This is way long, so dont feel obliged to read it all.
My trip in Japan Days 2-3
DAY 2
My day was spent, for the most part in rain, that, as the day went on got more, and more, and more torrential. I went to the area of the Tokyo Dome,andlooked for the mma bar and stores that I read so much about.My directions were to turn right at a Mcdonalds just outside the station, go down 23 meters, and look up, and the first store would be on the 2nd floor. I did so, but there was no such store, only a travel agency. So, I am like, fuck! I cant go to any of the other stores, because I only have directions to them in relation to the first store. The names of the stores are Fitness world, Ambitions, and Isami. I look and look, getting soaked, even with the umbrella, because the wind is picking up, and blowing the rain. (Note- Denial and opstimism are in contention here). I am ready to give up, but I decide to press on a little while longer. So, i keep looking around for a good hour, and boom! I find the last store, Ambitions, out of blind luck. I talk to the guys there, spend alot of money, and take some photos of the store. In typical Japanese fashon, they grab directions from a phone book, photocopy them, and draw me a map on how to get to the other 2 stores. They say.."its really close to the mcdonalds". Im like.. WTF? (note- I am not an idiot, its just that streets in japan have no name, so addresses are all reletive to to other things example my address would be the 132nd condo in the neighborhood of nantucket, in the southeastern Michigan prefecture) So, there I am following the directions they give me, and find the first store, Fitness world. I took a photo of the greatest storefront ever. Its a picture of Haru Mesaki in full mount, pounding some brazilian fighter, blood all over the canvis... and it says
"Fitness!!!"
That alone took away alot of my anger. So, I look around, and lo and behold... There is the side entrance of the station, and another Macdonalds that is so small, that you can only see it from the store I am at. Grrr.. 80 bucks later and a trip to ISAMI... I know have the takanori Gomi INSPIRIT shorts I have coveting for so long.
OK, come home, get packed, take the2 hour train ride, arrive at the base of Mount Fuji all exited.. and I was ignoring it all along, but the rain only got worse and worse... So, when I saw the sign at the bus station that was supposed to take me to the base of the mountain.. I was still optimistic.
"Due to the presence of a typhoon, all busses are canceled for the rest of the night. "
So, I am like Fuck! This means that I will have to shell out 100 bucks for a cab. Grrrr. So, I walk to the taxi stand. The nice man there informs me that by order of the government, all roads to Fuji are shut down to all non residents, and no climbing is allowed.
I asked, "what are my options? "
"Go home. Thats all you can do. "
"I came all the way from America to climb Fuji, I know its dangerous.. but I am willing to take the risk, so I will be climbing anyway.. but thank you. "
"That is not a possibilty"
"I will walk... I dont care"
”Well, seeing as thoiugh the base is 50 kilometers from here, by the time you make it to the base, it will be morning. Go home”
At this point, i walked away, because he was right. I got right back on the train that I had just gotten off of, and since no one else was on it yet, I took the liberty of screaming for about a minute, then crying for about 30 seconds, then started thinking "now what"?
Then on the long, boring train ride home, I began plan B. It is 2:40 in the morning here, and the trains begin again at 6. I am going to stay up all night, and first thing in the morning, get right back on that train, ride 3 hours again... and start climbing. Its still raining outside my window, but it will pass, it has to. I cant sleep, because of all the anti oxygen sickness meds, ephedra, adreneline and anger pumping through me.
DAY 3
No sleep, and seeing as though I am sick of trains, I grab the first bus from Shinjuku to Fuji: it left at 11. I get to the mountain at around 2pm. Now, here is the trick... I had to start from the 5th station due to the time lost the day before. I need to get my climb done with before 8, for that is the last bus that leaves the moutain back to the train station. So the signs all say route time from 5th station -8 hours up, 4 hours down. So, I need to make a 12 hour climb in less than 5 hours and 59 minutes, or my ass is stuck in the middle of nowhere till morning. So, i do exactly what the travel guides tell you not to do. I started running up the mountain. I made it about a half mile when I remembered to take my supplements. When i resumed, i noticed that my heart was beating at 160 beats per miute according to my HRM. It never went any lower for the next 5 hours, even when I was face down in volcanic ash.... but Im getting ahead of myself here. So, I climb as quickly as i can, and when it got to the point when you could no longer walk, but actually have to climb, as in using hands and stuff, I began having major issues.
