Japan

Bangkok > Tokyo - we have touchdown(Mar. 5/6)So it turned out to be a kind of an awesome day being grounded. I wandered over to the airport to try and find a United airlines agent to no avail, and thus made the journey back on their shuttle bus, along with another guy who was similarly trying to figure out what was going on. After returning to the hotel, I ended up sleeping for a good chunk of the day..making up for some lost sleep of late..and eventually woke up to wander down for dinner. Thank goodness I don`t have to pay for any of this..swaanky. Anyway, I ended up running into the same guy I met earlier (Chris), and we ended up sitting down in the hotel lobby for a drink or two...and proceeded to stay there for a good 4 hours. We then decided that we weren`t going to sleep, since we had to be up at 4:30ish anyway. We went to the family minimart and got sugar happy on Pocky, Ritz cheese crackers and ice cream. Eventually crashed in my room to watch Robot Chicken on his iPod, make up entertaining lines for otherwise unintelligible Thai or Chinese soap operas, played 20 questions, hang man and any other possible activity to stay awake. fun fun times. A very like-minded, like-humoured person..very cool.　Ｔhen we got this weird call from reception around 4am telling us we should be checking out of the hotel to go to the airport..we were under the impression that we had to be on a flight at 8:15am, so check-in would be around 5:45..they didn`t seem to think so. Anyway, we checked out early and ended up waiting around at the airport because we were so early for check-in. Much standing around, freestyle rappin to silly songs and punchy jokes ensued. Finally got checked-in (yay!) at around 6am and headed off to wait..unfortunately, I left my little notebook that had many of the emails from people I`ve met thus far in the hotel, so there was some calling and arranging, eventually it was decided that someone coming to Canada will hopefully be able to pick it up for me. Burger King, some fruitless wandering of duty free stores and eventually we got on the plane (a very nice plane with little TVs in the back of each one). The flight flew by, pardon the pun, as I was able to watch Stranger than Fiction..cool movie..and Casino Royale.Chris and I parted ways at the Tokyo airport after the exchange of information, and I successfully navigated myself through the various checkpoints and onto a train. I really knew I was in Japan when I saw a young woman in kimono garb sitting across from me, texting on her phone. craziness. Found my guesthouse relatively easily enough..they thankfully didn`t charge me for the day I missed. It`s spartan..I`m sharing with 3 other people..but it`s cheap, 30 bucks a night, which is a steal in Tokyo. Tried to get my bearings on the area, although that will best be done in the morning. Had some pretty tasty tempura. It`s nippy here. Although there is something awesome about being able to breathe in that fresh, crisp breeze again. Anyway, I`ve got fewer days in Tokyo, but I`ll figure it out. Hittin the town tomorrow. cheers.Tokyo - so shiny(Mar. 7)So it`s friggin' cold here. I somewhat delusionally believed that a long sleeved shirt and hoodie would cut it. My inexpensive guesthouse is nice--but sleeping on a thin futon on the floor in a room where someone turned off the heat at some point made for an early start..6am, as once I woke up at 5am, there was no finding a comfortable position to fall asleep again. I had chatted with the guy a futon over the night before (Andrew from New Zealand) and he was also getting up at that ungodly hour..so we went for some breakfast. We then headed down (as nothing else was open at 7am) to the Tsukiji Fish market..there were some crazy big fish. It was cool to get a taste of working Japanese life. Definitely a little off the beaten tourist path. From there, we whisked over to the Imperial East Gardens..very tranquil and well-manicured, but would likely be cooler when things are more in bloom. May I just pause here to marvel at the wonder that is their subway system..not cheap, but extensive and efficient. I thought I was gonna have a hell of a time trying to figure it out, but it`s actually very straightforward. From there, we hopped over to Ginza, a swanky district of town akin to Fifth Avenue in New York. We marveled at how clean and orderly the city is, particularly considering that it has the population of Canada crammed into its limits. Everything was very shiny and large and glitzy..checked out some department stores and winced at prices. After extensive wandering, Andrew and I parted ways, as I was headed to Harajuku.I thought Harajuku was fantastic--little narrow pedestrian-only streets (e.g. Tasehita Dori) were lined with little shops for clothes both regular and highly eccentric, at fairly reasonable prices. Saw a couple of quintessential