Water Eco Park is Japan’s largest freshwater aquarium. The aquarium is a part of the Kiso River Water Park in Gifu, roughly a 40 minute drive north east of Nagoya. The Kiso River Water Park offers the opportunity to feel “real” nature. Admission is free to the park itself, and there are lots of things to see and do within it. Between the park and the aquarium you and your family could spend the entire day there!
The aquarium itself celebrates and compares the nature of Japan’s freshwater river ecosystems with other systems like the Mekong, Congo, and Amazon rivers. Through educational and interactive exhibits the aquarium help visitors explore relationships between people and the rivers. The aquarium boasts a large collection of animals that live in or near the Nagara River, one of three big rivers that cross the Nobi Plain here in the Tokai Region, Mekong, Congo, Amazon Rivers, and Lake Tanganyika. Some interesting things to see; the Giant Mekong Catfish, and an electric eel that became famous in Christmas of 2007 for lighting up a Christmas tree.
www.aquatotto.com
岐阜県各務原市川島笠田町1453
TEL 05-8689-8200
Yakitori in a nutshell: kill chicken, put on stick, grill over fire, and eat. The world at large suffers a serious lack of meat on a stick options, but Japan is a glorious exception to this rule. Here, you can get basically anything on a stick. Once while viewing the fall colors at Korankei, near Toyota City, I ate grilled sparrow. How could I say no to that? It was tasty. As expected.
Yakitori, literally translates as grilled chicken, and belongs to the family of Japanese foods called kushiyaki (串焼き), which simply means skewer grilled. It sounds simple, but a great chef with quality ingredients and seasonings can make it taste like a whole lot more.
More specifically, yakitori consists of between 3 and 10 small pieces of chicken (beef, pork, etc) meat or innards (properly, ofal) skewered on a bamboo stick, seasoned, and grilled; generally over charcoal. You will find most dishes offered in either salt or tare flavor. They will probably ask which you prefer when you order. Salt, or shio (塩-しお-シオ), is simply salted at grilling, but tare (たれ-タレ) is a sauce usually made with mirin, sake, soy sauce, and sugar- although really, how many Japanese foods are NOT made with those ingredients? Variety people; look into it! The tare is brushed on before and during grilling. Some places have set menus and do not offer a choice of flavors, but most do.
Yakitori (焼き鳥 -やきとり -ヤキトリ) can be written in pretty much any of the Japanese scripts, though in kanji seems to be the most common. Keep an eye out for a lantern thing with some of the script above on it and you will be golden for your meat on a stick fix. Here are some common varieties of yakitori that are readily available.
• toriniku, white meat, usually breast meat
• tebasaki (手羽先), are chicken wings (remember that dance?)
• tsukune (つくね), are chicken meatballs (I am keen on these)
• (tori)kawa ((とり)かわ)is chicken skin, grilled crispy ( love this with salt)
• negima (ねぎま) are pieces of chicken alternating with pieces of green onion (ネギ)
• bonjiri (ぼんじり), are chicken tails (love these too)
• nankotsu (なんこつ), are chicken cartilage (interesting, this one)
• rebā (レバー), is liver (these are best just a bit raw in the middle!)
• hatsu (ハツ) or kokoro (こころ), are chicken hearts
• sunagimo (砂肝), or zuri (ずり) are chicken gizzards
• shiro (シロ), are a chicken’s small intestines (don’t think, just eat it!)
For a list of good places in Nagoya to try some yakitori, see the full text of this article at www.japaninfoswap.com. If you have questions about Japan why not ask at @japaninfoswap, or post on the wall at facebook/japaninfoswap
How To Make Chicken Yakitori — Video Recipe: Make delicious yakitori skewers.
Just about everyone has seen these mushrooms in the supermarket; these are not the grown on top of a bottle en masse 100 yen variety, these are THOSE mushrooms that leave the unitiated wondering what kind of mushroom could possibly be worth 2000 yen or more? Next time you see them, I suggest you pick them up and smell them. They are very, very fragrant, and are often equated to truffles in their ability to add a distinct and delicious flavor to dishes prepared with them.
If you are interested in trying this autumn treat, I found a nice recipe for Matsutake Risotto that should do the trick for you. It does not require a lot of mushrooms, and would make a lovely appetizer to a great meal.
Matsutake Mushroom Risotto
serves 4 as an appetizer
4 cups kombu dashi
1 teaspoon kosher salt
1 Tbs minced shallots
6 ounces fresh matsutake mushrooms thoroughly cleaned
1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon unsalted cultured butter
1 tablespoon + 1 tablespoon olive oil
1/4 cups sake
5 oz Carnaroli rice
2 tablespoons panko (Japanese bread crumbs)
1/2 ounce parmigiano reggiano, grated
1 tablespoon unsalted cultured butter
Prepartion: Soak an 8″x 2″ piece of dashi kombu (dashi kelp) in cold water overnight or reconstitute powdered dashi in water according to the package directions to make 4 cups of kombu dashi. Put the dashi and salt into a saucepan and heat until steam rises from the surface. Cut the stem from the cap of the mushrooms. Julienne the stems into matchsticks. Slice the caps into 1/8″ thick pieces.
