TravelStream™ news feed for member johnsa32 on TravelPod's free travel blogs service http://www.travelpod.com/syndication/rss/johnsa32 en-us Copyright ©2009 TravelPod.com Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:23:30 -0500 http://www.travelpod.com http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnsa32/2/1235315280/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnsa32/2/1235315280/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnsa32/2/1235315280/tpod.html Sat, 21 Feb 2009 20:23:30 -0500 Adventures in Unemployment

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Tokyo, Kanto, Japan

Thanks to the amazing speeding Shinkansen I arrived in Tokyo before 1pm. I had ambitions to stay in a Capsule Hotel, a hotel originally aimed at businessmen I think as a place to crash after too many beers and/or missing the last train home. They are small, one-person rooms, the length of a bed, the height of half a person! Unfortunately this novelty accommodation seems to have been over-taken by Internet Cafes, the one hotel I had in mind because it reportedly accepts women had closed down. Internet Cafes in cities are much more than a chair at a computer screen. You get your own cubicle, large padded reclining chair, Internet access all night, free tea and coffee, vending machines for food... They are a cheap place to crash out. The cheapest place to crash is McDonald's, I have met a few people who have spent a night in there. Thankfully, although my capsule hotel plan was scuppered, Felicity kindly offered to put me up for the night.

My final afternoon flew by, I had some shopping to get which was a great excuse to spend a bit of time wandering around Loft, a department store focused more on fun than functional. I also had a hair appointment at 6pm at Sin Den. I had heard about it from a couple of girls I met first time around in Tokyo. I haven't had my hair cut since the bodge job in Cuzco back in September. A good cut and also a chance to take home my own personal souvenir. My hair was down to between my shoulder blades - now it is up to my jawline! Losing all that hair was a bit of a shock but I really like the cut. Still no photos online yet, sorry.

After my cut I met up with Felicity and her husband Sergio. Felicity had booked a Korean restaurant that serves a popular dish in Tokyo. I can't remember what it is called, but it is essentially a barbecue at your table; you order small plates of meat, different qualities of beef, chicken and squid (Sergio had that) and cook it yourself at the table. It was also a cheap place for all of us to down some beers without a cover charge. We got back to their flat at 1am. Thank you again to both of them for entertaining me in Tokyo, I had an excellent time!

Up early to get the Narita Express to the airport to fly back to Heathrow - see you soon!

xx
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Himeji, Kinki, Japan

Himeji is really only worth a day trip so after Hiroshima on the way to Osaka I stopped off to see the castle. http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_Castle

Thanks to Wikipedia I don't need to go through the castle's history... It is stunning, known as the White Heron it is the most impressive castle I've seen, knocks the socks off the one Kumamoto. The day was dark and thundery, an excellent backdrop for the white castle. The sights across the city were good too.

Thankfully the rain moved on whilst I was in the castle, when I came out it was back to beautiful blue skies. I took a walk through the Koko-en Gardens. Koko-en Japanese garden was constructed in 1992 on a site next to Himeji Castle. It is about 3.5 hectares and has nine different gardens. In the winter it is perhaps not as pretty as it could be, but some blossom was out.

After that I slowly made my way back to the station to get a local train to Osaka. This was about 5pm so I had my first experience of rush-hour Japan. With queuing systems for getting on the train it wasn't the crush made out by some.

Tonight I'm going to take it easy in J-Hoppers Osaka, pack for tomorrow's jam-packed schedule - back in Tokyo for one last day.
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Hiroshima, Chugoku, Japan

Time is running out for me and Japan; I only have two days in Hiroshima, well, one and and a half, so I got an early train, got to Hiroshima before noon! Dropped off my bags and back out the door to the Peace Memorial Park.

