off the map again

back on the road again - and it feels good. my first week was a waiting period before i met kat in tokyo (which'll be happening in about 2 hours - booya), and i decided to drop off the map and head to some small towns on the izu hanto (izu peninsula). this place is known for its onsen (hot spring baths), its wild ocean coastline, and its fishing. thus, much of the last week has been spent soaking in spring water hot enough to skin a rhino. there's something to be said about wandering around a steamy room (or outside grotto) with a bunch of other naked men. no one's got anything to hide, everyone just wants to relax, and so the atmosphere is simply peaceful and refreshing. i experienced my first true public bath: an unmarked hut in the middle of town that i had to ask a few people to find. you just walk in, make sure you choose the 'men' door, and drop 'em. since i went in the evening, the place was full of middle aged locals coming for their daily baths (in this town many people don't have their own). it was like running into a bear in the forest: they were more startled by me than i was by them. this was in the town of shuzenji onsen.
day 2: i headed for dotomburi, known for its completely mad coastline, and this cave that left a great big skylight-hole in the mainland. it's got huge rocks jutting out of the ocean, a rock-bar (as opposed to a sand bar) heading to a big foresty island, and most importantly a 'rotenburo'. this translates to 'open air bath' - and it was one of the coolest experiences ever: it was a small hot spring you have to climb up a rocky embankment to get to. the bath is actually perched right on the edge of a cliff overlooking the sea. it's outside, so you can soak and watch the clouds roll by, wave at the tourist boats - and while i was there - see the landscape and water turn orange with the sunset. i was the only one there for most of my visit, so i had ample time to sit and gaze.
day 3: in the town of shimoda i stayed at this incredibly cute ryokan (traditional japanese inn), where a cute old lady showed me to a cute japanese room with fresh tea and sweets awaited me. this town is noteworthy because it is where commadore perry landed in the 1800s and created the treaty that opened japan's borders after hundreds of years of isolation. there is a mountain called 'nesugata yama', which means 'mountain shaped like a sleeping person'. a cable car took you up to the top where a panoramic view, a photography museum, and an oldschool temple waited. there were cherry blossoms in bloom, and so i had the opportunity to sit on a bench under them and just take in the scent. i must stop and remark here about that: the smell of this place was spectacular - flowere were absolutely everywhere, and so my nose was just twitching with delight (including discovering a 'pineapple sage' named for the strangely tropical-fruity aroma).
i hopped on the train to go to jogasaki coast, where more crazy coastline rock formations awaited. this time it was all volcanic rock, melted and twisted into bizarre shapes, including some hexagonal formations like at the giant's causeway in ireland. very cool.
day 4: i got up to watch the sunrise, explored the park, then grabbed the crazy hydro-foil ferry to nearby ooshima (big island). this ferry had fins on the bottom that lowered into the water and essentially water-skiied you across the ocean. it was a really choppy day, so the waves were pretty big, but on this boat we skimmed across at 90km/h, smooth as a highway. it was astounding! ooshima is known for its active volcano, which last erupted in 1986. even now it's smoking and steaming like it's about to belch forth again. but i didn't actually see this until the next day. i must have a whole herd of horseshoes shoved so far up my rear that i can taste iron: the day i arrived was the 50th anniversary of the town, and so everything was free - hot springe, rotenburo, museums, the lot. bonus.
day 5: this is my day of volcano-climbing. my ferry to tokyo was at 3 o'clock, so i had plenty of time to wander and take my time. it was really spectacular to see all the twisted, lumpy rocks lying where they poured forth from the volcano mouth, and creating these long streams of piles of black lava. it looked like a moon landscape.
at 3 i jumped on the ferry to tokyo, which turns out to be as stratified as japanese society itself is: i bought the cheapest ticket, and thus was confined to a big room on deck 'E' whose floor was sectioned off in duct tape rectangles - each numbered for a passenger. i was #810, and so i sat on my piece of floor, bought some beer from the nearby vending machine, and listened to tunes until we arrived.
here i am in the mega-metropolis again, checking out the lights, skyscrapers, and crazy fashion of tokyo. in 5 minutes i'm off to stroll through the fancy shopping district (intending to buy nothing but a new journal - my other one is full) before i make the inconvenient train ride out to narita airport to meet kat. everyone marvels at how efficient tokyo's subway/train system is - but i argue the opposite: there are 2 subway companies, each requiring separate tickets; the JR trains, again, are separate; the ferry port doesn't have a subway or train stop near it; and the biggest airport is over an hour away, with no direct train to it. bugger all that - this is no efficient system.
hate to end with a complaint, but my net time is almost up.
cheers, all.

oh, if you're wondering at the lack of photos: it's going to be tough to upload them at cafes etc., so for the next while its text only. i'll fix that when i can - trust me i'm itching to.

-jesse