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This past weekend I'd planned to go to Mie-ken and see two things: the famous Wedded Rocks (Meoto-Iwa) and Ise-jingu, the most sacred Shinto shrine in Japan. Mie, over two hours away by Limited Express train, is one of two Kansai prefectures I've only visited once. (Wakayama is the other.) I went there with Drew during his first visit; we went to Iga-Ueno to see the Ninja Village, going out in the late morning and returning just after nightfall. Not much of Mie was seen. So I left it on my list of Place to Visit or Re-Visit before heading home.
However, Emily asked me to do stuff on Saturday, so rather than taking my time out there over two days I opted to get up at 8 AM on Sunday and head out....except I didn't manage to be on the train until 11, and I decided to save $10/add 30 minutes to the trip by taking Express instead of Limited Express. I had my netbook, so I passed the time by talking on AIM, then reading Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. Screwed up by changing trains at a station I didn't need to, and seeing the next local not showing up for half an hour, hopped on a Ltd Express after all and talked my way out of half the fare. When I arrived in Ise-shi, my bag was already too heavy for my liking, so I threw my sweater, laptop, umbrella, book and the snacks I'd bought at Tsuruhashi into a coin locker at Ise-shi. Then I stepped out of the station and tried to rent a bicycle, had no luck - the guy said I had to return the bike by 5, and it was after 3 already - so I walked 10 metres before it started to sprinkle. It had been thunderstorming back in Osaka, but the weather in Ise-shi had seemed fair so I'd locked the umbrella away. I opted NOT to go back to the locker and waste my 300 yen, instead I continued on to the Ise-jingu Outer Shrine. Luckily the rain petered out without any damage done and I wandered around Ise-jingu awhile. I passed the Tourist Info Center and they gave me a free postcard and a pin. :D
I thought I ought to have gone to the Inner Shrine but it was a bit away by bus and I was afraid I wouldn't finish there and reach Meoto-Iwa by nightfall/the end of high tide...so I decided to skip the Inner Shrine (sorry Amaterasu) and go right to the Wedded Rocks, as that was the main reason I was there. I went to a Sato restaurant and had some disagreeable udon (the soup wasn't very tasty ;o;) while I looked over the pamphlet given to me at the Tourist Centre. It claimed that the Wedded Rocks were best seen during sunrise (in summer) and sunset (in winter). Ooh. But...there was no way I could see the sun rise over the rocks; I was supposed to be on the 8:30 train back to Osaka so I could get lots of rest before work. I would have 4 classes the next day. Ah, but how romantic, I thought. I'd wanted to see Meoto-Iwa since my first month in Japan, the pictures I'd seen were splendid. I wanted to go down to the beach with my book and a box of Country Ma'am cookies (Darjeeling preferred) and watch the ocean swirl around the rocks until it was too dark to see, then come back to see the sun rise over them...
Out of curiosity I checked what time the first train leaving Futaminoura was, thinking if I played my cards right I could stay in an Internet cafe overnight and grab the first train back. A tiny line, there wouldn't be a train until after 7, the Rocks were about 3 hours from Osaka and I was teaching 2nd period. No dice. A train was leaving Ise-shi at 5:10 AM, but when I asked a taxi waiting outside the station how much they'd charge to get to Meoto-Iwa, he said about $30. Buses were also out. I hopped the train to Futaminoura and stepping out of the tiny station realized I would be fortunate to find a convenience store here, much less an Internet cafe. Walking on the beach, I scouted out a dozen ryokans but knew I would never be able to justify affording one; even if I stayed in the cheapest ryokan it'd still run me $100 or more, and I'd STILL have to get up at 5 AM and get a cab back to Ise-shi at extravagant cost, thus not enjoying my ryokan stay in the least. For that price I'd be better off returning to Mie another time. So to the shrine I went, and I bought a gift for my mother and a set of ema for Tamaki and myself, then took photos of the rocks (which were much smaller than expected, but still cool!).
As I left, I spotted a posted with a photo of the sunrise over Meoto-Iwa, and some kanji words I recognized: "summer" "festival" and tomorrow's date. Times: 3:30 AM and 4 AM. Oh, I realized momentarily, it was the Summer Solstice. Something was happening. I was FLOODED WITH ENVY and whatnot that something was going on and I was going to miss it and the sunrise over the rocks because of the stupid train times. Again I toyed with the idea of overnighting; looking around for a hidden spot where I could pull an all-nighter, or a magical taxi stand to take me back to Ise-shi. Finally I took out my cell phone and used it to Google whatever was going on the next day since I couldn't read all of the poster. One of the first search results turned up info on a youth hostel right there in Futaminoura. Ooh.
