Day 22: Back to London UK - Bye Bye Japan!
Finally and sadly today we left Japan. We took the express bus to the airport at 6:15 and said bye to the super metropolis that is Tokyo and it's winding roads and towering buildings.
Thoughts of Japan
The trip has been very enjoyable and after so much travelling a long deserved rest and recuperation is what is needed. The plane was a 12 hour trip over Russia for an arrival time of 15:05 in the UK same day using British Airways. I ended up watching 5 films on the plane and no sleep mainly because the person behind me had legs that were far too long and kept hitting the back of my seat.
The weather was beautiful on arrival and blossoms everywhere and the difference between the two cities were markedly different. Tokyo a dense super metropolis and London is still a low rise suburban sprawl with the ability to see the sky to some degree still intact. Also contemporary architecture in London is markedly more beautiful than Tokyo from the traditional house to the high rise.
Still despite architectural preferences Japan's beauty lies in it's rolling hills, it's high mountains and in the detail taken to every task done. On exiting Heathrow airport I noticed there was just sky. No beautiful mountain peaks peeking above the tree line. Our own trees smaller and more straight, each one the same as the other unlike the tall curved trees that are gently nurtured in Japan.
I feel we will go back to Japan to see those mountain peaks once more. To travel the wide stretches between the cities. To see new sights and to wander roads not wandered. To find the unusual and the beautiful in the most ordinary of things. As Bilbo from Lord of the Rings once said "I want to see mountains again, Gandalf. Mountains!". Having tasted travelling how can I be limited to the size of my screen once more? I had played Skyrim on the PS3 before we left and traversing a fictional realm via horse back across rivers and plains and over mountains akin to that you would find in Japan I felt very satisfying (despite the lack of hard work involved!) I don't think Skyrim will be enough though. I know there are mountains in Europe as well but I sense the mountains that are further away are the most satisfying. Satisfying because they are far away and the excitement lies in the journey not just in the destination.
Day 21: Last Day in Tokyo - Akihabara and Harajuku
The last day in Tokyo and so much left to see. We decided to spend the day running around Akihabara and Harajuku as these were the places we felt we had to see if we could see nothing else before we left Japan.
First stop we went to Akihabara via the JR line from Shinjuku station. Akihabara described in one word would be "vibrant". The colours, objects, streets, buildings. It's as if someone decided to splash colour everywhere.
Near Akihabara station there are a lot of stores with 6 floors or more filled with merchandise for various anime, manga and games. From old style Dragonball Z to newer anime that I've never heard of these stores have just about everything and would take a long time to cover completely.
Somehow out of the blue, Jose managed to spot a Robot Shop on the 6th floor of one of these buildings from the outside. It had the latest robots and parts ranging from a few thousand yen to hundreds of thousands of yen (£30 - £1500). It had been one of our goals to see a robot and whilst we saw one at AnimeJapan this one was actually purchasable.
We also found many doll collector shops and I have no idea how my fascination with these dolls began but it was great to see the variety of dolls and various accessories and outfits for them.
After Akihabara we dropped off stuff at our hotel and headed on to Harajuku, the home of modern fashion in Tokyo. The streets were packed with hundreds of people, an endless multitude, traversing the main streets.
Tokyu Plaza (that's correct, Tokyu!) is fashion designer central and has a beautiful mirrored ceiling that changes what you see as you move up the escalator and it's absolutely beautiful and probably very difficult to clean! Still it's something that you don't see and it was wonderful to see it.
Takeshita Dori (Takeshita Street) can be accessed straight from the station and is full of various shops including places that sell Lolita outfits (in Japanese sizes only!) In fact their size system sets 4XL as a size 14 in the UK or something, not sure but their biggest size is smaller than the western sizes. They do have a tonne of cute clothes though!
Overall a good last day spent in Tokyo. Very productive and very long day. Today we used up the last of our yen on food and a few trinkets.
Day 19: Ninja Temple and the Geisha District
This morning we went to visit the ninja temple in Kanazawa also known as Ninjyadera. Despite it's name it actually has nothing to do with ninjas. The reason why it is known as the ninja temple is because even though there are only 3 floors there are seven layers. The entire place is a maze of stairs, secret passage ways, trap doors and hidden alcoves. A total of 23 rooms and 29 stairways contributed in making this place architecturally beautiful even though it lacks in other aspects. The various secrets it hides, the various access points to views never seen anywhere else. It is a little how I imagined my own house that I wish to build to be.
Inside the temple we were taken on a guided tour in Japanese (no English available except for a booklet). Photos are also forbidden inside.
Once we were out of the temple and walking around locally I also found investigated this wall a bit more closely. We see the formation for the castle bases and some residences and in general they tend to be very beautiful.
After a brief respite from the cold and rain we headed towards the Kutani Pottery Kiln. A place whose owner is currently the 5th generation of the family to be looking after the place. They had many beautiful samples that took months to make and showed the process of making these beautiful pieces.
From here we took a taxi from the nearby train station to the castle entrance. To try and keep warm we ate some yummy hot cooked beef from this beef seller.
Whilst munching away we came across a wedding procession with the bride in her silver white uchikake kimono.
