Goodbye Miyakojima, Hello Sapporo!

We Leave Miyakojima, Bound For Sapporo

We were up bright and early this morning to enjoy our breakfast at Uplausagi Guesthouse, and then to begin a day of travel to get to Sapporo - three flights, Miyakojima to Naha, Naha to Tokyo, Tokyo to Sapporo.

This morning's breakfast was as beautiful to look at as it was to eat - a Japanese breakfast that featured steamed vegetables fresh from local farms, a delicious miso soup, a small piece of grilled salmon, pickles and rice, all prepared by our host Yoko and served by her partner Naoki.

As we were enjoying the food, we asked Yoko if she and Naoki owned the guesthouse, or managed it, and I was impressed that they had designed it themselves, and had it built just two years ago.  When I remarked that it was unusual to see such a young couple already owning their own business, Yoko laughingly asked us how old we thought she was.  Tali and I both thought around thirty, and we were surprised to hear that Yoko was forty, and Naoki forty-two.  They are living a life that personifies our Morning Affirmations - "Eternal Youth is Our Birthright.". They had moved from busy Tokyo to escape urban traffic and stress, and they have found not just a happy home in Miyakojima, but also a successful small business sharing their warmth and hospitality at Uplausagi.  We admire them, and feel happy to have met them!

Next we drove to the Airport to return our rental car, and report the damage caused in my parking lot mishap.  The manager was understanding, but he didn't seem to have much flexibility in what he had to charge us for the repair and the loss of use of the car while it was being fixed.  It felt good to apologize, pay the bill, and put the mishap behind us!

Soon we were off on the first of our flights - we'll arrive at Chitose Airport, about an hour by JR train from Sapporo, a little after 7pm, and we should check into our downtown Sapporo hotel, The Cross, by 9pm tonight.



We Explore Sapporo by Foot


After a very deep sleep at The Cross, our comfortable and stylish downtown hotel, we got up and did our morning spiritual study and meditation.  Then we dressed for warm weather, as it was going to be sunny and hot today in downtown Sapporo!  After a quick stop at the closest of the 22 Starbucks in Sapporo (!!!), we walked over to Odori Park, which is a one city block wide strip of grass and flowers, beautifully maintained, running most of the length of the downtown.  Odori Park was buzzing today!  It was the scene of a major, juried Orchid Show, held in a large tent pitched in the middle of the park.  All around the show were outdoor booths selling garden supplies, flowering plants, food and drinks.

There was a very sizable crowd of what looked to me to be very experienced gardeners, most of them older women, carefully studying each of the orchids on display, pointing to ones they particularly liked, and chatting intently with their friends about each one that caught their eye.  I have never seen such beautiful flowering plants as these, though I am just a simple part-time New Zealand gardener and weed-puller, and not a horticulturalist by any means!

We left Odori Park and started walking towards the food and entertainment district known as Susukino, which is a seven block by seven block area of town with literally thousands of restaurants, ramen shops, cafes, music clubs, and some shadier venues as well...it sounded like fertile grounds for photographs!

But first, it was time for me to get a haircut...

Everywhere we travel, I look forward to my visits to local barber shops, and not just because my closely cropped hairstyle needs attention every ten days or so.  I prefer to get my head shaved, rather than to get a "buzz cut," but this is very difficult to do in both the U.S. and New Zealand - I've been told that many barbers in both countries are concerned about potential liability issues if they slip with the razor and cut their client, so they just don't offer any shaving services at all.  The best I can do in my home countries is a close cut with an electric clippers set to zero, a rather impersonal process that that takes five or ten minutes at most.

When I go overseas - to Nepal, India, Morocco, China, Japan, countries where the tradition of barbering is alive and well - getting my head shaved is no problem at all.  And because head shaving takes close to an hour, or sometimes even more, it's a wonderful way to observe and interact with local people.  It's a traditional ritual, between barber and client, and sometimes onlookers as well, that is open to the visitor to enjoy, while the barber is quite happy to have another paying customer, no matter where he's from!

Here in Sapporo, we happened upon a lovely barber shop on our way to Susukino District, and the familiar ritual began with no waiting time, as it was still early in the day, and there was only one other customer in the shop.  There were hot towels, steam machines that acted like vaporizers, blowing steam on the towels, to keep them warm and moist, two shampoos, several head, neck and shoulder massages, at least three separate head shaves, to make sure even the littlest hair was caught by the barber's razor...and all done by a very skilled young woman with eight years' experience as a barber.  She even called her friend, whom she felt spoke better English than she did, and asked her to come over to the shop, just to explain to me that my head had gotten a bit sunburned, and that I should be sure to keep it covered once I was shaved!  It was one of the very best haircuts I had ever received anywhere, right up there with the shave from the Sufi in Morocco, and by the time we re-entered the late morning heat, I felt completely rejuvenated.

A Great Day of Snorkeling at a Locals' Beach!

A very clean and comfortable room at Uplausagi Guesthouse, with thick mattresses and soft pillows, made this a luxurious night, after two nights on the thin matresses of Tsukayamaso!  Naoki served us a delicious Western-style breakfast prepared by Yoko, using beautiful ceramic and glass dishes that I think were made somewhere in these Islands.  

