This is a list of my observations and musings about Japan.
First thing to note is how friendly the Japanese people are. Courtesy is everywhere. About the only time you'll find shoving or what you would call "rudeness" is at a train station where everyone is just in a hurry to get somewhere. Trains run exactly on time, no ifs, buts, maybes, or otherwise. And the shoving on the subway trains is a simple fact of life in order for people to get where they are going.
The country is extremely clean and not for want of a bin. Bins are few and far between, the Japanese are just very clean people. In my time here I have only seen litter a few times. Japanese people are just so respectful of their environment. Everyday litter is removed from the streets by people using tongs to pick the litter including cigarette butts, though generally smoking is forbidden in most open places if not all open places.
The country is safe, at no time did I ever think my personal safety or my belongings security was in doubt, and I do some fairly weird things and go walkabout at very weird times of the day to do photography. I cannot say that about every country I have visited.
Almost anything you could want form a sustenance point of view is available via a vending machine, where Australia has a vending machine that stocks multiple versions of the same coke and some varieties and maybe some water, these machines will have 40 or more varieties in a machine 1/3 the size of what we have in Australia. And they are everywhere. And they are varied in what they offer, so many choices and of course not being able to rad the language I could not tell you much about the contents.
I have one golden rule when I travel, I never eat the same meal twice (breakfast excluded). In Japan, I think I could be here 6 months and still not eat the same thing twice, that would be in excess of 360 different meals.
Transportation is awesome. Taxis are highly regulated and as a result, they are exceptionally clean. Also remember you are not allowed to open/close the doors yourself unless you are sitting in the front. No matter the type of vehicle, the driver operates the rear door for you, this avoids anyone coming to harm.
Trains are also awesome, bullet trains or Shinkansen run more regularly than most suburban trains in our Australian capital cities. Subways and above ground trains are also more regular than anything I have come across. They really know how to do trains here.
09 April 2018
08 April 2018
Tokyo to Brisbane
So we arrived at the airport after an uneventful ride out and a fairly relaxed day. I had a good nap so was raring to go. We found our way up to the check in area only to see the usual massive line of people. As we were waiting one of the staff was removing a trolley and I signaled to her that I would like it. She saw the cane and bingo, we're lining up in the business class line, which was empty, and served by the next available person.
This is when the fun started, we checked in the baggage of one suitcase leaving us with my back pack and medical bag, both of which are over weight, plus Lorraine's back pack and the overweight souvenir case. After taking the checked luggage they then wanted to weigh our other bags. Lorraine stepped in immediately and pointed to my medical bag saying that I needed it in flight in case of emergency. So then they wanted to check it really did have medical gear (it has a big first aid symbol both sides to make it clear). No problem, I open it up show them each section and explain what is in the bag, yes I have a CPAP machine, no I will not be using it in flight; that's just a mess of paperwork you don't want to even try to get done. It has to be lodged 2 weeks before the flights, then they can refuse it, its easier to just turn up and state you are not using it and you are not checking it because there is no guarantee of delivery. However, you should have a doctor's letter, I do, experience has taught me this, I get at least one for each journey leg and then two more signed. I laminate two to create a pocket, keep the rest inside the pocket so I can leave them with an original if need be. They start to scan the letter (English is not their first language), so they begin to ask lots of questions, then they see the oximeter listed, with the explanation of what it is and is for, they immediately panic thinking its an oxygen tank, I reassure them it is just for measuring blood oxygen levels, so after a lengthy exchange they completely forget to weigh any other items and we are sent on our way. But not before being asked if I would like a wheelchair transfer, I politely declined, they also told me to wait in the priority seating area at the boarding gate. At the boarding gate and this is the only airport I have seen it, they have marked priority seating for disabled, parents with young children and the infirm. Normally you have to ask to board early, Narita they encourage it, a definite plus.
So after the check in, more shopping for souvenirs to use up the last of the paper and notes we have as much as we can. Some water for hydration, though Qantas supplied plenty on board. Boarding was late by about 45 minutes, not a worry, they made up 30 minutes in the air so we were only 15 minutes behind time. Boarding was simple except I accidentally sat in the wrong place. When I checked in online I took the aisle seat on the right knowing it had plenty of room, they changed our seating so I had the aisle on the left. Not a bad thing since I did get to see the rising sun and get some pictures (see below). But the leg room would have been nice as well. I've also realised sitting at the back of the plane is best. We never get up immediately preferring to wait for the plane to clear, so if you're going to wait, no reason to be at the front. And at the back less people come down to the open areas and the toilets so you always have room for stretching and never wait long for the toilet.
They served free alcohol, so I had two Jameson's neat. Food both meals (dinner and breakfast) was excellent. It was a mostly uneventful flight. Qantas are an excellent airline, I'd still pick Singapore though as my first choice, they were faultless in every way.
From the time of landing (6:10am) to getting home was 1 hour 15 minutes. Australian processing is awesome. You can scan your e-passport for a ticket which you then use for the rest of the process. Facial scanning is automatic, you collect your luggage, then its customs. We usually declare something inconsequential, in this case processed green tea known as Matcha. The declaration lines are usually the shortest and quickest in Australia. They still screen you to ask what you are declaring, customs officer just looked at us when we said we were not sure if we had to declare it and said, "no worries, that's fine, you can go straight through". That was it, no lines for the taxis, so we were away, no traffic, home in about 30 minutes.
I only took some photos out of the plane for the trip home. I saw no need to take any others, an airport is an airport. The shots you see are just before the sun has cracked the horizon. I took them from a seat in the middle of the plane looking across a passenger slightly back from me through her window using a zoom of between 220mm and 250mm, aperture was set around 6.2, ISO 6400, and shutter speed of 1/60~1/100 of a second, the window was also quite dirty. Given the above, I am more than happy to have grabbed those shots as they are.
