(Complaint)
A regular reader (viewer?) suggested that I had not given a sufficiently fulsome or entertaing report on Japan.
Well, let no-man say I am indifferent to audience input…
Did you know that roughly 60% of Japan is forest? No, me neither. Not only that, but roughly one third of the trees are “primary temperate growth” – actual “wild” wilderness (with bears).
Japan does not really do “suburbs” – if you can grow rice on it, they grow rice, if you can’t grow rice and it’s sort of flat, it has buildings, otherwise it’s mountain or forest (or both). This means that outside major cities, you frequently find peoples back garden is either a paddyfield or immediate jungle.
Part of our visit was to Nikko, a tourist town in central Japan, nestling amid (forested) mountains. Japanese mountains seem to be of the “small spikey” variety. Not hugely tall, but with slopes of 60 degrees or steeper, so they can fit a lot of peaks in a short distance.
We took a bus from Nikko to see Lake Chuzen (highest lake in Japan) and view the Kegon falls – one of the three great waterfalls of Japan (so I’m told), this quite spectacular drive fits 12 (James Bond car chase) hairpin bends in half a kilometer while rising about the same amount.
It was somewhat typical that, while the preceeding six dry weeks meant that the Kegon falls were but a trickle of their usual self, on the actual day, the low cloud and unending (but warm) drizzle, reduced Lake Chuzen, to a mere shadowy suggestion in the distance. Quite Scottish really.
We did get to travel in a cable car (for the “steep” bit) – where there was a food stall and a ubiquitous vending machine, and I’d like the Scottish tourist board to take note; in Japan, there will be an ice-cream van at the top of the hill (& probably a toilet and a machine selling hot coffee for 60p).
By way of contrast, on our return to Nikko, we ventured into the Valley of Anguish (Kanmangafuchi Abyss), attempted to count the ghost monks (Narab Jizo), and leaned out over the (now) raging torrent to read the ancient carving in the living rock (spoiler: I do not fall in).
What does it say? You’ll have to go and read it for yourself – if you dare.
Next week on IaDL: We finish the number, then I find out, today it’s being played in D .
Dalmallyfest the Asylum 