Adventures of a 'Gypsea'

Kanra; The hidden gem of Gunma

2 Comments

Kanra:

The area holds onto its history as the safe-haven for samurai after they were ‘disbanded’. Coming from Tokyo, Osaka, and Kyoto, they were able to use the rural environment to continue on with their horses and arts, which has made the area very rich for authenticity.To this day, the area embraces its martial arts of Judo, Kyudo (archery), Kendo (staff fighting) and Kendu (sword).

About a 30 minute bike ride from Tomioka is the small town of Kanra. Shougun (a Samurai chief), had lived in the small town, and his old house is marked with a plaque outside the front gate.  In the spring, during cherry blossom season, there is the Kanra samurai parade. This free event is held along the main road, flanked by cherry blossoms, and contains the authentic view of the samurai. Participants will dress to-the-nines in their samurai garb, women will dawn kimonos and paint their faces, and they will take to the cherry blossom lined road.

DSC_2752

Cherry blossom trees line the sidewalk in Kanra.

Kanra also houses many temples, shrines and gardens that are not to be missed. When my co-worker brought me into the small town, our first stop was a large temple that we saw as we entered the town. Hiking upto the building, we ventured up an over gown path to the top of the mountain behind the temple. Capped with a small seating area, stage and a few tree’s lining a meadow, the lush overlook provided a wonderful view of the surrounding towns and mountains.

DSC_2768A sample of the view.

Our next stop was the gardens in the center of Kanra. The 300 yen ($3) entry price is well worth it to see the rolling green hills, and lounge pond side to large Koi fish. In the adjacent museum that shows what the Samurai houses used to look like, you can buy a bag of Koi food for 100 yen ($1). I highly recommend doing this.

DSC_2793 DSC_2789

The gardens in Kanra.

Wondering around the garden, we came across the local Kyudo club in their practice. On the other side of the garden from the museum is an archery range, which at the time was filled with archers dressed in traditional clothing, practicing their technique.

DSC_2972DSC_2975

Kyudo, unlike western archery, draws the arrow behind the head to sight down the arrow shaft.

After our time in the garden, we went in search of the next “must do” on the list. Riding down side streets and over hills, we came to a small temple at a bend of one of the side streets. It looked much like the many other temples I had seen, and I nearly rode past until I noticed my co-worker had stopped and was parking their bike. It is only after I climbed the first set of stairs to the temple that I realized it is very much different. The old, worn wood door held a wooden fish sign like a welcome plaque, and the other side of the doorway was housed a trash-can type vessel stocked with walking-sticks of various sizes. Equiped with a walking stick and sense of adventure, we started up the thin overgrown path up the mountain behind the temple, and into the bamboo forest. When we had reached the top, what little breath was left from my hike up was taken away at the sight of the face carved into the mountain side. This shrine, which locally isn’t well known,  is littered with smaller statues and carvings along the path.

DSC_2935 DSC_2940DSC_2944

The door-hanging fish, the face in the mountain, and the bamboo forest.

In front of the face, there is a carved creatures head that protrudes from the ground by about a meter, and is about a meter and a half in length. and a turtle of about equal size to the right of the statue, that would be otherwise unseen by the amount of growth that’s growing the rock.

DSC_2951

The creature

Adventures of a 'Gypsea'

Tomioka Silk Mill; The UNESCO world heritage site

Leave a comment

(Written for The Heritage Travels)

Tomioka Silk Mill, the latest UNESCO world heritage site in Japan, sits along the river in the south of Tomioka. When I sit at my desk, I can see the tall chimney from my window and with summer break, why not? It was only a few blocks away.

I loaded up my bike basket with my camera and a bottle of water, and rode in the direction of the mill. I could tell when I reached it, since the crowds became impassable. On my first pass the line to get in was building, and for lack of bike parking, I rushed to store the bike nearby and join the cue. The small admission fee (500 Yen for adults, 250 Yen for university and high school students, 100 yen elementary and junior high students, and 1 child/disability with 1 accompanying free,) goes to the preservation and restoration of the buildings.