Uplausagi’s dining area is a large raised wooden platform, stained a beautiful light ebony color, with two lovely low dining tables and Japanese style chairs, that overall provide a simple but dramatic separation from the kitchen and guesthouse reception areas.  I have been admiring the design choices that were made at Uplausagi – there is a calm, clean and harmonious feeling that has been achieved here.  

We asked Yoko, who had come out of the kitchen to chat after she’d finished preparing our breakfast, about several ideas of places to go today that we got from guidebooks and the internet, but she dismissed all of them with a smile.  This was our last day on Miyakojima, as tomorrow we would begin the long journey to Sapporo – We had to go snorkeling at a locals’ beach on the Eastern coast of the island…we just had to!  She had snorkels, masks and swim fins available for a modest daily rental, and we grabbed our other beach gear and headed out for a day at the beach.  

The locals’ beach was about forty five minutes away from the guesthouse, and once we drove to the area, we had to look carefully to find the right access road, as it was just before a larger and better known beach.  As we drove down the narrow access road to the small parking area, we were advised where to park by a friendly local guy, and after we’d parked, he asked us if this was our first time here.  When we told him that it was, he showed us where to go on the beach – where the free locals’ area was (just next to the paid section).  

There was a covered area to sit, a great feature since the sun was very bright today, and getting sunburned would be easy without some shade.  We picked a spot to sit, free to use the tables and chairs that were set out for everyone without rental charges.  We felt relaxed and comfortable immediately. 

But the real shock was when we went into the calm, blue sea – just walking out into the shallow water less than fifty meters from shore, it was like an aquarium, filled with many different species of brightly colored fish, from small to medium sized, swimming among the many equisitely colored live coral!  I was amazed at how much beauty was available so close to shore, so easy to access, just by walking in and swimming around to gaze at my leisure!  It was a very different experience than the elaborate production it usually is to go out with a commercial dive operation – no time limits, lots of fish and coral to see, and just come out of the water onto the beach whenever you feel like it! 

Tali and I enjoyed this heavenly place for the rest of the afternoon, and then drove back to Uplausagi to get ready for another multi-course masterpiece of a meal at Kyouwa Restaurant, with, as promised by the chef, different dishes than last night’s dinner, but equally delicious!  

Today’s trip to this friendly locals’ beach with its fantastic snorkeling, among such abundant fish and coral just off shore, was truly a highlight of our trip so far – I feel so blessed, so fortunate, to be on this journey!

A drive north to Ikema Island...and a Reminder of the Ups and Downs of Independent Travel

We both slept better last night on our thin mattress rolls and plastic bean pillows than we had the night before, though it would have taken more days at Tukayama sou for us to really get used to sleeping on such a hard surface!  We woke up quite early, as you might expect, and were totally on time for the 7:30 am breakfast.  It was a symphony of vegetables and tofu this morning - Chiyo San, the chef and proprietor here, who is well known all over Okinawa, takes the time to prepare almost a dozen small dishes for each meal, and few of them are repeats of previous meals!  There were two dishes this morning using carrots grown fresh in the vegetable garden here - and both were especially delicious!

After we gave our thanks to the staff at Tukayama sou for a wonderful stay, we began today by driving to two of the islands connected to Miyakojima by dramatic bridges over the open turquoise tropical waters.  These islands are very small, and are primarily agricultural, with fields of sugar cane and vegetables.  On the first we drove to, Kurima, at the southwestern end of Miyakojima, there were elementary and high schools, a concrete tower overlooking the sea, and a few small convenience stores, with the balance devoted to agriculture. The second island, Ikema, is at the far north of Miyakojima, so we drove through Hirara to get there.

As we entered Hirara, we came to a narrow street with many shops and restaurants that we hadn't found the last time we were in town, and this is where I had the opportunity to learn again how important it is to be mindful!  We decided to stop for a walk around, and in trying to park in the narrow parking area we found, I damaged the front bumper of our rental car by hitting a curb that stuck out into the lot much more than I expected.  Even though I was going just a few kph, the super compact car we had rented still suffered a substantial dent in its fiberglass bumper, one that will cost us quite a bit when we return the car.

I felt just terribly about my careless mistake, and so Tali and I spoke at length about it.  Since our travels are intended to provide opportunities for learning and growth, this accident can teach me to be more mindful in my driving all the time, and especially to be more cautious while driving and judging narrow spaces, that's for sure!  In a broader sense, I want to move through life more gently and calmly than I do now, taking my time and being fully aware of my surroundings... and not only when traveling, but all the time!

We continued our drive north to Ikema island, and after we crossed the bridge, we quickly found a spot for a snack, and to decompress a bit.  The location we chose - a spa hotel overlooking the sea on a beautiful cliff - was fantastic; unfortunately, the cafe's Olive Garden-esque Italian food, the same pale reminder of Italian cuisine that seems to be on offer everywhere in Japan, was much less breathtaking than the views.

