Vampire in Japan: Day 5 - To Nirvana and Beyond

16th May 2007

Mt. Fuji 5th Station: Nirvana

The road to Nirvana started with a customary exploit of the Sinko Hotel Onsen services (so spoilt I was that I MUST bathe in an Onsen every time it was available.) But it seemed that I was the only one willing to sacrifice additional slumber for muscle relaxation, and to think it was the last Onsen chance for some of them; sigh, the mentality of the pauper. "Another missed chance for photo-taking" was the thought lingering in my head as I sat in the bath alone.

Refreshed with a hot bath and a hearty breakfast, we were finally ready for our 1.5-hour ascent to Nirvana. The trip was pleasant save for the small bladder which screamed of overflowing after some 20 minutes into the ascent. That still didn't deter the resilient Count from appreciating the increasingly beautiful scenery as we gained altitude. The colours of the trees traded their coats of green for a coniferous brown as we scaled higher. The glass windows got progressively cooler as we started to see snow litter the road-side. And soon, we saw it, the motherlode of Zen, the peak of Nirvana...

Standing at its full 3,776m, against the morning sun, its distinct snow-capped peak looked all the more intricate from up-close. A conic volcano that attained its current shape approximately 10,000 years ago as a result of multiple eruptions, Mt. Fuji's last recorded eruption was in 1707, but Chin-chin said that scientist have predicted that the an impending eruption is in the cards. Imagine the damage considering that it spans across 4 cities; the cruelty of Nirvana when it transforms into a fiery hell.

While not the most visually pleasing tour-guide, I had to admit that Chin-chin was quite useful in being able to predict the weather to be fine and dandy for our ascent. His other bits of trivia include telling us that the Japanese people believe to truly acquire Nirvana, and be considered a true-blue Japanese, they have to scale to the top of Nirvana three times in their lifetime. A mean feat, considering that my Japanese Auntie Motoko told me she took 8 hours to get to the top, and another 8 to come down, and she only did it once.

Time didn't have enough grace to allow us to attain that level of Zen that day, (afterall we WERE on a scheduled tour), but the view from the 5th station was already breathtaking in its own right. The sun and the wind instantly validated my Rock-star jacket and shades the moment I got off the bus, but my distaste for jeans left my cajones and me in cringing regret as the wind teared through the two thin layers of cotton. Still, the Count's usual cockroach-like resilience shone through in bringing out the best photos possible.

The Count's obsession with keychains left him in the souvenier store a little longer than required, eventually getting separated from the rest of the entourage that were all-so-eager to absorb the aura of Zen from Nirvana. Didn't put me in much of a hurry to look for them though, I've always been a fan of the majesticity of mountain views, and as far as that goes, Mt. Fuji's majesticity comes in spades. Exhilarting views from every angle (almost, minus the angle facing the horses' butts), I was awe-struck by the wonder of the surrounding scenery. And it only further fueled the curiosity of the view from the peak.

When the entourage finally consolidated, we decided to use the remaining time to grab a couple of postcard shots for keeps.

So where the Bloody Hell are You?

Thanks for being in our Pic you Senile Old Fools

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Yokohama: Docking at the Port Town

With Nirvana attained after two days of scenic travelling, Mt. Fuji marked the end of our sight-seeing escapades. Beyond Nirvana, the spotlight shifted to the culture and lifestyle of the modern Japanese people, as we embarked towards Tokyo. The first stop towards modernization landed us in Yokohama, a port town in the likes of Hong Kong. Lunch came in the form of a very tasty Gyu Don at Queen's Square, with not-so-obvious shoe racks that earned as a good old-fashioned Japanese scolding from the Obasans working there. It seems that the Japanese idea of comfort or respect is the taking off of shoes, as I realised from the eateries patronized in the last few days had shoe-lockers specially placed to cater to this custom.

Post-Lunch, the original plan was to visit the Cosmos Themepark, home of the ex-largest Ferris Wheel (till it got beaten by the London Eye, which got beaten by another Ferris Wheel in Tokyo), but not too many were very keen on it, so we skipped that only to have a very ironic Chin-chin take us to another theme park.

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Happy Island Theme Park: White Dolphins

The first thing that caught our attention in the theme park was an absolutely INSANE free-fall ride that was sick enough to play some Gothic Choir singing on your way up, freeze the music at the top, before blasting some mad screams in your ears while letting you fall, and trust me, its a LONG LONG fall. Sadly, budgeting and lack-of-company issues kept all of us off that ride; and I regret my decision to conform, it would have been one hell of a ride.