I Googled the hostel then - a temple, whose monks' quarters had been turned into a place for backpackers - and found its position on the map from the tourist info centre....it was close. And it was $20. It couldn't hurt to check. Soon I was tromping up the stairs to Taiko-ji Temple as the sun went down, with no reservation and only the vaguest of plans. I stood on the porch for 5 minutes deliberating if this was the stupidest thing I'd done yet in Japan. The place was dark, nobody home. A sign in English said "ring for Mrs. Tanaka" (well, I forget her name). It was a Sunday night. I was bitten by two mosquitoes before I finally hit the bell and summoned Mrs. Tanaka and told her "I don't have a reservation but..."
She seemed offput by my sudden unexpected appearance and I learned that there were only two other guests staying, they had rooms open. She quickly found me a room and set out a futon for me. Then I asked if I could have the phone number for a local cab company. This prompted a long discussion (in her thick accent, which wasn't any Kansai-ben I knew) about my plans for the next day and I told her I intended to see the sunrise, call a cab from the beach and be on the 5:10 train from Ise-shi. She whipped out a Kintetsu schedule and determined that I should take the 5:40 Limited Express train rather than change trains. I said I needed to be back for 8:30. She said it'd be fine. Hyperdia didn't think so but I figured I could skip first period and still be okay. Then she said I didn't need to pay $30+ for a cab, she'd drive me to the station for $10. Here I waffled; I was already a little unnerved by the hostel location, the rigidness of the train schedule (one missed connection and I would not make it to my class), my lack of money - I'd arrived in Ise with $100, I'd eaten dinner, I had enough for train fare home and the hostel and BARELY a cab. If the cab cost more than $30 I was in trouble unless I could get to an ATM, and the schedule was tight. This lady, I thought, had lived her entire life tending to this shrine, was about 100 years old and probably wouldn't pose any more danger to me than a cabbie, plus I was staying the night and this was rural Mie, so I decided it was all right to accept. Though I let a few people know my whereabouts just in case. :P She gave me some towels and ran me a bath and that was that. I went back to my little tatami room and took stock of all the possessions I had on me:
Netbook (no charger)
Phone (USB charger)
iPod (USB charger)
Book (3/4 read)
Wallet (all the important stuff inside)
Rat-tail comb
Datebook (luckily, a pen too)
Maps
An umbrella
About $60 in cash
Make-up blotting papers
A purple Uniqlo hoodie
A box of Country Ma'am cookies, another package of matcha cookies
A bottle of iced tea
A packet of sour gummies
Not exactly the optimal equipment for one to spend the night two hundred kilometres from home and go directly to work in the morning without returning to her apartment. I used the fan in my room to dry my hair after the bath, then retired to bed with my book, finished it, talked to Tamaki awhile (ran the netbook battery down to 20%), then fell asleep using my hoodie as a pillow...I dreamed several times about waking up late, then at 4:15 I actually woke up, blearily poured myself into the items of clothing I wasn't wearing, packed my scant possessions and met Mrs. Tanaka in the genkan. She went down to the beach with me, but sat in the car while I watched the service - a hundred or so acolytes (I think) praying in the ocean over the rocks.
The sun, sadly, was mostly hidden behind clouds but the prayer service made up for not seeing the proper sunrise. I suspect everyone had been praying there since the 4 AM listed on the poster. I went back to meet Mrs. Tanaka at 5:10 and she dropped me off at Ujiyamada station. There was enough time to snag a cup of iced coffee and a baked-chocolate-cheesecake stick from the store before the train came, and I got the only forward-facing seat in the car, propped my head on my sweater and whiled away most of the 2.5 hour ride text messaging and listening to music. I couldn't get any more sleep, though I tried briefly. About halfway there the train filled up, and I was thankful to have my seat. When I transferred at Tsuruhashi, no such luck. On the Keihan I had a seat, though, and could rest an extra bit before showing up at school at 9 AM. Once there, I changed into some extra clothes in my locker, freshened up using the deodrant and hairbrush in my desk, sucked back another coffee and hoped I looked better than I felt. XDD Was it worth it, though...? Yes, absolutely. I had a great time, did something adventurous, made a good memory, and let me tell you, did I ever sleep deeply on Monday night!
