Trainspotting, or Around the World in 0.41 days

I now have a JR rail pass for Kyushu.

12 hours. 848.5 kilometres. 4 trains. Approximately 15,000yen worth of travel.

In England there's a hobby of watching trains (or other forms of transport) and collecting their serial numbers. It's called trainspotting. It's symbol is the anorak wearing nerds. Recently a few English citizens got arrested in Greece and have been sentenced for spying because they were cataloging military aircraft serial numbers, that was their holiday. (Cataloging the serial numbers, not getting caught for spying.)

The joy of a JR pass is that, once activated you get unlimited travel for the time it covers. As a celebration of getting my 7 day Kyushu (the island I'm on) pass activated I went and did something really, really stupid. I caught the first limited express train (the expensive ones) I could find. It was 10:05am. Well, I sort of planned to do what I did, but it started very quickly. I wanted to make sure I got value for money with my rail pass. I wanted to go on a long trip. I ended up circumnavigating Kyushu, which actually was the plan. And it actually worked out quite well. The changes between trains wasn't more than 1/2 hour, most changes didn't require changing platforms, and they are really, really stylish trains.

The first train started to roll up, I saw the hostesses stand in a line and give a long, ritual bow as it arrived. So, that'll be a photo opportunity I won't miss next time. I sat down and finally worked out how the read the timetable book everyone had (except me, until today) and realised how easy it all is. They have different types of trains for different routes/lines. So, from Fukuoka/Hakata (the top) I caught the Tsubame to Nishi-Kagoshima (at the bottom) in three hours. The Tsubame looks like it could transform into a fighting robotic monster from it's sharp lines and metalic colour. It was the Tsubame number 7 on the Kagoshima line. Once I had these worked out, it was a breeze. After a 1/2 hour wait, next was a Kirishima number 10 on the Kagoshima line from Nishi-Kagoshima to Miyazaki. I had a 4 minute wait for the Nichirin number 12 (The Red Express) on the Nippo line from Miyazaki to Oita. Finally I had the very stylish Sonic number 52 from Oita back to Hakata, also on the Nippo line. I ended up back at the start at 10pm.

The Sonic was the newest style of train what I could tell. It and the Tsubame had auto opening doors between carriages, reminiscent of Star Trek. Nice clean interior, very Hitchhikers Guide to the Galaxy (Arthur Dent's ideal space ship.) The Sonic also had leather seats and a timber floor. Both were like the interior of an aircraft, but with more space. The other two were a bit older, but very comfortable. Much better than the local, rapid and special rapid I had been catching all over Japan so far. As much as I enjoyed those, this is traveling in style.

I want to try and catch each different type of train, and from the timetable it looks like there are about 9 different ones. Since I already have 4 ticked off (and I really mean ticked off, my time table now has marks against the ones I've caught,) there aren't that many left. But I got confused, because on the Nichirin (The Red Express) which is very distinctive, I saw another train, labelled as a Nichirin, and in the time table as a Nichirin, but looking nothing like the one I was in. So maybe there are sub-breeds of trains. More research is obviously needed, and much more travel. They seem to alternate models based on departure time, direction and so on.

Down the east coast of Kyushu JR are building a Shinkansen track. The tracks for these are completely separate, smooth fast tracks. On the west side of Kyushu I noticed an old track for some distance, which the person next to me (he had very good English but forgetful, but that's another story) said was a test track for the magnetic train, which uses high powered magnets to lift the train and thus have no friction when travelling. They go very, very fast (+400Kms/hour).

And so here I am, on a Saturday night, at an Internet Cafe writing up my 12 hours of train travel.

Where's my anorak?

So late, yet so early

For some stupid reason it's 11:30pm and I'm updating my online diary. Actually I know exactly the reason, but I'm not going to tell you. This one feels more like a fire side chat, except there's no fire side, and it's more like a yama-no-kuchi sort of chat.

