The last couple of days in Kyoto have been great. I really enjoy this city. It it so drenched in Japanese culture, you can`t look anywhere without seeing a temple, castle or even a Geisha. And even though that sentance may imply Geisha are everywhere, they definitely are not. We haven`t seen one anyway. Even in the district where they are more commonly seen, the Gion district, they are still hard to come by. The closest we got to a Geisha was seeing a Maiko, A Geisha in training. We once snatched a brief glance but even in those split seconds, the amount of grace and beauty that Maiko had was unfathomable.
Although Kyoto is a traditional city, it still has a popular youth district and many bright lights coming from the abundance of shops and pachinko parlors. Yes it is traditional but it is also fun and lively. Just the right mix in creating the perfect city.
The day after the Imperial palace we had to leave the current hostel, which I am convinced was hell, and move to the hotel we booked in Kyoto. We booked the hotel before the trip and with a name like "Kyoto Royal Hotel & Spa" we had high expectations. And boy, did they pay off. We look out of place here I`m not going to lie. This hotel is huge, and a large majority of it is gold. I`m pretty sure I would have to sell my soul to be able to afford a cocktail at the bar, and even if I did that, I`d still be a few yen short. It`s very beautiful.
After booking into the hotel we headed to a once a month market held in Northern Kyoto. This market appears on the 25th of each month and sells a load of japanese goods from Kimonos to fans. After almost dying in the heat I decided to buy a nice masculine fan to cool me down. It is my purchase of the trip so far. It hasn`t left my side and is pretty much open non stop. The heat is still quite unbearable. The weather reports keep saying it`s going to rain so I keep feeling a little cheated when I open the curtains in the morning to a blaze of fire. However, the market was a great opportunity to just walk around and not spend much money and it was very emjoyable. It is held next to one of the major shrines so even when the bussle becomes to much you can slip away to the shrine to avoid the crowds. It proved to be a great day.
The day after that was a strange day. Not in that things were bad, just in that we kept appearing in the right places at the right time. On a "spur of the moment" decision we headed to a shrine near the hostel we previously stayed at, (the hell hostel) and just as we got there this loud music started playing. We had no idea going on, and the confusion on our faces was probably really obvious. However after a minute of the music two huge wooden doors slammed open and right before our eyes we witnessed a Japanese wedding. It was incredible. It looked a bit like an arranged marriage, (mainly because the bride and groom didn`t look very happy, and they didn`t even look at each other) but it was so great to be there at that moment and witness how things happened in a different culture. It was quite a beautiful wedding and it must be traditional to have them at shrines.
Just after that we headed to a mausoleum of a very appreciated buddhist. And whilst we were there we witnessed another ceremony. This one looked like a ceremony celebrating the buddhists life and it was all very quiet and reserved. I even made sure I turned my phone off, just in fear that I somehow distrubed such a sacred practice.
Yesterday we headed to Nijojo Castle. A Castle in the heart of Kyoto which served as the Shogun`s living and business quarters a couple of centuries ago. This was the first castle that allowed us entry into the living space and I particuarlly thought that was great. Walking through the rooms and seeing which room was used for what things was very educational. Also the gardens of the castle were very beautiful and saturated in nature. It`s so nice to see things that are so different to our own culture. I like that i can appreciate them for what they are and that they don`t bore me.
After the castle we headed to the "largest wooden structure in the world". It was Nishi-Honganji. A place of worship for Sect-Buddhism. A type of Buddhism which I especially enjoy. (See my next post for more on Buddhism). There was another ceremony going on whilst we were there and it was nice to stand on the outskirts and watch the monks pray to Buddha.
Finally. Today we went to the Golden Pavillion. A massive temple that is literally, yep you guessed it, Gold. It`s magnificint. It`s bright and most of all, it`s probably worth quite a few bob. If you come to Kyoto, go to the Golden Pavillion, my bad english simply won`t do it justice.
I apologise if this post seems a bit all over the place. We have done so much in Kyoto that it`s difficult to try and fit in descritpition`s of places without saying too much that I bore you. Thanks for reading.
The Adventure Continues.
Sayounara. Arigatou.
