We survived.

According to Patricia Schultz's book, 1000 places to see before you die, seeing the sun rise from the top of Mount Fuji is regarded as one of the most moving natural experiences you can have on our ball of clay.

She forgot to mention that you will also be stiff as a plank, your eyes will be bloodshot from volcanic dust that had been sandblasting your retinas for the past few hours, you'll lose basic speech ability, you will be shaking like a reed from the cold, even with 5 jackets layered over each other, and the wind will cut into your lips so much that it'll still be peeling two days later.

Even with the physical discomforts, the garaikou (sunrise) was an awe-inspiring sight. I felt on top of the world, looking down at creation. The sunrise started as a neon pink smear across the horison. It grew and progressed to become orange, yellow, golden. It touched the clouds, forming spaceships and alternate universes across the expansive horison.

I was surprised to see how many people had come to climb through the darkest night for eight or nine hours, just to see the sun rise. Earlier, we looked down during water breaks to see caterpillars of lights ascend the mountain. Strings of Japanese climbers, each equipped with a different coloured light, walked in long, snaking rows with the bells on their walking sticks echoing through the night. People from all over the world sat on top of the symmetrical emblem of Japan, huddled together for some warmth, waiting quietly for the skies to change colour.
PS, I went all the way there and back, and I did not take one photo of Fuji-san. I took photos of the thousands of bells hanging from the shrine at the top. I took photos of bleary-eyed fellow travellers. But not one of Fuji. Well, I suppose I can just google image it if I really want to.

PPS The above photo was taken with my keitai. I had reception on the top of Fuji! Hurrah for Docomo! Alas, there was no one that I wanted to phone.

PPPS Ta to Isabel who sent me the photos I sent her. Let's picture tennis! One day when I own a laptop, I promise to add some photos of bells, found only on top of the mountain.

Fuji Food

I have been inacpacitated for 2 days now. My legs are so sore that I had to take the car to school today, and I have to slide down the 4 steps from my 'loft' to my 'living room' on my bum, cause climbing stairs is too painful. I am a victim of Fuji-san. My chapped lips and sunburnt face is the price I payed to see one of the great wonders of the natural world - a sunrise from Mount Fuji. And it was worth it.

Before I elaborate on the volcanic rocks and the lights in the night, I want to introduce to my mostly South African readers another amazing Japanese snackfood - The Onigiri.


Onigiri is basically a triangular steamed rice ball with a convenient blanket of seaweed wrapped around it. Inside this plain but tasty snack, you can find anything from Ikura (fish eggs) to tuna & mayo, Umeboshi (extremely salty pickled plums) or salmon. The combinis (convenience stores.. but they are, like REALLY convenient) stock a host of flavours, shapes and sizes, and it has become one of my favourite on-the-go things to eat.

Onigiri was also the reason why I made it all the way up Mount Fuji. To be technical, Jen's onigiri (thank you!) and a few Snickers bars (which made me think of you, Wessel) is what got me to the top. I finished all my food before we were even 100m up the mountain, and was forced to snack on the rest of the night climb crew's food: nuts and apricots, dried peas and energy bars, chicken-shits and dried banana. You guys rock. Volcanically.

Wessel.

お誕生日おめでとう

Geluk met jou verjaarsdag, ne.

(ek try all in touch met die Ooste wees hier)

Seeing as ek hierdie een nie saam met jou kan vier nie, maybe maybe New Years?

after all these years..

Tonight is the night.

I've been wanting to see this movie ever since Hernes and Riette told me how they saw this in Germany, and held hands crying, and I sniggered and called them wusses. That was aaaages ago, and I've unsuccessfully been half-heartedly looking for this film. I did manage to catch 5 seconds of it while channel-hopping when I was still dating that other dude. Rephrase - ages ago when I still used to date.

Then, last night I found it while raiding Vicky's video collection. It was like an emerald in the hay, a needle on the camels's back, a shiny thing presented to a depraved crow. I can't wait.

Man, screw this blogging thing, I'm going home.

Living for Living on Weekends

Time seems to be sped up in this country (slash Island slash Alternate Universe). Every time I get a second to catch my breath, the week is almost riding away in the sunset, taking with it silly self-introductions and Tuesday Night dinners in Niimi. I seem to live from weekend to weekend, and the options with which I can fill my days off just never ends.

On the weekend of 22-24 September (which also features my bro's birthday), I have my mind stubbornly set on going to this place

for one of these

(just with more green than that pic.)

Well, I think that it is in a place called Ryokusuiko. I can only read four things on the whole flyer, and that is the name of the party, the date, the price (per day or for the weekend..? pfft, I dunno) and the URL.. which leads to a site where I can only understand.. three things.

First things first though. This Friday, 44 of us are off on a little trip to.. more North, Japan, to go climb this mountain (looks so tiny on the picture.. Little Fuji-san)

Get it while it's hot.

What's In A Name?

In South Africa, my name was Marilu Snyders.

I miss that name. I miss the roll of the r, the normality of the spelling, and the pitch in the right places (never figured out how you're actually supposed to pronounce it though.)

In English conversation, my name is Marylou Snaiders.

In Japan, they just raped it into a complete different alphabet. You got an 'l' in your name? Hey, we don't do l's... no more for you!

In Japan, I am Mariru Sunaideesu.

The bizarre bit is that, within my first week here, I started introducing myself as Mariru. Sneaking in the alien 'l' caused too much confusion.

Today, my name unexpectedly levelled up.
One of the teachers walked up to me, and stuck a sticker of a blue mouse on my textbook.
"Do you know?", she asks me. The mouse looks vaguely familiar, uhm, yeah some cartoon or maybe.. "It is pocketmonster"
Oh yeah! Pokemon! It's a blue pokemon!
"This Pokemon is also called... Mariru. Same as you."
And damn, it sure is. Ladies and gentlemen.. Meet Mariru.

Nothin' to Learn from Dwarfs

Today, for the second time in a week, I was politely asked to not whistle while I work.

Strangely enough, the only other time I was asked to suck up my whistle, was also in Japan. It was for more valid reason though, as the person who asked me to do so was a girl with a crazy fear of snakes, and she had heard that whistling at night attracts snakes. I have no idea where that belief is from, but it was valid enough for me to adhere to her request.

But why no whistling on school property? Who knows. What I do know is that I've memorised the words to "Girl, you'll be a woman soon" so that I can sing it in the teacher's room, Uma dance and all.