Hiroshima was first to have an A-Bomb dropped on it. I'm hazy on the history; Japan had been involved with China, the US didn't like their pact with Russia or something... The US mounted pressure on Russia to declare war on Japan, which it did 3 days after the US bombed Hiroshima, the same day the US bombed Nagasaki... It is all a sorry state of affairs. The park has a memorial for most things, Children, Unidentified people lost, Koreans lost in the city. The National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims was designed around water features; the last thing most victims gasped for as they died was water, but at the time it was believed water would kill the severely burnt - orders were not to give them any. As a result, many made their injuries worse by drinking the black-rain contaminant ed wells and from the unclean river. There is a beautiful cenotaph that frames the Flame of Peace, which Hiroshima has vowed will not be put out until all nuclear arms in the world are destroyed. The A-Bomb Dome is prominent, the city's Industrial Promotional Hall, the bomb exploded directly above it. Unfortunately, although the dome survived the bomb, it is currently covered in scaffolding, robbing me of day and night picture opportunities. There is also the Peace Memorial Museum aka the A-Bomb Museum. Whereas Nagasaki's museum focuses on the continued testing of bombs and is a flag-waver for disarmament and world peace , the Hiroshima museum seems to focus more on the damage to human life, the on-going effects of radiation and what a nuclear winter would actually do to the planet and the human race. Perhaps for me this time this museum was less moving than before, not as harrowing to start to comprehend what happened to Japan. Having said that the first hand accounts of the day, the pictures of the survivors, the details of just how long they "survived" and in what conditions, was still very upsetting. For example, Hiroshima was aware that it hadn't been bombed, knew something big was coming, and so knocked down the wooden shanty town shacks to make way for firewalls. The poor who lived there were homeless were on the streets, totally unprotected when the bomb fell; as were the students employed to sweep away the shanties and erect the fire protection system. One video story of two siblings, a girl who survived and her 7 year old brother who didn't, had me clambering for a chair - the part where the little brother was puking up his own intestines was just too much, I got a bit dizzy and had to sit down. What more can I say about these terrible, terrible days? Once again, I hope no country, not Korea, China or Pakistan ever come to think it is a good idea to use these warheads again. As one of the video stories said, there is no good war, there is no bad peace.

I walked around Hiroshima for a little after that. It is another vibrant city, really energetic and bustling. You'd never guess 60 years ago it was flattened. I briefly visited the Prefectural Art Museum . And then had dinner at Spicy Bar Lal's, an Indian restaurant. It was good to have something different from Japanese food.

Today I took a day trip to Mijamima, an island just off the southern coast. It was recommended as a great place to do some walking and is home to the much-photographed Floating Torii. The treck up the Misen was recommended, take the cable car up and walk the hour trek down. Unfortunately the cable car is closed for maintenance so I thought I would walk up the Misen instead, it is only 2km. But - boy! - what a tough 2km that was! Steep steps most of the way, it took me about an hour. At the top there is a look out station with views over the Hiroshima bay. There is also a wee man selling hot coffee and noodles - what a God send! At the top I met two guys, Charles from Paris on a year sabbatical, and Mark who quit his job to travel East Asia to visit friends. After some misty pictures at the top (it started to snow/rain) we walked back down to the Floating Torii. The tide was in a little, not totally, took a few snaps. We then sought out the biggest rice spoon in the world (it was big) and then headed back on the ferry to Hiroshima in search of a beer.

We looked for a great-sounding bar, Alcholiday, but as the rain had got heavy and the temperature had dropped considerably, we ended up in just the next bar we found. Thankfully it was happy hour; a glass of draught lager was only 300 yen. Mark was keen to try Hiroshima okonomi http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Okonomiyaki and we found a place in the city centre. It was really good, very filling. I also had some plum wine, scrumptious too.

Still a bit damp I've headed back to the hostel to dry off and pack for another early start tomorrow. Only two full days left in Japan... :(
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Beppu, Kyushu-Okinawa, Japan

After lingering around Aso waiting for the train, I arrived at Beppu around 3pm. Hot spring bathing is the only thing to do here, there was no need to rush. Beppu is a spa town with hundreds of Onsen baths. The lp describes it as, "quaint yet crowded, traditional and modern." The hostel I'm staying at has its own onsen which is free for guests; I took a dip in that late afternoon just before I headed out for something to eat.

For dinner I went to Toyotsune opposite the station, had another great cheap tempura rice bowl - consists of a bowl of rice with batter-fried vegetables and two of the biggest prawns I've seen, with a bowl of miso soup. I also ordered a small jar of warm sake. This stuff was really nice, smooth and sweet, not like the rough stuff we swigged out of a carton in Kyoto. Perhaps not the greatest idea after broiling my brain in the Onsen; the sake made me a bit woozy. The restaurant was a traditional one I think, mats and low tables aside from the lone-eater counter. There was a tank of half-dead fugu fish floating upside down (maybe they are supposed to do that?) and at the end of the bar was a beautiful lady is traditional get-up: kimono with the scoop neck at the back, those lacquered flip-flops with white socks and puffy hair with sticks in it. She was sitting with an older man with a bad dye job and no teeth. I guessed she must have been "entertaining". I've heard that Beppu, as a hedonistic town of soaking in tubs, also has quite a trade in sex tourism. Getting your clothes for kicks - one only leads to the other I suppose.

