Last day in Tokyo...

So, I had one day left in Tokyo. It was a clear and sunny morning, so I decided to hire a bicycle and ride around the city, via the Tsukiji Fish Markets, Ginza, Shinjuku and Akihabara.

Along with the beautiful weather, I came to appreciate how flat Tokyo is - much like Osaka - which made for a pleasant day's riding about town.

And then, it was finally time to leave. It was a strange feeling, after almost nine months living in Japan. On one hand, it felt a little too soon, as there was still plenty that I hadn't seen yet. On the other hand, I was feeling the need to move on and get back into full-time work in the industry. It's been a memorable and challenging experience, in which I've learnt quite a bit about the world and about myself. However, I'm not getting any younger, and there's so much I need to contribute to the world.

It's scary, moving on, especially without a strong idea of what's coming next. Every time I try to control my fate, the throws something completely different in my lap. However, I'm trying to learn to be less indignant about not getting what I want, and opportunistic in making the most of what I have in front of me. It's a hard lesson, but I think I'm getting better at it.

So, on to the next adventure...

A Day in Disneyland

So, when planning our weekend in Tokyo, it was suggested that we spend a day in Tokyo Disneyland. I must confess that I baulked slightly at the idea, thinking that it seemed something of a waste when there was probably heaps of other cultural places that we could be visiting, and that it would be expensive and tacky and crap. However, I eventually decided to go anyway, figuring that in life there aren't that many opportunities to visit Disneyland, and that it'd be an experience either way.

I am so glad that we went. It totally lived up to the hype and delivered in almost every way. The parades were astonishing huge, energetic and full of joy. The rides were as diverse and interesting as they were thrilling - I didn't even mind waiting up to an hour for some of them. My only disappointment was that the day wasn't long enough to do everything!

From capsule hotel to capital city...

So, it was a weekend of firsts. On Friday afternoon, after work, we headed in to Osaka, and checked into a capsule hotel. I'd heard plenty about them, but had never experienced one and, to be honest, it was more comfortable than I expected. I was expecting something more cocoon-like, like out of the Matrix, and was surprised when it was big enough to stretch out in, and even sit up in. The television and alarm clock were a bonus, too. That said, I wouldn't want to be any taller - my feet were touching the curtain at the foot of the capsule.

Staying the night in Osaka meant that we could get an early start the next morning, jumping onto the Shinkansen to Tokyo. Again, I'd never been on the famous Japanese "Bullet Train", and it was a much more comfortable and swift journey than my Seishun-18 journey in late March.

Arriving in Tokyo a mere 2 hours and 33 minutes later, we took in some of the obligatory sights. Our hostel was in the shadow of the Tokyo Sky Tree, along with what could best be described as a giant golden turd. Given the available of lucky golden turd charms, it wouldn't surprise me if that was exactly what it was. We then headed off to the Yebisu beer museum, which unfortunately only provided tours (and beer sampling) in Japanese, but it was an otherwise very nice little museum. From Yebisu, we walked up to Shibuya, viewing the famous crossing, then through Harajuku, and finally to Shinjuku, for the Spring Jazz Festival, where we saw the evening out with some swing dancing.

Next: Tokyo Disneyland!!!!

Onward to glory...

If you want to get a feel for contemporary Japanese culture whilst travelling, one thing one must do is step into a Japanese department store. At the upper end of the price range, there is Daimaru, Loft, and Tokyu Hands. However, one of my preferred places is Don Quijote - which is far more affordable.

Here's a quick tour of the Umeda store in Osaka...

As you can see, there's a lot of crazy stuff on offer, and one must exercise caution - prolonged exposure can lead to severe sensory bewilderment!

And yes, I love matcha-flavoured stuff. I can't get enough of it. :)

Fukuoka and Ferries

So, on Monday I continued my journey to Fukuoka, as my plan was to travel from Kishi to Seoul without flying. There's something about taking the slightly-slower path that helps gain an appreciation for the distance that you're covering, and you often notice things about the landscape that you wouldn't notice from five miles above the ground. The big thing I noticed when catching the train from Miyajima to Fukuoka was the moment the train emerged from the tunnel between the two islands... the cherry trees were in full bloom. It was my first time, and now I understand why it's such a big deal!

And once I arrived in Fukuoka, they were everywhere. Parks were full of them, and the Castle Ruins park had about 1500 - which the city illuminates at night-time, with hundreds of visitors each night. So I spent the rest of the day wandering the streets of Fukuoka, marvelling at the cherry blossoms, and eating fresh strawberries, which were considerably cheaper than in Kansai. I also had street stall ramen, which was great, but not as awesome as the ippudo ramen that I had the next day. Anyway, once I got home that evening, exhausted and overwhelmed, there was an email waiting. Informing me that my ferry, scheduled for the next day, had been cancelled. Panic ensued, but I was able to buy a plane ticket at short notice.

