I will be taking a short break from this trip and continuing at the end of July. I had to go back to Canada for my Dad's retirement party.
I stopped at Totsuka with one day left on my planned walk, but four stations short of my goal.
When I planned this trip, I planned on starting my walk each morning at 8:30 or 9:00 am. I figured that I could stop walking at sometime around 6 pm on the long distance days. I had even gone so far as to calculate my walking speed at kilometers per hour and add in some photo time. I figured on a slowish day, I would probably walk at a pace of 20 minutes per kilometer. Ultimately, I figured that I could do about two stations a day at a fairly leisurely pace and get lots of photos in.
WRONG! While I did figure that my walking speed was fairly accurate, I was really off in the amount of time it took me to take photos. The biggest chunk of time was devoted to setting up Estello. The later than planned start didn't help but mostly, on further distance days, I really struggled to get one station done. I was so happy to see the station. I couldn't imagine going the same distance again in the same day.
Having to go to Canada on Monday but promising to help a friend in the studio on Saturday, and needing to process all my images before I took off, I realized I was running out of time.
I still plan to keep walking and I plan to be back on Old Tokaido by July 28 or 29.
Wednesday, June 27, 2007
Wednesday, June 20, 2007
Day Five: Hodogaya to Totsuka
Start Time: 11:00
Finish Time: 3:40
Distance: 7.8 km
Temperature: 30 something C
Times I Had to Go Home for Something I Forgot: 0
Lost Items: 1 bicycle (I parked it in the wrong place when I went to the station yesterday)
1 pair of sunglasses (I'm sure they're somewhere in the apartment)
Souveniers: 0 (I still have the wet wipes I bought yesterday)
Changes in Gear: brought a button down short sleeve shirt in case I get chilly
Life and Death Situations Witnessed: 1 Live(praying mantiss and ant-- sort of my fault)
1 rememberance on a corner
The Hodogaya to Totsuka section was quite lovely. It was a wonderfully sunny day that actually had a few fluffy white clouds. The sun seemed quite strong but a good breeze made up for the rays, especially in the shade. The main part was not along the Number 1 so Jamie and I were actually able to enjoy some conversation.
We passed some lovely shrines and temples. My favorite was a little shrine that I think was for Inari based on the multiple torii (those red shrine gates) but I didn't see any fox statues. The path was grassy and tall pink hollyhocks stood along both sides. Once in a while I could see small bugs and tiny butterflies flitter across the path. Mostly, it was a really pastoral looking lane. It looked almost out of place set between two houses and right in front of a bus stop.
Jamie and I sat on the curb, checked the guide book and I set up Estello for a few shots. Our first life and death encounter happened in this peaceful spot. It started when a bug landed on me.
Jamie called my attention to something on my leg. It was a bit of green stuff that looked like a bit of grass. It wasn't until my hand brushed it off that I realized it was a tiny praying mantiss no longer than the first jo. I'm going to digress here for a moment. This isn't the first time that a praying mantiss has landed on me when on a photography trip with Jamie. The last time she told me I had something on my leg, it was a praying mantiss that seemed almost as long as my hand. What is it about the combination of me, Jamie, photoraphy and praying mantisses? There must be a cosmic message somewhere. Okay, back to the tiny praying mantiss.
This little praying mantiss was quite cute and I was really concerned that I had done something to hurt it (when I told my husband about the big praying mantiss and in my ignorance I asked "what could have happened?" since there are no praying mantisses where I grew up. He told me that it could have bit me and that it was poisonous. He took one look at my gullible face and burst out laughing and I made a quick trip to the internet to look up praying mantisses) since I have developed a fondness for them.
I searched through the grass and found the little guy and an ant was already attacking it and trying to drag it away. I tried to flick the ant off but to no avail. In typical human fashion, I probably hurt the little guy even more. Jamie and I watched the struggle for a while until an elderly (maybe late sixties?) Japanese man came to the bus stop and asked what we were doing.
We told him about the praying mantiss and he asked if we were travelling on Old Tokaido. When we told him we were he said, "subarashii" or "mezurashii" depending on if you ask Jamie or I. Jamie heard subarashii (Great) and I heard mezurashii (unusual). Hmm, an example of differing world views?
He asked about Estello and I asked if he would take a picture with Estello. He said the bus was coming so I'd have to be quick.
By the time our path hooked back to the Number 1 it was pretty clear that we were in a different kind of urban area. It felt like the area between Kawasaki and Kanagawa was pretty much an urban desert once past Namamugi. This part of Old Tokaido was similar in terms of the types of housing we saw and some of the businesses, but there was much more green. It gave it more of a country feel even though this is part of Yokohama. The other big difference was that there were way more restaurants. Closer to Totsuka I saw quite a few factories, but most had green areas in or around them.
Our second experience with a life or death situation was a roadside memorial on an intersection on the Number 1. The memorial was made of stuffed toys, flowers, some canned drinks and snacks. Once of the dolls looked like a skeleton from The Nightmare Before Christmas and it's huge eyes seemed to look straight into mine. There was no note about who died or how it happened. But it was very moving to see what must be a fairly recent memorial based on the cleanliness of the toys and freshness of the flowers.
To whomever passed on there:
I'm glad to have seen a memorial to let me know that you were alive and I'm glad to know that people care about you. You have my prayers that you have gone to a better place.