DSC_2514

Constructed in 1871, the long buildings still house some of the equipment, and displays some of the machinery that was lesser used. While free Japanese tours are offered hourly, a self guided audio tour in English can be accessed via smart phone, using the QR code provided at the entrance. (Other languages offered include; Japanese, Italian, Chinese and Korean.) They also provide English maps upon entry, with the quarky historical facts such as the delayed employment to initially run the mill because there were French workers and their red wine was mistaken for blood. (I wouldn’t want to work with people who drink blood either.)

DSC_2495

The mill had shut down in 1987 after being in Operation for 115 years. With the loss of work in the area, Tomioka went from a factory town, to a sleepy mountain town until 2005, when the buildings were designated as a National Historic site, which increased the tourism in the area, giving the town new life. Two years later in 2007 the site was picked up by UNESCO as a world heritage site.

 

Written by Kiki Lathrop

Kiki is a writer, photographer and archaeologist from Colorado. Growing up on a sailboat in the Caribbean, she was introduced to different cultures early, and it fueled her passion to experience the world first hand. Over a year has passed since she set out a solo female traveler, only to discover that we in the travel community are never alone. You can read up on her stories and adventures at her website.

Please check out Kiki’s website, travelgypsea.wordpress.com, for more inspirational and educational posts!

 

Adventures of a 'Gypsea', Gap Year Ideas

Its those small towns you have to watch for; My first month in Japan

Leave a comment

It seems like yesterday I was taking the clunking, grumbling train from Tokyo out into the countryside. The bright blue sky and rolling green hills that meet with the blue grey silhouettes of the humidity shrouded mountains welcomed me across the interchanging fields and clusters of houses. For being part of the small school, my co-workers took me in to show me the local sights, and tell me of a few places to explore.
image

Every Friday night after work, the crew gets together and we would go out to the local sushi restaurant. The small wooden paneled room opens by a thin sliding door to the small sushi bar displaying the catch for wanting customers. In the adjacent portion of the room is an elevated wood platform, where as custom requires, we take off our shoes to sit on the floor around the low table. The man who runs the shop is nearly always smiling, and excited to try his English on us as a captive audience. It doesn’t take long for the place to get under your skin. As my co-worker said, the crowd there had developed the feeling of Cheers.

image

August through October is Festival season, which provides an excellent time to see the culture at its richest. Tomioka, Takasaki are two of the more popular towns for parades, fire works, dancing and street food.

image

Being mid-late summer, there is plenty to see and do in the surrounding area of the stat of Gunma. Known for hosting the 1998 winter Olympics, the mountains that offer skiing in the winter also offer exceptional trails for the summer. (And as a Colorado native, I’m picky with my trails.) The only disappointment that I encountered was that I didn’t get to see one of the indigenous primates – the Japanese Macaque. (I will just have to go find one at the famous monkey park this winter, which supplies hot springs specifically for the monkeys, where they swarm to bath in the masses during the snowy months.) Additionally in the area, mid summer offers sunflowers in full bloom. The fields, which are back-dropped by the luscious green mountains and sometimes blue sky offer a breath-taking photo to send home to make the friends jealous.
image

As far as the language barrier, most towns offer free Japanese lessons at the community centers or town halls. If you are planning on coming over to improve your Japanese (no-matter how much or little you know), these lessons could be bennificial.

 

Stay tuned as I check out the towns recently UNESCO world heritage site listed Silk Mill.

Adventures of a 'Gypsea', Gap Year Ideas

Rapunzel has nothing on me; Mission to see the floating lanterns

Leave a comment

I had been searching through Pintrest when I saw the picture of dozens of water-bound floating lanterns set adrift by people in rowboats during one of Japans floating lantern festivals. Naturally my curiosity took hold and I set out into the depths of the internet to find where these types of festivals are normally held. As the fates had aligned, there was a festival being held the night before I was to start training in Tokyo. It was their annual festival, and my travel karma came through, landing me in the same city, at the same time, as this festival.
DSC_1383

DSC_1382

DSC_1394

The work accommodation that I had moved into had me housing with 5 men from various parts of America and UK, whom I presented the idea of going to see the lanterns to. As we all seem to be adventurers in our own right, we set off into the heart of Tokyo in search of the floating lanterns.

