Shimonoseki
Trip Start
Oct 20, 2008
1
55
93
Trip End
Jan 31, 2009
Shimonoseki,
Chugoku,
Japan
Wednesday, December 17, 2008
Locked my things in a coin locker for 600 yens. Then I started walking around the city. This small city of 300,000 people was as impressive as any other Japanese city that I've visited. There was a gigantic billiards ball on one of the skyscrapers; an intricate pedestrian walkway system stood above the roads; a neighboring peninsula had been connected to Shimonoseki via an underwater tunnel etc.
I stopped by the fish market for some fresh sushi. If I've learned one thing from my days in Japan, it is that the best sushi and sashimi are found in the fish markets. 1,300 yens for 10 pieces, including my favorite, the Unagi (eel)
Elderly Koreans 2
.Bought my ferry ticket from the International Terminal with a 20% student discount.$75. The ticket gave me access to a tatami (Japanese carpets made of straw) floored dorm room, a thin mattress and sheets. We departed at 7pm, hoping to arrive in Busan by 8.30am.
I met up with my Dutch backpacker friends on the ferry. After having some instant noodles, we went up yo the "entertainment" floor where 20 elderly Koreans were dancing enthusiastically to bad Korean pop. It was one of the funniest scenes I had ever witnessed. We just sat down, watched them and took photos. After a while, they gave us each a can of beer. Eventually, we joined them on the dance floor. The Korean gentleman wearing sweatpants pulled all the way up to his chest was the maestro. It was a surreal experience...
Although the room looked uncomfortable, the ferry had a legit cruise liner feel. It had a marble-covered reception area, a restaurant and a supermarket.
My Dutch friends was hypothesizing that most of the Koreans on the ferry were illegal workers in Japan who were going back to renew their tourist visas. It's highly probable. Most of the passengers are lower-middle-income and unlike the Japanese, are quite loud.
