Stephanie Gartelman - The Japan Times

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Stephanie Gartelman

For Stephanie Gartelman's latest contributions to The Japan Times, see below:

LIFE / Travel

Sep 27, 2000

Mysteries and majesties of Mount Hiko

The Mount Hiko region has long been an important training ground for yamabushi, itinerant Buddhist monks. Today, other pilgrims on quests of naturalism, heroism or masochism join the white-clad mountain mystics climbing the steep, forested flanks of 1,200-meter Mount Hiko.

ENVIRONMENT

Sep 14, 2000

Fisheries crashing from pollution in Ariake

The cuisine of the Ariake Sea in northern Kyushu, featured recently in quarterly cultural magazine Fukuoka Style, is a strange one. It's dominated by grotesque, unusual-tasting fish and shellfish simmered heavily in sugar and soy or wrapped in dense layers of seaweed.

LIFE / Travel

Aug 30, 2000

Cool, clear cascades in a citadel of water

Early each spring, the magnificent Mount Aso region in Kumamoto Prefecture opens its sightseeing season with a bang in the rituals of the Aso Fire Festival, and giant characters for "fire" are blazed into the area's hills.

LIFE / Food & Drink

Aug 16, 2000

The hippies were right -- go macrobiotic!

FUKUOKA -- Is it possible to re-create the clean, almost-vegetarian Japanese cuisine of the past?

LIFE / Travel

Aug 2, 2000

Sun, sand and surf are just a train ride away

Luckily for avid beachgoers, the Fukuoka Weather Bureau has predicted even more hot, sunny weather for August and September - as if it hasn't been enough of a sizzling summer already. In Kyushu, beachgoing choices range from long, curling waves at Miyazaki to the glorious peace a few hours away by ferry at Iki and the Goto Islands. For busy Fukuokans, one of the easiest ways to enjoy beach-hopping is by train.

CULTURE / Music

Jul 16, 2000

Latin beats to turn up the summer heat

FUKUOKA -- In case you haven't noticed, a boom in Latin culture is currently sweeping the globe. The most visible reverberations were seen at this year's Grammy Awards where Latins Carlos Santana, Ricky Martin and Mark Anthony walked away with major awards. But it doesn't stop there.

LIFE / Travel

Jul 5, 2000

Get back to the garden, the perfect summer oasis

There's a reggae-loving bar owner in Fukuoka who loathes the stereotype that reggae is "summer music." Truth is, though, his business does extremely well during summer. It seems that atmosphere-building is still an essential part of the seasons in Japan.

LIFE / Travel

Jun 29, 2000

Take the sunset road to Fukuoka's natural lifestyle zone

"Everyone wants to head west," an architect friend told me recently. "It's natural. That's where the sun sets, and where thoughts of relaxation turn to at the end of the day."

LIFE / Travel

Jun 7, 2000

A magical world of wonder on the urban fringes

Hotaru (fireflies) are one of nature's smaller, yet sublime occurrences. The tiny, 15-mm-long bugs live only two weeks after hatching, but are blessed with phosphorescent rear ends which make clusters of them a captivating sight on summer nights. Their almost-fluorescent glow also ensures the continuation of the species: During their short life span fireflies use that glow to court before mating, subsequently hatching eggs and then dying a few days later.

LIFE / Travel

May 24, 2000

Lazy days on Yanagawa's canals

Yanagawa, in Fukuoka Prefecture, almost doesn't feel like a castle town. After all, the castle's remains (several heavy stone walls covered with greenery) now have two schools sprawling over them, and today the city is more associated with water, willow trees and writers. However Yanagawa's most distinctive feature, its canals, were originally built as an orderly system of moats surrounding this castle. Flanked by ancient, lush trees, its canals make Yanagawa unique.

LIFE / Travel

May 11, 2000

Firing up Fukuoka's hippest corner

FUKUOKA -- A long feature on Fukuoka in a recent issue of Toyo Keizai magazine examined three different areas that represent development in the city. Two of these, the reclaimed land of Momochi, and the city's historic Kawabata area, have seen much growth in the last 10 years, boosted by giant government-funded ventures.

CULTURE / Art

Apr 26, 2000

The home of Japanese porcelain

Arita is a fine spot for porcelain pots -- and cups, vases, buttons, wall sockets and even denture-holders. Need a cartwheel-sized ashtray (useful at Japanese banquets), or a 1.8-meter-high urn to brighten up a castle somewhere? You'll find them in all shapes, sizes and colors in this peaceful town, nestled in a narrow valley in Saga Prefecture, Kyushu. Arita transforms into a noisy market every Golden Week (April 29-May 5), when hordes of porcelain enthusiasts descend on its giant ceramics fair.

COMMUNITY

Apr 13, 2000

Striving to fulfill a real whale of a task

FUKUOKA -- Each year during the colder months (about December to February) a variety of whales pass northern Kyushu on their way south to warmer waters and richer feeding grounds, following the Tsushima Warm Current down from Okhotsk along Japan's west coast. Larger whales tend to trail the Pacific Ocean off Japan's east coast, and at the southern tip of Japan the numerous whale species merge and head south for Okinawa.

LIFE / Food & Drink

Apr 8, 2000

Bicultural relations of the palate

FUKUOKA -- Think about how you enjoy red wine. With a tasty pasta dish or rich gamey stew, perhaps? Well, how about sushi? Few would answer yes to this one -- unless they were culinary ninja, as creative director Daisuke Utagawa of Washington, D.C.'s first sushi restaurant Sushi-Ko, describes himself. And he's bursting with enthusiasm to let the world know how well the two match.

LIFE / Travel

Apr 5, 2000

Bacchanalian bliss under the blossoms of spring

Dozens of spring perennials are in bloom right now, but none are revered so much in Japan as sakura, or cherry blossoms. The pale pink blossoms hail the true arrival of spring, and their brevity (the shower of petals lasts about a week only) has symbolized the fragility of life for centuries.

LIFE / Travel

Mar 22, 2000

Dejima getting back into shape

First-time visitors to Dejima, Nagasaki's historic artificial island, are usually puzzled on arrival. Looking around for water, they find only a kitsch scale model of the island and several oldish buildings. Although Dejima's front sea wall looks authentic enough, landfills have gradually enclosed the site, and the original contours of the island have disappeared. Even the last glimpses of harbor have been blocked by ugly urban developments.

COMMUNITY

Mar 15, 2000

More than a pit stop in the Hita of the moment

It may not be on the typical tourist itineraries, and its name may sound almost like a home appliance, but Hita is a lovely town. It sprawls between two highland rivers in a lush valley at the back of Oita Prefecture, surrounded by forests and fruit trees. Hita is just 70 minutes from Fukuoka, and easily within reach of Yufuin's or Aso's hot springs. But if you think you're heading there for a pit stop only, be warned: You may stay longer than you think.

LIFE / Travel

Feb 23, 2000

Heaven in Beppu's hot spring hells

The Lonely Planet's Japan edition pans it, but the onsen (hot spring) town of Beppu in Oita Prefecture provides a fun glimpse of somewhat dated Japanese sightseeing rituals -- and of course, with perhaps the most diverse array of hot springs in Kyushu, it has some great places to take a dip.

LIFE / Food & Drink

Feb 9, 2000

Fresh and fragrant -- Kyushu's new spring sake

Kyushu may not be as famous for its sake as for shochu, but historical findings tell us it's probably been drunk here since the rule of Himiko -- around A.D. 300. While northern Japan is more famous for sake, Kyushu brewers too produce some fine labels, meeting changes in consumer tastes. Kyushu's sake is full-bodied, with a distinct rice fragrance.

COMMUNITY

Jan 26, 2000

Bright lanterns, big New Year

Chinese New Year is always explosive, and that has nothing to do with Y2K. It is a three-day whirl of festivities, dancing dragons and lions, prayers, fiery lanterns, "lucky money" for children and mountains of exquisite dishes.

From easily navigable train stations to the helpfulness of its municipal staff, Tokyo has earned high praise for its commitment to accessibility for disabled travelers.

[Rebroadcast] Japan is doing better on accessibility than you may think

When trying to trace your lineage in Japan, the "koseki" is the most important form of document you'll encounter.

Climbing the branches of a Japanese family tree

By Alex K.T. Martin

SUSTAINABLE JAPAN

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

Prize winner Maki Imoto catches light with glass

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