Araki-cho Basin 荒木町窪地 Multi-Cache
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This puzzle multicache will take the cacher through the basin-like topology of Araki-cho, a famous Tokyo neighbourhood known for its narrow alleyways and old entertainment establishments. Perfect for visitors who want to experience Tokyo beyond the tourist guidebooks.
NOTE: ENGLISH ONLY FOR NOW. JAPANESE WILL BE ADDED SOON!
後ほど日本語の説明を追加します。
This cache has been placed for the HIDE BOXES EVENT 2013
これはHIDE BOXES EVENT 2013のキャッシュです。
ABOUT ARAKI-CHO & THIS CACHE 荒木町、そしてこのキャッシュについて
This puzzle multicache will take the cacher through the basin-like topology of Araki-cho, a famous Tokyo neighbourhood known for its narrow alleyways and old entertainment establishments. Perfect for visitors who want to experience a part of Tokyo that is not listed in the tourist guidebooks.
In the Meiji Period, Araki-cho was a famous pleasure quarter by a pond with a waterfall. Restaurants lined the narrow stone alleys that once echoed with the clogs of geishas and the wheels of rickshaws late into the night. The pond, named "Muchi no Ike," or the "pond of the whip," with a waterfall 4 meters tall, was a major tourist attraction.
The neighbourhood has changed considerably since those days of exuberance: the geishas are gone, the waterfall dried up, and the pond almost completely drained. What once was the bottom of a pond is now a residential area with playgrounds, nurseries, and offices. Yet the neighbourhood has retained some of the charm of those bygone days. The narrow alleyways are still there, and classy restaurants and bars continue to make this neighbourhood a delightful place to visit.
In this 4-stage multicache, you will travel through this neighborhood to obtain the key for an encrypted set of coordinates that are physically hidden. The first stage will give you those encrypted coordinates. The second and third stages will involve obtaining the key by counting steps on two sets of stairs. The final will take you to a remnant of the past.
If you are well-versed in cryptanalysis, the cache should take about one hour, including the time necessary to solve the puzzle. If, however, you are still a novice at decoding encrypted messages and wish to solve the puzzle in the field, I recommend that you to look at the hint and do a little Internet research on the type of encryption used. I recommend bringing a device with an Internet connection, so that you can check the final coordinates and also obtain hints for the final cache.
In your hunt, please observe the bowl-like topography of Araki-cho. Water used to be in this basin, forming a large lake of about 130 meters by 40 meters. Now the pond is only about 10 meters by 20 meters. Some say that this pond was natural, but others claim that it was created during the Tokugawa period by erecting a dam on what is now the north side of the basin. Either way, the water is said to have flowed into the river that used to flow through what is now Yasukuni Dori.
JUST THE OTHER DAY...
This is a story of unrequited love in a forgotten Tokyo neighbourhood. Recently a friend of mine came across a mysterious set of coordinates with a strange map of numbers. He was browsing at a used book store when he came across a book by Kamo Katsushi (1881-1988), an obscure cryptographer who once lived in Araki-cho. My friend, who grew up near Araki-cho, knew of this man -- an odd recluse whose obsession over a geisha led to his death. Curious, he picked up the book and began leafing through it, when a piece of paper fell out.
He quickly picked up the note and noticed that there was a set of instructions with some coordinates and a strange chart of numbers. When he realised that these notes were directions to a treasure Kamo hid somewhere in Araki-cho, he immediately put the notes in his pocket, left the store, and called me for advice.
When I met my friend at a bar in Araki-cho, he began to tell me the story of this cryptographer and his obsession. In his youth, Kamo had fallen in love with a maiko (a geisha) by the name of Maikuro Nano (1892-1937). She was famous throughout Tokyo for her beauty and charm, but also for her stealthy ways. She had many suitors asking her to be their mistress, and sometimes their wife. But she refused these offers. Each visitor simply signed and left her there, in her original spot.
Poor Kamo was one of these suitors, but he could not find a way to capture this elusive beauty. When Maikuro passed away, Kamo still obsessed over her, walking up and down the many set of stairs in the neighbourhood in search of his lost love. It seems that, in his old age, he had dedicated his life to fueling his obsession for dear Nano by hiding a treasure box in honour of his beloved. He is known to have used his knowledge of cryptography to keep his treasure hidden.
My friend, who knew that I geocached, asked me to help find this treasure based on the note he found in the bookstore. I happily accepted the challenge, only on the condition, I told him, that other geocachers be allowed to search for this treasure. He accepted.
Here is the note:
A few other things my friend told me:
There is a way to check the number of steps at each set of stairs.
For value A
- At the top of the stairs is a telephone pole. On the pole is a one-digit number. Jot it down.
- Near the bottom of the stairs is an orange pole with two traffic mirrors. On the pole is a two-digit number followed by a "D". Jot down this number.
- The number of steps is the same as the sum of the two above numbers minus 9.
For value B
In the middle of the stairs is a side alley that veers perpendicular to the east of the stairs. Find the first telephone pole. On the pole is a set of numbers. The two-digit number underneath the numbers "142" is the same number as the number of steps.
Also, you can also check your answer and receive some hints for the final cache location by visiting certitude.
Additional Hints
(Decrypt)
Svefg Pyhr (gur rapelcgrq pbbeqvangrf): Ebhaq frng pybfrfg gb gur fuevar. Vs lbh pna'g frr gur pbbeqf, lbh zhfg zbir fbzrguvat.
Rapelcgvba: Ivtrarer
Treasures
You'll collect a digital Treasure from one of these collections when you find and log this geocache:
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