DSC_1421 DSC_1384

One long train ride later, we arrive at central station at Tokyos’ busiest time day. We made it to the palace just around sunset, arriving to the ceremony just after it started. Then dozens of rectangular lanterns were adrift down the palace moat, accompanied by what can only be described as color-changing orbs about the size of a beach ball. The participants and spectators ranged from fellow tourists to women and men in Kimonos and enjoying the cool summer night air.

DSC_1445 DSC_1447

 

After taking our share of photos, we ventured across the street, and shuffled our way through the hoards of people to indulge in the festivals food and drink.

Adventures of a 'Gypsea', Gap Year Ideas

Culture shocked and lots of squiggly lines; Reasons I need to learn a new language.

2 Comments

I was checking onto my flight, mentally reducing the weight of my bag, and hoping it was under the weight limit. Since I had shoved the last few items in that morning, I figured it HAD to be over weight. I gave the ticket lady my passport and start through the pocket of my bag for the itinerary printout when I hear a mildly shocked “you’re kidding”. I stop the hunt for the paper and a million scenarios run through my mind. Is my bag that over weight? What if its my passport? Please don’t let there be something wrong with my passport. Maybe their computer is having trouble reading it. In the 1.5 seconds it takes for all of this to stream through my thoughts, she follows it up with ‘you have my name’. Tilting my head in genuine curiosity, all those scenarios disappear in a cartoon cloud of dust. We proceed to chitchat about how strange that I happened to end up in her line, when she looks back at my passport, then to me and starts to laugh. Tilting my head in question again, she clarifies ‘and we have the same birthday. Not the same year, but the same day and month’.

DSC_1274
Once on the plane to Japan, knowing very little of the native language and with big plans to travel and sight see, I start to question how prepared I was. It turns out though, I wasn’t the only one on the plane with the “let’s wing it” view of language. With a sparse plane, I had a row to myself. Forehead pressed to the plane window, sprawled across two seats, looking down on the turquoise water of what I told myself was an uncharted island, I had my playlist for traveling drifting me into a whole story of castaways on that island. My fantasy was interrupted by a quick tap on my shoulder. Venesa, an Aussie taking a few weeks of her school break to go visit Japan, was in the row directly behind me, and thought that I looked to be a bit adventurous, and wanted to see what I had plan for my excursions. An hour later she had taken photos of my tablet and notebooks on her iPhone, and we were discussing the Mayan ruins she visited. We bonded a bit over the fact that neither of us knew that much Japanese. I downloaded a number of programs, and have picked up the very basics to get around town. (Your standard Hi/Bye, Please/Thank you/Excuse me,) and thanks to Naomi, learned to count to ten. (I owe you one Naomi, since that will come in very handy when finding train platforms.)

Pub Snack
I had my first “crash course” today, going into the massive 7and i, (a 7eleven that rivals super Wal-Marts and is more like a 3+ story mall,) in search of food for the week and a notebook for my upcoming teacher training. It was somewhere in the rice isle that I started to panic. What was I doing!? I have no idea if that is a cooking sauce or a whole meal in the packet with the cartoon yellow rabbit smiling at me. And how do I find something that I know how to cook? I start to laugh (since really when I’m starting to have anxiety, what can you do about the situation but laugh it off,) and decide to put on my big-girl-adventurer pants and do what I can to find food, and pull it together and be willing to try something new. I decide on the minute noodles with the shrimp on the picture, and go in search of the other items on my list, agreeing to settle for the cultural equivalent. With the help of free WiFi and Google translate, I decided to stuff my pride and ask for help. The lady stocking shelves was very nice as I gesture to my phone with the translation of one of the items on my list, and am whisked off into the middle of the store. Once all my items had been gathered, I aim for the checkout. Turns out there are a lot of questions at a checkout counter that we take for granted when they are in our language. There was a question about getting a bag, and a surcharge for using a credit card. I can only hope that what I was understanding and agreeing to was what I thought it was.