Harajuku girls in full get-up..had a crepe because apparently that`s the thing to do in the area..when in Rome you know.not that there was really much arm-twisting for me to eat a whip cream/strawberry-filled crepe. Popped in to use the internet and their bathroom had heated toilet seats (at last, I have finally found one!) I was so entertained by this. I got my hair blow-dried..it`s something I seem to do in every country I go to (so I can A. have clean hair, and B. compare). I then left for Shibuya to meet June and Joon, some Thai friends who are working in Japan. Coming out of the station, it was the Tokyo that I had imagined..tall building chock full of flashing neon lights and billboards. Across the massive intersection, which I think is the most pedestrian-filled intersection I`ve ever seen, was the Starbucks, which apparently is the world`s most profitable Starbucks. I met up with my friends and we went to dinner at a very nice restaurant..I was actually brave and tried some odd dishes I would have normally shied away from (even Tofu)..I particularly liked the Japanese-style Caesar salad. ha. Bought some gloves, thankfully and headed back to the guesthouse. A very full day. cheers for now.Tokyo –  museums & shrines (both Buddhist and materialist)(Mar. 8)Andrew made sure to hide the heater remote, so thankfully it was relatively warm (and thus infinitely easier to get a decent night`s sleep). Set out on my own this morning to Ueno Park, where I was surprised to find a few cherry blossom trees starting to bloom. It`s a massive park that is dotted with numerous museums..I checked out the Tokyo National Museum. Cool to see some Samurai armour and other little Japanese artifacts. I`m a particular fan of Japanese art. From there, I went to Shinjuku and had McDonalds (I know, but I gotta try it in Japan). Actually it was nice because a young Japanese man sat down next to me and actually started up a conversation..it was kinda cute, as his English came out very haltingly, but I appreciated the gesture as most Japanese seem to ignore you normally. He talked about how much he wanted to see an ice hockey game, so I suggested a country where there usually is some hockey from time to time, and he recommended some places for me to see in Tokyo. After I left, I went to find the Bunka Gaien Costume Museum and got kind of lost trying to do so..ultimately, it wasn`t far from where I started. The museum was nice enough but disappointingly small..didn`t take long for me to go through it.So then I went to Meiji Jingu, the major shrine in Tokyo set in the middle of a large park. It was a very impressive shrine..the quiet serenity in somewhat ironic juxtaposition to the neighbouring materialistic frenzy of Harajuku. I explored the Harajuku area a little further, got out into more expensive parts. The difficulty is finding clothes that jive with my own style..Japanese style tends to be long and shapeless..big tent-like drapings, but I did find a cute jacket on sale (score). My legs and feet were protesting for the last couple days from the extensive amount of walking..feelin a little tired from the jetting around. Finally, I headed to Asakusa, an area of town known for having some cute shops for Japanese goods. And almost right of I got off the subway, I stumbled across a shop that sells kimonos (which have typically been going for several thousand dollars elsewhere), but they had some for less than a hundred dollars. After attempting to document the obi-tying process which will hopefully be enough to figure out how to do it properly, I set out a proud owner of my very own kimono and obi. Yay. I`m off to Takayama tomorrow, a town about 5 and a half hours from Tokyo by bus. cheers.Bangkok > Takayana - faster than a speeding bullet(Mar. 9)A sore/stiff wake-up this morning..I talked to the guesthouse owner and discovered that there were only overnight buses to Takayama (I thought I could take the bus down in the afternoon)..I had already made arrangements with a guesthouse, so my only option was to take a bullet train--expensive, but I was curious to ride one. After a brief jaunt around Asakusa, where I purchased a much-needed scarf, I headed off to Tokyo station. I was soon on a shinkansen and whizzing along at some outrageous speed. Very cool way to travel, although one does start to get a headache if you stare out the window too much. I transferred to a normal train in Nagoya, and from there it was a peaceful 2 hour train ride through the hills into Takayama. It was quite a picturesque ride, passing through many small towns with more traditional Japanese architecture. I arrived in Takayama around 3pm, and it was a 5-minute walk to my guesthouse. It`s just over 10 bucks more than what I paid in Tokyo, but man is it ever an upgrade. My own little room with a fridge and heater (yay), and a very nice communal washroom. I had a little walk around town, wandered through the old town and its old merchant houses which house little shops selling handicrafts and sake. Now, I`ve officially achieved cold. cripes. After a pricey meal, I headed back to the guesthouse for a dip in their natural hot spring bath..my lordy, it was so hot, it was painful. Eventually, I kind of acclimatized, but I didn`t stay long. It felt my skin was searing off for a bit there. The pace here is infinitely slower, and it`ll be nice to slow down for the next day or so and catch my breath before heading off to Kyoto. cheers for now.Takayama - snow...wait, what?