Last week I bought a Thermarest self-inflatable camping mat to replace my foam groundsheet. No more not sleeping on hard, stony ground, or waking up in the night with sore hips and shoulders and a chill running through from the cold earth below.
With the final piece in the camping puzzle in place, last weekend was supposed to be perfect camping. Sexy camping even.
And it would have been, if I hadn't forgot the rice.
There I was, long walk done, rain stopped, tent up, blanket self-inflated, cooker out, ready to go. Slightly high-end curries taken out of the bag. Miso soup, mochi, chocolate, tea, and milk. A drop of whisky. The sun setting over Ozegahara. Mount Shibutsu sharp in the distance in the fading evening light. I'd even remembered the tent pegs this time round.
But not a grain of rice. Sexy camping had just gone Irish.
It was then I had the plan. Maybe one of the mountain huts would sell me some rice if I brought along my bowl. Who knows, maybe they even provided it as a service?
Sure enough, the first one I went to had a sign for rice for 250 yen. Cheap as you like, cheaper even than the freeze-dried stuff.
I was mountain hungry.
Maybe if I gave an extra couple of hundred yen they'd give me a big serving. In I went. The girl behind the counter was young and incredibly tall. And she was radiant, beaming goodness. One of those rare people--just entering their aura makes you instantly warm.
I asked her for a big serving of rice and she smiled in understanding.
"Are you camping? It must very tough sleeping in a tent with the ground all wet? It must be very cold. Very tough."
I've seen this reaction before. Non campers the world over can't understand why anyone would ever choose to sleep in a tent. Unless of course they had no money. So their common assumption is campers must be poor. Especially in Japan. Not poor and dangerous. Poor and pitiable. Kawaisou.
She took my paper bowl and went to fill it. When she came back, it was so full it could have fed four. Overflowing wouldn't describe it. It was so full it was difficult even to carry back to the table outside. I gave her 450 yen and went to leave, but she stopped me, gave me 350 yen change and wouldn't hear of me paying any more.
I smiled, thanked her sincerely and went back outside.
Cooking the curry, I heard the inviting call of beer. End of the day beer. Curry beer. Back I went inside and asked for a Kirin. She went to get it for me and returned.
"Excuse me for asking you this, but are...are you from Belgium?"
I replayed her question in my head to make sure I'd heard it right. Some time passed.
"Er, I'm not. No. I'm from Ireland."
"Oh, thank you."
Awkward as ever in spontaneous, unscripted second-language social situations, I wasn't sure what to say next. So I just stood there, a benign but slightly bemused-looking mute.
A smile of reassurance told me the unscheduled and unwarranted social interaction was officially over, and she was sorry for having taken such liberties and intruded upon my space.
"Here's your beer. Thank you very much."
Glowing, baffled--and just a little disappointed--I went back to my curry and my new-found rice.
Serendipity. And confirmation. Fukushima people are just so special.
Posted by Setsunai at July 6, 2005 2:10 PM | TrackBackYou could be the new pin-up boy for the Flanders and Wallonie regions hoping to increase inward investment from Japan.
Photo shoots would include you, the giant Flemish traveller, buying rice from bemused locals, sharing some hot sake with the Fukashima mayor in an onsen, being complimented on your use of chopsticks etc.
"Sexy camping" indeed!
When do you bring the calendar out?
Is there an on-line version?
Belgium? The Faroes, Lichtenstein, Iceland, or Estonia I can understand, but Belgium? Ya never know with these locals, eh; just no accounting for out-of-the-blue quirkiness.
I take it you went with one of the new ProLite Thermarests? I've been meaning to get one myself, but have heard people on the internet complain about them being somewhat cold, due to the large perforations in the foam. How did you find it? They are quite pricey and that's one reason I've been holding back.
I did finally get a small waist pack for my camera, though. I hope that it will make lugging the heavy thing around a bit easier. Wasn't too comfortable with the camera swinging under my arm while scrambling up the rocks; I was always afraid I might bang the lens. I'm trying now to figure out a way to combine trekking pole with tripod so that I don't have to carry the extra weight. I realized on the last trip that a tripod was very necessary.
Posted by: butuki at July 7, 2005 9:34 AM | Permalink to CommentYep, it's the Thermarest ProLite. Hard to say for certain after only one night but: (1) I had a full night's sleep; (2) I wasn't cold; and (3) my hips weren't sore in the morning. I think the trick might be to inflate them a little more than the amount they self-inflate. They're fairly pricey, yes, but I'm hoping it'll be worth it in the long run.
A waist pack for the camera is something I need to look at too. Did you get one specifically designed for the D70?
Posted by: Setsunai at July 7, 2005 11:28 AM | Permalink to CommentIt actually took me a long time to find a good waistpack, a LowePro Orion Minima. Almost everything else I found was either too big, too heavy, too expensive, or just shoddily made. I'm still not completely happy with it because it can't take a shoulder strap to carry when I don't want to carry it around the waist, but it's the most minimal and most easily usable that I've found. I had to buy a separate Mont Bell waterproof camera cover to protect both the bag and the camera when I have it out in the rain. The waistbag's handle is designed to be used to suspend it from a light tripod to stabilize it. I have yet to get out with it and use it, but I suspect it will be the bag that I will use from now on. Next: get a lighter lens!
I might get the Thermarest, but am also considering this: TorsoLight, which is light but just might be too short.
Some time in the next few weeks I will be sewing two packs, of very light materials. I just can't find anything that meets all my criteria so I decided to just put together my own versions. Using a sleeping pad as the "frame" and sewing on pockets where I need and want them, plus being able to size it to the bodies it is intended for will make it completely custom. And there will be that feeling of having made something myself to be used outdoors. I'll post pictures when it's done.
Posted by: butuki at July 7, 2005 12:08 PM | Permalink to CommentLots of people seem to use mats just to cover their hips and shoulders, but I wanted one that kept my whole body off the ground, mainly to fight off cold. It certainly worked up in Oze, but the campsite is only about 1400 meters, so it's not a real test. I'll be up much higher fairly soon, so I'll know better then.
The camera bag thing is something I want to look into. Cheers for the info. Some kind of waterproof bag would have came in very handy last weekend. And good luck with the bags.
Posted by: Setsunai at July 8, 2005 4:25 PM | Permalink to Comment