Photos
2018-04-08 - Sunrise at 12,000 metres
This is when the fun started, we checked in the baggage of one suitcase leaving us with my back pack and medical bag, both of which are over weight, plus Lorraine's back pack and the overweight souvenir case. After taking the checked luggage they then wanted to weigh our other bags. Lorraine stepped in immediately and pointed to my medical bag saying that I needed it in flight in case of emergency. So then they wanted to check it really did have medical gear (it has a big first aid symbol both sides to make it clear). No problem, I open it up show them each section and explain what is in the bag, yes I have a CPAP machine, no I will not be using it in flight; that's just a mess of paperwork you don't want to even try to get done. It has to be lodged 2 weeks before the flights, then they can refuse it, its easier to just turn up and state you are not using it and you are not checking it because there is no guarantee of delivery. However, you should have a doctor's letter, I do, experience has taught me this, I get at least one for each journey leg and then two more signed. I laminate two to create a pocket, keep the rest inside the pocket so I can leave them with an original if need be. They start to scan the letter (English is not their first language), so they begin to ask lots of questions, then they see the oximeter listed, with the explanation of what it is and is for, they immediately panic thinking its an oxygen tank, I reassure them it is just for measuring blood oxygen levels, so after a lengthy exchange they completely forget to weigh any other items and we are sent on our way. But not before being asked if I would like a wheelchair transfer, I politely declined, they also told me to wait in the priority seating area at the boarding gate. At the boarding gate and this is the only airport I have seen it, they have marked priority seating for disabled, parents with young children and the infirm. Normally you have to ask to board early, Narita they encourage it, a definite plus.
So after the check in, more shopping for souvenirs to use up the last of the paper and notes we have as much as we can. Some water for hydration, though Qantas supplied plenty on board. Boarding was late by about 45 minutes, not a worry, they made up 30 minutes in the air so we were only 15 minutes behind time. Boarding was simple except I accidentally sat in the wrong place. When I checked in online I took the aisle seat on the right knowing it had plenty of room, they changed our seating so I had the aisle on the left. Not a bad thing since I did get to see the rising sun and get some pictures (see below). But the leg room would have been nice as well. I've also realised sitting at the back of the plane is best. We never get up immediately preferring to wait for the plane to clear, so if you're going to wait, no reason to be at the front. And at the back less people come down to the open areas and the toilets so you always have room for stretching and never wait long for the toilet.
They served free alcohol, so I had two Jameson's neat. Food both meals (dinner and breakfast) was excellent. It was a mostly uneventful flight. Qantas are an excellent airline, I'd still pick Singapore though as my first choice, they were faultless in every way.
From the time of landing (6:10am) to getting home was 1 hour 15 minutes. Australian processing is awesome. You can scan your e-passport for a ticket which you then use for the rest of the process. Facial scanning is automatic, you collect your luggage, then its customs. We usually declare something inconsequential, in this case processed green tea known as Matcha. The declaration lines are usually the shortest and quickest in Australia. They still screen you to ask what you are declaring, customs officer just looked at us when we said we were not sure if we had to declare it and said, "no worries, that's fine, you can go straight through". That was it, no lines for the taxis, so we were away, no traffic, home in about 30 minutes.
I only took some photos out of the plane for the trip home. I saw no need to take any others, an airport is an airport. The shots you see are just before the sun has cracked the horizon. I took them from a seat in the middle of the plane looking across a passenger slightly back from me through her window using a zoom of between 220mm and 250mm, aperture was set around 6.2, ISO 6400, and shutter speed of 1/60~1/100 of a second, the window was also quite dirty. Given the above, I am more than happy to have grabbed those shots as they are.
Photos
2018-04-08 - Sunrise at 12,000 metres
07 April 2018
Tokyo Wanderings III + Pre-Dawn Meander
Well today was a little laid back for us, it always is on the last day. Lorraine always get anxious about the luggage limits ( more on that later), and she detests hanging around preferring to just get under way for home. With a 19:55 flight, that was never going to be a good day for her.
I had a toss and turn night so I got up to meander for some early morning photos, except that Tokyo is so well lit up that effects are very hard to come by without local knowledge. I only did a few shots at the garden pathway behind the hotel and the shrine we could see. I got lucky on that one, a man turned up to pray so some long shutter shots on interval timing had me getting a ghostly image climbing the stairs, stopping to pray and then exit stage left. I made a couple of GIFs using the interval shots for both locations.
I also took a picture of the bath room simply because it just felt really weird. All our rooms had tubs and you usually shower standing on the tub. Not Citadines Central, with their setup you stand next to the tub and shower on the outside. There is floor to ceiling glass so no splashing on the rest of the room and even better no shower curtain, but it is surreal and goes against every instinct you have to stand in the tub.
So first order of the day was to pack the bags and ensure we could fit everything. We could as we did bring one empty small carry on for souvenirs with a back pack inside it. Then weight was the issue to consider. Lorraine was sure the medium suitcase with our clothing and some non-delicate souvenirs would be over. I won that bet at 7kgs under the max of 32kgs. The souvenirs however were over the 7kgs limits by 2kgs, she'll be right mate. I knew my bags were over without even weighing them, you just need to act like they are not heavy, and of course me being mobility disabled, I always look like I am struggling just to stand up, let alone balance a back pack and push a small suitcase. But more about the luggage in the next blog entry.
Second order of business was to book our airport rail transfer. So we wandered up to Shinjuku station to the JR office, two tickets, one way, reserved seats (no charge for the reservation of seats) all up cost around $50 for both of us. Not bad really considering it is a 90 minute train ride and the estimate for the taxi is about $400 and is only 20 minutes quicker and subject to traffic issues.
So then we just strolled back to the hotel, packed away the additional souvenirs we just bought and relaxed until checkout at 11am. We left the baggage at the hotel for later pickup to do some more wandering and get some lunch. We found this place which required walking down some narrow steep stairs, one at a time for me, only to be told full on that level go down to the next level, so yes we are in basement 2 or B2F as they refer to it. We take a table to find it is all remote control ordering. Pick up the tablet, scan through the pictures, select your meals and drinks and 5 minutes later there they are. Another brilliant cubby hole in the wall meal.
