STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 48

JULY 28

Yes! Back on my feet and ready to celebrate! Another Ramadan has come to an end. Aside from that last bout of sickness, I had no trouble fasting. I had been worried because I was told the humidity would kill me, but not this time.

The afternoon was marked by two events. The first of which was the conversation exam. This time, each of us would have an entire fifteen minutes to speak, and our partner was the professor. When all was said and done, my professor asked me, ‘Did you think it was easy?’ Does that mean I did well? Or, maybe I’m over-thinking it and it really means, ‘Don’t you think you should have tried harder?’ But, I don’t know what else I could have said. It was all right out of the textbook. Oh well, just let it be. Off to party~

Of course, we couldn’t really have a ‘party’ as there were now only three of us. Instead, we had a late lunch at the nearby curry place, and then we also ate some crepes. Then both of my new Indonesian friends went off to study for their exams. I headed home to pack another load and visit the district office to officially change my address. Now that I’ve received quite a few things from the other students, including a size-able box of study materials for the Japanese proficiency test, a folding table, a couple towels, various condiments, utensils, and more. Tomorrow is going to be my fourth round of moving luggage (the third was before I headed down to hand in my visa paperwork on Friday). Sadly, it looks like there’s more to come. So much stuff!!

JULY 29

It must be a universal rule that you have to change your address within 14 days of moving. I only found that out a few days ago, but I made it in time.

I am now an official resident of Okazaki city! A small part of me is still amazed that I was able to do the entire process on my own. In general, it’s not a hard process, but there is a little bit of paperwork. Last night, I stayed in Okazaki, so this morning I took the bus to Higashi Okazaki in order to reach the City Hall. I was told which department to turn my paper into, but no one said there was two buildings and multiple floors. Of course, that was only a small obstacle, and by noon the paperwork was filed. They even gave me a little ‘welcome’ bag, filled with news flyers, and a few bags for sorting garbage and recycling. After that it was back to Nagoya for some final reviewing.

(City map of Okazaki at Higashi Okazaki Station.)

JULY 30

It ended today. My last exam of the semester, my last day of classes at Aichi University, and it was all the last day of my undergraduate career. Would’ve thought I would finish my career as a student, and start a new one as a teacher, in Japan? I’m fairly sure I passed the kanji portion of the test with flying colors, but I’ll never get to see it. I’m not going to look back for it either: onward and upwards.

To celebrate the end of [most of] it all, I treated myself to something I have wanted to go to for years: DISNEY on ICE. Yes. I was actually lucky to get the ticket from a friend who could no longer go because of her exam. Gi and I met at the venue just as the show started. Our seats were off to the side, but we had a great view of the show. Pictures were improbable, but those images will stay with me I’m sure. Interludes with Mickey and the gang transitioned into each storyline: The Princess and the Frog, Cinderella, Snow White, and my favorite, Tangled. I only wish there had been more, but perhaps it depends on the show? I’ll just have to go to another one someday.

Dinner was my last Taco (salad) Night at Shooter’s with the girls. Tomorrow we are going to Universal Studios Japan!!!! I can’t wait!!

JULY 31

The adventure started off in the warm morning hours as we made our way from our apartments to the highway bus stop. This time, instead of taking a bus from the Meitetsu bus center, we registered with JAMJAM, another highway bus company. Coincidentally, the stop at which we had to wait was right in front of AIDAI. We left early because we were not aware of the stop’s location, so we had some time to wait. As we waited, one of the bus guides, an elderly man, started talking to us; of course, noticing we were foreigners, he was curious as to where we were from. He himself seemed very educated in regards to foreign languages. Too bad he wasn’t our bus guide, but he was an interesting man.

We boarded the bus and climbed up to the second deck. There were two rows of paired individual seats, not benches. These seats were also a comfortable size, complete with a leg rest, and blanket. There was also hardly any other passengers, so we had the desk to ourselves. As the trip proceeded, there would be rounds of visiting the very front of the deck to take pictures, as well as pretend to be driving the bus. One of the things that I noticed, and that I wish I was able to take a picture of in time, was an Egyptian cafe near Nakatsu Subway Station in Osaka. My heritage must have been crying out to me.

