Japanese Excursion Day 1: 祭 Matsuri nights, Kyoto

Having just got back from my short vacation to Japan on Thursday, I'm still processing all that went on. I feel like I've done so much that I'm not really sure where to start, but having recorded loads of video both with my flip and Canon HD, I think I'll have good account of what happened after going through them and sharing my experience with you.

First took off from Jeju Thursday morning, July 16th. Landed in Gimpo airport and took the shuttle to Incheon International airport for the flight to Osaka. I thought there might have been not enough time with the shuttle transfer from the airports and boarding an international flight, but everything went smoothly.

My first glimpse of Japan from the plane:



Once the plane arrived in Kansai airport, you can get to Kyoto via the JR West railway line. For around 2400円 (yen) you can get a non-reserved ticket on the Airport Express HARUKA line, which is approximately a 75 minute trip.

For 1950円, you can get the slower (95 min) train to Kyoto Station, but have to transfer in Shin-Osaka. To avoid any unnecessary confusion, the Airport Express is your best bet.

Before you embark, they have attendants clean the train, even the chairs help out:



It's not much of a view on the ride; you can see the outskirts of Osaka as they lead into Kyoto. On the upside, the chairs are pretty comfy and are perfect for those who like napping.



Once the train arrived at Kyoto Station, I felt really out of place. I had a map of where I was supposed to go, but wasn't really sure how long it would take to get there, or if the bus was a better option. Having remembered that the cabs here are ridiculously expensive, I tried the walking approach.

Located on Kawaramachi-dori (street), the Econo Inn is about a 15 minute walk from Kyoto station and is easily visible from the sidewalk with it's big bright blue sign; it is particularly useful later in the evening when you might have had a few drinks.



The Econo Inn was surprisingly cheap at 3495円 a night/per person. The room was small with an even smaller bathroom, but it had an extremely comfortable comforter and bed to make up for that. It's a great place to stay on a budget and is within walking distance to many of the shopping districts and sights in Southern 東山区 Higashiyama.



Spotted a rainbow from the balcony of my room, always a good sign:



Nothing could prepare me for the craziness on the streets along Kawaramachi-dori and Shijō-dōri. In the nights leading up to the 祇園祭 Gion Matsuri parade, people walk about the streets in their summer kimonos, watching artistic and musical performances whilst perusing through countless street vendors.



Went to a nearby traditional Udon restaurant, Mendokoro Kyoumen, in the Gion District.



It was the best beef udon ever, priced at 1050円.


The nearby 八坂神社 Yasaka-jinja (Yasaka shrine) is the spot to be on the 16th, with swarms of people and shops on the shrine's grounds.



Inside the shrine, there are numerous concession stands selling everything from pineapple on-a-stick to cans of Asahi, to yakitori (barbecued chicken skewers).



Inside the shrine are several golden 神輿 Mikoshi (portable shinto shrines):

In 869 the mikoshi (portable shrines) of Gion Shrine were paraded through the streets of Kyoto to ward off an epidemic that had hit the city. This was the beginning of the Gion Matsuri, an annual festival which has become world famous.

There were several people ringing the bells nearby, praying for a wish.



We stumbled upon a 神楽, かぐら Kagura performance, "a specific type of Shinto theatrical dance — with roots arguably predating those of Noh." I was delighted.



It was a lengthy performance, but well worth watching. The next scene the main character has a battle with dragons; awesome.



He eventually kills the green dragon, who proves to be the most stubborn and powerful amongst the lot. The actors reveal themselves and bow to the large crowd.

Decided to turn in at that point, and prepare for the parade of floats early the next day.

비자림 Bijarim

Brian and I were out to 비자림 (Bijarim Forest) a couple weeks back to take some pictures and write about it for a Jeju Weekly story. Neither of us had ever been before, but after hearing about the "Millennium tree", a tree more than 800 years old, it sounded worthwhile.

Designated as a natural monument, Bijarim Forest has a group of about 2,800 Bija trees which are 500∼800 years old. They are 7~14m high, with diameters ranging from 50~110cm. This is the largest forest of bija trees in the world...In 1992, Jejudo Island renovated a walkway at this site for the citizens and tourists to enjoy forest walks through the wonderful forest.

