:00 Subject: What the Heck is Midnight Eagle White? Security: Public Location: Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan Mood: sick Music: Reveille

That's a fair question. It is a white chocolate Kit-Kat in a special package that promotes the film Midnight Eagle, I assume.

Date: 2007-11-30 23:55 Subject: Japan Trip Day... Ummm, Something - Not Dead Security: Public Location: Kadena Air Base, Okinawa, Japan Mood: tired Music: 'Checking In' from The Simpsons

And to prove I'm not dead, here's a list of Kit-Kat flavors I have sampled on this trip:
Caramel
Apple
Cookies and Cream
Orange
Melon
Vanilla Bean
Green Tea
Kiwi
Midnight Eagle White

Date: 2007-11-24 12:38 Subject: Japan Trip Day Eleven - For 'Nothing Really to Report' I sure write a lot Security: Public Location: Fukuoka Airport Mood: satisfied Music: "Hark The Herald Angels Sing

Nothing really to report. The next train to Kurume showed up soon enough that I didn’t miss my connection to Kagoshima, and the hotel was right outside the train station. I suppose it is worth mentioning that the Hotel New Otani is definitely a class or two above every other place I’ve stayed on the trip. The lobby was full of smiling, uniformed people just dying to help with something. One of them led me to the elevator, rode with me to my room, and then showed me all the features, which made it feel really weird not to tip him. I had planned to get dinner in one of the many restaurants in the hotel, but soon gave up that plan. At first I was worried that I wouldn’t be able to dress nicely enough for them, but when I had a look, I realized that I simply could not afford them. When I got dessert from the cake shop on the first floor, it took three people… one to put my cake in a pretty little box, one to take my money, and one to carry the order slip from the first person to the second. When I got to my sixth-floor room I thought I’d check out the view, only to find there was a wedding going on in the fifth floor chapel which was right below me. I decided that if I were having a wedding, I would not want some strange foreigner watching from a nearby window so I closed the blinds, but the bride did look lovely. In fact, there was a nice view beyond the chapel, but I couldn’t get the window open to take a picture. I ended up getting my dinner at Mosburger at the station, where I picked up your typical fast-food fare of Korean BBQ between two grilled rice cakes with a side of corn soup. And fries.

This morning I was able to sleep in and take my time getting packed up before catching the train for Fukuoka. Unfortunately my streak of window seats came to an end, and I was lucky to get a seat at all. At Fukuoka I finally managed to mail some postcards I’d been carrying around for a while, then got the subway to the airport. And now here I am, awaiting lunch (Meat Dria… I have no idea what that is), with an hour to kill before my flight to Okinawa. My Kyushu adventure, hasn’t been perfect, but it has been quite satisfactory.

Date: 2007-11-23 14:29 Subject: Japan Trip Day Ten - Happy Labour Thanksgiving! Security: Public Location: Yufu Deluxe Limited Express, only, a different one Mood: annoyed Music: "Fooling Yourself" - Styx

It was the right train after all, at least, and another pleasant ride got me to Yufuin. Oh right, I forgot to talk about Yufuin. Now, I had initially planned this trip for the spring, because I adore the cherry blossoms, but that was not to be. So I thought instead I would go in the fall, and instead enjoy kouyou, the viewing of the autumn leaves. My first thought was to go to northern Honshu, which would be new territory for me, but it seemed that the leaves would change too early so I switched my plans to Kyushu instead. Until today I’d had little luck here either. The place I expected to see the foliage turned was Takachiho, but that didn’t work out. So I consulted a Japanese website that tracked how the leaves changed throughout the country, and one of the Kyushu sites it covered was Yufuin.

Now Yufuin is not mentioned at all in my guidebook, but I decided to be adventurous. In fact, I would call this the Great Yufuin Adventure except that it lacks monkeys. All I knew about it was that it was on the train line between Beppu and Fukuoka. So thus I came up with my new itinerary that I keep forgetting to update on the blog: I’d go from Kumamoto to Beppu, stopping in Aso on the way and then spending the night in Beppu. Next I’d go from Beppu to Fukuoka, stopping in Yufuin on the way and then spending the night in Fukuoka. And finally I’d fly to Okinawa from Fukuoka. Naturally, I would do some research on Yufuin, rather than go in blind, but that got put on hold as the available housing did not coincide with my itinerary. I had a scarce half an hour this morning to look things up, finding out that Yufuin is a hot spring town (like Beppu, but less tacky) and jotting down a couple of places to visit that might have trees to look at.

It’s a pity that Yufuin has so little coverage, as I found it delightful. They have horse-drawn carriages and old-style taxis taking people around (of course, I walked), musems for Norman Rockwell and stained glass (didn’t have time for either) and lots of hot spring baths.