I have discovered a million ways to offend Japanese people, without even trying! Today I wanted to try out some other Onsens in town. After a routinely unhealthy breakfast of chocolate croissants from Daily Yamazaki on the corner (Offensive Item No 1. Eating on the street) I took the train one stop to Beppudiagaku to try the popular Shonin-ga-hama sand bath by the beach. After dropping my pants on a unsuspecting lady (Offensive Item No 2.) I ducked outside in my yukata http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Yukata to lay on a pit of black sand. A lady with a lacrosse scoop then covered me in the warm sand. "I'll be back in 15 minutes," she said. Half an hour later I was still lying there. The sand is heavy on the chest, it was a little claustrophobic. The two men next to me were snoring away happily so I figured it would be OK to lie there a bit longer. Soon after I was asked to shake off the sand and shower off in the bathroom. There was much pointing and not wanting to take any signs for granted, I followed the men... nearly Offensive Item No 3; walking into the men's shower room! - Saved by the scooping lady I was re-directed to the ladies. I was told to take my towel with me, but in the shower room and onsen there wasn't anywhere to put it. I also forgot my shower gel and scrubbing mits; Offensive Item No 3. Entering onsen without scrubbing up properly first. Thankfully I was on my own, I wasn't rumbled for being a dirty westerner. This bath was lovely and hot. After a short while I was joined by a group of older Japanese ladies who, reassuringly, also seemed a bit clueless about what to do at a sand bath. I thought I would leave them to it and headed out. Of course getting out of the bath revealed the ever-present tattoos to the ladies (Offensive Item No 4.)

After some lounging with a book back at the hostel, it was time for another Onsen. This time to the Takegawara Onsen in town. It is a traditional Onsen and this time I was up to speed with what I should do - I even bought a small towel at reception for Onsen-side scrubbing. The water was as hot as hell, I sat on the side for a moment (Offensive Item No 5: no bums on the side of the bath). There were two old dears already in it, lobster red too, who kindly turned on the cold tap... not that it made a blind bit of difference. I didn't stay too long, but I must be getting used to it; I didn't get dizzy although I am still pink typing this.

So it is one more night in the hostel and then an early train to start the journey back to Narita airport. My "roomie" is Seth, a rather attractive American chap who having never left the country before decided to up-root and live in Asia until further notice. He has worked here at the hostel for most of February and next month moves on to Korea to take up a teaching post. Between baths I was huffing and puffing, tired of the small collection of tracks on my iPod - 6 months and only 500 songs! Seth has iTunes on his laptop and offered to add some more tunes to my iPod. That was at 5pm... I haven't seen him, his laptop or my iPod since...
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Aso, Kyushu-Okinawa, Japan

I am writing this to kill time before my train leaves Aso for my next destination. There isn't much going on is Aso; a Lawson convenience store (breakfast wasn't a problem), a train/bus station and a tourist information centre that has free Internet. Oh! - and an Onsen but more about that later. Looking for ways to amuse myself before the train I was directed to Cuddly Dominion up the road www.cuddly.co.jp but after looking at the pictures of dressed up chimps and dancing bears, I thought better of it.

Yesterday I arrived early, before 11am, to make the most of my one day in Aso. Aso is a town at the bottom of The Five Mountains, one of which is Nake-dake, an active volcano. It has been very active in the last few years. The cable car to the summit was closed in 1989/90 due to eruptions spewing dust and ash northwards. In 1979 an eruption killed 3 visitors in an area that was thought to be safe, and wrecked the cable car completely. It was an impressive site; at the moment the cone has hot turquoise water, steaming away, the surrounding rocks are red and yellow, the place surrounded in black sand. I walked around the rim and had another lovely bento box lunch. I then headed back down the hills to the Aso Volcanic Museum www.asomuse.jp I'm not sure when it opened but it is really fun, the exhibits don't appear to have been updated since the 1980s; the music, little characters, and the 5-screen/wide-screen film a the end reminded me of museums I used to visit as a child. Buses back to Aso town were pretty erratic so a cup of coffee before the 5pm bus back to the hostel.

