Kayaking in Okutama

I recently made the discovery of an outdoor activity club that makes frequent excursions to places around Tokyo. With hiking aside, I guess it's been a while since I've done any outdoor type of sport, and so I took the chance the moment I saw it, made a bank transfer, and showed up to one of the group's meetings in a remote corner of Tokyo prefecture named Okutama, which is pretty much the farthest place you can go from the heart of the city while still being considered in Tokyo.
 Okutama is untouched by the sprawl of the metropolis, though, and is a little bit more than an hour from Shinjuku by train. It's a pocket, or rather, a chain of pockets of civilization nestled between green mountains, with valleys and rivers and waterfalls crisscrossing every which way. Like so many places outside of the cities of Japan, people here live off the land.

 As it turned out, the day was wet and miserable. After five full scorching sunny days, a typhoon swept through Japan and pissed rain down on me on the very day of my outing. I wasn't too thrilled at first, but it turned out to be quite alright in the end - because kayaking, as the organizer said, gets you wet all the same.

 I hadn't kayaked in 6 years! The last time I went was in the Laurentides, in the open sea surrounded by whales, penguins and seals and a sky full of boobies (the bird species named booby, to be sure, though the other type would've been interesting too.) Kayaking brought back good memories, but I wondered if I remembered anything about how to row at all.
 Turns out I did! Fun fun fun.
Our group rowed up the misty canals of Okutama, against quite a bit of current brought on, no doubt, by the rain. Though many of my fellow rowers were spiraling uncontrollably, I managed quite alright, if I were to be my own judge!
 With the mist sitting right on top of the river, the whole setting had some magic to it. We were, in fact, down in a valley, with high cliff sides on either side and the one eventual wood bridge looming high overhead. It felt like the set of an Indiana Jones adventure. Even though a river in the countryside hardly compares to the Atlantic Ocean, kayaking in Okutama was very fulfilling in its own right, and I probably could've spent the day exploring the misty green valley if I were given the choice.

 Eventually I was even allowed to jump off one of the cliffs and into the water, which was actually quite deep. I did a front flip right in, forgetting I was wearing a life vest. I can tell you with certainty the life vests work, now.
 After a few hours, we made our way back and pulled the kayaks out of the water, and that was pretty much that. But since I made the discovery of the group, there's great opportunity to go at it as often as I care to spend the money for, and try lots of new outdoorsy things!

Silly Inventions 5: Turtle Launcher

#5: Turtle Launcher

As far as the toy industry goes, Japan's pretty innovative. The most mundane objects can be turned into delightful things. If even the idea of it is entertaining, then it's put on the market.
 So, why not a turtle that launches out of its shell, exposing a swimsuit-wearing body? It's not even a joke. Here's the Turtle Launcher, ladies and gentlemen.

Life-changing, I know. The name of this product is actually "Aitsu, Kame yamerutte yo." Which roughly translates to "this guy's giving up on being a turtle," but I think Turtle Launcher summarizes it about just as well. These toys come in six different varieties (different kinds of turtles and tortoises) and are sold for just around 2$ from gashapon machines. One of them even wears a bikini.
 Of course, upon discovering the existence of these wonderful creatures, I absolutely had to find one for myself, and sure as hell, they're being distributed just about anywhere you would expect to find gashapon toys. Wanna see it in action? Your balls aren't ready for this.

God damn it.

Okay, actually, I got a lot better at launching it after that. There's actually a trick to it. And while it won't fly into the sky like the promotional video, it can travel a meter or so and right into your cup of coffee. I know, right? You better get it.

Let's Try This Bon Odori Thing

Shredded ice and my jimbei.

Obon is kind of a big deal, as far as festivals go. Though it isn't treated as an affair as grim as it sounds, at the very root of it, it's a celebration of the memory of the deceased, be it the recently deceased or ancestors long gone. And Japan being such an ancient country, you can bet there's a lot of ancestry involved. On the surface though, it's a rather cheery thing! Children are somewhat abundant and little booths sell water-filled balloon toys and shredded ice with syrup. Go figure.
 Rather than being a single concentrated event, Obon festivals take place in every corner of town, large neighborhoods and small ones alike, on many nights throughout the Summer. My neighborhood had theirs recently! So I delved in.
 I came equipped! I actually got to pull out my jimbei, which is a form of traditional clothing much easier to wear than the yukata, which is the Summer kimono. Though it isn't absolutely necessary to wear traditional clothing during Obon, most people do.