At just before 11am we arrived in front of USJ, Universal Studios Japan. There was only a few families and couples with us as we walked past the giant UNIVERSAL STUDIOS globe and through the ticket gate. It wasn’t nearly as crowded as we thought it would be. Once we entered the park, and made a necessary stop at the ATM, the crowds increased, but once again, it was the general crowd you would expect. Families, foreign and domestic, couples in matching clothing, groups of school girls, and occasionally some of the park’s characters would come out as well.

Our first destination was The Wizarding World of Harry Potter. We hastily made our way to the new attraction; from the outside of the park you could see the upper towers of Hogwarts. Gradually, the surrounding crowd began to increase. Before we could enter the attraction, we needed to take a time ticket. Since it was so new, it was still the most popular place in the park, and so it only made sense that they had to let people enter in cycles. The ticket said nothing about departure time, so it was possible that anyone who entered could spend the whole day there. We might have, if our ticket time had been earlier, but we could not enter until 5:30pm.

With six hours before the main event, the only thing to do was enjoy the rest of the park. We went to Jurassic Park first, just as the heat of the day peaked. The line for the ride wound so far down the trail that at first we thought we missed the entrance. That wasn’t so. Soon we found the end of the line and from there it was an hour and a half wait. If you read my past entry from my first trip to Japan, when we visited the Natural History Museum in Toyohashi, then you know I like dinosaurs. Kids of my generation should like them, and that is in part because of the wonderful Jurassic Park. That said, if I was going to create an attraction that would line up people for hours, then I would put something along the line to distract them, like some dinosaurs in the trees, or information cards. The only we had was a couple oscillating fans that people looked forward to reaching in the hot summer heat. Once we reached the cover, there was an introduction video playing on some TVs, but that was during the last thirty-minutes. By then, the excitement increased again, and very soon we were on the ride itself. I won’t spoil it for you, but just so you know, it was a water ride as if you were in a tour boat of the island. Of course, I wish it was longer, but it was very good. They should make one another level up in one of the Jeeps, and by level up I mean scarier, crazier, and more awesome!

So the ride exited into a small gift shop, once you got off the boat obviously. There weren’t that many interesting dinosaur souvenirs, which was a shame. Most of the store catered to One Piece (a popular anime about pirates) and Sesame Street fans. Those two are also two big attractions in USJ. We ate lunch at the One Piece restaurant (right), where the most interesting thing on the menu was the “Giant Leg of Meat”. It was in fact a turkey leg, but it matched both the Jurassic Park and One Piece themes. As we ate, a couple of characters from the show also appeared and performed a short act in the cafeteria.

After lunch, we walked back around the pond, or some body of water, that is centered in the park. We passed Jaws and Snoopy land, and spent some time near the front of the park which was decorated with Hollywood stars, classic American motifs, and souvenir shops. By this time, we had seen a number of people carrying large, I mean HUGE, bags with Harry Potter on them. We assumed those people had already left the attraction— ‘why would they leave?’ we joked. In addition, we perused almost all of the souvenir shops until we found two that also sold merchandise from the Wizarding World. However, the real special items that were on our shopping list could only be found within the attraction itself. We suspended buying anything at the time ans circled the park until we reached the Spider-Man attraction.

The line for the Spider-Man simulator was incredibly deceiving. Starting from the outside door, you can actually see the entrance into what looks like the start of the adventure. But after that line zigzags once, it throws you down a long hallway and into another maze of waiting. At least this time the walls were decorated with Spider-Man art and newspapers. I can’t recall how long we waited, but I’m sure it was over an hour at least. Slowly the excitement picked up as we reached the area near the entrance that I had mentioned. Then, once we received our 3D Glasses the real excitement set in. Once again, I won’t spoil it, but the ride was brilliant! I would have rode it again if the line wasn’t so incredibly long.

As we departed from Spider-Man’s ride, we took the obligatory picture with the hanging Spider-Man in the alley. Unfortunately, they had a professional photographer in place there, so we couldn’t exercise our freedom with the poses. It’s not like we even wanted a print from them anyway, just the picture on our smartphone was suffice. From there, we grabbed a quick snack of smoothies and soft cream pretzels.