However, Emily asked me to do stuff on Saturday, so rather than taking my time out there over two days I opted to get up at 8 AM on Sunday and head out....except I didn't manage to be on the train until 11, and I decided to save $10/add 30 minutes to the trip by taking Express instead of Limited Express. I had my netbook, so I passed the time by talking on AIM, then reading Gaiman's The Graveyard Book. Screwed up by changing trains at a station I didn't need to, and seeing the next local not showing up for half an hour, hopped on a Ltd Express after all and talked my way out of half the fare. When I arrived in Ise-shi, my bag was already too heavy for my liking, so I threw my sweater, laptop, umbrella, book and the snacks I'd bought at Tsuruhashi into a coin locker at Ise-shi. Then I stepped out of the station and tried to rent a bicycle, had no luck - the guy said I had to return the bike by 5, and it was after 3 already - so I walked 10 metres before it started to sprinkle. It had been thunderstorming back in Osaka, but the weather in Ise-shi had seemed fair so I'd locked the umbrella away. I opted NOT to go back to the locker and waste my 300 yen, instead I continued on to the Ise-jingu Outer Shrine. Luckily the rain petered out without any damage done and I wandered around Ise-jingu awhile. I passed the Tourist Info Center and they gave me a free postcard and a pin. :D
I thought I ought to have gone to the Inner Shrine but it was a bit away by bus and I was afraid I wouldn't finish there and reach Meoto-Iwa by nightfall/the end of high tide...so I decided to skip the Inner Shrine (sorry Amaterasu) and go right to the Wedded Rocks, as that was the main reason I was there. I went to a Sato restaurant and had some disagreeable udon (the soup wasn't very tasty ;o;) while I looked over the pamphlet given to me at the Tourist Centre. It claimed that the Wedded Rocks were best seen during sunrise (in summer) and sunset (in winter). Ooh. But...there was no way I could see the sun rise over the rocks; I was supposed to be on the 8:30 train back to Osaka so I could get lots of rest before work. I would have 4 classes the next day. Ah, but how romantic, I thought. I'd wanted to see Meoto-Iwa since my first month in Japan, the pictures I'd seen were splendid. I wanted to go down to the beach with my book and a box of Country Ma'am cookies (Darjeeling preferred) and watch the ocean swirl around the rocks until it was too dark to see, then come back to see the sun rise over them...
Out of curiosity I checked what time the first train leaving Futaminoura was, thinking if I played my cards right I could stay in an Internet cafe overnight and grab the first train back. A tiny line, there wouldn't be a train until after 7, the Rocks were about 3 hours from Osaka and I was teaching 2nd period. No dice. A train was leaving Ise-shi at 5:10 AM, but when I asked a taxi waiting outside the station how much they'd charge to get to Meoto-Iwa, he said about $30. Buses were also out. I hopped the train to Futaminoura and stepping out of the tiny station realized I would be fortunate to find a convenience store here, much less an Internet cafe. Walking on the beach, I scouted out a dozen ryokans but knew I would never be able to justify affording one; even if I stayed in the cheapest ryokan it'd still run me $100 or more, and I'd STILL have to get up at 5 AM and get a cab back to Ise-shi at extravagant cost, thus not enjoying my ryokan stay in the least. For that price I'd be better off returning to Mie another time. So to the shrine I went, and I bought a gift for my mother and a set of ema for Tamaki and myself, then took photos of the rocks (which were much smaller than expected, but still cool!).
As I left, I spotted a posted with a photo of the sunrise over Meoto-Iwa, and some kanji words I recognized: "summer" "festival" and tomorrow's date. Times: 3:30 AM and 4 AM. Oh, I realized momentarily, it was the Summer Solstice. Something was happening. I was FLOODED WITH ENVY and whatnot that something was going on and I was going to miss it and the sunrise over the rocks because of the stupid train times. Again I toyed with the idea of overnighting; looking around for a hidden spot where I could pull an all-nighter, or a magical taxi stand to take me back to Ise-shi. Finally I took out my cell phone and used it to Google whatever was going on the next day since I couldn't read all of the poster. One of the first search results turned up info on a youth hostel right there in Futaminoura. Ooh.
