Sanuk Canadian

...a hike down one of Kanagawa's famous mountains, Ooyama, continues.... Off to the left of the mid-point temple was a gate and more stairs. From this point, hikers could travel another one hour to reach the summit of Ooyama. As it was getting late, we agreed to save that trek for another day. cutenekko at the gate: stairs leading up to the summit of the mountain: Japanese temples often have places where people can write their prayers on wooden tablets. These are hung in the open. I enjoyed looking and reading some of the prayers of others. Many said: "good health", "happiness for my friends and family" or "to pass the test". Prayer board: During the hike down, we encountered something special -- wild deer! They were a family of 3 -- two parents and their child "Bambi". We continued to hike down the mountain, using the "men's trail". The stairs were all made of stone and quite steep.... stairs going...

...a hike up Ooyama, in central Kanagawa, continues. As mentioned in yesterday's post, halfway up Ooyama, is a temple. My friend and I prayed here before enjoying the beautiful views from the mid point. Temple and grounds: View from the temple: After completing prayers, my friend whispered this temple had a secret and would I like to see it? Of course! To the right of the temple, was an entrance way, which dipped into the ground. Below the temple was a spring -- full of pure, mountain water. The spring: Close up of the dragon's head: This water is said to cure drinkers of their illnesses and make their (ahem) private parts stronger. I drank from the spring and found the water to be very cold and tasty. Bottles were available to purchase too (¥300), for visitors to carry the water home. There was one more secret. Walking deeper into the underground passage, we noticed bottles of sake along the wall. This temple produced traditional, Japanese rice win...

Ooyama in central Kanagawa prefecture is a rural hiking spot. The mountain is about 1,200 meters high and offers great views to the sea once reaching the top. I wasn't busy on a Saturday, and headed out for a quick hike to the half way point on this mountain. At the base of the mountain, lie numerous shops featuring food famous in the vicinity -- deer / wild boar stew, tofu, mushrooms. In addition, small wooden tops for spinning are also built in this tiny town. Ooyama entrance sign: Walkway showing the spinning tops -- a famous toy in this area: Passing through the shop area, I followed the sound of a river, over a bridge, making my way closer to the mountain. The photo shows the river: My friend said: "Okay cutenekko, you take the cable car to the temple, I'll meet you there." I asked: "You're not taking the cable car? Aren't you coming up the mountain too?" My friend: "I'm going to run (up the mountain). I'll meet y...

When we think of sport in Japan, many readers automatically assume Sumo is number one. Surprisingly, it is baseball that is the sport of choice among the Japanese. The high school baseball tournament, called "Koshien"(ko-she-en), is held every summer, and is followed obsessively in the news. High school players are often drafted by professional teams here, so there can be big rewards for these young athletes. I was invited by a friend to one of Kanagawa's "best 8" matches. This was only my second time to enjoy a ball game in Japan. I thought I would share some unique features of ball tournaments here. The game was held in Yokohama Stadium, which is home to the professional league team DeNA Baystars. The stadium itself is quite large and quite a few fans came out to watch the high school boys. cutenekko at the main gate:  The view from inside the stadium:  Scoreboard. The sign says this is the 94th annual high school baseball tournament.  It al...

Summer is festival season in Japan. There isn't a day that goes by without some event, local or large, being held. I often check various Kanagawa websites in search of some interesting festivals. It was this unique one -- a wind chime festival -- that I hurried off to in between my working hours. The festival was located in Kawasaki Daishi -- a temple town famous for Daruma dolls. The doll's head is slightly round, with two white eyes. People make a wish and paint one eye black. When their wish comes true, they color in the other eye. Many shops lined the route to the temple, filled with these daruma dolls: Kawasaki Daishi is also famous for old fashioned, hand made candy. The street directly in front of the temple was lined on either side with confectionary shops, each one displaying how they make the candy. I took numerous photos... Candy street: A confectionary artist stretches the taffy like candy... Then chops it up to a unique rhythm, by hitting his kni...

I'm kind of a pro when it comes to immigration procedures-- filling out paperwork, waiting and such. I ventured to the immigration office for Kanagawa residents to report a change in my passport and receive the new Resident Card in Japan. For those who have not yet visited, the location is quite far from Yokohama. You must take a train and then a bus. Here's how to get there: At Yokohama station, go to the JR Keihin Tohoku line gate. You must take the Negishi Line (blue). After speaking with JR staff, I was informed this train departs from Platform 3. Get on the train bound for Ofuna （大船）： Get off at Shin Sugita Station (about 20 minutes from Yokohama station): At the station, you'll need to change to a bus. Follow the signs inside the station, walking through a shopping mall. There are many signs, so it's quite easy. The walk to the bus terminal takes about 5 minutes. After getting on the bus, the immigration office will be the last stop. The fa...

My apartment in Japan has a nice oven,  which was a moving gift from a friend. I have been putting it to good use by baking on my days off. After speaking with my mother on Skype, I decided to try Banana Bread. It's a simple, fairly healthy recipe and could be completed in less than an hour. I researched on the internet and found a great recipe from a bread enthusiast's website. After mixing everything together by hand, and waiting 30 minutes for it to bake, I was very pleased with the final result! My bread: The inside: One thing to note about baking in Japan -- I couldn't find baking soda here. The reason? It's written in kanji (Chinese characters). I had to ask a Japanese friend to point it out to me in the supermarket. For those ex-pats living in Japan and wondering what baking soda looks like, here is a photo... baking soda in Japan: Thanks to my friend for helping me! If you are living overseas and baking soda is hard to find, you can do two ...