It's a little tricky getting there if you don't have your own vehicle, but once you sit down to figure it out, it's still manageable. Take a bus from Jeju-si or Seogwipo-si to Sehwa-ri, where you can then take a cab to Bijarim for about 7,000 won; admission is free with your Jeju residency card.

We decided to bring a lunch with us, since the bus ride was about an hour and a half and we weren't sure what kind of place we were going to be dropped off at; gimbap with tuna sandwiches and some flavourful raspberry makgeolli to wash it down.

The beginning of the path into the woods is quite nice, with a big freshly mowed grassy field in the center and a quaint pebble walkway leading towards the forest. There are various species of trees and bushes, each with a marker to indicate what they are.



After finishing our lunch on a picnic table near the entrance to the woods, we started our walk through the old nutmeg forest.

A natural nutmeg grove (Torreya nucifira community) on Mt. Hallasan (designated Natural Monument #384), extends over 448 thousand square meters...In the past, nutmeg was valued as vermicide and its wood was popular for high quality furniture and paduk (go) boards for the wealty. The area is also noted foor many rare orchids which grow naturally.

The canopy within the forest adds to the atmosphere; you feel like you're walking through an enchanted old forest.



After walking roughly half of a kilometre, you come to this crossroad; one path leads towards the exit, another back the way you came from, and the third to the mysterious "Millennium tree". We went with path number three.

In the middle of the forest is an 800-year-old tree, the oldest tree on Jeju-do Island. The tree is 25m high and has a girth of 6m and is called the ancestor tree of the Bija trees.

As we approached the Millennium tree I felt somewhat eery by its presence, like the first time I saw the Great Deku Tree in Ocarina of Time; another 1998 classic.



All around the forest are name tags on the nutmeg trees, indicating they're "sister trees". Trees that are part of an ongoing project working towards bringing awareness about this forest to people in Korea and beyond.



There are also some campgrounds not too far off the returning path. So for anyone looking to stay the night or bring the family out, there's somewhere to camp. I spotted some oreum in the distance which looked like they would give a pretty good view of the area, but Brian and I were unable to find a path up.

If you're interested, you can find out more about Bijarim and other Jeju forests in my Jeju Weekly cover story, "Walk on the wooded side."

The Jeju Surf and Rock festival 2009

Over the July fourth weekend, the 7th Annual Jeju International Surf Competition and 6th Annual Stepping Stone Festival was held at Jungmun beach.

I arrived on the beach to find that there were no waves; Jungmun was a lake.



Plenty of surfboards, surfers and trophies were on scene, all around the beach and tent city setup near the entrance. Check out Jeju Weekly for a full report of the Surf Contest.



People were still enjoying the sunny day despite the lack of waves.

Matt and I tossed the football around for a bit and invented a new game dubbed "Suicide ball"; I needed to go to the hospital two days later to get sand removed from my ears.



The second part of the day was the Stepping Stone Festival, which included a line-up of various indie rock, reggae and other lively musical ensembles.


The concert was a bit behind schedule, but the bands still managed to set everything up and get the stage ready for the evening festivities.



The "Windy City" starting their warm-up:



Their performance was probably the most memorable of the evening, since the rest of the night got a bit hazy afterwards.



As the night descended upon the beach, everyone started to flock towards the stage.



Another band took the stage as the crowd was embracing the music fully. The Jeju weekly has another in-depth look at the event, in their article on Stepping Stone.



It was probably the greatest music performance of the year on Jeju, and was a great way to end a fun-filled day.



With a little fireworks display brought by the crowd, it was quite the unique celebration of the fourth of July; I had a blast and so did everyone else.

여미지식물원 Yeomiji Botanical Garden

Usually I'm not up for the more touristy attractions here on Jeju, but I had a friend in town who thought that it might be interesting to check out the greenhouses at the Yeomiji Botanical Garden.


Admission price is rather steep at around 7,000 won per person, but that's what you get for being in the heart of the tourist center of Jeju.

The gardens are split up into several different sections, each with their own theme and unique flora.

The first on your right when you enter is the Tropical Fruit Garden, which has some 40 kinds of fruit.


Saw some avocado that I really wanted to take home with me. They're rather expensive at E-mart and other grocery stores here.