Aso Youth Hostel is run by two old dears who were out the front doing the gardening when I arrived. They speak only a little English and happily chatted away to me in Japanese. I was the only girl staying so I had a dorm room to myself. It was one of the best kitted out dorm rooms I've been in; clothes rails and coat hangers, oil heater, fans and ventilation for the summer, thick curtains, bed side lamps, really nice. The hostel itself is utterly cluttered, it's great! A piano, plants everywhere, writing desks covered in papers and books, very homely. Reception is only open from 4:30pm until 9:30pm, the curfew that sees the doors locked for the night. I think the ladies have a lovely set up there.

I didn't stay at the hostel long, straight out again to warm up in the town's Onsen http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Onsen. I haven't been to one yet, I've been saving it up for the "Onsen Town" I'm going to a bit further down the tracks, but I thought this would be good practice. The Onsen is split into Male and Female baths - no swimming cossies, you go in the buff. The idea is that the baths are for soaking not for cleaning; you scrub yourself before rinsing off and getting in. As this is a small town with not many visitors this time of year, I was the only gaijin http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Gaijin in the place so naturally I was stared at the whole time, probably exacerbated by my tattoos; you aren't really allowed in an Onsen if you have tattoos; in Japan tattoos are only for those in gangs, and girls shouldn't have them at all. But no one asked me to leave, I think I got away with it. The water is really hot. As you probably know I have really bad circulation - I find it hard to get warm, and when it is hot my body finds it hard to cool down. Within minutes I was bright red; after about 20 minutes I was feeling a bit dizzy. I think you are supposed to soak for an hour or so but I had to get out. On the way home I thought an ice cream would help cool me down. Haagen Daz do a nice Green Tea flavoured ice cream here.

Back at the hostel it was another Curry Noodle (perhaps I should get shares in the company?) and a banana in front of the TV with the ladies. The news was on and very kindly the ladies switched the audio to English! What an amazing TV service - live dubbing in English! There was a story about some girl firefighters, sports news and the weather. Apparently the amazing warm weather (20 degrees at least again yesterday) is unusual and the winter temperatures are due to return today - no so far, it is still bright, sunny and warm.

My 30 mins Internet time has run out so better find something else to do in the Tourist Information Centre...

xx
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Kumamoto, Kyushu-Okinawa, Japan

I only had one day and night in Kumamoto so I was up and out to get an early train from Nagasaki. I arrived about lunchtime - after a bit of dithering to find my guest house Master, we got back to his house around 1pm. The Master was very kind picking me up from the station, he also offered to take me back in the morning. In fact he was really pleased to ferry me about town; as I wanted to visit the castle and he wanted to get back into town to do some shopping, he drove me back down the hill too. Higoji Minshuku, the guest house, is on the hill in front of the Bussharito, a white building that is supposed to house the Buddha's ashes. The hill has an excellent view over Kumamoto.

The castle, Kumamoto-jo, is the main thing to see in the city. It is a 17th Century castle, once one of the greats of feudal Japan. The building itself is beautiful as are the grounds it sits in. I walked through the Plum Garden which, despite it being February, was in full blossom. The smell was amazing, the tree blossom bright pink and white. It only took a couple of hours to walk around the grounds including the park, so I then headed into the city.

Back into the shopping arcades, I wandered aimlessly. I don't really want to get stuck into the shops; already I've found so many things I want to buy but, even the exchange rate is a smidge better than it was, most things are still really expensive. For dinner I found another vending machine place; take a look at the picture menu, or plastic food in the window, decide what you want, go in, place your order via a vending machine - money in, press the right picture button - take a seat and wait for a waitress to come confirm your order. It is fast food I suppose but so much more civilised. Also in Japan being a lone eater is not something to be ashamed of, there are plenty of counters designed for people eating alone. I ordered Tonkatsu again because I just can't get enough of that cabbage and peanut dressing, the pork is pretty good too (still no sign of chicken on a Japanese menu yet...)

Then I had to find my own way home. Being ferried around was nice and all, but meant I had no idea where I was or how to get back. After gazing at the lp for a while, I took the tram to Gion-bashi, and walked up what I thought was the right road. It didn't seem steep enough, and the Green Hill Hotel marker on the guest houses' business card seemed a few roads up. A cut-through to the green neon hotel and I was back on track. It was dark though, for a brief moment I was a little worried I wouldn't make it back! But as they say, do something each day that scares you - that box was ticked.

