A message from Josh in Nanayama:

It’s time again to play up the famous, the spectacular, the most amusing way of trying to kill yourself:

The Nanayama Waterfall Climb!

(or, International shower climbing in Nanayama as it is sadly written on the sheets…)

Date: Sunday, August 24th

Place: My home of Nanayama

Fee: 1000 yennies

So, we’ve got these waterfalls in Nanayama, and someone decided we should all climb them. There’s usually over 1000 people climbing the falls and we’d like over 100 of them to be foreign folks.

It seemed like a rather easy climb for me last year. There’s usually two courses at every waterfall. The easy course and the hard course. Either way, there’s plenty of ropes and people to keep you from dying. It’s fun, it’s exciting and it’s almost entirely in the river, so you don’t feel horrible and sticky the whole time.

There is provided transportation from Saga City allll the way to Nanayama. Alternatively, you could drive there.

Additionally!

There is a homestay program this year. We’re looking for 10-20 people to come to Nanayama at around noon on Saturday 23rd and stay with a family for the night. They’ll feed you and the like and you might even get a free trip to the great onsen up here. Then, they’ll take you to the waterfall climb and you can have fun.

Since this is Nanayama, there’s a surprising amount of decent English ability to be found. Plus, the families will usually have junior high or high school kids that will probably get a kick out of talking to you. They’re supposed to be showing you how good live is up in the mountains, so expect fresh food and stuff too.

The homestay is, of course, free. Also, you don’t have to pay to participate in the waterfall climb either.

Date: Noon Saturday, August 23rd – 5PM Sunday, August 24th

Place: Nanayama (and maybe Hamatama)

Fee: FREE (The Waterfall climb is also FREE)

For this one, there is no free bus from Saga, but there is one from Karatsu station. Alternatively, you could drive.

I will be helping coordinate the monies and the applications this year, so it should go smoother than last year.

HERE IS THE APPLICATION. You can fill it out on your computer and send it me [Josh] as well.

I’ll also be sending emails and probably a facebook invite as well. One thing I’m not entirely clear on is that you can also form teams and win prizes and such for the climbing. (Not just fastest, but best costume and such) More information on that as I get it. New people will be here at this time and they are also invited.

Deadlines: Waterfall climb July 31st; Homestay mid-July

I live in one of the most beautiful places in Saga. Come, visit, be happy.

Questions? Comments? Quibbles? email, pm, message, call, text, fax me

ed. note: this article is reprinted from a post published on July 13, 2007. Aside from the reference to Man-Yi, the information is still relevant.

You too can ride out the storm with the gusto of Slim Pickens on a warhead!

….okay, bad comparison there…just read the article.

As typhoon Man-Yi rolls up towards Kyushu, it’s a good time to consider your personal emergency plan in the event of a natural disaster.

Before newbies start re-watching all of those awful nat. disas. summer blockbusters for notes (”What would Bruce Willis do?! Why, he’d fly up to the damned asteroid and show that mo-fo who’s boss!”), it’s important to say that Saga prefecture is one of the safest (”Most boring? Hush!”) prefectures in Japan, in terms of natural disasters. Most typhoons have to travel over enough land to considerably weaken before they can hit Saga.

Nevertheless, a good emergency plan never hurts: some things to consider:

■ Many of us live alone.

■ Many of us do not fluently speak or read this country’s language. How well would you do in an emergency situation?

■ We have various housing conditions–some of our residences are more solid than others.

■ Many of us live on the second floor. This could be a positive thing (in case of floods) or a negative thing (in case of tornadoes).

■ Some of us have not really managed a household before–we were with family or at school.

■ We rely on the Internet for information and voice-over-IP telephony (Skype/Vonage/BB phone/etc.) for communication. The equipment that powers these services relies on electricity.

■ I for one, RARELY hear about typhoons at my school until RIGHT before they hit…or after they’ve come, in some cases.

I actually HAD this conversation last September:

Me: Good morning.

Coworker: Good morning! Is your house okay?