Add the sake and stir until it has evaporated, then add two ladles of dashi and stir constantly until most of the liquid has been absorbed. Continue adding dashi 1 ladle at a time, stirring constantly until the rice has reached a texture you’re happy with. Stop at about 3 1/2 cups for al dente risotto.
While the risotto is cooking, heat a second pan and add the remaining 1 tablespoon of olive oil. Fry the matsutake caps until they are browned and season lightly with salt and pepper. Transfer the mushroom to a plate, then add the remaining tablespoon of butter. Add the panko and toast the breadcrumbs in the butter, stirring constantly until they are golden brown. Transfer to a plate and set aside.
When the risotto is done, add the cheese and butter and stir until they are incorporated. Taste for salt and more if necessary. Plate the risotto and top with the sauteed matsutake caps and toasted bread crumbs.
Kanazawa Castle
Kanazawa Castle is a large castle in Kanazawa, Ishikawa Prefecture, Japan that has been lovingly restored. Located adjacent to the celebrated Kenroku-en Garden, which once formed the castle’s private outer garden, Kanazawa Castle and Kenroku Garden are popular tourist destinations in Kanazawa; highly recommended for people interested in Japanese gardens.
Kanazawa Castle was founded in 1583 by the Maeda klan, who came to Kanazawa to establish the Kaga Domain. Due to damage from earthquakes, fires, battles, and other calamites the structure has been rebuilt many times since its completion. The Castle was almost completely destroyed in 1881 in a fire. Some portions of the structure, including the 1788 Ishikawa Gate, 1858 Sanjukken Nagaya (primarily a warehouse for weapons and ammunition), and the Tsurumaru Storehouse survived to become a part of Kanazawa Castle Park in 1997.
The Hishi Yagura turret, Gojikken Nagaya warehouse, and Hashizume-mon Tsuzuki Yagura turret were restored in 2001 using traditional construction methods to their 1809 form. The modern recreation of the pillars uses Japanese Hinoki Cypress timber with American cypress ceiling beams. The structure is so large that in the late 18th century it was known as “the palace of 1,000 tatami”.
One of the castle’s most distinctive features are the roof tiles. The whitish color of the tiles, which makes winter photographs of the structure so common, are mead of lead. Using lead not only fireproofed the roof, but also provided a ready source of material to be melted down and cast into bullets during sieges.
Kenrokuen Garden Kenroku-en, along with Kairaku-en and Koraku-en, is one of the Three Great Gardens of Japan.
Kenroku Garden, or kenrokuen, is located next to Kanazawa Castle, and is one of the 3 finest Japanese gardens in Japan. Kenroku-en`s development began in the 1620s and lasted until the 1840s by the Maeda clan of Kanazawa Castle. It originally formed the outer garden of the castle, and covers 114,436.65 m², or more than 25 acres.
The garden as well suffered occasional destruction along with the castle, and through improvements and reconstructions the modern garden gradually began to deomonstrate distinctive characteristics like the Emerald Waterfall (Midori-taki), the teahouse (Yugao-tei),Winding streams the Kasumi Pond, filled with water drawn from the Tatsumi Waterway that make up the modern attraction. The garden was opened to the public on May 7, 1874.
The garden’s name, kenroku, literally “Garden of the Six Sublimities,” was derived from a famous Chinese poet, and symbolizes the six attributes of a perfect landscape: spaciousness, seclusion, artifice, antiquity, waterways, and panoramas. It implies that this is in fact, the perfect garden, and having been designated in the top three in Japan, it seems pretty close!
The gardens grounds also play host to the Ishikawa Prefectural Museum of Art (IPMA).
Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle Park Illumination Schedule
Kenrokuen Garden and Kanazawa Castle Park are “illuminated,” or decorated in lights, 7 times per year. The illumination really chantes the atmosphere available during the day, or even on a regular evening in the park, and is well worth a visit to experience it.
Spring
• 2011 April 9th – April 17th 18:00 – 21:30
Summer
• 2011 June 4th – June 5th 19:00 – 21:00
Autumn
• 2011 September 16th – September 18th 18:00 – 21:00
• 2011 November 18th – November 20th 18:00 – 21:00
• 2011 November 26th – November 27th 17:30 – 21:00
Winter
• 2012 February 3th – February 5th 17:30 – 21:00
• 2012 February 10th – Febrary 12th 17:30 – 21:00
Follow these links for more information
http://www.pref.ishikawa.jp/siro-niwa/kenrokuen/e/index.html
http://www.kanazawa-tourism.com/eng/guide/guide1_1.php
http://www.kanazawa-tourism.com/eng/guide/guide1_1.php?no=2
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kanazawa_Castle
http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Kenroku-en
Many people come to Japan through a company. An English Teacher, for example, will usually get off the plane and be met by a representative of their new company, who will take them to their new apartment, which has been rented and furnished for the new employee’s use. Depending on the company, this may or may not be a good deal, but it is easy.