More wandering until we decided to just head back to the hotel lobby for some more rest.
Finally tired of waiting we headed off, we decided to try the underground shopping centre route. The logic was a small dose of pain getting the suitcases down the steps for the pleasure of rolling them most of the way along smooth shopping centre floors rather than struggling on street pavements with driving and road crossing edges etc etc.
Through the underground shopping complex to the combined underground above ground shopping I forgot the level change so even though we got off at 1F, that was B2F of the Train station, so up another escalator. They have escalators everywhere, its rare to find a set of steps without an escalator next to it. If its going the wrong way, find the next set of stairs and the escalator is most likely going your way this time. Cross the road and we're there.
Tickets out, through the gate, take an elevator down to the platform to be bombarded with a wind that would freeze the balls of a brass monkey. Lucky for us there was a waiting room with empty seats. We hung around for around 55minutes waiting for our train. Got on, took our seats, I fell asleep, Lorraine stared off into the farmland. An uneventful train ride. Next blog entry will tell our travel story.
Photo
2018-04-07 - Tokyo Pre-Dawn Meander
2018-04-06 - Tokyo Wanderings III
I had a toss and turn night so I got up to meander for some early morning photos, except that Tokyo is so well lit up that effects are very hard to come by without local knowledge. I only did a few shots at the garden pathway behind the hotel and the shrine we could see. I got lucky on that one, a man turned up to pray so some long shutter shots on interval timing had me getting a ghostly image climbing the stairs, stopping to pray and then exit stage left. I made a couple of GIFs using the interval shots for both locations.
I also took a picture of the bath room simply because it just felt really weird. All our rooms had tubs and you usually shower standing on the tub. Not Citadines Central, with their setup you stand next to the tub and shower on the outside. There is floor to ceiling glass so no splashing on the rest of the room and even better no shower curtain, but it is surreal and goes against every instinct you have to stand in the tub.
So first order of the day was to pack the bags and ensure we could fit everything. We could as we did bring one empty small carry on for souvenirs with a back pack inside it. Then weight was the issue to consider. Lorraine was sure the medium suitcase with our clothing and some non-delicate souvenirs would be over. I won that bet at 7kgs under the max of 32kgs. The souvenirs however were over the 7kgs limits by 2kgs, she'll be right mate. I knew my bags were over without even weighing them, you just need to act like they are not heavy, and of course me being mobility disabled, I always look like I am struggling just to stand up, let alone balance a back pack and push a small suitcase. But more about the luggage in the next blog entry.
Second order of business was to book our airport rail transfer. So we wandered up to Shinjuku station to the JR office, two tickets, one way, reserved seats (no charge for the reservation of seats) all up cost around $50 for both of us. Not bad really considering it is a 90 minute train ride and the estimate for the taxi is about $400 and is only 20 minutes quicker and subject to traffic issues.
So then we just strolled back to the hotel, packed away the additional souvenirs we just bought and relaxed until checkout at 11am. We left the baggage at the hotel for later pickup to do some more wandering and get some lunch. We found this place which required walking down some narrow steep stairs, one at a time for me, only to be told full on that level go down to the next level, so yes we are in basement 2 or B2F as they refer to it. We take a table to find it is all remote control ordering. Pick up the tablet, scan through the pictures, select your meals and drinks and 5 minutes later there they are. Another brilliant cubby hole in the wall meal.
More wandering until we decided to just head back to the hotel lobby for some more rest.
Finally tired of waiting we headed off, we decided to try the underground shopping centre route. The logic was a small dose of pain getting the suitcases down the steps for the pleasure of rolling them most of the way along smooth shopping centre floors rather than struggling on street pavements with driving and road crossing edges etc etc.
Through the underground shopping complex to the combined underground above ground shopping I forgot the level change so even though we got off at 1F, that was B2F of the Train station, so up another escalator. They have escalators everywhere, its rare to find a set of steps without an escalator next to it. If its going the wrong way, find the next set of stairs and the escalator is most likely going your way this time. Cross the road and we're there.
Tickets out, through the gate, take an elevator down to the platform to be bombarded with a wind that would freeze the balls of a brass monkey. Lucky for us there was a waiting room with empty seats. We hung around for around 55minutes waiting for our train. Got on, took our seats, I fell asleep, Lorraine stared off into the farmland. An uneventful train ride. Next blog entry will tell our travel story.
Photo
2018-04-07 - Tokyo Pre-Dawn Meander
2018-04-06 - Tokyo Wanderings III
06 April 2018
Tokyo Wanderings II
Well what a massive day today, we had a real Tokyo experience. Today's agenda was Ueno Gardens followed by the shopping district, Sensoji Temple, Tokyo Skytree Tower and then home.
We left early for Shinjuku Station, middle of peak hour, using the underground walkways. Found our platform on the subway and were gobsmacked at the number of people. Then we got the real metro experience. You see the videos of "shovers" pushing people into train cars in Tokyo, we had that very experience. I stumbled in first and as Lorraine put it, was simply swallowed into a miasma of people. I glanced over and laughed as she was being shoved by this woman wanting to get on. She literally had her back into Lorraine and was pushing backwards to get into the car before the doors closed. No need to hold onto anything, the crowd supports you swaying forward, backward, side to side, it was fucking awesome. We couldn't stop laughing. Next stop, people pile out, people pile in, the shoving begins all over again. We took our stop, getting out to change trains and again another shoving experience. The first train was "full", the "shover" held us over (trains are about every 6 minutes), I took some pictures of the "sardines". I missed getting a picture of one guy as the train passed by looking like he had been splattered across the window, arms overhead and askew, cheek firmly planted on the glass with his head sideways. We boarded the next train, lucky for us this time we were going to the end of the line, the before and after photos are hilarious.