Our conversation naturally turned to car accidents and road safety. I have been in one accident and Jamie in three. I was lucky that both parties walked away without a scratch in my accident. Jamie wasn't so lucky but fortunately, she's okay in the end. It leaves me with such a sense of the capriciousness of life. Some people walk away and some don't and, for the most part, there's no reason why.
Finally we got to Totsuka Station. The area looks pretty interesting. There are a lot of older buildings and according to the guidebook, quite a few older businesses. There's not any "famous foods" per se but the book has a recommendation to check out these older shops.
I was glad to be finished fairly early and still feel fairly energetic, so I opted to go back home and get some work done and clean my house. Tomorrow's walk is a bit longer but if I get there earlier (ha ha ha... I'm dreaming) maybe I can check the area out. I'm happy that my fitness level seems to be getting better. I'm not so dog tired as I was the first few days. One major difference seems to be that I am taking way less pictures. I guess that is a benefit of walking along the Number 1. Less picture opportunities means less standing around and less stopping which seems to be making a big difference.
Finish Time: 3:40
Distance: 7.8 km
Temperature: 30 something C
Times I Had to Go Home for Something I Forgot: 0
Lost Items: 1 bicycle (I parked it in the wrong place when I went to the station yesterday)
1 pair of sunglasses (I'm sure they're somewhere in the apartment)
Souveniers: 0 (I still have the wet wipes I bought yesterday)
Changes in Gear: brought a button down short sleeve shirt in case I get chilly
Life and Death Situations Witnessed: 1 Live(praying mantiss and ant-- sort of my fault)
1 rememberance on a corner
The Hodogaya to Totsuka section was quite lovely. It was a wonderfully sunny day that actually had a few fluffy white clouds. The sun seemed quite strong but a good breeze made up for the rays, especially in the shade. The main part was not along the Number 1 so Jamie and I were actually able to enjoy some conversation.
We passed some lovely shrines and temples. My favorite was a little shrine that I think was for Inari based on the multiple torii (those red shrine gates) but I didn't see any fox statues. The path was grassy and tall pink hollyhocks stood along both sides. Once in a while I could see small bugs and tiny butterflies flitter across the path. Mostly, it was a really pastoral looking lane. It looked almost out of place set between two houses and right in front of a bus stop.
Jamie and I sat on the curb, checked the guide book and I set up Estello for a few shots. Our first life and death encounter happened in this peaceful spot. It started when a bug landed on me.
Jamie called my attention to something on my leg. It was a bit of green stuff that looked like a bit of grass. It wasn't until my hand brushed it off that I realized it was a tiny praying mantiss no longer than the first jo. I'm going to digress here for a moment. This isn't the first time that a praying mantiss has landed on me when on a photography trip with Jamie. The last time she told me I had something on my leg, it was a praying mantiss that seemed almost as long as my hand. What is it about the combination of me, Jamie, photoraphy and praying mantisses? There must be a cosmic message somewhere. Okay, back to the tiny praying mantiss.
This little praying mantiss was quite cute and I was really concerned that I had done something to hurt it (when I told my husband about the big praying mantiss and in my ignorance I asked "what could have happened?" since there are no praying mantisses where I grew up. He told me that it could have bit me and that it was poisonous. He took one look at my gullible face and burst out laughing and I made a quick trip to the internet to look up praying mantisses) since I have developed a fondness for them.
I searched through the grass and found the little guy and an ant was already attacking it and trying to drag it away. I tried to flick the ant off but to no avail. In typical human fashion, I probably hurt the little guy even more. Jamie and I watched the struggle for a while until an elderly (maybe late sixties?) Japanese man came to the bus stop and asked what we were doing.
We told him about the praying mantiss and he asked if we were travelling on Old Tokaido. When we told him we were he said, "subarashii" or "mezurashii" depending on if you ask Jamie or I. Jamie heard subarashii (Great) and I heard mezurashii (unusual). Hmm, an example of differing world views?
He asked about Estello and I asked if he would take a picture with Estello. He said the bus was coming so I'd have to be quick.
By the time our path hooked back to the Number 1 it was pretty clear that we were in a different kind of urban area. It felt like the area between Kawasaki and Kanagawa was pretty much an urban desert once past Namamugi. This part of Old Tokaido was similar in terms of the types of housing we saw and some of the businesses, but there was much more green. It gave it more of a country feel even though this is part of Yokohama. The other big difference was that there were way more restaurants. Closer to Totsuka I saw quite a few factories, but most had green areas in or around them.
Our second experience with a life or death situation was a roadside memorial on an intersection on the Number 1. The memorial was made of stuffed toys, flowers, some canned drinks and snacks. Once of the dolls looked like a skeleton from The Nightmare Before Christmas and it's huge eyes seemed to look straight into mine. There was no note about who died or how it happened. But it was very moving to see what must be a fairly recent memorial based on the cleanliness of the toys and freshness of the flowers.
To whomever passed on there:
I'm glad to have seen a memorial to let me know that you were alive and I'm glad to know that people care about you. You have my prayers that you have gone to a better place.
Our conversation naturally turned to car accidents and road safety. I have been in one accident and Jamie in three. I was lucky that both parties walked away without a scratch in my accident. Jamie wasn't so lucky but fortunately, she's okay in the end. It leaves me with such a sense of the capriciousness of life. Some people walk away and some don't and, for the most part, there's no reason why.
Finally we got to Totsuka Station. The area looks pretty interesting. There are a lot of older buildings and according to the guidebook, quite a few older businesses. There's not any "famous foods" per se but the book has a recommendation to check out these older shops.
