Tsukiji Fish Market

A predawn Institution - Bring your Galoshes !

Jet Lag can be a wonderful thing. If you find yourself wide awake at 5 A.M. and in the mood for some predawn action, the cavernous wholesale Tsukiji Fish Market seethes with activity, as you would expect of a place that supplies 90 percent of the fish consumed in Tokyo. Wander this staggering market's side aisles; you won't believe some of the things considered edible, much less prized delicacies. In a country where fresh seafood reigns supreme, maguro (tuna) is king: fresh and frozen, torpedo-size tunas are hauled in from the fishing boats alongside the market's riverside piers or flown in from as far away as Africa. At any of the lightning-fast auctions that begin the day, as many as 190 tons of tuna can be sold, and one fish alone can weigh more than 1000 pounds. If you've worked up an appetite wandering the 50-acre market and are considering sashimi or sushi for breakfast, no one guarantees fresher fish nor a wider variety than the market's no frills sushi bars, such as Sushi Dai. They get high marks for local color too.

What : site, experience, restaurant.

Tsukiji Market: between Shin Ohashi Dori Ave. and the Submidagawa River.

When: open Mon-Sat; best hours are 5 A.M. - 7 A.M.

This market can be reached by taking a Hibiya metro line and getting down at H10 station.

Even though you are a vegeterian or vegan you need visit this market to see the orderliness and magnanimity.

Mt.Takao Nature Trail

Up hill Journey through the Green canopy

The trail markings, but unfortunately everthing in Kanji !

A bird eye view of the valley and the houses sorrounded by green monsters !

Another panoramic view of the mountain ranges sorrounding Mt.Takao

Date : 16.06.2007

Altitude : 600mts

It was calm and sunny Saturday Morning. My decision to cycle to a new place was dropped because of my bad nature of coming up with ingenious ideas to stay in the bed. I usually satisfy myself somehow to stay more time in the bed. That’s one side of the story. The other side of the story is that this sleeping long hours is alternated with, me sleeping bare minimum, making up on the edge. In this bare minimum cycle I make up with just 4 hours of sleep. During that time I am more productive and innovative too. I need to keep challenging myself to achieve that. But with out knowing I slip out of that and back again on the long , unfruitful sleeping habit , completing the cycle. It keeps alternating.

On 16th of June, it was nearly 9:45 that I got up. Since it was weekend, I was gearing up for my weekend Japanese class. I usually rate myself not very good at learning new language. I believe polyglots are basically bunch of people who are exposed to more than one language at an early stage of development. May be before one’s 5th birthday. Their mind set is just set to take up any new language. For me it takes a longer time to get a mastery over the language. When I really start out with a new language it will be for the perfection. Right now I am trying to make a perfect entry in to Japanese language. I should be able to read their book in their own language. The beauty lies there. OK .. enough of my monotonous talks. Coming back to the story , I was waiting for an excuse to skip this Japanese class as I feel , I am not spending quality time on this beautiful language.

My Mobile starts ringing at 10:45 and Sai calls up asks whether I can make it for a hiking. My immediate reaction was a joyous ‘Yes’. Then I ask him ‘Where?’ He promptly apologies that he cannot repeat that place name and promptly gives the number of Gokul. I immediately place a call to him.

Me: ‘Hey Gokul ‘ , how are you man ?

Gokul: Fine da ( soliloquy : what this da stands for, I am scratching my head ! ) Me: Gokul, what are the plans for the day ?

Gokul: Its Takaosanguchi and from there it’s ascent to Mt.Takao.

Me: Oh, gr8 … I am in. Who else is joining us ?

Gokul: Only Joseph and sai da ….