Expats will also usually have the benefit of a relocation company, like Relo Japan, that will take care of all the little details of the employee’s move, including finding them a house or apartment, car, and leasing or arranging the delivery for the client’s things from their home country. Generally, the company will pay for these services as well.
Getting an apartment on your own can be a daunting task if you have never done it before. It seems like just about everything is a little harder in Japan, and if you do not speak Japanese your options are fairly limited. One of the first differences between Japan and the west is that apartments and houses are rented through real estate agents, rather than landlords. This is why you rarely see “for rent” signs in front of apartments, and when you do the contact information is a local real estate branch office.
This can be convenient, because if you go to the office of an agent in the area you want to live you will find listings in the area ready and waiting for you. Not every agent lists every property, so it is best to shop around a bit.
If you can read Japanese, there are also some publications that list available properties.
While traditional real estate agents have the bulk of the available properties in Japan, they are not really set up to be foreigner friendly. Many landlords are simply not willing to rent to foreigners in general, and especially to those who do not speak any Japanese. I remember getting my apartment, and I heard the agent say to my prospective landlords over and over again, “He is foreign, but he is from the United States and speaks Japanese. “ Usually, this was followed quickly by, “Oh, really? I understand, thank you for your time.” I actually felt bad for my agent, as the list of properties he was able to show me got smaller, and smaller, until we were left with about 5- from over 20. Getting a foreigner into an apartment can be a challenge. The agent will work on your behalf though; that is how they get paid!
Landlords often also require a guarantor to co-sign on a lease. Any Japanese national with a stable financial background and an official name stamp (hanko) will do, but you can also use a guarantor company, who is paid to take the risk of guaranteeing you. Guarantor companies are expensive, and, often the guarantor companies themselves will not accept a foreign client. Many Japanese agents now use guarantor companies more often than regular guarantors. If they use the same company all the time, they can work with one point of contact when there is a problem, instead of having to chase down the individual guarantor, which can be difficult.
When renting from a traditional real estate agent, you can expect to need a lot of upfront cash to get into an apartment. There are many different kinds of refundable and non-refundable fees that must be paid; often totaling somewhere between 1-6 months’ rent-seriously. The fees can vary greatly depending on the motivation of the landlord to lease the property, the location, age of building, etc. Looking at these fees is one of the ways many people decide on one location over another. It is sometimes possible to negotiate the fees down, but usually this is not the case. Fees are usually discussed in terms of months of rent.
Rent is usually paid monthly, in advance to the owner. In some cases there is a late fee if payment is overdue. (Fortunately, not in my building!)
The tetsukin is paid to reserve the apartment once you have decided on one, but before you have signed the contract. Once you have paid this, the apartment cannot be given to someone else out from under you, but you cannot change your mind without losing your deposit. This fee is paid when you apply for the apartment, and is usually given back to you once the contract is signed. Generally, this fee will be about 1 months’ rent.
As the name implies, the shikikin covers possible future damage to the apartment during your tenancy. When you notify the landlord you will be moving out, they will perform an inspection, and you will receive back your deposit, minus the cost of any repairs that may be required. Some landlords have been known to inflate damage estimates, in order to keep more of you money. This deposit will generally be a few months’ rent.
Key money seems to be the fee that everyone knows about. It is a non-refundable payment, essentially a gift to the landlord that can be anywhere between 0-6 months’ rent. This one really bothers some people, including me, but that is how it is done in Japan.
The service fee is the real estate agents fee for brokering the deal for the apartment; it is of course, non-refundable. You can assume this fee will be at least 1 months’ rent, and it may be more.
A monthly fee for general building maintenance, including grounds and up keep of the structure.
Apartments will generally come unfurnished; sometimes you will even need to provide the light fixtures in an apartment you rent. These are truly empty rooms. Furnished apartments are available, but these are the exception, rather than the rule, and they are much more expensive. My apartment, however, came with light fixtures, an air conditioner, and even an air cleaner, so be sure to ask what is included before you move in!
Apartments in Japan will generally not include utilities in the rent, although some do include fees for water usage. If pets are allowed, which is rare, you will find the fees to be very high, and paid on a monthly basis. Pet fees generally run between 5,000-10,000 yen per month, but they can be significantly more. Parking as well, may or may not be included, but usually it will be an extra fee. Parking fees will run somewhere between 5,000- 30,000 yen per month; depending on location.
As it can be much more difficult to get foreign clients into homes and apartments, real estate companies like Japan Home Search have stepped in to specialize in those client’s needs. While such niche markets are large, there are not that many, and you will find these kinds of companies largely only in metropolitan areas like Tokyo, Osaka, and Nagoya.
The apartments and homes these companies offer are pre-screened to allow foreign tenants, and the fee structures are often different. As foreign people are often averse to fees, you will find fewer of them, but that the rents are a bit higher. For their ability to show clients’ only apartments they can actually move into, and to basically be able to go through the rental process from start to finish in English, and other ways they tailor their services to suit the foreign client’s needs, these kinds of companies are popular options among the foreign community.