And then came the biggest storm in western Japan since 1959. Naturally, my plane was delayed. A lot. Finally, at 10:45pm we touched down in Busan.

Next: Busan to Seoul.

Hiroshima and Miyajima

So, early on Saturday morning, my latest adventure began. We headed off, seishun 18 ticket in hand, boarding non-express trains headed west across Honshu. It took a while, but we finally arrived in Hiroshima. It's hard to walk around the city and not be mindful of its tragic past, and we spent some time at the Peace Memorial Park and museum, before heading out for Hiroshima-style okonomiyaki.

Sunday came, and we headed over to Miyajima - famous for its enormous "floating" O-Torii. After visiting the island, S had to jump on a train back to Kansai, but I returned and hiked up Mount Misen and down again. The view at the peak was amazing, and whilst it was unsurprising to find a soft drink machine there, there was also a guy selling cold beer, which was well appreciated. And then, one final return to the floating gate in the evening provided a most stunning sunset.

Next: Fukuoka and Hanami!

A day in Kobe

So, tomorrow I'll be heading out west, through Hiroshima and Miyajima, to Fukuoka. To make this trip affordable, I bought a JR seishun 18 ticket, which allows the holder unlimited travel on JR lines for five days, or five travellers for one day, or a combination thereof. The ticket has five spaces for stamps, and one stamp allows one person to travel for the date on that stamp. It costs 11500 yen (about AUD 130) and can definitely save you money if you've got the time.

Anyway, I realised that, with my plans, I had a spare stamp space left on my ticket. So I decided to head in to Kobe, and visit the places I hadn't been to yet. The beauty of this ticket is the ease by which you can just hop on and off trains, where you'd otherwise have to buy a ticket for each leg.

Shamrocks and Sumo

So, the other week, we headed in to Osaka for the Grand Sumo Tournament, which is a 15-day event held every second month in Japan, but only once a year in Osaka. We went in on the 17th of March, which was also St Patrick's Day. The St Patrick's Day festival wasn't as big as Oktoberfest in Umeda, but people were still definitely getting into the spirit of it...

The final winner in the video was Hakuho, who is the Yokozuna (grand champion) and also not Japanese (he's Mongolian). It was interesting to see that there were a noticeable number of European and Mongolian wrestlers, and encouraging to see that, at least here, there is a substantial level of internationalisation in what is one of Japan's most traditional and pure traditions.

A weekend in Nagano

On the weekend, we travelled to Nagano Prefecture - famous for its snow resorts and the 1998 Winter Olympics, amongst other things. It was also, for me, the first time outside the Kansai region (other than my first day in Japan). We met the bus in Osaka at 11pm on Friday night...

It was my first time snowboarding. As you can see, I was far from being the embodiment of grace, poise and timing, but I did manage to stay balanced for a sustained period of time. I almost made it all the way down the slope without falling off. Almost.

And then, on Sunday, we travelled to Jigokudani Park to see the famous Japanese Snow Monkeys. These are amazing creatures, who live in the mountains and come down to the valley during the day to feed and bathe in the hot springs. I was amazed at how close we could get to them, without causing any distress or alarm. They were generally indifferent - possibly due to the knowledge that, if they wanted to, they could re-enact certain scenes from Rise of the Planet of the Apes. They were certainly big enough, and had the numbers...

Then, it was back on the bus at 2pm. We arrived at Kishi at 11:30pm. Despite it being a long trip, and the fact that every muscle in my body is sore from snowboarding, this weekend has definitely been a highlight of my time in Japan.

Bring on the Spring...

So, it's March the 1st! Apparently it's going to get warmer soon. Meanwhile, I'm keeping myself warm and fighting the war on boredom...

No, I swear I'm not going crazy here...

Waiting for Umeshu...

So, last week, I headed to the Osaka Temmangu Shrine for the Umeshu (Plum Wine) festival. There was waiting involved, and then an extremely large assortment of wine to choose from.

Unfortunately, I ran out of time before I could make it to the second tent, but I went back the next day, and the other tent had all sorts of other non-ume-based drinks - including mikan, ichigo, pineapple, lemon,  cherry, yoghurt, and even mushroom flavoured wines and spirits! Fun!

Return to Koyasan!

Well, it's been snowing in Kishigawa, but it hasn't been cold enough for the snow to stick. So, we decided to head up to Koyasan to see a bit more snow...

It was eerily quiet; there were areas in Okunoin where we were the only people in sight. Still, even for a third trip, Koyasan never ceases to enthral.

Before I leave...