I just wind up my talks & tell him that I will be joining them at Shinjuku station. Its then a mad rush to seiyu supermarket to grab some quick, dry snacks. Food has never been a problem for me during the treks. Even water too. I just go on and on. My stamina comes from repeated physical exertion for a prolonged period. It’s purely backed up by my will. Will to put the next step forward , when your whole body is saying ‘no’. Its separating the two entities and our mind should be in saying position and body in a responding position. This has helped me in my many previous strenuous treks. Once I remember , I came from Hyderabad and reached sirsi at 5:00 in the morning and and at 7:00 Am went for a trek to Mattigatta. I, Trekked till the evening with a fistful of Avalakki as energizer.

I reached Shinjuku station at 1300 hrs along with sai. Gokul and Joseph joined in a matter of few minutes. We then boarded the train to Takaosanguchi on Odakyu line. The journey was comfortably 45 minutes and compartment was almost empty except for beginning of the journey. As we approached our destination, the place around was turning from a concrete jungle to a real jungle. It was real eye softener. On our compartment we could see only few people , but all with a back pack. Obviously for the same destination. Some of us developed a familiar common bonding and exchanged smiles. At takaosanguchi station we purchased some food items and water. The automatic vending machines are part of life here. They find their way in to the mountain top too. With the printout from the ‘ Day walk near Tokyo ‘ , we maneuvered our way by the side of Nature Museum. There is a path leading to Cable car pickup point. Just before the start of that road we took the steps that was the start of our trail. This mountain is officially in Tokyo itself. This is the one of the closest getaway from the maddening crowd.

The uphill we took had steps in the beginning. Since the foliage was thick and canopy of trees covering us above, the afternoon sun was almost blocked and it was blissfully cool. It was photo rampage from all of us. We met many trekkers who were ascending from their completed circuit hiking. We even exchanged some smiles and Japanese ‘ Konnichiwa ! ‘ . As usual we met people fully geared looking like models and picture perfect. We could hear familiar bell sounds. It reminded me of returning cows from the day grazing ! On our way up we stopped at the temple of mountain deity. The guardian of the Mt.Takao. These people are nature worshippers like us. In some places the tall coniferous kind of trees were logged to make the hiking trail. Here everything is so orderly that I find it really boring sometimes. In forest , the joy of finding ones own way is really interesting and challenging too. I loved the uncertainty in the trekking. I have taken so much risks like there is no tomorrow during my ‘ Phase one’ of life. Mad rush of adrenaline was really the way of my life. It was all the outcome of my previous traumatic adolescent years.

After hiking for around 45 minutes we reached the first vantage point on the mountain. Here there is a one more trail that circles the mountain top. Every now and then we crossed well marked sign boards written in Japanese on the Wooden planks giving the trail directions. From this vantage point we could see the boundary of greenery stretched far below beyond which we could see the high rise and concrete jungle. There is that well marked boundary, one could make out. After a brief snack session, we again started our climbing. As we climbed higher we started seeing the other mountain range stretching and making a dark outline on the horizon.

When we reached the top , it was really nice late evening sun with cool breeze from the valley below that welcomed us. On the top there is a metallic signboard indicating the height of each mountain that can be viewed from the top. There in the back stood the revered Mt.Fuji or Fuji san. It’s a beautiful almost perfect conical dormant volcano. I could take one beautiful snap of Fuji san. The mountain top is around 599 mts above sea level. There are automatic vending machines here too , housing cold drinks and hot beverages. There on the top we met a Japanese couple who had spent around 3 months in India , exploring and tasting the varied cultures of India. They were very excited talking about India and the lady was well informed about India. Even asked about film career of Ash Rai ! . We took a snap along with the Japanese couple. It was warm waving and bowing before we took off for a descent.

We took the route 4 of the hiking trail which winds down crossing a hanging bridge and Monkey Zoo. On our way down we tried to visit the Ja water falls. But due to the shortage of time we had to drop the idea after descending about good half a kilo meter. The cable car drop of point was near by . From that point , it was a silent descent till we reached the railway station. It was almost past 7:30 in the evening that we reached the station. It was 7:55 PM train that we caught , on our way back to Shinjuku. From Shinjuku to Our Den which is 1 hour journey it was silent contemplative journey.