We left Ikema island after our lunch stop, and went to Sunayama, the beautiful beach close to Uplausagi, our new guesthouse for the next two nights.  Sunayama is a beach set into a small limestone cove, the rock formations providing some shade and a beautiful frame for the pretty-as-a-picture sandy beach.  Tali took a quick dip, and found on the sandy bottom, under about a meter and a half of water, someone's rental car keys!  We left soon after, to go to check in to Uplausalgi, and while we were walking away from the beach toward the parking area, we tried to decide what to do with the keys, as there was no lifeguard, no one in charge anywhere in the area.  We easily found the rental car in the parking lot, and we really couldn't settle on the best course of action.  We finally decided to leave the keys with the car they belong to, and hope that the person who lost them will go and check around the car before calling the rental agency for a new set of keys.  We trust in the essential goodness of our brothers and sisters, that the keys will find their way into the right hands, and that no one else will take an interest in them.

We checked into our guesthouse and decided to relax for a few hours until dinner, as I was a bit sunburned from yesterday.  Before we knew it, the hours had passed, and it was time to go - when we made our reservations at Uplausagi, Yoko, the manager, had offered to make a reservation for us at one of the few restaurants in our area that stayed open late for dinner, and we had chosen the Japanese restaurant she offered.

Her husband Naoki, drove us to the restaurant, and promised to pick us up when we had finished eating, and Yoko also invited us to come on a special nighttime expedition after dinner, along with the other people staying at the guesthouse - we couldn't understand exactly what it was, something about either flowers ("Hana" in Japanese) or fireworks ("hana-bi"), but we were game either way!

We did not see Kyouwa Restaurant, our first destination tonight, until we had already arrived, as it is set back a bit from the road, with no visible signage - this is a place that you must already know about, because you won't see it while casually driving by, even if you're looking for a place to eat.  We were met roadside by the chef, the husband of the couple that own and run the restaurant - who bowed deeply to us as we walked to the door to go in.

I got the feeling that we were in for a special dining experience, and my expectations were easily surpassed by the superb meal we had.  Kyouwa offers set menus featuring either fish or meat, with everything locally sourced, incredibly fresh, and beautifully presented, like country-style kaiseki dining.  Once again, just as at Tukayama sou, our fish set course had at least a dozen dishes, with many we have never seen before at any Japanese restaurant anywhere - for example, the tempura course included dragon fruit flowers (which taste a little like artichokes), fiddlehead ferns, and sea grass, each perfectly prepared and brought to our table just seconds after being cooked.  I have to admit that, as delicious as everything was, I was happy when the rice dish was served, which traditionally signals the end of the meal, because I was definitely full by then...but then there was a small dish of beautifully fresh mango after that...and then after that, a small bowl of matcha (whipped green tea)...  The chef's wife had brought each dish out to us with an explanation of what it was...sometimes she pointed to a picture of local fruits and vegetables, sometimes she tried a little Japanese, and sometimes a little English...The overall effect was charming, and we felt so grateful, so blessed to be sharing this wonderful experience.

The chef's wife had made an addition mistake in calculating our very reasonable tab (5000 yen for the two of us, without drinks), and fifteen minutes after we had left, by car, believe it or not, the chef caught up to us to apologize and give us the correct change!  He could have held it until tomorrow night, since we have already made reservations to eat at Kyouwa again, but this would not be in accordance with the honorable nature of so many of the people we have met during our travels throughout Japan.  There is much to learn here, in terms of how to move through life in a graceful and respectful way...  When we do return for our second dinner there, chef has promised an all new menu, unless there is something we had tonight that we wanted to have again.  Now that's a difficult decision - to repeat the known delicious dishes, or to go for all new ones!  We have opted for the new, and we will try to eat very little during the day tomorrow, so we're ready to enjoy another culinary masterpiece!

After dinner, at about 9:00 pm, Naoki and Yoko took us and the other Uplausagi guests in their van to a nature preserve, an area on the edge of the sugar cane fields that has a lake with mangroves growing around it, and some very rare, very special trees - the Barringtonia Asiatica, which bloom only at night. In fact, each flower on this tree only blooms for one night, then at daybreak falls to the ground, but there are so many buds of these delicate flowers on each tree that the entire blooming cycle lasts for a few weeks every year.

We parked on a dark farm road, at the entrance to the nature preserve, and walked with lanterns and flashlights through the entrance, where we were suddenly
surrounded by these ethereal white or pink blossoms.  Please have a look at Tali's Wordpress blog (www.talilandsman.wordpress.com) for beautiful photographs of the Barringtonia Asiatica.  Because these flowers are night blooming, they depend on the night creatures of the preserve, including bats and frogs, for their pollination, and their very strong, very sweet perfume attracts these animals.

What was even more amazing than these flowers were our fellow guests, who along with lots of other locals and visitors, marveled at the beauty they could see by flashlight and lantern, strolling from tree to tree, admiring in detail the beauty before them.  One of our fellow guests, a lively mother who was with her children, was literally dancing with joy at the sights!  I was totally charmed, not just by the Barringtonia, but also by the spontaneous joy I saw all around me.  Tali and I felt so fortunate to have been invited out to witness this special display of beauty, and we expressed our gratitude to Yoko and Naoki by giving them a hearty round of applause in the van on the way back to Uplausagi.