 In a nutshell, here's what happens: a large stage is erected in the center of a square and lanterns hung. Up on the stage, drummers play music to the beat of very ancient songs, and a procession of dancers (everyday people from the neighborhood, mostly the elderly) dance around the stage, usually clockwise. The motions to the dance vary from song to song, and the songs vary from region to region, but most of them are tied to the area in which the festival is taking place. A region with a history of mining may have a dance that looks like shoveling. 

Altogether, it's a merry little thing and quite a few kids also join in.
 I actually very briefly joined the dance and gave it a try. I suddenly felt very awkward and jumped out like a man on fire. I'm sorry for all those whose ancestors I've shamed! There's a video of it, but I'd much sooner take it with me to the grave. I'll try harder if I go next year!

Stand Back, I'm A Pokemon Master

You've come to the wrong neighborhood.

I lied, actually. I'm retired. I'm a retired Pokemon Master. But then again, hundreds of thousands of children from my generation can probably say the same. Ongoing fans, rejoice, though! In the Land of the Rising Sun, the passion still burns strong, and young fans are renewed. The television series is still going strong, and new movies and games still pop up sporadically. Pokemon even has its own morning talk show thing, hosted by a fairly well known model/celebrity.
Be that as it is, it's not surprise that the top of the Roppongi Hills Mori Arts Tower has been turned into a giant Pokemon fandom center in celebration of the, like, 40th movie or something. Alright, the 17th. Whatever the case, it's been deemed that this event calls for a great celebration, so the observation deck floor of the towering building is now filled with thematic art and sketches by the creator of the series as well as fun games for children and the disabled. Shall I take you through one such delightful activity?
 Yes, yes I believe I shall.

 Behold! It's a labyrinth of Pokemon! If you encounter a turn, you have to turn. And you end up with one of four different Pokemon at the exit! Okay, to be fair, it's a game for young children, but it's amazing that the presenters will let any adult try with a straight face. Somewhere in here, there's something insightful to be said about rediscovering your inner child and getting giddy about something that used to be all the rage a decade and a half ago. You'll notice soon enough that most of the crowd here is actually not small children.

 A Pikachu-themed restaurant has also temporarily been opened on the observation deck floor. Going there on a Saturday afternoon, though, proved to be tantamount to queuing for a Disneyland ride. It actually costs 15$ to even have access to the observation deck floor, so I wasn't to keen on spending much more on dinner and having to wait in line on top of that, so I skipped this time around (a rarity, I know!) But it seemed to me that the food was actually really neat looking in terms of presentation! Yeah, that actually looks like Pikachu, alright. I've learned after my fair share of themed restaurants though, that presentation doesn't equal delicious taste, and you're only paying for the former. But what would I know!

 And of course, exit through the gift shop. Rumor around town is that if you do visit the tower at a certain time, you can meet Pikachu, in giant mascot form, but I had no such luck, though I did harbor a secret hope that I'd find him waiting in here. Still, I can think of a person or two back in Canada who would want something from this kind of gift shop, but I abstained this time around. In real life unlike in the games, you can't just nab yourself Pokemon without paying a pretty dollar. As my parents would know.

Pepper isn't Science Fiction

 Softbank's one of the big players in Japan. It's basically a telecom company, like Verizon and such. But telecom companies have a foot in every door in this country, and so it turns out that Softbank is heavily invested in the field of robotics. That's usually a fact of little consequence, but recently, Softbank and the robotics company, Aldebaran, have decided to show the world their love child, named Pepper.

So much promise!

 Now, Pepper's not just some toy. He's programmed to understand 4500 (Japanese) words, and be able to make conversation. He's able to face you when you're talking and even read the tone of your voice and respond appropriately. The slogan to Pepper's reveal commercial was "this isn't science-fiction." Honestly, I could've been fooled. It turns out Japan really does have a bit of a lead when it comes to technology.
 When Ken and I walked by the Harajuku branch of the Softbank store, I was thrilled to find out that Pepper was available to be seen by the public. So we stood in a thankfully rather short line and finally got our chance to speak to the robot itself.