I was glad to be finished fairly early and still feel fairly energetic, so I opted to go back home and get some work done and clean my house. Tomorrow's walk is a bit longer but if I get there earlier (ha ha ha... I'm dreaming) maybe I can check the area out. I'm happy that my fitness level seems to be getting better. I'm not so dog tired as I was the first few days. One major difference seems to be that I am taking way less pictures. I guess that is a benefit of walking along the Number 1. Less picture opportunities means less standing around and less stopping which seems to be making a big difference.
Tuesday, June 19, 2007
Day 4 B: Kanagawa to Hodogaya
Departure Time: 12:30
Finish Time: 4:00
Distance: 4.6 km
Temperature: 31 C
Times I Had to Go Back Home: 0 (Yay!)
Forgotten Items: 0
Lost Items: 0
Souveniers: 0
So today I had my trusty guidebook, so back to Old Tokaido. The guidebook didn't help much for getting out of Yokohama Station. Jamie and I ended up wandering around a bit until I decided to ask the Front Desk Customer Service Lady at Sogo department store. She phoned to get directions and gave us a little map.
We took a small detour off of what looked like the Old Tokaido according to the map. We went up to a temple and went up the hill that passes it. We found makers for a historical walk. It wasn't the Old Tokaido, but it was nice. There wasn't much of a view, but the streets were made of small, roughly cut square stones.
The sidetrack made it's way back to Old Tokaido. The rest of today's section was on a side street that runs parallel to the Number 1. It was nice not to have the sound of cars roaring fill my ears for sevearl hours. After my time on Day 3 and the end of Day 2, I'm dreading the part around Fujisawa. According to the map, it's all along the Number 1. Maybe when I get there it will be different.
We stopped to take some pictures of some kura (old storehouses) and an elderly Japanese gentleman was interested in our pictures and took the time to tell us that the kura we were photographing wasn't old as it was made of cement. He then explained how to make a traditional kura.
How to Make Traditional Kura (the highly abridged version):
Bamboo was used to make a frame for the building and a plant called wara (?) was used to make a support for the walls. A mixture made from tsuchi (mud?) was then painted on in a thick layer. After it dried, it was whitewashed.
I always thought that kura was made of stone. Maybe it was stone if you could afford it. I have seen that method the gentleman described on TV when some craftspeople were making a house.
As the man was explaining this to us, two of his buddies came out and started talking to us. One man told us that when he was a child, there were many kura made in the traditional way in his neighborhood. The men chatted with us until a younger man called them over for their ride to somewhere.
Matsuhara shotengai is just east of Tenoucho Station and has a great vegetable market. Well, only three or four shops, but shiitake mushrooms sold for 200yen/basket. It was a pretty good pile, I'm guessing half a kilo or more. I was sorely tempted but the desire not to carry anything else was stronger. I also saw the biggest watermelon I've seen in Japan. It was large enough to make a good catapult projectile. More shocking still was that it was only one thousand yen.
The area between Tenoucho station and Hodogaya was nicely marked with signs about Old Tokaido. It was comforting to see a more neighborly feel after the long stretch of the Number 15 on day three.
It started to cloud over for the last part of the walk. This was very welcome in terms of comfort but made things less appealing for photos as the light was flatter.
Finish Time: 4:00
Distance: 4.6 km
Temperature: 31 C
Times I Had to Go Back Home: 0 (Yay!)
Forgotten Items: 0
Lost Items: 0
Souveniers: 0
So today I had my trusty guidebook, so back to Old Tokaido. The guidebook didn't help much for getting out of Yokohama Station. Jamie and I ended up wandering around a bit until I decided to ask the Front Desk Customer Service Lady at Sogo department store. She phoned to get directions and gave us a little map.
We took a small detour off of what looked like the Old Tokaido according to the map. We went up to a temple and went up the hill that passes it. We found makers for a historical walk. It wasn't the Old Tokaido, but it was nice. There wasn't much of a view, but the streets were made of small, roughly cut square stones.
The sidetrack made it's way back to Old Tokaido. The rest of today's section was on a side street that runs parallel to the Number 1. It was nice not to have the sound of cars roaring fill my ears for sevearl hours. After my time on Day 3 and the end of Day 2, I'm dreading the part around Fujisawa. According to the map, it's all along the Number 1. Maybe when I get there it will be different.
We stopped to take some pictures of some kura (old storehouses) and an elderly Japanese gentleman was interested in our pictures and took the time to tell us that the kura we were photographing wasn't old as it was made of cement. He then explained how to make a traditional kura.
How to Make Traditional Kura (the highly abridged version):
Bamboo was used to make a frame for the building and a plant called wara (?) was used to make a support for the walls. A mixture made from tsuchi (mud?) was then painted on in a thick layer. After it dried, it was whitewashed.
I always thought that kura was made of stone. Maybe it was stone if you could afford it. I have seen that method the gentleman described on TV when some craftspeople were making a house.
As the man was explaining this to us, two of his buddies came out and started talking to us. One man told us that when he was a child, there were many kura made in the traditional way in his neighborhood. The men chatted with us until a younger man called them over for their ride to somewhere.
Matsuhara shotengai is just east of Tenoucho Station and has a great vegetable market. Well, only three or four shops, but shiitake mushrooms sold for 200yen/basket. It was a pretty good pile, I'm guessing half a kilo or more. I was sorely tempted but the desire not to carry anything else was stronger. I also saw the biggest watermelon I've seen in Japan. It was large enough to make a good catapult projectile. More shocking still was that it was only one thousand yen.
