I climbed Mt.Fuji this past weekend. I would have to describe it as one of the best experiences of my life. I have never seen such a beautiful sunrise.?I want to thank all of the people that came down with me on the climb.
It’s a bizarre experience to say the least. You are climbing with children, old people and other foreigners. Then, when you are about an hour from the summit, everyone stops. You are now stuck in a human traffic jam. There are over 3000 people on the mountain.
The top is freezing, but the rest is just fine. The air is thin so be prepared for altitude sickness.
We saw a man going down the mountain in a full business suit. One of the most surreal things I have ever seen.
A wise proverb says that only a fool climbs Fuji twice. I couldn’t agree more. Since I have returned, my legs have seized up.
For a full list of pictures plese check out the set on flickr:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/jasohill/sets/841742/
What you see in this picture is a grasshopper. It is clinging to my shirt. In fact, I couldn’t get it off my shirt. You see, I found it hanging upside down in a spiderweb. It was about to become a protein shake for some horrible arachnid.
I grabbed my car keys and cut it down. I had to take the webbing off its legs. Not an easy task. After I got the webbing off, it jumped on my shirt. That is when Shiho took a picture of it. I had to walk over to some grass so I could coax it off of my shirt.
Only in Japan do these things happen.
I need to catch up from my Tokyo trip this past weekend. Let’s start with what I did on Saturday. I took the train down to Odaiba for Comiket 68 and spent the afternoon hanging out with my cosplayer friends. Comiket is a bi-annual comic convention that attracts around 400 000 people. I don’t care for cosplayers all that much, but since I was there, I thought I might take a few pictures. I was really impressed by the amount of work that these people put into their costumes. They were also able to deal with the 30 plus degree temperatures. This was something that I was unable to do. I was only able to tolerate the heat until around three pm. Then we took off for a nice refreshing beer and some dinner.
I just wanted to let everyone know that I’m okay. There was a very powerful earthquake here yesterday that did a lot of shaking. My apartment felt like it was being torn to pieces. But luckily for all of us, it wasn’t powerful enough to cause any real damage. There were some places in Sendai that suffered damage, but overall, it looks like we are all okay. I will admit, I have never felt an earthquake that large before. It was quite terrifying. I hope I will never have to experience one like that again. If you ever wanted to know what it feels like. Try to imagine your house shaking so much that the heavy books on your book shelf come flying off of it. Yes, I had a lot to clean up yesterday.
I am currently in Tokyo, enjoying some well earned time off. This evening, I was in an area not too far from the Tokyo Station. I was looking for a place to check my email and get an update on the news. I walk into the reception area of one interesting looking place and notice all the “interesting” videos before me. I ask if they have Internet at this particular location and they say that they do. They ask me if I’d like the room with the reclining chair or the bed. “The bed?”, I mention in my roughest Japanese. Ah, it looks like all the rooms with chairs are full. So I’m typing this in the room with the bed. There are four boxes of Kleenex in here and I’m allow to borrow 5 DVD’s. None of these DVD’s are of the wholesome family variety. I tell you, sometimes Japan can really creeps me out. Oh, my hour is up. I am so out of here.
The Top reads: Earthquake+Tsunami=Flee!
In light of recent events, I was a little concerned about putting this up as a poster of the day. But I can’t help it. I really feel for the little stick person as he is fleeing from the waves. Good thing the arrow is there to tell him the right way to go. He might have run right into the waves.
The scary truth is that every year, green ascending blocky terrain makes it difficult for our stick people to safely flee from the chaos. Let’s join together
and prevent the senseless agglomeration of green blocks on our beaches. Let’s keep them where they belong: In Tetris.
I wanted to compose something that would help me remember my time in Japan. This, of course, would have to be something memorable. After racking my brain over it for the last few weeks, I have decided to create a fictional work of fantasy based on what I have experienced here. It will revolve around a young man and his adventures in Japan. I am currently planning it out, and hope to have it all worked out and finished by the end of next year. You can’t rush these things, but I hope to at least give my self a schedule to stick with. There are many issues I need to get off my chest, and I feel that a work such as this would be the perfect vessel for expressing my creative desires. I am talking about a full novelization and all the editing and headaches that go along with it. I only hope I can carry it through to the end.
There is something magical about a traditional Japanese Matsuri. Every town has their own style of music and dance. The beat is always hypnotic. The mood is always intoxicating. Thousands of people strolling down the parade route. Food, fun and festivity awaiting them as they made their way forward. The only way to experience one is to be there. To me, there is nothing more awesome than the constand pounding of the Taiko drum. It is truly breathtaking.
This is August in Japan. This is the time of the Summer Matsuri.