The heat continued to bore down on us, though we still had over an hour to wait before entering The Wizarding World. On our way towards the attraction, we passed through Jurassic Park again. This time, there was a raptor on the loose. It was one of the incredibly realistic robots, except for its legs. As I was taking its picture, it seemed to notice and purposely walked in my direction. When it was right in front of my face, I finally noticed that it was bigger than I expected. It almost reached me before one of its trainers, or whatever the assisting person is, called it away. As it turned, its huge tail took out a small child. I wish my brothers had been there with me to see it; they would have enjoyed it as well.

Soon, the last hour of waiting was upon us, but there was no real place to rest outside the entrance. We meandered into Snoopy land and rode around in circles inside giant cupcakes, and then, once we were tired of the Hello Kitty motifs we wandered back to The Wizarding World entrance. We sought out some shade amongst the giant circle of obelisks, found a cool pace to wait, and then counted down the minutes. Just before 5:30 we stepped into the new-forming line, becoming part of the first ten people to enter at that time.

As we traversed the path lined with coniferous trees we could start to hear the musical score from the Harry Potter soundtrack. Ron’s car was crashed near the trees. The true entrance quickly appeared before us, with its expected stone and wood architecture. The 9¾ train awaited near the entrance, across from various small specialty shops. In the center of the street was a stand selling the famous Butter Beer, which you could have regular or iced. We each ordered a cup, and continued to make our way up the street towards the castle of Hogwarts. Each store that lined the way was an eye-catcher, but first we intended to ride the castle ride. I can’t even begin to describe the level of excitement that was set on by the atmosphere. It would have been great to dress up, and even better to visit the attraction in winter, when the snow on the shop roofs would actually make sense. It goes without saying that the line for the castle ride was enormous, probably taking upwards of three hours from the entrance. The outside wasn’t much to look at, but once one enters the castle proper, then things became interesting. It was impossible to take pictures in the dark though. Then as the line proceeded, we dropped off our things in a locker, passed through Dumbledore’s office and approached the ride. No spoilers~ it was equally, if not more fun than the Spider-Man simulator. If I ever come back, my top priority will be to ride it again.

(We toasted with our  butter beers, which tasted just like crème soda. Here’s to us.)

We exited the castle into another souvenir shop, but once again, the items that we sought were not present, for example, chocolate frogs. By the time we were able to enter the specialty candy shop where they were sold, they were sold out. People were buying them by the dozens to take home as gifts for other people. We had only wanted one or two, so it didn’t seem fair, but anything that is limited appears more desirable. There would have to be a next time, someday, somehow. We proceeded to eat dinner at the resident restaurant, which also served turkey legs. It was about 15 dollars a plate, though I suppose that’s standard for theme park fare.

Night had come, and soon the park would be closing. We finally did some souvenir shopping of our own, some for us, some to give to our friends back home, or in Nagoya. The night parade was nearly about to start, but we were tired, dead on our feet to be honest. We regretfully left the park and said good-bye to our wonderful adventure.

Leaving the park proved to be quite interesting in itself. The UNIVERSAL City Walk that led towards the station was once again decorated in neon lights and American motifs. It looked like a fun place to explore, if we had the time and energy.

As we boarded the train to take us to Kobe, the cold that Joy had staved off all day suddenly hit with a vengeance. The train was also too crowded to sit down on for most of the way, so she had to bear it standing with us.

We had not made accommodations this trip, in part because we were trying to save money. If we found a karaoke place, we figured we might stay there till morning for not even a fifth of the price of a single hotel room. First, however, we wanted to make a stop at a bar run by one of Rachael’s good friend’s mom. Rachael and I spent most of the night there chatting with the owner, her son, and a couple other random customers. Aurianne and Joy had rightfully excused themselves to find a place to sleep. I made sure that they arrived at their place before enjoying the rest of the night with Rachael on my second wind of energy.

(Hogwarts, Universal Studios Japan, 2014)

AUGUST 1

Good morning, Kobe!

