Japan is phenomenal. The people are so nice! Polite and even though many Japanese don’t understand English you can always get by, with hand gestures / pointing to maps / smiling / nodding – whatever works.
The train system is amazing!! You can rock up to the station anytime and a train is usually less than 5 minutes away... and if you catch the wrong one.. which has happened to us on a couple of occasions, you just get off and grab the next one heading back in the other direction, no hassles no fuss... Everything in Japan screams efficiency from the many commuting locals with closed eyes & bowed heads as they catch a quick power nap in between stops, to the self organisation employed while on escalators or stairs with the cruisers standing to the left allowing the people in a rush to zoom by on the right to the stops announced on every train in both Japanese & English (to name but a few examples). The Tokyo station is MASSIVE!!! Even so it is still very easy to navigate with clear signage.
Our taste buds are having the time of their lives! There is lots & lots of amazing foooood, mmmmmmm. We have been drinking local beers & even sampled the world famous saki (rice wine) which gives you a very nice warming kick start. Wednesday night was a perfect example of Japanese hospitality, we had just finished a day looking around a few city’s surrounding Tokyo Shibuya and also Shinjuku. We headed back to Tokyo, to enjoy some fine wining & dining. Ramen noodle soup was on the menu that night. We decided to head home via a recommended spot to see the bright, night lights that are Tokyo. On our way we were summoned by a quaint little alley. Halfway down was a sign, “Greens Bar”. A small and I mean small single room bar. We decided to head up for a night cap. We were greeted with a door only suitable for Japanese people of average height, not for giant 6 4” foreigners. June the bartender / owner had just opened & we were his first customers. We sat down & were happy to learn that June had a small amount of English under his belt, & so begun an evening of many laughs, Caricatures’, Karaoke, Saki & Mr Hase, a family friend of June (Hase said like ‘Hussey’). Ahhhh Mr Hase, such an interesting character.... He was subtly charming, smooth, 60 something and had a thing (like most Japanese) for Western Karaoke songs, he sung ‘Johnny Guitar’ in D minor. We were soon to learn that Mr Hase liked to draw, so much that he slipped under the bar to the serving side, got out his little felts and drew a portrait of us... Quite accurate he captured Damian’s bent nose and Esther’s deep-set eyes hahaha. Towards the end, Mr Hase asked Damian’s permission to dance a slow dance with Esther... SMOOOTH!!!!. All in all, it was a very fun night, especially for Esther, as her drinks didn’t cost her a cent, as she went to pay, she was told Hase had covered all her expenses. SMOOOTH .
Tokyo Disney land, wow epic... 2.5-3hrs being the standard wait time, and this was a Thursday. Worst flavoured pop corn ever (according to Esther the pop corn fiend) soy sauce and butter flavour... eeeeek. Chocolate and Curry also two interesting flavours.
After a day of sightseeing around Tokyo (Imperial Palace etc...)We wanted to see the ‘Bright lights’ so we were sent to Ginza in Tokyo, we entered a funky bar called ‘Snapper and Grouper’. A mixture of Japanese, American, Jamaican and Hawaiian. Love the way customers were greeted with loud welcome bellows as they enter the premises. A few gins, shots etc later, we took the subway (also very efficient transportation) to Rapongi, where Damian was in search for Hip Hop... Like Alice in Wonderland (Alice aka Damian) we followed the rabbit (aka a black gentleman) into his hole (aka elevator) in search of hip hop... Damian thought may point us in the right direction. We ended up guessing both the right floor & door first off... and found the rabbit! Aka ‘Godwin’, known by the Rapongi locals as ‘One Love’. Unfortunately not the desired genre. But we were directed where to go for hip hop music. Consequently spotting an African Man in Rapongi was not uncommon... there were many residing there.
Osaka! The speedy bullet train took us to Osaka (285km a hour), where we had to learn the local dialect for the few words we had learnt in Japanese. Back to scratch. The first night we found another friendly bar owner, who gave us a local delicacy (small dried fish, reminiscent of whitebait). Once again we seemed to attract quite a bit of attention. For good or funny reasons is probably debatable but it certainly creates interest & ensures a good night with lots of conversation with the locals & plenty of laughs. Somehow at one point Damian found himself locked hand in hand arm wrestling a small Japanese chap who was quite proficient in the art of Kendo (an old Japanese bamboo sword fighting martial art) & a young Japanese woman, who ended up being much stronger than she looked, unfortunately for Damian who almost had to resort to the old “over the top” strategy in order for him to keep some sort of manly honour. Working up an appetite we stumbled across a tiny back alley eatery... (don’t really want to call it a restaurant). As with most places, we can’t read the menu so just agree to anything & see what happens!! Pig was pretty much all they served...all parts of the pig... In a semi intoxicated state, with low lighting it took Esther a few mouthfuls to realise the bits that look like squid were actually pig intestines! (the waitress pointed to her stomach and made a wiggly shape when asked what it was) Mmmmm interesting. They taste porkish but if you cook them to long they get rubbery and hose like.
The next day was Sumo day!! The weather had turned on us, & a day inside sipping a few Asahi beers watching super plump athletes in giant nappy like undies in prime sumo condition slap their stomachs, asses & ultimately each other was sounding irresistible. The annual Sumo tournament is only on in Osaka once a year for 2 weeks and we had just happened to stumble in on the second week. There are apparently only 5 or 6 other such competitions annually across Japan so the timing was spot on. After watching these large individuals make their way into the sports arena with what can only be described as superstar status, we proceeded to get shown to our seats. And so began an interesting day of ring seasoning (the sumo throw salt in the ring to purify it), slapping, falling, throwing, holding & wedgie action. There is definitely a lot of down time between matches & each battle usually lasts a matter of seconds, occasionally stretching to 30 – 40 seconds & very occasionally a couple of minutes. In which case both competitors aren’t really moving much anymore so the ref let’s them take a minutes break so the “athletes” can recover.