I came for the leaves, and Yufuin did not disappoint. While there was no place that had the striking red maples clustered to dominate the landscape like you see with the cherry trees, there were some lovely views nonetheless. The information desk had an English pamphlet suggesting places of interest, and better yet, an English map of the area with just as much detail as the Japanese one. Best of all, it had a lady who understood my terrible Japanese enough to tell me where to go look for the foliage. Her directions led me to a path along the river lined with trees with leaves of every color, leading to a lake that’s always kept warm by the geothermal activity.

Right by the lake I found Shitan-yu, which is a public hot spring I found a recommendation for this morning. I can only assume that shitain-yu is Japanese for ‘wimpy bath’ as I found the water to be just right, rather than scorchingly painful. It’s a public bath anyone can go to for a mere two hundred yen fee that you put through a slot outside on the honor system. It has two pools… the hotter one is in the main room, but you can look outside as one wall is completely open. The second is actually outside, letting you look at the sky and the surrounding foliage. Mind you, the foliage does a less that perfect job of surrounding, and even while I was soaking in the inside pool I could watch the tourists walking past the lake outside. I didn’t let this bother me and relaxed completely, not even letting the fact that the only towel I had with me was about six inches on a side (bought because Japanese bathrooms rarely have hand towels) spoil my enjoyment.

--------------------

Okay, that was embarrassing. I thought the conductor announced that we had arrived at Kurume station, which is where I need to switch for the train to Kumamoto. It was a bit earlier than I’d expected, so I had to frantically shut down the laptop, grab all my stuff, shove it in my backpack and dash off of the train. I stopped at the seats on the platform to put things in better order, and just as the train pulled away I noticed the sign next to me saying that the station name is Kurumedaigakumae (near Kurume University). So now I have to wait another twenty minutes for the next train, and I’m lucky that it won’t be longer. In the meantime… hey, college girls. ^^

--------------------------

For a little towel, it was surprisingly absorbent, so with only damp skin and wet hair I went back into the fifty degree weather to continue my wanderings. I thought briefly about finding someplace that sold towels, but wasn’t sure where to look. Later on I found a vending machine that sold towels, but by then my hair was mostly dry.

Before I’d gotten in the bath, I’d dealt with a lot of crowds, because this does seem to be a popular tourist destination despite the lack of promotion, and it’s a national holiday. From the bath, though, I wandered away from the main tourist areas, so the walk became more peaceful and pleasant. I visited a Buddhist temple where I prayed for my father (couldn’t hurt?) and a Shinto shrine with a cedar tree that could hold its own on Yakushima. I eventually made my way back to the station, and with little time left before the next train, turned to a convenience store for lunch (yakitori, chicken nuggets, steamed pork bun). There was nowhere to eat but the station, so I went there and gobbled it down in time to be ready for the… where’s my luggage? So I had to dash out of the station to where the coin lockers were, grab my bags, and hurry back. But I made it in time, got a seat on the train by the window, and started writing this, sure that nothing else would go wrong.

Date: 2007-11-23 08:43 Subject: Japan Trip Day Ten - Most Wasted Stop On My Trip Security: Public Location: Yufu Deluxe Limited Express Mood: uncertain Music: “Foreplay / Long Time” – Boston

At least, I hope that’s the train I’m on. Well, I know it’s the train I’m on because it was written on the side, but whether it’s the right train, I’m not a hundred percent sure. The train I meant to be one was supposed to leave at 0820, but this one pulled in only a few minutes ago and is still sitting in the station. Well, now it’s just pulling out. While I waited at the platform for the train, there was an announcement I couldn’t understand but it sent most everyone scrambling for another platform, so I followed. When that train arrived I got on, but found out in time that it was going to Kumamoto, and I am bound for Hakata. Wrong train. I headed back to the original platform to wait and eventually this one turned up and a guy waiting there too said it was going to Hakata, but he could have been funnin’ me. Oh well, as long as I get to back to Kumamoto tonight, there’s no serious problems.

But getting back to yesterday, I mentioned a pretty valley we were traveling through. Eventually the valley widened and I did get a few pictures while wondering when we’d get to the Aso caldera, only to realize when I saw a smoking mountain ahead that we were already in the caldera and had been ever since the valley widened. I knew it was big, but I hadn’t realized how big until I rode a train for half an hour and only got halfway through it. What I’d thought was the other side of the valley was actually the collection of mountains in the middle of it, and the real other side was way past them. Impressive!

