Initially, I had hoped to have a summer full of exploration and adventure. While I had some of that, I have to admit that my overall summer felt a bit like a letdown (but not a total loss). The majority of my summer consisted of exploring beaches south of Tokyo as well as seeing a few sites around the city. But I also spent a lot of time in my apartment, hiding from the heat and humidity of this densely populated concrete jungle.

Taiwan

Part of what led to my very mixed feelings about my summer started with my trip to Taiwan. After being away for the last four years, I finally made it back. The purpose of this trip was to spend time at the beach and hopefully see some people that I haven’t seen since my last visit. I thought of going to Okinawa for the first time, but after seeing hotel prices (of what was available), I decided that I could get more for my money in Taiwan. I ended up visiting three beaches, the first being at the southern tip of Taiwan in the Kenting area in a place called Nanwan (South Bay).

In what was a series of unpleasant bus rides, the ride to here seemed fine until it was time to get to my stop. I thought I had hit the stop button enough ahead of time, but the driver just continued right past my stop! I didn’t know what to do, so I waited until the next stop to mention my stop. The driver just mumbled and gestured to me that we passed it with no concern or empathy. I decided to get off there and grab my small suitcase, which had shifted all the way to the back of the under-storage unit (I scraped my knee crawling to get it). I then looked around frantically to see if there were any taxis. I crossed the street and saw a few, but they were either empty or the driver was clearly on their break (sleeping). I finally scuttled across the street to a 7/11 and asked the counter worker if she could call me a taxi. Luckily, she agreed, and eventually I was driven back toward my bed and breakfast (but not before the driver missed the stop and had to turn around).

The beach I arrived at ended up being the same beach that I had once visited years before, but only for a brief evening swim. I remember loving this beach because, despite it not being glamorous, I still very much enjoyed the big, active waves and warm water (not to mention the beautiful, fiery evening sky). Kenting may be known as the main beach hub in the south, but it’s also a small area known mostly by locals, and it felt like it. Southern Taiwan feels different than northern Taiwan.

After being there for four days, I realized I didn’t need to stay that long, and I became a bit less impressed with it as time went on, such as the gas fumes of the tractors used to pull the water activity equipment. I had also forgotten that not far away is the water treatment plant in the background. I didn’t bother taking photos here this time around. However, I did take photos of the breakfast at my bed and breakfast, as each morning the meal was quite eclectic. I also got some photos of the nice seafood meals I had at a café.

While heading back up north toward Taipei, I stopped in Taichung to meet up with a friend at the HSR (high-speed rail) station for a coffee and a chat, so that was nice.

When I arrived back in Taipei, the next day I went to a beach north of Taipei that I hadn’t tried previously, called Baishawan. After taking the subway to get to the shuttle bus, I noticed an odd-looking sign. I had to do a double take because of what the sign said.

Before I arrived, I was already feeling disappointed since the bus driver didn’t stop where they were supposed to and just continued on to the next stop, forcing me to have to walk back 20+ minutes in the blazing heat and humidity. Upon arrival, I saw that the water is extremely shallow, so much so that in certain parts of the water, you can still see patches of dry sand in the middle before having to walk further out. You have to walk quite far out before the water even comes up to your waist. It also became cloudy after maybe fifteen minutes there. I was not happy, to say the least.

The bus trip back on a local bus was also embarrassing for me. Apparently, I had been accidentally pressing the stop request button with my back while standing. The driver eventually pulled over, came over to me, clapped his hands at me, and motioned for me to come towards him, or so I thought. I thought he was asking to see my bus card for proof of swiping it before getting on, but he was trying to signal to me to move away from the wall due to pressing on the button. I was already not in a good mood, and this only made things worse. Luckily, I reacted in a brief and low tone, muttering “Oh” as an old woman next to me pointed at it and spoke. The first half of the trip back to my hotel took about an hour before reaching the subway station to take the rest of the way back.

The last beach I went to was called Wai’Ao Beach. This is located in northeastern Taiwan, facing the Pacific. Since I love beaches with active waves, I wanted to visit here last. Wai’Ao is a black sand beach (but it’s not quite as dark as black) that stretches for quite a ways. There are some covered lounge chairs on the far east side, but the rest of the beachfront is rather bare and lacking shade. Oddly enough, it ended up being cloudy, which normally I would be quite annoyed at, but this time I think it was a blessing in disguise as I would have probably roasted in the sun. The water was also shallow; however, the waves were still active and decently sized. The water rushing towards me felt wonderful, and the waves kept me occupied for just over an hour. I was a kid again, and I loved it. Ocean waves washing over you feel soul-cleansing. This is why I don’t understand people who go to the beach but don’t bother to spend time in the water.