Next up is the Jungle Garden, which tries its best to give that dense canopy feeling you have with real jungles.


The dinosaur models hidden amongst the plant life is supposed to accentuate the "jurassic" period jungle theme I guess.


Koreans love their dinosaurs; can't blame them, Jurassic Park is one of my favourite films and to this day still has the best dinosaur special effects I've ever seen.

The third garden greenhouse is the Cactus and Succulent Garden, which I thought was the best garden there; it's probably even better than the one at Ilchulland.


Lots of interesting cacti here, which I guess are more amusing to me than most. I've always been fascinated with the prickly little things, probably because they just seem so foreign to the kind of natural surroundings I'm used to.

Next up is the Aquatic Plant Garden which leads directly into the Flower Garden. It has some cool looking flowers, including some venus fly traps which sadly, I was unable to locate .


There were some really large and interesting lilly pads which reminded me of a pokemon figure my student gave me:


Here's another thing Koreans love, especially the children. Pokemon is as popular here as it was when it was originally released in North America back in 1998; those were the days.


The final section of the Yeomiji Gardens is probably the least impressive, just some simple flower arrangements with a few unique plants and statues to decorate it.


There is also an elevator you can take up a few stories to get a view of the Jungmun area, but there are definitely more impressive places to get a view of the area that don't require you to pay admission.

In all, not really worth the cash, I'd recommend skipping it and just walk along the outdoor paths to the bridge and along the valley to the waterfalls below.

Raj Mahal, Jeju-si

Met up with The Jeju Weekly writing staff a couple of Fridays ago to share a dinner together at the new Indian restaurant, Taj Mahal. It was good to finally meet everyone and see what kind of people I'm working with on this paper.

As long as anyone can remember, Bagdad Cafe has been the be all and end all for good curry on this island, but now it has some competition.


Located about four blocks from T.H.E. H.O.T.E.L (Vegas Club) in Sin-Jeju, Raj Mahal can be a bit confusing to find.

Upon entering the restaurant, I felt that it wasn't as atmospheric nor did it seat as much capacity as Bagdad, however, the restaurant still provided some nice seating with comfortable chairs and couches.



I went with some onion vaji for my starter:


I thought it was a bit greasy, but then again, I've never had onion vaji before. I was hoping for something more crispy. Priced at 5,000 won.

For my meal, I went with chicken tikka masala, always a good choice in my opinion, with some garlic nan. The service was kind of slow, and it took a while for everyone to get both their meals and side dishes.


All in all, the curry was good, but not great; I must say that I prefer Bagdad. Sure Raj Mahal has more items on the menu, but as my favourite television chef, Gordon Ramsay, says, "We're as good as our last meal," and Bagdad has never given me anything less than great.

엉또폭포 Eongtto Falls

After coming back from the Seogwipo Forest, I thought we'd make a slight detour and check out the Eongtto Falls. It's not a very popular waterfall, since it is only visible after rainfalls exceeding 70mm, but I thought it might be interesting to see what there was around.

The entrance is marked with a Jeju Olle flag, so you can tell that this is along one of the many Olle routes that are all over Jeju, especially along the coastline.



The falls is surround by orange groves, some which are even starting to sprout some baby oranges. It seems like only yesterday they were all over the place, but it won't be long until they are again.



There was this abandoned house up on the hillside near the walkway towards to falls. Matt and I checked it out and discovered it to be a storage area for orange crates, which will be used to harvest the oranges come Fall.



This is where the falls should be, but there is only a pond and a small river flowing back towards the way we came, through the woods.



Some interesting rock colours along the cliffs and even a noticeable cave, that happened to be flooded with water.



Besides the few fields and cliffs, there really isn't much to see. You can go rock climbing there, but I'd check online to see what requirements there are before just showing up to do some climbing.


The picture at the entrance depicts a huge waterfall, and the area seems very remote and tranquil, unlike most of the other waterfalls on Jeju.

It's such a shame that there needs to be so much rain to see it, but if there was, I think it would probably be my favourite.


I can only hope that we get a big enough storm someday and I'll get to see such a sight.

