Fuji - The endless climb

Fuji - The endless climb
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

The ascent to Mt. Fuji is divided in 'stations', ranging from 1 to 10, and representing the height in the mountain. We decided to start from Kawaguchiko's 5th station, a usual choice located at 2305 m., and go up to the summit, at 3776 m.

This means almost 1500 metres of countinous and steep ascent, on a volcanic rock trail. It was the first time for both of us to try such a demanding hike, mainly due to the 'altitude sickness', and we were unsure of the result.

In the picture, Rasa is fighting hard against gravity. We were close to the 8th station, with a long way below us and the weather still fine...

(to be continued)

Kurama Onsen

Kurama Onsen
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

Kurama is a small town, north of Kyoto, famous for its natural hot springs, called 'onsen' in japanese and very popular among japanese people and tourists.

In this picture, Andres and Alberto are enjoying a relaxing bath in the open air version of the 'onsen', which is called 'rotenburo'. The day was rainy and cold, perfect for this kind of activity :)

Notice a couple of typical details: a japanese guy with a small wet towel on his head and a (sort of) bucket, used to pour hot water on oneself.

Fuji - Stairway to Heaven

Fuji - Stairway to Heaven
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

I had been thinking of trying to climb Fuji-san, the highest mountain in Japan, since I knew I was going to live here for one year.

It was Saturday, June 24th. Summer solstice, a special day celebrated in many countries. In lithuania it's 'Rasos ir Jonines', dedicated to Rasa and Juan. One week before the official climbing season, a bit cold but still almost nobody in the mountain..

Rasa and I started the difficult path to the roof of Japan...

(to be continued)

Genbaku Dome

Genbaku Dome
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

8:15 AM, August 6th, 1945.

Hiroshima, a city in the south-west of Japan, became the target for the first atomic bomb (in japanese 'genbaku') used for war purposes. Thousands of civilian lives were taken and the effects of radiation prolonged people's suffering during decades.

In this picture, the former Hiroshima Prefectural Commercial Exhibition building can be seen as a reminder of the tragedy. Due to its location right below the hypocenter of the explosion, which ocurred several hundreds of meters above, many walls could resist the pressure wave, while almost everything else in the city was blown off.

Deadly Blowfish?

Deadly Blowfish?
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

Many people have heard about how dangerous it is to eat blowfish (in japanese 'fugu'), but not so many have actually tried it... there are many legends and stories about it, but the truth is that eating blowfish nowadays in Japan is expensive but safe.

Nicola, Nacho, Uge and I ate what you can see in the picture: a dish called 'tessa', which consists of raw fugu sliced very thin, 'tecchiri' or boiled fugu with vegetables, fried fugu...

Everything was very tasty and a nice experience in general, give it a try!

Girl-Lifting

Girl-Lifting
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

This is a new sport, which has become very popular in Japan recently. It is called in Japanese 'Jo-Jou', which means literally 'Female-Lift', and there are even professional girl-lifters who appear in TV and magazines, and have groups of adolescent female fans who want to be lifted by them.

Once we decided to try ourselves and, with the help of Chigu-chan, Rasyte and a thick bamboo trunk, this funny pose resulted. Girl-lifting is very dangerous...

BTW, jokes apart, 'Jo-Jou' would be a valid reading for the kanjis of Female and Lift, forming a compound.

Itsukushima Shrine Bridge

Itsukushima Shrine Bridge
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

I took this picture inside Itsukushima Shrine, in the island of Miyajima, close to Hiroshima. It is very famous because it's standing on wooden poles, and when the tide is highest, the structrure seems to be floating on the sea.

We were not so lucky and couldn't be present at that moment, although the place is quite impressive itself, especially when the day is foggy in the mountains. Like Amanohashidate, this site is designated as 'Nihon Sankei', one of the three most beautiful places in Japan.

Rice Fields

Rice Fields
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

This season in Japan (June-July) is called 'tsuyu', the rainy season, and it's the equivalent of the monsoon in mainland Asia.

Just before it starts, thousands of empty fields are filled with water and smalls rice stems are planted, usually with the help of machines. This rice fields are everywhere in Nara region, occupying almost every unused bit of land.

Multi-Stepped Waterfall

Multi-Stepped Waterfall
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

If you like waterfalls, you would have loved this one-day hike, next to Biwa-ko, the biggest lake in Japan.

The waterfall in the picture is one of the set known as 'Yatsubuchi-no-taki', which pour down the gorge that we climbed. And I say 'climbed' because quite often we had to use metallic handles and chains attached to the rocks to be able to advance, making this trail a difficult one.

Aso-san

Aso-san
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

If you start wondering if I have travelled to Mars, don't worry... this is just Aso-san, the most active volcano in the world, in terms of frequency of eruptions, located in the middle of Kyushu island (southwest of the main island, Honshu).

This hike, with Andres and Alberto, was one of the most exciting ones I have ever done. I had never seen an active volcano, and I was really shocked by the smell of the sulphuric gases, the desolated volcanic landscapes, the clouds of insects on top of the main peaks... and the unforgettable huge crater and its exhausts.

Meoto Iwa - The Wedded Rocks

Meoto Iwa - The Wedded Rocks
Originally uploaded by juanerubio.

This couple of rocks are a very famous sightseeing spot. They're located next to Ise, the village with the most sacred shrines, not very far from Nara.

They represent a wedded couple: the husband is the big rock and the wife is the small one. Both are tied by a sacred shinto rope, used to mark holy places and objects, and topped by a tiny torii (gate).

Although this is a very beautiful spot, I don't like the idea of the man being more important than the woman, a belief that comes from ancient times and is still present in modern Japan.