Back at the ranch I drank green tea with the master and watched more bizarre Saturday night TV. Even he couldn't explain what was going on. Maybe he doesn't watch much telly...
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Nagasaki, Kyushu-Okinawa, Japan

Nagasaki is such a beautiful city, "historic, romantic and exotic" as the flyer says. The hostel is in the Megane-bashi area next to Urakami-gawa river, which is crossed by 10 bridges including the Spectacles Bridge. I arrived around lunchtime, had a most excellent lunch at Bunjiro, a place recommended by the hostel staff for its tonkatsu teishoku http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tonkatsu; deep-fried pork cutlet, with all-you-can-eat shredded cabbage, rice and miso soup - all for 788 yen, bargain! Pork is included on most menus; someone told me beef is imported from Australia and expensive, I guess pigs take up less space to rear and is therefore possible to farm here in Japan ? Anyway, the pork is delicious. To walk off my lunch I wandered around the city centre's shops of which there are loads including a great 100 Yen Shop. Then I headed back to the hostel along Tera-machi, Temple Row, a backstreet of many temples. In the evening I took a walk back up to the park behind the hostel to get a view of the city. It looked just like the backdrop of Blade Runner, amazing.

I've started running into familiar faces; back at the hostel there is Carolyn, a Canadian I first met in Kyoto and then again in Nara; Nick, an Australian I met in Hakata; and Chin, a Chinese guy living in Australia I also met in Kyoto.. Dinner was more from Family Mart convience store in front of some more TV, this time it looked like a Japanese version of Opportunity Knocks/Japan's Got Talent - very loud and very colourful.

Nagasaki was a major economic force, particularly in ship building, making it the target of an A-Bomb attack in August 1945. The original target of the bomb was the armourment at Kukura, but because it was cloudy that morning the US instead went for the secondary target. The bomb was dropped without warning at 11:02am on August 9, only 3 days after the bombing of Hiroshima . I didn't know Nagasaki was the second site of an Atomic Bomb attack, for me it was over-shadowed by the history of Hiroshima. The bomb exploded over a suburb called Urukami, north of the city centre. I visited the Peace Statue, walked on to see the reconstructed cathedral (the original was totally destroyed within 3 seconds) and then walked along the river to the Atomic Bomb Hypocentre Park; a tall black stone column (a bit like Stanley Kubrick's 2001 monolith) marks the exact point where the bomb exploded. Next to that is the Nagasaki Atomic Bomb Museum . It is an exellent modern museum with live footage of the blast, exhibitions on the destruction and loss of human life, including a mangled wall clock stuck at 11:02. At the end of the route there were two films, one of which goes through the years post-1945 clocking up how many nuclear bomb tests there have been since and by which countries. Since the 3 bombs in 1945 (1 test and 2 strikes by the US) there have been over 3,000 tests worldwide by the nuclear powers , mainly US, Russia, Britain and France. Despite these numerous tests, no further bombs have been dropped, although apparently it was considered during the Korea , Vietnam, Gulf and Iraq wars . I am amazed and so thankful we got through the Bush Administration without any buttons getting pressed.. Japan is really embracing the election of Obama and now I understand why; they must have been on tenterhooks when Dubya was in power. Needless to say the museum was really affecting, that film in particular was really thought-provoking and moving. The devastation those bombs reek is just astounding. The last survivour of the Nagasaki bomb is now 60 years old, she was still in the womb in August 1945. It is feared that interest in what happened in Japan will fade once there are no living survivours to tell the tale. It is also thought that public protesting and outcry is what has kept governments from using more nuclear weapons . I certainly don't want to ever witness nuclear warfare in my lifetime, it is reckoned by some that it would obliterate the human race totally.. Certainly it would be horrific. Altogether a depressing afternoon that gave me a headache, but valuable education.

After a solitary bento box lunch in the Hypocentre Park http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Bento_box, I was approached by a student doing research on tourism for her degree. After filling out her questionnaire we got chatting and she walked me to the one-pillar Torii at Sanno Shinto shrine ; knocked down by the blast, one pillar of the gate is still standing. I then took the tram back to the city centre. After a cup of coffee I still didn't feel like sight-seeing so went back to the hostel for a bit of a kip.