Tuesday, 28 June 2011
Friday, 24 June 2011
Feeling Hot, Hot, Hot.
Well they say be careful what you wish for. And they say it with reason. Just a few posts back I may have mentioned that the weather wasn't at it`s best. There was a few days were we got caught in the middle of torrential downpour, which isn't fun when you are sporting flip flops. However, we hoped for some sunshine and it seemed someone granted our wish. To a literal degree. The last couple of days have been so hot I have considered stripping to nothing just to avoid sweating gallons a second. Although, I realised that unless I wanted to emotionally scar everyone in the near vicinity it would be best to keep my clothes on. Melting temperature aside we still carried on with pretty incredible events.
Since my last post we have left Nara and came to Kyoto. The last couple of days of Nara proved to be just as enjoyable as the first couple. Nara's laid back atmosphere definitely had an effect on us and so we had a few lazy days, lounging around in Japanese gardens and chilling with the deer. We saw a few more shrines and played a bit more Mario Kart. Nara provided the down time that we needed to re-energise for the rest of the trip.
We have now been in Kyoto for two nights and have five more to go. The first day was pretty amazing, after waving goodbye to our stupidly heavy bags at the hostel we walked down to Gion, the main Geisha district. Although we did not see any Geisha we still had an amazing time. The Nishiki market was our first destination as we walked past hundreds of stalls selling things from mint tea ice-cream to baby octopus kebabs. This was the first fresh food market we had visited in Japan, and it was amazing just how many stalls they pack into such a small space.
Today we headed to The International Manga Museum. It was incredible. They literally have lined the walls with thousands of different kinds of Manga. What I thought I knew about Manga was put to the test, and the museum simply highlighted how arrogant and stupid I was to believe I knew a lot about Manga. Turns out I know nothing.. A fun attraction to the museum was the 'make your own manga` corner. It's simply a computer with a page layout similar to that of a blank manga page, and you drag characters and background's onto the page and add your own text and emotions. Well I have discovered that Hayley is a Manga artist in the making. Her manga waｓ not only hilarious, but also full of heart. It made my cheap "females smell" manga look like dirt. I applauded her efforts and then cried in the men's toilets where she couldn't hear me.
After we headed to the Imperial Palace. This palace was used when Kyoto was the capital but, when Tokyo became the new capital the Imperial family moved over there, leaving the Kyoto Imperial Palace abandoned. If it is abandoned then why the hell can't anyone go in! We walked all that way to see a frickin' 8 foot high wall and that was it. Great, Brilliant. If you are going to make the palace one of the main attractions at least allow people to see it, Just saying.
Here's hoping the next place we head to in Kyoto is open.
The Adventure Continues.
Arigatou, Sayounara
Since my last post we have left Nara and came to Kyoto. The last couple of days of Nara proved to be just as enjoyable as the first couple. Nara's laid back atmosphere definitely had an effect on us and so we had a few lazy days, lounging around in Japanese gardens and chilling with the deer. We saw a few more shrines and played a bit more Mario Kart. Nara provided the down time that we needed to re-energise for the rest of the trip.
We have now been in Kyoto for two nights and have five more to go. The first day was pretty amazing, after waving goodbye to our stupidly heavy bags at the hostel we walked down to Gion, the main Geisha district. Although we did not see any Geisha we still had an amazing time. The Nishiki market was our first destination as we walked past hundreds of stalls selling things from mint tea ice-cream to baby octopus kebabs. This was the first fresh food market we had visited in Japan, and it was amazing just how many stalls they pack into such a small space.
Today we headed to The International Manga Museum. It was incredible. They literally have lined the walls with thousands of different kinds of Manga. What I thought I knew about Manga was put to the test, and the museum simply highlighted how arrogant and stupid I was to believe I knew a lot about Manga. Turns out I know nothing.. A fun attraction to the museum was the 'make your own manga` corner. It's simply a computer with a page layout similar to that of a blank manga page, and you drag characters and background's onto the page and add your own text and emotions. Well I have discovered that Hayley is a Manga artist in the making. Her manga waｓ not only hilarious, but also full of heart. It made my cheap "females smell" manga look like dirt. I applauded her efforts and then cried in the men's toilets where she couldn't hear me.
