First published: 15 May 2013
Michael by the rice-paddies near his home in Mishima.
So much rice!
One weekend in June, I finally made my way to see Michael in Mishima, Shizouka.
Michael Upsher is one of my travel companions and good friends from the JET orientation in London, who I had travelled to Osaka with in December the previous year (along with another good friend, Alasdair Adams). An Englishman and literary enthusiast, he is always an interesting man to talk to for his vast knowledge of British history and literature. I had previously missed a meeting with him and Alasdair a few weeks prior due to a scheduling conflict, so we agreed to meet in June to make up for lost time.
Interestingly, the word for a water-filled rice paddy in Japanese is 水田 (Suiden)
(pronounced almost like 'Sweden').
As for Mishima itself, it is famously close to Mt. Fuji and is said to provide stunning views of the mountain on clear days. I have read that it is known as the "city of water", though Michael has said he hasn't often heard it referred to as such by the local residents. The tap water flows from Mt. Fuji, which is obviously quite an attraction in of itself, though supposedly the water is not as abundant as it used to due to man-made infrastructure using much of it for various purposes. Our plan was to have a relaxing day in the area near Michael's home on the Saturday, followed by an exploration in town on the Sunday.
On the streets of Mishima.
Unfortunately, travel was delayed somewhat! I was unable to leave Takamatsu until much later than I had initially hoped, and did not manage to arrive in Mishima until around four in the afternoon. Furthermore, the weather was not particularly kind to us, as rain sporadically came and went frequently under an overcast sky.
Meeting Michael in the station, I felt that the water city was certainly living up to it's name! Regardless, we sat and enjoyed coffee and chocolate cake for a good hour while we caught up the time since we'd last seen one another. Taking the bus to Michael's part of town, the weather settled somewhat, but remained overcast. As we walked to Michael's house, I learned that the path we were walking offered a perfectly clear view of Mt. Fuji... except that the clouds were in the way. Oh well.
Smiling in the rain.
We spent a fair bit of time at Michael's home, simply chatting away with a cup of tea (whilst checking out Michael's enviable de-humidifier). Despite the inability to see Mt. Fuji, the truth was that I was here for the company more than anything else, and it was great just to be able to catch up again. We actually spent most of our time talking about classic British literature and the history of the British monarchy.
After almost losing track of time completely, we made our way back into town to try dinner at a recommended little restaurant of his to have a traditional Japanese meal - centered around a Japanese delicacy which had previously escaped me; eel (unagi).
Eel (unagi) for dinner.
Surprisingly tender and a personal recommendation.
I'm not going to lie; I was initially apprehensive (particularly about the the texture), but all it took was one bite to make me a convert. It's absolutely delicious - and tastes quite like a very smooth chicken! If you happen to be in Japan, make sure eel is on the menu.
Not much to look at from the outside...
...but on the inside, quite the setting.
We spent the rest of the evening in a quiet bar hidden away in a small building in the city. From the outside, it appeared to be an old and empty relic, yet despite this deceptive exterior the interior was sublime. Stacked with spirits and cocktails, Michael and I enjoyed our drinks with a plate of assorted chocolates and nuts. The classy, quiet atmosphere was the perfect way to end a day of enduring the rain.
Chilling in the bar.
Michael made pancakes for breakfast!
A very welcome gesture.
The following day was our opportunity to explore a little more of Mishima. With the weather finally on our side (as we enjoyed a warm, sunny day), I was determined to make the most of the sight-seeing, I whipped out my Canon 60D and began snapping almost everything that came my way - much to the chagrin of Michael, mind you! Michael isn't particularly fond of having his photograph taken, so I have to give him much credit for having so much patience to put up with my need to photograph almost everything that I see.
A moment's pause to take a photo of a peculiar building.
Good news for anyone.
We made our way to the famous Mishima Taisha shrine. A common complaint I've heard about both Buddhist temples and Shinto shrines in Japan is often that "if you've seen one, you've seen them all". This particular shrine, however, was quite something.
At Mishima Taisha shrine.
I like turtles.
Walking through the Toori gate, I was led through the courtyard into a narrow path above a pool of water filled with turtles gently swimming on either side. Aesthetically, this shrine was particularly pleasant, especially with a row of lanterns and two big structures in the park. There were also plenty of statues of horses, which I believe to be connected to an annual event where riders shoot arrows on horseback at the shrine - though there may be another connection which I have been unable to discover.
We made our way to Mishima Station, picking up ice cream at the vending machine inside (we met one of Michael's high school students on the way in, who greeted us with a smile and a loud "Going shopping!"). It was our plan to head into the city of Shizuoka around Shizuoka Station, as it was conveniently located on the way home for me.
Shizouka City.
The train took an hour or so, during which time I inadvertently loudly discussed the correlation between sex and sport with Michael - without realising the presence of two American ALTs sitting directly opposite us. Upon noticing them, I whispered to Michael; "I wonder if they heard any of that?", which was met with a firm; "Yes, we did." Whoops. Friendly folk, though, and we had a nice chat with them anyway,
By the time we got to Shizuoka, the day had started to get away from us. I'd have to leave very soon, and so we opted simply to spend our time in in Starbucks drinking coffee.
Scary eyes and latte.
Naturally, our time together came to an end. I had to leave very early in the afternoon in order to make it home in time, and while I would have liked to have spent a little bit more time with Michael, it had been a good weekend despite the weather. Luckily, Michael was already planning to visit me in Takamatsu, anyway, so I was sure I would be seeing him before too long!
Once again, this was another example of a trip in Japan where the company was more important than the sight-seeing. I'm certain that there was plenty I missed in Mishima and Shizuoka - and the weather certainly didn't help - but that really wasn't what this weekend was about. It was a trip about spending time catching up with a good friend, and accordingly, it was a good one.