In the evening Carolyn and I ate more junk food from Family Mart, watched Spirited Away and made peace cranes http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Thousand_origami_cranes.

Wandering around yesterday I got a bit sunburnt. Today hasn't had such good weather; still warm, 20 degrees, but it rained all day - an excellent excuse to get one of those see-through umbrellas from the 100 Yen Shop! Admittedly not the best weather for it, but I visited Glover Gardens, a pretty park with historical buildings to mark Mr Glover, a Scot who was big in ship-building here. He also bought up the Japan Brewery Co which later became the Kirin Brewery Co - the large 'tache on the Kirin dragon is homage to Mr Glover's distinctive moustache of the 1800s. After that it was a short walk to the Dutch Slopes, a small area of steep cobbled streets where the Dutch settled in Nagasaki; the street is called Oranda Street, as in "Hollander Street", geddit? I then took the tram to Dejima Wharf but there wasn't much there, just some empty cafes.

After that I didn't really do much, sat in Mister Donut and finished LA Confidential by James Ellroy, lent to me by Deb. Damn, that book is so good, I read the last 100 pages in one sitting. Mister Donut has free coffee refills and was warm and dry.

Nagasaki is, so far, my favourite place in Japan, even better than Kyoto. Now I have to pack for tomorrow - back on the train, further into Kyushu...
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Hakata, Kyushu-Okinawa, Japan

The longest train journey I'll take this trip brought me to Hakata/Fukuoka; two towns joined into one city that hasn't yet settled on one agreed name. The weather wasn't too great when I arrived; warmer but raining. It was also mid-afternoon by the time I checked in the hostel, so instead of sight-seeing I decided to go to the sample some Japanese cinema. At 1,800 yen (about 15 quid) it was a bit pricey. The film I chose was called "Lalapipo" (or "A Lot of People") www.lalpipo.com. It was bright, fast with lots of characters so it didn't matter that I couldn't understand the script. Set in Tokyo, the main character was a young guy who I think was a Tokyo gangster. Matching Felicity's description of these young mafia-types, he had bleached blond hair, a baggy shiny grey suit with plenty of gold bling. I didn't notice any in Tokyo but apparently, ridiculous as they look, these guys aren't to be laughed at. The story, I think, was around the lonely sex lives of some Tokyo yoof: a girl who is convinced to become a porn star, an older porn actress, a sex shop attendant, a jingu-bashi girl who filmed herself with guys to sell, a sad 30-something bachelor who spent his time with ear pressed to the wall to hear the gangster chaps exploits with the above women. It was a comedy I think.

Back at the hostel there was a party (of sorts) of free squid balls (minimal squid though), soup and rice. It was a rare opportunity to meet other people in the hostel - Japanese hostels so far have been pretty subdued. Met Nick, an Australian here to escape the Aussie summer heat (Australia has had a wild summer so far of fatal heat waves and flooding!) And a girl from Canada who has saved up for five years to spend three months travelling around Japan.

Today the weather was back to warm and sunny so I headed out to Canal City, a massive shopping centre of six malls built next to an man-made canal. Although empty (a Tuesday morning and Japan is also deep in recession) it was overwhelming! So so big, I feared I would never find my way out. I did, crossed over the canal to find a recommended cafe for lunch. After much searching I was told it had closed. To continue the search for lunch I headed to the Yatai area, a pedestrian street of shops and cafes. There I found West, a steamy cafe that offers Ramen (local specialty) http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Ramen and tempura - lovely. I walked off my fat noodle lunch getting to the Fukuoka Asian Art Museum http://faam.city.fukuoka.lg.jp/eng/home.html. there was an excellent exhibition of student work and Beyond Boundaries - Asian Artists in Euro-America, art from "those who have sought a new creative climate, to those fleeing political situations or those born and raised abroad." It is a great exhibition space, I really recommend it.

After that it was just errands, ticket for tomorrow, coffee and diary-writing in Mister Donut, picked up some tea from the wonderful Daily Yamazaki convenience store... You could live in that store, it has everything you need.