Ueno Gardens is large, it contains the National Museum, the Ueno Zoo (look at the cones marking out the lines for busy days), temples, shrines, market stalls, avenues lined with cherry blossoms and camellias, ponds, and gardens. It was another oasis in the middle of a busy city. The Japanese certainly know how to deliver serenity.
Outside the park is a shopping district. I found another camera shop, and yep, purchased more gear, its just a Nikon lens cover for the new lens, the Sigma cover was painful to use.
From here it was back to the subway station to head to Sensoji Temple (the oldest Buddhist Temple in the world). On the way, we finally found a tea shop where we could purchase a nice matcha tea bowl each. Leading into the temple, we didn't realise was there were some really brilliant market stalls leading up to the temple. We both were able to tick off some more final souvenirs. For me I always buy a hat, hat/lapel pins from each place we visited to pin on the hat, a shot glass, and a mini flag. I had until then everything except for the flag, until I found a great shop. The old man who owned it had been to the Sydney 2000 Olympics so we had a brief chat about Australia. I also managed to finally find some Japanese sandals in my size (3L). Lorraine managed to find some more last minute gifts. We also had some ice-cream that was just creamy and smooth.
The temple was stunning, very large, there was an incense burning area out front where you can add your own purchased incense and then stand in the cleansing smoke wafting out.
From there we decided to walk to the Skytree Tower over the river. We took plenty of photos of the tower but didn't feel the need to ascend it. The wait times were ridiculous and having already seen fairly much the same vista from the metropolitan towers for free, the entry prices seemed excessive to us.
From there we headed back to the subway, we wanted to beat the peak rush home again. As enjoyable as it was in the morning, we did have some delicate souvenirs that couldn't be crushed. We had a little subway mix-up and acting on the instructions we had prepared and downloaded onto my phone got off the train one station too early. After eventually consulting one of the helpful staff as we couldn't work out why the interchange was impossible, we found out the error, boarded for one more stop and changed over lines to make our way home. We did decide to get off one stop early intentionally in order to walk a different way home, same distance, just different view.
After a rest we went across the road for a dinner. Every patron had their own personal curtained off dining area, you have a doorbell buzzer on the table in order to summon the staff, and the food again was just superb. One thing I cannot remember mentioning is that almost without exception, toilets anywhere around Japan are exceptionally clean, some public toilets even have bidets and heated seats. Restaurants such as this also supply you with mouthwash, cotton buds, air freshener, toothpicks, and dental floss, all in the basin wash up area. And the wash up area is spotless.
After dinner we wanted to go to another spot recommended by a friend, but a combination of very sore feet (mine with blisters), sore legs, spots of rain, and very high winds, it just knocked it out of us. We headed back to the hotel to rest, shower, watch some TV and research how to get to Narita Airport tomorrow by train. By the way, Japanese TV has to be seen to be believed and the ads are completely nuts and make no sense.
Tomorrow we will have a quiet day, pack in the morning, check out, organise the rail tickets, then chill out somewhere, before bidding Tokyo farewell. If we can we will post from the airport, if not the next entry will be in two days (backdated to Saturday) from home. Its been a hectic, fast paced, no holds barred visit to Japan over 10 days and it has been simply awesome. Mostly because the Japanese people are simply awesome.
Photos
2018-04-06 - Tokyo Wanderings II
We left early for Shinjuku Station, middle of peak hour, using the underground walkways. Found our platform on the subway and were gobsmacked at the number of people. Then we got the real metro experience. You see the videos of "shovers" pushing people into train cars in Tokyo, we had that very experience. I stumbled in first and as Lorraine put it, was simply swallowed into a miasma of people. I glanced over and laughed as she was being shoved by this woman wanting to get on. She literally had her back into Lorraine and was pushing backwards to get into the car before the doors closed. No need to hold onto anything, the crowd supports you swaying forward, backward, side to side, it was fucking awesome. We couldn't stop laughing. Next stop, people pile out, people pile in, the shoving begins all over again. We took our stop, getting out to change trains and again another shoving experience. The first train was "full", the "shover" held us over (trains are about every 6 minutes), I took some pictures of the "sardines". I missed getting a picture of one guy as the train passed by looking like he had been splattered across the window, arms overhead and askew, cheek firmly planted on the glass with his head sideways. We boarded the next train, lucky for us this time we were going to the end of the line, the before and after photos are hilarious.
Ueno Gardens is large, it contains the National Museum, the Ueno Zoo (look at the cones marking out the lines for busy days), temples, shrines, market stalls, avenues lined with cherry blossoms and camellias, ponds, and gardens. It was another oasis in the middle of a busy city. The Japanese certainly know how to deliver serenity.
Outside the park is a shopping district. I found another camera shop, and yep, purchased more gear, its just a Nikon lens cover for the new lens, the Sigma cover was painful to use.
From here it was back to the subway station to head to Sensoji Temple (the oldest Buddhist Temple in the world). On the way, we finally found a tea shop where we could purchase a nice matcha tea bowl each. Leading into the temple, we didn't realise was there were some really brilliant market stalls leading up to the temple. We both were able to tick off some more final souvenirs. For me I always buy a hat, hat/lapel pins from each place we visited to pin on the hat, a shot glass, and a mini flag. I had until then everything except for the flag, until I found a great shop. The old man who owned it had been to the Sydney 2000 Olympics so we had a brief chat about Australia. I also managed to finally find some Japanese sandals in my size (3L). Lorraine managed to find some more last minute gifts. We also had some ice-cream that was just creamy and smooth.
The temple was stunning, very large, there was an incense burning area out front where you can add your own purchased incense and then stand in the cleansing smoke wafting out.
From there we decided to walk to the Skytree Tower over the river. We took plenty of photos of the tower but didn't feel the need to ascend it. The wait times were ridiculous and having already seen fairly much the same vista from the metropolitan towers for free, the entry prices seemed excessive to us.
From there we headed back to the subway, we wanted to beat the peak rush home again. As enjoyable as it was in the morning, we did have some delicate souvenirs that couldn't be crushed. We had a little subway mix-up and acting on the instructions we had prepared and downloaded onto my phone got off the train one station too early. After eventually consulting one of the helpful staff as we couldn't work out why the interchange was impossible, we found out the error, boarded for one more stop and changed over lines to make our way home. We did decide to get off one stop early intentionally in order to walk a different way home, same distance, just different view.
After a rest we went across the road for a dinner. Every patron had their own personal curtained off dining area, you have a doorbell buzzer on the table in order to summon the staff, and the food again was just superb. One thing I cannot remember mentioning is that almost without exception, toilets anywhere around Japan are exceptionally clean, some public toilets even have bidets and heated seats. Restaurants such as this also supply you with mouthwash, cotton buds, air freshener, toothpicks, and dental floss, all in the basin wash up area. And the wash up area is spotless.
After dinner we wanted to go to another spot recommended by a friend, but a combination of very sore feet (mine with blisters), sore legs, spots of rain, and very high winds, it just knocked it out of us. We headed back to the hotel to rest, shower, watch some TV and research how to get to Narita Airport tomorrow by train. By the way, Japanese TV has to be seen to be believed and the ads are completely nuts and make no sense.
Tomorrow we will have a quiet day, pack in the morning, check out, organise the rail tickets, then chill out somewhere, before bidding Tokyo farewell. If we can we will post from the airport, if not the next entry will be in two days (backdated to Saturday) from home. Its been a hectic, fast paced, no holds barred visit to Japan over 10 days and it has been simply awesome. Mostly because the Japanese people are simply awesome.
Photos
2018-04-06 - Tokyo Wanderings II
05 April 2018
Tokyo Wanderings I
"Japanese girls think I'm cute, that is all."
Sean
We will get to that a bit later.
Today we had a few destinations in mind, the Metropolitan Building Observatory, Shibuya Crossing and the Imperial Gardens.
Firstly the Metro building was within walking distance from our hotel. We headed up to the 40 something floor and gazed upon a spectacular panoramic view of Shinjuku. As Sean mentioned above, as I took his photo against one of the windows, a young Japanese lady told him to stay there, took his photo and said he was cute. I think it's because his outfit screams Australian Tourist but I'll let him have this one.
To get to Shibuya, we needed to catch the subway, tourists can buy a multi-day, multi-subway pass from selected retailers (Tokyo has 2 subway networks plus JR Trains). Now going to the Metro Building we went past the Shinjuku station overland, however Tokyo has networks of sub ground level pathways, so we were able to go all the way back (1.5kms) to Shinjuku, underground and even use moving walkways, awesome. So the retailer who sells the tickets, yes Scott, I will get around to you one day, it was BIC Cameras. So after buying the tickets, naturally Sean had to buy more camera gear.
We then caught a subway train to Shibuya. Now Shibuya is known for its seven way intersection featured in many movies include the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift (love that movie). We arrived at lunch time so it wasn't as chaotic as expected but I can imagine what it would be like on weekends. Nevertheless we walked through the crossing at least 5 times. We then wandered around and looked for somewhere to eat. We saw a billboard advertising food in front of a grungy elevator. Ebony did tell us not to be fooled by appearances so we took a punt, got in and up we went to 6F. It opened out onto a nice entry hall with 3 restaurants facing the elevator. The food was great as always but again can't tell you what I had but it was yummy and reasonably priced. She was right.
Back out and onto the subway again. This time to the Imperial Garden. Stunning stunning stunning!! Of course we went through the obligatory bag check but entry was free, however you are given a token on the way in which you must surrender on the way out, its how they account for all persons entering and exiting the gardens. The Gardens belong to the Emperor and back in the day, housed soldiers to protect him and the surrounding lands. Some of the barracks are still standing and we were able to go into one which I opted to do. Shoes off and in I went. Surprisingly the ceiling was quite low so persons 6ft and over would have to bend. It was ridiculously cold in the gardens and you'll see we are dressed as if it is Winter.
On a side note, we have had brilliant weather during our holiday. Osaka was cold but sunny, Hiroshima and Kyoto were like warm spring days and even in Tokyo yesterday it was 27 degrees. This morning however was overcast and the temperature was only going to get to 15 degrees. I swear it got colder as the day wore on hence the scarves and gloves in the photos.
Tomorrow we are off to the Sensoji Temple and Ueno Park. I'm sure it will be another big day but it is our second last day so we are going to make the most of it.
Photos
2018-04-05 - Tokyo Wanderings I
Sean
We will get to that a bit later.
Today we had a few destinations in mind, the Metropolitan Building Observatory, Shibuya Crossing and the Imperial Gardens.
Firstly the Metro building was within walking distance from our hotel. We headed up to the 40 something floor and gazed upon a spectacular panoramic view of Shinjuku. As Sean mentioned above, as I took his photo against one of the windows, a young Japanese lady told him to stay there, took his photo and said he was cute. I think it's because his outfit screams Australian Tourist but I'll let him have this one.
To get to Shibuya, we needed to catch the subway, tourists can buy a multi-day, multi-subway pass from selected retailers (Tokyo has 2 subway networks plus JR Trains). Now going to the Metro Building we went past the Shinjuku station overland, however Tokyo has networks of sub ground level pathways, so we were able to go all the way back (1.5kms) to Shinjuku, underground and even use moving walkways, awesome. So the retailer who sells the tickets, yes Scott, I will get around to you one day, it was BIC Cameras. So after buying the tickets, naturally Sean had to buy more camera gear.