1. My body would just give out out of nowhere... I was like "what is happening to me"? I would go for 50 feet, then boom, I was laid out. after 30 seconds, I was good to go... for another 50 feet.
2. After the 9000 foot mark, it got cold, and windy. so cold, that my water bottle would have froze if i kept it out of my back pack for and longer than nesessary.
3. I fell. At about 13000. Feet, only about 20 yards to the top, I was standing on a ledge, and I was resting afetr making another run, and boom, I fell off and landed on a pile of rocks, ash and more rocks. I remember very little, just that my knee was not correct. I had no idea how bad, and there was no way to check it, so I laid down for awile, froze for as long as I could stand it, and stood up to finish the climb. Thats when I also noticed this funny cramp in my right ribs. I was like... I just want to get this done... I was cold, in pain , and things did not make alot of sense.
Toward the summit, I could not see 5 feet in front of me. All I could see was the ground at my feet, and ash blowing everywhere. I was like a scene out of some sci fi movie. I finally made it to the top, took photos, and came back down as fast as I could. I literally ran down the mountain. It took no where near as long, as gravity was my friend now intead of foe. I reached the station with 15 minutes to spare, and my HRM said that I had made the climb in 5 hours and 46 minutes. (And burned 5000 calories). When the bus finally came, i limped to the back of it, and slept for the first time in 36 hours. The bus took me to the train staition, and I was back in Shinagawa in 3 hours. When I looked at my camera, I saw a bunch of pictures that someone took with my camera without me knowing it. It then accured to me that a good 30 to 40 percent of my climb I did not remember. So, I realized that I took them all along, and thought damn, i suck as a photojounalist when I am blacked out. Then I looked at the other photos, and realize I suck pretty much either way. But I was also elated, happy and very fullfilled with the fact that I climbed one of the highest mountains on earth. Now, on to harajuku and Pride...
BTW, postcards went out today, all of you who left an address will get one! Chad, got you a Naruto figure as well.
DAY 2
My day was spent, for the most part in rain, that, as the day went on got more, and more, and more torrential. I went to the area of the Tokyo Dome,andlooked for the mma bar and stores that I read so much about.My directions were to turn right at a Mcdonalds just outside the station, go down 23 meters, and look up, and the first store would be on the 2nd floor. I did so, but there was no such store, only a travel agency. So, I am like, fuck! I cant go to any of the other stores, because I only have directions to them in relation to the first store. The names of the stores are Fitness world, Ambitions, and Isami. I look and look, getting soaked, even with the umbrella, because the wind is picking up, and blowing the rain. (Note- Denial and opstimism are in contention here). I am ready to give up, but I decide to press on a little while longer. So, i keep looking around for a good hour, and boom! I find the last store, Ambitions, out of blind luck. I talk to the guys there, spend alot of money, and take some photos of the store. In typical Japanese fashon, they grab directions from a phone book, photocopy them, and draw me a map on how to get to the other 2 stores. They say.."its really close to the mcdonalds". Im like.. WTF? (note- I am not an idiot, its just that streets in japan have no name, so addresses are all reletive to to other things example my address would be the 132nd condo in the neighborhood of nantucket, in the southeastern Michigan prefecture) So, there I am following the directions they give me, and find the first store, Fitness world. I took a photo of the greatest storefront ever. Its a picture of Haru Mesaki in full mount, pounding some brazilian fighter, blood all over the canvis... and it says
"Fitness!!!"
That alone took away alot of my anger. So, I look around, and lo and behold... There is the side entrance of the station, and another Macdonalds that is so small, that you can only see it from the store I am at. Grrr.. 80 bucks later and a trip to ISAMI... I know have the takanori Gomi INSPIRIT shorts I have coveting for so long.
OK, come home, get packed, take the2 hour train ride, arrive at the base of Mount Fuji all exited.. and I was ignoring it all along, but the rain only got worse and worse... So, when I saw the sign at the bus station that was supposed to take me to the base of the mountain.. I was still optimistic.