Climbing Mount Fuji and Restoring the Soul

I will be chronicling my way to summit of Mt.Fuji(富士山) , the tallest point in entire Japan. Its a dormant volcano which is perfectly symmetrical in its cone shape which is worshipped and viewed with awe by it's majestic look and mystical aura surrounding it.

Total Height of Mountain : 3,776 mts

Crate size is around 800 mts.

Date : 02.09.07
Time : 00:52 Hrs.

Ascending time : 5 hrs 15 min
Descending time : 2 hrs 55 min

Total people started : 10
Those who made it to the summit : 6

Some Info:

Hailed as a goddess, revered as sacred mountain and the country's national symbol,12.390-foot Mount Fuji is Japan's highest peak, a perfectly symmetrical volcanic cone that's spellbinding when not shrouded in clouds, and is particularly beautiful when reflected on the mirror-calm surface of Lake Ashi-no (Hakone).Famous throughout the world, the dormant volcano has always exuded a strong pull on the Japanese, who believe that to experience goraiko (sunrise) on its summit is one of the most moving of all natural experiences.They also admit that while everyone should climb Fuji-san once, only a fool would climb it twice. I saw a lady from Chiba prefecture, (same as my prefecture) who was climbing Fuji-san for the 5th time! Still, judging by the huge number of gung-ho climbers who show up every summer-an impressive number of grandparents in their seventies and older among them-a good many of them must be return contenders.Six Mountain paths, each with ten stations lead to the summit, but most climbers begin a five- to six hour climb to the top from the fifth station (8,250 feet), at either Gogome on the north side or Shin-Gogome on the south.The descent is a breeze!

富士山 is a combination of three kanji - 富 means wealth,enrich,abundance 士 means Gentleman, samurai and finally 山 means Mountain.

The name Fuji means "fire" in the Ainu language, and in the resort area of Hakone within the Mount Fuji National Park, intense volacanic activity can be observed from the funcicular that passes above the Valley of Great Boiling (or Ojigoku, Big Hell) and its steaming sulfurous gorge.Public baths tap into searing -hot, mineral-rich onsen (hot springs, which abound throughout Japan) and promise to cure everything from stress to rheumatism to muscles sore from climbing the mountain.Despite the modernization and Westernization of Japanese cities, onsen are a tradition that refuses to die, and on weekends the wonderfully scenic area of Hakone fills with Tokyoites who come for a long, hot soak. Of the handful of traditional ryokan inns with their own indoor and outdoor onsen, Gora kadan, the former summer residence of the Kan-In-No-Miya imperial family, is one of the nicest in the country.

Mount Fuji: 44 miles/71 km south of Tokyo.

Best time: July and Aug. After 9 A.M., clouds obscure most of the view from the summit.

Miura Peninsula

Miura Peninsula - in Kanagawa Prefecture
Date of Seaside Hiking : 19.08.07

Notes from Me :

• An hour from the frentic bustle of Tokyo lies some of Japan's most tranquil and scenic spots just waiting to be explored.
• Every city dweller needs an escape route to the serenity of nature.



• The decision to go to Miura Peninsula was long pending and at last it was materialized on 19.08.07.
• This place is reached by “The Keihin Kyuko Line “ ( from Shinagawa ) and its associated branches serve most areas, with JR Yokosuka Line an alternative in some cases.
• Miura, the part of Kanagawa Prefecture to the south of Tokyo juts out into pacific Ocean and, together with the Boso Peninsula, forms Tokyo Bay. The last remnants of untouched forest and coast on this otherwise heavily populated peninsula provide probably the greatest range of walking country close to Tokyo, from seaside stroll to mountain ascent, and are excellent for the less adventurous walker.
• Course : Miura- Kaigan Station ( by bus ) to Togari . From Togari to Cape Tsurugi Light house , an extended hiking.
• Walking time : About 3 hours.
• Points of interest : Rugged coastline and sea views., Cape Tsurugi Light house ,caves, and seaweed cultivation.