Me: Yes, but I was REALLY scared this weekend. The power was going off and on every five minutes and I thought the roof was going to come off– the apt. was shaking so much.

Coworker: Yeah! My house STILL doesn’t have power. Lots of your neighborhood was knocked out for more than 24 hours. You’re lucky! In fact, this was the strongest one we’ve gotten in 15 or 20 years!

Interior Monologue: I see. That might have been good to know before I had to weather it.

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Here are some simple things you can do as precautions:

1. Prepare an emergency kit. It should reflect your needs in the event that there is no electricity or clean water for a few days. The Weather Channel provides an extensive one here: http://www.weather.com/ready/supplykit.html . Here is another example supply kit guide: http://www.ready.gov/america/getakit/index.html . Don’t just set it and forget it– check dig it out periodically to be sure the batteries still have a charge and that kind of thing.

2. Consider the consequences of a power loss. If you REALLY feel that your electronics are important, consider a battery backup. Also called an Emergency Power Supply or Uninterruptible Power Supply, They are basically big batteries with built-in outlets. They function as power strips/surge protectors normally, and if the power goes out, they start drawing electricity from their reserves. Since that vast majority of ALTs have laptops, this isn’t really as crucial. However, remember that your modem and/or routers will need electricity to get you Internet access. Sometimes it doesn’t matter (say, if the servers at your Internet Service Provider are affected by the storm) but I have used it before in the States to keep my Vonage line active when the power goes out. Again, this option is not for everyone, but it doesn’t hurt to know about.Even if you have a cell phone, you are limited by your phone’s battery. In my experience, lithium-ion batteries, like the ones in our phones, don’t hold a charge very well. Even if you don’t use them, after a couple of days, they start to lose power. I highly recommend those keitai battery backup kits you can get at keitai shops/Best Denki/Yamada Denki/AEON/konbini/etc. Basically, it’s a charger that runs off of AA batteries. I use rechargeables and take a few when I go on a weekend trip away from an outlet. You can either get the kind that attaches directly to the side of your phone, or the kind that connects to your phone with a cable (you keep the pack itself in your pocket). With one of these in tow, even if your cell battery is dead, you can still make a few calls or texts. They cost between 900 and 1800 yen, depending on the maker and how fancy they are. If you have an newer phone, just match the maker and the model number on the back of the package. Otherwise, call over a store clerk for help.

3. Establish an emergency contact nearby. This should be your supervisor, plus one other person, possibly a neighbor or one of your JTEs. Make sure this person knows where you live and how to get in touch with you.

4. Register with your embassy. The Japanese consulate in Houston encouraged us to do this before we left. Americans can do it online at https://travelregistration.state.gov. I’ve assembled as full as list as I can at the bottom of this article. Also consider letting people know you are safe on Facebook or another social networking website once the disaster has passed. Your keitai company should provide an emergency message board service for English-speakers to let other’s know their status. AU does. I think the others do, too. Learn how to access and use that.

5. Study Japanese. Do you know the correct emergency numbers for Japan? (Psst! Check your yellow AJET card!) What do you say once you’ve actually gotten someone on the line? Make it a point to teach yourself Japanese vocabulary that you might need. Learn words related to flooding and storms, as well as the vocabulary you need to describe your location and situation. Don’t forget that your JET Diary is a good resource–but that it might not always be at hand.

6.  Finally, keep on top of the weather during typhoon season.  The Japan Meteorological Association publishes information in English on their website: http://www.jma.go.jp/jma/indexe.html.

With any luck, you will never have to endure a natural disaster while in Japan, but if you should, you can feel more confident and in-control by being prepared.

Other Links
For people who actually get off on disaster planning, jackpot:
http://www.fema.gov/plan/index.shtm

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Travel Registration Websites:

AUSTRALIA
CANADA
INDIA (paper form)
IRELAND: ?
JAMAICA
NEW ZEALAND
SINGAPORE
SOUTH AFRICA (online registration is not up yet)
UNITED KINGDOM*
UNITED STATES

* Oddly, the UK website seems to imply that people living in Japan can’t register (”Japan” is not in the list of countries they specify).

