Funny thing happened on the way to Kansai…
Monday, June 11th, 2007…I never made it! [read on]
Archive for the 'Japan: Yamanashi' Category
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The Yurari Onsen Experience
Sunday, June 10th, 2007
Mihye and I spent the next few days relaxing in the mountains. With the exception of a few clear hours that we had to climb Koyodai for sunset, it poured rain the whole time we were there. It was actually very pleasant to have no agenda and simply spend our time talking, eating Naoko’s delicious food and imbibing cheap wine we brought from Tokyo. All this free time also allowed us a perfect evening to fully enjoy Yurari. I’ve been there before and mentioned this onsen in previous posts, but it never really got the attention it deserves… [read on]
Goodbye Tokyo, Hello Taiko!
Thursday, June 7th, 2007Goodbye Tokyo! The plan is to stop back at Mt. Fuji, and stay at the Solar Café for a few days before hitching down to Kansai region. Mihye was going to come along for a short escape from the city, and to finally see this farm I’ve been talking about for the last couple months. I packed my bag, mailed a few gifts home, and picked her up before boarding a bus back to Yamanashi. [read on]
Yamanashi Adventure Day
Thursday, May 24th, 2007
Back to work… if you want to call it that
Tuesday, May 22nd, 2007I’ve really been spoiled as backpacker and before that as a freelance musician. The idea of staying in one spot and working a nine-to-five job terrifies me. I grudgingly woke up for work on Wednesday and started laboring. Not very long into it I remembered how much fun the work is, and the good times that would follow hanging out in the café afterwards. [read on]
Konjaku: Past and Present
Tuesday, May 15th, 2007As much as I enjoyed the last night and day in Tokyo, it was mostly just great conversations with good friends. There is not much to tell that would captivate your attention other than Nabe and I making plans to play music when I come back to town, and a last minute lunch with Mihye (the Korean girl who introduced herself as Michelle last time I was in Tokyo). I really wish I could’ve stayed a little longer, but I have work to finish on the farm before starting my true travels through Japan. [read on]
Truck Surfing and Leaf Eating
Monday, May 7th, 2007At 9am on Monday I’d normally be waking up for a day of work on the farm. Fortunately, due to the massive recovery wake from this weekend’s festivities I arose for something entirely different. Jake let Adam and I have the day off so we could attend a vegetarian BBQ in the nearby town of Kofu. The only difficulty was that we had to find a way there. It was way too far to consider walking, and everybody else from the café with a car was still recuperating.
Luckily, the people who invited us, Marcel and Chris were kind enough to drive the two hour round trip to pick us up. The only catch was that Marcel drives a typical Japanese miniaturized pick up truck and we would have to ride in the back. Speeding around in the cab of one of these coffins on wheels is a terrifying experience by itself, but “surfing” in the back of one through the winding curves of the mountains is an absolute adrenaline rush!! [read on]
Children’s Festival & Baleric Sunrise Rave
Sunday, May 6th, 2007
5.6.07 – It’s hard to deny that you are alive when you look up to the dawn sky, dancing in the mud amongst the falling rain with a girl named Ai (Japanese word for love) who earlier the night before dropped a hit of acid on your tongue. As surreal as that sounds on its own, once you throw Mt. Fuji being at your doorstep and the contrast of events preceding the moment it is hard to think of any day remotely comparable. [read on]
Narusawa, Yamanashi, Honshu, Japan, Asia, Earth
Saturday, May 5th, 2007This is where I’m currently living:
Meeting People and Doing Things in Rural Japan
Friday, May 4th, 2007I’ve learned that there is no such thing as a typical day on this farm. The unique work I’m doing changes everyday as we get closer to the festival. It keeps the days fun, but the real magic of this place reveals itself at night. As Jake described it, the Solar Café is a place where people come together. I don’t think he could have said it any better way. In the weeks preparing for the festival I’ve met the most unlikely cast of characters who have provided exceptionally interesting interactions. [read on]
Adam Shane