Rain, rain & more rain. Neither deterred nor disheartened, we headed to Kyoto in search of temples & castles. One of the castles we stumbled across was amazing, a real trip to think hundreds of years ago people of great power went about their daily business within these walls. Complete with moat, giant stone walls, shogun quarters & even a nightingale floor (a slightly squeaky floor which would alert the residents of intruders), the castles many rooms had no problem holding our attention. The Toji temple had a large 5 story Pagoda, old statues including a giant Buda & a whole heap of wow. We ended the day with the golden pavilion or Rokuon-Ji Temple which was situated in an architecturally stunning compound on the edge of a massive beautiful untouched garden lake. By this point we were drenched rats especially Damian who refused to bring an umbrella as he thought the rain “wouldn’t be too bad” & was therefore not permitted to share Esther’s as he was to be “taught a lesson”. We decided to take a slight detour on our way back home & visit a small town west of Kyoto. We accidentally jumped off the JR a bit early which would account for the whole train load of people giving us odd looks (more than usual) to find we were on a bridge in a canyon in the middle of nowhere. The fading daylight & teeth chatters were a persistent urge to leave but not before we had a quick scout around & took in the unforgettable hillside scenery. Back on the JR & heading to our desired destination. As expected the smallish hillside town was a peaceful get away from the crazy city bustle which we could only enjoy for moments.
Hiroshima, the A Bomb Dome & Peace Park. Highly impacting & emotionally humbling. The A bomb dome is beautiful in a awfully hideous way. The skeleton of the prefectural Commercial Exhibition Hall was once a prize piece of Hiroshima architecture with its green dome & proud history. It is now a mere shell of its former self, & is once more a prize piece, preserved some 65 years as a constant reminder that nuclear free is the only way. A multitude of emotions are felt when you take a moment to observe the bones of this building, one emotion we were surprised to feel was a strange peacefulness. Perhaps encouraged by peace park & it’s magnificence, or possibly the inspiring never give up attitude employed which ensured Hiroshima would rise above its darkest hour. The museum located in peace park, is a necessary truth. Every photo, exhibit, model & artifact have their place in this unfortunate story. With closing time looming we had to weave through the museum ,only skimming the surface of what the was on offer. It was quite an understandably disturbing experience, definitely unforgettable & essential nevertheless.
Miyajima Island is a small island located 10km off the coast of Hiroshima. Blanketed with primeval forests, Misen San is the highest peak on Miyajima island, rising to 530 meters (1739 feet). In search of amazing views we set off on our mission to conquer the summit. This turned out to be no easy feat, especially for a couple of Auckland suburbanites, but well worth every thigh busting step. After stumbling across an island map we came to the realisation we had taken the loooong way round, which would account for the “This is not an easy trek” sign we had encountered at the base of the mountain. At the time, perhaps slightly amping if not delusional we assumed this message was aimed at the elderly or non kiwi tourist contingent. The hike, temples & summit all exceeded any expectations we secretly may have had. Damian had a great apple moment at the peak. An apple well earned with an absolutely mind blowing view is an experience I highly recommend (Damian). The descent was a mere gondola ride to the bottom, which could have been quite a relaxing peaceful ride, if not for the 2 French Canadian brothers we had encountered. Rather funny characters, who’s comedic value could only be matched with their equally funny accents. Particularly the way “house” is pronounced, which comes across like “ass”. So when a sentence “we like our asses (Houses) warm” is uttered, diplomacy & general good manners fly out the window mixed with the sounds of Damian & Esther’s roaring laughter. Dinner & a ferry ride back to mainland later, strangers become companions.
Bullet train (285km \ hr) to Fukuoka. Our final destination in Japan. It was a Saturday night & we were feeling like experiencing a bit of the Japanese nightlife. With 3 extremely recently made hostel friends by our sides we took to the streets. Somewhere along the way we encountered a group of excited (possibly or probably) drunk Japanese men huddled around throwing each other up in the air. This was really hilarious & a perfect photo opp. Intrigued by us being intrigued by them, Esther was asked to join in the antics. Before she knew what was going on she had being flung into the air several times, the sound of the men’s ”hooray’s” were only upstaged by Esther’s thrilled laughter. Damian was soon to follow, the “hoorays” turned to groans as the height of each throw quickly diminished. Possibly heavier than first perceived, a valiant effort to say the least. Smokey, Americans, Hilarious, Crowded, Alcohol, Lesbian Cougar, & Repeated Songs are a few words that spring to mind from the rest of a rather blurry night.
Our final day in Japan had arrived & what better way to end an unforgettable 2 weeks than with some fine weather and a stroll in the park at the local cherry blossom festival. The setting could not have been more picturesque as the blossoms were in full bloom. Pink & white flowers burst from all corners of the city park, of which concealed the ruins of a castle from centuries ago. Families & friends had come together to celebrate this special occasion & with them they brought fun & festivities. We meandered our way through the picnic rugs of relaxed bodies, all the while smelling the aromas of the yummy smells coming from the different picnic goers. Night fall came and the setting increased in its beauty, the cherry blossom trees had their own lighting! Spectacular sightseeing in spring, thanks Japan.
