Up Up and Away!
Well, I leave for Europe tomorrow. I can’t believe it, although I still feel a little guilty about not exploring Japan more fully. But there’s still time before I head Stateside. After this trip I will have set foot on more than half the continents in the world. For anyone interested, here is a brief outline of our whirlwind tour.
8/9 – Leave Tokyo around 2:00. Arrive in China around 4:30. Spend the night in Beijing (city center, near a famous street lined with restaurants). Am very much looking forward to egg noodles, which are non-existent in Japan.
8/10 – Leave Beijing around noon. Arrive at Charles de Gaulle airport around 5:30 Paris time. Stay the night in a hostel near the Eiffel Tower.
8/11 – Board the Thalys high-speed train at the Gare du Nord at 6:52 AM. Arrive in Amsterdam around 11:00. Spend the day in Amsterdam. ALL the hotels/hostels required at least 2 or 3 nights booking, and the ones that didn’t were full. SO… we’ll either be sleeping at an all-night cafe or (probably) at the airport. It’ll be a new kind of travel experience!
8/12 – Leave on a plane for London at 7:00 AM. Arrive in London at 7:10. Just a ten minute flight! (Ha, no, but that’s what I thought at first. Time zone change.) Spend a hopefully gorgeous day in London. Our hostel is directly across from the Museum of Natural History. No time to go in of course (I’ll be back), but it sounds pretty centrally located.
8/13 – Board the Eurostar at Waterloo station around 3:30. Arrive in Paris around 7:00. Our hotel is in the Latin Sector on the left bank. Cool!
8/14 – Have breakfast with my fellow hobbit friend from LA, who just happens to be visiting Paris at the same time. See Notre Dame. MAYBE the Sacre Coeur if we have time. Our plane leaves at 2-something.
8/15 – Arrive in Tokyo.
8/16 – Work. Try to stay awake. Expect pictures, but I’m not making any promises they’ll be up soon.
Kanto
The Kanto festival is one of the top three festivals in the Tohoku (northeastern) region of Japan. It was held this weekend here in Akita City. I wore a lovely plum-colored yukata (a summer kimono) and got to witness the spectacle. Once the sky darkens, the main street (aptly named Kanto Avenue) closes and hundreds of kantos emerge. A kanto is a large bamboo frame supporting up to 46 lanterns, balanced on the hand, head, hip or shoulder by special performers. It’s supposed to look like a glowing ear of rice. The large ones weigh about 110 lbs. It was certainly a sight to behold. Sometimes the lanterns would catch fire (usually if they toppled over or got caught in a tree), so there was certainly some excitement. And yet, it’s more than just the visual. The crushing crowds, the drums, flutes and traditional chants (that reminded me of Gob’s ‘chicken chant’ from Arrested Development) all add to the kanto experience. Pictures are great, but in this case video is better. So I bring you a couple videos, taken with my camera. They’re not the best quality, but to all of you on the other side of the Pacific, you can share a bit of the experience.