Rachael and I stayed at the bar until well after 3am. We went in search for the Internet Cafe that Joy and Aurianne were staying at, but they wouldn’t answer our calls. The only thing they had told us last night was that it was the same place we saw advertised outside the station that included all-you-can-eat ice cream. After finding that ad once again, we located the Internet Cafe and paid a visit to the front desk. Again, we didn’t really know where they were, so we had to ask by name. We just wanted to confirm that they were there, but the present manager went to check the rooms and brought back a drowsy Aurianne. With that, we confirmed that we had the right place, but it made no sense for us to pay the 1800 yen for only a few hours. Instead, we backtracked to the McDonald’s near the station and ordered some breakfast. There, we, along with other weary travelers and early birds, spent the next few hours loitering in McDonald’s basement cafe. Joy and Aurianne joined us after 7am, and we were back on the streets by 8.

That started a cyclic day of wandering, snacking, searching for places to rest our feet, more snacking and then more wandering. If you ask why, it is because once again, our bus wasn’t until the evening… as if we hadn’t learned anything from our trip to Mt. Fuji. In fact, we had no plans in particular for that second day in Kobe. After we bought some honey, and tasted some Kobe Beef at lunch our to-do list was pretty much complete.

The small steak of Kobe Beef that we ate was tender, juicy and delicious, but I can’t compare it to other beef that I have eaten simply because it’s been months since I have eaten steak. Everything else we ate was some form of sweet or bread, of which there seemed to be at every corner. We spent two or three hours just sitting in a cafe on one order of coffee, simply because we didn’t want to walk around anymore.

The bus couldn’t have arrived soon enough. On one hand, we wanted to shower, sleep and refresh, so we wanted to go home. But, on the other hand, once we returned home, the only thing that would remain for us would be packing and saying good-byes.

AUGUST 2

After a full night’s sleep, I packed up another round of goodies and prepared to head for Okazaki again. Rachael was having a Taco Party in her room, which I briefly attended, even though I swore off food several times since our indulgence yesterday. But, I couldn’t say no, she made special all-beef taco meat just for me.

I couldn’t hang around Nagoya forever because I had made plans to go to the Okazaki Fireworks Festival with Takahiro. The others would have come along as well, but they had already been to two or three other festivals, including the one in Gamagori.

This time, I dressed myself in the yukata all on my own. I still had all the ties and clips that I borrowed from Akane’s grandmother, so it was simply a matter of mimicking the process. It didn’t take too long, maybe not even twenty minutes. I was able to leave a bit early to meet Takahiro at the other end of the station, as we waited to meet his acquaintances from Canada. It was an interesting because he was actually invited to join a girl studying abroad and her host family at the festival. I sort of just tagged along as the outsider.

In fact, as it happened, the girl from Canada wasn’t present when her host mom picked us up. We went back to the house to wait for her to return, only to find out that she would be meeting us at the festival itself. At the time, there were other family members who had not yet even met the girl from Canada, so that’s who they assumed I was. Twenty minutes of being mistaken for someone else, but no one ventured to confirm my identity because they assumed I couldn’t speak Japanese. Finally, as we were about to head for the festival, I had the chance to speak and suddenly everything came to light.

One of the great things about living in a place that has little crime activity, and people in general respect one another, is that you can claim a space by laying down a blue tarp and no one will take it, even if you do so hours ahead of time and nobody is present to state the claim, just a name. Of course, everyone is doing it, so rightfully, everyone has the same opportunity.

The place that the host family claimed was down by the river. It was very close to the fireworks display, and one of the boats on the water, but we were actually watching from the back. We couldn’t see all of the special one-way designs, but we had a prime view over most of the large displays, and those that happened on the boat before us.

The event proceeded with fun and food, but it ended on a precarious note. Some of the other members in our group got sick from drinking too much. Takahiro had to catch the train home, but I stayed with them until their ride came to pick them up, and then I headed to the station to catch the last bus home. 

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 46

JULY 14

I’m surprised I didn’t feel particularly sore or tired when I woke up this morning. Personally, I felt a bit stronger, and a little less class-oriented. In conversation class I tried to use the time to talk about our weekend, since none of us wanted to study. It was a hard bait to bite, but eventually they caught on.

