And I’m floating in a most peculiar way
We had a couple of house viewings lined up for Saturday last week. The first one was arranged for 11:00am which does not seem too early, but when you have to leave before 9:00am to get there on time, it meant waking up much earlier than we would like for a weekend! This first estate agent was not too keen on showing us properties for some reason, but we did go and see one. That was our first encounter with tiny little Tokyo flats.
With two tiny rooms and the kitchen in the corridor, it was the normal layout for a Tokyo apartment. In fact some might say it was spacious for where it was. We felt that at a pinch we could manage in a space that small but of course since this was the first place we’d seen we wanted to look around a bit more.
After a quick bite to eat it was on to the next estate agent. This one was a lot more receptive and open to showing us properties. After a brief discussion of what we were looking for we went off to look at two flats. They were both quite old although the second one had been maintained reasonably well. It was also a bit bigger than the one in the morning and had a good amount of natural light (which the first one did not).
Still not convinced enough to go for any of the flats we’d seen, it was back to the estate agent’s office. This I guess was when the wake-up moment came. We sort of knew it but had not consciously thought about it until we saw a couple of properties. We were going to have to make a decision on what we wanted to compromise on - budget, location, size, or condition. In our budget range if we looked in Tokyo we would likely only get very old (and small) properties. There was also the small problem of one of us being non-Japanese. There are no anti-discrimination laws in Japan and some landlords decide they don’t want foreigners in their properties. So our choice would be limited a little bit further due to this.
The agent suggested going further out and we headed out of town to see two flats. However after seeing the first one (which was bigger and cleaner) we decided that location wasn’t really for us. But it was clear that we would have to do some serious thinking about exactly where we wanted to stay and how much we could compromise on size. Given that we would both work from home, it would not really be feasible with a place that was too small.
A happy coincidence was that we were quite close to an Indian grocery shop that I had found online! Short tube ride took us there and we picked up some semolina and a couple of packs of lentils. I was on the lookout for some fresh coconut but no such luck.
We had planned a day trip on Sunday to another mountain called Oyama (大山). This one is a little bit towards Tokyo from where we are so we hopped on to a train and got a connecting bus to get us to the foot of the mountain. The initial path has steps all the way and is lined with shops on both sides selling souvenirs (Japanese people always take back souvenirs for family when they go away) and some little restaurants. This eventually brought us to the station for the cable car which would take us part way up the mountain to the temple.
There is a fairly long trek to the summit which we weren’t planning on doing. We were aiming to get to a viewpoint that was near a waterfall. The maps that we looked at were not too clear and we headed up the only path that we could see. Making our way up the mountain revealed how miserably out of shape I am. Until a couple of years ago we used to go to the Lake or the Peak district and climb the mountains there. However we haven’t done that recently and were really out of training. Nevertheless we kept going, looking for signs to the hidden waterfall. Oyama is quite a popular spot thanks to its easy access from Tokyo and we saw lots of people of all ages and quite a few non-Japanese people as well. Kids as young as 4-5 with their parents, and in some cases even grand parents! They were certainly putting us to shame.
We eventually reached a sign that did not mention the waterfall but did say that it was another 40 minutes to the summit. At our pace, we reckoned at least 50 minutes, and then another hour and a bit to get back down. It was around 1:15 by this time and we had not brought our usual mountain hike supplies of wraps, salad and hummus :-). So we decided to turn back around and find something to eat. It was a good decision in the end because it was 3:00pm by the time we made it to the bottom of the cable car route and it starts getting dark by 4. Of course that’s when we noticed another map that showed us where the waterfall is. And of course we were walking in a completely different direction. But it was a good walk although a hard workout for my calves. Good training for future mountains to climb.
Nozomi spotted a restaurant sign right at the top of the path with the shops and restaurants. The Oyama area is apparently well known for its tofu and this place had some really nice looking menu options. So we took a seat, and the tofu set meal had an option for 3, 4, or 5 piece course. No surprise of course that I went for the 5 piece option. Nozomi went for a simpler option of tofu and veg simmered in stock. I don’t need to tell you who had food envy, and I had to share some of my food :-/
Tummies full, we headed back to the station to our next planned stop - a hot spring. We definitely felt we’d earned this one and needed to soak our weary legs. Very few of the hot springs in the area are open for day visitors after 3:00pm so it was very busy. There was a short queue for the lockers and then another queue for the washing area. The baths were fairly busy but no matter. Enough room to get in and enjoy a good soak.
The week again has mostly been busy with work. This Saturday is my brother-in-law’s wedding so I needed to get a haircut to look a bit more presentable. There is a barber shop not too far from where we’re staying so I decided to give it a go and have my first haircut in Japan. He was closed on two occasions but eventually managed to get there when he was actually in. Anyway, I get to the door and he pokes his head out. I explain (in poor Japanese) that I haven’t made a booking (of course not, it’s a barber!) but want to get my hair cut. He looks at me and says with a straight face “I don’t cut foreigners’ hair”. Now I’d heard about Japanese people being a bit racist but this seemed ridiculous. There’s no law against it in Japan so I just said OK, fine and walked away. Turns out the guy who runs it is a right prat. He’s got signs on the window saying he doesn’t cut women’s or babies’ hair. We found out from Nozomi’s parents later that he’s well known for being rude and nobody in the neighbourhood likes him.
There is another barber shop not too far away - a “10 minute haircut” place where my money and hair was just as good as the next person’s. 10 minutes is plenty for cutting my hair. That’s how long it takes at most places I go in the UK. They’re so focused on quick turn-around that you buy a ticket at a machine just inside the door and wait. Managed to explain that I wanted a grade 2 back and sides and 10 minutes later I was out. Job done.