A few observations so far: Japan loves France and it's language; shops have French names, T-shirts and coffee mugs with French slogans. I've been told they really aspire to the perceived Parisian way of life - sophisticated and stylish. Unfortunately I've also heard it is pretty hard for the Japanese tongue to get around the French language, I guess making it even more mysterious and elusive. At the moment Japan also seems to be embracing ABBA in a big way, probably because of the success of the Mama Mia movie. I can't count how many times a day I hear Dancing Queen... The more negative things I've noticed are how the Japanese, those outside of Tokyo, react to me; Japan is so homogeneous they can't help but stare; old men hiss as I walk passed, which I don't like; some young people shout out "Hullo hullo!" as I walk by (much like South American men call out "Hola chica!"); generally no one will sit next to me on the bus even if it's crammed, and there have been occasions when I have plonked myself on a chair next to someone who has then reeled back in disgust - it would seem they don't want me to touch them in any way. I realise most of this isn't meant to be offensive, and I'm not really upset, I know it is just because I am a stranger in a strange land, they don't really know what to make of me.

Continuing my speedy tour of Japan, tomorrow I'm back on the train to my next stop...
]]> http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnsa32/2/1234047600/tpod.html http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnsa32/2/1234047600/tpod.html#comments Travel Blogs http://www.travelpod.com/travel-blog-entries/johnsa32/2/1234047600/tpod.html Sun, 08 Feb 2009 06:18:13 -0500 Adventures in Unemployment

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Kyoto, Kinki, Japan

I arrived in Kyoto too late to get stuck into the city, instead I relaxed at the hostel, did some washing, chatted... This has to be the best hostel I have stayed in... ever! The Sandal Wood hostel is hosted by Jumi & Jin, and when I say hosted I really mean it - they go above and beyond the call of duty to ensure you have the most pleasant stay. When I arrived the small common room had a background of jazz music, Jin took my bag and sat me down, Jumi came through with a bowl of green tea, biscuits and a plate of chopped fruit... and the amazing hospitality hasn't stopped flowing yet! Jumi seems to always be making a cup of tea or preparing some mini doughnuts or fruit, last night she even cooked dinner with some pasta some other visitors left behind. Jumi also kindly helped me book some tricky hostels further down the road that don't have Internet addresses, by phone call only. Jumi is amazing. I'm staying here for three nights and now I am well and truly spoiled, the next hostel has a lot to live up to.

That first night I stayed in with a group of Australians who were doing a quick week around Japan before going on for a weeks skiing. We drank a lot of sake (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Sake ) - they sell it in cartons like orange juice, the rougher stuff anyway. Not sure how many cartons we got through. There are also a couple of Canadian/American guys here looking for work in Kyoto, and two photographer/English teachers over from their work in South Korea; Derek is Canadian, Simon is English, from Pirbright no less. Really great night chatting.

Up early on Friday morning to get started on Kyoto. I thought it best to start with the lp's walking tour of southern Higashiyama; it was a walk through the older parts of town, up "tea pot lane" to Kiyomizu-dera, a temple recommended by my friend Vicki. The tour continued on through old streets of tea shops and shops to Ishibei-koji, "the most beautiful street in Kyoto". It was certainly very pretty and there I found two geisha (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Geisha ) wandering around (I think they were geisha, they may have been the younger prototype, maikos.) It then took me to another temple, Kodai-ji, a temple were Buddhist monks still live, and then into Maruyama-koen park, home of the oldest cherry tree (not in bloom, it is winter.) I then walked on to Chion-in temple, and then to Shoren-in temple, famous for its large camphor trees. The end of the walk was lunchtime and into Asuka for some yummy tempura (http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Tempura ). Stuffed, I then rolled onto Tetsugaku-no-Michi, a cherry tree-lined route along the canal called the Path of Philosophy. This, of course, wound up at another temple, recommended by Kat, Ginkaku-Ji. Unfortunately the temple was under scaffolding in prep for Spring tourism, but the grounds are what make it special, it was lovely. I then decided to end the day in Gion, the district famous for entertainment and geisha!

Kyoto does have a metro system but the bus routes are much better. You can get a one-day travel card for 500 yen that you can buy from most convenient stores and tube stops. Only my lady vendor only Japanese bus maps. I am quite proud I managed to navigate the days buses using a map written in Japanese. I managed to find my way to the bus to Gion, got there about 4pm - too early for evening geisha appointments, to see them walking from entertainment house to house; too late in the day for it to still be warm. No more geisha in sight, I headed back to the hostel to be plied with more tea, biscuits and fruit. I've been told there are now less than 1,000 geisha left in Japan, only 80 houses still open, it isn't like you trip over them in the street. I can see how it isn't a lifestyle that appeals to modern Japanese teenagers.

