London’s Columbia Road flower market

Brick Lane, pret a porter

One guitar, two feet, three markets

Hitchhiking in Japan: It’s Almost Too Easy

I’ve never seen anyone hitchhiking in Japan. Maybe it’s because most people own a car or motorbike, and those that don’t rely instead on the fantastically efficient train and bus services.

I was curious though. Curious to see if it would work. And I soon discovered that the country is something of a hitchhiker’s paradise – especially if you hail from outside of Japan.

On the road.

Despite the Japanese not having a tradition of hitchhiking, most people know basically what it entails and, judging by a recent trip I made around the south-western island of Kyushu, they’re more than happy to stop for you. Of the nine lifts my friend Paddy and I took on our week-long trip, the longest our thumbs were exposed to the elements for was a mere ten minutes.

Somehow it seemed too easy here, like fishing at a trout farm. Weren’t we meant to be standing by the roadside for at least an hour? Weren’t we supposed to give up and take a bus?

We began our journey in Oita, a city on the eastern side of Kyushu. We walked out toward the edge of the city, put our bags down and our thumbs up. Within just a few minutes we were picking up our bags again after a young guy pulled over in a little Nissan Micra. Hardly believing our luck, we jumped in.

It quickly became apparent that our Japanese language ability was as ropey as Hiroshi’s English, but with our maps, smiles, and enthusiastic gesticulations, we seemed to reach a certain level of understanding. Or so we thought.

You see, we soon realized that he hadn’t quite got the hang of this hitchhiking malarkey, as it  was clear he was deviating from his original route. We tried to explain that the idea of hitchhiking was for the driver to take the hitchers as close to their destination as possible without the driver going out of his way. He was, however, determined to head away from wherever he was going in order to get us to wherever we were going. Such generous gestures were to be repeated throughout the week.

After exchanging small talk along the way and singing some Beatles songs together, we arrived safely at our destination and bade Hiroshi farewell. Off he drove into the sunset – back the way he came.

Each lift we got during that week was like a little adventure in itself. The Japanese are a discreet people – they notice Westerners but rarely stare, even in the deepest countryside where we’re about as common as California roll. But judging by the speed at which they stop and offer lifts, they’re certainly curious.

Some beautiful Kyushu countryside.

We saw one man in a clapped-out van give us a long look as he drove by. A minute later my attention was drawn by the sound of a vehicle careering along at high speed in reverse gear. I turned around to see the same guy pulling up beside us, winding the window down.

A few miles down the road, Yuji got on the phone to his wife. His driving was scary enough with both hands on the wheel, but now that he only had one, I was beginning to sweat a little. Then, with no eyes on the road, he turned to speak to us. “You stay. Hello family. My house.” We hadn’t booked any place to stay that night so Paddy and I agreed to take up the friendly offer, allowing Yuji to get back to the important job of looking where he was going.

“My house. Falling down,” Yuji said several times as we drove deeper and deeper into the Kyushu countryside. I put his words down to typical Japanese modesty but when we pulled up outside, I could see that it’d been nothing of the sort. It really was falling down. There was more than one hole in the roof together with some sizable cracks in the outside walls.

Yuji’s wife and their three young children dashed out to greet us before hustling us into their
falling-down house. While the mother busied herself in the kitchen, Yuji produced a bottle of sake and poured us both a large cup. The sake was as tasty as the food the mother brought us, and before long our bellies were bursting and we more than a little sozzled.

It was at this point that I was distracted by something unpleasant. There was a rather challenging odour wafting through the house, the source of which I managed to ascertain on my visit to the toilet. Japan is famous for toilets decked out with space-age control panels offering a variety of fancy functions – seat warmers; jet sprays; bottom cleaners; bottom dryers. This toilet was about as far from technology as you could get. There wasn’t any. It was a squat toilet with a hole in the usual place, but everything emptied into a giant tank. To flush everything away, you had to use the bucket of water resting in the corner. It was hard to believe I was in a country known the world over for its hi-tech gadgetry.

Two bottles of sake later, Yuji picked up the phone and said, “You phone home.” Despite my protestations, on the basis of the cost and the fact that my mother might start worrying if I was to tell her that I was staying the night in the house of a stranger that’d picked me up just two hours before, Yuji insisted. Thinking I might cause offense if I continued to refuse, I took the phone and made the call.