Usually our day would end there, but we had another appointment set for fourth period. A graduate student at the university was researching tea, and its role in different culture. As a result, we, the resident different cultures, were going to meet with him for an interview. It was kind of sad, because he had come all the way from Toyohashi for an interview that could have easily been done over e-mail. I regret saying that there was no inviting feeling amongst the exchange students who did show up for the interview, and it was mostly us Americans. Granted, there isn’t much that we can say about tea, in and of itself. Those of us with any particular tea background were largely influenced by Japanese tea traditions. There really was nothing to say. However, despite our poor efforts, the young man was kind enough to bring us all a thank you gift for our participation. That made me feel a bit guilty, but the deed was done.

JULY 15

Tonight I’m hanging out with some members from BPM~ I’m not sure what the plans are exactly. There was going to be a get together later in August, but it would be either when I was back in America, or in process of moving. I asked if we could also do one this month also, and they planned it for tonight. A Tuesday night, of all things, but at least my morning class is just over the kanji from chapter 15.

JULY 16

Last night was great! It started out kind of rocky on my end, but in the end we had a great time.

After practice, I hurried home to shower and then back out to Nagoya Station where I expected to meet the rest of the group. I was early, but then they decided to eat at Saizeriya before coming to the Station. I started in their direction, but they said it wouldn’t be long, so I bought my own dinner at McDonald’s and ate in on the corner. It was kind of embarrassing just sitting there and eating by myself, but I assumed they would come any minute. It was almost 11pm when they finally arrived; I was expecting a slightly bigger group, but there were only eight people. Maybe I was a little disappointed not to see certain faces that I was more close to, but I was glad to have the company anyway. I say that like this day was planned for me, which it was in my head, but really, I think it was just a hang out for them.

We caught the Meitetsu heading north of Nagoya and got off at Biwajima. From there, it was a short walk to Japan Rental Car, which up until that point I assumed only dealt with rental cars. Apparently, it’s also a karaoke place that allows one’s party to bring in their own food and drink (no sneaking). So the guys went out to buy the snacks and drinks, while the girls all settled in the room and changed into more comfortable clothes. They’re always dressed up to go somewhere, but I appreciate it when they finally let loose and tromp around in sweats. We managed to sing the night away, song after song, most of which I didn’t know. I really should practice more Japanese songs, but I hardly know any in my vocal range.

Day came, and the lot of us hobbled out into the light. Once again, I hadn’t slept, so I was awake, but tired. Once again, maybe for the last time, I headed straight to campus to review for the kanji quiz. During second period I half-napped in one of the empty classrooms. I couldn’t have prepared more for my thank you and farewell speech anyway. It was meant for BPM, but the atmosphere yesterday didn’t grant me the chance to read it. I’m not sure whether I should make a big deal out of the fact that I will be leaving, or not, since I will still be in Japan.

JULY 17

This morning we had something called a ‘first check’ of our apartments. Basically, Mr. Yoshida came to inspect our room to see if it was in one piece or if anything was messing. He also checked the condition of our bikes. I waited all morning for my turn, as supposedly each person would take up to thirty minutes. Most of that time was spent chatting in my case, since my room was clean and everything was in order. The next and ‘last check’ would be the final day we are allowed in our rooms; we will be returning our student IDs, our keys and our bikes. I could easily have set my last day to be the first of August, since I already have a new apartment to move in to. However, as the last of the students will be leaving on the sixth I volunteered to stay until the seventh so they had a place to sleep for the night after turning in their keys on the fifth.

Only two more days until I get the keys to my new place!

Speaking of which, I had to call the electric and gas company before I moved in. I had been putting the task of for the past few days because I wasn’t sure what I was supposed to say. With only two days remaining, I had no choice but to call them today. First, I went to the international center and asked if they might help me with the call. In return they confidently said, ‘But you speak Japanese very well, why don’t you call them?’ I called the electric company first as I stood in front of them, just in case. I don’t know why I had been so nervous; the call was very quick and to the point. ‘What’s your address, when are you moving in, how will you make the payments?’ I have to thank the international center for believing in me. Now, I know that I can handle basic phone conversations like that on my own as well. I’ll be all right.