The area between Tenoucho station and Hodogaya was nicely marked with signs about Old Tokaido. It was comforting to see a more neighborly feel after the long stretch of the Number 15 on day three.
It started to cloud over for the last part of the walk. This was very welcome in terms of comfort but made things less appealing for photos as the light was flatter.
Monday, June 18, 2007
Day 4: Where's That Book?
Intended Start Time: 11:00 (but late again)
Time I realized I forgot the guidebook: 10:50 (after I was already two trains away)
Items Forgotten: guidebook
I downsized some of my gear (mainly my wallet) and assumed I already had my guidebook in the bag. Yes, I know what people say about "assume." I pulled out the book when I was trying to convince my husband to join me for one leg of the trip and he was game until he found out we'd be due to walk around Fujisawa. It's his hometown, and he guarantees that I won't find anything interesting there.
I met Jamie at Starbucks in Yokohama station. We had a quick sandwich and deliberated about what to do. I suggested going to a book store, looking at a map and finding which way to go. As ideas go, it was pretty good. In reality, none of the maps listed Kyu Tokaido (Old Tokaido). I seem to remember the route going off the Number 15 or Number 1. Any chance to stay off those boring busy roads if I can is welcome.
The idea of just puttering around Yokohama Station and taking it easy was pretty appealing. I got a chance to play around with my Polga. I was happy to have remembered the lens adapter even though I forgot the book. The Polaroid 88 film (ISO 80) has never been very good to me. I can get amazing blues, but even on the brightest days, I don't seem to get much detail. Today I plugged in some Polaroid 690 (ISO 100 color) and Polaroid 670 (ISO 400 BW) and was so much happier.
I also managed to connect a two filters onto my Holga lens. The Euro-sepia filter is a lot of fun and adds some nice yellow to the color film and a 5x close up filter turns my Polga into a loose macro. I can get up to 20 cm away from the subject!
No Estello shots today. I thought I would take some at the amusement park at Minato Mirai, but I took a few polaroids and mostly sat on a bench.
Time I realized I forgot the guidebook: 10:50 (after I was already two trains away)
Items Forgotten: guidebook
I downsized some of my gear (mainly my wallet) and assumed I already had my guidebook in the bag. Yes, I know what people say about "assume." I pulled out the book when I was trying to convince my husband to join me for one leg of the trip and he was game until he found out we'd be due to walk around Fujisawa. It's his hometown, and he guarantees that I won't find anything interesting there.
I met Jamie at Starbucks in Yokohama station. We had a quick sandwich and deliberated about what to do. I suggested going to a book store, looking at a map and finding which way to go. As ideas go, it was pretty good. In reality, none of the maps listed Kyu Tokaido (Old Tokaido). I seem to remember the route going off the Number 15 or Number 1. Any chance to stay off those boring busy roads if I can is welcome.
The idea of just puttering around Yokohama Station and taking it easy was pretty appealing. I got a chance to play around with my Polga. I was happy to have remembered the lens adapter even though I forgot the book. The Polaroid 88 film (ISO 80) has never been very good to me. I can get amazing blues, but even on the brightest days, I don't seem to get much detail. Today I plugged in some Polaroid 690 (ISO 100 color) and Polaroid 670 (ISO 400 BW) and was so much happier.
I also managed to connect a two filters onto my Holga lens. The Euro-sepia filter is a lot of fun and adds some nice yellow to the color film and a 5x close up filter turns my Polga into a loose macro. I can get up to 20 cm away from the subject!
No Estello shots today. I thought I would take some at the amusement park at Minato Mirai, but I took a few polaroids and mostly sat on a bench.
Sunday, June 17, 2007
Day Three: Kawasaki to Kanagawa
Distance: 9.7 km
Start: 11:50
End: 5:50
Time of Planned Departure: 10:00 am.
Times I Went Back Home to Pick Stuff Up: 0
Forgotten Items: 2 (sunscreen, lens adapter for polaroid back for holga)
Souveniers: (not really but I bought these things) Hat from Muji, Sunscreen
I got to Kawaskai a bit late. I was putting some film in my bag, readjusting a few things and in the process, forgot my sunscreen and the lens adapter and somehow lost 20 minutes. I found it sitting where I packed my bag when I got home tonight.
Yesterday I realized I was going to need a hat. I wanted to buy a hat from an oba-san shop in a shotengai but never came across such a place. Lots of sandal shops, senbei places and a lot of closed shops but no hats. My eyes were really sore and the hat really helped today.
After I finally got to Kawasaki, Jamie and I spent the first twenty minutes planning out the route and the pacing and finished coffee at Starbucks. I dragged her to Muji where I bought a floppy linen hat and on to Bic Camera for some Polaroid film. We got sucked into a Coldstone Creamery for some ice-cream. Malls are a dangerous place! The line at Coldstone is usually twenty people + long so I thought I'd finally give it a try. Pretty good, but not worth a long wait in line. People are crazy! I set up my Polaroid and only then realized I had forgotten my lens adapter. Bummer. Now I had to carry film I wasn't going to use.
Keikyu Kawasaki was pretty busy this morning. Okay, it was pretty busy around noon. The sounds of a game arcade made conversation pretty difficult. I took my Estello pictures and we took off. I managed to pick up the Old Tokaido fairly quickly. I was a bit unsure because I was coming from the opposite direction in broad daylight instead of night. Luckily, I had a marker photo I had taken the night before to match me up. When I found the spot I took the photo, I noticed a stone marker identifying the Old Tokaido. I hadn't noticed it in the crowd and the dark the night before.