The highlight of the aquarium /theme park was probably the White Dolphins, a species i NEVER knew existed. They had odd patterns on their body, which made me wonder if it was natural or cosmetic. While the rest of the entourage were enthralled by the Dolphin feeding and training show, Siwei and I were busy discussing the physics of the Dolphins' landings, the pride of the Dolphin trainers in their occupation and the poor engineering of a particular water ride, which got stuck more times than one, and I thought the Japs were engineering geniuses.

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Shinjuku, Tokyo: Catcher in the Light

As the bus wound through the highways in Tokyo City, Chin-chin was giving us a brief run-down of capital. Being one of the fashion capitals of the World, Tokyo houses a population of approximately 12 million. The city consists of 23 different districts, with Shinjuku, being one of them; not to mention also being one of the most notorious red light districts in the world, probably cos Jap prostitutes are damn hot. I also caught a glimpse of Tokyo Tower for the first time, looked a lot shorter than expected; and even though it is supposedly taller than the Eiffel Tower, somehow the surrounding buildings totally undermined it; speaking of which, I was thinking the Japs insane for building so many buildings, so tall, in a extremely earthquake-proned island; but I guess economic expansion IS the bottomline of a modern society.

Arriving in Shinjuku, we were given time to explore the vicinity of the Shinjuku Prince Hotel prior to dinner. Thousands of people filled the streets, most of which were sharply dressed and of the working class. Of particular interest was a cross-shaped pedestrian crossing, which, when the Green Man came on, cars from all 4 directions would stop, and the crossing would be purely for pedestrians from all corners of the junction to cross in whichever direction they pleased; chaotic yet remarkably efficient.

After the customary Muji obsession and some fruitful T-shirt shopping, the entourage headed for Isetan (which closes at 8pm as with most departmental stores in Japan), and gravitated towards the supermarket; the obsession with food never ceased. The star of the show had to be the PERFECT MELON, of amazingly flawless texture and surrounded by a holy glow, the only thing that could compete with the beauty of the Perfect Melon was its equally remarkable 10500 yen (SGD 130) price tag. Obviously the poverty-stricken Count had to give it a miss.

1 scrumptious buffet dinner and about 7 fresh pieces of crab later, the entourage (minus 1, due to bodily weakness) were back on the streets of Shinjuku again to explore the nightlife.

Against the dark night sky, the advertising lights frantically dazzled away, trying to vie for our 3 seconds of attention; visually saturating and perhaps even blinding; I realised that I couldn't keep my attention focused on one signboard long enough to attempt to read the words with my half-assed Japanese. Amidst all the blinding flashes, what ironically caught my attention was a traditional little red and yellow banner advertising for condoms and safe sex. But I guess with 2,000 eateries in the area, it is no wonder that they are all desperating fighting for the same consumer attention to woo the same consumer stomach.

The red-light action was in full force, as drug peddlers (who called their wares Psychedelic Love Pills), Black pimps, and 3-pieced door-men beckoning customers into their strip clubs or Love Hotels, littered the streets of Kabuki Cho. The one that caught my attention was a Ancient Greek-themed one complete with fake statues. I quickly learned that the way to identify a Love Hotel was to look at its windows, as all Love Hotels had opaque windows.

The only thing that stood any fighting chance against the lust-filled atmosphere of the district was the Spirit of Gambling as numerous Pachinko Parlours lined the streets. Often regarded as the number one past-time in Japan, (yes, even beating AV movies and Schoolgirl / Body Angel Sex), the past few days have proved that no matter the city, as long as its a bustling hub, Pachinko parlours were inevitable. Looking like arcades on the outside, the venture inside taught us nothing about the rules of the game, as we watched the patrons skillfully turning some wheel.

As a relief from all the smut, I seeked to find the rumoured all-in-one-vending-machine, now that we were in the bustling heart of Tokyo. 1 Haagen-Daaz machine and 1 Hot-food dispensing machine later, the landslide victory was taken by a machine in the Hotel Lift Lobby, that dispensed everything from food stuff, to pads, to men's briefs.

A visit to the subway station reaffirmed the likening of the Japanese work culture as a Rat Race as rush hour traffic was witnessed at 11.30p.m.; an observation in accordance to Chin-chin's trivia of the Japanese norm of knocking off at approximately 11 every night. However, it seems that 2.a.m. is still regarded as a universal time for slumber in most of the mortal realm, as the blinding lights dimmed and the flow of human traffic evaporated, while exorbidant cabs and the Vampire reign supreme.