Another option in Japan are “Gaijin Ghettos,” well OK, that is perhaps not a fair name, but that is what I call them. These are basically buildings that cater to foreign clients; offering furnished or un-furnished apartments, shared housing options, short term leases, and many other services that are tailored towards the foreign community.
These kinds of apartments are popular among the English Teaching crowd, or business people who are here for only a short time. These can be a good option, but when I first came to Japan, the Nagoya local “ghetto” was populated entirely by English teachers, and was the site of nightly parties. In the last couple of years they have really quieted that place down, but the image persists in many people’s minds; not a quiet place to live.
Of course every contract is different, but these are some general items that you will usually find addressed in a Japanese rental agreement.
The residence is for you and any other tenants listed on the application; it cannot be sublet, or used as an office.
The lease is 2 years.
The rent is due in the month prior to the rental period. The last month’s rent will be prorated. Lessee holds full responsibility for bank transfer charges.
The utilities are the sole responsibility of the Lessee.
The Landlord retains the right to increase the rent during the original contract period under special circumstances, e.g., a rise in property tax.
The owner is required to provide a cancellation notice of at least six months. The Lessee is required to give one or two months notice, depending on the contract.
If the Lessee fails to give a cancellation notice of one — or two — months, there will be a one-month penalty. Often if there is a cancellation notice within the first 12 months of the contract there will be a one-month cancellation penalty.
It is standard for contracts to automatically be extended unless cancellation notice has been submitted.
The property should be returned in the same condition as it was at the time of move-in. After notice of termination, the Landlord has the right to show the property to prospective tenants.
The Landlord should be informed of damages made by the Lessee. Any damage by the Lessee, or those affiliated with the Lessee, is the responsibility of the Lessee, who must compensate for damage to property and/or people. When hanging pictures on walls, only pin-sized nails — not in abundance — should be used.
The Landlord has no responsibility for any damage to the property, tenant, or other. It is advisable, and often required, to secure your own insurance.
Minor repairs are the responsibility of the Lessee. Major repairs to items such as the foundation, exterior walls, roof, stairs and provided appliances are the responsibility of the Landlord.
Prior notice to the Lessee will be made for repairmen to enter the property. In the event of an emergency, prior notice is not required.
Any issues with the contract will be settled in a court of law (the same district as the property).
Issues not covered in the contract will be resolved in good faith between the two parties.
As part of the contract, the landlord may require you to obtain insurance and may even designate the agent to use. Although the landlord will carry insurance on the property, they would like to ensure that you have something to cover your own belongings, therefore, not holding the landlord responsible in the event of a robbery, disaster, etc.
Basic renter’s insurance has fairly low limits on it, so if you have expensive furnishings we advise obtaining additional insurance for that purpose. Earthquake coverage is also a separate program that requires sign up and additional payment.
Renter’s insurance in Japan generally runs between 12,000-50,000 yen for two years of coverage.
There are a million other things that could be covered by this article, but this will get you started on the road to a new place. If you are interested in seeing available, foreign friendly properties, please take a look at www.japanhomesearch.com. They have thousands of available properties, and the best service in Japan. Good luck!
They say Utsumi Beach has the finest sand in the world, but probably only the Japanese say that. It is a great beach though, is well known throughout the Tokai region for its beauty.
Its 1.6km length is a nice bow shape, and you can rent parasols and buy beer, drinks, and food just off the sand. I have been a few times when DJs were playing, and there was no shortage of people enjoying the music. The beach is crowded, but well worth the trip. What are you doing this weekend??
August is the best time to visit this beach, and people flock to see the fireworks and other events that are held at that time; beware though! September is Jelly Fish season! You do NOT want to get stung!
Minamichita Tourism Association
Tel : 0569-65-0711
Fax : 0569-65-0694
Website : http://minamichita-kk.com/
〒470-3321 Aichi Prefecture, Chita District, Minamichita, Utsumi, Hamaokabe
Japan is a fantastically convenient country for public transport, and it is very possible to survive your whole life without a car or a driver’s license. However, when you want to venture out in to the countryside, or if you have kids that need driving to the pediatrician, a car will make your life much easier!
(Information from www.japandriverslicense.com)
This allows you to obtain a Japanese license and drive the same kind of vehicles that you are permitted to drive in you own home country. You may or may not need to take a written and practical test depending on the origin of your license. People with licenses issued from the following countries are not required to take a written or road test to convert their home country issued license into a Japanese licenses: Austria, Belgium, Denmark, Finland, France, Germany, Greece, Iceland, Ireland, Italy, Luxembourg, Norway, Portugal, Spain, Sweden, Switzerland, The Netherlands, United Kingdom, Australia, New Zealand, Canada, and South Korea.
Conversely, people whose license was issued in the U.S., South Africa, China and Brazil are required to take both a written and road test, as are those whose license was issued in Africa, Asia, South America, Eastern Europe and Russia.
