Otaya Toba

... still ambivalent about organized religion, but it was a rather nice awkwardness-cleansing my hands and mouth at the purification fountain, and bowing/clapping at the shrines--I even said a prayer (for safe travels) at one of the public shrines. Not a bad day in all; even got up the nerve to ask a Japanese man to take my picture on a bridge leading to the auxillary shrine Kazahinominomiya.

Tomorrow...Nara.

... place for both gods and Japanese tourists to visit. Despite the crowds we found our little corner of serenity and managed to say a prayer or two. Afterwards we strolled down the little street next to the shrine filled with Japanese delicacies. These delicacies included beer ice cream, soya ice cream (not half bad) and all kinds of dried/fried/boiled/backed/grated/sliced fish. Apparently it is expected in Japanese culture that ...

So Saturday I woke up early, caught the 7:30 train to Nagoya and got there at around 8ish. Met up with Emily and Roxy at around 8:30ish and we took the Kintetsu line to Ise. Took 2 hours! Most of it was sleeping. We got there and went through the bazaar, I ended up buying this fish cheese thing, because I needed something to sustain my ...

... week now, Sunday was pretty much the only chance to have a real hanami with everyone. Mayu and the others happened to find an ideal, unoccupied location (including tarp!) just before my arrival, so I hopped on over as soon as I got off the train. The weather, however, was trying hard to get ugly on us. It had begun sprinkling just before my train arrived, and in a short time it turned to a more steady drizzle. The wet conditions prompted a predictable exodus ...

... Spanish thing about the place was two Spanish guys, the only other foreigners, who were looking around with a mixture of disgust and disbelief. But in a way, the dodginess had a peculiar charm. Plus, there was like no one there so not only was there no queue for the dodgy dodgy rides, thered be next to no people at all on the dodgy dodgy rides. But there was one thing that this theme park excelled ...

... then you do a pee test. But it isn't like in the states-all sterile and stuff. They'll give you a little paper cup, you go to the regular toilet and pee, then walk down the hallway again with your pee cup. I thought that was kinda akward. Then you do the chest xray. There's also an EKG. I think that was it. Don't worry, Shima should go over everything with you. I just wanted to give you a heads up from a girls perspective because it isn't quite the same as at home. It isn ...

... time to make. Making that many would be rather time consuming, I imagine. At the main temple building there is this underground passage that the Emperor built. It's completely dark, absolutely no lighting down there whatsoever. The Emperor also had one of his seals placed on the wall, it's the key. If someone goes down there and finds the key (all alone in the dark), it's considered very good luck. Yves had found it the second time he went down there and took me right to it ...

Making Japanese friends is one of the best things that happened to me while travelling through Japan. I was invited on a day trip to a very small sand island hosting a beautiful beach and clear waters. Its called Mizuhama and its only reachable by your own transport, hence the friends kind hospitality to take me with them...

Short half hour flight from Tokyo Narita to Nagoya. Here we have to get off the plane, take all of our stuff with us, or it will be gone. Then go around through security, then back on the same plane, same seat, and finally off for the final leg to Saipan. This trip is about 3.5 hours. How do I know that you have to take ALL of your stuff? Because last year, I left a magazine in the seat pocket in front of me, and it was gone when we got back on the plane.

... A few years after Hideyoshi's death in 1615, Tokugawa troops attacked and destroyed the castle and terminated the Toyotomi lineage. Osaka Castle was rebuilt by Tokugawa Hidetada in the 1620s, but its main castle tower was struck by lightening in 1665 and burnt down.