Am in Fukuoka, which you should know by now. The business hotel I'm staying in is very new, clean and efficient. I had this fear when I arrived that it was a capsule hotel, which I haven't stayed in yet, and probably should at some stage just for the fun of it. Capsule Hotels are like having a filling done. You should do it once, only once, and never have to repeat it. But this place gives you a yukata to sleep in, a toothbrush and toothpaste, and there's a vending machine for buying a disposable razor downstairs. I think it's more like a hotel for drunk businessmen who can't get home for the night, and just stay there and turn up to work the next morning. I also thought it might have been a brothel, but it's too clean for that. But again, somehow I'm in the red light district of the city. Tomorrow I'm going to change to another hotel that's closer to the station and costs a lot more, but they have a massive discounts for Youth Hostel members, so hopefully it'll be a bargain. Or a carboard box in the basement. For the last week of being here, when I will be staying just in Fukuoka (not doing day trips anywhere,) I was thinking about renting a serviced apartment, but the cost is the same as my daily budget. If I don't want to eat, travel or do anything it'd be okay. Maybe all my backpacker friends can come over and share the floor and the cost.

To make a phone call in the business hotel I need to use a pre-paid 300yen card. The phone cable goes from the socket in the wall to the card reader, and from the card reader to the phone. All the plugs are the same. I could just plug the phone straight into the wall if I wanted to. But this is Japan, and people don't do that sort of thing.

I went to a restaurant last night where I met a Japanese guy who had moderate English skills. We got talking and I returned tonight to chat more with him. Strange as it may seem for me, I've actually worked out how to meet people and make friends in a new place. A useful skill to have. I should bottle it and sell it, but here it's called sake or beer. For dinner tonight I asked again what was good, and he pointed out one dish that was supposed to be quite tasty.

In Japan, people eat all manner of things. Offal, bits of bone and cartilage, internal organs that shouldn't see the light of day. Also in Japan, it is very rude not to eat all the food put in front of you.

This dish was chicken cartilage, the rubbery bit from the neck. Fried. Thankfully they gave me a beer discount voucher which helped wash it down.

Fukuoka is a bit like Sydney in terms of size and features. Lots of stylish shops and food places, a harbour and an awful road development that blocks part of the view. Think of the Cahill Expressway, if it went from Balmain to Potts Point, or something like that. But what's worse, is it that it doesn't look finished, more like they made this expressay join the local roads when the money ran out at each end.

There a recent development called Canal City. Again it's like Darling Harbour and Cockle Bay Warf together, not too bad. I turned off the part of my brain that deals with social and ethical justice issues and went shopping for things I can't afford. I didn't actually buy anything but had a good time. I found a surf shop finally, with quite a bit of Australian surf gear. (Now, I'm not a surfer, but it was about the only thing I could think of that reminded me of Australia in a big way.) I also walked into a Gap store, and they had these manikins with singlets on them. The first thing I thought of was the Chesty Bonds ones in the Gowings Store on Oxford Street. Then I thought about the community those are pitched to. Then I realised that symbolically here, they have a totally different semantic meaning to the ones on Oxford Street. As usual, I took a photo and buggered off out of the store before I could be stopped.

And so here I am, shopped out, tired and thinking I really, really should be going back to the hotel to hack the phone system.

Weirdo in a Weird Land

Only four days since my last update, and so much has happened. But in a dash of consistency, I found an "I Love You" Internet Cafe, or more correctly "Intoneto Kafe." This is quite a long (and the others haven't been?), which I've been adding to all day, as I see fit.

I have arrived in my final destination, Fukuoka. Already within the first 15 minutes of being here I saw three things that made me want to stay, or at least confirmed I will like this place. The first was for the Robot World Cup Soccer finals, but they are in June, so there's no chance I'll be able to see them. The second was that I saw a poster for the second series of Dark Angel on DVD. Now, this may not seem like an important thing to some (probably everyone,) but for me, it's a good indicator of the things that a city find important, and any city that finds Dark Angel important is good enough for me. Third, and really the best, is that this weekend there's an exhibition of art work from Studio I. G. which have produced my favourite Anime (Ghost in the Shell,) and I can attend. Score three out of three. The city has a real vibe to it that I like, and I've also found a coffee shop today that has a real expresso machine. What more could I want, except maybe a Large Decaf Soy Mocha.

