My first public bathhouse experience...

On Friday, I had a few hours to kill before heading off to Camp Swing It 2012 (which, incidentally, was amazingly awesome) and I decided that I had to check out a Korean spa and jjimjilbang. Now, I have a complicated relationship with the idea of public bathhouses. In Japan, I admit that I haven't indulged in the much-loved institution of the onsen and sento. I've seen them, and they seem a little too intimate for my liking. But that's just my comfort zone.

However, on reading up about the Korean's equivalent, I decided to give it a go. And I was not disappointed. It was more like a huge public pool than an intimate washroom. There were five spas - four hot and one cold, with a small swimming pool and three saunas of varying temperature. I never got the feeling of being even remotely up in anybody else's space, nor they in mine. It was more like going skinny dipping than having a group bath. It was thoroughly relaxing.

And then there was the coed area - the jjimjilbang - where we all put on our special clothes, and lay around on heated floors, "sweating rooms", a cool room, and, if desired, a semi-private sleeping capsule. There were many people there, young and old, lying around, watching tv, reading books and newspapers, or simply sleeping. There was even an internet PC room for those who wanted to get online. I did, however, half-expect somebody to come up to me and ask "Would you like a treatment?"; it was somewhat Dollhouse-esque.

I've heard that, in Japan, the interest in onsen / sento has been rapidly waning, especially amongst young people. However, this approach is attracting people in droves - especially young people who can get a little being of canoodling done in the corner of the jjimjilbang, away from prying eyes. As for my personal hangups - it's been a step in the right direction. Perhaps I'll be brave and give it a go in Japan...

Careering through Korea...

So, I've finally landed in Korea. The plane trip was a little bumpy going up into the air, and coming down again, but it was a swift flight with swift service. Followed by a swift taxi driver who drove me to my destination at 120kms per hour on the wrong side of the road. Well, it felt wrong anyway, speaking as somebody who has only ever inhabited the left side of the road.

Unfortunately, I didn't have time to explore Busan, but I easily found an express bus to take me to Seoul, and was there by mid-afternoon.

So, I wandered around Seoul for Wednesday afternoon and all of Thursday. I've eaten all sorts of wonderful street food, and have an odd hankering for dduk bokki (or however you spell it). I discovered the swing dancing scene, which is huge here and super-friendly. And, as you can see, they occasionally break into choreographed pop-song routines. It's a pretty awesome city.

Next: My first jjimjilbang experience...

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.