DSC_1283
My second challenge was the notebook. This I was a little better prepared for, but had to wonder around the store none the less. Saying the equivalent of “excuse me, notebook, where?” while miming writing on my hand I was directed from one store to another, with one girl knowing enough English to help me out. Before long I was in the stationary store.
My adventures of the day were successes and I learned about a dozen more words. I have high hopes for this adventure.

DSC_1290

Update: I would like to recommend Byki Express for a free language learning program. If you need to learn it fast and be able to get the basics to get around, its the best program I’ve found.

Adventures of a 'Gypsea', Uncategorized

We’ve All Got Motive

2 Comments

A couple months ago, I was sitting in the top bunk of my hostel, bundled under blankets and half hanging off the bed to chat with my English roommate. We noticed something; we are about the same age, and we are part of a small demographic of backpackers. Not only that, there seemed to be a correlation between age, and why you were traveling. Granted, those age lines could blur, such as having a ‘gap year’ before you start University, or after University, and before grad school or the dreaded real world.  In this episode of CSI: Travel, here are ‘6 Motivators’ that we came up with:

THE JOB SEEKER:

AGE: Late Teens to Late 20’s
REASON FOR TRAVEL: Usually on a Working Holiday trying to get some money together while they travel. Usually “saving” for something, or getting career experience abroad.

THE UNI STUDENT:

AGE: Early to mid 20’s
REASON FOR TRAVEL: Study Abroad, Learning a specific topic, or on a short travel stint between semesters.

ABANDON ALL:

AGE: Early to late 20’s
REASON FOR TRAVEL: Something went south back home (lost job, family member passed away.) On several occasion’s its been the ex caught with the best friend, where they go off to build/rebuild their life without the insignificant other.

PARTNER:

AGE: Mid to late 20’s
REASON FOR TRAVEL: Along for the ride! Significant other/family member/best friend planed the trip and wanted a travel companion.

SOUL SEARCHING:

AGE: All ages
REASON FOR TRAVEL: To discover something. They set out with no goal or destination, but want to explore who they really are, and search for truth (either on a personal or spiritual level.)

GOAL SETTER:

AGE: All ages
REASON FOR TRAVEL: Its been a lifelong dream to [fill in your deepest world travel desire here]. Be it see animals on safari in Africa, climb the Sydney harbour bridge, or learn to make pasta from an Italian chef in Italy, there is a reason you are in the area and a direct goal you are trying to achieve.

I would like to give a shout out to Oli, who spent an afternoon with me bouncing the ideas back and forth.

Adventures of a 'Gypsea', Uncategorized

How I do it: More backpacking tips

Leave a comment

I’m thinking back to this time last year, when I was packing up my apartment and how excited I was to be one step closer to my adventurous life. I’m not wealthy, didn’t have much in the way to sell, and was giving away my furniture just to get it out before my move out deadline. Yeah, I had enough to get started on the trip, but little idea what the whole trip would ultimately entail. Ive had my plans crumble underneath me, and long arranged plans work out beautifully. What made one work and the other collapse? Not the wildest idea, but that’s the beauty of it. Whether I have plans work out so perfectly or fall apart horribly, I have had people in my life that have shared that with. This last year I have seen people from my past that I didn’t know if I was going to see again, some introduced me more amazing people, others have offered closure and I probably wont see them again. But this is where I offer my first Grand Adventure Words of Advice;

What goes around comes around.

