The Haunted Village and The Japanese Cult

Upon leaving Nagasaki, I snaked my way into the city of Nagoya, which is supposedly like the Detroit of Japan, as it boasts the headquarters of automakers Toyota, Honda, and Mitsubishi.  Despite my overtly masculine nature, I'm not really that into cars, so I wasn't keen on visiting any of the headquarters or walking around a car museum.  I mean, why would anyone want to waste two hours walking around old cars when they could be watching John Cusack track down Kate Beckinsale in "Serendipity" instead?  I mean seriously, that movie is delightful.

I did end up finding a pretty cool hangout spot in Nakamura Park, which had an entry fee that kept the smile on my face: $0.  There were a couple of ponds and more than a few benches to sit down and watch the Koi fish beg for food whilst pondering one's future.  Deep thinking, or any level of thinking for that matter, isn't really a strong suit of mine, so I decided to just give up and find dinner instead.  Naturally I got lost on the way back to my room (I don't understand how it's possible, but I get lost for at least an hour everyday), but I stumbled upon a restaurant for dinner, so it all worked out.  It was here that I got to utilize yet another vending machine, the dinner ticket machine.  Instead of looking at a menu and ordering something from a waiter or the bar, you simply go to a gigantic vending machine that has 30-40 options and select the one you desire.  Each dinner has a picture, so you kind of know what you're getting, but you really don't.  I ended up with some sort of tomato curry with rice and a side salad.  It wasn't amazing, but it was better than eating another sandwich from 7/11.  

We travel for the passion, not for the fashion or fame

I would totally be the kid with the sword

My next stop was Kanazawa, which is a pretty cool city with some massive parks.  For lunch, I decided to hit up the local fish market and ended up getting some fried balls containing pumpkin, vegetables, and octopus.  This only reconfirmed my belief that octopus is in fact disgusting and has the most disturbing texture of anything I have ever eaten, and I've eaten a tarantula.  Kanazawa, like most major cities, has it's own castle, but it was under construction and I was feeling a little templed out, so I skipped it.  I did however check out the park and surrounding areas which were pretty cool.  The walking path running along the exterior of the castle is lined with statues of naked women.  It's so bizarre, I always thought of Japanese culture as being very conservative and reserved, but that's not really the case.  Real boobs, fake boobs, cartoon boobs, statue boobs; I, like these great sculptors and visionaries before me, appreciate all the boobs Japan has to offer.  #RespectForWomen

Across from the castle is an even larger park called Kenroku-en Garden, which is considered to be one of the top three gardens in Japan.  And yes, in case you were wondering, all the facts in my blog come from wikipedia and wikitravel, just like every report I wrote in college.  American education at it's finest, me is.  After getting lost and eventually finding my way back to my hostel, I forced myself to do the one thing I hate most (other than turning away from a mirror): cardio.  I may have only ran for 7 minutes, but with octopus remnants surging through my veins and Rage Against the Machine blaring in my ears, I believe I ran a six minute mile.  I guess you could say I'm relatively fast for someone so SLowe.

Enduring seven minutes of cardio for me is like running a half marathon for a normal human being, so I decided to reward myself by hitting up a local restaurant with a sushi train.  I made it through 7 plates and a bottle of sake before throwing in the towel.  However, despite being full, I determined some ice cream was in order.  Sometimes you exercise to get in better shape, sometimes you exercise so you can eat like crap and not feel bad about it.  

This was actually a fountain display clock that alternated "Kanazawa" with the time of day.  So cool!

If I ran a fish market, I would burn some candles.  I mean seriously bros, this place smelled like death mixed with skunk farts

One can only get so close in mastering their ability to close, to be an expert at getting women out of their clothes

It appears I'm the only scum around these ponds...

English country gardens you say?  They got nothing on Japanese style gardens

The next stop was Takayama, which isn't a city, but rather a town.  It's famous for an area called Hida Village, which is a reconstruction of an old school Japanese village with some traditional houses and various craft buildings.  The village was so spooky!  I'd be lying if I didn't say I was a little nervous to be walking around the darkened, empty rooms by myself.  I kept having this weird feeling I was going to look over and see a pale girl staring at me, waiting to eat my soul.  I couldn't shake that feeling between the shoulder blades, like someone was watching me, stalking me like prey.  If I was ever to write a horror story, it will be based here. 

Just put me on a train and take me to anywhere....

There were thousands of these caterpillars, I thought maybe they were a type of silkworm, but they seem much too colorful in comparison to the photos of silkworms I found on wikipedia

You wanna ring the bell Apollo?  Alright. Ding, ding. (Stew Master Carl Weather's reference, drink!)