"Due to the presence of a typhoon, all busses are canceled for the rest of the night. "
So, I am like Fuck! This means that I will have to shell out 100 bucks for a cab. Grrrr. So, I walk to the taxi stand. The nice man there informs me that by order of the government, all roads to Fuji are shut down to all non residents, and no climbing is allowed.
I asked, "what are my options? "
"Go home. Thats all you can do. "
"I came all the way from America to climb Fuji, I know its dangerous.. but I am willing to take the risk, so I will be climbing anyway.. but thank you. "
"That is not a possibilty"
"I will walk... I dont care"
”Well, seeing as thoiugh the base is 50 kilometers from here, by the time you make it to the base, it will be morning. Go home”
At this point, i walked away, because he was right. I got right back on the train that I had just gotten off of, and since no one else was on it yet, I took the liberty of screaming for about a minute, then crying for about 30 seconds, then started thinking "now what"?
Then on the long, boring train ride home, I began plan B. It is 2:40 in the morning here, and the trains begin again at 6. I am going to stay up all night, and first thing in the morning, get right back on that train, ride 3 hours again... and start climbing. Its still raining outside my window, but it will pass, it has to. I cant sleep, because of all the anti oxygen sickness meds, ephedra, adreneline and anger pumping through me.
DAY 3
No sleep, and seeing as though I am sick of trains, I grab the first bus from Shinjuku to Fuji: it left at 11. I get to the mountain at around 2pm. Now, here is the trick... I had to start from the 5th station due to the time lost the day before. I need to get my climb done with before 8, for that is the last bus that leaves the moutain back to the train station. So the signs all say route time from 5th station -8 hours up, 4 hours down. So, I need to make a 12 hour climb in less than 5 hours and 59 minutes, or my ass is stuck in the middle of nowhere till morning. So, i do exactly what the travel guides tell you not to do. I started running up the mountain. I made it about a half mile when I remembered to take my supplements. When i resumed, i noticed that my heart was beating at 160 beats per miute according to my HRM. It never went any lower for the next 5 hours, even when I was face down in volcanic ash.... but Im getting ahead of myself here. So, I climb as quickly as i can, and when it got to the point when you could no longer walk, but actually have to climb, as in using hands and stuff, I began having major issues.
1. My body would just give out out of nowhere... I was like "what is happening to me"? I would go for 50 feet, then boom, I was laid out. after 30 seconds, I was good to go... for another 50 feet.
2. After the 9000 foot mark, it got cold, and windy. so cold, that my water bottle would have froze if i kept it out of my back pack for and longer than nesessary.
3. I fell. At about 13000. Feet, only about 20 yards to the top, I was standing on a ledge, and I was resting afetr making another run, and boom, I fell off and landed on a pile of rocks, ash and more rocks. I remember very little, just that my knee was not correct. I had no idea how bad, and there was no way to check it, so I laid down for awile, froze for as long as I could stand it, and stood up to finish the climb. Thats when I also noticed this funny cramp in my right ribs. I was like... I just want to get this done... I was cold, in pain , and things did not make alot of sense.
Toward the summit, I could not see 5 feet in front of me. All I could see was the ground at my feet, and ash blowing everywhere. I was like a scene out of some sci fi movie. I finally made it to the top, took photos, and came back down as fast as I could. I literally ran down the mountain. It took no where near as long, as gravity was my friend now intead of foe. I reached the station with 15 minutes to spare, and my HRM said that I had made the climb in 5 hours and 46 minutes. (And burned 5000 calories). When the bus finally came, i limped to the back of it, and slept for the first time in 36 hours. The bus took me to the train staition, and I was back in Shinagawa in 3 hours. When I looked at my camera, I saw a bunch of pictures that someone took with my camera without me knowing it. It then accured to me that a good 30 to 40 percent of my climb I did not remember. So, I realized that I took them all along, and thought damn, i suck as a photojounalist when I am blacked out. Then I looked at the other photos, and realize I suck pretty much either way. But I was also elated, happy and very fullfilled with the fact that I climbed one of the highest mountains on earth. Now, on to harajuku and Pride...
BTW, postcards went out today, all of you who left an address will get one! Chad, got you a Naruto figure as well.