(Mar. 10)Bundled up this morning in preparation for some cold..headed down to the bus station to get my ticket to go to the Shinhotaka Ropeway, just over an hour from Takayama. Also bought my bus ticket for Kyoto..sigh, a somewhat early start, as the bus leaves at 7am. But I`ll be in Kyoto before noon, so that`ll give me a half day start to the city. In any case, it was quite a scenic drive up through the hills, which were becoming increasingly snow-covered as we drove on. We arrived at the Shinhotaka Ropeway and man, what a sight. Some crazy snow-capped mountains..I mean, we were at the Northern Japanese Alps, so I suppose that`s to be expected. After a short gondola ride to the second level, we boarded a double-decker gondola (apparently the only one in the world) and rode up through the mountains. That was one cool ride. Spent about half an hour toodling around, taking pictures from the viewpoint and wandering through the snow pathways. It was a funny thought, as I realized that not 2 weeks ago, I was walking barefoot in a bikini on a beach, sweltering in 35-degree heat, and here I was now, skittishly walking across snow, bundled up in all the layers I brought with me. Kinda funny. When we arrived back in Takayama, I decided to take another look around the Old Town shops while they were still open. Tried some sake, as apparently Takayama sake is renowned for being tasty. I`m perhaps not the best judge of that, as alcohol tastes like alcohol to me.. Picked up some more souvenirs and decided to try the Higashiyama Walking Course, which goes through Shiroyama Park and apparently stops at some temples. Now, I think I`ve mastered the art of wandering aimlessly, but I really took it to new levels..while the wilderness and trees were very nice, I couldn`t really find any of the landmarks, or if I did I wasn`t sure what I was supposed to be looking at. Spent a lot of time squinting at signs, some of which were in English..I eventually wandered out as my bags were getting heavier and heavier. While in Thailand, I did appreciate the fact that there was a restaurant or food place around every corner..I had to hunt to find a place to eat, and hunt even more to find a place that had a menu with any English on it. I`m not yet so brave as to just randomly pick a Japanese item and hope for the best. I did manage to find a little family-run Japanese place and had a very tasty meal for not too bad a price. I did spend some of my eating time sneaking covert glances at the guys sitting around me to try and see how they held their chopsticks. I have my way which seems to work most of the time, but I thought seeing how pros do it would help. not so much. ah well. Anyway, early evening for me as I`ve got an early start. Tomorrow it`ll be exactly one week left in my trip. craziness. cheers for now.Kyoto – pretty, but mercurial weather(Mar. 11)So I awoke in Takayama to a fresh blanket of snow on the ground and a fairly heavy wet snowfall. I was out the door by 6:30am and soon after on a bus bound for Kyoto. The countryside was gorgeous covered in snow. I slept for a good chunk of it; although, we did make two rest stops, and the driver, probably noticing my somewhat confused expression, would write "Toilet" and what time I needed to be back. The Kyoto stop was actually not in a bus station but simply on the side of the highway, which was unfortunate mainly because I had to lug my bags a ways to the subway. I finally managed to get to Kyoto Station, a vast maze of tunnels with shopping and subway terminals. I wandered the six or seven blocks and found the Tour Club. The staff speak English, which was quite novel. Left my bags and headed out for the afternoon. I went back to the station to sort out transportation..the overnight bus back to Tokyo..81 bucks..sigh. Bought a sightseeing card, which gets me unlimited bus and subway use for 2 days at around 10 bucks a day, as well as a rather convoluted bus map.I decided to hit a few temples before dark. Did the walking tour along he old canal, which visits Ginkakuji (Silver Pavilion), Honen-in and Nanzen-ji. The old canal is lined with cherry trees, which would've been stunning had they been in bloom. I don't blame them for not as it was snowing off and on throughout the afternoon. And