But, what has happened since Beppu, fart capital of the world?

On my first day at Beppu I ran into a Japanese girl who spoke really good English, albeit with an American accent. Originally she asked me if there was anywhere she could check her email, and as it happens I was on my way to the "I Love You" Internet Cafe in Beppu. So I told her "I Love You," well, actually no, I said I was going to this Internet Cafe and showed her the brochure I had. She thought it cost too much, as she'd only just arrived in Beppu and didn't have a lot of money at the moment. We parted way, and I thought nothing more of it.

Angels come in all manor of shapes and sizes, and this was a package I didn't expect to see.

The next day, after I somehow had just bought 18 Takoyaki balls instead of the 12 I wanted, I bumped into her again. So I gave her some of the takoyaki and we sat and had a chat. She proceeded to tell me her story, about how she'd got married at 20 (she was 22 now) and had a child. Then left her husband because of a personal tragedy she had had, that she couldn't cope with. She'd become a Christian somewhere along the way as well. Her ex-husband was a US soilder based in Nagasaki. He was back in the US, with a girlfriend and his mother was looking after the child. I told her my story, and we seemed to both have personal stories that connected with each other.

It's really funny, how when I'm starting to go off the rails, and I have certain expectations of what I want, God meets those expectations in the most unusual way. In this case by literally dropping me in boiling hot water (Beppu, as you might remember is the hot spring capital of Japan.) This friend showed me her local community run Onsen, where for 100yen I could dip in a real Japanese (not touristy) place. It was an experience I won't forget. Having these men show me friendship even though we were completly naked and shared about 15 words of each others language. It was a little run down 60 year old building, with a men and women sections, a pool of hot water for each side and that's about it. I think I shocked the blokes in there, and those coming in. Onsens for the Japanese are a communal experience and their major wash time. Think of a laundromat for the body.

She showed me the local dish - Dango Soup - in this 2nd floor resturant which I would have never found, even though I walked past it about 5 times a day. Well, walked past the building. She also helped me get the bus to Mt. Aso, but somehow she was told it would cost 1250yen, and it ended up costing 2950yen. Oh well, it was a really scenic bus trip.

It was a meeting I didn't expect, and a friendship I hope to keep. I taught her a new word over Dango Soup - reconciliation. She didn't know it, and the only way I could explain it was by describing something that was together, and then torn apart, and comes back together again. That she needed to talk to him, and be truthful. In Japan, forgiveness comes from saying sorry and with the gift of an expensive present. I told her it wasn't the present that was important, it was saying the truth, and the act of giving.

I hoped she would be able to speak to her ex-husband in the US, and could reconcile with him the problems she's had, and for them to get back together, or at least for her to be with her child again.

Aso-san (Mt. Aso) however, was like a cross between a moonscape, Satan's Bottom and a Chevy Chase movie.

The Youth Hostel was run by this little old man and his wife. As with most places their Englsh and my Japanese combined to create conversations of bizare consequences. I thought he said I would be in an old style room, and that was because the place was full. Anyway, the Youth Hostel was a 20 minute walk up the hill from the bus centre/train station. I had phoned to make sure there was room before walking up. On the way up, carrying my heavy backpack, thinking I should have caught a taxi, the bus I had caught was returning down the hill. Stupid Me. Note to self: I am a moron. When I got there I realised that the comment about the Kombini (Convenience Store) that I walked past to get to the Youth Hostel was only one of two places to get food - I had thought there was a Kombini next to the YH. The other was a Chinese Resturant near the Kombini. So, after a bath (I'm really going to miss these baths) I walked back own the hill for some tabemono (food). Oh, and I bought a 6 pack of Good Times Beer (must get a photo, very cheap beer, very good times), knowing my English friend Rachel (from Beppu, and Osaka and Himeji) would be there. We have a tendency to cross paths a lot. Anyway, my fear about the YH being full were unfounded. There were 5 of us that night, and I think there were about 80 beds in total. I was the only male, and had a floor to myself, and the bath, and the toilets. Oddly, this was the first YH I was in that didn't have a beer vending machine, which made me think we couldn't drink alcohol at this one.