Caves in the r0ck faces

'Hamakauzo' - Orange Lilies on the beach side

Rugged rock face - facing the rough sea.

Silent Night

In to silent night I xcuse myself
With an air of xpectation for dawnin' glory
Arriving unexpectedly abot mind's green turf
but none can I remember , its a worry

But the charm of night engulfs everyone
The charisma of darkness ever increases with the warmth of the beloved
Flowing passion, the beauty of it captured by none
In words, which always leaves me dumbstruck and naked

Bestowed kindness by the night is calmness
Brings serenity to soul like mail on express
some dull eyes, pay n' get ' high '
Never realising aroma of beauty that wait n' lie

For the lone there's the jewel in the sky
Presence of which fill the empty space they say
There is charmer in the sky so high
Guidin' the road , whichever is our way

This happenin' casually day after day
So little is seen, with little attention they pay
Races perish but still, jewels remain
lonely they roam in 'emptiness' of barren terrain


( This poem was written back in 1996 - During those period when we wait for the onset of monsoon's torrential rains ! )

A letter ...

Dear ,

I am writing you again… You know this is not the first letter I am writing to you and will not be the last one also. I just wanted to pour some of my thoughts and emotions into it. It was raining slightly… and I was looking through the window. Slowly, unknowingly, I submerged myself into the memories of our past years… When I met you for the first time… I just met you as I would meet any other stranger.
I did not even had the least thought that I would be blessed with such a beautiful gift in future (please….I need not tell you that it’s you…It’s so obvious).
Even after so much digging the old memories, I could not recollect when did we start dreaming together? There are so many dreams that we dreamt together… some realised and some are yet to be. Those days of trekking with you still make me feel energetic! That moon, which we gazed at, is still with us… I had felt as if only two eyes are gazing her. Even you too must have felt the same thing, I guess.
Sharing thoughts with you is really amazing… You come up with brighter ideas. You are more creative than me, I should accept. No matter what, I see many of your hidden talents and creative ideas blossoming and getting shape. My secret dream (you know it of course, before you no secrets) is getting transformed into reality. I really cherish all your success.

Let us not boast we are the perfect pair. We both know it… we have many differences of opinion even after having so much to call ‘our common things’. It’s also true that we accept each other unconditionally, because, it’s very true that the more you judge; the less you love. Apart from all these differences, we can share and discuss anything under the sky from a broken pencil to black-hole theory of Stephen Hawking! Really amazing isn’t it? We have accepted each other; hell with the word ‘perfect’.

Leaning on your shoulder, resting my head on your lap and holding your hand were all so comforting to me. Walking by the side of the river with hand in hand has provided me strength and support. Your arm around my shoulder tells me everything… still I don’t know… I am waiting for those actions to come to me in the form of words.

Come; let us dream together once again.

With lots of love - Best half!

Death - A feeling

It was 4:15 AM when I woke up.
Stupid thing about Japan is , it's already sunrise time at 4:45 AM.
Well before the show starts its the lights before the dawn that wakes you up.
I had to check my watch twice to make sure it's not 5 AM ( The time I had kept my alaram ).
Its really Me who wakes up the alaram !

So with a blank mind I fell back on the bed to catch up the remaining 45 min of disturbed sleep.
A little time had passed and it was a disillusional state and suddenly I felt , I am on my Death Bed.
The feeling was weird.

I was weak.
I was counting my breath.. I could feel the moment approaching when i would be taking my last breath.
I was drifting in to a semi conscious state to be awakened at a higher state.
But there was that attachment or some kind of pulling , I could not explain.
The nostalgic attachment for the body that housed, kept me as human.

Then I just let it go ...
Now I know , some where down the subconscious there is that attachment, that craving.
There are lot many unanswered questions that needs to be answered or needs to be nurtured.
For I know , for some of the questions the time is not ripe.