JULY 18

Game Night! It would have been amazing if the Sloppy Joes weren’t made with mixed beef. I basically ate chip sandwiches since I couldn’t have the meat, but they were really good chip sandwiches. We played Phase 10 the entire time, finally making it up to the 7th Phase. I need to find this game and buy it, though I don’t know who I will play with after everyone leaves…

JULY 19

Let the move in begin! I loaded up my rucksack and packed various odd shaped things, like pots and other necessary knick knacks around my room into the large blue luggage that I brought with me when I came to Japan. Then I set out from my room in Chambre 72. Today, I was heading down to Okazaki on my own, so I only took the first load along with me. It just so happened that today Shin and some of the guys were meeting to play futsal at the usual place. Mark and I hung out with Shin for a few hours last night, but I wanted to see the other futsal members as well, if I had the chance. It was a little out of the way, but I had left early for that reason.

As I marched down the street, dragging my luggage along, I noticed something was dragging. Just as I turned the corner that would take me down towards the campus, the wheel gave out. It didn’t break out, but the bottom support literally caved in on itself. I wasn’t about to haul that monster any further than was absolutely necessary, so I doubled back and went straight to the station. Thankfully, despite a little rain, the walk from Okazaki Station to the apartment dealers went considerably smoothly. I signed a few papers, received my keys, and walked up the road to my apartment.

Just as I entered my apartment the sky opened and it started to downpour. It was half-past 11am at the time, and the gas man was scheduled to arrive until 2pm. My first task was to turn on the breaker, but there were no instructions, just a switchboard near the door. My estimated guesses failed, so I asked Jason to take a picture of the breaker in his apartment. I knew that they were the same design, so I just needed to know which switches were up and which were down. It turned out that all I needed to change was the giant main switch, silly me.

After that, there was little else I could do so I unpacked my poor suitcase and laid on the patio furniture mattress that would be my bed until I bought a real futon. I waited and waited as the rain poured on and on. The gas man called around 2pm to say he would be an hour late. Had I known that, I might have tried to run to the hyaku-en shop as the rain slowed down. So I waited some more and the gas man finally came and did his job. Now I’ll have hot water as well.

Tonight it’s off to training again, and I’ll be spending my first night in my new home.

STUDY ABROAD: WEEK 45* Mt. Fuji

JULY 12

Our trip to Mt. Fuji begins early this Saturday morning. Our bus wasn’t scheduled to leave until a quarter to seven, but I was up well before six repacking my bag. I had finally decided which clothes would be necessary for the excursion. If it was hot going up the mountain, light and breathable clothing was best, but on the other hand, the peak of the mountain would undoubtedly be cold.

I started off in a pair of sweatpants and a t-shirt, lax enough for the bus ride, and also good for temperate weathers. In my bag I had my under clothes, for when things got colder, a 2-liter bag of water, and a couple snack bars. This was my white bag’s last journey, and it became very full once I put in my wind breaker jacket, gloves and knit hat. I doubled checked on my money and my ticket and I was out the door just after 6am to wait for the others in front of the subway station. As I waited, I checked my messages for any last minute notifications. It was good I did, because one of the girls asked me to bring an extra roll of toilet paper, just in case. It was almost time for us to meet, but I rushed back to my room and grabbed the toilet paper anyway.

Then it was 6:15am, we started to walk towards the station vigorously, but slightly hungry from not eating breakfast. In due course, we stopped at a convenience store just outside the station to grab a few last minute things. I figured a bag of granola would be a good compliment to my supplies. However, at the time, I was fasting, and I still intended to fast as long as I physically could. But if the climb became difficult, I had supplies on hand to save me.

(Gateway Fujiyama, Kawaguchiko Station)

Four hours on the bus later, we arrived at Kawaguchiko, but just the first stop on our trip. From there, we took another hour long bus up to the 5^th station. The 5^th Station is more of a tourist spot than anything. It’s the beginning or end for many people who chose to visit Mt. Fuji. For us, it was just the beginning of our hike, though it was halfway up the mountain. We stopped to go to the last free bathroom before starting our climb. It seemed to be that any bathroom along the route would cost a donation of 200 yen. That was the only option, however, as the trails were clearly marked and there was no bushes for one to escape into. I took the chance to throw on my long under pants, since I expected I would not have the chance to before we reached the 8th station. The 8th station would be our lodgings for the day, or rather for the end of the day, and only for a few hours as we prepared to make the final climb.