서귀포자연휴양림 Seogwipo Natural Recreation Forest

As part of my article on Jeju's top three forests, I scootered up to Seogwipo Natural Recreation Forest with Matt the other week. We had passed by it before on our way to Yeongshil trail, which is only a few kilometres past the entrance to the forest.

There is no admission fee for us Jeju residents, but they do charge you for parking which ranges from 1,000 to 3,000 won, depending on the size of your vehicle. We picked up a brochure and began walking.

First stop on the trail was a small pond, marked as the "Ecology Pond". There isn't very much to see around it, other than a few frogs and some colourful water lilies. Still, it's better than nothing.


Right near the pond there is a road leading up to a few cabins and even a forest pension, that has rooms available ranging from 16,000 to 98,000 won. A little steep if you ask me, but they also have other camping areas for rent.


Matt and I decided to start our forest trek with the Eco-tourism trail, which sounded pretty interesting, but turned out to be pretty much a wood through the woods with a few trees labeled.

A few interesting giant dogwood trees and a thick canopy made for the best sights.


Upon exiting the Eco-tourism trail, which is about a eight minute walk, you'll come across the acupressure trail. If you've been to many outdoor Jeju tourist spots, then you'll recognize the stony path designed for giving your foot a massage. I've tried before, but it never seems to work out or even feel good for me.

There is about a 50 m stretch that leads back towards the entrance of the forest, so we decided to go the opposite way. We came across another path that seemed to be a shortcut towards the Bubjungak Oreum Observatory, so we went that way.


There is an area that is built around a river, supposedly designed to be a "paddling area" or probably a makeshift swimming spot for those visiting the site. There wasn't enough water for anything like that, but this was before the rainy season had taken effect.


After crossing the river, we followed another path down to the camp sites to take a look.

There were lots of camping decks available, which are only 4,000 won per night. Another alternate option is to just sleep in the camping site grounds, which run around 2,000 won. With a padded mat or sleeping bag, the decks sounds like the best option.


We wandered back up the trail and tried to figure out our best route to get to the oreum; on our way along one path through the woods Matt spotted a deer. This is the second time we've been up near Halla and have at least one.

We got a great view of it this time too:



Once the deer ran off, Matt and I continued our walk, which was beginning to get very humid. I took a few pictures of some of the nearby foliage, but Matt's camera isn't the most co-operative device.

About another 15 minute walk and we reached the summit of Bubjungak, an oreum 760 metres above sea level. Finally we stopped for our traditional road-snack: chammers or 참치 김밥 (chamchi kimbap), a kind of tuna filled rice roll of deliciousness.



With a couple of plums, some yogurt and a Dr. You bar, we had a pretty healthy road snack going for us. It was a pleasant walk through the woods and hike up the mountain, but not someplace I'd probably come back to...unless it was in the fall or winter.


The view of Hallasan and the trees below from the summit was definitely the best thing it had going for it.

돈내코 Donnaeko

Just a short drive from Seogwipo, the Donnaeko Resort (돈내코) is a great place to spend a hot afternoon relaxing in the cool waters of Hallasan.

You can also get there by bus from Seogwipo, but it shouldn't be too difficult to find otherwise if you simply follow the signs on your way out of town exiting via the street from Homeplus (홈플러스).

There is a really dense forest that surrounds the resort area, which is more like a temperate climate zone, the result of being nearly 900 metres above sea level; there are also camping areas and various walking trails leading in and around the forest.



The pond at the base of the falls is deep enough to go swimming into, however, keep in mind that the water is extremely cold.



The Wonang Pokpo Waterfall, as its known, is yet another waterfall on Jeju's southside. It's about 5 metres high, with a naturaly formed sitting perch just above where the water falls.



When Brian and I showed up, we found my friend Matt there with his girlfriend. Unlike ourselves, he was brave enough to jump off the rocks into the pool below.



His girlfriend followed him in shortly after, with a bit of convincing on his part. I only wish we had more time to enjoy ourselves there, but we had prior dinner plans at Gecko's. So after a few pictures and videos we took our leave.

Eclipses

Yesterday there was a penumbral lunar eclipse, which was seen best at its maximum eclipse from Canada. Completely invisible to the naked eye, it was also very difficult because of its small magnitude.

