Survived the Disasters / Finally Legal

I was shaken out of my sleep as the pick-up drove over the old road, dotted with pot holes and mud puddles. The driver didn't bother slowing down, and I was thrown around on the back of the truck. A hitchhiker's rugged dream... When I opened my eyes, I realized I was lying on my futon, in my Japanese apartment. So it WAS just a dream, except for the shaking, that kept going on and on. An earthquake! 'Apparently they are quite common in this part of the world,' I felt the thought creeping through my head as I slid back into my dreams, and onto the back of the pickup. It was Monday morning, my day off, and the last thing I was gonna do was miss out on my precious sleep.

The weekend had been already wrecked by the remnants of a taifun that had spent its fury in Okinawa and southern Japan. By the time it reached the protective folds of the Shinano valley, all it had in store for us were two days of constant pouring. If anyone had planned on going on a hike, like I was, they were screwed. We went to another onsen instead. It was nice to sit in the hot water, and look out at the trees, until the old men started complaining that we spent too much time hogging the water... Like there wasn't enough space for them as well in the tub. Whatever!

So as nice as the onsen was, I wanted to go on this hike to test the map. With my colleague Yanik I am planing to undertake a hike across the Japanese Alps all the way to the sea. So to make sure the hiking times on the map correspond with the time we need to complete a hike, we wanted to go on a day-trip around the village of Asahi. But the rain threw a monkey-wrench in our plans. So I wasn't gonna let a petty trembler steal my sleep.

Later I found out that this petty trembler was a 6.8 earthquake, causing death and destruction just about 100 km North from us. But it wasn't the frenzy of the local citizens or the local news that gave me this idea, but the worried e-mails I got from several parts of the world. The further these messages came from, the worse the picture seemed to be portrayed. I had to assure everyone that I was fine, and that the lawnmower outside was more an annoyance factor than these natural disasters.

Other than that I have to mention that I am finally somewhat close to being a legally acknowledged person in Japan. I have what it takes to be recognized: a visa, for which I didn't even have to go to Korea. Instead I had to take two trips to Nagano (with two weeks between them) after finally getting my “letter of eligibility”, the paper that announces another loooong waiting period, once it had been granted after 8 weeks. With my visa I could apply for a Gaijin-card, which is nothing more than a legal identification for foreigners. After three weeks I even got that, and I could finally get a cell-phone (one week waiting period), which is needed for pretty much everything else: applying for health insurance, opening a bank account, even buying a bicycle. Fortunately I found my way around the latter obstacle, so I got a bike way before I was supposed to.

But today I finally got a bank account too. I opened it up with an initial deposit of five yen (Japanese symbol of good luck and prosperity). My inquiry about a credit card was refused, as I am not staying for a full year. To be realistic, after the diverse waiting periods, the remainder of my stay has been reduced to half a year, especially since I would have to wait another month for the card, if I can convince them that I WAS gonna stay for a full year.

So I might not even be able to buy a book, or an airline ticket online. But what does this bank account offer? A cash-card I can use at local ATM's for a charge of 200 yen per transaction(!!!), and even that at restricted times. Withdrawals at night or on Sundays are out of question. So what's it all good for? To make it easier (for my school) to pay me? To help the bank get over its financial crisis? Well, I know I will withdraw everything at once, convert it into cash or USD traveler's checks.  Screw the financial institution if they are such a rip-off!

But the coolest thing about the whole issue is my bank-book. It's so Japanese it's not even funny.... or is it? Judge for yourself!

Outdoor Water Trips

Has it been almost a month already?
This is what happens once you get into the routine: time picks up pace, nothing seems to happen, at least nothing extraordinary, and before you know it the blog goes stale.

But that shouldn't be, after all there were many cool little things going on. My free-time is precious, so I make the most out of it. Even despite of the rain, that seems to break down on us during the least ideal moments, and even despite of the extra workload I was given, as an opportunity to earn some extra money in a six-day week, since two teachers had left and the new ones still have to learn the ropes.

