In attempt to keep a yearly log of the things I did during the Golden Week, here is the post for 2009.
1. April 28- 29:
Be K&K’s guest house at their beautiful home in Nagareyama. Spoiled with a lovely dinner and a top class breakfast and later on we went to IKEA where I got more linen and bed covers and a bunch of kitchen stuff. Later on we went back to town and visited The Pink Cow, where there was a shamisen performance in progress and caught up with traveling friends.
2. April 30:
Road trip to Kasama for the big Himatsuri! I went with Mehameha and Jim. Drove nearly 300km for the day, on top of visiting the 300 something pottery booths. Burnt all my Golden Week allowance on beautiful pots and plates and whatnots. Mehameha wrote up a complete post here.
3. May 1-3:
Another road trip to Umegashima Onsen in Shizuoka prefecture. Tagging along with my cousin’s girlfriend’s family and stayed at their beautiful log house. All we did while we were there was eating and cooking, playing games, chatting, inhale the fresh air of nature and be merry in the company of some of the happiest people I know. Also at the trip I had the privilege to meet with 77 year old grandma with the energy of a 50 year old. Her stories were ever so inspiring and if you give her the right amount of brandy or whiskey, you’re in for a ride!
4. May 4:
Went out for a hike with CC (aka Funky Blueman) to Hakone. Well, OK, at least we attempted that at the beginning. Got derailed when CC spotted a nice looking liquor store downtown old Hakone Yumoto and we resolved by sitting at a street corner, alternating two bottles of local microbrewerry products while chatted about our earliest memories. It was a very peaceful time and hikers passed by and then we decided to go and get some lunch at a nearby soba place. At the soba place, the friendly man CC is, he began chatting with an elderly gentleman who sat at the corner of the soba shop. I joined them and latter on we discovered that the elderly gentleman was one of the founders of the soba shop. Mr. Kamiya is 100 years old (at the moment he is 99 years old, but soon he will turn 100). Such a character with stories that run deeper than any history books available. Here before us, stood a man that went through 3 generations of emperors in Japan. From the days of carriers and rickshaws to automobiles. He witnessed it all. For a person of age, his memory is sharp. Healthy as a fresh morning dew, animated as a puppy, feisty as a little kitten. I wish I could fold him and put him in a pocket and carry him everywhere. Mr. Kamiya produced a book about pottery and soba and the early days of his restaurant. He engraved the book with our names on it and all sort of information that he discovered over our chats. He gave us the book as a present to remember him by, to remind us of the delightful encounter. For that, we are forever thankful.
Finally after hours of procrastination, we headed up to a small mountain with a temple that CC had been before. The hike may have been minor, but what we experienced atop the small hill at the temple was magical. It was a Buddhist temple. The head priest for the temple was known for his musicianship with the biwa instrument (Japanese short-necked fretted lute). We meandered into the temple, admiring the extensive biwa collection, until the headpriest started joining our conversation. An avid guitarist and a biwa enthusiast, CC had lots of questions to ask. The headpriest chatted with us for a while until finally resolved to, “Would you like me to play you a tune?” As if he has to ask!
He then pulled out one of the biwas on display and began playing. Such a magical sound. The headpriest sang along to his biwa playing and finished the piece in perfect harmony. One thing that caught my attention was the giant pick that was used to play the biwa. The size was enormous and at a glimpse it seemed as if it would only be in the way of the playing, but when you watched the headpriest masterfully used it, you would then understand it. The enormous pick (professionally known as a plectra) is shaped as such because one plectra could be used only for one kind of biwa. So depending on the biwa’s head size, the plectra would vary. And it also works as a double-edged pick, a biwa musician could then maneuver two strings at once using the double edged.
After the performance was finished, we were told that the piece that he played was an old Japanese tune that is about 750 years old. Such a gem.
We wrapped the small hike with an hotspring visit nearby and later on wrapped it with a nice meal at an ‘izakaya’ nearby. A wholesome day.
5. May 5
Visited some friends to be introduced to the newest addition in their family: Baby Corbin! Spent a couple of hours playing with the beautiful Russian Blue and later in the evening had Ted arriving from Nikko for a meal and a pleasant catch up.
6. May 6
Spent the morning brunching at the balcony and talking about nothing and everything in general. Then we attempted a nice walk at Jindaiji area, however as Mother Nature decided not to be cooperative, we decided to go back to civilization and ate pasta lunch at the beloved Fungo.
The evening was filled with a carelessly free paella dinner, in the company of Tokyo’s finest people. Laughters and conversations in abundance, with some boogeying every now and then.
With this happy note, I hereby declare that GW2009 is one of my best. Ever.