(Our arrival at the 5^th station and the view of Mt. Fuji from the last free toilet.)

Refreshed and ready to take on Japan’s most famous landmark, we approached the map at the trail head. The trail we were looking for was marked in blue, and that trail was on the other side of the mountain. We started off on the completely wrong side of the mountain. With no other choice, we checked out the visitor center for information as to whether there was a way to reach the other side of the mountain. We could go by bus, but that would cost us a couple hours and almost twenty dollars. The only other option we had was to change our lodging reservation. The clerks solved the matter for us immediately, and THEN we were off to tackle the mountain.

The trail started off at a decline, which didn’t make sense if we were climbing a mountain, but eventually it started to gradually incline. Horses occasionally passed us on the trail as they escorted their riders from the 5th to the 6th station. When we started our journey, we were muddled amongst a large group of people. Several young men started to pass us on the left, and I overheard one say to his friend, ‘Hey, do you speak English?’

I couldn’t help but throw in my own comment to their conversation, ‘Japanese is fine, too.’ That’s how we made our first acquaintances of the day. We took a picture with them en route, but their pace eventually put them farther ahead of us, into the woods.

The trail through the last bits of wood the trail was nice solid Earth, put after that it became something more like gravel. The trail began to wind in a gradually inclining zigzag. I tried to slow my pace and stay with our little group, but as my legs warmed up, so did my pace. I would end up walking ahead, and then waiting at the next turn, or the one after that. I was in the zone, just me and the mountain. I would meet with the group of young men, pass them and then they would in turn pass me by again as I waited for the girl’s to come in sight. First it was ten minutes, then fifteen. After we passed the 7th station together I told them that I would meet them at our lodgings if I went too far ahead. That was when the trail became fun.

The gravel paths were a toll on my legs, but the other kind of path was considerably more fun. Large rocks like a huge uneven staircase, roped off on either side to bar against one’s wandering. I felt the strongest at those points, strong and fast and free. It was on my way up one of these parts in the trail that I passed a middle-aged woman who seemed to be having some troubles breathing. I slowed my pace and watched her, and then I finally asked, ‘Are you all right?’ She stopped for a moment to catch her breath and said she was. I watched her a little longer as she rested, and once she finally pushed forward, then I too continued on my path. After that, I ran into the group of young men again as they had stopped to rest near one of the stations. We had a few moments of ‘international relations’ and then I started on the next leg of the trail.

(3.8 kilometers from the summit of Mt. Fuji.)

At a quarter to 6, I reached our mountain hut. It wasn’t as prehistoric as a hut sounds, but a nice suitable lodging. They even sold snacks and ramen for three times the usual price. Now all I had to do was wait for the others, so I sat on the bench across from the entrance. Time passed, strangers passed, the young men from Kyoto University passed, and I waited. Then, a woman sat next to me, and it was the same woman that I had encountered on the trail. She seemed to be really tired, drained from the climb. She told me it was her first time climbing Mt. Fuji, even though she had lived in the nearby town all her life. When I asked her about her lodgings, she told me that it was up near the 9th station. I was shocked. That would take at least another hour, if not longer at her pace. I was worried whether or not she could make it, but she insisted she was fine and soon got up to hit the trail again.

(The trail was consistently packed with hikers.)

By now, I had been sitting in front of the lodging for some time. The greeter took notice and approached me, asking about the reservation. It was well past six, but the others had still not arrived. He told me I could wait inside for them, but I chose to stay outside and wait. It could have been any minute. In fact, it wasn’t until almost 6:30pm that they arrived. You could see the wear in their faces as the crested the last of the stairs to the station platform. I was only cold from sitting still.

We finally regrouped and entered the hut, paid our lodging fee (about $100) and waited to be served dinner. I could understand why many people would camp, or simply time their climb so that they wouldn’t have to stop for a few hours. It was good that we had the chance to stop. The girls were tired, and we were all hungry, and a bit cold. Though we weren’t the last to arrive, we somehow ended up being the last to receive dinner, Japanese curry. They also provided us with a bag of breakfast, also known as two rolls and some jam. The sleeping arrangements were set in large rooms lined with group bunks and sleeping bags. It wasn’t much for the price, but I suppose any sort of shelter is a commodity up on top of a mountain. We lied down to sleep sometime past seven, but I hardly slept a wink. I couldn’t sleep with the other people in the room snoring, the lights outside blinking, and the voices of various visitors as they passed the hut. I did the only sensible thing, and that was to get out of bed.