We then caught a subway train to Shibuya. Now Shibuya is known for its seven way intersection featured in many movies include the Fast and the Furious Tokyo Drift (love that movie). We arrived at lunch time so it wasn't as chaotic as expected but I can imagine what it would be like on weekends. Nevertheless we walked through the crossing at least 5 times. We then wandered around and looked for somewhere to eat. We saw a billboard advertising food in front of a grungy elevator. Ebony did tell us not to be fooled by appearances so we took a punt, got in and up we went to 6F. It opened out onto a nice entry hall with 3 restaurants facing the elevator. The food was great as always but again can't tell you what I had but it was yummy and reasonably priced. She was right.
Back out and onto the subway again. This time to the Imperial Garden. Stunning stunning stunning!! Of course we went through the obligatory bag check but entry was free, however you are given a token on the way in which you must surrender on the way out, its how they account for all persons entering and exiting the gardens. The Gardens belong to the Emperor and back in the day, housed soldiers to protect him and the surrounding lands. Some of the barracks are still standing and we were able to go into one which I opted to do. Shoes off and in I went. Surprisingly the ceiling was quite low so persons 6ft and over would have to bend. It was ridiculously cold in the gardens and you'll see we are dressed as if it is Winter.
On a side note, we have had brilliant weather during our holiday. Osaka was cold but sunny, Hiroshima and Kyoto were like warm spring days and even in Tokyo yesterday it was 27 degrees. This morning however was overcast and the temperature was only going to get to 15 degrees. I swear it got colder as the day wore on hence the scarves and gloves in the photos.
Tomorrow we are off to the Sensoji Temple and Ueno Park. I'm sure it will be another big day but it is our second last day so we are going to make the most of it.
Photos
2018-04-05 - Tokyo Wanderings I
04 April 2018
Kyoto last day, then on to Tokyo
Today was a big day. Sean, as usual was up early (4.30am) and took off to take some pre-dawn photos while I snoozed like a normal human. He decided to walk to the Gion district. Kyoto's night life was in full swing. He decided to cut through to the back alleys to take a few snaps when he stumbled onto the ugly side of Japan, a pool of blood on the pavement and someone's tooth in the middle. As he kept walking he followed a blood trail signifying some very serious blood loss. Then a bit further along 3 police with a person they had arrested, possibly waiting for a vehicle to take him away. He said he still felt safe but kept his wits about him.
He then proceeded to the Geisha district hoping to see a few but no luck. That's what he tells me anyway.
Returning back to the hotel (5.30 am) there were plenty of party goers exiting clubs, obviously very drunk and very jolly.
The usual breakfast, pack up, and checkout had us at the rail station far too early as is usual for us. When the bullet train finally arrived, it was at this time I panicked as there were people in our booked seats. Some quick questions revealed they were not aware it was a reserved car and they moved on. While on the train we noticed that every time a conductor walked through the carriage he would turn around and bow before exiting.
The train ride was uneventful but we were hoping to catch a glimpse of Mt Fuji as we headed into Tokyo. The left sides seats became vacant at the second last stop so we jumped over but no Mt Fuji. It was probably on another line out of Tokyo in a different direction. Oops rookie mistake.
We changed to the local rail for a connection to Shinjuku station. A kindly old gentlemen helped us work out what line to catch. We then had to walk 750m to our hotel. Our room was ready on arrival so we headed up to unpack and take a quick break. All up hotel to hotel was around 5 hours (for ~450kms traveled).
We then went for a walk, first stopping for a late lunch at a cute but dingy looking restaurant which apparently has been operating for over 60 years. For less than 2000Yen ($24) we had two very delicious meals, iced tea each and a beer for Sean. :-O Interesting fact, some restaurants have vending machines in the doorways displaying their meals. As you enter you push the button for the meal you want, insert your money, take the ticket, present it to the chef, and then take a seat. This was the process for this restaurant however being foreigners and not realising, they took our order and put our money in the vending machine at the end of the meal. Again very nice friendly people. Another fun fact, when you leave all the staff shout out "goodbye" and "thank you".
After a more than hearty meal, we wandered over to the Shinjuku Gyoen National Garden. Now we thought this was just another stunning park but this was a whole lot more. First of all you had to have your bags checked at the gates (no alcohol, no pets, no sport games or toys, no pro-photography, no music or loud noises, no bikes, no furniture or picnic gear that makes smoke like a hibachi, no smoking, and no feeding the animals or removing fauna or flora), then pay to get in, and then you can wander around. The park had three specific types of gardens, Japanese, English and French, as well as some very old oak trees. Unfortunately we only got as far as the Japanese Garden but wow!! Stunning gardens, some very awesome shots from both of us. After about an hour (it closes at 4:30pm) we battled the crowds and headed back the apartment. Lucky me, Sean found another BIC Camera store and bought a shoulder strap. Thanks Scott for alerting him to this store, I will discuss this with you when I get home!!
Back to the hotel but not without a quick stop in at Mister Donut to buy some decadent snacks, see the pictures.
We headed out again in the evening to see the Tokyo nightlife. Walking through the Shinjuku district we came across the Robot Restaurant. Very flashy, very loud, very popular. As we continued on we realised we had wandered into the red light district. It's sort of like Kings Cross on steroids. In fact Shinjuku district is a lot like NY Times Square on steroids, and not just normal steroids, we're talking horse level steroids.
After taking in the sites, sounds and lights and the thousands of people who flock to the area we headed back to the apartment to plan the next few days. We will be using the JR East Rail and Subway network, click on each name to see the maps, I haven't even tried to count the stations, but seriously, where can they fit all of these trains stations? Even though it looks ridiculous, it's not too bad, it is all colour coded and the station staff are very helpful. Besides, I have my human compass.
On a side note, there are thousands of people in this place!!!!!!!
Photos
2018-04-04 - Kyoto early morning wanderings
2018-04-04 - Kyoto last day, then on to Tokyo
2018-04-04 - Tokyo
03 April 2018
Kyoto Tea Ceremony and Wanderings
Another great day in Kyoto.
We had a few chores to run before the day really got going, one being reserving tickets for our train to Tokyo. This time we booked seats all the way through, no changing trains, no standing up. Unfortunately though we could not get seats on the Mt Fuji side of the train.
