Category Archives: Travel

2010 A Look Back: The Places I’ve Been

The clock has already turned in Australia and, since I was born in Australian time, I suppose I am already officially in 2011. Happy New Year!

At the end of each year I try to look back and choose my favorite photographs which, of course, becomes more and more difficult as I take more and more photos. So, this year I plan to separate my picks into three post: The places I’ve been, The things I’ve seen and the people I love. It still won’t scratch the surface, I’m sure, but at least that way I can share some of my favourite shots without being paralyzed by choice.

This was a big travel year for the Ishidas with two major international trips and many small local adventures. In March/April we headed to Australia for my brothers wedding, we had family from Ohio visit in July and took a long-awaited trip to Japan in October. Mix in with that a couple of trips to the coast, an embassy visit in San Francisco and a little business travel, and it honestly feels good to be home as we ring in the new year. It was exciting, fun and a little exhausting all at once.

A Memory Recaptured

I was not a photographer when I lived in Japan twelve years ago. Sure, I took more than a few snapshots during my visit, but I have always regretted the fact that I didn’t have the passion for photography that I have now. In many ways it feels as though 12 months of photo opportunities passed me by and it’s difficult not to feel a small twinge of regret for those lost moments. One in particular stands out as the photograph that got away and I remember, even back then, that I was disappointed not to have captured it on camera.

I was 23 when I first arrived in Tokyo and already fairly well traveled having undertaken the 3 month backpacking trek through Europe that is almost a right of passage for Aussie University students. Still, the bus ride from Narita airport to our hotel in Tokyo was eye opening. I remember looking up at the enormous apartment buildings with thousands and thousands of identical windows and wondering what it must be like to live in such a confined space. I was a long way from my suburban Melbourne home and, for some reason, this image was the one that made it a reality.

When we traveled back to Japan in October, I tried to capture this image on camera. It’s not perfect – taking photos out the window of a speeding train has its challenges – but I was grateful to have captured, on film, this memory of my first visit to Japan. To me, it’s much more than just a photograph.

Paper Memories of Hakone

It feels like so long ago that we were in Japan and I keep having to remind myself that it was only a month ago. To be honest, planning a vacation in October has completely messed up my sense of time. Suddenly we were back and it was Halloween and now it’s almost Thanksgiving and Christmas is around the corner. I am madly trying to pull together christmas presents before printing deadlines as well as keeping up with school vacation schedules and work schedules.

It’s a crazy time of the year. But, surprisingly, I am very excited about Christmas this year. Maybe it’s the fact that we have no plans to get on an aeroplane and that I have two boys who are anxiously counting down the days. I know it’s not because we have been threatened with snow this week. I can do without that. (bah! Humbug!)

So all of this makes Japan seem like a lifetime ago and I am doing my best to hold onto the memories – at least until I can find a few moments to write them down.

This week’s I heart faces challenge is “paper” and I found this little gem while going through our photos from Japan. Kei’s mother was extremely camera-shy so of course I made the most of every opportunity to take her photograph when I could and I just love the moment I captured with this shot. It’s not perfect – even a little blurry – but it tells the story of our train ride to Hakone and brings back so many memories.

 

Wordless Wednesday: Warrior

Apologies for the lack of words lately. I plan to write more soon while Japan is still fresh in my mind , including:

  • Thoughts on traveling with children
  • A spiritual awakening of sorts, and
  • Just a few more photos (I need to sift through about a thousand).

Wordless Wednesday: Calm Within Chaos

Deviating just slightly from the “wordless” part of wordless Wednesday to say thank you to everyone who visited my blog while I was freshly pressed. Your comments and clicks meant so much to me. I’ll be sharing more about Japan in the next couple of weeks and I hope you’ll come back to visit.

Now, on to today’s wordless post…

Five Things I Learned About Japan

I travelled to Japan feeling a little cocky. Kei and I met there about 12 years ago and I lived there for an entire year so I should feel right at home right? Not exactly. Even with 12 months of Japanese living under my belt, I still managed to discover more than a few things that surprised me or pushed me out of my comfort zone – and of course I relished every minute of the challenge.

