Tokyo Heart

Suspended Hearts at Lake Miyagase

Lake Miyagase, a man-made lake located in Kanagawa Prefecture, is one of the reservoirs serving Tokyo and Yokohama. Nestled in the Tanzawa mountain range it's a short drive from Tokyo via the Chuo Expressway (exit at Sagamikohigashi).

On the west side of the lake (on Route 64) there is a visitor's center. This center has several restaurants and souvenir shops and parking is 300 yen for the day. If you eat at one of the restaurants check to see if they have parking coupons available. Some do, making your parking free.

In the visitors' center you can get a map of the area (Japanese only) and they also have maps of the various hiking trails around the lake. They had a large map on the wall showing the various bear sightings that have occurred this summer. If you plan to hike make sure you're well prepared and have the proper equipment and a bear bell to make noise to, hopefully, scare away the bears. These may be low elevations mounts (around 750 meters), but they are still mountains, densely forested, and trails can be treacherous even on the lower mountains.

The lake is behind the shops. Walk down the 120 steps to the large open grassy area. This is a good place for the kids to run around, play frisbee, or fly kites. Dogs are welcome, but they have to be kept on a leash and they're not allowed into the grassy park area.

 

From the steps you'll have a great view of the 315 meter long pedestrian only suspension bridge. From the play area walk along the small river where you can even wade in the cool waters. Small kids seem to have a great time playing in the crystal clear water.  Following the path you'll come to a canoe (kayaks, actually) rental center, but it was closed the day we were there. On the other side of the stream there is a BBQ area where you can rent all the equipment and they even supply the food if you want to have a family picnic.

Walk along the short boardwalk over the small marsh area where you'll see ducks. Follow the road around to the other side of the lake, up the ramp, and onto the suspension bridge for a walk back to the park. Along the way you will likely see the boat that cruises the lake. Take a cruise if you want or ride the min-train (no track, rubber wheels) that goes around the complex.

 

After your walk around the area head back up the steps and enjoy a nice cold cup of kaki-gori (shaved ice) or a refreshing soft cream ice cream cone.

 If you go during the Christmas season you can enjoy the Christmas light-up. A 30 meter tall fir tree is festooned with 10,000+ lights and there is a Christmas lights arch. Other trees around the park are also decorated.  

Getting there:

By train and bus: Take the Odakyu Line to Hon-Atsugi Station. Then, take a Kanagawa Chuo bus to Lake Miyagase. The bus ride takes approximately one hour.

By car: There are a number of ways to get there, but this is the easiest: Take the Chuo Highway to the Sagamiko Interchange. From there, turn left onto Route 20, then right at Sagamiko Station -  make your way to route 412 and head west.

You can find a map (Japanese only) at this site: Lake Miyagase Access Map

I recommend plugging in the phone number for the park into your car navigation system - this should lead you to the visitor center area.

 

 

Average Hearts in Japan vs. World Averages

Are you average?

What, exactly, is the meaning of average?

According to Collins English Dictionary it means, the typical or normal amount, quality, degree” of something.

But, averages vary from country to country. And, since we live in Japan, I researched some Japan averages versus some western averages.

Since the thing we observe most every day is other people let’s look at some comparisons of averages for humans.

As an American, I’ll make most of the comparisons between Americans and Japanese, but I’ll throw in a few European and other Asian averages just to keep things balanced.

According to the US National Center for Health Statistics, the average American male is 5’ 9” (175 cm.) tall and the average weight is 190 pounds, or about 86 kilos. This isn’t to say that’s a healthy weight, it is just the current average. Of course, the older one is, the more one can weigh and still be considered in the healthy range. For example, in my age group, about 81 kilos is considered a healthy
limit. But then again, this is for someone 175 cm tall. So, in my case, I can either lose a couple of kilos or I can grow another 5 centimeters taller. 

For American women, who average 164 cm, the average weight is about 59 kilos. 

In Japan, men average about 171 cm in height and weigh 62 kg.  Japanese women average 159 cm tall and weigh 43 kg.

Diet, of course explains a lot of the difference in averages, but as we all know, thanks to places like MacDonald’s and other fast food, Japan is slowly catching up to America. Eating all that fast food may soon cut into the average Japanese life span, which according to the CIA World Factbook’s 2011 estimates is an overall 82 years - that’s 79 for men and almost 86 for women.  That beats the US’s average of 78 overall (and 76 for men, 81 for women). But, it falls behind a few countries like Monaco where the overall average is close to 90. 

According to the USDA, Americans eat 38 kg of beef each every year. Japanese eat about 14 kg.  But the worldwide champions of beef consumption are the Argentineans at 56 kilos and central Europeans manage to consume about 13 kilos each.

On the other hand, says the National Maritime Fisheries Service, Japanese eat much more seafood. The average Japanese goes through 27 kg of fish and shellfish each year compared to only about 24 kg per American. And those beef eating Argentineans I mentioned earlier?  Only 8 kg per person.  

So, how do the people of the world get out and about to buy that beef or their daily serving of fish?
Well, in the USA many will use their cars. Of course, that’s also true in Japan if one lives in the countryside rather than a major city like Tokyo or Osaka.  According to data compiled by the Japan Automobile Inspection & Registration Information Association the average home in Japan has 1.09 cars. A study done by Experian showed that the average number in America is 2.3 cars per home with 35% of households having 3 or more cars. The Aussies run a close second though with 1.7 cars per
household.

So if you’re an average Japanese you’re going to eat twice as much fish as you do beef. You’ll only get to drive a car sometimes because someone else in your home may get the keys first, but on a positive note you’ll live to a ripe old age which, by the way, gives you more time to eat ice cream because the average Japanese only eats less than 1/10th of a liter per year compared to the average American and Australian who eat almost 14 liters per year.