After speaking to my mother and telling her how I’d ended up where I was, she became, as I’d expected, worried. Her anxiety levels were ratcheted up by Yuji who, excited by the chance to speak to another Westerner, wrestled the phone from me and began bellowing down the line, “Trevy. Mummy. Happy.” It seemed that in a flash his English vocabulary of 25 words had plummeted spectacularly to just three.

Sleeping at Yuji’s house wasn’t as straightforward as I’d hoped. As the moonlight shone in through one of the holes in the roof, I could hear the unmistakable sound of mosquitoes buzzing about my ears. This wasn’t altogether a surprise as just before I’d turned the light out, I’d noticed that the mosquito screens on the windows had, just like the roof, a number of holes in them. Needless to say, I didn’t sleep well. It’s not easy when insects are eating your face.

The next day, after a bleary-eyed breakfast, Paddy and I packed our things and got ready to leave. Yuji wanted to drive us to the next town 50 miles away, but we felt it’d be taking advantage and so politely declined his offer. Instead he drove us to a nearby main road and within five minutes we were in another car.

This time a middle-aged woman picked us up. I pondered for a moment and marveled at her trusting attitude, as well as the relative safety of Japanese society. Back home, I couldn’t imagine a woman driving by herself stopping for two male travelers.

As with previous drivers, Kumiko deviated from her intended path in order to get us closer to our destination, but after a little while, she became lost. We stopped at one of the ubiquitous convenience stores where she asked a passer-by for directions. The passer-by wasn’t sure and called over another person. Within a few minutes there were six people gathered around the car discussing the best way to get to where we wanted to go. In true Japanese style, a consensus was reached, Kumiko bowed in gratitude at her advisers and we were soon on our way again.

Two days and several lifts later, on a ferry from Kumamoto to Nagasaki, Paddy and I walked about the passengers’ lounge with a notice written in Japanese (by an earlier driver) requesting a lift to the center of Nagasaki. Again, in only a few minutes, one of the passengers raised a hand, gave us a warm smile and offered us a lift.

On second thoughts, maybe the reason I’ve never seen anyone hitchhiking in Japan is because people get picked up so quickly.

If you’re ever in the country and feel like an adventure, consider giving it a go. You never know, you might even get invited to stay in a falling-down house.

Eight Paintings Every Traveler Should See (And Where to See Them)

Many travelers have a bucket list of places they want to go before they, well, kick the bucket. They want to see new sights, scale soaring mountains and tap their toes in exotic seas … and slowing down for a museum tour isn’t always high on that list. But sometimes it should be.

Here are eight classic paintings every traveler needs to add to their list before it is too late.

The Mona Lisa in the Musée du Louvre – Paris, France

Some experts speculate that the Mona Lisa is a self-portrait of Leonardo da Vinci

So maybe you’ve heard Leonardo’s leading lady is a disappointment. The painting is small, it is hard to see and the crowds are overwhelming. Well, it is all true. The painting is small and the crowds are big, but few paintings in the world have stirred as much mystery as this 16th century portrait. And even if she is a tad tiny, the Louvre is the largest national museum in France, the most visited museum in the world and is a 12th century landmark in the City of Lights … it can’t all be disappointing, right?

Starry Night in the Museum of Modern Art – New York City, New York, USA

Don McLean’s song “Starry, Starry Night” is based on this painting

Although he only sold one painting in his lifetime, Vincent van Gogh is a big star in the artistic world. Arguably his most famous painting, Starry Night is one of the most replicated prints in the world and is a must-see masterpiece for vacationers heading to the Big Apple. Located in Midtown Manhattan, The Museum of Modern Art has been called the most influential museum of modern art in the world.

Guernica in the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofía – Madrid, Spain

The painting revealed Picasso’s horror at Nazi soldiers in Spain

Pablo Picasso’s Guernica painting depicts the bombing of Guernica, Spain by German and Italian planes during the Spanish Civil War in 1937. The mural was commissioned by the Spanish Republican government to adorn the Spanish Pavilion during the 1937 World’s Fair in Paris. It is currently on display at the Museo Nacional Centro de Arte Reina Sofia in Madrid where it serves as global reminder of the sobering catastrophes of war.

The Birth of Venus in the Uffizi Gallery – Florence, Italy

Botticelli’s political connections saved his painting from fires that destroyed other “pagan” art

The Italian Renaissance was born in Florence and thus, it is only fitting one of the most famous Italian paintings, the Birth of Venus, is housed in Florence’s oldest, and most famous, museum-The Uffizi Gallery. There is much speculation in the art world as to when and why Sandro Botticelli created his masterpiece-which depicts Venus, the goddess of love and beauty, emerging from a seashell and being handed a flowered cloak by the Horae, the goddesses of the seasons. However, there is no denying The Birth of Venus should be added to every art-loving traveler’s list of must-see paintings.

