Over a decade ago, my wife and I were on a road trip. We spent a few days in Nagano and then headed for Tokyo. Mount Fuji was conveniently on the way. Unfortunately, all we saw was a giant gray cloud which completely shrouded the famous landmark. We couldn’t even discern an outline of the peak.
Just recently, we tried again, spending three days in the Mount Fuji area. The weather was totally on our side, with clear blue skies every day, and hardly a cloud in sight!
There’s so much going on there, you could easily spend a month and not do it all. Museums, shrines, temples, sky trains, hikes, lakes, water falls, onsens, dairy farms, many excellent restaurants and hotels, even a safari park. We chose to drive all the way around the huge mountain, viewing it from every possible angle, doing what we could along the way.
Here is just a sampling of the sights.
By the way, back in 2013 I wrote a very short story called “Climbing Mt. Fuji”, though I had never climbed or even seen Mount Fuji. I guess you’d call that ‘literary license’, eh? Anyway, the story was read at a literary get together in Chicago. Here’s the video . . .
Here’s the story . . .
I was climbing Mt. Fuji when seemingly out of nowhere appeared a beautiful geisha. She didn’t speak but beckoned me to follow her and I did. She led me back to a small but very charming palace. She took me to her private chambers, turned her back to me and unhooked one clasp that held her entire kimono in place. When it fell to the floor, a butterfly emerged and flew out the window. I followed its flight. It grew and grew in size until the entire sky was darkened with the expanse of its wings. Temperatures dropped and clouds boiled in the heavens, an ominous warning that storms which would destroy the earth would soon arrive. Suddenly, the enormous bulk of Godzilla rose over the skyline of Tokyo. He had a huge flyswatter in his hand. With one mighty muscular swipe, he smashed the butterfly and the entrails splattered as far as Vladivostok. I returned to the trail but was extremely hungry, so instead of completing the climb of Mt. Fuji I went back to base camp and ate a light but satisfying meal of tofu and rice.
Next time we visit the area, I promise I’ll attempt to climb the mountain, at least to the lower base camp. Hopefully, that will make me an honest man. Until then, let’s keep my little secret just between you and me.
Life In Japan: Taiko
Taiko is traditionally not the highly stylized drum performance we think of nowadays. Taiko actually refers to a wide variety of drums and approaches to rhythm embraced by Japanese percussionists, going back as far as the 6th Century.
However, in 1951 Daihachi Oguchi, a jazz-trained musician based in Nagano Prefecture, transcribed into modern notation several traditional Taiko pieces, adding his own touches. He formed his own ensemble — Osuwa Diako — and performed these modernized works. The new performance style, known as kumi-daiko, quickly grew in popularity, and soon many other ensembles formed and continued to popularize the musical form.
Taiko performances are common both in Japan and other parts of the world. We recently had such a performance at the castle grounds located in the heart of downtown Tambasasayama.
As a songwriter/music producer, I love taiko music! There’s the drama of the choreographed drumming making a riveting visual statement. But it’s the power and energy of the layered rhythms which most captivate me. The first layer is the towering tribal warrior beat which drives the entire performance. On top of that and weaved throughout are some very interesting counter rhythms. It’s impossible to stand still and not smile at one of these performances.
Hey! You want to really surprise your friends? Hire one of these taiko groups for your next birthday or anniversary party. A good time is guaranteed for all!
And you might make a new friend . . . like we did.