The conversion procedure (once you have all the correct paperwork in your hand) takes about half a day if you do not have to take the driving test (note: if you do need to take the test it takes a minimum of a day and a half with the application day and driving test day separated by a few weeks), and is conducted entirely in Japanese, so if you are unsure of your Japanese ability, bring a very patient Japanese speaking friend! The conversion process also requires a certain amount of forward planning and preparation of necessary documents, including an official translation of your license by the Japan Automobile Federation, especially since there rules and regulations as to what kind of paperwork you need to prove a minimum amount of driving time in your home country. For more advice (or better yet, for someone to hold your hand through the entire process!) please see www.japandriverslicence.com
Generally speaking, Japanese driving licences are valid for three years, but with good behavior it is possible to get a “gold” license from the second renewal which will last for five. Every time you incur a traffic offense (even parking), to get your license renewed the next time you will have to attend a safety class, and you won’t be offered the gold license!
Road Rules – Swatting for your test if you have one!
If you have a written test as part of your license conversion process (or even if you don’t), you’ll need to know the rules of the Road. Japandriverslicense.com has a list of road signs and their meanings in English, and other rules of the road can be found in a comprehensive JAF guidebook published in five languages (English, Spanish, Portugese, Chinese, Hangul). If you are taking the road test as well, this may not be enough to pass you the first time as you may be failed on minor technicalities that have little to do with your actual driving ability. For a full lowdown on what to expect, www.japandriverslicence.com offers a wide range of services to help you pass that test the first time!
One word of warning about the tests, both the written and the practical. Be aware that if you fail to prepare for the test, you are preparing to fail the test, at least once if not more times. Even if you are a good driver, there are minor points that can trip you up if you don’t know about them ahead of time. Each time you fail the test you need to make an appointment to take the test again, so be advised to apply early! Give yourself lots of time before your international license runs out, because driving in Japan without a proper license is a serious crime. In the end, when you take into account the time you have to take off work to re-take the test, it is better to have someone train you properly to pass the first time. Many people fail to take the test seriously, and have a long list of failed tests to prove it.
More than 90% of Japanese driver’s license holders are graduates of designated driving schools. If you do not possess a valid license and would like to obtain a full Japanese driver’s license then this is way to go.
A driving school (jidohsha gakko) will take you through everything you need to know about motoring in Japan: the rules of the road, first aid, basic car maintenance, highway driving, map navigation, and of course safety driving. Instruction is divided into, for example, 26 lectures and 30-34 driving skills lessons. Lectures are in Japanese only, but an English translation of the text book may be available.
Many driving schools boast extensive shuttle bus services and child care facilities. The driving skills exam is administered by the school and only a written test is administered by the driving test center. The whole package costs around 300,000 Yen. Free trial lessons are usually available as well.
There are several large driving schools that offer a variety of courses and free shuttle bus services to neighbouring districts. To find out the availability of English language instruction or text books, please e-mail, or have a Japanese friend phone ahead for you.
Koyama Driving School, who have 4 branches around the Kanto region, Setagaya-ku, Nerima-ku and Higashimurayama City in Tokyo as well as Kohoku-ku in Yokohama.
http://www.koyama.co.jp/english.htm
email: english.infof@koyama.co.jp
If you are involved in a traffic accident, you should call the police immediately, as well as an ambulance if anyone is injured. As in your home country, you should take down:
Emergency Numbers are below:
Always have with you the phone number of a Japanese friend or colleague, or your 24 Hour Helpline consultant (if you are a client of the H&R Group and subscribe to this service) to help you in the case you have an accident. Even small incidents are very distressing in a country where you don’t understand the language, so don’t add to your stress by not having the right help.
When you buy a car (new or used) part of the cost covers mandatory insurance (kyosei hoken ryo). However, this insurance does not provide full coverage in the case of an accident and it is recommended to purchase additional car insurance as well. Optional car insurance is a tricky question – even Japanese people often just go with the easiest option that is recommended to them by the car dealer (this makes a good case for leasing your car and not buying it in the first place!)
JAF membership is a great idea for anyone in Japan with a car. You can call their roadside service any hour of the day if you have a flat tyre, flat battery or even if you’ve just locked your keys in the car. There is a registration fee of 2000 yen and a yearly fee of 4000 yen. They also have for sale, a comprehensive guidebook in English (as well as four other languages) on Traffic Rules and Regulations in Japan.
Getting where you are going is a lot easier when you have a good map, and what better map than an up-to-date navigation system that drives along with you. They come already built in to the car, or as an added-on option. There is an English system also available. If you have a Japanese navigation system already installed in the car, then the easiest way to program it is by telephone number. Many home phone numbers will not be listed, but one trick is to use the phone number of a nearby business in order to guide you (or to guide friends with a navigation system to your house).
Depending on how long you will be in Japan and what kind of car you want to drive, it can prove to be economical to lease. Leasing negates the need to try to sell the car when you go home, it also means that a lot of the fine details like insurance, registration and maintenance are taken care of.
Lease Japan is a car lease company for ex-pats and is part of a large group of companies with over 20 years experience with the ex-pat community. No guarantor or deposit is required. Leases are available for any term of 6 months or longer for virtually any kind of new or used car on the market.
