Since leaving America August 2006, I have traveled to sixteen countries. A great deal has happened. This site is to share my thoughts, photos, music, writings, travel experiences, and developing political/social commentary with you. I hope you find it interesting and informative.
It’s that time of year again. Cherry blossoms! Because of the cold winter, which dragged on longer than usual, the peak of bloom was about a week late. But worth the wait!
Last Friday evening we walked around Sasayama Castle. Of course, the city lights up the trees and the castle, providing a truly magical landscape.
Next day, we walked around the castle while the sun was up.
This was the weekend of the annual Cherry Blossom Festival, which meant there was a lot going on: food booths, boating, even a jazz band.
The Kawaramachi district of Tambasasayama includes a very traditional street with various cafes, antiques and ceramics stores, a jewelry and clothing shop, restaurants, a small local JP Post Office, art galleries, even a tatami mat maker and dealer. It hosts several arts and crafts fairs every year. Masumi and I call it merchant street for convenience.
With very traditional buildings and architecture, it has always been a very charming place to visit, view, and walk, with many fun stops along the way . . . with one caveat. As you can see in the photo at the top, it always had ugly power, telephone, and digital transmission lines strung on equally unsightly poles.
Because Japanese really care about aesthetics — especially in locations offering the rich cultural heritage of Japan — the local government decided to do something ab0ut it.
At great expense, over several months, teams of workers buried the electrical lines. This is what it looks like now.
Quite a difference, eh?
I’ve written before about the time and effort given to infrastructure here. It’s fascinating — inspiring! — to me to see the thoughtfulness, kind of care, the meticulous workmanship, that goes into making everything work well and look good here in Japan. The cities are incredibly clean, the trains run on time to the minute, vehicles are kept in perfect shape — no exhaust pipes belching smoke — the modern and traditional are tastefully blended into a harmonious whole.
Some might claim that the Japanese are extreme, obsessive. Is it extreme to hold ourselves to the very highest standards of excellence?
Over a decade ago, my wife and I were on a road trip. We spent a few days in Nagano and then headed for Tokyo. Mount Fuji was conveniently on the way. Unfortunately, all we saw was a giant gray cloud which completely shrouded the famous landmark. We couldn’t even discern an outline of the peak.
Just recently, we tried again, spending three days in the Mount Fuji area. The weather was totally on our side, with clear blue skies every day, and hardly a cloud in sight!
There’s so much going on there, you could easily spend a month and not do it all. Museums, shrines, temples, sky trains, hikes, lakes, water falls, onsens, dairy farms, many excellent restaurants and hotels, even a safari park. We chose to drive all the way around the huge mountain, viewing it from every possible angle, doing what we could along the way.
Next time we visit the area, I promise I’ll attempt to climb the mountain, at least to the lower base camp. Hopefully, that will make me an honest man. Until then, let’s keep my little secret just between you and me.