Anway Rachel ended up sleeping for about 12 hours, so I had the beer with a Scott girl called Michelle. At about 10:30pm (1/2 hour after we were supposed to go to bed, lights out etc) the wife proceeded to kick us out of the dining room. As we were finishing out beer and conversation the owner's wife casually says to us, "I want a beer!" Unfortunately we had drunk them all.

In Kyushu, the people are more laid back.

The next day, waiting for the bus which was supposed to arrive at 9:54am, was 6 minutes late. Considering it only had to drive up the hill, this was the first time I had ever, ever seen somthing like this happen here. It didn't worry me, but I took it down as a mental note. One the way up to the rim of the crater, which the day before had been off limits because of sulphur fumes (a la Satan's Bottom) the bus stopped at a lookout to pick people up and drop people off. This Canadian and Finnish guy jump off to take photos, and ask the bus driver to wait. What the hell, the bus driver jumps out and has a cigarette. This is Kyushu, I love it.

The bus stops at the bottom of the ropeway, thus creating a ready market for lazy tourists (that is, me) that takes you to the rim of the volcano. There were the usual flag waving tour guides and tour groups (a la Chevy Chase movie.)

Once we get to the top, and pass through a concrete safety barrier and finally, finally get to see the thing it was pretty good. The crater had water in it, which was a aqua blue colour, with steam and sulphur coming off it. It didn't stink at all, but people were still covering their faces with cloths. It looked really good. No blobs of molten lava though, but I think I'm glad there wasn't. I went for a walk to escape the tour groups, school kids and tour guide. There was a path around the side to the top of Nakadake. It takes 70 minutes up, and 60 minutes down. The second half of the walk is almost straight up a cliff face. Needless to say, I didn't even bother. I stopped about 15 minutes into it, and found a nice quiet remote spot.

There were lots of rocks around, large, small mostly loose.

I decided to build a cairn.

Dictionary.com describes it as "A mound of stones erected as a memorial or marker." Which is pretty spot on. I was still thinking about my friend in Beppu, and some other things that I have recently and not so recently done. I felt the need to place a marker to signify a new start in my life. Although the actual act of constructing the thing didn't seem to create within me a life changing experience, the reflection of time and the act of doing it will stay with me. I had left a small written note under the capstone, and tried to scratch a cross into it as well (the capstone, not the note.) It may only be a small marker, and it was out of the way, so not many people will see it, but it acts as a symbol of what I have done, and what I will do.

Near the Youth Hostel there's a Buddist Temple. Not a big one, but very peaceful. Looked like it had been there for a few hundred years. It had some stone carvings, small timber structures and a few stone lanterns. I suppose the only similarity would be a small country church with graveyard, next to a quiet road. But since I'm so used to that sort of thing, it doesn't supprise me, but these ones here in Japan do. Perhaps one day in the far future we'll be doing tours of Sydney going through National Heritage buildings that haven't been built yet.

Maybe then, after I'm dead, the Michael Palin of the day will create a TV series of "Mr Grumpy in Japan," retrace my steps and will find the cairn with a remnant of the note still under the capstone and that Buddhist Temple.

World Cup Soccer

I'm starting to notice lots more World Cup material around the place. The city about 15 minutes south of here, Oita (which is so dull it doesn't even get a mention in the Lonely Planet) has I two games there. I think. It's a bit hard to tell from the Japanese signs. But they are getting really geared up for it. From what I understand, and have spoken to others about, the police here are really panicing about the potential for hooligans.

Today I went to buy some boardies, because I wanted to return to the sauna room. It took sometime to try and work out when they are called here. I haven't seen any surf shops (or surf.) When I found a place that sold them in Oita. Oddly enough, when I was trying to choose between a few, Kylie's "I Should Be So Lucky" came over the shop sound system, and so I decided to try the Australian brand Quiksilver (but made in China) pair of boardies. I went into the change room to try them on. I took three pairs in. In Japan, they don't use electronic tags for clothing. Neither did they check how many pairs I took into the change room. I also took my bag into the change room. It would have been very simple to come out with two pairs of swimmers, and left a third coat hanger in the change room. I didn't, but I could have.