Second-years-to-be: the first step in getting your Japanese driver’s license is to get your existing license translated at JAF (the Japan Auto Federation). It’s basically the counterpart to whichever organization issued your IDP in your own country.

Here are directions to the JAF in Saga City. It’s possible to have you materials mailed there if you can’t get to it, but it seems like more people opt to go there in person.

Also, if your license does NOT say “ISSUED ON: xx/xx/xxxx” then you will need to order a copy of your driving record – or some other proof of when you got your first license. JAF will not translate this. You will have to find a translator, but anyone can do it. Just get your translator to write his/her name, position, contact number, and stamp it with his/her inkan.

Back to JAF’s role: the cost to do the driver’s license translation is about 3000 yen. JAF also sells English copies of “Rules of the Road” which is worth looking through before you take you driving test (and also to bone up on the differences between Japan and your own country so you can drive better). It’s 1000 yen. Check your apt. to see if your predecessor left a copy. Chances are s/he did. While the newest versions will have the newest laws noted, the vast majority of the information doesn’t change from year to year.
Here are the directions, from Saga Station’s North exit. I recommend doing this in a car or possibly a bike. It’s too far to (happily) walk.

Go directly north from the north exit of the station. Pass the Sports Grounds. Instead of turning at the Lawsons for the ken apts, keep going straight. You will pass all kind of stuff. You should pass a car place on your left (I think Suzuki).

Eventually, the road (263) will fork off, with one branch going to Mitsuse, I think. You should stay on the left fork. Then, look for a big, gaudy pachinko parlor (”Tiger”) on the right. I think it’s at a big intersection. If you pass the Mc Donald’s you have gone too far. If you get to Jusco, you have REALLY gone too far.

This all happens very quickly. It’s the next left after the split, I think. I had to go back and try again. But maybe you will be okay. Here is a picture of the JAF from the side street that it’s on:

And here is a picture of it from the main road:

Notice the gas station that is in front of it. Turn left into the road JUST before it and you will be okay. It’s pretty nondescript. Finally, here is a Google Maps link to it.  View Larger Map

Good luck, road warrior!

Speaking of waterfalls, I went to Mikaeri Waterfall last weekend and the smell of the stream made me long for the next Nanayama Waterfall Climb! Mikaeri Waterfall is so-called because once you see it, you will have to come back.

The next time you are in central Saga Ken (near Ouchi, to be precise), consider giving it a look. You will see a sign for it on Route 203 (between Ouchi and Honmutabe stations)

It’s about 5 km from the sign. You will have to follow a few signs, but it’s not too hard. One of the signs is in kanji, I think, but you can just match the symbol for “waterfall” 滝 (TAKI)

If you go during June, you will arrive for the あじさい　まつり (Hydrangea Festival).

The hydrangea bushes planted along the walking trail make it quite unique. If you are not up for walking, there is a shuttle bus (the first few days of the festival, if I remember.) But you would do better to take the trail. It’s much more relaxing. I was awed by the vastness of the forest around the mountain stream that the waterfall feeds.

Pictures just don’t do it justice. Also, the trail is well-maintained and pretty easy. This is not a difficult hike, and you don’t need special shoes or equipment (though, I wouldn’t advise wearing your heels, as I saw some Japanese girls doing. Silly fashionistas.)

Before and at the end of the trail, you can buy hydrangea plants. The ones at the end of the trail, just before the waterfall are the cheapest. They are 200 yen a pot. The ones at the base of the mountain are between 600 and 1200 yen. They are bigger, though.

It’s possible to drive all the way to the waterfall, but during the festival, the spaces are all full and there are large buses/shuttles on the road. Parking is free just before the village at the foot of the mountain anyway.

Just uphill from the waterfall, behind the rows of potted baby hydrangeas, you will find several jizou, or guardian statues, adorned with colorful aprons. Take a peek up there before you head down!

The festival runs from until 4:00 pm, June 1st ~ June 30th.

Tel. 0955-51-8312 (probably just JP) for more info.