Still it's an interesting thing that doesn't happen so often. Here is an example of a total lunar eclipse:



Even more rare, is the total solar eclipse, which will be occurring on the 22nd of July this year:

This solar eclipse is the longest total solar eclipse that will occur in the twenty-first century, and will not be surpassed in duration until June 13, 2132. Totality will last for up to 6 minutes and 39 seconds, with the maximum eclipse occurring in the ocean at 02:35:21 UTC about 100 km south of the Bonin Islands, southeast of Japan. The North Iwo Jima island is the landmass with totality time closest to maximum.

Totality will be visible in many cities such as Surat, Varanasi, Patna, Thimphu, Chengdu, Chongqing, Wuhan, Hangzhou and Shanghai, as well as over the Three Gorges Dam. A partial eclipse will be seen from the much broader path of the Moon's penumbra, including most of South East Asia and north-eastern Oceania.

Looks like I'll have at least a chance at seeing this one.

천제연폭포 Cheonjeyeon Falls

You can get to the Cheonjeyeon falls either from the Jungmun main street entrance, or by walking past the Yeomiji Botanical Gardens on the other side (near the hotels) and crossing the Seonimkyo bridge. The pond above the falls holds a few legends, and is the center location of the annual Seven Fairies Festival held every May.

According to a legend, Cheonjeyon Falls means "the pond of God" where nymphs descend to take a bath. The first cascade of Cheonjeyon Falls is 22 m high and the water forms a pond 21 m in depth. The water flows farther along to form the second cascade of 30 m high. Up from Cheonjeyon Falls is the stunning arch bridge Seonimkyo, which is also called Seven Nymphs Bridge.

There are is a small alcove that you can't normally get to because of a barred path, supposedly from danger to rocks falling overhead, but I think it's just the resignation of the authorities not to do anything about it.



The falls themselves are a pleasant sight and similar to Cheonjiyeon in appearance, but there's more to see in the valley than at the falls in Seogwipo.



Brian and I spotted a buddhist temple along the valley ridge from our Challa Brunch, we went down some random road and eventually found it, as well as a pathway leading down to a boardwalk along the valley's edge.



We spotted some interesting insects and heard the call of the (now) familiar Japanese Bush Warbler; I owe Matt to thank for that tidbit of knowledge.

Challa Cafe & Gallery

On our way into Jungmun to see the 천제연폭포 (Cheonjeyeon Waterfall), Brian and I stopped by the Challa Cafe for some mid-morning brunch.

Right next door to Yeomiji Botanical Garden in Jungmun lays the Challa Meditation Gallery. The brainchild of Korean artist Chung Gong, Challa is both an art gallery as well as a café. It offers organic foods and Italian coffee on a scenic local overlooking the valley just beyond Cheonjiyeon Falls. It’s an oasis of calm amidst the unrelenting tackiness and excess of Jungmun.

It presents a relaxing atmosphere and has a great view of the Cheonjeyeon Valley, with the waterfalls just beyond sight.



Brian and I were both quite hungry, so we ordered some vegetarian mandu for a starter. For 8,000 won, we got some lovely tasting and hand-made looking dumplings; much better than the frozen factory made ones available at your local grocery outlet.



The vegetarian club sandwich and italian coffee combo came to 12,000 won, but was definitely worth it. The coffee was great and the sandwich is definitely in the competition for the best on the island.



Currently, Kim Man Su's works are being featured in the Gallery portion until the 12th of July.



Worth a stop if you're traveling past the Jungmun valley area, looking for a comfortable and pleasant stop.

Photo by Brian Miller

Happy Canada Day!

Spent the afternoon handing out miniature flags, pencils, pens and pins; the kids loved it. One class even brought in a cake, good fun all around. I made up a pretty good Canadian quiz for prizes. My favourite question was:

Which one is not in Canada:

a) Ontario
b) Scotland
c) Nova Scotia

Funny enough, most kids picked c.

Another tricky question for kids was:

What is the Capital of Canada:

a) Toronto
b) Ottawa
c) Vancouver

Surprisingly more kids picked Vancouver than the expected Toronto response.

Finally, here are a few videos that show some Canadian Spirit:



And a good preview of the Vancouver Olympics in 2010: