Living in Japan – 3 Months at a Time

Before exiting Maruoka Castle, I couldn’t resist taking an amusing comparison photo between the provided bright green house slippers and my size 12, extra wide Merrell Moab Ventilators. I’ve found it’s best to just walk around in socks instead of trying to keep Japanese tourist site slippers like these dangling on my toes.

This is a common problem for me in Japan, though at some of the tourist sites more frequented by gaijin, there will be a separate box with larger slippers on hand. I also have trouble with the guest slippers many Japanese keep by the door for visitors to use in their homes.

It’s hard enough finding shoes large enough (or wide enough) to fit me in the US, so I knew to make sure I had my shoe needs taken care of before heading to Japan for such a long stay. I bought these multipurpose Merrell Ventilators especially for this first 3 month trip, but I made the mistake of not buying a fresh pair of athletic shoes to be used indoors only, as is required by gyms in Japan.

In Kyoto, both the city and private gyms I visited all required dedicated “inside” shoes. I like that policy a lot, but I didn’t think about it before departing for Japan.

You can find size 12 shoes in Japan without too much effort, but none of them will be extra wide, at least none that I was able to find on this trip. In the US I have the same problem, but I can of course find places to order wide shoes online and even occasionally find a wide version of shoes I’m interested in at stores.

Review of Merrell Moab Ventilator Shoes
Merrell doesn’t make all of their shoes in wide versions, but their reasonably priced Moab Ventilator design is offered in wide and it worked out really well for me on this trip. If you’re looking for a lightweight, multipurpose “do everything” travel shoe, I highly recommend Merrell’s Ventilator (whether you have regular or wide feet).

I was able to comfortably hike up a steep and sometimes muddy trail at Hakusan, climb the rock cliffs of Tojinbo, bike 20+ miles most days I was in Kyoto (often much more), and walk all over the Kansai region of Japan on pavement and dirt, with the shoes performing capably and with them still looking almost new after 3 months of daily use. I’ll be taking the same pair back to Japan for round two of my “Living in Japan – 3 Months at a Time” adventures.

I’m planning to bring a mountain bike with me on my next trip to Japan, and if I bring clip-in (clipless) pedals to swap for standard pedals on “real” mountain biking days, I’ll also bring my dedicated mountain biking shoes. And I’ll be bringing an “indoor only” pair of shoes so I can workout in Japanese gyms this time, but other than that, I expect to wear these same Merrells most everywhere I go in Japan.

Dan Savage [Email]
Living in Japan – 3 Months at a Time

Built in 1576, Maruoka Castle was seriously damaged by an earthquake in 1948, but the repair and reconstruction is said to have largely relied on the castle’s original materials. There is little doubt that this is an ancient building as you enter and climb through its levels. I think this Japanese castle must be a great resource for local families to bring their kids for an adventurous play day with an educational slant. I suspect local schools also bring young students here on field trips.

At the front, a long stone staircase takes you up the base to the first level. Once inside, two steep ladder staircases lead you up through the floors of Maruoka Castle. The top room is not very large and I found myself wondering what it would be like for the daimyo (regional lord) to be holed up here surrounded by samurai in the final stages of a successful siege on a castle of this size.

But maybe the leader would not be found isolated here in a typical Japanese battle of this era. The upper floors of the castle’s keep (tenshu kaku) might be too obvious. Then again, with seppuku (suicide by sword) being one of the planned options, escape might not be much of a concern anyway.

Recently, in the book Japanese Castles 1540-1640 by Stephen Turnbull, I read that wives and children might be hurried into the top floor of the keep during a siege, not so much for their protection, but so they could be conveniently killed by their own people towards the end of the battle if the attackers were nearing victory.

Sadly, in addition to adult males not wishing to be taken captive, it was apparently considered unacceptable for the families of samurai to be taken alive by the enemy.

We are indeed a barbaric species.

Photo Details
If you’re curious, that’s an Edirol R-09 in my right hand. It’s the portable audio recorder I carried with me everywhere I went during this first 3 month adventure in Japan. I’m editing the audio into soundseeing travel stories and living in Japan commentaries to be made available in the upcoming Savage Japan Podcast.

Dan Savage [Email]
Living in Japan – 3 Months at a Time

Ever since I learned there was a real castle close to my friend’s family home in Fukui Prefecture, I’d been hoping to have the chance to visit it. By “real,” I mean a castle that is considered authentic, and not a modern recreation built as a museum or tourist attraction.

I’d been living for about a month next door to Nijo Castle, one of 17 UNESCO World Cultural Heritage Monument Sites in the Kyoto area (more if you count nearby Nara), but I still hadn’t entered Nijo’s walled fortress to see its castle area before this trip to Fukui (too many fun things to do in Kyoto). So, Maruoka Castle in Fukui Prefecture’s Sakai City is my first castle visit during this 3 month trip. Maruoka is the name of the original castle town here which was merged with other communities to create Sakai City.

Maruoka Castle, originally constructed in 1576, is one of the oldest of the few authentic castles remaining in Japan. It is not nearly as large as the more famous castles in Himeji (real), Osaka (not real), and Kyoto (real) that I planned to visit later in this trip, but Maruoka provides a fun opportunity to explore Japan’s history hands on.

There is a very nice small museum at the base of the castle hill (photography not permitted) along with an outstanding koi pond next to a separate restaurant/gift shop where I had lunch with my friend Hiro before heading out to the tremendous 750+ year old Eiheiji Zen Buddhist temple site, also in the Fukui area.

Photo Details
This overcast morning created less than desirable lighting conditions, but the walking approach road still provides a nice foreground. There is a large plateau to explore here at the peak around the castle. The museum, koi pond, and restaurant are found a short walk down the hill behind me in this photo.

Dan Savage [Email]
Living in Japan – 3 Months at a Time