Dark Night

Sapporo

The train took about eight hours and we had one transfer just to keep things interesting. The business-class seats (covered by our Japan Rail Pass) were large, comfortable, had an integrated light, plenty of leg room, and a desk. You could buy a bento box at the train station where we changed trains and it was really superb, beautifully arranged of course, presentation matters to the Japanese, and made with fresh ingredients.  We arrived at the JR Tower Hotel late. We had separate rooms this time instead of a family suite like we'd had in China, but that was fine with me. Mom and Dad were on the floor above us and we called when we got in, but they were still out. Like before, they'd come for both weeks and got to watch Stan carry the flag in person. Grandpa let them know we'd checked in and we went to bed. I felt more secure in a room with a locking door and had a great night's sleep.

I unpacked the next morning and looked at my room more carefully. I had a double bed, which was great after the capsule hotel. And a nice high ceiling, can't overestimate the value of that. The room was still pretty small, but I wasn't going to be there a lot. It had a nice bathroom with one of the fancy bidet toilets, toiletries, nightwear and slippers, minibar and mini refrigerator, electric kettle and tea (green tea again), free WiFi or a wired connection, and you could borrow an extraordinary collection of items that included a blood pressure cuff, shoe dryer, magnifying glass, bamboo foot massager, and a yukata. We met with my parents for breakfast and to catch up. This time around the men's skating was early on in the competition and the short program was that night. Grandpa and I had tickets to the men's slopestyle finals for the day; Mom and Dad were exploring the city. We had to get going to make it up the hill in time for the competition. As before, it was thrilling to watch the guys fly through the air, twisting and flipping and spinning over a variety of obstacles. I wanted to learn how to snowboard. I knew how to skateboard and surf, how hard could it be? Definitely something to keep in mind. Maybe after grad school I could treat myself. Everybody seemed to be in a good mood and we talked to a lot of people from different countries. I hoped Paul would get to see the competition.

It only took about four hours, so after the medals were awarded (the US won gold and bronze) we mosied on down to the Olympic village. It was a nice bright day but with a cutting wind that made it so freaking cold, much colder than it had been in China, and I bought thick warm gloves with the Olympic rings embroidered on the cuff. Some of the enameled pins for myself and friends--I got Paul one that had a snowboarder on it--and a hat completed my purchases. Grandpa had lost his scarf somewhere in Tokyo or possibly a train, and he bought a new one as well as warmer gloves too. Hot chocolate in a large cafe was a treat and allowed us to warm up. The hand warmers we'd bought in Tokyo were nice but not, unfortunately, full-body. Then we roamed around the city, enjoying the crowds of spectators and taking a tour at the beer museum. It was interesting to learn about the history of beer brewing and there was an opportunity to taste three different beers at the end of the tour. They were served with nuts that were absolutely delicious. We had to hurry to freshen up quickly and meet my parents for dinner, and then we went to the arena. I felt like an old pro as we settled into our seats and sat through announcements before the competition began. I saw some of the rest of the US team skaters about a quarter of the way around the arena. Todd was among them, and I thought I'd go say hi during the next warm up.

The first group of men skated; the skating was a little inconsistent but I loved seeing the different interpretations of the music. At the break, I went over for a hug from Todd, said hi to the other skaters I knew, and got a hug from Krista and Mark as they returned to their seats. I wished everybody good luck and congratulated them on the team silver; Stan had skated his short program for that, adding to his Olympic medal haul. Then back to my seat to watch the second group; I was glad that everybody seemed to be staying upright this time. There were some stumbles and popped jumps, but no falls. Another short break, and finally my brother took the ice. The costume for his short program was swirly dark and mid blues, edging toward purple in a few places, but subtle and from a distance looked water-like. The music was a composition especially written for the Olympics by Arthur and one of his friends. It was light and flowing, and I smiled proudly at the advances that Stan had made with his artistry that allowed him to make the most of it. There was a mix of tempos and instruments, including some of what I thought of as 'dark' parts with slower tempo and deeper tones, cellos rather than violins, timpani, darker woodwinds, then gradually lightening up and feeling fresh with the clear notes of a French horn. Everything was perfect; his quad-quad came easily, each jump the correct number of rotations, fast and light footwork, meticulous spins. As the final note faded, I found myself on the edge of my seat, and it felt like I hadn't breathed for the entire two and a half minutes. I unclenched my fists, shaking out my hands, and dried my palms on my pants. He vaulted to position one and stayed there, comfortably ahead by eleven points.   