After a quick rock paper scissors match we took Jose's route to Kanazawa castle. The wind blew really hard and despite the mountain fleece I was quickly very cold.
Luckily for me the sun came out and warmed me up a little. Enough to take this photo at least. The cherry blossoms really are beautiful and there are so many of them!
We wandered in and out some of the shops in this area looking at the various pieces of pottery. I got myself a small tea cup though I saw a really cool tea pot. Sadly I can't bring back too much stuff with me!
From the castle we walked to the Geisha district to visit an Okiya where the geisha used to live and perform. It functions as a small museum now and sadly no photos are allowed inside except for mobiles (which I don't understand). I'll post the mobile phone photos later when I get back to the UK.
Day 18: Through the mountains towards Kanazawa
We left Takayama on the 11:00 train which would take us to Toyama. From Toyama we would then catch a train to Kanazawa. I know there was so much we didn't see in Takayama and somethings I had wanted to see. I don't think I prepared myself for the Japanese alps well enough however. One mountain fleece may keep my core warm but it's definitely not windproof and leggings don't do the trick either! I should have invested in some warm joggers.
The train ride towards Toyama was beautiful. Our train travelled over rivers, through mountains and sometimes along the mountain side. We saw whole towns covered with farm land though I have no idea what they were farming. As we sped past them I thought it was rice but seeing the images now I don't think it is.
We passed by many beautiful houses. Some huge and some very small. They were a mix of old and new buildings. Most were in the traditional Japanese style.
With mountains surrounding us on every side it felt like we were on a giant mountain plateau. High up in the alps it's easy to imagine this place cut off with snow. The water was a deep turquoise and clear even as it frothed and spilled over rocks.
Many of the trees seem to be evergreens in Japan and I think the ones that aren't are probably the ones that turn the beautiful shades of red and yellow during autumn. I think it would be wonderful to visit this place in Autumn. If it weren't for how cold I suspect this place to get I think it might be a great place to live in fact!
I really enjoyed the view from Takayama to Toyama. Once we had changed on to the train towards Kanazawa though the view seemed more of a cityscape and less rural. Kanazawa itself feels like a modern city on arrival though parts of it cling to old tradition. I'll cover Kanazawa more in the next post. You can also read about Jose's thoughts on Kanazawa here
Day 17: Shopping in Takayama!
Today we skipped our usual routine of running around town trying to see everything. Although Takayama has lots to see the combined stormy weather with freezing cold wind and my lack of super warm clothing meant I didn't want to stay out too long.
From Yamakyu we walked to the main shopping area. It's possible to walk around the whole town if you don't mind the hilly nature of it so much. Whilst we were walking we came across many antique shops with expensive antiques inside. Even the smallest of trinkets were near £100 by themselves! There are also many French looking stores with French names which I think are to cater to French tourists.
We wandered down to the main high street and there were many shops, some meant for tourists, others not so much I think. We went into one and I tried talking to the lady owner about her goods and found out that the goods in her shop are made in China and the goods made in Japan are much more expensive. It made me real think about the effect it has on the Japanese economy, being to close to an economic giant like China.
Down one of the side roads I saw this and whilst I haven't seen any gang graffiti this is a different kind of art and still tagged with a signature. I think it's cute and have been looking for art here since we arrived though not the museum type, more local art.
My first Kokeshi Doll! I picked her up at the toy store. I have seen many Kokeshi Dolls since travelling to Japan, most tend to have similar aspects. Though this was the first green one I have seen since we have been here. Her hair reminds me of the bamboo forest we visited back in Kyoto's Arashiyama. She looks so pretty!
Finally when the storm was starting up again we headed back to Center 4 Hamburgers once more for a last Hida Burger. It was delicious and the lady gave us small hamburger sweets for coming back. These hamburgers are so cute!
Day 16: The long road to Takayama
This morning we said good bye to Kyoto though I think we will go back again some day. If just to get my custom kimono made! I’ve also figured out my family crest with a little help from a Japanese crest book which I picked up in Kyoto. I haven’t drawn it out yet but I have the idea mostly solid except for the sword detail and type of sword. I may post a sketch of it later (providing I create a sketch).
From Kyoto we took the 8:31 Hida Limited Express which took us straight from Kyoto to Takayama in just under 4 hours. The journey was pleasant with sunshine, no rain and beautiful scenery passing by of rivers running around mountains. The train itself rain by many of those rivers and also through many of the mountains. Towards the end of the train journey the train started to gently climb some of these mountains until we reached Takayama which sits approximately 550m above sea level.
After we dropped off our bags at the hotel we decided to run around the town and have a look around. We found a toy shop that sold dolls in kimono which I was so happy about as I had been looking for one ever since Tokyo but in all the places we have visited I have visited so far this is the only place that I've found that sells this particular type. I know there are tonnes of dolls out here and they are all super expensive but I'm glad I got to see this one at least. The price for this one was around £300.
Day 11: Kyoto, the cultural capital
We are now halfway through our trip and so far it's been absolutely amazing. The places we have stayed and the food we have eaten have greatly contributed to this grand little adventure of ours. Today we leave beautiful Miyajima Island and the Yamaichi Bekkan Welcome Inn to go on to our next destination, Kyoto, the cultural capital of Japan.