I was so happy that my final beach destination was a positive experience, even if finding my way back to the local train station wasn’t. I ended up walking most of the way along the main road in the humid heat and hazy sky, as the few taxis that I saw didn’t bother to pick me up. One slowed down and circled its way back toward me, so I thought he was going to pick me up. But as he got close, he then waved me off and refused to pick me up! About 2/3 of the way toward the station, a young female driver took pity on me and picked me up, so I was quite happy to see her.

My return trip to Taiwan was, for the first time, a very mixed experience. In all my previous trips, even if I experienced some hiccups, the overall trip was always much more positive than negative. This time, it was truly 50/50, and that surprised and disappointed me terribly. It felt like I was somewhere I didn’t recognize.

Aside from the beach experiences, I also experienced a lot of unpleasantness from bus drives. While I was enjoying the snacks I bought at a night market, I witnessed an old woman who was working the trash disposal area in front of the market being very rude, impatient, and aggressive to a younger woman who wasn’t sure where to place her plastic drink container. The old woman even grabbed it out of the young woman’s hand! Once again, it felt like I was somewhere else. This wasn’t the Taiwan that I had ever experienced before.

I did manage to meet up with one of my friends for dinner and a chat (the first guy I ever met in Taiwan), so that was nice. I also met a tourist who had never been to a night market before, so I took him to the one I had gone to the night before. He enjoyed the food. I also got to meet someone from Hong Kong that I had been chatting with online. We were able to chat at a Starbucks at Taipei Main Station before his train left, so that too helped me to end on a positive note.

I still want to return to explore more beaches along the northern Pacific side, but this recent trip forced me to see Taiwan slightly differently this time. The fact that this happened at a time when China has been continually threatening to invade Taiwan and take it by force also made me feel sad. I feel pressured to try to visit while I still can. I hope and pray that things do not escalate.

Back in Japan

After taking the trip to Taiwan for a week, I realized that I couldn’t afford to take any more international trips. So, I decided the rest of my time should be spent trying to see sites and do activities that I hadn’t tried yet.

Day Trip to Hakone

Another place that I hadn’t yet visited was just south of Tokyo, called Hakone. This is one of the areas where people can see Mount Fuji in the distance. It’s also known for its onsens. Since it was a hot July day, I opted not to boil myself, as I knew the day would already be hot. I signed up for a day tour so that I didn’t have to worry about travel logistics. It was only me and a French couple from Montreal on this trip.

It started with a short boat ride on Lake Ashinoko before stopping for a lunch of cold soba noodles and tempura.

While on the way toward Owakudani Valley, you can ride the cable car up the hillside, where you can see continuous sulfur-filled steam rising.

It is here where they have a local specialty, known as “black eggs.” This comes from hard boiled eggs in the sulfurous water (no, I didn’t try this).

The last part of the trip was going to Fujinomiya 5th Station. This is one of the stations on Mount Fuji that hikers can stop at while trekking the mountain or just visit the station itself for the views. The official climbing season is listed as July 10-September 10. During this time, only shuttle buses are allowed to drive on this path (private vehicles are not allowed).

On this day in Hakone, it was rather hazy. But by the time we arrived, the sky had turned cloudy, with the top third of the mountain wrapped in a ring of clouds.

Overall, this day trip was again just OK. Some views were nice, while others felt rather average and not that impressive. I’m aware that I have high standards, but that is because I have seen some truly beautiful and amazing sites over the years (not to mention seeing Fuji at Lake Kawaguchi), so it has become more difficult for me to feel impressed. Perhaps I would enjoy the onsens here.

Shirichigahama Beach

After getting beach time in Taiwan, I decided that I also needed to explore some of Japan’s beaches. Luckily, there are a handful of options just an hour and a half (by train) south of Tokyo along the Sagami Bay area. I have been to one of them already, but I wanted to see others. Shirichigahama Beach is an area of black sand beachfront that is not developed, but people still relax by the shore and go in the water. You can see natural debris and sticks strewn all along the shore. The water here is quite active, with waves that are bigger than I thought they would be. In the distance, I could see a few people trying to surf.