I had unfortunately left my gloves back at the Tour Club. It was still a pretty walk..the walkway was dubbed the Path of Philosophy, mind you I think my enlightenment was being impeded by my freezing appendages. An old Japanese man pointed me in the right direction towards one of the temples, and I discovered that he was selling painted rocks..very nicely painted rocks, but he was asking 10 bucks a rock..now I will buy a lot of things, but I draw the line at spending 10 bucks for a rock. Stopped for a crepe (because why wouldn't you) and hopped the subway back. Ended up hanging around the communal area for a few hours, chatting with a bunch of Californians. cheers for now.Kyoto - temple happy(Mar. 12)Left the hostel relatively early to get to a few shrines/temples before the crowds hit. Visited Ryoanji, which is best known for its zen rock garden..so I had a few meditative moments before taking a tour around the gardens. It was doing the weird snow/sun thing still. Walked down to Nannanji (had a tall pagoda) before bus-ing over to Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), where I funnily enough ran into the pair of Americans I was chatting with at the hostel. So we toured around the gardens..the pavilion was shiny and gold not surprisingly. At which point we parted ways, and I bus-ed down to Fushimi Inari..which has literally thousands of red torii gates lining the paths around the area. It was a fairly lengthy wal but cool, as your mind kinda boggled at the sheer number of these things. From there, I headed over to the Kyoto Costume Institute hoping for better success than the last costume place..a little difficult to find, for while I had an address, that really becomes a moot point as buildings don't actually have addresses on them. Unfortunately, the KCI was even smaller than the place I went to in Tokyo, so that was kind of a bust. Thankfully, I didn't have to pay to get in. When I got back to the hostel, the American pair (Christian and Stacey) were back and heading to Gion/Maruyama Park to catch a light festival thing, which worked out well as I was planning on heading over there myself. So we, along with a new Aussie hostel-mate Jamie, bus-ed down and walked around the park which had flower displays and bamboo lanterns lit. It was very pretty and friggin' cold outside. That area of Gion was very cool, lots of little shops and things. We stopped in for pizza (horrible I realize) and in combination with an entertaining discussion with the waitress and some pictures in the menu, we figured out what to eat. We ended up staying there and chatting, until we actually got the Japanese "do you want to order any more drinks?", which is code for "leaving would be a plan". So we took the hint and went back to the hostel.Kyoto - cultural experience(Mar. 13)Well, I woke up kinda feeling like crap..think I might be getting sick. sigh. I headed out for my calligraphy class and ended up getting a little lost as I was running down streets trying to find it. But eventually, I was greeted by 2 Japanese women who ushered me upstairs to get started. It was actually really cool...she explained a little background history and information about calligraphy and Japanese characters generally before we started on the basic strokes. Then, I picked words like "happiness" or "love" and she'd demonstrate the kanji character, and I would follow. Apparently, I was doing well because she kept clapping excitedly and telling me "I have such talent"..ha. She was very cute. From there, I walked through Kyoto Imperial Park and subway-ed to Shijo (downtown). Wandered through Nishiki Market, a vast food market selling any kind of food, particularly related to Japanese dishes. Extending from the market were clothing and odds and ends shops. I had some of the best egg tarts ever here. That was some tasty goodness. Wasn't feeling so hot, so I popped into a McDonald's for a bite and to figure out my gameplan. I finally decided on Gion..Kyoto's entertainment district (in all senses of the word). The main stretch was lined with shops selling sweets and accesories..the back streets, I discovered, were filled with private clubs and such, and the other side was more traditional, which I think is where the geishas are. I had about an hour to kill before my geisha walking tour, so I had some hot chocolate and a break. Felt a sore throat coming on unfortunately..ended up running into Jamie (who was coming along on the tour) coming out of the coffee shop, so we sat and chatted while waiting for it to start.When we headed over, we were greeted by a large, blond-haired, kimono-clad man (Peter). The tour was really interesting, as Peter had spent the last 14 years being around geishas..ended up married to one. He showed us teahouses and where they trained..we spotted a few darting by. We could take pictures.. and some walked quite