The Road cuts across Kawasaki perpindicular to the main shopping streets that come straight off of JR Kawasaki Station. Mostly, the street was lined with old mom and pop shops that were closed Sundays or maybe closed indefinitely. Lots of housing from the '70s dotted with a few older lots in varying condition. We passed a few little street shrines but the most interesting things were the historical markers posted every once in a while. The markers were all in Japanese and with the amount of time it takes me to walk between stations I didn't have time to puzzle them out. That is what I bought the guide book for.
The nicest stretch of the walk was between Tsurumi Bridge and Tsurumi Station. It's very pretty, lined with lots of green. Lots of historical markers every couple of meters. It used to be a place where people took a break for tea after getting ferried across the river. None of the tea houses still exist. If I am wrong about this, please correct me. I'd love to go back and check it out.
I also enjoyed the stretch between Tsurumi Station and Namamugi Station. The Old Tokaido moves off the Number 15 road for a bit and wanders through a neighborhood with lots of interesting turns, alleys and open spaces. The Tsurumi River runs along one side of this neighborhood and some old factories hem in the houses. There is a pretty nice path along the riverbanks and a park running along side some old factories were filled with old ladies sitting in the sun or some kids playing with their dads. It was also very nice and quiet. After walking along the 15 Road it was nice to get a break from the sound of moving vehicles.
Near an Inari Shrine in this area a group of young boys were excited about finding a spider with a giant body. They left and brought back some friends but the spider had disappeared into a crack in the wall. Jamie was looking at the spider with the boys and I was trying to take some pictures. I think I would have been better off looking at the spider. Sounded pretty interesting.
I was starting to get a bit confused with the map at this point. An older couple gave us some directions to the station and commented on our photography. I was taking a picture of some pipes and I think they belonged to them. They wanted to know if we saw something interesting. They were pretty friendly and told us to look for the Kirin Beer factory.
It was only later that I connected the name of the station "Namamugi" (raw/ unprocessed grain) with beer making. I wonder which came first.
The stretch from Namamugi to Kanagawa is pretty lonely. Mostly tin sided buildings in various stages of rusting, some beautiful older houses that must be circa 1950 or 1960 if not earlier but showing their age. Still, the beautiful tiles and wood details remain in some of these places. Surprisingly few people were on the sidewalks. Few restaurants and most of the shops a specific industry or car parts shop. Jamie and I were really hungry by this time and in desperate need of a place to just sit and rest. No parks, no benches, few convenience stores. Most of the restuarants were ramen joints that were closed or looked as if they hadn't been open for years.
The only restaurants were a McDonalds and a beer garden both across the busy road. Two tiny Keikyu line stations boasted of three places to eat, all of which were closed. We finally found a ramen shop and gratefully walked in and ordered.
I can't say much for the rest of the walk--about two km. It mainly became a struggle just to finish. I have always thought myself fairly fit, but I realize how much I must have overestimated my fitness. Again, I find myself amazed at the fact that women must have been walking three times further a day in straw sandals. It's very humbling.
Start: 11:50
End: 5:50
Time of Planned Departure: 10:00 am.
Times I Went Back Home to Pick Stuff Up: 0
Forgotten Items: 2 (sunscreen, lens adapter for polaroid back for holga)
Souveniers: (not really but I bought these things) Hat from Muji, Sunscreen
I got to Kawaskai a bit late. I was putting some film in my bag, readjusting a few things and in the process, forgot my sunscreen and the lens adapter and somehow lost 20 minutes. I found it sitting where I packed my bag when I got home tonight.
Yesterday I realized I was going to need a hat. I wanted to buy a hat from an oba-san shop in a shotengai but never came across such a place. Lots of sandal shops, senbei places and a lot of closed shops but no hats. My eyes were really sore and the hat really helped today.
After I finally got to Kawasaki, Jamie and I spent the first twenty minutes planning out the route and the pacing and finished coffee at Starbucks. I dragged her to Muji where I bought a floppy linen hat and on to Bic Camera for some Polaroid film. We got sucked into a Coldstone Creamery for some ice-cream. Malls are a dangerous place! The line at Coldstone is usually twenty people + long so I thought I'd finally give it a try. Pretty good, but not worth a long wait in line. People are crazy! I set up my Polaroid and only then realized I had forgotten my lens adapter. Bummer. Now I had to carry film I wasn't going to use.
Keikyu Kawasaki was pretty busy this morning. Okay, it was pretty busy around noon. The sounds of a game arcade made conversation pretty difficult. I took my Estello pictures and we took off. I managed to pick up the Old Tokaido fairly quickly. I was a bit unsure because I was coming from the opposite direction in broad daylight instead of night. Luckily, I had a marker photo I had taken the night before to match me up. When I found the spot I took the photo, I noticed a stone marker identifying the Old Tokaido. I hadn't noticed it in the crowd and the dark the night before.
The Road cuts across Kawasaki perpindicular to the main shopping streets that come straight off of JR Kawasaki Station. Mostly, the street was lined with old mom and pop shops that were closed Sundays or maybe closed indefinitely. Lots of housing from the '70s dotted with a few older lots in varying condition. We passed a few little street shrines but the most interesting things were the historical markers posted every once in a while. The markers were all in Japanese and with the amount of time it takes me to walk between stations I didn't have time to puzzle them out. That is what I bought the guide book for.