Weird Thots 0.1

• Virginity is not dignity. Its just the lack of right opportunity.
• I am one of my kind. As God never makes mistakes again and again !
• Your biggest loss is the money u can make but don't make.
• Trust but verify.
• Forgive but don't forget.
• Memory is what I have instead of a view.
• A life that ends with death is a life not worth living !

Observations

Observations 1:
On Sunday - 01.07.07 , I saw two cars parked by the side of the building, where I stay. The cars were neatly parked one behind the other. Somehow, the total setting looked unusual. When I went nearby and realised , that front car had been touched by the backside car. The body was pressed a Bit just below the rear number plate. The owners of the vehicles looked as though in deep thoughts. There was silence and no fighting ! After half an hour , When I returned I saw the backside car owner talking with the police man.
Moral :
1. Japanese people fight with a hushed voice ! ?
2. No physical fights or raised voices.
3. No settlements on their own. ( May be because of insurance policy )

Observations 2:
On Friday , While returning from Office it was almost midnight and trains were almost full to the brim. I was standing pressed between two ladies and a person was standing beside me. In a turn the persons not holding on to any thing, lost balance and a wave of humans fell on me and I in turn on the person next to me. I could regain my balance as I was holding the grip above. But the person next to me, who was holding the top part of the grip handle, some how cut himself. Must be something sharp above the grip handle. The blood started rushing out in currents. In matter of seconds his whole palm was red with blood. He was desperately searching for tissue paper and found none. No one cared or bothered to look also. I looked at him and in turn he too looked. We exchanged a dry looks. Then I pulled out my handkerchief and extended to him. As far as I knew Japanese people do not accept the help immediately. I was thinking whether the person next to me will accept my handkerchief. He gladly accepted. While I got down in the next station, in that rush also, he almost bent himself to around 30 degrees and thanked me, ' Arigato ' .

Observations 3:
I have never heard car owners blaring their horns in Japan. Even Cycle bells too , I have not heard. I usually joke that, Japanese cars will not have horns. All the foreign cars that are sold in Japan are mandatorily need to remove the horns ! , that's what I joke. While crossing the road, the vehicles taking the turns from the side roads usually allow the pedestricians to cross the road. They do wait, patiently. Unlike in India , they do not horn at the people.Horn is dummy here. When I call my friends and folks who are residents of Banglalore, I hear lot of traffic horns in the background. The background noise is really high.

Crazy But Truth

God by shrewdly linking procreation to an act likely to make one stupid with excitement, almighty has seen to it that Life does indeed go on. ( It’s possible, by the way, that this is why God’s name comes up so often in the middle of the act; it’s salute to the author who authored this every untold story. !) Activities involved in making babies are among the most popular, with all key age groups, all major life markets. Further to the story, the majority of people who’ve tried sex say they’d “like to try it again.” When sex is carried out with a new sense of abandon, a certain devil-may-care flair that put an extra smile on everybody’s face!

Tit bits

I am drained

and lost ......

Even my capacity

to 'Imagine' joy

has been sucked

out of me.

(Physical outline of a once personality, broughtdown to the state of despair echoing the emptiness, from a series of unfortunate events no one can bargain for. )

Reverie

She was young ,
& fresh , unexplored
I was innocent,
My 'Dream'- my fair lady
was stolen by someone
i hardly knew.
Now I have 'emptiness'
to follow,
Me , hard & brittle to the
core.

Troubling Thoughts

If cats have to pay their life insurance , is it nine times more for their life insurance ?

A work station is a place where work comes to a stop or standstill ... isn't it ? (Rails stop in Railway stations )


Back in the days of Sparta and Rome , they had famous spy .. He was code named
Double 'O' VII.


I am guarding my school with my eye glasses .. wonder what it is ... I am talking abot gurding the pupils in it !


If a person who loses his sight is blind, and a person who loses his hearing is deaf, and a person who loses his voice is mute, what do you call someone who loses his sense of smell? .. also is there word for person who is at lose of his touch ?


BullDozer
A Dozing Bull !

Thoughts Trigger ..