After we headed to the Imperial Palace. This palace was used when Kyoto was the capital but, when Tokyo became the new capital the Imperial family moved over there, leaving the Kyoto Imperial Palace abandoned. If it is abandoned then why the hell can't anyone go in! We walked all that way to see a frickin' 8 foot high wall and that was it. Great, Brilliant. If you are going to make the palace one of the main attractions at least allow people to see it, Just saying.
Here's hoping the next place we head to in Kyoto is open.
The Adventure Continues.
Arigatou, Sayounara
Monday, 20 June 2011
Deer, Oh Deer.
If i had to move over to Japan and was allowed to choose what city or town I was allowed to live in Nara would be my choice without hesitation. I seriously love it here. More so than the bright lights of Tokyo or the port side sounds of Yokohama. It isn`t to big to make you feel overwhelmed and it isn`t small enough to bore you.
Today, me and Hayley decided to go and visit the second Daibutsu of our trip in Japan. This Daibutsu is supposedly the biggest in Japan and is enclosed in a temple unlike the Buddha of Kamakura which sits under the roof of the sky. Before we got there however we had to trek through a very beautiful park, its tidy appearance and brilliant water features are only made more beautiful by the wild deer that walk around as free as they like. That`s right, deer, just strolling around left, right and center. And they are incredibly tame, the first deer we saw didn`t flee as we approached it and didn`t scare when I outstretched my hand to pat it on the head. It is incredible. A place were nature still rules and is not disturbed by the destruction of our concrete creations. The deer literally made my day.
On the approach to the temple there are several vendor ladies selling deer crackers. After a moments debate we decided deer crackers were the way to go. What happened next played out at twice the speed of normal time. As soon as the lady had my money and the crackers were in my hands I was surrounded by about 15 deer. Tugging at my shirt with their teeth and ramming me from every side. One deer`s antler even poked me in an unfortunate place. However this rush was not an act of aggression, oh no, It was just playful, but It still created an adrenaline rush that I had not counted on. I decided the best way to get around this situation was to walk backwards throwing crackers without thought, I was even so stupid with my throws that a couple of crackers simply hit the deer in the face. It was however an amazing experience, It didn`t scare me, it simply filled me with joy, interacting with these deer through feeding, it was like we created a bond, a playful bond that no one will be able to have felt but us.
After the attack and quick depletion of the crackers, Hayley made me aware that she did not get to feed the deer like I had. I offered to buy more crackers for her, but she passed the offer. There was simply too many deer around and her swarm for the crackers would be twice as worse than mine.
This Daibutsu was greater than Kamakura`s. I think it is because there is more too see in the temple that it is enclosed in. Also there were English explanations to why this Buddha was important and what it meant. Something that the Kamakura Daibutsu lacked. There were more statues to gaze at and more decorations to hold the eyes attention. Don`t get me wrong the Kamakura Daibutsu was amazing, incredible even, the Nara one was just better.
Also it has become clear to me throughout our Japan visit that Japanese schools teach kids that religion is important. I think that it is good that they do. They don`t force them to believe in the religion, they just show them that religion is an important part of the country`s history and culture. My thought is that every country should do this. To keep our past in the present is an amazing way to think about why we are here and how things have changed to make civilization what it is.
Thanks for reading.
The Adventure Continues.
Today, me and Hayley decided to go and visit the second Daibutsu of our trip in Japan. This Daibutsu is supposedly the biggest in Japan and is enclosed in a temple unlike the Buddha of Kamakura which sits under the roof of the sky. Before we got there however we had to trek through a very beautiful park, its tidy appearance and brilliant water features are only made more beautiful by the wild deer that walk around as free as they like. That`s right, deer, just strolling around left, right and center. And they are incredibly tame, the first deer we saw didn`t flee as we approached it and didn`t scare when I outstretched my hand to pat it on the head. It is incredible. A place were nature still rules and is not disturbed by the destruction of our concrete creations. The deer literally made my day.