The nicest stretch of the walk was between Tsurumi Bridge and Tsurumi Station. It's very pretty, lined with lots of green. Lots of historical markers every couple of meters. It used to be a place where people took a break for tea after getting ferried across the river. None of the tea houses still exist. If I am wrong about this, please correct me. I'd love to go back and check it out.
I also enjoyed the stretch between Tsurumi Station and Namamugi Station. The Old Tokaido moves off the Number 15 road for a bit and wanders through a neighborhood with lots of interesting turns, alleys and open spaces. The Tsurumi River runs along one side of this neighborhood and some old factories hem in the houses. There is a pretty nice path along the riverbanks and a park running along side some old factories were filled with old ladies sitting in the sun or some kids playing with their dads. It was also very nice and quiet. After walking along the 15 Road it was nice to get a break from the sound of moving vehicles.
Near an Inari Shrine in this area a group of young boys were excited about finding a spider with a giant body. They left and brought back some friends but the spider had disappeared into a crack in the wall. Jamie was looking at the spider with the boys and I was trying to take some pictures. I think I would have been better off looking at the spider. Sounded pretty interesting.
I was starting to get a bit confused with the map at this point. An older couple gave us some directions to the station and commented on our photography. I was taking a picture of some pipes and I think they belonged to them. They wanted to know if we saw something interesting. They were pretty friendly and told us to look for the Kirin Beer factory.
It was only later that I connected the name of the station "Namamugi" (raw/ unprocessed grain) with beer making. I wonder which came first.
The stretch from Namamugi to Kanagawa is pretty lonely. Mostly tin sided buildings in various stages of rusting, some beautiful older houses that must be circa 1950 or 1960 if not earlier but showing their age. Still, the beautiful tiles and wood details remain in some of these places. Surprisingly few people were on the sidewalks. Few restaurants and most of the shops a specific industry or car parts shop. Jamie and I were really hungry by this time and in desperate need of a place to just sit and rest. No parks, no benches, few convenience stores. Most of the restuarants were ramen joints that were closed or looked as if they hadn't been open for years.
The only restaurants were a McDonalds and a beer garden both across the busy road. Two tiny Keikyu line stations boasted of three places to eat, all of which were closed. We finally found a ramen shop and gratefully walked in and ordered.
I can't say much for the rest of the walk--about two km. It mainly became a struggle just to finish. I have always thought myself fairly fit, but I realize how much I must have overestimated my fitness. Again, I find myself amazed at the fact that women must have been walking three times further a day in straw sandals. It's very humbling.
Saturday, June 16, 2007
Day Two: Shinagawa to Kawasaki
Date: June 16
Start: 11:00
Finish: 8:30
Distance: 9.7 km
Times I had to go back home because I forgot something: 1
Things I forgot: 0
Things I lost: 0
Gear I didn't bring: pencil crayons, fish eye for holga
Souveniers: a green tea whisk and a bamboo tea scoop
Now, I finally get to catch up.
Today I have a travel partner. As much as I enjoyed travelling on my own today, it's nice to have company. I'm not much of a lone wolf. She also had her own camera so I think we didn't really keep each other waiting too much. It was also great to have some help setting up. A nice Dean and Delucca breakfast started out my day.
The part of Tokaido near Shinagawa Station is great. The community has an association that promotes the Old Tokaido. As my friend and I passed into this area and were taking a picture, one of the volunteers came out to meet up with us and pass us some information in English. She gave me a small map when she found out I could speak Japanese. The map was handy, but it was a bit misleading. It covered the scenic spots in Shinagawa-Ku but not afterwards. I still had to cover five kilometers after passing out of the area covered by the map. Totally my fault for not comapring the map to my guidebook sooner.
It certainly was very scenic. Lots of old businesses, old buildings that still look good. People in the neighborhood are justifiably proud of it. Several times, some older residents (mostly women) came up to us to recommend a good place to take a photo. Everyone was quite friendly and very patient about people walking around taking photos. I saw about two or three other travellers doing enjoying the route. One guy had a hasselblad. Jealous! Jealous! Jealous!
My friend had to meet some other people for dinner, so she left the journey at Heiwajima Station and I kept walking on to Kawasaki. The Ota-ku part of the trip was noticeably less scenic except for a part near Heiwajima Station called Mihara Dori. This street is the local shotengai (shopping street). It is a little bend of the Number 15 highway that covers the Old Tokaido so it was able to preserve a bit of the history. It looked like a cute little shotengai but I was in a hurry to get to Kawasaki, had at least four km to go and didn't have great light for shooting. I liked to commemorative markers they had.
The number 15 highway reminds me of the Trans-Canada highway as it runs through Canada. People pass by. Lots of shops anGinza but it's a lot less slick. A recycle shop and a cheap mens' clothing store represent the type of stores most commonly found. Every once in a while a gem appears to dot the landscape. The restuarants look more serviceable than anything. I can't judge the food, though. There may be some true spots of local genius cooking behind those walls.
As the sky got darker and darker, my only goal was to get to the Tamagawa and cross it before it was pitch black. I wanted to get a sunset picture of Estello.
After I crossed the bridge I experimented with some shots of a lantern (no joy, I deleted them) when another foreigner was riding by on his bicycle. The chap works for Toshiba and was curious as he had seldom seen another foreigner in that area. Hmmm... could it be because most others are smart enough to take a train instead? Also, I think I guilted him into it because I was looking at some historical thing that he had never looked twice at.