The Kiss in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere – Vienna, Austria

Klimt liked closeness-similarly nestled couples appear in two of his other paintings

Gustav Klimt’s Der Kuss, or The Kiss, shows a couple in varying hues of gold mosaic-like colors sharing … that’s right, a kiss. Painted during Klimt’s golden period, The Kiss is considered his most famous painting and it is believed that Klimt himself, along with his longtime partner, Emilie Flöge, modeled for the painting. In 2003, a €100 Painting Coin, was issued with The Kiss on one side and a studio-bound Klimt on the reverse. The painting is currently housed in the Österreichische Galerie Belvedere in Vienna.

The Scream in The Munch Museum – Oslo, Norway

This painting has also been referred to as “The Cry”

If one is good, then four is better … or at least Norway-native Edvard Munch thought so. He created not one, but four versions of his most-famous painting, The Scream, which portrays a tormented sexless figure against a blood-red landscape of Oslofjord. One version of the painting is housed in the National Gallery in Oslo, another is owned by Norwegian billionaire, Petter Olsen and the remaining two paintings are property of the Munch Museum. However, one of the most famous versions, a 32 inch X 30 inch tempera on cardboard, was stolen from the museum in 2004 and has yet to be returned. Now that is something to scream about.

American Gothic in the Art Institute of Chicago – Chicago, Illinois, USA

Notice how the pitchfork is echoed in the farmer’s overalls

Every traveler has seen a parody of this painting in some form or another, whether it was Kermit and Piggy, Mickey and Minnie or Homer and Marge. But Grant Wood’s original American Gothic masterpiece-who was modeled by his spinster sister and his dentist is proudly displayed at the Art Institute of Chicago. Interestingly enough, this famous Iowan couple never modeled together for the painting and neither of them ever stood in front of the Carpenter Gothic house that sits in the background.

Water Lilies in the Musée Marmottan – Paris France

Monet suffered from cataracts when he completed many of the Water Lilies paintings

Claude Monet’s Water Lilies series is a compilation of 250 oil paintings from the flower gardens at his home in Giverny, in northern France. The paintings are dispersed throughout the world in major museums in France, the United States and Japan. The largest collection of Monet’s work is housed in a 19th Century mansion, the Museè Marmottan, that was the beneficiary of more than 130 paintings, watercolors, pastels and drawings when Monet’s son left them to the museum in his will.

Read about author Cherrye Moore and check out her other BootsnAll articles

Additional photo credits:
Picasso by Mark Berry on Flickr, Botticelli by MrOmega on Flickr, American Gothic by Opacity on Flickr

Laurence prepares for battle!

Ancient Roman evening dress

Gladiator gear, ready for the students

Gladiators, ready for battle!

Mamma Mia! A Bicycling Tour on the Greek Island of Crete

Zakthunos memories

Each September I attempt to extend my New York summer by a week or two and  “get” more cycling miles in a warmer place. The venue should have beauty, culture, history and outstanding beaches. The experience would be enhanced if it is a place I haven’t previously visited. When I planned the September, 2009 trip earlier in the year, the economy was still in its sick state so keeping costs within moderate parameters was also an objective.

I had previously enjoyed a bicycle tour of the Greece mainland and one its islands, Zakynthos with Classic adventures.com in 1998 and noticed in their 2009 brochure they were running one on another of its  islands, Crete in September.

Crete had been on my mind since I had appreciated  the beauty of the Greek islands as settings for “ Momma Mia”, “Zorba,  the Greek” and other motion pictures.  The price of the ten day tour which included almost everything (the use of a Trek road bike, most meals, etc.)  was $3500 ($4100 for a single room.  Round trip airfare which was additional from New York to Crete was $830 via Delta, Air France and Aegean airlines. In my opinion, the price of $320 per night represented a real value for a bike tour—it was substantially less than most other bike tours.