We finally pulled into Aso Station where I got off, put my bags in a coin locker, and enjoyed some hot corn soup in a can from a vending machine while waiting for the tour bus. Unfortunately, the tramway to the edge of the active crater had been shut down on account of the air up there currently being deadly poisonous. Volcanoes can be so fickle. So rather than take the bus to the foot of Nakadake (the active peak) I got off at the local museum. The main feature there was a live video feed of the inside of the crater, with a camera you could manipulate from the museum. Pretty much everywhere you looked, though, the screen was full of poisonous gasses, which would explain why they weren’t letting people get near the crater. The other big feature was a movie about Aso shown on five screens horizontally. First it seemed to focus on the geology, with eruption footage and all, but then it seemed to turn into a travel commercial. “Come to Aso! We have horseback riding! Skiing! Hang gliding!” But abruptly it went right into more eruption footage, which seemed to be counter-productive. “Come to Aso! You’ll have loads of fun! But the mountain could kill you at any moment.”

Along with the volcano museum, they have a music box museum. I have no idea why, but it was worth the extra two bucks for a combination ticket. Lots of old music devices there, many of which you could still try out. I best liked the ones that incorporated other instruments as well, like drums or a glockenspiel.

Following that, I took a walk outside to get more pictures, and my word, it was cold. High elevation, November temperatures, and the wind was really blowing. I actually had to zip up my jacket and pull the hood up. I had brought my extreme arctic gear with me (gloves, earmuffs, very old wooly hat) but I didn’t let it get to me that much. It did make me reluctant to do much hiking, so after walking through the grasslands to get a better look at Eboshi-dake, I retreated back to the museum area where I hunkered down and waited for the bus. It was a pity I didn’t feel like hiking more, since once I got back to the train station there was a long wait for the next train. This gave me a chance to try and get a room for Friday night, as I’d made a list of Fukuoka hotels to call. But all this got me was frustration and a much emptier coin purse, as nowhere could I find a vacancy. Discouraged, I didn’t really feel like blogging, so instead I ordered oyako-don at the station café and went through my downloaded pictures, giving them proper labels and clearing out the bad ones. Oyako-don was described by my guidebook as rice topped with chicken and egg, which sounded tasty, but I was less thrilled with the ‘rice topped with chicken and egg and mushroom and onion’ that I got. It was still edible, certainly, and more important than that, it was hot. Did me good, and the café was kind enough to put up with my hanging around until it was time for train, bringing me refills of hot green tea.

Oh, I can’t let it go unmentioned that a couple of stops from Aso there is, as far as I could deduce, a koala bear exhibit called Cuddly Dominion. I didn’t investigate, but I find the very idea so refreshingly Japanese.

The train ride from Aso to Beppu was pleasant, though I continued to work on pictures rather than blog. Whereas on the way into Aso there was a gap to pass through (the mountain god kicked out part of the caldera so that the people would have access to the land to grow rice), there was no such convenience on the way out which meant lots of tunnels. Once we got through the tunnels, it was mostly forest. Not photogenic forest, but trees right up next to the rails forest, and when there was a gap in the trees, it just revealed more trees a little further away.

Beppu is a major Japanese tourist destination. Outside the station they have a statue dedicated to a man who traveled America in his youth where he learned to promote tourism, then returned to Japan, bringing promotions and advertisement with him. His was the genius that turned boiling mud into a tourist attraction. So there’s a lot to see and do there, and I didn’t see or do any of it. After Aso, I was too tired to think so I just found my youth hostel, thankfully quite close to the station, and called it a day. Part of this was because I spent my first hour trying unsuccessfully to get the wireless LAN to work. Luckily there was a LAN cable in the lounge I could use instead, though it meant putting up with cigarette smoke. It may seem sad that I was so obsessed with Internet access, but I still had no place to stay Friday night. My host pointed out that Friday was a holiday, and that all the hostels were full, and his television also revealed that the last sumo tournament of the year was still going on, and it’s happening in Fukuoka, which could only make things worse. So I needed the Internet to look for hotels. I’d given up on Fukuoka, but my Japan Rail pass is still good tomorrow, so I started looking at places near Fukuoka on the train. I finally settled for staying back in Kumamoto, which is halfway down the island, but still only minutes away by train. I’ll be paying twice what Wednesday night cost me, but at this point I can’t be picky.

So that taken care of, I could call it a night… except that a British lady was cooking pork in the hostel kitchen and it smelled really good. So suddenly I was hungry, and not only was I hungry, but I’d been reminded that it was Thanksgiving. When I initially planned the trip, I thought I’d be having Thanksgiving dinner in Okinawa with Keith and his family, but that’s when I thought Thanksgiving happened a week later. As it turned out, Thanksgiving dinner was had alone, in a Beppu Indian restaurant. It made for good food, but melancholy company.

Staying in a youth hostel, while cheap, definitely made me long for business hotels again. For one thing, I have not had such a noisy room before on this trip. While trying to sleep, I could still hear people playing mah-jongg downstairs, and from four to six this morning my sleep was constantly disturbed by two ladies outside talking. Still, it helped me get an early start and made sure I was at my train on time… for all the good that did me.