Thankfully, Kawasaki City also makes an effort to use the Old Tokaido as a lure for tourists and they have a sign just after the bridge pointing which way to go. The sky is now black and I am just wanting to get to JR Kawasaki Station so I can get home. I will probably do a bit of back-tracking tomorrow as it was too dark to see anything. It was a pretty busy Saturday night in Kawasaki.
Now that I have caught up, I'm hoping to get pictures up tomorrow. Famous last words, I know. But I'm shooting RAW and converting to web-ready takes some time.
Start: 11:00
Finish: 8:30
Distance: 9.7 km
Times I had to go back home because I forgot something: 1
Things I forgot: 0
Things I lost: 0
Gear I didn't bring: pencil crayons, fish eye for holga
Souveniers: a green tea whisk and a bamboo tea scoop
Now, I finally get to catch up.
Today I have a travel partner. As much as I enjoyed travelling on my own today, it's nice to have company. I'm not much of a lone wolf. She also had her own camera so I think we didn't really keep each other waiting too much. It was also great to have some help setting up. A nice Dean and Delucca breakfast started out my day.
The part of Tokaido near Shinagawa Station is great. The community has an association that promotes the Old Tokaido. As my friend and I passed into this area and were taking a picture, one of the volunteers came out to meet up with us and pass us some information in English. She gave me a small map when she found out I could speak Japanese. The map was handy, but it was a bit misleading. It covered the scenic spots in Shinagawa-Ku but not afterwards. I still had to cover five kilometers after passing out of the area covered by the map. Totally my fault for not comapring the map to my guidebook sooner.
It certainly was very scenic. Lots of old businesses, old buildings that still look good. People in the neighborhood are justifiably proud of it. Several times, some older residents (mostly women) came up to us to recommend a good place to take a photo. Everyone was quite friendly and very patient about people walking around taking photos. I saw about two or three other travellers doing enjoying the route. One guy had a hasselblad. Jealous! Jealous! Jealous!
My friend had to meet some other people for dinner, so she left the journey at Heiwajima Station and I kept walking on to Kawasaki. The Ota-ku part of the trip was noticeably less scenic except for a part near Heiwajima Station called Mihara Dori. This street is the local shotengai (shopping street). It is a little bend of the Number 15 highway that covers the Old Tokaido so it was able to preserve a bit of the history. It looked like a cute little shotengai but I was in a hurry to get to Kawasaki, had at least four km to go and didn't have great light for shooting. I liked to commemorative markers they had.
The number 15 highway reminds me of the Trans-Canada highway as it runs through Canada. People pass by. Lots of shops anGinza but it's a lot less slick. A recycle shop and a cheap mens' clothing store represent the type of stores most commonly found. Every once in a while a gem appears to dot the landscape. The restuarants look more serviceable than anything. I can't judge the food, though. There may be some true spots of local genius cooking behind those walls.
As the sky got darker and darker, my only goal was to get to the Tamagawa and cross it before it was pitch black. I wanted to get a sunset picture of Estello.
After I crossed the bridge I experimented with some shots of a lantern (no joy, I deleted them) when another foreigner was riding by on his bicycle. The chap works for Toshiba and was curious as he had seldom seen another foreigner in that area. Hmmm... could it be because most others are smart enough to take a train instead? Also, I think I guilted him into it because I was looking at some historical thing that he had never looked twice at.
Thankfully, Kawasaki City also makes an effort to use the Old Tokaido as a lure for tourists and they have a sign just after the bridge pointing which way to go. The sky is now black and I am just wanting to get to JR Kawasaki Station so I can get home. I will probably do a bit of back-tracking tomorrow as it was too dark to see anything. It was a pretty busy Saturday night in Kawasaki.
Now that I have caught up, I'm hoping to get pictures up tomorrow. Famous last words, I know. But I'm shooting RAW and converting to web-ready takes some time.
Day One: Nihonbashi to Shinagawa
Start: 2:30
Finish: 7:30
Distance: 7.8 km
Number of Times I had to go back into my apartment because I forgot something: 3
Stuff Lost: 0 (may be a record!)
Hours lapsed from original departure time: 4
Items forgotten: sunscreen
Souveniers: tarako (cod roe) preserved in Miso, shiitake preserved in soy sauce (Tamabikiya); an-pan (Kimuraya)
Last night I was really hemming and hawing about leaving today. I think my husband was disappointed and starting to believe that I was going to jam on the whole thing. But this morning's sky was a beautiful blue decorated with puffy white clouds. This is a sign! Most of the time it seems like the sky is a white haze from the heat and humidity or a drizzling grey. I'm definitely going out to shoot!
In a way, it's better to start out by myself. Certain aspects of this trip aren't really defined for me and it's easier to figure out my own pace if I'm not worrying about whether or not I'm taking too long.
Reactions to Estello are pretty interesting. A lot of people say "kawaii" (cute!) if they pass by. A couple of people actually ask me questions about what I am doing. This may have something to do with the fact that in order to get a shot of Estello I have to lie down on the street or sit at a funny angle. But it's still interesting to me to actually have people come up and talk to me about it. I find it kind of refreshing for people to wonder what I am doing now rather than what I am doing here. Like in any big city, I think people tend to walk around with a stronger personal space or shield. Maybe a lot of us are looking for a safe way to break the ice and connect with someone on the street for a moment before moving on to our own tasks.