All leases include full insurance (with no excess on claims), free maintenance checks, registration, free road-side assistance, 24 hour English Help line support, ETC and English or Japanese GPS Navigation systems. They can also supply ETC cards (without the need for a credit card application, which is a major part of the usual ETC process).
Lease Japan can also help you to purchase or sell a car if that’s the way you want to go, and they also help with short-term car rental as well.
Hanazono Jinja Shrine is located in the Shinjuku business district of Tokyo. Shinjuku is probably the most famous town name in Tokyo, and the Hanazono Jinja has been used in Shinto worship since at least 1603; though the building is a of course not the same!
The Grand Festival of Hanazono Jinja is held on the closest weekend to May 28 every year. This year, the festival was supposed to consist of mikoshi (floats carried by groups of people) are gathered from eight towns are paraded around the shrine, but due to the Great East Japan Earthquake it has been toned down. There should still be something interesting to see, and some good vendor stall food to eat so if you are looking for something to do this weekend, why not drop in and check it out?
http://www.hanazono-jinja.or.jp/
http://www.tourism.metro.tokyo.jp/english/tourists/topics_event/event_calendar/index.html
Saturday, May 28 through Monday May 30, 2011
Hanazono Jinja Shrine and other locations, 5-17-3 Shinjuku, Shinjuku-ku
3-minute walk from Marunouchi Line or Shinjuku Line Shinjuku-sanchome Station
7-minute walk from the JR Line’s (and others) East Exit of Shinjuku Station
This article was written only a brief period of time after the Great Tohoku, Japan Earthquake and Tsunami, 11 March 2011. As of this writing, December of 2017, the earthquake’s toll stands at: 15,894 deaths, 6,156 injured, and 2,546 people missing across twenty prefectures. I never expected to be in that disaster area, but it was an incredible experience.
This week I was a volunteer supporting the disaster area of Japan. I was nervous about being based so close to the haywire reactor, but after arriving I found life was going on just as it generally does, and I felt a lot better. I was actually a bit far from the tsunami area, as I was based in a logistics warehouse further inland. From there, we supported helicopter supply runs by Japan Mercy Flights, and truck supply runs into the areas in need.
My first day began at 630 in the run down little bed and breakfast that has been rented out for the volunteers and staff of Hope Japan, as well as the helicopter pilots operating out of Sports Land Sugo, where they race cars in better times. After a slow start waiting for permits for one of the trucks, we made it out to the helipad (usually the pit stop area) and loaded up two choppers flying out first to Toryo Junior High School in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture, then Osu Elementary School in Ishinomaki, Miyagi Prefecture. Those locations are very isolated and access by truck is difficult at best, impossible at worst, and so the helicopters are used to fill the void. Trucks are preferred, as they can haul more supplies, but in a pinch you have to find out what they absolutely need the most, and try to fit as much as you can into the birds.
After that, Kazu, a much more experienced volunteer, and I loaded up the only other vehicle available at the time, a van belonging to a rather talented Nagoya musician named John, with as much food, water, and medicine as we could get in and headed out to deliver them. We stopped at a convenience store to buy something to take with us for lunch, and for the first time I saw an essentially empty convenience store in Japan. I bought two fish sausages, and a sports drink. Unless you wanted booze, that was pretty much it. There were not even cigarettes left. I can only imagine that there are a lot of edgy people around there!
From the conbini, it was still a couple of hours to the area, and the first damage I saw was easy to miss. It was just mud. Then I started seeing mud everywhere, and realized that none of the businesses were open. I wondered what all the people who worked in those restaurants, shops, and businesses were going to do about rent that month. Soon, I started seeing broken windows, and furnishings piled up as rubbish. I saw many people with shovels, slowly digging their lives out of the muck. It was not long before I saw my first tossed car. It had been tossed into a pond. Then I saw a taxi stand where every taxi had been slammed into every other like some crazed toddler had been slamming his hot wheels together. I saw boats on the road. I saw houses listing. I saw boats on top of cars.
It was crazy, but it was nothing compared to what lay ahead. As we started down the hill to our first stop, an elementary school in Onagawa, Miyagi Prefecture, we stopped on the side of the road to look at what had once been a neighborhood. It was gone; only wreckage and splinters remained. The only thing that distinguished the area from a garbage dump was the relatively neat main road that had been cleared by someone with either a bulldozer or a tank. I saw what looked like it might have been a house with a car in it, some scattered furniture, a roof, a few foundations, some destroyed cars, and a sign that said “Don’t let your dog poop here” overlooking it all.
The total destruction of that little community gave way to skeletal remnants downtown. Most things concrete “survived,” while most everything else was ripped from its foundations. What looked like a vertical metal apartment building was toppled and dragged across the street; its steel beams bent to hell. I say apartment, but as you can see from the picture, it is almost impossible to say what it actually was. There was a giant industrial holding tank of some sort that had been tossed, and now lay crushed like a tin can next to the road- I could not figure out where it came from. It might have been quite far, as I saw no industrial sites nearby. Our car navigation told us to go straight, past the crushed can, but when we tried we were blocked by the water. At first, I thought the car navi was buggy, but I quickly realized that the road no longer existed; no sign of it remained after the break; just the water. We tried to turn, but found our way totally blocked by an overturned truck, and a couple of downed cement power poles.