I see skies of blue and clouds of white.  The bright blessed day, the dark sacred night. And I think to myself, what a wonderful world :)

Across the highway from the village, I could see a massive looking palace-type structure and decided it was worth a venture.  I was surprised to find that it wasn't on the tourist map, because it was larger than anything I'd seen in the town.  Upon arriving, I found myself staring at two large turrets framing the sides of a massive garage that rose three stories high.  I entered the turret on the right and immediately saw a dude dressed up in a soldier's uniform.  Thus I was thinking maybe it was a military building of some kind as he just saluted me and I followed the staircase upward.  After a flight of stairs, I decided to take the elevator up the last level, just to see what the inside looked like.  I was expecting something high tech and ornate, but the inner lining seemed to be padded with a layer of cardboard, which in my mind meant someone was murdered there and the cardboard was used as a makeshift prop to cover the blood spatter.  I also held my breath for fear that gas was going to be leaked through the shaft and render me unconscious.  I'm not even exaggerating, I was that nervous.

When the doors opened, I exhaled and stepped briskly out into the main hallway.  I found my way around the corner and entered a massive open courtyard and stared at the gigantic palace before me.  For a long time I kept wondering, why is no one here?  Not only was it a huge complex, but it must have cost a fortune to build.  How could something so vast and extravagant be empty?  As I climbed the central staircase, my eyes were drawn to the six sided stars and swastikas that prominently adorned the building.  With a nervous tremor, I grabbed the handle to the main entrance and pushed my way through.  Staring out into a giant reception area, there was but a lone girl working inside.  As I approached her, I noticed that the entryway led into a massive auditorium, whose center staged was backed by the largest fish tank I have ever seen.  It must have been twenty feet wide and was back-lit to illuminate the fish within.

I asked the girl what this place was, prompting her to hand me a pamphlet.  She also started asking me to fill out a form stating my name and nationality, among other things.  After opening the pamphlet, it all dawned on me.  I was standing in the middle of a cult's headquarters!!!!  This was the cult of Sukyo Mahikari, which believes that all religions spawned from one supreme religion that was lost many years ago.  Sukyo Mahikari is this rediscovered lost religion. They believe that the light of God can be gathered into the palm of one's hand and then be sent into another human being.  Knowing my situation was now dire and I was armed with only an assumption that I could run a six minute mile, I got the fuck out of there!  The only thing I was praying for was that there weren't hidden cult members hiding in the shadows waiting to assasinate me.  If any saw me, my only chance of escape would be to outrun the light beams sent forth from their hands, which would have undoubtedly smote me into oblivion.

Luckily I made it out of the complex unscathed, finding sanctuary not in their temple, but in my hostel back in town.  After a time, I felt it was safe to venture back outside and trekked around a national park type of area I stumbled upon.  I ended up finding a temple complex that, once again, wasn't listed on my map.  After having a day that was already bordering the supernatural, with fears of ghosts and cult assasins haunting and hunting me, I couldn't help but feel like I'd wandered into some odd plane of existence that borders between our world and the next.  

I'm sorry, did you say religious cultivation or religious cult of Asians?

The guardian of the hidden temple...Does anyone remember the cartoon "Gargoyles"?  That show was awesome.

Sendai was the next town on my list, as I continued to blow through Japan like a leaf in the wind.   Sendai reminded me a lot of Osaka, as it boasts a massive shopping street directly off the train line.  It also had a Subway restaurant!  I had been desperately craving a freshly made sandwich and Subway is the only chain I know to exist in Asia.  What's different about Subway Japan?  Meal combos come with freshly baked potato wedges instead of cookies! You can also get seasoning on the wedges, such as barbecue or cheese.  Like anyone who is not a complete moron, I went with cheese.   My sub was so good, I thought about getting a second, but decided to refrain and get some ice cream instead.  I'm very health conscious.

The guest house I was staying at was pretty cool, because it was basically just a homestay and the ground level had a lounge that doubled as a bar.  It's also frequented by locals, so it's kind of like being invited into a big family for a night.  One of the guys made me try a Japanese "soul food" dish called Natto, which is fermented soybeans.  Apparently most foreigners are so repulsed by the flavor they can't finish, so they thought it was hilarious that I was eating all of it.  There's probably 100 photos of me scarfing it down, so I won't be surprised if my face on the cover of some frozen packages of Natto in a few months.  As strange as it sounds to me as a Westerner, they eat that for breakfast... I think I'll stick with pancakes and cereal.

We spent the night playing a card game called Saboteur, in which you pick a random card of either a miner or a "Saboteur" and then try and build tunnels to three face down cards, one of which contains a gold nugget.  If you are a normal miner, you want to get the gold, if you're a saboteur you try to stop them.  You have no idea who is a saboteur and who is a miner, so you have to figure it out as you go.  It's a pretty good game that translates well since the rules are simple and no common language needs to be spoken to play.  As you can probably guess, I excelled in the role of a saboteur, my devious and cunning mind pulling out all sorts of tricks to foil everyone else's plans.  Bahahaha, I love being evil.  If you're ever in Sendai, stay there: Guest House Umebachi FTW!!!

Need a taxi?  You might have to wait a while, there's a severe shortage.

When Subway offers me fries...I mean c'mon I have to try them!   In case you are curious, they were terrible.  I've received wedgies that were preferable to those wedges.