There are lots of globalised companies here. I had a coffee and chocolate thing in a Mr Donut today. Although these places are almost identical around the world, regional and local variations have to be taken into account. I would assume it would be based on what product is available to sell, what the local taste requires and other factors related factors such as any legal requirements. But they'd probably try and do the minimum amount of customisation, otherwise it just wouldn't be the same shopping experience for the customer. Personally I wouldn't order noodles from a Mr Donut shop, or some of the other Japanese food they were selling. Mind you, the coffee was pretty bad as well. At least the chocolate thing was okay.

Instead of doing the sauna again today, I went for a hot sand bath. Now, normally one doesn't allow oneself to be burried up to the neck in black, steaming sand wearing only a yukata (Japanese dressing gown.) But it, like the sauna yesterday, was pretty cool. I think I fell alseep in it, which probably wasn't the best thing to do, but it was very relaxing. At the end, one of the women doing the shovelling said to me "Good Morning." I think it was one of the few phrases she knew, considering it was 4:30pm, it did shock me awake enough to get out, so I guess it did the job. I now have bits of black sand in places the sun doesn't shine, and I will be washing them out for the next week.

I went to a Japanese Pub last night with two English girls I had met in Hiroshima, that I bumped into in the afternoon. It's interesting getting a different perspective on Australian culture. One thing they talked about was how we put an 'o' (letter oh) at the end of lots of words. Confused, I asked for an example. "Servo, bottlo, smoko." Ah, those words. Also, they mentioned that a curry has almost become the national dish of England. At least Black Pudding doesn't have a fighting chance anymore. Japanese pubs, Izakaya, aren't anything like Australian Pubs. They're more like resturants. You'd go to a bar to meet people. After the izakaya, we went looking for one the Lonely Planet mentions, but it didn't seem to be open. Well, the dorr wasn't locked but no one was inside. I don't think the door even had a lock on it. So instead, we took a punt on one called "no, name" which was bear by, and seemed okay. But it was a Saturday night, and we were the only ones in there at 11pm. It was small place, perhaps holding about 15 people at most. In the building that it was in, there might have been 15 others bars like this one. And in the area it was in, there might be been a few hundred others bars, mostly the same. I've no idea how these places survive, but by charging 600yen for a beer they might be able to do it.

I've been catching the bus around Beppu because there's no other transport really. There are 4 bus companies here, of which some do the same routes as others. From the signs I've seen, it's only this year they've managed to get a co-ordinated ticketing system happening. I still don't understand how these companies manage.

Paying for the bus ride, at the end of the trip, the thing that's really odd, is you'd put the money into the chute for the machine to count it, but you'd also throw the bit of paper to say what stop you got on at, in as well. Usually one would think that would jam up the system, but not here. In Osaka, the discount card for the subway had a similar unsual thing. At the Fare Adjustment machine (if you'd bought the wrong ticket) you would put your ticket in, and it would let you know how much more you needed to pay. Sam (the loud Candaian) had a discount card, and a ticket. So he'd try putting the card in first and then the ticket, and the other way around and both wouldn't work. He found out that you put the ticket on top of the card, and put them in together (but only on some machines). Normally, one would think that this would jam the system, same as with the bit of paper on the bus. But no, not here.

Tomorrow, am off to the Mt Aso volcano. Will stay for a day or two because if it's too dangerous to go up, I'll have to wait. Although in a few days I'll activate my rail pass, I can always come back. The express trains here look really cool. I think I might just live on them for a week, and go around the island constantly. Unfortunately there is only a small section of Shinkansen down here, so I'll probably do that 3 or 4 times in one day, just to get the effect of going a long way.

I won't miss the constant smell of fart though. But I fear at Mt Aso, it'll be worse.