We were forced to back out, and ask directions to Onagawa Dai Ni Elementary School from the security guarding a blocked entrance to a road. They were hired from outside the area so they did not know where the school was, but we got a great view of the giant building that had been torn up from its foundation and moved right in the middle of the road. The guards were there to prevent anyone from approaching it. The gentleman in the picture is Kazu, coming back from that conversation with them. I could not help but think of that unlucky witch in the Wizard of Oz that was crushed by a flying house, but this was no house, it was an apartment building. It looked to be ripped at least 100 feet away from its foundation, and it was listing to the side about 20 degrees.
On our way to the school, we passed the other side of that road, and you could see the bottom from the building from that angle. It was tilting that severely. Past that, high up on a cemented embankment along the road to the school, there was a car; precariously perched about 3 stories off the ground; exactly where the water had left it. Also where the water had left it, I saw a train on its side. I could not see any tracks, so I am not sure how far it had travelled until it came to rest there. For some reason, the train freaked me out a bit, and when I saw the second rail car, tossed on top of a hill behind the first, lying in a graveyard, I was speechless. I cannot say why seeing a train on top of a hill would freak me out more than a mobile apartment building, but for me, that was the oddest, most disturbing thing I saw that day.
The distance was short, but steep, and that made all the difference. Maybe 300 feet from the train, we found Onagawa Dai Ni Elemetary School in perfect condition. It had an Army encampment in the lower parking lot, and military choppers were landing on the athletic field, but besides that school could have been in session. Behind the school at the supply point, we found Japanese Soldiers and volunteers taking donations; “everything but water,” he said, “we have enough of that.” They helped us unload, and Kazu pumped anyone who would talk to him for information about what was going on in that city. How many people? What do you need? Has there been any sickness yet? Kazu’s main job is intelligence gathering. Any idiot can drop off supplies, but a good aid worker can tailor future shipments so that no item is wasted by listening to the people on the ground.
Gathering intelligence took longer than unloading did; a lot longer. Granted, with 15 Soldiers to help, unloading a van does not take long. I saw the big board, where they were keeping track of the people that were accounted for. 3,456 people were completely homeless, living in the shelter. 2,913 were still able to live in their homes, but were likely without running water and power; they were only “affected” by the tsunami. On March 15, this little village was profiled in The Washington Post; they reported that half the population was missing at that time. As of the day this was written 295 people were killed, 895 are missing and presumed washed out to sea in the village of Onagawa. If the ratios of the dead and missing hold true here in the same way they do in the other 17 prefectures, 1200 people or more will have died, and of those 800 or so will be elderly residents. They were either too proud and stubborn to leave, or too slow to get out of the way. As I ate my dinner tonight they mentioned the village in the weather report; as if it still existed.
We left Onagawa the way we came, back through the twisted bars and splintered wood that comprise this shattered community[, its residents now temporarily housed in shelters]. We made our way to Miyatojima, also in Miyagi Prefecture. Hope has singled this community out for “phase 3 assistance,”or reconstruction. A small organization cannot help a lot of people, but by limiting your scope and helping a few people you can make a big difference. We were tasked with stopping by and saying hello at the elementary school, where the town has taken shelter; seeing if anybody needed anything.
45 minutes later, we were creeping up one of the worst roads I have ever seen. The sea had passed right over this, the only road into town, and it, as well as any homes unlucky enough to be in the way and the only bridge connecting the island to the mainland, had been swept clean. It was a terrible road, but it was an improvement. For nearly a week, this island was reachable only by boat or helicopter. If you were on the island during the earthquake, you remained there for five days, until temporary bridges, and gravel piles topped with plywood finally welcomed the island back to the world. Only helicopters, like the ones we were loading on the racetrack, had sustained that community during its isolation.
The road was bad, and seemed to go nowhere. After ten minutes, we flagged down an elderly couple in a truck to make sure we were not driving off into the void, and they told us that Miyatojima Elementary School was just up the road, but they also let us know that if we were not off the island in 45 minutes the military would lock us in until morning. It seems they wanted to ensure no one tried to drive that road at night. Although un-enthralled at the thought of spending the night in a shelter, we carried on, determined to turn back after 20 minutes regardless of whether we had accomplished our mission or not. Luckily, the school was less than 3 minutes down the road. There were dozens of cars parked along the road near the school; like resident’s cars parked in front of the building, which is exactly what they were. As we pulled in I could see kids playing baseball, and adults wandering around talking. Miyatojima is a small place, and most of the town was sheltering in the school. At one point, nearly 900 people shared the space, though it was not a large school.