On the way to the station we discovered a few graveyards hidden away by high fencing. The headstones are quite close together and they are crammed packed. There were also lots of small shrines and temples along the way but as we got closer to the railway station, the mother of all Temples appeared. Mind blown! Turns out it was the Higashi Honganji Temple, a Buddhist temple. It is one of the largest wooden buildings in Kyoto and one of the largest in the world. We stopped in for a brief look with the intention of returning later for a better look.
We had booked a private tea ceremony with Ju-An Tea Ceremonies. We took a few wrong turns to find it and ended up being a little late but it was no problem for our host, Miki. We had to remove our shoes upon entering and she showed us into a small room lined with matting and carpet. There were a few symbols in the alcoves and the tea making implements on the floor. The photos show it better than I can explain. Miki welcomed us, it was floor seating but she had a small stool for Sean. She explained to us the history of tea in Japan, she demonstrated the tea ceremony and then showed us how to make Matcha tea. The tea ceremony was very structured and everything was done in a very precise and respectful way even right down to wiping the tea canister before and after use. We didn't know anything about Matcha tea before we started but now we are experts :). It was surprising to see that the tea was actually frothy and light. Apparently the tea leaves are ground into a powder and that is how you buy it. You add hot water (80 degrees, no more) and then whisk until frothy. For the traditional tea ceremony there is a particular way you put the powder in the bowl, how you whisk it and even which way you drink it (turn the bowl clockwise twice, drink, slurp the remnants and then counter clockwise twice when you are finished). There are specific tools you use too, a bamboo spoon and a special type of whisk. It was such a great experience. It was a small window of serenity in what has been an otherwise hectic holiday. Once finished and shoes on there was a carp pond just outside. Plenty of fish and a nice way to end our experience.
We then headed over to Kyoto Tower and up to the observation deck to take in a spectacular panoramic view of Kyoto. The Tower is 131 metres high and is the tallest building in Kyoto. Not too many people up there which was good. We then headed back down, got a quick bite to eat (not exactly sure what it was, but delicious) and then headed back to the Temple. Words cannot describe the size of the two buildings we saw. Even the photos won't do it justice. Again not too many people so I took the opportunity to go inside the main temple. Shoes off (they provide plastic bags for you to put them in) and off I went. Inside the room was huge with a only floor matting, no seats. At the front were various screens but nothing too ornate. People were inside praying and sitting among them was quite calming. I sat there for a little while and then headed back out to Sean. Shoes on and we were off again.
Walking back to our neighborhood, we got off the main road and meandered through the back alleys. Hardly anyone was around in some areas. There were quite a few guest houses, a smattering of tiny restaurants and residential homes. It was interesting to see that the guest houses and residences were quite plain but the doorways were filled with plants, symbolic statues and lettering. The doors to the homes were quite close to the road and they were sliding doors, you literally step out onto the roadway.
During our wanderings we came across another massive Temple. Again the size was incredible and again I took my shoes off and wandered inside. This one had seating and the front was like an altar with lots of black and gold objects. Just gorgeous. This time I was the only one inside.
Shoes back on and we were off again. This time to do a spot of shopping at Shinkyogoku. It was a big day and my feet are killing me.
Dinner was at a movie theatre, burgers, Japanese style, they tasted incredibly good.
Anyway tomorrow we are off to Tokyo. We have an additional night there so two full days and two half days and we intend to cram in as much as we can before we go.
Lorraine
PS from Sean, I finally got my Sigma 18-300 lens for my DSLR, tax free (you supply your passport and they attach the receipt for checking at customs), around a $200 saving form what I would pay in Australia. Its an awesome lens, it allows me to not have to continually change the lens for long, short and macro shots.
PPS from Sean, I also managed to pick up some Samurai daggers, I was perplexed at first why she was gift wrapping them, doing individual receipts and then placing the receipts into separate envelopes. Then she explained it is a customs process and she needs to certify they are replicas, it is apparently illegal to export the genuine thing without a license. I purchased daggers instead of swords as they fit into the luggage, swords would need to be wrapped in secure wrapping for the flight in the checked luggage and honestly there is no guarantee they would arrive.
Photos
2018-04-03 - Kyoto Tea Ceremony and wanderings
02 April 2018
Hiroshima to Kyoto & wanderings plus Sean's insomnia pics
Big day today.
We headed to Kyoto today via bullet train which meant another encounter with the madness they call Japan Rail. All was going smoothly until we got to the platform and saw a train that was heading to Kyoto so naturally we got on board. Twenty minutes in the conductor comes checking tickets and advises us that we have caught the wrong line. Our tickets are only good for JR Rail and we were on different line which meant getting off at the next station. After a short wait we managed to board the right train but had to stand for the first leg (30 min) as there were no seats available. We had to change trains at Kobe but we had reserved seats so that made a big difference to the last leg of our journey. We cabbed it to the hotel because I was not going to tangle with the bus lines. I'd had enough of the public transport system for one day.
It turns out our hotel is located smack bang in the middle of busy Shinkyogoku Street. It is a massive eating and shopping district that surrounds our hotel. It's brilliant, there is so much to see. It is also a short walk to Gion, the Geisha district which was the main reason for us coming. Big tick for location.
After unpacking we headed out for some lunch. We ended up in an organic place at the bottom of the hotel. I would love to be able to tell you what we ate but I have no clue. I choose I eat. It all tastes great but have no idea what it is. And this has been the case in pretty much every place we have eaten.
We then walked around Shinkyogoku for a short while (it is too big to do in one day) and then over to Gion, specifically Shjjo Dori and Hanamikoji Street. It was everything I was hoping for. Traditional Japan! I read about Hanamikoji Street before we left the hotel as it was recommended as a good site to see the Geishas and I wasn't disappointed. We were walking down a side street when one of them came out of a big wooden gate and walked past me. It was a "gasp" moment and I looked straight at her gorgeous painted white face. Unfortunately she was the only one we saw as they are usually only visible late at night or early morning. (Reading this back it sounds like I'm bird watching).