I Googled the hostel then - a temple, whose monks' quarters had been turned into a place for backpackers - and found its position on the map from the tourist info centre....it was close. And it was $20. It couldn't hurt to check. Soon I was tromping up the stairs to Taiko-ji Temple as the sun went down, with no reservation and only the vaguest of plans. I stood on the porch for 5 minutes deliberating if this was the stupidest thing I'd done yet in Japan. The place was dark, nobody home. A sign in English said "ring for Mrs. Tanaka" (well, I forget her name). It was a Sunday night. I was bitten by two mosquitoes before I finally hit the bell and summoned Mrs. Tanaka and told her "I don't have a reservation but..."
She seemed offput by my sudden unexpected appearance and I learned that there were only two other guests staying, they had rooms open. She quickly found me a room and set out a futon for me. Then I asked if I could have the phone number for a local cab company. This prompted a long discussion (in her thick accent, which wasn't any Kansai-ben I knew) about my plans for the next day and I told her I intended to see the sunrise, call a cab from the beach and be on the 5:10 train from Ise-shi. She whipped out a Kintetsu schedule and determined that I should take the 5:40 Limited Express train rather than change trains. I said I needed to be back for 8:30. She said it'd be fine. Hyperdia didn't think so but I figured I could skip first period and still be okay. Then she said I didn't need to pay $30+ for a cab, she'd drive me to the station for $10. Here I waffled; I was already a little unnerved by the hostel location, the rigidness of the train schedule (one missed connection and I would not make it to my class), my lack of money - I'd arrived in Ise with $100, I'd eaten dinner, I had enough for train fare home and the hostel and BARELY a cab. If the cab cost more than $30 I was in trouble unless I could get to an ATM, and the schedule was tight. This lady, I thought, had lived her entire life tending to this shrine, was about 100 years old and probably wouldn't pose any more danger to me than a cabbie, plus I was staying the night and this was rural Mie, so I decided it was all right to accept. Though I let a few people know my whereabouts just in case. :P She gave me some towels and ran me a bath and that was that. I went back to my little tatami room and took stock of all the possessions I had on me:
Netbook (no charger)
Phone (USB charger)
iPod (USB charger)
Book (3/4 read)
Wallet (all the important stuff inside)
Rat-tail comb
Datebook (luckily, a pen too)
Maps
An umbrella
About $60 in cash
Make-up blotting papers
A purple Uniqlo hoodie
A box of Country Ma'am cookies, another package of matcha cookies
A bottle of iced tea
A packet of sour gummies
Not exactly the optimal equipment for one to spend the night two hundred kilometres from home and go directly to work in the morning without returning to her apartment. I used the fan in my room to dry my hair after the bath, then retired to bed with my book, finished it, talked to Tamaki awhile (ran the netbook battery down to 20%), then fell asleep using my hoodie as a pillow...I dreamed several times about waking up late, then at 4:15 I actually woke up, blearily poured myself into the items of clothing I wasn't wearing, packed my scant possessions and met Mrs. Tanaka in the genkan. She went down to the beach with me, but sat in the car while I watched the service - a hundred or so acolytes (I think) praying in the ocean over the rocks.
The sun, sadly, was mostly hidden behind clouds but the prayer service made up for not seeing the proper sunrise. I suspect everyone had been praying there since the 4 AM listed on the poster. I went back to meet Mrs. Tanaka at 5:10 and she dropped me off at Ujiyamada station. There was enough time to snag a cup of iced coffee and a baked-chocolate-cheesecake stick from the store before the train came, and I got the only forward-facing seat in the car, propped my head on my sweater and whiled away most of the 2.5 hour ride text messaging and listening to music. I couldn't get any more sleep, though I tried briefly. About halfway there the train filled up, and I was thankful to have my seat. When I transferred at Tsuruhashi, no such luck. On the Keihan I had a seat, though, and could rest an extra bit before showing up at school at 9 AM. Once there, I changed into some extra clothes in my locker, freshened up using the deodrant and hairbrush in my desk, sucked back another coffee and hoped I looked better than I felt. XDD Was it worth it, though...? Yes, absolutely. I had a great time, did something adventurous, made a good memory, and let me tell you, did I ever sleep deeply on Monday night!