 "Oh! You've been looking at me since earlier, huh?" said Pepper as we approached. "So, have you been anywhere nice lately?"
 "Well I went to Kamakura recently," Ken brought up.
 "Oh. That's nice. Did you know the Osaka branch of the Softbank store is considered to be a therapeutic and relaxing place?"
  And it kind of occurred to me that Pepper's a bit of a dick. He shamelessly took several opportunities to direct the flow of the conversation towards Softbank products! God damn it, Pepper. I know you're on the clock, but you could've crushed my hopes a little less blatantly.

 Even so, it was kind of cool how Pepper would move towards the speaker and gesture realistically while talking. I guess the truth is, programming a robot to speak doesn't mean it will make for good conversation. In a nutshell, Pepper's a pretty shitty listener!
 All that being said, though, Pepper's going to be commercialized as a home robot and will go for 2000$-ish starting next year. Hey, that's actually not such a terrible price at all. Hopefully the home model isn't going to be as much of a little salesman as the representative in the shop. I think it's a fascinating step towards the future, and it may just be that everyone will have little robots to keep company, one day.

Sakuragaoka Has Goats

If you've ever taken a walk in Shibuya around mid-afternoon, you might've come across a pair of young ladies walking goats up and down the busy streets. Regular people don't really own that kind of pet in Tokyo, so you can just about guess that, yes, indeed, some restaurant/bar/cafe out there is home to those two goats. The place in question is Sakuragaoka, south of Shibuya station. I went in with Ken for a closer look.
 The goats, named Chocolat and Sakura respectively, casually chill outside of the cafe in a small, cozy looking enclosure, and you can actually smell them from a little bit away. It's not that they smell terrible or anything, but goats smell like goats. Y'know, that barnyard smell. I tried to stick my hand in and pet Chocolat, but he headbutt my hand. The damage was more emotional than anything else though. How rude. Chocolat's a bit of an asshole.

  Heading in, though, the cafe's got a pleasant, soft-bosanova, chill atmosphere, which I guess isn't unexpected of a cafe. It's spacy and the lights are dim, and it has a bit of a vintage look to it.
 I had stumbled upon reviews for Sakuragaoka at an earlier point and was surprised to see how highly regarded the food was. I can at least vouch that their lunchtime menu pork chop made for a pleasant lunch, and Ken was quite happy with their choice of salad dressing.

:>

  Sakuragaoka isn't a cafe with a theme, I realized quick enough, and I should probably stress that. The goats, I have no fucking idea what they're actually there for, as it's clear that they're part of the backdrop and don't really serve any other purpose - not even that of being eaten. Maybe they simply belong to the owner and he or she decided to just annex their pen to the cafe, which doesn't really do anything to highlight their presence at all. Point being, Sakuragaoka is a cafe with goats, not a goat-cafe, however much I was hoping it would be.

Milestone: 2¾ Years

 You can compare with my other Milestones!

2¾ Years : Summary

Status:


Job: Children's Fitness Teacher, Pro-Bono Cultural Ambassador
Financial status:  Good

City: Tokyo
Ward: Itabashi-ku
Train station: Senkawa
Residing in: Alien Castle, my apartment.




Cast of Characters:

Major Characters:

Ken Tanaka
Millo, Julian of France
Dario Lupoli of Italy

Minor Characters:

Aala Kansali of Tunisia
Jean-Paul "Papa Lo"  the French Laotian
Nana Takeuchi, the Bawss
Eri Karasawa, who works a different location
Erika Mochizuki (and Maxine!)
Kuniaki "Forest" Mori
Kazue Inoue 

Retired Characters:

Sofie Monrad of Denmark
Julian "Shank" Einschenk of Germany
Anton "Foxboy" Jermaine of England
Rodrigue Zapha of France
Clement Sanchez of France



Top Five Highlights:
(since last milestone)

- The Abandoned Western Village
- Kusatsu Onsen
- Upgrading the Headquarters
- Inspiring Nokogiriyama
- The Sumidagawa Fireworks


Still to Come:
- Talking to a Robot
- An Adventure with my Brother
- A Cafe with Goats
- Bungee Jumping
- The Giant Monster Bar