To be honest, Nihonbashi to Shinagawa was not as interesting as I thought it would be. I did an abysmally poor job of using the guidebook. I had a lot of stuff to carry and pulling out the guidebook was an extra annoyance. I'd keep certain places in mind while walking then realize that I had already passed it by without noticing. I enjoyed the parade of expensive stores like Harry Winston, Tiffanny, Mikimoto and the department stores. But I'm not on a shopping trip (assuming I could even afford Harry Winston!) so the Ginza area was not as interesting as usual. This time, the most interesting part of Ginza were the impressive clouds over the rooftops.
I had hoped to stop at a few of the shops mentioned in the book for meibutsu but didn't really see them. I ended up only stopping at one and it was coincidental. It was Tamakiya, a place that has been open since 1782 and sells tsukudani. Tsukudani preserves foods by cooking with miso or soy suace. This was a great place and deserves its own posting which I will try to get done.
I also stopped at Kimuraya. It's a bakery beside the Wako Building across from Mitsukoshi. It's an old family shop famous for an-pan. I bought two little buns for my husband.
Once you pass through the Ginza area, the Tokaido becomes a regular business street. Restaurants, business services, convenience stores line the streets. This pretty much looks like anywhere else in Tokyo. Not much marks this area as unique. It's in the little side streets where the interesting things happen.
By the time I got to Shinbashi, I had started to walk on a side street that ran paralell to the Tokaido. Once in a while a street running perpendicular would have enough sun shining to take a picture. It was only 4 pm at this point, but the buildings are tall enough to make a lot of pictures shady and flat. On the side streets, lots or narrow streets running at odd angles are busy as tiny restuarants and izakayas (pubs) get ready for the after work rush. A lot of these streets were crowded and dirty compared to the cleanliness and orderliness of the main drag just one street over.
As the sky got darker, I just wanted to get to Shinagawa so I could be done. I had planned to walk two stations a day, but found out that with all the photography it was taking me twice as long to get to my destination. I enjoyed the day but was glad it was over.
Finish: 7:30
Distance: 7.8 km
Number of Times I had to go back into my apartment because I forgot something: 3
Stuff Lost: 0 (may be a record!)
Hours lapsed from original departure time: 4
Items forgotten: sunscreen
Souveniers: tarako (cod roe) preserved in Miso, shiitake preserved in soy sauce (Tamabikiya); an-pan (Kimuraya)
Last night I was really hemming and hawing about leaving today. I think my husband was disappointed and starting to believe that I was going to jam on the whole thing. But this morning's sky was a beautiful blue decorated with puffy white clouds. This is a sign! Most of the time it seems like the sky is a white haze from the heat and humidity or a drizzling grey. I'm definitely going out to shoot!
In a way, it's better to start out by myself. Certain aspects of this trip aren't really defined for me and it's easier to figure out my own pace if I'm not worrying about whether or not I'm taking too long.
Reactions to Estello are pretty interesting. A lot of people say "kawaii" (cute!) if they pass by. A couple of people actually ask me questions about what I am doing. This may have something to do with the fact that in order to get a shot of Estello I have to lie down on the street or sit at a funny angle. But it's still interesting to me to actually have people come up and talk to me about it. I find it kind of refreshing for people to wonder what I am doing now rather than what I am doing here. Like in any big city, I think people tend to walk around with a stronger personal space or shield. Maybe a lot of us are looking for a safe way to break the ice and connect with someone on the street for a moment before moving on to our own tasks.
To be honest, Nihonbashi to Shinagawa was not as interesting as I thought it would be. I did an abysmally poor job of using the guidebook. I had a lot of stuff to carry and pulling out the guidebook was an extra annoyance. I'd keep certain places in mind while walking then realize that I had already passed it by without noticing. I enjoyed the parade of expensive stores like Harry Winston, Tiffanny, Mikimoto and the department stores. But I'm not on a shopping trip (assuming I could even afford Harry Winston!) so the Ginza area was not as interesting as usual. This time, the most interesting part of Ginza were the impressive clouds over the rooftops.
I had hoped to stop at a few of the shops mentioned in the book for meibutsu but didn't really see them. I ended up only stopping at one and it was coincidental. It was Tamakiya, a place that has been open since 1782 and sells tsukudani. Tsukudani preserves foods by cooking with miso or soy suace. This was a great place and deserves its own posting which I will try to get done.
I also stopped at Kimuraya. It's a bakery beside the Wako Building across from Mitsukoshi. It's an old family shop famous for an-pan. I bought two little buns for my husband.
Once you pass through the Ginza area, the Tokaido becomes a regular business street. Restaurants, business services, convenience stores line the streets. This pretty much looks like anywhere else in Tokyo. Not much marks this area as unique. It's in the little side streets where the interesting things happen.
By the time I got to Shinbashi, I had started to walk on a side street that ran paralell to the Tokaido. Once in a while a street running perpendicular would have enough sun shining to take a picture. It was only 4 pm at this point, but the buildings are tall enough to make a lot of pictures shady and flat. On the side streets, lots or narrow streets running at odd angles are busy as tiny restuarants and izakayas (pubs) get ready for the after work rush. A lot of these streets were crowded and dirty compared to the cleanliness and orderliness of the main drag just one street over.
As the sky got darker, I just wanted to get to Shinagawa so I could be done. I had planned to walk two stations a day, but found out that with all the photography it was taking me twice as long to get to my destination. I enjoyed the day but was glad it was over.
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