On the approach to the temple there are several vendor ladies selling deer crackers. After a moments debate we decided deer crackers were the way to go. What happened next played out at twice the speed of normal time. As soon as the lady had my money and the crackers were in my hands I was surrounded by about 15 deer. Tugging at my shirt with their teeth and ramming me from every side. One deer`s antler even poked me in an unfortunate place. However this rush was not an act of aggression, oh no, It was just playful, but It still created an adrenaline rush that I had not counted on. I decided the best way to get around this situation was to walk backwards throwing crackers without thought, I was even so stupid with my throws that a couple of crackers simply hit the deer in the face. It was however an amazing experience, It didn`t scare me, it simply filled me with joy, interacting with these deer through feeding, it was like we created a bond, a playful bond that no one will be able to have felt but us.
After the attack and quick depletion of the crackers, Hayley made me aware that she did not get to feed the deer like I had. I offered to buy more crackers for her, but she passed the offer. There was simply too many deer around and her swarm for the crackers would be twice as worse than mine.
This Daibutsu was greater than Kamakura`s. I think it is because there is more too see in the temple that it is enclosed in. Also there were English explanations to why this Buddha was important and what it meant. Something that the Kamakura Daibutsu lacked. There were more statues to gaze at and more decorations to hold the eyes attention. Don`t get me wrong the Kamakura Daibutsu was amazing, incredible even, the Nara one was just better.
Also it has become clear to me throughout our Japan visit that Japanese schools teach kids that religion is important. I think that it is good that they do. They don`t force them to believe in the religion, they just show them that religion is an important part of the country`s history and culture. My thought is that every country should do this. To keep our past in the present is an amazing way to think about why we are here and how things have changed to make civilization what it is.
Thanks for reading.
The Adventure Continues.
Saturday, 18 June 2011
Nagoya.
Nagoya was nice.
It`s a little hard to say anything more. It turns out it is the fourth largest city in Japan and seeming as it is so big, it is surprising that there is so little to do. We stayed in a place called Kanayama which appeared to be the gaming centre of the entire city. There were pachinko parlours and arcade halls as far as the eye could see, or bear to stand. The matter of the fact is that some of these buildings have enough lights to illuminate a small country. But I thought that was kind of cool. As long as you don`t mind the lights and the noise, you`ll love Nagoya.
On the first day we ventured out to Nagoya castle. After a few discouraging opinions from some Australians in the hostel the expectations for Nagoya castle were low. It is nice to say however that the expectations did not become reality. I personally thought the castle was great. There was a lot of hands on stuff and even a 10 minutes 3D film about the history of the castle and how it was destroyed in WWII. All of this for a mere 500yen, which I guess is about 4 pounds. It`s a shame the weather gods started to sense our good time and opened up the heavens, especially on the only day we decided not to take an umbrella. Brilliant.
We found a place selling umbrellas after a short soaking and headed into the high end shopping part of the town, Sakae. It was nice enough. We went into one building and after a few moments confusion the lady working there had explained that you were charged if you wanted to walk around the shop. That is right, just walk around, and that the charge was only for 30 minutes. Any longer, and you paid more. With both Hayley and my wallet wanting telling me to leave, I concluded I didn't want to browse anything in that shop if i had to pay for it.
The next day proved to be an improvement on the weather front, so me and Hayley decided we would head to Osu, after it was strongly recommended to us by the hostel owner. I loved it there. If I had to put it simply I would say Osu is to Japan as Camden is to Britain. It was insane. The variety of shops there are enough to entertain any person, of any age, of any culture. Osu was also home to the first tattoo parlour that I had seen since arriving to Japan. And my heart yearned for a tattoo as a souvenir for this trip, however after finding out how much a tattoo would cost for no bigger than the size of a 50pence piece, I ran. Lesson learnt that tattoos in Japan are costly. Osu also seems to home a more erotic section of Japan`s taste. Me and Hayley were in an electric store and after blinking suddenly found ourselves surrounded by manga of naked women. No, not real women silly, that would be too normal. But drawn women, comic book characters with there breasts out and in strange poses. Well after 10 seconds had past I felt pretty awkward, and boomed for the exit, with Hayley close at my heels. From that point on we concentrated on where we were walking.
Now we are in Nara, another rainy day is under-way and the hostel seems very nice. We are here for four nights (this current hostel for one night and another down the road for three due) and I`m already thinking that this city will deliver.
