Westward Ho!
Trip Start
Nov 16, 2007
1
34
40
Trip End
Aug 2008
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Busan,
Korea Rep.
Tuesday, July 1, 2008
Up early for morning practice at Iidabashi and then breakfast with the students from that campus. More people saying they will come to London and practice. After dropping my equipment off in Nakano, I head west to the town of Mitaka to look round their gallery. An interesting if small collection of Japanese modern art. Back into Tokyo, I head to the park north of the Imperial Palace and into the Science Museum. Although it is undergoing some renovation, the permanent displays are really innovative, covering the life sciences, materials, space, etc. After a couple of hours playing with the exhibits, I head back to Nakano. My last practice in Japan for the time being. Afterwards, I head out to a local bar with some of the guys to grab some yakitori and beer.
Another early start and off to Jiyogaoka to meet up with Noriko.
Budokan
We hop on a train bound for Japan's second city of Yokohama. Lunch and a wander proceed the day's main aim, a baseball game at Yokohama Stadium between the home Baystars and the Dragons. A very close game won by the home side, thanks mainly to back to back home runs in the first inning. Lots of happy fans as we walked up to Chinatown for dinner. A great day ends with a stroll by Yokohama Bay, the lights of this friendly city twinkling in the calm water.Sunday morning brings Nakano's annual team kendo competition at the local sports centre. Koboukan have a ladies team and two open teams entered, with Gibbo as taisho on the first team. A great event to see lots of good kendo, and with torrential rain, not a day for sightseeing anyway. Both open teams do well, with Gibbo's team getting to the semis for bronze. After prize giving, we head back to the dojo for snacks and beer. Thoroughly debriefed and celebrating, we all head out to a local izakaya and feast on a huge array of dishes joined by lots of sake, shochu and beer. Getting late and with speeches complete, most people head off home. A small group of locals potters off to a local sushi place. From behind the counter, a bottle of shochu with a cartoon of Ozawa-sensei's face is passed around. More great food. The night draws to an end with the big 'O' saying I can come back when I like. Japan has been very kind.
The last in a series of early starts sees me heading to Shinagawa for the shinkansen to Hakata. Breakfast with Noriko and then off south to the island of Kyushu, ready for the jetfoil to Korea the next day.
Tokyo Science Museum
I check into a hotel and explore the port and shopping area nearby. Nothing amazingly beautiful, but a good buzz to the place. I get an early night ready for tomorrow's journey across the Sea of Japan.A bright sunny morning bids me farewell from Japan. I get down to the ferry terminal with plenty of time and get through customs. It feels strange moving again after 7 weeks in Japan. Onto the Beetle jetfoil and we are soon speeding across the sea. 3 hours later, the shape of Busan and South Korea looms outside the windows. After clearing customs, I head towards the Haeundae area and a highly recommended youth hostel. The gleeming structure has all kinds of facilities including a golf driving range and conference rooms. Judging by the empty halls, I think this is the main business and youth hostelling is on the side. Checked in, I explore the local area with what is supposed to be the best beach in Korea and lots of tourist facilities.
The following day brings torrential rain all day so I have a quiet day writing and watching TV. In the evening, with clearing skies, I meet a friend from London. Won grew up in Busan and works here for a German trading company. We meet up in the main shopping and bar district of Seomyeon, and start with dinner at a BBQ fried rice place. Then onto another bar serving some BBQ'd pork. Won tells me the Koreans always eat food when they drink, which is evident from the second meal of the hour. We chat about Busan and Korea, heading to a final bar before calling it a night. Back to the hostel to my as yet still single dormitory.
Thursday is much more clear and I head down to the main station first to sort out my ticket to Seoul the following week. Ticket booked, I walk through the sprawl of Busanjin to Seomyeon and explore the shopping district. Busan has an interesting mix of the feel of Japanese towns and towns in other SE Asian countries. I pick up a Korean language book and finish the day returning to Haeundae beach for another explore. In the evening I have dinner in the hostel top floor restaurant, just me and the bar staff all night.
Gorgeous day on Friday. After I complete some exercises in preparation for my teaching course in September, I head back to the beach. This time I come prepared with swimming shorts and a towel. The first time I have swum in the sea since Thailand. A touch cooler in the Sea of Japan but very refreshing on a hot day. After a sunbathe, I head back to the hostel and dinner in the empty restaurant again. Saturday brings my second baseball game of the week, seeing the Lotte Giants (home) beaten by the Twins with Won. Before the game, Won takes me to a local favourite restaurant, cold noodle soup served with kimchi and other tasty morsels. A few more days here and then the move to Seoul.
Will add to this over the next week.