close, but I just couldn't shove a camera in their faces and take pictures..felt a bit weird. As a result, the only shots I ended up with were ones of them walking away. After the tour, Peter, Jamie and I went for a few drinkss, and we ultimately went to Peter's bar/teahouse for a few more. Jamie ended up buying one of Peter's prints..we talked until about 10:45, at which point we cabbed it back to the hostel in order to make curfew. All in all, a pretty cool day. cheers.Nara - congestedly craptastic(Mar. 14)Woke up feeling even more like crap..fully congested, at about 6:30am. Chatted with the hostel people before heading out (had a quick bite--Belgian waffles, sweet). Transferred trains several times in order to get to Uji, a town just outside Kyoto (maybe a suburb). It was really quite pretty; I walked to Byodoin Temple, which had a fairly large compound..probably one of my favourites thus far..just very serene and pretty. The temple itself, if viewed from straight on, is shaped like a phoenix. Aside from a rather large group of school kids visiting, it was quite peaceful. The museum was nice as well. I then walked over to Tsuen Tea Shop because Uji is known for its tea, and this particular shop is apparently the oldest and most famous tea shop in Japan (been in the Tsuen family for over 800y years!) So I clearly had to buy some tea; although it was interesting trying to converse with the lady in the shop and try to figure out the difference between teas..she kept giving me little cups to try, and being both stuffed up and not a tea fan, I couldn't really tell the difference.Laden with my tea, I headed on a train to Nara, a city about 45 minutes south of Kyoto. Arrived in Nara and wandered to Nara Park, where the bulk of the sights were located. The big thing about the park was that they have tame deer wandering around..and they are everywhere. They were very sweet and cute..Bambi momentarily crossed my mind, I gotta say. Walked quite a ways to the Kasuga Taisha shrine. Then hopped a bus to see the Horyuji Temple, about 50 minutes away. It was a fairly extensive compound, and I ended up getting kind of confused as to which bus stop to be at in order to go back to Nara..caught the wrong bus..thankfully, the guy behind me spoke some English, so I got off at a stop with a train heading back to Nara..ended up finding a faster way back. Once I got there, I decided to bus up to Todaiji temple where the last day of some fire festival was being held. Of course, being my transportationally uncoordinated day, I got off at the wrong stop and ended up walking just as far to get to the temple. By the time I got there, they were just lighting stuff on fire, but there were so many people, it was hard to get a good picture. sigh. Headed back to Kyoto and crashed into bed.Osaka - a few flavours of modernity(Mar. 15)So, I awoke to the tune of a phlegmy cough unfortunately, but at least my sore throat had waned somewhat. Took my sweet time getting out the door this morning..but eventually I hopped on a train for Osaka, about 40 minutes away. My first stop was the Osaka Aquarium, which was known for the world's largest tank..and I gotta say, it was a pretty damn cool aquarium. Lots and lots of fish (obviously), but from all over the place..and their giant tank, meant to emulate the pacific ocean, had a whale shark and a few other kinda sharks, and several schools of fish and some manta rays. So cool. I ended up buying a combined ticket to see the IMAX Deep Sea show being played at the museum next door..narrated by Johnny Depp and Kate Winslet, one can't really go wrong. It was a good show, plus the museum also happened to have a Salivador Dali exhibit..probably the best museum exhibit I've been to, mostly because I was looking at paintings I recognized. I mean, seeing that melting clock painting, in all its largeness and weirdness, in the flesh (so to say), gave me chills.From there, I took the subway to Namba, the sort of shopping/entertainment district of Osaka..the area was pretty neat to walk through..narrow streets with lots and lots of restaurants (Osaka is known for being the food city of Japan) and eventually lots of shops. It started raining unfortunately; although a lot of the main drag was thankfully covered. After trying on a pair of jeans..not surprisingly, a 28" waist was the biggest size they had..and wandering through a lot of shops, I concluded I wasn't going to have much luck buying clothes in Japan. There may be a few pieces here and there, but so much of it is so expensive and most of it just really is not my style, that I'd rather save it and shop when I get back. I did pop into the Diesel store, largely because I love Diesel and we don't have a store in Vancouver (and their shoes have done me particularly well on this trip, as they have survived all my extensive walking). I actually got excited about