First, I visited the bathroom, donated my 200 yen and sat in the main room for a bit. There, one of the women who ran the hut, was greeting people who came by for wood burnings. Each station provided its own brand to mark one’s journey as they pursued the summit. Joy was carrying a stick of her own. I understand it was a great souvenir, but I found it was an obstacle when climbing. I talked with the woman briefly, and then sat in the warm room with another guest who was having altitude sickness. I was surprised that I felt perfectly fine at all. So I sat there, and waited, counting off the time until it made sense to dress for the weather again and wake up the crew. We planned to leave before all the other groups clogged up the trail, which meant at 11:30pm it was time for round two.

(The great full moon watched over our last leg of the journey.)

JULY 13

Our second round up the mountain started out in the same fashion as the first, with a slow and gradual trail of gravel. I kept catching myself ahead of the group, but I would wait. There was no question that I could reach the summit, but I was here to do it with my best friends. I paired myself up with Rachael, who trooped onward despite the then oxygen levels. That’s why we had cans of oxygen with us. Joy also had something of a cold, so she used the cans as well.

I sent Joy and Aurianne on ahead, as Rachael and I brought up the rear. Maybe we had to rest at every turn of the trail, but we never stopped. We gave light to the couple that decided to climb without flashlights, and I met another couple from Australia. Then, as we were nearing the peak, we passed a small crew of emergency men. They were surrounding a woman who had collapsed on the trail from tiredness; it was the same woman who I talked to only a few hours before. I hung back as Rachael went on, eavesdropping on their conversation, she seemed all right, but I didn’t ask until one of the men proceeded up the trail. He said she was all right, but they were going to have someone help her to the nearest station and then probably take her down to the 5th station. I felt empathy for her because she tried so hard, but also there was a faint sense of disbelief that the one woman I talked to would be that woman.

There had been many once in a lifetime encounters during our climb. Now, all that lied before us was the final climb to the gates of the mountain shrine. Joy and Aurianne would be waiting for us. We climbed in the deepest dark of the night, guided only by our little lamps and a trail occasionally lit with torches, two amongst many, from all over the world. We met with the summit at half past three in the morning, a good hour before sunrise. Joy and Aurianne were huddled together against the cold air, facing the east horizon. Rachael quickly settled down with them. There was nothing to do, but wait. I couldn’t sit still, so I went off in search for a bathroom to no avail. After that I stayed standing so I could move around and stay warm in some way. We should have brought some more aids against the wind.

Dawn started to peek over the horizon, causing everyone to rise from their seats to take pictures. We took our pictures, too, as daylight filled the air. There I was, July 13th, the dawn of my own birthday, atop one of the world’s wonders. It was wonderful.

(We reached the summit! I couldn’t have done it without these amazing women. I can’t thank them enough for sharing this experience with me.)

Wonderful until the cold started to bite at us again. We saw what was needed to be seen, and it was time to start our descent. Almost the entire descent was more difficult than the ascent, in my opinion. Whether that was because I had not gotten any sleep, and the very little rest that I did receive over the past day hardly gave my legs a chance to recover, or if it was just navigating down the loose gravel for hours… we also needed to go to the bathroom. The entire way down that’s all we were thinking of. Unfortunately, there was no place to go until we reached the 7th station. After that, it was still hard on our legs, but we bore with it until we returned to the 5th station.

(The view as we descended the mountain at first light was breathtaking.)

We had just enough energy to look at the souvenir stores and grab some snacks before we boarded the bus back to Kawaguchiko. I had successfully fasted on my way up and down the mountain, but once the trial ended, I needed something to keep me awake and functioning. It was my birthday, so until our bus back to Nagoya came back we loitered around the station, ate lunch and a few sweets from the convenient store. For the first time, I was knocked out on the bus, all the way back to Nagoya. The walk back to our apartment was painful, and we were still half-asleep; it was the complete opposite of our departure. We will sleep well tonight.