Backstreets Hakusan - More Like Back to Nature

I wore the wrong shoes and my antiperspirant stopped working under my right arm.  Why just my right arm?  I hate when that happens.  Perhaps they need right and left arm formulations?

I was really excited about the Backstreets Hakusan tour because the guide was Kit Nagamura.  The very same Kit who had revealed the pleasures of Shibamata and fried insects.  I knew it would be good, and it was, aside from the hiking.  The description mentioned we would be visiting the Koishikawa Botanical Garden, but I didn't think it meant we would be trekking down treacherous paths damp and perilous with fallen leaves.

Since everyone else dressed appropriately I had no right to complain.  Plus it was so cold pretty soon everything, including my feet, were numb.

The tour started with a Christmas story...

Kit told us how Christmas is a very important evening for Japanese young men.  In fact it's probably the most important day of the year.  Very important because they might get laid.   Doh?  Basically if a Japanese man asks a woman out for Christmas it means he's expecting to get some.  Yep.  They plan it for weeks.   His success depends a lot on the way he plans the night.  Everything must be perfect.   He is expected to book the best restaurant, the best hotel room and shower his date with the best gifts.  Hey, sounds like Prom.    No wonder it's impossible to get a reservation on Christmas.  Geez.  Who knew?!

This explains why every store in Tokyo is selling Christmas costumes.  Yeah, I wish I had a picture but basically there are more Christmas costumes for sale in stores than there are Christmas decorations.  Although I guess you could say the costume is the decoration.  They tend to be red velvet, short, skimpy and trimmed with fur.  You get the picture.

Hmmm. I wonder if Russell's getting me one?  Certainly gives new meaning to "gift wrapping", "stocking stuffers" and my personal favorite - "Ho, Ho, Ho!"

But I digress.  Our first destination on the tour after exiting Hakusan station was an origami gallery. We were warned first.  Beware these guys are nerds.  No really.  They're not friendly.  They don't like noise, or people, for that matter.  No, you cannot take pictures.  We walked in as quietly as ten expats can - which is not too quietly.  They didn't acknowledge us.  There was no customary welcome, unlike all other shops in Tokyo, who bend over backwards to welcome and thank you before you even cross the threshold.

But we didn't really need to be silenced.  It happened naturally when we observed the intricate origami designs on display.   They were amazing.  From dragons to Yoda to anime figures.  Even the seven dwarves were depicted.  Apparently the head designer, Makoto Yamaguchi, is considered one of the best origami designers in the world.

Next we visited a tiny sweet shop called Matsuemon.  It was so small I wondered how the place stays in business.  But after I tasted the sweet potato confection I knew.  He had more in the back.  And I wanted more.  They were addictive.  I bought a couple.

Then we visited the Hakusan Shrine.  According to Kit it's one of the wealthiest in Tokyo.  She taught us you can tell by how many treasure troves they have. This one had a lot, as well as, anatomically correct statues.  Which is nice.

Pretty roofing on the shine.

Even prettier leaves. 

This could be a postcard

Anatomically correct Shishi lions which ward off evil spirits.

There is a male and female but I thought it would be impolite to take pictures of their private parts.

They are fearsome.

Why is this one's mouth open?

Must be the female.

At the entrance of the Koishikawa Botanical Garden they were giving out bags of Ginko nuts from the garden's trees.  Kit explained how easy they are to make so I gleefully grabbed a bag and stuffed it into my purse.  We started our trek through the garden.  At first the path was wide and even. But then Kit took us down the path less traveled - up a steep rock path that required hand and eye coordination. Eyes to see and hands to balance against the imminent slip and consequential fall.  But going down was worse.  She chose a path just for me and my ill chosen shoes.  That'll teach me to choose fashion over utility.  Is she trying to make me fall?  This path was a combination of rocks, logs, tree roots and mud.  I had to concentrate hard, leaving no room for talking, or breathing.  Somehow, probably due to fear of embarrassment, I made it down in one piece.  But I thought these new boots are ruined for sure.

I had just purchased them on my trip to the U.S. for Thanksgiving.  They were more than I had wanted to spend, but time was precious, and I was desperate.  They claimed to be weather proof.  Ha.  I think not.

The Fall leaves were glorious.  It was a photographer's paradise.  I felt unworthy.  Everyone else had real cameras with large telephoto lenses and shutters that made professional sounding clicking noises.  Like the audio mnemonic from the Intel commercials - the sound their cameras made was very satisfying.   I have a Canon Power Shot - aka amateur camera, a step above my iPhone camera - maybe.

The nut bearing ginko tree

This looks like a Beatles album cover

This is a crane with a crayfish in its mouth.

But more importantly it's not my picture.

This was taken by Kit and her professional camera.

This was taken by my camera.

Imagine what this would look like with a real camera.

Just an example of the roots trying to trip me.

Pretty leaves artfully arranged by nature on the path.

Believe it or not this is all one tree.

Note the gorgeous graduation of color from yellow to green.

Vermont eat your heart out!

The oddly eclectic museum

This is a great shot, shitty camera and all.

The garden was beautiful, but truth be told, we were all relieved to get out of the cold and into the Koishikawa Annex of the University Museum of Todai.  The Annex is an odd looking building which used to be the first hospital for the poor and was designed based on what the architect imagined Western buildings looked like in the 1800s. It was clear he had never seen one.  The building was an odd, eclectic mix of pseudo Western and Asian architecture.  Now it was a museum of oddities, the contents of which were equally eclectic.

Old telescopes and taxidermy accentuated the displays of high tech fashion from designer Naoki Takizawa.  His designs were like the North Face on steroids.  An outerwear jacket that doubles as a tent was just one of his pieces on display.  The funny thing is, we could see one of his designs on the balcony of the museum overlooking the botanical park.  From the botanical garden it looked like a table umbrella.  Turns out it was one of his high tech pieces of outerwear.  The cool thing is - he was there.  And apparently he is so popular the prince, as in the Emperor of Japan's son, was coming to the exhibition.  Mr. Takizawa invited us to come back after lunch to see the Prince.

The designer and his monster, I mean, creation

Admittedly, it is really cool.

The tent jacket.  

I may need this.

We never made it back because lunch was so good and warm and indulgent.  Believe it or not, lunch was at a Russian restaurant called Sonia.  We had hot borscht, with big chunks of savory meat, accompanied by freshly made meat piroshkis.  This was exactly what we needed we all agreed when our lips had defrosted.  Well this and some Vodka.  They didn't have any.  No body wanted to go back out into the cold.

In fact, there was only one thing that could lure us into the elements again and it was no prince.  It was chocolate.  Our last stop was a chocolate shop called "Decadence of Chocolate."  And it was good.  Oh yes it was great.  Kit convinced the staff to shell out a sample of their signature chocolate bar.  That sealed it.  We all bought several.  Family members were lucky if any of the bars actually made it home.

The good news is, one bar did make it home to Russell, and so did my shoes.  Turns out they are weather resistant.  Dollars well spent for both the chocolate and the shoes.

Trailing spouses gone wild.

That's me in the hat and the faux fur wrap.

Cool isn't it?  And I got it for $16.00!

Onset of hypothermia