New Horizons – Alaska to Asia

It’s quite jarring to see 7-11 stores on almost every corner in Japan!  

There is a Texas connection here.  In 1927, an ice-house owner in the Dallas area decided it would be a good idea to also sell things like eggs and milk to his customers as a “convenience”.  So was born Southland Corporation and the brand that became 7-11, along with a new retail system that spread through-out the United States.

Southland, through many acquisitions and mergers, good years and bad, ultimately fell upon hard times and reorganized.  In 1991, a Japanese corporation assumed ownership of 70% of the 7-11 company.

Today, 7-11 has about 64,000 stores, almost one-third of which (over 20,000) are located in Japan (a country about the size of the state of California).  The United States has just over 8,000 stores nationwide.

The stores look familiar in many respects, including the presence of a heated rotisserie near the front with hot dogs that appear to have been there since the Reagan administration.

Here, however, they also boast a comprehensive selection of attractive bento boxes.

 It is also the only place other than the Japan post office where foreigners can use debit cards to get local currency.

Feels like a taste of home, but actually, I’ll hope some day to find a bento box for lunch when I stop for a fill-up on a US road trip.

 

North of Tokyo on our way to Gunma Prefecture, we stopped at an old copper mine that was closed many years ago.  We were virtually the only visitors, and it was a fairly cheese-y operation.  We took a little train down into a mine shaft, and wandered through a portion of the old works.

But like many of these wanna-be tourist sites, they had dioramas/staged re-enactments of historic activities…. and the scenes and mannequins were actually quite striking…..

Looks like a labor relations nightmare!

It is easy to become enamoured with the onsen (hot springs baths) in Japan.  

The country is located on the Pacific “ring of fire”, a geological line that was caused by plate tectonics and is characterized by significant earthquake and volcanic activity.   One outcome is that hot springs occur almost everywhere, and the Japanese are avid about using them for their sybaritic pleasure.  Most Japanese inns include access to onsen; the public baths are separated by gender, but sometimes you have access to a private tub.

Japanese inns also supply pretty much all of the clothing you might require for your stay.  Guests put on their yukatas (robes) or pajamas for dinner and generally wear them in and around the inn.

During our stay in Ikaho, we also learned what “kaiseki” cuisine is all about…..  Basically, each kaiseki meal is a feast composed of many small dishes – including lots of fish (even at breakfast), vegetables (steamed, pickled, boiled, raw), meat, hot pot, soup, rice and much more – beautifully presented on unique serving pieces.  A dinner meal can last more than 2 hours.

It is a LOT of food.  You start off the meal with delight and anticipation…..

And often end dazed and almost miserable…..

We are trying to get a handle on this style of eating going forward.  Promise not to post too many more food pictures, unless they are truly unique.

This is our first trip with a professional tour guide.  Setsuko is knowledgeable, lots of fun and best of all, flexible.  

Our next chapter takes us to the northern island of Hokkaido, where we will have a chance to experience some Japanese winter activities, and view a little wildlife along the way.

 

 

 

 

Hokkaido is the northernmost island of Japan…..

Mountainous and very cold and snowy in winter.  Average snowfall in Niseko is 15 meters!  Here’s the view from the hotel room:

Frigid as it is, plenty of animals are at home here.  

(Spoiler alert – all but two of these photos were taken by us personally…. they are included to show the full array of critters we saw but could not photograph well.  A pair of chopsticks will be awarded to any who can guess which two are not original….)

Several special areas are reserved for birds, such as the Japanese crane and the whooper swan:

A wonderful zoo called Asahiyama is near Sounkyo.   Snow came down pretty heavily during the visit; amazing to see the animals in this environment.  Some were active and playful, while others simply accumulated a snowy coat…

Lots of foxes were evident in the countryside, but were somewhat camera-shy.

And once, a local baby reindeer just wandered down the street.

More winter fun from Hokkaido to come!

 

Hokkaido is a winter paradise, with tons of snowfall, bountiful natural beauty, and plenty of outdoor activities.  

The “Niseko River cruise” turned out to be a float on a rubber raft over some very moderate rapids through a breath-taking frozen landscape.

A couple of strolls on snow shoes brought nature close and revealed frozen lakes festooned with ice crystal “flowers”.

Being part of the “ring of fire”, the earth’s crust is fairly thin in places here, as illustrated by one of the sulphur hot springs sites.

Sounkyo has a winter ice festival, with ice palaces, sculptures and coloured lights.

And what is more welcome after a day of ice and snow than…..

Here is a compilation of some of the people we’ve met so far on our visit to Japan.

The steamed yam snack guy.  He gave us a free hot beverage; he received a US $2 bill.

Noodle shop couple in Niseko; also got a $2 bill…..

Kids at the penguin parade (girls wear pink boots, boys wear blue?)

Crab-head couple.  He reports that they never get lost in a crowd!

Self-appointed Pachinko coach……..  Pachinko and video Vegas-style slot machine games are very popular – although much more of a pass-time than a gambling proposition.

Cute little bugger at the snow monkey park:

Thrift-shop proprietor who sold us a cup for coffee…..

One of the drivers who went above and beyond to help Henry out with a footwear crisis.

A retired civil engineer and his wife who are devoting their golden years to blueberry cultivation in Nagano.  They have a “pick-your-own” blueberry operation, and also make award-winning jam and cider.  Delightful folks!

Another retiree – this one from the petroleum drilling business – who is now designing and maintaining the Monet gardens at one of the Naoshima island art museums.  Justifiably proud of his work….

A fellow in Kyoto with a great beard and a better grin!

Young mother with two children whose bicycle tipped over (carrying all 3!) in front of a 7-11.  We gave her a hand.

A craftsman who is spending his golden years turning copper wire into beautiful and/or useful objects.  Of course we bought some!

Girls visiting a local shrine….. likely from China having fun dressing up in Japanese costume on a pretty day.

This is the best part of travel!

A few random notes about our time in Japan.

We went to see the snow monkeys near Nagano.  It’s a big tourist draw.

Naoshima Island has a vibrant contemporary art scene and some lovely accommodations.  The art, quite frankly, was not exactly to our taste.  

The local superstore in Okayama was fascinating.  There is much to be learned in such places about how people really live.  (That is not children’s furniture…. it is simply scaled to the typical Japanese home size.)

The ryokan (Japanese inn) in Kyoto was incredible.

We enjoyed a bike ride around the city of Kyoto, but finally had enough of shrines and temples, and chose to cut short the structured touring and simply wander around the city for our last couple of days.

Japan is a singular place… a delight for all the senses.  Our guide Setsuko was so much fun, finding unusual places and things to do.  Lots of new perspectives to contemplate……

But our time there is done, and we move on to what will no doubt be a striking contrast – Russia.