Finally, Mission Accomplished!

After having to abort the mission three previous times due to ominous-sounding forecasts, I was finally able to climb Mt. Fuji and watch the sunrise this past Sunday night. Although we didn't quite make it to the summit in time for the sunrise, we still got to see a breath-taking sunrise at about 200 meters (650 feet) from the summit. Mt. Fuji's summit is the highest point in Japan, registering in at 3,776 meters (12,390 feet).

This is toward the end of the sunrise. We were above the cloud line, having hiked through the clouds in the moonlight with a few hundred (maybe thousand) other people. The hike wasn't too bad for the first half, but the trail got more congested as we got further up the mountain. And we grew tired quickly as the oxygen got thinner at the top.


Here Jenny and I are finally done ascending. There is a Shinto shrine at the top of the mountain (along with a mountain hut selling souvenirs and really expensive food and drinks). This is a monument outside of the shrine.

Looking down on the mountain in the daylight at those still climbing, we quickly realized that many Japanese are right. Mt. Fuji really isn't that pretty in the daylight (at least at the top, where it is just bare lava rock), but you are treated to some spectacular views of the clouds and the increasing vegetation along the descent path.

Upon reflection, it was a fantastic experience, but it was a lot harder than we initially thought it would be. The altitude really slowed me down at about 3,500 meters, and my knees/legs were pretty much junk when I got to the bottom. The only thing that I regret though, is that I brought four liters of water and only drank two (the load started to get painfully heavy towards the end).

The Vietnam and Cambodia Recap

Sorry for the delay, but as expected, I got a bit swamped after my vacation. Between unpacking, teaching, battling a slight cold, and telling my students that I will be leaving soon, I haven't had much free time. But here is my vacation report:

I spent my first three days in Ho Chi Minh City, Vietnam (aka Saigon). It is your typical crowded, noisy Asian city full of scooters and grit. The one main difference though is the historical significance of the city. We went to two different museums that touched on the Vietnam War, and I was able to learn more about the "other" side of the war. The War Remnants Museum was a bit hard to stomach at times, especially looking at the post-war photographs of the children born with defects due to the use of Agent Orange.

We also went to two pagodas in Saigon, but the pagodas themselves didn't do much for us. I guess we have gotten spoiled by the splendor of some of the Japanese pagodas. The monks' cemetery attached to one of the pagodas was pretty interesting though.

We were also occasionally reminded that even though Saigon is pretty Westernized, Vietnam is still technically "communist". The propaganda billboards were always interesting to look at (even if I couldn't read them).

The temples in Siem Reap (Cambodia) were the crown jewels of my vacation! Most of the temples were built between about 900 and 1200 AD. Although some of them lay in ruin, some of them have been wonderfully preserved (or are in the process of being rebuilt/preserved). I think we went to about 20 different temples over three days, so please don't ask me to name each of them. The above photo is Angkor Wat, which is the best preserved temple and believed to be the largest religious structure in the world.

All of the temples had hundreds of intricate carvings ranging from asparas to elephants to Buddhas covering their interior walls, exterior walls, and doorways. Most of the temples were made of sandstone and sometimes laterite quarried from nearby areas. The scale and the detail still present today makes these temples mind boggling when you think about construction methods of 1,000 years ago!

And not only do the temples have big footprints, they are also very tall (as shown here). Jenny is sitting only about one staircase down from me, and we are on the third level of the temple. When all is said and done, this was probably my best vacation so far, and I urge you to go if you can! (trust me, it is worth the long flight, especially if you combine it with a few days in other areas of Southeast Asia).

The Cheesehead Swap

This past weekend was the Hachioji matsuri or the summer festival in the city that I work in. It was a three-day festival. After work on Saturday, some co-workers and I went to see the mikoshi/dashi parade. Here is a photo of one of the mikoshi. Neighborhoods own/parade the mikoshi, and they are pretty elaborate things! They have a front stage area that holds two or three musicians and a dancing character (the shishi in this picture), and they have a little enclosed room on the back half. Here is a picture of one that was sitting along the main pedestrian mall that our old school used to be located on. The rest of them were being pulled up and down the main parade route.

Also this past weekend, the weather gods of Fuji-san proved once again that they don't like me. I had to cancel another planned trip to Fuji due to the rainy forecast. But it wasn't all bad though, as an old friend of mine arrived in Tokyo on Sunday afternoon. Heather will be teaching a few hours north of Tokyo through the JET program (government) for the next year, and she had a three-day orientation in Tokyo. It was a little weird that two girls from Kaukauna were meeting up half way around the world for dinner and drinks! Regardless, it was wonderful to see her, and I wish her the best of luck for her coming year in Japan.

Finally, here's a photo that I took of a new skyscraper being built in Shinjuku. I think it is interesting how it looks like they are using gigantic pieces of duct tape to reinforce the glass during construction.

T-minus one day and counting until I depart on my next vacation (VietNam and Cambodia). Yipee!