Be it Karma, ‘do unto others’, or any other dogma of the same rule, the world is a small place. I have seen first hand karma come back to people who have wronged (and oh, does it taste so sweet. Face it, you know someone you would love karma to come back to.) I’ve also witnessed the good, friends meeting again for the first time in years (and have experienced this a few times), or someone housing me finds money on the ground. (personally, I find this as the universe keeping everything in balance.)

Keep your friends close, and your enemies as far away as you can.

This doesn’t always have to be in the physical sense. No matter where you are, or how far or close someone is, if they do nothing but bring you down, keep them out of your life. This may sound like a big I-never-want-to-speak-to-you-again drama, but its really a lot simpler than you would imagine. Simply live your life. Find the beauty in the people you meet along the way, and if they are really your friend, no amount of time and space will change that. They are the ones that start the Facebook conversation with “where are you now?” and “How do you like it in…?” and “I’m so jealous!”, even after those few months that you havn’t been talking (which really just feels like a few days at most) you pick up right were you left off. They are the ones I offer the couch to crash on in Colorado, or arrange for a drink the next time we meet up (even though neither of us know when or where that may be.) This may not be everyone you meet, but the ones who stick are the ones who count.

There is a difference between packing light and packing efficiently.

I don’t mean the rolling clothes and shoving undies in shoes, (which believe me, it really does save space.) I am talking about having what you need more than what you want. I have gone through my bags a couple times now sending home boxes of clothes and devices that I discovered I really didn’t need. With wither approaching here in the southern hemisphere, there really is only so much I am willing to part with, but find that the concept of ‘light layers’ is the way to go. Sub-note: Forgo the souvenirs. It is way better for you to get a camera, and learn how to get good photos. I have seen some amazing GoPro videos, and have an olypus tough which is the most durable little camera. (Ive taken it exploring in caves, to the great barrier reef, and dropped it off a cliff in Ireland. It still goes strong) I also shoot with a DSLR Nikon, but this is usually the EXPENSIVE option. I’ve had a love of photography since I was 13, and decided it was worth it to me. (Coming soon, excerpt from my travel photography how-to book I am writing.)

There will be days you stress out. Ride them out.

Almost every backpacker I have met has had at least one day when they freak out. Be it strapped on cash, flight cancelled, something stolen, its happened before. Before calling your trip a bust because something bad has happened, learn to deal with it. it may be harsh, but its true. To this day I winge about my jean jacket being stolen, and that was my first week in the hostel during this trip. I’ve had other things nicked along the way, but I will never forget that first thing or that first time something bad happened while backpacking. Ask any backpacker when they were in a sticky situation. There is a good chance that they remember.  Add that experience to your ‘stories-to-tell-at-the-bar’ list, and move on. And from this I use a phrase my mum taught me from a young age “If everything always worked out, then we wouldn’t have adventures.”

 

Next time: The people you meet: An introduction to a correlation between ages and the reasons they travel.

 

Adventures of a 'Gypsea', Uncategorized

A month and a few places later…

Leave a comment

I am nearing the end of my year visa (with still no option for Americans to extend for another year) and am in the throws of trying to find sure footing for the next step in my journey.

Over the last month I have had an onslaught of adventures, from finding how to live on no money in Brisbane, to having a job that pays for all travel and accommodation, to taking photos of surfers for a magazine/website, to finding my strengths as well as my weaknesses in the grand scheme of backpacking. (You know, like that one jacket I have no room for in my suitcase, but I love it too much to send home… Which may have been a good thing since winter is coming.)

At the moment, I’m in a little town of NSW called Armidale, in an area dubbed “New England”. The cool air and smell of decaying leaves that are the staple of my autumn in Colorado leave me just a little homesick for my rugged Rocky Mountains. The college town with bookshops and coffee shops sprinkled about bring me back to my university days. The people I meet constantly reminding me of the 6 degrees of separation, and how when you travel, you’re never really ‘solo’.

As a preview of the “next step”, I am getting my TEFL certificate (teaching English as a foreign language) and will get back into my niche of teaching and academia, but in a way that will let me work and travel the globe.

Kiki Lathrop