shopping when I get back, mostly because I was looking through clothes that reminded me of the style back home. ha. Got a little lost wandering through the endless maze of little streets and finally settled on a little restaurant. The waitress was super nice as we tried to communicate and figure out the menu, and I ended up ordering some chicken-related dishes, which were pretty good. Headed back to the hostel..a full day..here's to hopin' for improved health for tomorrow. cheers.Kyoto - gettin' my dance on(Mar. 16)So today was super cool..I mean, the fact that I woke up more with a fabulously phlegmy cough aside..I decided to take it easy in the morning and not jet around trying to hit a lot of sights. Had a tasty breakfast and headed over to Kyoto Station to do a little shopping. I found a Shu Uemura in the department sotore and make-up artist in me had to stop..we don't carry the brand in Canada, therefore I felt justified in my purchases there. <grin> I spent a fair amount of time there and the nice saleswoman valiantly tried to explain things in as much English as she could muster. I wandered around a bit more before heading back to the hostel to wait for my pick-up..eventually, a woman arrived in a taxi to take me to my dance lesson. She spoke excellent English and we actually got to the teacher's house a lot sooner than anticipated. She was very sweet and didn't speak much English, so my translator (Suyako) facilitated the communication. I was quickly dressed in a kimono that was brought along, and then my teacher explained some of the history of dance as well as the importance of the fan. Pretty soon, we were learning the moves to a part of a dance that meiko (young geisha) perform. They were so delighted at how fast I was picking everything up..the moves themselves were not super complicated..I was more concerned with getting the nuances correct, as they are quite difference than ones in Thai dancing or other forms I've studied. It was great fun..and she said that I should come back to keep learning dance, which I may just do if I ever decide to teach English abroad. Suyako dropped me off at the Kyoto Handicraft Center so I could look for souvenirs, and I found a good selection of English book on Japanese cultural things, so I picked up a couple. When I got back to the hostel, I ended up hanging out in the common area with two Brits, two Americans (from Seattle) and an Italian and had a grand time. It got strangely awkward when a rather drunk Aussie and some fairly drunk Koreans decided to join the gathering, so we all took that as a cue to go to bed. cheers.Kyoto - the last hurrah(Mar. 17)So the end. I took my sweet time getting out of bed this morning and waited for everyone to vacate our room so I could pack in peace..man do I have a lot of crap at this point. ha. Ran into the peoples from last night and decided to hang out with them for the day..they decided to do the "Philsopher's walk" which I had already done but didn't mind doing again. Actually Benjamin had clued me in to a thing they do at all the temples and shrines..if you purchase a little book from one of them, at each one you go to, they'll do a little calligraphy thing and put their seal for each place..kind of collection of all your travels. This just bugged me to no end to realize I could've been collecting these as I went; however, I did get one and started my collection (managed to get two today..will just have to continue next time I come). We walked aways and eventually caught the bus, which was a rather hot, stuffy ride, but entertaining nonetheless, to Kiyomizu Temple in order to catch the parade..and we got there just in time. There was a dragon and some chanting. all good fun. There's a shrine in the temple particular for one's love life, so I was sure to pay my respects to that one..even bought the little luck charms for love and happiness just to seal the deal..need all the help I can get. ha. The little street back down was lined with lots of little shops, so I bought a dance fan (which are different from regular fans) and a couple little charms..from there we walked down to Gion, as they were planning on doing the geisha walking tour this evening. We grabbed some dinner, and they headed off..I decided to go back to the warmth of the hostel (it's been bloody freezing here). The plan for the evening is to watch Memoirs of the Geisha before I catch my overnight bus just before midnight to go to Tokyo. My flight leaves tomorrow at around 4pm, and funnily enough arrives in Vancouver the same day at around 3pm. Gotta love that. Thus ends my six-week travels..it's been a crazy fun ride..the people have been great (or brilliant, I should say, to quote the Brits). There's still so much I want to see, but at the same time, I'm looking forward to going back..having my own place to myself again..cheers, and see you all at home.