Thanks for reading
The Adventure Continues.
It`s a little hard to say anything more. It turns out it is the fourth largest city in Japan and seeming as it is so big, it is surprising that there is so little to do. We stayed in a place called Kanayama which appeared to be the gaming centre of the entire city. There were pachinko parlours and arcade halls as far as the eye could see, or bear to stand. The matter of the fact is that some of these buildings have enough lights to illuminate a small country. But I thought that was kind of cool. As long as you don`t mind the lights and the noise, you`ll love Nagoya.
On the first day we ventured out to Nagoya castle. After a few discouraging opinions from some Australians in the hostel the expectations for Nagoya castle were low. It is nice to say however that the expectations did not become reality. I personally thought the castle was great. There was a lot of hands on stuff and even a 10 minutes 3D film about the history of the castle and how it was destroyed in WWII. All of this for a mere 500yen, which I guess is about 4 pounds. It`s a shame the weather gods started to sense our good time and opened up the heavens, especially on the only day we decided not to take an umbrella. Brilliant.
We found a place selling umbrellas after a short soaking and headed into the high end shopping part of the town, Sakae. It was nice enough. We went into one building and after a few moments confusion the lady working there had explained that you were charged if you wanted to walk around the shop. That is right, just walk around, and that the charge was only for 30 minutes. Any longer, and you paid more. With both Hayley and my wallet wanting telling me to leave, I concluded I didn't want to browse anything in that shop if i had to pay for it.
The next day proved to be an improvement on the weather front, so me and Hayley decided we would head to Osu, after it was strongly recommended to us by the hostel owner. I loved it there. If I had to put it simply I would say Osu is to Japan as Camden is to Britain. It was insane. The variety of shops there are enough to entertain any person, of any age, of any culture. Osu was also home to the first tattoo parlour that I had seen since arriving to Japan. And my heart yearned for a tattoo as a souvenir for this trip, however after finding out how much a tattoo would cost for no bigger than the size of a 50pence piece, I ran. Lesson learnt that tattoos in Japan are costly. Osu also seems to home a more erotic section of Japan`s taste. Me and Hayley were in an electric store and after blinking suddenly found ourselves surrounded by manga of naked women. No, not real women silly, that would be too normal. But drawn women, comic book characters with there breasts out and in strange poses. Well after 10 seconds had past I felt pretty awkward, and boomed for the exit, with Hayley close at my heels. From that point on we concentrated on where we were walking.
Now we are in Nara, another rainy day is under-way and the hostel seems very nice. We are here for four nights (this current hostel for one night and another down the road for three due) and I`m already thinking that this city will deliver.
Thanks for reading
The Adventure Continues.
Wednesday, 15 June 2011
It`s Been A While.
This post comes after a couple of days due to the last hotel having no Internet. However it has been a great couple of days.
On our last day in Kamakura we hired bikes and cycled out to Enoshima Island. It was about an hours journey and i think my calf muscles are finally starting to take shape after all this walking and cycling. This Island itself was incredible. The first thing we did was visit the love shrine. You write your names on a board that you hang on the shrine that hopes to bring your relationship good fortune. Me and Hayley paid for a board as we thought it would be nice, and it was. After we headed to the light house on top of the island. It was nice up there because of all the kestrels that cycle round the tower. Some of these birds literally flew inches past your face, ashamed to admit however that my camera skills failed to capture the birds. Finally on the island we visited the caves. These caves had been formed from hundreds of years of erosion and some of the stories in the caves were especially cool. Dragons seemed to be a running theme of the caves so I enjoyed all the shrines. In the parts of the cave with no lighting your handed a small wooden handle with a candle on the end, so that was pretty explorative I felt. Enoshima was a top highlight for me, if you go to Japan, visit this island.
After we booked a hotel in Hakone. Hakone was a ghost town. Literally nothing there. On the first day we took a bus down to lake Ashi to see the Hakone Shrine. That was pretty neat, ever since I have researched what there is to do in Japan i wanted to go to this lake to see the shrine, and it paid off. The view of the lake and the bordering mountains was breathe taking. The fog that sat atop the mountains clouded Mt. Fuji so we couldn`t quite see it from the lake, but in turn, the fog gave the scenic view a nice touch. On our second and last day in Hakone we went to the Open-Air Museum. A garden fuel of sculptors and hands on stuff to do. I think (not including the Ghibli Museum) that the Open-Air Museum has been my favourite thing so far. Mazes to run in, eggs to climb on and sculptors boating impressive shapes made the unique garden more entertaining than the crap that muesum`s usually show.