Saturday has had a slower pace; out later, got the bus (now with an English map donated by Derek the photographer/English teacher) to Fushimi-Inari Taisha, Japan's most popular shrine. The complex consists of five shrines along a 4km walk way through orange Torii gates. Giving up on the full 4km, and after buying some mind-blowing sugared ginger sweeties, I headed to Kyoto station to change up some Travellers Cheques. Long story, shorter - I didn't get that done. Instead I went to Kaiten-zushi Iwamaru for some conveyour-belt sushi scoffing. It was great, I even tried some squid (won't do that again though, couldn't stop thinking it's-squid-it's-squid-it's-squid-it's-squid-it's-squid).

In the afternoon I took the bus to the other end of town for the final Kyoto temple of the day, the famous Kinkaku-Ji, aka Golden Temple. The light by 3pm was just in the right place, I think I got some beautiful pictures (not yet on Flickr, sorry). There was lots of food sampling to be had, especially sweeties, yummy. I also got a fortune out of the machine. If the fortune is good, you take it home with you. If the fortune reading is bad, you tie it to the designated area, whether that is a tree or a dedicated stand. Mine fortune reading was Excellent, but I can find it now so I've probably blown it.

Tomorrow I move on further down the road. I've watched a bit of telly here; it is odd, I don't really understand what's going on most of the time, but it isn't quite as bad as Western media makes out. These clips still make me laugh though:

Lipstick for Men, from Friends http://www.youtube.com/watch?gl=US&v=tTokqeL7sOU
And Best Hit TV from Lost in Translation http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=IaepcIretMQ

xx
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Nara, Kinki, Japan

A short train ride to Nara... I'm only here for one day, to make the best of it there is a lp Walking Tour - of course! - of Nara-koen park. It is home to 1,200 deer and more temples and shrines.

First temple was Kofuku-ji where I stopped to have my lunch. I bought some of the great hot fried convenience food from 7-Eleven and had a jumbo-sized apple too. You can buy Deer Biscuits for the animals around the park; they aren't scared of humans at all and even badger you for biscuits. My lunch apple brought the deer running over, knocking me around... I finally gave it up when they turned to eating my jacket.

After being robbed of my lunch I walked further into the park, past some museum I can't remember the name of. It wasn't so much of a museum, more a nice space that advertised free tea and resting room. It was sponsored by an anti-seismic company, a company that makes buildings earth quake-proof. They had a chair that simulated a Richter-6 quake. I've never experienced an earthquake so it was really hard to stop giggling and take it seriously.

I walked on the the main attraction, the Todai-ji temple. It is a massive wooden building that houses the biggest Buddha in Japan. Still a bit templed out and watching the purse, I didn't pay to see it. I walked up behind the temple into the woods to see the views of Nara. A fair few shrines and temples later I popped out at Ni-no-Torii gate. I spied a Western looking chap without a coat (the fool!) clutching a Lonely Planet. Then I spied on the ground was a pink Hello Kitty purse*. The chap was Alan from Edinburgh who has quit his job to work in Japan, and thought it would be warm enough to not bring a coat (the fool!) - we thought it best to take the purse to the Police station. The Police station was right next to the train station. Thankfully they had a thick translation book to get us through the paperwork of Lost & Found.

I waved Alan off back to Kyoto and headed to an Internet cafe to work on my CV... not long until I'll be Unemployed In The UK. I think it was actually one of those Internet cafes you can spend the night in. The seat was huge and really comfy, in its own cubicle. I've heard they are cheap places to spend the night, the low crime rate means it is unlikely you'll get your bag knicked.

Hungry, I looked for a place to eat. The Don was another lp recommendation not far from the Internet cafe, opposite McDonald's. Officially the Don is a fast-food joint but it was much like a restaurant. I ordered something that looked good and thankfully it tasted good too: fried shrimp on scrambled egg with onions and rice.

And finally back to the hostel to check-in. The hostel seems really nice, I haven't had much chance to look around. It is really just a stop-over for the night; tomorrow I catch an early train further down the track... So more later!

xx

PS) Photos now on www.flickr.com/photos/bongo76


* found my Fortune Reading; it said "If something is lost, look down to the ground"! Generic, catch-all but kind of spooky?
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