After Japan!?!

The dream was over as I crash landed back in North Carolina. This time something was different, I feeling I couldn't shake and although part of me stayed in Japan hoping I would be able to return to a place I loved so much. I vowed to start living my life any way I could. Find a way to do what you love and you'll never have to work a day in your life.

While hiking in the Tokusawa area of Kamikochi I met a kid who told me about the Appalachian Trail and Bill Bryson's book A Walk in the Woods. Little did I know how profound that one conversation in a remote mountainous highland in Japan would be, and the effect it would have on my life. April 10 2011.... I set out to thru hike the Appalachian Trail, a 2,181 mile foot path that stretches through 14 states, Starting in Georgia and finishing in Maine.

Fact: More than 250 three-sided shelters exist along the Trail.

Jun-Lei on the Farm

Well well well look who's back from the dead and blogging once again. So much has happened since the 2010 trip to Japan that it will take some time before the blog is caught up to date. But for now lets talk about the present day and my new adventures. WWOOF!! It stands for Willing Workers On Organic Farms. That's right I'm working on a farm and loving every minute of it. This time around I have a special little companion with me named Jun-Lei. Those of you that know me know how special Jun Duder is as a dog. Jun is a 13 year old Shar-Pei that I've had since she was only 6 weeks old. This is not only my first time on a farm but her's as well.

With my current move back to my home state of Pennsylvania it seems only fitting to leave you with a fact about this great state. In 1909 the first baseball stadium was built in Pittsburgh.

UPDATE!!

Well I'm back in the US..... a sad sad day. My time in Japan has been the best thing I have ever done. Everyday was a new adventure, with an endless list of sites to see, people to meet, and activities to enjoy. So much to keep up with on a day to day basis, it's hard to explain on a blog. Especially when hitchhiking and camping are the norm.

Now I'm back home, with no job, and a million stories to tell about this trip. This is the in depth stories of a once in a lifetime trip to the far east. The pictures are going to be the "best of " Japan from over 9 gigabytes.

I'll also keep up with the random facts, so we can all learn something new. However stupid or useless they may be, it's just good fun.

I also want to thank all the people that not only followed my blog, but also sent messages and comments. It really meant a lot, especially when you've been walking Japan for 5 days, and you can't remember the last English word you read. Thanks !!!!

Now a random fact for you

1) The 57 on Heinz ketchup bottles represents the number of varieties of pickles the company once had.

And Now The Weird pt.2

This is the second installment of "the Weird." Here we go!!

You might thiking this is just a regular guy, what's weird about him? Well for starters he picked me up hitchhiking going in the opposite direction. Then he drove me about 45 miles to my destination, payed for me to get in, and bought me a coffee. If that wasn't enough he then drove me to the train station and proceeded to try and buy my train ticket. This was just a random guy in Japan. Thank you Masahiko Ishigaki for a great experience.

These are wild monkeys just chilling in the forest of Kamikochi. No fences, no cages, just hanging out in the open. There were about 200 I guess in the forest. Usually they were no more than a couple of feet in front of you. Weird.

This is real bamboo, not the fake stuff that grows behind my house. It's weird to see how big this stuff actually gets, I've only seen the bamboo that grows about an inch across. This stuff (as you can see) is about 6 inches across!! Now that's weird.

Anime sells everything here in Japan, and I do mean everything. From cars to homes and apples to socks. This is an Astro Boy statue in front of the Kyoto train/bus station.
Now weird facts
1) It's illegal to drink beer out of a bucket while you're sitting on a curb in St. Louis!
2) The sentence "The quick brown fox jumps over a lazy dog." uses every letter of the alphabet!
Cheers
Derek

And Now The Weird pt.1

So I've probably seen some things you can only see here in Japan. It's what I call the weird, Or at least it's weird through my western eyes. So I'll post some pics and tell you a little about them, and why I think there weird. Here we go....

The cigarette machine, maybe not so weird until you come to Japan and find one on every other block. Not just in bars or clubs but out in the middle of the street.

The beer/liquor machine is again the middle of the street. It's not monitored in any way, and it's actually really cheap.

Small door frames, I know on average the Japanese are a little smaller than Americans, but this is ridiculous. (this is not photoshoped)

The toilet is also kinda weird. I will really miss the heated seat, it's nice even on warm days. This particular one would open the lid and turn on a built in nightlight as you enter the bathroom. The buttons on the side are for the bidet (I found this out after the fact.)

So there you go, part 1 of the weird now for some facts
1) Every day 20 banks are robbed. The average take is $2,500!
2) One car out of every 230 made was stolen last year!
Cheers
Derek

I'm Back From The Forest

So I made it back in one piece, what a great time. Although the view of Mt. Fuji was minimal, The forest view was spectacular. I spent the last 4 days camping in the forest, which was hard in itself. The whole area is old lava flow from Fuji, so you only get about 2 inches to put in ground stakes. Not to mention the last 30 hours were spent in my tent because of rain. There were no bodies or ghosts, at least that I saw. The giant Japanese hornets are a bit on the scary side, these things are like 3 inches long. Not to mention they sound like a hurricane when they approach.

After that it was off to Fuji. The weather couldn't have been nicer, at least at base camp. There was about a 20 degree difference from base to 5th station. I was able to get up to the 8th station, but not to the summit. You really need climbing gear (ice pick, crampons) if you want to summit in the off season. So that gives me something to shot for on the next trip.

Now how about some pictures.


Facts
1) The liquid inside young coconuts can be used as substitute for blood plasma.
2) A Boeing 747s wingspan is longer than the Wright brother's first flight.

Japanese Suicide Forest

That's right I'm going deep into the haunted forest. It's called Aokighara or the sea of trees, and it's known for two things, 1) a breathtaking view of Mt. Fuji and 2) that's right suicides. Not me of course but a lot of desperate Japanese have taken there lives there. In 2002 there were 78 bodies found. Should be a exciting trip, so I'll post pictures when I get back.
Talk to ya' later
Cheers
Derek
Fact - A kangaroo can't jump unless its tail is touching the ground.