The next day Grandpa and I got up early and we had a quick breakfast before getting on a bus going south toNoboribetsu. This was one of Grandpa's big surprises, and we had a nice two hour ride with several other Olympics spectators. The bus pulled up in a parking lot, and we exited to a strong smell of sulfur. We were at Onsen Town, on the way to Jigokudani, also known as "Hell Valley," an extraordinary geothermal site. Hiyoriyama, an active volcano, had made a lot of onsen, or hot springs, when it had erupted 20,000 years ago and had created a blasted landscape more stark than Yellowstone.

The smell of sulfur was much stronger here and we stopped first at a visitor's center, which described the geology of the area and provided other information about the region.  Nine different types of thermal water can be found in the town, including acidic iron, alkaline, salt, and radium springs. Yikes. Who would want to bathe in radium? Some of the different springs are even prescribed to heal medical conditions like bronchitis and eczema.Although the island of Hokkaido was settled by indigenous Ainu people, the island wasn't developed by the Japanese government until the late 1800s in an effort to prevent the Russians from expanding beyond Vladivostok, just across the Sea of Japan. Noboribetsu's plethora of hot springs were used as a healing center for wounded soldiers in the Russo-Japanese War of 1904-05, and as a result, the town's architecture retains a dark Brutalist feel, with many of the cold concrete hospital towers converted into onsen resorts.

The geothermal excitement is watched over by numerous yukijin statues, rather cheerful demons who bid visitors welcome and intercede in the underworld to secure good fortune for humans. There were traditional stone demons and then two really quite vibrantly colored more modern sculptures. I took pictures of both, but definitely preferred the older ones.You could borrow umbrellas and rain boots which provided traction on wet and snowy paths, but both Grandpa and I had winter boots already and we struck off down the trail. There was an easy walking path, and our first view of the spooky landscape was a rusty hill with steam rising from the ground and mingling with the fog. A light snow was falling, big fat snowflakes that melted before they hit the ground. It wasn't an atmosphere that encouraged levity, and everyone we encountered was kind of hushed. There were a lot of Danger signs to keep us out. The landscape was shades of gray, brown, and rust, with the sound of bubbling water, frequent geothermal vents, and the everpresent smell of sulfur. There was some snow higher up on the mountains on either side fo the valley. There was an observation deck, by which a river of hot water ran, and it ended at a geyser called Tessen Ike. The boiling water was mesmerizing, then we continued around. We stopped back at the visitors center where I got a book on the geology of the area, well-illustrated with dramatic photographs. Then we went toSengen Park to see a geyser erupt.

We had plenty of time, so we went on the longer trail, where we saw a less-harsh landscape with more trees. There were also places where you were allowed to go wade in the river; it was a little over a hundred degrees Fahrenheit that day. We stopped at a place by a pretty little waterfall; the mud was a little off-putting, being how and squishy, but once you got used to it it was really soothing. It was all surprisingly cozy. Then continuing the walk, we ended back in the town where we had a local delicacy for lunch, Enma Yakisoba, which was a spicy Yakisoba with sesame seeds and flat noodles made with Hokkaido wheat and other local ingredients. Before we left, we visited the Enmo Do Shinto shrine, found at the head of a set of tree-shrouded steps, which can be traced back to the Edo period (1603-1868). According to Shinto belief, Enma – the King of Hell – stands at hell's entrance and decides which of the six paths a dead person will take. Some go to hell or are reborn into the world of war, while others are reincarnated as animals or go straight to heaven. I left a donation here, possibly as a bribe for a nicer path. We were in good time to board the bus and warm up; once away from the active geothermal area, the bitter cold bit into your bones and I was glad to get out of it. Our tourmates all had their own stories and observations, and it was a fun drive back to Sapporo.

We had time to shower (still smelling rather sulfurous when we got back) before finding my parents for dinner, and we watched the pairs competition as well as other Olympic highlights afterward, talking about our days. I updated Instagram during the skating and showed my parents the pictures I'd taken as well. Mom and Dad had taken our advice and included the brewery tour in their day of sight-seeing and had enjoyed it too. Nancy and Todd were in second place.