Today we took the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Nagoya. The train was amazing. We reasearched the journey would take 5hours and 37minutes by normal trains. The Shinkansen made that journey in a mere two hours. It was fast to say the least, but very expensive, and i think that is the first and last time we will ride the train. But in Japan, it needs to be done. Hopefully Nagoya will now deliver some entertainment.
Stay Tuned.
The Adventure Continues...
Arigatou, Sayounara
On our last day in Kamakura we hired bikes and cycled out to Enoshima Island. It was about an hours journey and i think my calf muscles are finally starting to take shape after all this walking and cycling. This Island itself was incredible. The first thing we did was visit the love shrine. You write your names on a board that you hang on the shrine that hopes to bring your relationship good fortune. Me and Hayley paid for a board as we thought it would be nice, and it was. After we headed to the light house on top of the island. It was nice up there because of all the kestrels that cycle round the tower. Some of these birds literally flew inches past your face, ashamed to admit however that my camera skills failed to capture the birds. Finally on the island we visited the caves. These caves had been formed from hundreds of years of erosion and some of the stories in the caves were especially cool. Dragons seemed to be a running theme of the caves so I enjoyed all the shrines. In the parts of the cave with no lighting your handed a small wooden handle with a candle on the end, so that was pretty explorative I felt. Enoshima was a top highlight for me, if you go to Japan, visit this island.
After we booked a hotel in Hakone. Hakone was a ghost town. Literally nothing there. On the first day we took a bus down to lake Ashi to see the Hakone Shrine. That was pretty neat, ever since I have researched what there is to do in Japan i wanted to go to this lake to see the shrine, and it paid off. The view of the lake and the bordering mountains was breathe taking. The fog that sat atop the mountains clouded Mt. Fuji so we couldn`t quite see it from the lake, but in turn, the fog gave the scenic view a nice touch. On our second and last day in Hakone we went to the Open-Air Museum. A garden fuel of sculptors and hands on stuff to do. I think (not including the Ghibli Museum) that the Open-Air Museum has been my favourite thing so far. Mazes to run in, eggs to climb on and sculptors boating impressive shapes made the unique garden more entertaining than the crap that muesum`s usually show.
Today we took the Shinkansen (Bullet Train) to Nagoya. The train was amazing. We reasearched the journey would take 5hours and 37minutes by normal trains. The Shinkansen made that journey in a mere two hours. It was fast to say the least, but very expensive, and i think that is the first and last time we will ride the train. But in Japan, it needs to be done. Hopefully Nagoya will now deliver some entertainment.
Stay Tuned.
The Adventure Continues...
Arigatou, Sayounara
Saturday, 11 June 2011
Oh What A Night. (Daibutsu)
Well we are just over a week into the three month adventure and last night was probably the best night so far.
We are in Kamakura at the moment staying in our second hostel and the atmosphere is incredible. Also staying here on the first night were three other Japanese men. Iwamoto-san, Machan-san and another fellow i unfortunately didnt get the name of. Well me, hayley, the three gentleman and the hostel owner and employee all stayed up drinking into the late hours of the evening in a small Japanese bar with lots of sashimi to go with the sake. It was brilliant. Experiencing the culture like that through sheer chance was incredible. It is a night i wont soon forget. Also, if any of you try Japanese mustard in the near future, make sure you dont smear it on, I put a dab on some tuna and near blew my freakin` skull out of my body. It is strong stuff.
The morning before the drinking in Kamakura me and Hayley went to the Hasedera temple, which is the first shrine we have visited to date. It was really nice to see all the statues of the gods that are worshiped hear, and also all the beautiful scenery that comes with Kamakura. We even made a wish to one of the gods, well at least i think we did, we threw some money in a box and did a bow, i guess thats how it works, we could not read the kanji so we just copied everyone else. Probably stood out quite a bit i suppose...