Miyatojima is the kind of place where a foreigner will get a second look on a good day, and I was definitely a sore thumb that day. The firemen chatting near their truck in the parking lot suddenly started talking about English, and then about Japanese. There was a large group of older men sitting around a large bonfire, and near them another fire was being used to cook in a giant pot. It actually smelled wonderful, and I could see the women passing out bags of dinner to the community. Kazu ran inside to find the man he was looking for; I waited outside to speed things up. I was really hoping I would not have to sleep there that night.
I started noticing I was getting odd looks from the campfire group, so I gave them a little bow and a wave. They returned both, but I could tell they were still talking about me. I just kept trying to look friendly and stay out of everyone’s way. Finally, an old man got up and walked directly to me. He was wearing a brown hat, gray jacket, and khaki pants. He was a bit nervous, and in broken English he started trying to explain to me that I needed to leave before the gate closed unless I was going to stay. “Gate. Close. You stay? You go? Gate close. You stay! 6! 6!” He said. I realized pretty quickly that they had been working that message out together while I was standing there. I could see he was worried, so I quickly explained to him I that I knew, and was hoping to leave shortly. He was instantly relieved that I understood him, and seemed pleased. As he walked off I felt really touched that these people who were going to sleep in a shelter again that night were so concerned that I would not get off the island and back to the world safely that they had brainstormed English and sent a representative to warn me. I suppose they knew why I was there, and it made me feel like I was not doing enough to help them. We got off the island, but it was a wild ride. We almost dropped into the sea at one point, and I could see why they were concerned about people driving it at night.
The next morning, Kazu met a truck from Nagoya, and unloaded their supplies. From there, the day went badly for me. We planned to drive supplies out to Ishinomaki, and then scout out the Ojiki Peninsula, but we were down to a quarter of a tank, so we went to find more gas. We spent 2 hours looking, but every station we checked was sold out, and the one that had gas had a line about 70 cars long waiting, even and they had not started giving anyone gas yet for the day. We realized we were not going to make it to Ishinomaki that day, and returned to the warehouse at about noon to find something else to do. I was disappointed.
On the plus side, the helicopters at our site were far from idle. The birds supplied an evacuation center at Toryo Junior High School in Kitakami, Iwate Prefecture again, this time with underwear, lights, food, and water. They also ran a mission to the village of Kyubunhama in Miyagi prefecture. Kyubunhama Village is right on the coast of the Ojika Peninsula and was hit very hard. Kyubunhana got two helicopters delivering water, rice and other foods, and personal hygiene items from our warehouse. The helicopters were covered by a news crew, who stayed all day and filmed many aspects of operations, including me smoking my pipe, which they seemed to think was very interesting.
On my final day, we received a big semi-truck filled with supplies for the warehouse. We unloaded that, again on camera. This time, there were two television crews there, again focusing on the helicopters. After unloading, we started loading the birds for their first flights of the day. As transportation had not improved at the locations they had supported the day before, the helicopters were again dispatched to evacuation centers at Toryo Junior High School in Kitakami, Iwate, and the village of Kyubunhama in Miyagi prefecture. I remember thinking how cool it would have been to load one of those helicopters up with a ton of take-out pizza or something, and give the people there a great meal to lighten the mood for a bit. A nice idea, but I suppose it is probably better that we sent only basic supplies again. As of 3/31, I have been told these locations are still largely isolated, and are still being supplied via helicopter.
That first day was a lot of waiting, a lot of driving, and a lot of horrifying sights. I constantly felt pressure to get one more box in, to drive a little faster. I wanted to help people, and I felt like I should be doing more; more than I could. The second was all waiting, and frustration that I could not be out in the middle of it all. The third day ended early for me, as I had to catch my ride home, but we got the warehouse resupplied, and the birds in the air quickly, and it was time well spent. I wish I could still be there helping now, but I have a job and responsibilities here, and I was lucky that H&R was generous enough to let me go at all. I hope I will have another chance to go there; maybe drive a truck up and back. I still want to do more.
You would think that a modern country like Japan would have their people out and comfortable in 24 hours, but here we were more than two weeks into the drama, and just beginning to make a dent in the chaos. When things break down on this scale, they do not get fixed quickly no matter how badly we want them to. I am grateful for the time I spent seeing the Japanese people’s plight, and the structures put in place to aid them first-hand. I am home now, I don’t get to do it again tomorrow, but I hope that I can do more anyway. So many depend on it, and they are suffering even now as I write these final lines in a coffee shop near Sakae, far from the haywire reactor, the shattered village, and an elementary school with an old man in a brown hat.
As of today, The National Police Agency has confirmed 11,532 deaths, 2,873 injured, and 16,441 people missing. These numbers will increase, with casualties estimated to reach the tens of thousands. Japanese Government estimates of the cost of earthquake and tsunami will exceed $309 billion.
Onagawa Town Website
Map of the Destruction from the New York Times
The H&R Group produced this simple video tutorial as a part of their “Relo Explains” series to help some of their clients who are lucky enough to have central air conditioning in Japan.
While this is not very common in Japan, we thought there might be other people out there in Japan-land who could also benefit from this quick video tutorial by Relocation Consultant, Bryce Conlan: How to Clean Your Central Air Conditioning Unit.
Stay cool Japan!