So, now that it's confirmed that I'm leaving, it's time to make a list. A list of things that I want to do in Japan before I leave. In no particular order.

1. Ride on the Shinkansen.
2. Visit Hiroshima and Miyajima.
3. Go to Nagano to see snow and Japanese Macaques.
4. Visit temples in plum and cherry blossom season.
5. Go to Taiji, visit the whale museum, and rescue dolphins avoid being mistaken for an activist.

6. Go to Tokyo, have my obligatory photo taken at Shibuya crossing, and go visit Harajuku, Akihabara and Tsukiji Fish Market.
7. Spend a day at Universal Studios Japan.
8. See Mount Fuji (unfortunately, I won't be around for climbing season.)
9. Watch a Takarazuka Revue show.
10. Go to a Sumo Tournament.

Anything else that I should add to the list that I possibly haven't done yet?

Return to Oz...

Well, after returning from a month of travelling, I'm feeling the itch to get out there again. I've bought tickets to Korea (by ferry) and back (by plane), which should be a fun adventure in itself. And, in other news, I've also bought tickets to come back to Australia in May. It feels weird, because I hardly feel like I've settled here in Japan, and yet I'm already planning to leave. I guess that's how it works when it comes to 1-year contracts. Still, an end-date gives me something to work towards, both in preparing to return to the "real" (i.e. professional employment) world, as well as making interim travel plans for Japan. There's still much that I want to see...

Speaking of sights - on the weekend, we went to Kushimoto, which is the southernmost point on the island of Honshu, for the Fire Festival.

Basically, they set an entire field on fire, with other traditional festivities, including some dance and mochi-throwing (which is a bit of a chaotic free-for-all) and fireworks. Fortunately, there was a good breeze, blowing away from crowd, which got the fire burning nicely.

A week back in Japan...

We ate burgers. Then it snowed on my house and on the train.

Now I'm in Kyoto, and it's snowing here as well.

Returning to Japan!

So, as you may have surmised from my previous post, I am back in Japan. The cold has taken a little getting used to again, and today we reached a week-long high of 10 degree celcius. I hear that it snows once or twice a year in Kishigawa. I suspect that day might not be far away.

Meanwhile, here are the final days of our December-January trip. We arrived in Hong Kong a couple of days before the HK Swing Festival began, and so we first sought out Yum Cha, then spent the rest of the day at Ocean Park, and watched the light symphony on Victoria Harbour in the evening.

Then, the next day, we sought out more Yum Cha, and took the Peak Tram up into the hills overlooking Hong Kong. On the weekend, between workshops and social dances, we went on a double-decker tram tour, and went shopping in Mong Kok.

But before we knew it, it was time to catch our plane back to Japan. I wasn't very talkative that morning.

So, time to plan new adventures! I'm off to Kyoto for a couple of days tomorrow, then to the Kushimoto Fire festival this weekend. Soon, we'll be heading to Koya-san - yes, we've been there twice, but this time there'll be snow. Speaking of snow, we'll head to Nagano for skiing and snow monkeys. And finally, in April, I'll be heading to Korea, via Hiroshima, Miyajima and Fukuoka.

So... stay tuned!

Merry Christmas!

We're in Singapore! We've been enjoying the festive season in the balmy tropics of the Straights Settlements, and it's been wonderful. Videos to follow soon.

In the meantime, here's some footage of winter illumination around Japan. The first is from last week's trip to the Arashiyama Hanatouro - a winter illumination festival in Kyoto. The second is of the illumination on the shores of Lake Hiraike near my house.

Happy holidays!

Kobe Luminarie

This evening I visited Kobe for the Kobe Luminarie - a light festival that is held every December for about 2 weeks, to commemorate the great earthquake of 1995. The lights were donated by the Italian government, and are turned on for a couple of hours every evening during the festival.

It was absolutely enormous. They close down city blocks to accommodate the crowds - at least tens of thousands, and that was just in the one evening! Once the lights go on, the crowd slowly moves down the street, under ornate illuminated arches, leading to the Kobe Earthquake Memorial Park, where there are other illuminated structures.

Along with my Koyasan visit, this has been the most stunning event I have been to in Japan so far.

Vegies and pastries in Kyoto...

Over the long weekend, we also visited Kyoto for half a day. There was a vegetarian food festival in a temple, and we also participated in a pastry-making class at the Royal Hotel, followed by afternoon tea...

Civic duty...

So, last Friday I was visited by my neighbour from downstairs, holding a bucket. The conversation was somewhat awkward as I speak very little Japanese, and he spoke even less English. However, the gist of it was that I had to take the bucket, and do some cleaning the following Friday at 10am. Further investigations indicated that the task involved some cleaning of the garbage collection point, just down the road from my house. Here's what ensued this morning...