Apart from the cultural bonding me and Hayley also went to the Daibutsu. An incredibly big statue of the Great Budha. It is hard to believe that it was build by hand because of its great size and detail. It truely is one of my favourite things in Japan so far. And after my poor attempt to sketch the Daibutsu we decided to head to the shopping district of Kamakura which was nice. It`s been poor weather today so our adventure has been some what affected by it.
Tomorrow however, we are cycling off to Enoshima, a beautiful island just off of Kamakura, i am excited.
The adventure continues....
We are in Kamakura at the moment staying in our second hostel and the atmosphere is incredible. Also staying here on the first night were three other Japanese men. Iwamoto-san, Machan-san and another fellow i unfortunately didnt get the name of. Well me, hayley, the three gentleman and the hostel owner and employee all stayed up drinking into the late hours of the evening in a small Japanese bar with lots of sashimi to go with the sake. It was brilliant. Experiencing the culture like that through sheer chance was incredible. It is a night i wont soon forget. Also, if any of you try Japanese mustard in the near future, make sure you dont smear it on, I put a dab on some tuna and near blew my freakin` skull out of my body. It is strong stuff.
The morning before the drinking in Kamakura me and Hayley went to the Hasedera temple, which is the first shrine we have visited to date. It was really nice to see all the statues of the gods that are worshiped hear, and also all the beautiful scenery that comes with Kamakura. We even made a wish to one of the gods, well at least i think we did, we threw some money in a box and did a bow, i guess thats how it works, we could not read the kanji so we just copied everyone else. Probably stood out quite a bit i suppose...
Apart from the cultural bonding me and Hayley also went to the Daibutsu. An incredibly big statue of the Great Budha. It is hard to believe that it was build by hand because of its great size and detail. It truely is one of my favourite things in Japan so far. And after my poor attempt to sketch the Daibutsu we decided to head to the shopping district of Kamakura which was nice. It`s been poor weather today so our adventure has been some what affected by it.
Tomorrow however, we are cycling off to Enoshima, a beautiful island just off of Kamakura, i am excited.
The adventure continues....
Tuesday, 7 June 2011
My Neighbor Totoro
Well....
The Studio Ghibli Museum is probably one of my favourite places on earth. It is so magical, full of character and charm that I never stopped smiling. From the moment I stepped inside the Museum my heart had never been so full of Joy. It was a thing of beauty.
In the museum you can watch a 15 minutes ghibli clip only avaliable there and the ticket to enter the auditorium contains original film reel from one of the films. I was lucky to get Laputa, and not My Neighbor the Yamadas, which is unfortunately the only dent in Ghibli`s near perfect armour.
The Museum immediately opens up to a house like appearance, steps leading in all directions and different rooms on different levels. It`s a place for exploration, it isn`t faceless like all other museums. There are so many things to see its hard to list them all, but one of my favourites was a hallway which had been shaped and covered in fur representing the cat bus from Totoro. Sitting inside that bus was the most comfortable I have been, I could of fallen to sleep.
I could talk forever about the museum but i guess i`d only bore most people due to my lack of creative writing skills, and probably because i`d use the word awesome too much. We also visit Shinjuku to meet a friend named Adrian. That part of the city was insane. Almost too hard to take things in because there was so much, it was abuse to the eye`s in some cases. So many buildings and signs and bright lights, we did not know where to begin. Well....I didn`t, Hayley went straight for TopShop.
Adrian took us to a Government Building in Shinjuku where you take an elevator (which was about a 30 second journey) up 45 flights to an amazing observatory of the city. It almost matched Tokyo tower. It was pretty chill.
Thanks for reading.
The Adventure Continues....
Sayounara
The Studio Ghibli Museum is probably one of my favourite places on earth. It is so magical, full of character and charm that I never stopped smiling. From the moment I stepped inside the Museum my heart had never been so full of Joy. It was a thing of beauty.
In the museum you can watch a 15 minutes ghibli clip only avaliable there and the ticket to enter the auditorium contains original film reel from one of the films. I was lucky to get Laputa, and not My Neighbor the Yamadas, which is unfortunately the only dent in Ghibli`s near perfect armour.