I went to the woods because I wished to live deliberately, to front only the essential facts of life, and see if I could not learn what it had to teach, and not, when I came to die, to discover that I had not lived. I did not wish to live what was not life, living is so dear; nor did I wish to practice resignation, unless it was quite necessary. I wanted to live deep and suck out all the marrow of life, to live so sturdily and Spartan-like as to put to rout all that was not life, to cut a broad swath and shave close, to drive life into a corner, and reduce it to its lowest terms, and, if it proved to be mean, why then to get the whole and genuine meanness of it, and publish its meanness to the world; or if it were sublime, to know it by experience, and to be able to give a true account of it in my next excursion.

-- Henry David Thoreau

Life is difficult. This is a great truth, one of the greatest truths. It is a great truth because once we truly see this truth, we transcend it. Once we truly know that life is difficult- once we truly understand and accept it-then life is no longer difficult. Because once it is accepted, the fact that life is difficult no longer matters.

--M. Scott Peck from The Road Less Traveled

It's a hard race; you suffer a lot. It's a long race, so it's long suffering, which is worse than suffering.

--Lance Armstrong

My Own World - My Thoughts...

I am so busy that , I dont have time to fall sick !

I am young at heart..This when you repeat , shows that you are getting old ! and you wanna say to the world that you are fighting your best to keep abreast !Its in thinking that we should be young. Unconventional , breaking the barriers , Sponteneous ...


Overheard in a college :
'I have won my battle for Sex , But its my virginity that I lost ! '

These are tit-bits of my thoughts.
Don't say you want only the first one , you should have bits too !

Think Global, Act Cubicle.

Good programming is 99% smelly sweat and 1% coffee , consumed with Junk Food.

I live in the coluds.Reality is not for me.People say I should come down.That the clouds are not a place for grownups to be. I smile at them. May be ond day , I say may one day day i will come down. But I never will. Reality is not for me. I shall stay up here. The view is quite breathtaking.

I think about you everyday.
They say 'Get a Life'.
I say simple ' No'.
( After all you are my life ! )

Joys of Life

The pleasure of life is in noticing the things that other do not...
There is joy in observing the smaller things in life ...

The time and again , I come again to these points , either by myself or when reminded. Today my best friend for life reminded me about it after seeing a photo of a small flower hardly noticed by Busy bees , but which was captured on photo frame on my weekly contemplative walk. Life is how you look at .. the paradigm .. the perspective , that changes the outcome. Life is not reaching destination. Its watching and enjoying the journey as well. Each and every moment of life offers multiple choices . The choice is up to you to make.

Every rain cloud has a silver lining
This is what my friend wrote to me when I was down and almost feeling suicidal going through the depression cycle. It was back in my college days. Almost alienated , going through the Identity crisis , waging a personal battle through the family trauma .. it was too much and pressure was building up. Then this friend from my High school who was doing higher studies in the lower class ( u know what i mean ) , gave an insightful lecture and a thoughtful letter. I was put in new path . I was asked to see the better side of life . Life has so many things to offer. Only you got to search for it . Its up to you .

I have realised the truth during my formative years exposed to harsh realities of life. The brutal and lethal truth. I think all these have hardened me . I have grown precociously , I believe. Those hard times , they leave a permanent mark on you.

So I have learnt to look for brighter side of life always. There are plenty when you have an inquisitive eyes of a child. They can be found in every walk of life . You have to keep your eyes open. There is no shortage for small goodies. Will you keep your eyes open .. Now !

What's in Name ?

You may be wondering what's behind that name ?
Particularly the Number 128 associated almost every where, my id , blog ..
It was my roll number for 5 years of learning, formative years. Everyone were known with a number. Each one was tagged with a number. It was a home away from home. Or shortly SRKVS - Sri Ramakrishna Vidyashala , My almamater . What ever I am , presently , my inner self was shaped during my tenure back in Mysore. The rest of my name or the beginning - RB (Pronounced as Arby ) stands for initials - like in Ravi Belegere's Name.