Lip Service

For some unknown reason, a day after I went to the beach, my lower lip began to swell up. It didn’t hurt or itch; it just became swollen. I don’t have any known food allergies, so it couldn’t be due to food. I finally saw the doctor, who thought it was angioedema, but he also couldn’t figure out for sure what caused it, even after having a blood test. He prescribed an antibiotic, a steroid, and an anti-inflammatory. I honestly don’t know how well it worked, as it took a week to get back to normal.

No, I’m not pouting. My lip really did swell up to double its normal size.

TeamLab Planets

Tokyo has a digital art museum that is supposed to be interactive and have changing exhibits. Since I had already explored a few different public parks when I first moved here, I couldn’t come up with many other ideas for outdoor exploration within Tokyo. I had originally meant to come here earlier, but then I had to go see the doctor about my lip instead. TeamLab Planets insists that you purchase tickets and schedule your arrival time online. I tried to get a refund and switch reservation times, but the system wouldn’t allow it.

When I finally did get to go, there were four parts of the exhibit: a room with mirrors and lights, a room with bouncy white balls with colored lights, a room where you wade through water with digital images shown on the water, and a room where you looked up at the ceiling to watch moving images that looked like you were in outer space.

The idea of these exhibits might sound interesting, but I found that in person, they were not very impressive to me. The mirrored room was a bit disorienting, the white balloon room seemed a bit dull, the room with images shown onto the water was dimly lit and you couldn’t actually interact with the images shown, and the room with moving colors seemed interesting but quickly became tiresome. Sorry to sound like a downer, but this exhibit just didn’t do it for me.

Isshiki Beach

This beach, also in the Sagami Bay area (south of Shirichigahama Beach), is a decent beach if you don’t feel like traveling too far from Tokyo. There are multiple food options along the beach, the toilet is close to the entrance, and you can see Mount Fuji in the distance (when it’s not too hazy or cloudy). There is even an elevated grassy area on the far west side where people like to picnic or just relax.

Sumida River Fireworks

In Japan, fireworks (花火, Hanabi) are used to celebrate during the summer but are not really used to celebrate the new year. The fireworks shows along the Sumida River in Tokyo are supposedly some of the oldest fireworks shows in the country. For the past three years, they have been cancelled due to COVID. This summer, the show was finally back on schedule. It’s customary for people to dress in yukata, which means “bathing cloth.” It’s basically a more casual version of the kimono. It’s also rather common to see people around town in their yukata for what seems like no particular reason other than wanting to.

While on my way to stake out a viewing spot at Shioiri Park, I saw many people in their yukata and traditional wooden slippers clacking along the pavement. It was very sunny, hot, and humid. I realized that I was not properly prepared for this event, so I went into a store to buy a small umbrella to shade myself from the sun while waiting almost four hours for the show to start. Seat availability was already sparse, as many people apparently had already laid claim to seating by placing a tarp on the grass ahead of time. I’m not sure how or when they were able to do this.

The show lasted 1.5 hours and had a steady pace. While trying to see through the trees as more people kept slowly walking along the main path, viewers would occasionally clap while “ooing” and “aweing” in approval. Even though the fireworks were to celebrate Japanese tradition, it still felt nice to be able to see fireworks in the summertime, even if the view was a bit further away than I had hoped.

It was quite difficult to get good nighttime photos with the crowds.

Odaiba Island

The area along the bay known as Odaiba has three or four big malls, as well as statues and sites surrounding them. I mentioned in a previous post that there is a small version of the Statue of Liberty here. There is another famous statue here that celebrates Japanese anime, namely the Unicorn Gundam Statue outside of the Diver City Plaza. I have seen other people share photos of this, so I decided it was time that I did too.

Cooking Class

Something that I always like to do when traveling to a country for the first time is to take a cooking class there, if possible. I realized that I still had not done so over the past year, so I signed up for a session where I ended up being the only one there. I always prefer this situation.

My instructor, Saturo, and I made four dishes. He told me that the Japanese traditionally cook seasonal meals. He also discussed the proper placement of each dish (side dishes, vegetable dishes, the main dish). Since this was the summer time, he chose for us to make a niku-jaga (meat-potatoes) soup, takikomi gohan (seasoned rice dish), cucumber and miso paste, a summer salad with daikon sauce, and karaage (fried chicken). He seemed to prefer doing the actual cooking, so he had me help with slicing, chopping, mixing, and coating the chicken (but he did utilize me at the stove once).

At the time of writing this, the summer vacation has ended and I have started back at school. I hope to continue finding new places and activities throughout this year. Although my salary is lower than my previous jobs in Shanghai, I still planned a trip to South Korea for the October holiday, so I look forward to that.

Until then, “Sayōnara.”