Regardless, last Sunday we went out to an onsen. There are many hot-springs in this area, and the Japanese are just as crazy about them as anyone would be. Unfortunately, this also means that they tend to be quite developed, with a spa built around them. The one we went to is way up in the mountains, East of Matsumoto, about an hour by car from Shiojiri. According to Yanik it was one of the nicer ones, where we could sit outside, with a view over the valley. Of course it was raining again, but what better thing could you do in a weather like that, than sit outside, in a pool of hot mineral water, where you are wet already? It was five of us, Ross, Dana, Yanik, Vanessa, and me.

Driving up the winding mountain road into the clouds was quite spectacular, but just enough to set the scene for the onsen experience. The spa itself was a wooden cabin, with a small foyer to pay the 300 yen entry fee, then behind it a place to undress and put our stuff into baskets on the shelf. No lockers, or anything of that sort. It would have been untypical for Japan anyway. Armed with a soap and small hand towel, which the locals strategically hold with two hands to cover their genitalia, we marched into the shower room, to give ourselves and intensive scrub-down. Not that either of us really needed it, but it is an expected thing in Japan to demonstratively undergo a thorough cleaning session before getting into the water with others.

Finally, when we were all clean and shinny, we left the cabin and climbed into the water. It was nice and warm. The pool was surprisingly small, with just enough space for about twenty Japanese people, or four rowdy foreigners. Vanessa was not with us, as the Japanese onsen tend to be traditionally segregated, so she had to sit in the pool for women, on the other side of the fence. She didn't mind though, as she told us later. She speaks pretty good Japanese, and could interact with the locals whenever she wants to.

For our 300 yen we got to enjoy the soaking for an hour. That was just enough time to get a good view of the beautiful valley, for my hands to become wrinkled, and my silver necklace to take on an ugly shade of gray. Plus we had gotten quite hungry, and a beer sounded like a pretty good idea too. So we got out and went to Matsumoto, where we stumbled into an Indian restaurant, that turned out to be fantastic. They serve the biggest naan I have ever eaten.

This weekend we were also trying to go to an onsen, this time by bike, with Yanik and Vanessa. According to the map there is one here in our area, so we tried to find it. The weather was a little-bit better. It wasn't raining, but the air was amazingly humid. The mountains were hidden behind a thick white haze, and although the sun was technically shining, the sky was anything but blue.

The direction took us into the neighboring village of Asahi, famous for its ski slopes, its mountain trails, and its fishing grounds. When we asked people about an onsen, however, people seemed a little confused. Still, they directed us further up the hills. Eventually we found the place, but had to realize that a soaking was out of question... if not by a sudden downpour from the clouds that were hanging dangerously low. The spa had been closed for renovation. In fact, they were building a whole new one, which had not been completed yet. Too bad. So we turned around, to enjoy the downhill ride back into the valley. No success, but an awesome bike-ride. The scenery is so gorgeous in that area, that we decided to come back for a hike, and maybe camping in two weekends. I can't wait.

To complete the outdoor water experiences, Yanik and I went up to the Kiso valley today. We took the train to the famous swimming place, where the crazies jump off the rocks into the water. I had mentioned it before, but today I could see it with my own eyes, and maybe take a swim myself. It is a little bit further that I'd thought, about twice as far as the lovely village where they held the lacquer ware festival. The scenery was way more than I'd expected.

Cliffs of all shapes and sizes. A diving-board paradise, without diving boards of course. There are real low ones of one or two meters, those of medium hight, maybe five to ten meters, and then there are the amazingly tall ones of twenty, maybe thirty meters, where it is not really recommended to jump. At least not by me. But of course you won't see a disclaimer anywhere, and it is quite obvious to jump at your own risk.

I jumped... from one of lower ones. Then I immediately climbed out of the water. It was cooooold! Uncomfortably cold. Normally, once the initial shock is over, you get used to the temperature. But here, after the first few strokes my mind started conjuring up images of penguins and icicles. No fun! So I instead of swimming, I climbed around on the rocks, took some pictures and lay around in the sun, chilling. I can't wait to come again in August, or whenever it is supposed to get REALLY hot.