Green tea flakes, cream cheese flavored ice cream, sugar cookie cone.  You win Japan, I'm giving up on my six pack and eating ice cream instead

"We do not need magic to transform our world.  We carry all of the power we need inside ourselves already." - J.K. Rowling

My next victim was the town of Nikko, which is a place that is frequently day-tripped from Tokyo.  I decided to spend a few nights there, however, as it has a lot of hiking trails and waterfalls in addition to being famous for it's temples.  Would running shirtless eventually lead to me being asked to dress up in a traditional kimono for a viral dance video?  Obviously, but that's a story for another blog...

Random GoPros

Find a picture you like and purchase your dinner ticket!

Some places have limited hostels, but for the same price, you can get a spacious hotel room...

I'm going to have one of these clocks in the courtyard of my castle

Common in Asia, restaurants display plates of every dish from their menu out front

It looks peaceful from the outside, but trust me...There's something unnatural going on here, you can feel it lingering in the shadows

The hidden temple I found in the woods...Not gonna lie, I was a little scared

Fox Demon

The Lamborghini of Shinkansen.  I've never seen a cooler or more futuristic looking vehicle

I didn't take no shortcuts, I spent the money that I saved up. Oh mama I'm running out of luck, but like my sister, don't give a fuck...

Sitting in the train, watching the falling rain

Book Reviews

Finished:

• Hamilton Wright Mabie's Fairy Tales Every Child Should Know - My parents never felt the need to read any of these to me, so this was more educational than reminiscent.  
• Henry David Thoreau's Walden - About a dude leaving his normal life to live in isolation and build his own house, raise his own crops, etc.  He kept track of all the costs, which is super interesting.  Apparently if you had $100 in the 1800s you were a god.  However, this dude is so boring.  I would have gone into Shining mode if I was stuck in a cabin with him.
• Lewis Carroll's Alice's Adventures in Wonderland - Such a clever book, made for adults as much as children I would say.
• Brandon Sanderson's Elantris - Way, way, way too long.  If it was half the length it would have been great, instead it was just ok.
• Jo Nesbo's The Bat - The first Harry Hole novel...Ironically set in Australia, the same setting I have planned for my first book.
• Jo Nesbo's Cockroaches - Harry Hole book two...He's currently up to book 10, so that should give you an idea of how good/popular this series is. 
• Sir James Knowles's The Legends of King Arthur and His Knights - Every story in this book is the exact same.  "And then they rushed towards each other with violent urgency and Lancelot smote him to the ground with tremendous fury."  That's every battle scene, just change the main character's name. BORING
• John D. Seymour's True Irish Ghost Stories - Just terrible, these were tiny little snippets of ghost stories, like "My great aunt's cousin saw an orange disappear and a floor creaked, so it must have been a ghost".  I want a proper ghost story that's 15 pages of unadulterated terror.  Pure rubbish.
• Bill Bryson's A Short History of Nearly Everything - This book is massive, took me like 30 hours to read, but it's definitely worth it.  Fascinating, really.  I reckon it raises your IQ by 5 points... Don't get too excited though, you're still in a 20 point hole from reading my blog.
• Homer's The Odyssey - I zoned out during the entirety of this book, I was mostly skimming it at first because it kept following a dude named Ulysses and I was waiting for Odysseus to show up...31% in I realized that Ulysses was just a different name for Odysseus; Apparently they changed his name in the Roman edition. Not my proudest moment, but at least I'm pretty to look at.
• Dan Brown's Inferno - Someone left this in one of my hostel rooms.  Pretty good and I really liked the ending, not as predictable as his last few books, but the characters are so unrealistic and cookie cutter.  Also, you don't have to tell me the same things 20 times, I fucking got it the first time; Give the reader some credit man. He also stated the Roswell UFO crash was a made up cover story for a top secret plane crash...Easy bro, if you ever discredit alien existence or mythology ever again I will punch you in the face.

Currently Reading:

• Bram Stoker's Dracula - How have I never read this?  Pretty good so far, it's got a creepy vibe, which is something I can relate to.
• Edgar Allan Poe's Complete Poetical Works - The Raven is probably the only poem I can recognize that wasn't written by Shel Silverstein.  Such an impressively written piece, the rhythm and imagery are brilliant. - If you read only one poem while tucked safely behind your chamber door, read this.  Only this and nothing more.
• Mark Twain's How to Tell a Story and Other Essays - Basically a book about how to tell a story to a large crowd, but it's only like 10 pages long, so I'm not sure how much I'll glean.  Really it's just padding to make it look like I read more books than I actually do. Yes, I'm that vain.
• Brandon Sanderson's Mistborn: The Final Empire - Damn this book is good.  I'm roped in after just a few chapters.

What I wish I was reading:

• My book - I haven't worked on it at all since writing the prologue...and that was 4 or 5 months ago :(. 
• Robert Galbraith's (J.K. Rowling's) The Silkworm - So close, it comes out next week.  Dear Amazon, get your shit together so I can purchase this on my kindle.
• George R.R. Martin's - A Song of Ice and Fire....I'll probably be done writing a trilogy before the next book is out.  Seriously.  It's already been three years since the last book.