Tokyo Heart

Subtle aging Hearts

I saw a commercial for a Panasonic toilet on TV this evening. Why is this remarkable, you may well ask.

The commercial was for a toilet that cleanses and sanitizes with each flush. Again, what's so remarkable?

Nothing so remarkable about that, but the subtle part was that the toilet has handles.

 

Without coming right out and saying it the underlying message is that Japan's population truly is aging and by seeing this sort of handles arrangement in an everyday commercial the subliminal message is there - your next toilet should have handles because you're getting old!

Today, being Sunday, we went for a hike to one of the places we go once or twice a year; Nishizawa Keikoku (Valley) in Yamanashi.

As we hiked up the trail and climbed up the rocks and even the wooden steps that the prefecture has built into the trail, the pace was set by a large group of people in front of us. Yep, you guessed it, all people in their late 60s or early 70s (actually, I rather liked the pace, but it is a bit slower than even we early 60-somethings typically do on our hikes).

Japan is not the only country with an aging population of course, but Japan's seniors do seem to be a very active lot.

Yet, when it comes to work, Japanese companies still don't seem to have grasped the fact that the 55+ crowd is still a very productive group of people. Just try finding a job if you're in your 50s - nearly impossible; in your 60s - even more so. In fact, even for many in their 40s the job market remains closed. I've met dozens of people over the last 5 years who are in this age range (40+) and believe me, more companies reject them because of age than one would find believable. What a shame - so much talent just going to waste - and even though there are labor laws that make age discrimination illegal; well, good luck!

 

Sports Day - good for the Heart(s)

Oct. 11 - Sports Day - a National Holiday in Japan and since it is on a Monday it means we all got a 3-day weekend to engage in some sports and enjoy the outdoors.

Unless, of course, it's a rainy Saturday to start the weekend. No outdoor sports today, but yours truly did get up and away from the keyboard long enough to head to the gym and get an hour in for a decent workout.  Of course, the berry tart I had at the Cafe-Restaurant Milieu probably made up for any calories worked off at the gym. BTW, if you haven't been to Milieu yet get yourself on over. Not fancy, but very good food and very, very reasonable prices (2,100 yen for 3 courses + coffee!).  And that's at dinner time.  Lunch is only 1,200 yen.

Sunday started out a bit wet, but Mother Nature decided we had had enough rain & she parted the clouds to show us some nice blue sky before noon. With half a day of decent weather left we decided to take a short drive (distance depends on how you go - we opted for the Ome Kaido route - not the shortest, but more interesting than the expressway) out to the Tama River to see if any trees were putting on their autumn dresses yet. Nope - still all pretty green, but the river was running fast & deep & we were able to watch several kayakers (although they call them canoes here) practicing for the canoe races to be held on Monday.  

Below are a few photos of the canoes and their wet riders as they surged through the rapids and around the rocks.

Starting "line" for the canoe races

Practice makes perfect!

Through those gates!  Now back again!

Time for a breather.....

Walking along the Tama is an easy hike (okay, walk) for just about anyone regardless of physical condition (or not). Plan on about 90 minutes for a round-trip walk starting from the free parking lot that is on the west side of the river, up to the fishing area, and back down the other side. More time for stopping and looking - so maybe 2 1/2 hours or so altogether. The east side is fairly flat, all paved, and a very easy walk. The west side has a few ups & downs, some steps, and some areas where the trail is dirt or stones.

You can pack a picnic and stop along the river to watch the activities as you eat your lunch. You may see rafters (yes, you can take a raft ride down the river & through the "rapids"), the boulderers (like rock climbing, but on big boulders), the fishermen (get a license if you're gonna try this), and the kayakers - canoers (canoeists?).

Or, you can buy lunch at one of the restaurants along the river from coffee shops to soba restaurants (this one below requires a hike up a steep hill / steps):

           Soba restaurant on top of the hill

Coming back we opted for the expressway since it was dark (dark at 17:30 in Japan at this time of the year) and quicker - even with a bit of the inevitable traffic jam. Using the express you can get on the Ken-o, which connects to the Chuo or you can follow highway 411 and the signs for the Chuo.

Monday - actual Sports Day - and we decided that a bicycle ride was the way to spend this nice sunny day. Three hours of actual riding, with a stop for a bit of lunch & a cold Asahi Draft added to that 3 hours, and a break to watch the show put on by the 80 year old gentleman who is famous (but we don't know his name) for his Buyoh style dance that seems to be his interpretation of the angst for lives lost in wars (at least that was a bit of the explanation in the newspaper yesterday). He supposedly has been doing this for years & has done his dance all over the world.  

Preparations.....

Up close.....

We left the show a bit puzzled as to the meaning of each dance, but he definitely had an appreciative audience if the paper & tissue wrapped donations tossed his way were any indication.

The fnal hour of our ride took us along the backroads till we came to the junction of the Kanda & Zenpukuji Rivers. We opted to follow the Kanda River and that took us most of the way home till we hit the big fence where access is blocked for flood control construction. But a slight detour and it was home again time - and a nice cold Michelob to wrap up a great Sports Day (whoops, there goe those calories again!).

 

 

Harbor Hearts

A bright warm autumn day, no red lines on the car navigation system for the Tomei (means no traffic jams) and an early morning (for us) start. Off to the Izu Peninsula we go!

Heading down the Tomei Expressway we got off at the Numazu Interchange and eventually found our way to highway 1, which took us to Shuzenji (if you go you can also take highway 414 to connect to highway 1).

Having been to Shuzenji a few  times we just passed through, but we did stop just outside of Shuzenji for a leg stretching walk through the Shuzenji Nature Park. I expect that park will be a beautiful site in a few more weeks when the 1,000+ momiji (Japanese Maple) trees put on their autumn dresses and turn bright red as they are caught in the act. Shuzenji is a fantastic place to spend a night in an onsen and if you haven't been to Shuzenji I suggest you put it on your must-see list.

Leaving the park we headed on across highway 15 where we stopped for this fantastic view of Heda Harbor from one of the scenic view spots along the way.

Seen from high above the harbor is a pretty and peaceful picture. Actually, it turns out it is best seen from above and afar. Up close it's a bit of a mess of fishing boats and fishing gear along a concrete wall. But, those boats do bring in good crab and fresh fish.

Still, we didn't spot anywhere that looked enticing enough for lunch so we drove on down the road till we got to another harbor town, Toi, where we found a fresh fish and sushi restaurant called Matsu-No-Ie (House of the Pine).  Well prepared sushi for lunch hit the spot. Below is a photo of their 1,900 yen set - very decent sushi for this price - in Tokyo I expect we'd pay more for the same sushi.

Heading out from Toi  we continued along the western Izu coast till we got to Shimoda, then on to Ito. From there we headed in the direction of Atami on highway 135 and eventually made our way back on to the Tomei - oh yeah, there those red lines are! A bit of a jam between Atsugi and Yokohama-Machida, but from there on in to Tokyo it was pretty clear sailing.

10 hours and 400 kilometers later and it's home again time!

If you're going to make this drive either plan to go on Saturday and spend the night in one of the great onsens in Suzenji or Yugawara, or make it an early Sunday start with a plan to spend the whole day, as we did. But, do try to avoid the route through Hakone unless you like to sit in traffic for very long periods of time.