The Museum immediately opens up to a house like appearance, steps leading in all directions and different rooms on different levels. It`s a place for exploration, it isn`t faceless like all other museums. There are so many things to see its hard to list them all, but one of my favourites was a hallway which had been shaped and covered in fur representing the cat bus from Totoro. Sitting inside that bus was the most comfortable I have been, I could of fallen to sleep.
I could talk forever about the museum but i guess i`d only bore most people due to my lack of creative writing skills, and probably because i`d use the word awesome too much. We also visit Shinjuku to meet a friend named Adrian. That part of the city was insane. Almost too hard to take things in because there was so much, it was abuse to the eye`s in some cases. So many buildings and signs and bright lights, we did not know where to begin. Well....I didn`t, Hayley went straight for TopShop.
Adrian took us to a Government Building in Shinjuku where you take an elevator (which was about a 30 second journey) up 45 flights to an amazing observatory of the city. It almost matched Tokyo tower. It was pretty chill.
Thanks for reading.
The Adventure Continues....
Sayounara
Saturday, 4 June 2011
The First Three Days.
Konnichiwa!
Me and my Hayley are finally in Nihon. It has been a long wait to get to this point but it is finally here and it is amazing.
The first day is still a bit of a blur, after a 12 hour flight into tokyo and then a 1 and a half hour train journey from the airport to the center of Tokyo it is easy to guess that we were knackered. We didnt stray to far from the hotel in fear we might collapse in the middle of the street due to a mix of excitment and fatigue. We wandered to Ginza where there are an insane amount of shops and nothing i have ever seen before. It was mind blowing.
We ate Tempura that night, which is literally battered food, which did not sit well in my tired stomach, I held it down though. A proud moment.
After getting a full nights sleep we had an amazing second day. We went to Ueno Zoo where we saw the giant panda and where Hayley almost had a heart attack upon seeing the penguins. The zoo was incredible, maybe one of the best I have been to. The amount of children there was insane, and it was quite fun to see them all screaming at the sea lions.
After the zoo we went to Ameyoko, which is literally a thin alley lined with hundreds of market stalls. Its nice how respecful the people of Japan are, in other countries a street like that would be hell. Stall owners trying to force you into shops to buy stuff, in Japan there was nothing of the sort. Which i found to be a great trait of the country.
Today we went to Tokyo tower. What a view! We were 250 metres up in the air and the view of the city from that point was amazing! Too hard to describe in words. After that we headed to the imperial palace and a few nice gardens for some scenic views and a picnic, it was lovely.
Hope all that read this are well and happy
Stay tuned for more,as for now, the adventure continues...
Arigatou, Sayounara
Me and my Hayley are finally in Nihon. It has been a long wait to get to this point but it is finally here and it is amazing.
The first day is still a bit of a blur, after a 12 hour flight into tokyo and then a 1 and a half hour train journey from the airport to the center of Tokyo it is easy to guess that we were knackered. We didnt stray to far from the hotel in fear we might collapse in the middle of the street due to a mix of excitment and fatigue. We wandered to Ginza where there are an insane amount of shops and nothing i have ever seen before. It was mind blowing.
We ate Tempura that night, which is literally battered food, which did not sit well in my tired stomach, I held it down though. A proud moment.
After getting a full nights sleep we had an amazing second day. We went to Ueno Zoo where we saw the giant panda and where Hayley almost had a heart attack upon seeing the penguins. The zoo was incredible, maybe one of the best I have been to. The amount of children there was insane, and it was quite fun to see them all screaming at the sea lions.
After the zoo we went to Ameyoko, which is literally a thin alley lined with hundreds of market stalls. Its nice how respecful the people of Japan are, in other countries a street like that would be hell. Stall owners trying to force you into shops to buy stuff, in Japan there was nothing of the sort. Which i found to be a great trait of the country.
Today we went to Tokyo tower. What a view! We were 250 metres up in the air and the view of the city from that point was amazing! Too hard to describe in words. After that we headed to the imperial palace and a few nice gardens for some scenic views and a picnic, it was lovely.
Hope all that read this are well and happy
Stay tuned for more,as for now, the adventure continues...
Arigatou, Sayounara
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