The founder of Classic, Dale Hart is a retired college professor of Greek History and gave us many insights regarding the sites we cycled by.  The tour began in Crete’s largest city, Heraklion, and included such highlights as ancient Knossos, the Lassith and Omolos plateaus, the Minoan site of Karphi, the Potami River Valley, the Libyan Sea, the Plain of Messara, the Amari Valley, Palm Beach, Prevali Monastery, Souda Bay,, Samarian Gorge and the Harbor at Chiana. 

cycling into a very old place

Virtually all parts of the island were included in our biking and hiking itinerary. There were ten biking days.  The group was split into two sections.  The “Extreme” people rode about 60-70 miles daily, usually “climbing” about a mile each day. Cyclists could opt for a less demanding route in terms of both mileage and hills.  The two groups were reunited each evening and used the same restaurants and hotels..The less demanding  group was shuttled in a minibus over the
difficult stretches and could take advantage of cultural and historical attractions along the way while waiting to be reunited with the extreme group.

I was a member of the extreme group.  Another tour ran in May.  Bicycling Magazine called the Tour “one of the best 50 rides on the planet”.  Scenery included spectacular and stunning mountain, sea and canyon vistas,  vineyards and olive groves, donkeys, goats, cows, sheep and birds.  Some of the hotels had swimming pools and/or were easily accessible  to Crete’s famous beaches.   Dinners included Greek culinary specialties such as honey, yogurt, grilled seafood , feta cheese, olive oils, lamb tzatziki ( a succulent mix of yogurt, cucumber, garlic and olive oil). moussaka and baklava.  Breakfasts and almost all dinners (usually with wine) were included.

Classic’s support staff of 3 were all members of the Hart family, Dale, his wife Dianne and son Benton (the heir apparent)  They checked the mechanics of each bike daily. One day Benton discovered and repaired a mechanical flaw in my bike’s shifting mechanism which I had never noticed.  They also fixed flat tires and made emergency bike repairs on the road as needed. One of the hard working, capable and friendly Hart family members drove a minibus which carried cyclists’ luggage between hotels.  It was also used   to shuttle tired cyclists or those who had opted for the less demanding routes.

There also were two days with hiking options.  One (which I did) was a memorable 12 mile trek down Crete’s famous Samaran Gorge. The local Cretan population generally gave us a warm reception.  The condition of the roads was surprisingly good—comparable to those in my home county in New York state.  We were fortunate to have had good cycling weather—daily temps in the mid to upper 70’s and virtually no rain.  According to the historical climate data I checked, this is generally typical for Crete at this time of the year.

climbing along a guard rail

The fourteen members of our cycling group ranged in age from their forties to about 70 and included a mix of couples and solo travelers.  There was a couple from Calgary, Alberta and a solo American woman who has been living in Germany.  The remainder were from various U.SA. locations.

The level of restaurants and hotels was generally good but neither luxurious nor exceptional.

Facilities at this level simply did not exist along some of the outstanding bike routes we took and as I pointed out the price of the tour was by no means excessive.  However  I was never uncomfortable.

Although some of the hotels didn’t have a/c it didn’t seem to be hot in any of them (it may have been in midsummer)  Several times there seemed to be a hot water shortage, but in most cases we were able to get it by either running a the tap for a while or asking the desk to turn it on.

Our hotel for the last two nights was the Almyrida Residence, a modern and new Miami Beach style hotel with ground level and rooftop pools and an adjacent appealing Mediterranean beach.

On the only evening for which dinner was not provided by Classic, ten of us shared an hour long taxi ride to the cobbled streets of the old town of Rethymno for an unforgettable culinary experience—dinner at the wonderful AVLI restaurant, one of Greece’s best.   All of us greatly enjoyed our dinner selections and outstanding Greek wines served  outdoors in a lush garden.

The family support staff

To “work off” some of the excellent menu offerings, the “extreme” bike routes were very hilly and difficult  for most cyclists.  Some of the hills (I should say mountains)  were very steep and long.

There were as many as 15 switchbacks on the way up—at the end (turns) of the switchbacks it was sometimes very windy.  When we finally reached the summit and looked down the view resembled a panorama from an airplane—Our vantage point was so high.  I was impressed by the courage and effort of the cyclists.—all of them were not in the “supercyclist” category, age and genderwise.  Of course, all had the option of demoting themselves permanently or temporarily to the non extreme program (which I did on a very windy day!) They could also take a day off  from the grueling 10 days in a row cycling schedule. (which I also did—spending it with a book and writing this piece on a relaxing and gorgeous Cretan beach).

I still wound up biking about 440 mostly hilly miles in 8 days.  Of the 60+ multiday bike I tours I have done, this ranks among the 3 or 4 most difficult!.

switchbacks above the timberline