Working, Toyko, Camp Fuji and Robot Coffee

Hi guys! Its Jonas, reporting nearly live from Japan. This week at work I got the opportunity to go to two of our remote weather stations. The first was in downtown Tokyo and I have no pictures because it was raining and cold. We got off to a late start and Namba-san warned us traffic would be bad due to construction. I wanted to go anyway. Its 53 Km and we left at 0530, we got to the site at about 0845. Interesting note, the roads here are small, so traffic is bad but really only because they are one or two lane roads. But, I got to go through the tolls on the way down and we talked alot. The traffic wasn't any worse that San Francisco so I was right at home. Our driver and lead technician is a Japanese National who works in our shop side by side with us. Namba-san is from western Japan and served in the Japanese National Self Defense Forces. He's a family man and an avid runner. He does a rucksack race around the base of Mt Fuji every year. Its like 60Km or something crazy like that. I learned to say crazy pretty early on just for him. Namba-san says Key-Chi-guy means "a kind of lite crazy." I haven't learn the word for serious crazy, but he is kichigui for running. We made it downtown where we have a weather system on top of a building. Like I said it was cold and wet so we did what we needed to do and hustled down as quick as we could. I learned alot of Japanese on the way down and back. It was a good time. Day two of this weeks remote sites was another thing entirely. We left early again, only today is beautiful! So-go-ke-i-he means it is a beautiful/good day, and it was! We got out of town and on the highway toward camp Fuji. Just like the name implies it rests at the base of Mount Fuji so we were all excited. It was a misty morning and wisps of clouds hung on, around, and between the small hills.

My coworker and I were amazed at how beautiful it was and Namba-san smiled at us taking dozens of pictures of all the hills and trees and wisps of clouds. He said, pointing out at the beautiful, striking landscape before us, "You know, all of Japan is like this?" His fatherly tone hinting we should save our cameras for what was coming up. I couldnt help but think how lucky he was to be so used to such an amazing landscape. I took some pictures of the signs and exits so I could use them to find my way when we drive this on our own.

Namba said the Kanji for exit is made up of two parts, the double trident looking Kangi means "out", and the square Kangi literally means "mouth, or opening." Its also helpful it says exit right under the Kanji, in english. Thanks Japanese DOT!
We also passed the experimental Mag rail prototype bridge. This train systems hovers over the rail using magnets so there is no friction. They are building it a section at a time and this is the test area. They have had to redesign the trains shape a few times because Namba says that when the train came out of the tunnel the sonic wave would blow out house windows in the surrounding areas. Crazy fast trains.

So we are just chatting along and then waiting around a bend in the highway stood Mt. Fuji. My coworker and I both staring oohing and ahhing like kids. We didnt see it coming.

We drove along and on the way he told us about some of his races. The one he does each year is a backpacking race around Mt. Fuji that is an overnight 16 hour race. No support teams, or tables of water. A pack, a headlamp, shoes, and the experience that Japanese special forces training gives you. One of the other Japanese guys in the shop said its over 60Km. I learned So-goy means amazing. So-goy indeed. He also told us that this amusment park has one of the fastest coasters in the whole world. And its right at the base of Fuji! I cant wait to take Morgan here.

So we were nearly there and I got to meet a few of the Japanese that we work with there. So friendly and helpful it was wonderful. As we were working the mountain produced clouds around it that began to envelope it. It was less than 40 minutes between this picture above and the ones below.

It was a beautiful day to have my job. Much better than working in the wet and cold like yesterday. Namba told us that this was the most beautiful day he could remember working here. That one guy worked here for three years before he was lucky enough to even see Mt. Fuji from Camp Fuji. We were blessed. On the way home we stopped at a large truck stop. It had a food court area with a dozen small resturants. You go to a electronic kiosk on the wall across from the shops, there were plastic models of the food in a case. The assortment was amazingly varied for a "truck stop." there was a full Starbucks inside and a huge assortment of Mt Fuji cakes and cookies and such. I had a fried pork dish topped with egg and a bowl of rice in a savory soy and onion sauce, complete with miso soup and these pickled pink radish slices. All yummy. Oh-ee-she means delicious, but I learned that young men, children, and older men (if at home) often use oo-my which is the japanese version of yummy. The food was oo-my! Then the delight of the trip was the coffee machine outside. I should have gotten a picture and I will try to shoot some video. Put in your money, select one of the 40 buttons on the front, all various versions of coffee. Then you watch the screen. The machine has a live video camera showing the internal workings. The cup drops, moves along the conveyer belt, the coffee is ground live, is brewed, then all the milk, sugars and flavorings are added live on camera as your coffee moves along. The lid is screwed on by a robotic arm and the screen goes dark. A light whirring sounds announces the opening door, presenting your fresh brewed delight. I then had Namba-san teach me how to say "I love this country." Kono-kune-ga-suki-des. And I do.
We spent the ride home sipping our robot coffee and enjoying the view.