Last night I stayed at (yet another) miserable business hotel in Utsunomiya. It cost the most out of all the accommodation I booked for this trip. At 4,300 yen per night, which included the worst breakfast ever – it was just toasts and jam/margarine. Okay yes there was wi-fi in the room but it was not as fast as the other hotels. The only thing good about the hotel is that it’s very close to JR Utusnomiya station, only took a couple of minutes to walk there.
I arrived at JR Nikko at around 10 this morning.
It began to snow very soon after I got there, and it pretty much snowed throughout the day. Last night it snowed almost everywhere in Kanto, Chugoku, Tohoku and Hokkaido regions, but this morning when I woke up the snow in Utsunomiya had already melted away, so I didn’t expect the several inches of snow covering the entire Nikko when I got there. But then come to think of it, Nikko is at about 530m above sea level so it’s probably a little colder than the city.
Everything looked quite pretty and romantic under the snow
, but (after last Friday in Gokayama and today in Nikko) I've come to realise that I don't really like snow that much. When I was visiting the famous 二社一寺 in Nikko, there was always the fear of the possibility that several kilos of snow could fall off the slanted roof (or off the tree branches from hundreds of feet above you) and onto your head/umbrella; or that one could slip on the mushy snow on the pavement or on the steps and fall to one’s death.
I don't think the temperature was actually that low, but my feet were soaked and frozen after only about an hour walking in the snow. My gore-tex hiking shoes are supposed to be waterproof, but still my feet got really wet and cold. Not good. I had put my luggage away into a coin locker at the station so I couldn't change my socks until the end of the day.Another annoying thing about the snow – my camera lenses kept getting wet 'cause of the falling snow. It was very difficult to take photos with one hand holding onto the umbrella, and the other hand trying to find the lens cloth from the pocket and wipe the lens clean. Oh and by the way, I had three cameras in my hands. It was like juggling.
After lunch (sandwiches that I bought earlier in the morning – ate at Tobu Nikko station) I got onto another train to go to 龍王峡(Ryū-ō-kyō), which is a valley in mountains north of Nikko. There was some delay with the train 'cause of the snow (something I never thought would happen to trains in Japan); anyway I got there at around 3, and the old lady at the station (she was the only staff there) told me what time the next train was ('cause it was approximately one train per hour), and showed me on the map where the river was.
龍王峡 was very close to the train station, which was convenient; there was a steep descend though (which literally took my breath away when I was returning to the station). But oh my God it was worth the mini-hike. It was simply stunning. Those shades of green in the water were the most beautiful I've ever seen. It reminded me of the little heaven in China called Jiuzhaigou (in Sichuan province), where the multicolour water is so clear that you can see to the bottom of the lakes. I've always wanted to go but still haven't had the opportunity to go. 龍王峡 is not as amazing as Jiuzhaigou, but still it was (metaphorically and literally) breath-taking. I took some photos quite quickly, before going back to the station to catch the train back to Nikko (to get my luggage).
At the station (where there are no ticket machines – just that old lady)
I realise that I only have a 10,000yen note and very few coins, not enough to buy a ticket back to Nikko. The lady then chipped in 20 yen so I could buy a 190 yen ticket (the cheapest one – to go to the next station) and do a fare adjustment when I get to Nikko (it costs 540 from龍王峡 to Nikko).
As I was waiting for the train (delayed again – by about 15 minutes) on the platform (there's only one platform at the station, and half of it is inside a creepily dark tunnel) by myself, the old lady reappeared again, with a steaming hot cup of coffee in her hands. 「寒いから」said she, and gave me the coffee. I had given up caffeine for Lent, and I couldn't help but drink that coffee, filled with kindness and hospitality; it was the best coffee I've ever had. (It was also the last cup of coffee until the end of Lent.)I haven't been to many countries, but I don't think I've experienced such loveliness in people anywhere else. Whenever I encounter a friendly and hospitable stranger, it’s always Japan. The other day when I was in Matsushima, I was just wandering around Zuiganji when I met a very friendly ojisan. He had just dropped off a few guys with his van at the temple, then he started a conversation with me, which ended up with him showing me the a good viewpoint to see Matsushima on the map, and he even offered to drive me there (to which I politely refused, it was a fine day and I’d prefer walking in the sunshine).
Yes, people I've met in Britain and in Hong Kong are also very nice. And there are also some very cold and unfriendly people in Japan. I shall never forget that day (in August '08) when I was at Ueno underground station with a 30kg suitcase and not finding any escalators or lifts, I was just standing at the bottom of the staircase and no one who walked passed me would offer any help. What I’m trying to say is that, the Japanese are more willing to go the extra mile. In Britain or in Hong Kong, people would offer help mostly only when you ask for it, and even when offering help, only do what they're asked to do (what they're socially expected to do). But here I've had numerous experiences where I didn’t even ask for help and these nice people would just come up and offer their service. (Another incident was when I went to Kobe for the first time in July '08. I got off the limousine bus at Sannomiya and had totally no idea as to where my hotel was, this lady just walked straight up to me and showed me the way.) It’s these people who have made an impression, while I don't remember any occasion where I received such lovely hospitality anywhere else.
Obviously there are also little things I don't like about Japan (which I shan't bitch about here), but this, this friendliness is one thing that I like about this country.
Posts
No comments:
Post a Comment