Arrival in Kyoto
From Miyajima-guchi station we took a train back to Hiroshima's main station and the Shinkansen towards Kyoto. The journey took about an hour and a half. When we got to Kyoto it was completely unexpected. As a modern city it is a urban sprawl with architectural clashes between the old traditional buildings and the newer ones. The new buildings as well as layout seems like something you would find out of a movie. The streets are clean but everything else feels very stark, no swooping curves from the traditional buildings and nothing like London either. As I've only just arrived, that's my first impression however tomorrows exploration of the city will provide me a better insight I believe than what I've encountered today.
Still we took a taxi to where we are staying. As much as we wanted to go explore, today is meant to be a rest day, especially after the trekking we've done in Miyajima. This doesn't mean not doing anything though! We visited some of the local shops, did laundry and watched the samurai drama channel which whilst we didn't understand it was still interesting to watch!
Tomorrow we will be going around Kyoto at what may be a pretty intense pace with our guide. More to come soon!
Day 10: Exploring Miyajima and Cherry Blossoms
Miyajima is one of the most beautiful places we have visited since leaving Hakone. It lies just a ferry ride from Hiroshima's Hiroden-Miyajima-guchi. There are lots of deer walking freely between tourists and local people. They almost seem domesticated in the sense that they don't fear people but they go where they want to. They also don't mind people touching them however for the unwary they may walk up to you and nibble on your shirt (like they did to Jose!)
You can read Jose's thoughts on today here.
We were out exploring for around ten hours walking through the shopping areas, along the beach, up stairs to the various temples across nature trails and finally up the mountain using the ropeway. By the time we got to the top I was exhausted.
Daisho-in Temple
Daisho-in is not just one building but several buildings serving various purposes. It is also within the world heritage area that covers the mount mizen and Ikutsushima shrine.
Shishiiwa Station is at the top of mount Misen and despite being so high I didn't feel worried at all.
Whilst I have tonnes more to say, we'll be leaving for Kyoto in the next 2 hours so time to start packing once more! I'll try and update this a bit more later. For now here is one of the night shots for you to enjoy.
Day 8: Osaka and rain
We decided to rest this morning to try and recover from all the travelling we have been doing. At 11:30 we met up with Tsuyoshi who I had been trying to exchange English for Japanese with a few months back through My Language Exchange. He had kindly agreed to meet up with me and Jose and show us around Osaka for the day though the rain meant that we were more limited to what we could do today.
Our first stop was to a famous udon restaurant called Tsurutontan. I had ebi tempura with udon and the food was delicious! The atmosphere was peaceful and quiet and it felt very traditional. I enjoyed going there and would go there again if there was time!
Osaka Castle
Despite the rain we decided to go see Osaka castle, you can see more images of the castle on Jose's post. The scale of it is huge with stone blocks taller than myself and wider than I am tall! I also learned that this castle had been destroyed and rebuilt so many times and the current version of the castle is a concrete reproduction and the interior designed as a museum.
The model exhibits are absolutely beautiful with painstaking detail and several scaled master planning models of the 15 acre site (sadly we are not allowed to take photos of those!)
Osaka at Night
After leaving the castle we headed back to Namba. The difference between Hakone and Osaka is vast; akin to comparing water and oil. Osaka is split into two districts from what I understand so far, the quiet business district to the north which also has Osaka Castle and the noisy vibrant entertainment district to the south. We are based in the Southern part of the city and when we arrived it was an assault on the senses. Bright lights turned the night to day descended on by swamps of people who looked like they had walked out of a manga.
We will be taking the Shinkansen to Hiroshima soon. Time to start packing!
Day 7: Hakone to Osaka with a bit of manga
Today we said goodbye to Ichinoyu Honkan and the delicious food as well as great people at the Kamikaya restaurant.
From Hakone we took the bus back to Odawara and it was very crowded during the 30 minute journey. Once we reached Odawara we reserved tickets for the 12:08pm Shinkansen (Bullet train) to Shin-Osaka and then went to go find Odawara castle. The journey from the station to the castle took about 15 minutes (with luggage) so once we had reached the castle we could only spare about 10 minutes or so before we had to head back to the station again to catch our train. Still it was the first castle seen so far and there are many more to come!
On reaching Shin-Osaka we went to go visit the manga museum in Takarazuka before it shut as today was the only day we could do it. Takarazuka is a really interesting place as they have what could be described as a European Quarter which has Japanese ideals of Europe (I prefer it to the real thing!) It was very pretty with a mix of Spanish and English concepts (whilst having American words everywhere like "avenue").
Tezuka Osamu Manga Museum
The manga museum was very interesting to visit although we only had an hour and a bit to spare in it. The way everything was displayed reminded me of what people in the 70's thought the future would look like. Below are a few images showing some of the cool things inside.
Tomorrow will be a very long day exploring Osaka. Will talk about the Dotonburi Hotel as well as the huge difference between Osaka and Hakone.
Mata ne!