LIFE DIGEST. Feb 2024
The snow, the lake and health check experience in Japan
A belated self-guilty attempt to start journalling of my life whilst trying to avoid genre specific egotism and making it a practical guide for the readers.
JAPAN. LIFE.
Oku-Nikko, Tochigi prefecture.
Finally in February we were able to welcome some snow in Tokyo and Yokohama areas. Not much.
But up in the mountains there was enough white powder for skiing.
I went to Oku-Nikko, my usual place for X-country skiing. This area, a home to the vast and calm Chuzenji Lake is not far from Tokyo. I wrote a few pieces about Oku-Nikko previously.
Ski rental is available at Hotel Astoria (they wrongly spell it as Astrea). There are a few tracks in the vicinity. But normally I roam well beyond those tracks. This trip I found a very good trail. If you run along 5 km long “Sambonmatsu” trail, then closer to the end of it you will see the yellow sign.
It says, “this is not the official course, make U-turn”. Instead, do opposite, go straight towards the yellow sign off official track. The road mildly elevates at around 20-30 degrees. On the way you will pass the sign of Utsunomiya university.
After around one hour you will reach the foot of the mountain (I could not find the road on the map, so not sure which mountain, need to come in summer and hike to Shizu hut nearby). But then comes your reward - sliding all the way down using only the poles. The climb was one hour but the descend unfortunately only 15 minutes.
I also walked along the wooden deck of Senjogahara marshland. Now covered with a snow.
I moved closer to Chuzenji Lake on my last day. No skiing today, just to wander familiar-to-the armpit streets of Chuzenji Onsen village. Lake view is the best from Nagomi hotel (ask for room 405, sun stays the longest here, thus top floor; in spring or summer go for a room 305 with a large balcony or adjacent rooms on the 3rd floor).
And finally my favorite reading spot near cafe Adonis facing the lake. Sunny and protected from the wind.
Sumidagawa Terrace. This is a great spot to walk on a sunny late winter day. I was nearby this Feb and could not resist spending a couple of hours.
Sumida River promenade near Ryogoku station A lot of murals reflecting on a history.
The easy route is to walk from Ryogoku station to Asakusa along the river, but the promenade is much longer and goes on both sides of Sumida River. I will do it in full on one leisurely day and will try to read all the historical notes.
GOOD READS
If you are into Japan, then you already know that the country is not expensive. As it says here. Real estate if you distance yourself out of Tokyo can be super cheap. There are houses for sale in small islands of a beautiful Seto Naikai area for as little as 20,000 USD.
In 1979 aged 21 I worked in Ethiopia as an interpreter. Small town of Goba, province of Bale. I remember that one day roaming dusty streets near the market I came across a secondhand bookstore and picked up a few random books. Harold Robins, Raymond Chandler…
“The General spoke again, slowly, using his strength as carefully as an out-of-work showgirl uses her last good pair of stockings”. Or. “She walked with a certain something I hadn’t often seen in bookstores”. Another pearl. “He sounded like a man who had slept well and didn’t owe too much money”. You got the idea.
Smooth and juicy. I went back to one of the authors of my youth, Raymond Chandler. Now reading The Big Sleep.
GOOD BITES
Marlowe restaurant in Hayama town has a nice interior, ocean views and delicious pasta. Recommend for a cozy dinner on a weekday. Actually I believe it is named after Philip Marlow, the main fictional character of Raymond Chandler books.
Feeling like people gazing from outdoor space and sipping cold IPA? Ebisu Food Hall plays music of 70s and serves good guacamole and other Mexican treats.
Not far from Ebisu station and Ebisu Ginza shotengai EXERCISE AND HEALTH
Due to a knee problem (meniscus plus usual wear and rear as I have probably walked distance of two normal human lives so far) I was mostly focusing on muscles around knees. It is pretty boring, so I paired them up with chin ups.
A friend also sent me an interesting workout “Animal flow”. I have tried some and will do full when my knees are better but will ignore deep squats.
On a health note, I have decided to do a comprehensive checkup (normally once in two years). To the usual gamma of analyses and ultrasound checks I have added a full review of cardiovascular system plus a brain check involving computer tomography (they detected some brain inside!). These two tests added to the cost resulting at a hefty 160,000 JPY. The checkup was at Ofuna Shonan General Hospital. They have good equipment, and the process is very smooth. You change into the gown and slippers and surrender to the staff guidance. Person in charge of each station takes you to the next or says where to wait before being picked up. The facility is modern and clean.
Not so modern compared to the equipment is data handling. There is no way you can download the results. They come to you printed in a nice folder by mail. It is good to have but I prefer to have data, not the paper. This is another example of how Japan still very much belongs to the last century.
Oh, and I finally I understood the drug addicts. I did stomach check up with a camera, but asked to put me in a light sleep while they were at it. Man, was I high. And when I woke up everyone around me felt like they were my best friends. Never bought drugs, but I think I did not pay that much, as the “high” included totally legitimate medical checkup. And lunch.
The total examination lasted 4 hours. I was then served lunch before talking to a doctor to listen to his comments on the preliminary results.
For them this process is like a conveyor, so I made sure to ask difficult questions, as doctors at this department (called “preventative medicine”) tend to take the procedure lightly. In general, I found the service in Japanese hospitals better than in Australia, but attention to any particular health issue in Australia, if any, is more profound. In short, I have appeared with a better blood test and slimmer than 2 years ago, but with a little increase of buildup in the blood vessels even the cholesterol was at its bottom. All in all, interesting experience.
I am off to Korea, Singapore and Laos (Vientiane) next week. Will definitely post about Laos, as it has been a while since I visited this beautiful country.
Brilliant! We just now came back from Poland, Gdansk.
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All the Best!
L&V
Well done Igor, great stuff as usual. Read my bits on Linkedin! And Chandler is definitely one of my favourites. Also a few of his contemporaries such Chase..."She checked me in and I checked her out" - not bad.