1. It really can be as crowded as you’ve heard.
12 years ago I lived in a Japanese “city” of 60,000 people – not exactly your bustling metropolis. Kei pretty much lived in the middle of a rice paddy. Sure, we visited Tokyo for weekend trips, but our everyday experience of Japan was far from the crowded trains and busy streets that are shown in the media as “normal” Japan.

Yokohama definitely opened our eyes to life in the city.

After a marathon flight followed by a 90 minute train ride, we finally arrived at Yokohama station. It was about 8pm on a Sunday night and the station looked something like this…

Did I mention that it was 8:00 on a Sunday night?

The Taxi rank looked like this…

… and our home for the week was nestled in this quiet little neighborhood (cough!).

2. It’s easy to find something you’ve never experienced before (and probably never will again)
On our third day in Japan we traveled to Hakone, a lovely little town in the mountains famous for its onsens (japanese bath houses). We spent the day at a huge family onsen complete with a 100 degree pool and fish that clean your feet. No – not a typo. I didn’t have my camera with me but managed to grab a shot of a poster in the hotel we stayed at. There is nothing quite so strange (and weirdly wonderful) as the experience of hundreds of tiny little fish nibbling the dead skin off your feet. I suppose you’ll have to take my word for it.

The same onsen boasted hot baths inspired by drinks. I thought my mother-in-law was kidding when she said there was a coffee pool and a red wine pool but I was proven wrong when we stepped outside to a pool of hot water that gave off a distinct coffee aroma. REAL coffee in the water. Weird but also very enjoyable. We then made our way up the hill to the red wine bath (real bottles of wine added four times a day), the green tea bath, the beer bath and, of course, the sake bath.

Again, no real photos but this poster should give you a good idea. What you won’t get from the photos is the wonderful smell of coffee and wine. I’m considering a red wine bath for our back yard – may be a waste of good wine, but what could be more decadent.

3. The food is just as amazing as I remember.
Oh the food, the wonderful food! No matter how much I try to recreate the experience of Japanese cuisine here in Portland, it will never quite reach the heights of the real thing. From traditional Japanese breakfasts laid out with rice, fish, pickles and the works, to home-delivered sushi that melted in my mouth, the food was definitely one of the highlights.

Check out Samuel with his super-sized children’s meal.

If Thomas had his way we would have eaten soba noodles for every single meal. Thankfully, he was easily distracted by promises of onigiri, japanese curry, ikura sushi and even something a little more adventurous.

I was also able to eat my first okonomiyaki in 12 years. Yes, we made the most of every available eating opportunity, even on the shinkansen…

4. Life in Japan can be a little overstimulating.
It starts with the endless flow of people (everywhere!) and continues with the sounds and the constant visual assault. Although I felt as though I were getting used to it by the end of our trip, I found the incredible amount of visual and audible stimulation overwhelming at first. It isn’t sufficient for them to merely say something on a TV show, they have to emphasize it with Japanese writing across the screen (complete with exclamation points!). Walking into Yodobashi camera (one of Japan’s largest electronics chains) was an insane experience. Not only do they carry every single product on the planet (over about seven floors), but they reinforce every product and price with hanging signs and loud announcements.

But I can’t complain too much – they had a full Canon camera section where I was able to play with my dream camera – even if I couldn’t buy it thanks to the sad state of the US Dollar.

5. If you wait long enough and wish hard enough you WILL see Mt. Fuji.
It took a few hours of willing the fog to clear during our visit to my brother-in-law’s house, but Fuji-san finally peeked out from the clouds – just enough for me to capture a tiny sliver on camera. It counts. (Oh, and my brother-in-law may have one of the best views I have ever experienced from someone’s living room)

More stories and photos from Japan coming of course, but I just had to share these initial thoughts while they were still fresh in my mind.

Home Sweet Home

It was a trip that we had been meaning to take for many years and we finally made it happen. With kids in tow we made the long trip to Japan for ten days of adventure, sightseeing, eating and, most importantly, a little overdue family time with Kei’s Mother.

I have a lot to write and about a thousand photos to sift through and edit, but it will have to wait until after I have recovered from jet lag. I don’t trust my ability to write coherently on two hours of sleep. Back with more soon.