Wandering through the streets in Gion there are many old eating houses and shrines and large houses surrounding by high wooden walls. There are also a lot of ladies wandering around the area in traditional dress but I think most were tourists (there are places here that hire Kimonos for a daily rate) but they looked great and the colours and patterns were amazing. There were also boys in traditional dress but not as many. All in all a great first impression.
Tomorrow we have a traditional tea ceremony organised but other than that the day is our own. Again only the one full day here but we are going to cram in as much as we can.
Lorraine
Photos
2018-04-02 - Early morning Hiroshima Peace Park
2018-04-02 - Hiroshima to Kyoto & wanderings
We headed to Kyoto today via bullet train which meant another encounter with the madness they call Japan Rail. All was going smoothly until we got to the platform and saw a train that was heading to Kyoto so naturally we got on board. Twenty minutes in the conductor comes checking tickets and advises us that we have caught the wrong line. Our tickets are only good for JR Rail and we were on different line which meant getting off at the next station. After a short wait we managed to board the right train but had to stand for the first leg (30 min) as there were no seats available. We had to change trains at Kobe but we had reserved seats so that made a big difference to the last leg of our journey. We cabbed it to the hotel because I was not going to tangle with the bus lines. I'd had enough of the public transport system for one day.
It turns out our hotel is located smack bang in the middle of busy Shinkyogoku Street. It is a massive eating and shopping district that surrounds our hotel. It's brilliant, there is so much to see. It is also a short walk to Gion, the Geisha district which was the main reason for us coming. Big tick for location.
After unpacking we headed out for some lunch. We ended up in an organic place at the bottom of the hotel. I would love to be able to tell you what we ate but I have no clue. I choose I eat. It all tastes great but have no idea what it is. And this has been the case in pretty much every place we have eaten.
We then walked around Shinkyogoku for a short while (it is too big to do in one day) and then over to Gion, specifically Shjjo Dori and Hanamikoji Street. It was everything I was hoping for. Traditional Japan! I read about Hanamikoji Street before we left the hotel as it was recommended as a good site to see the Geishas and I wasn't disappointed. We were walking down a side street when one of them came out of a big wooden gate and walked past me. It was a "gasp" moment and I looked straight at her gorgeous painted white face. Unfortunately she was the only one we saw as they are usually only visible late at night or early morning. (Reading this back it sounds like I'm bird watching).
Wandering through the streets in Gion there are many old eating houses and shrines and large houses surrounding by high wooden walls. There are also a lot of ladies wandering around the area in traditional dress but I think most were tourists (there are places here that hire Kimonos for a daily rate) but they looked great and the colours and patterns were amazing. There were also boys in traditional dress but not as many. All in all a great first impression.
Tomorrow we have a traditional tea ceremony organised but other than that the day is our own. Again only the one full day here but we are going to cram in as much as we can.
Lorraine
Photos
2018-04-02 - Early morning Hiroshima Peace Park
2018-04-02 - Hiroshima to Kyoto & wanderings
01 April 2018
Hiroshima
Sean started early this morning getting out for Golden Hour at 5:15am, the first set of photos is his full manual camera settings shots. He plans on another outing tomorrow morning before we leave.
Today was a mixed bag. We booked a tour to Miyajima Island and the Atomic Bomb Site. The tour didn't start till 10.30 and it was a half hour walk to the meeting point so we decided to take in a bit of the neighborhood on the way. Hiroshima is green and leafy, has wide streets and is very clean. It is a lot quieter than Osaka and very orderly. We saw parking garages that stack cars and others that pull them sideways, we saw heaps of beautiful flower displays, little buildings crammed beside larger ones, a taxi rank outside one of the big hotels and Japan's version of the lollipop lady stopping traffic to let pedestrians cross.
We finally got to our meeting point in a very swanky hotel. The tour started off with a long bus ride followed by a short ferry ride to Miyajima Island which is well known for its floating shrine. You'll know it when you see the photos. It also has a 12th century Shinto Shrine and a Buddhist Pagoda. Shinto believes finding happiness in this life whilst Buddhist is finding happiness in the afterlife so they balance each other. There were two very large foo dogs watching over the entrance, one with its mouth open and one with its mouth closed. Apparently the dog with it's mouth open is saying the first letter of the Japanese alphabet and the one with its mouth closed is saying the last letter of the alphabet which symbolises start to finish. The path to the Shrine is lined with 108 lanterns which represents 108 sins (8 is a lucky number in Japan) and these are lit every night. It was a really beautiful place and even though there were thousands of tourists, it still had a really peaceful vibe. (Note: There are 1700 residents on the island and last year they had 4.3 million visitors) Also on the island are wild deer but they are so used to visitors you can walk right up and pat them.
After a few hours it was over to the A Bomb Site and Hiroshima Memorial Park. It was sad, sombre and very confronting. The Dome is one of a few buildings that survived the blast but it has been preserved in the condition it was left standing in. It is a very eerie place. The bomb did not fall on this building, it exploded mid air above the hospital building a few streets away however the effect was catastrophic. One man survived the blast because he was in the basement of one of the buildings. It is not known how he miraculously survived but he did live a long and healthy life.
There are numerous statues and symbols devoted to the survivors all over the park as well as number of fountains and ponds. The water features represent the water that fire victims were crying out for after the blast, and that many "survivors" though alive, perished as they ran or jumped into the water to soothe burns, and subsequently drowned as they could not stay afloat (a fire ball ripped through the surrounding areas). There is a monument to a 12 year old girl who was diagnosed with leukemia after being in the blast area when he was 2. The Japanese believe that making paper origami paper cranes brings good luck so she set about making them from medicine wrapping paper when she was in hospital. It is said she made over 1300 (the true number remains unknown) her parents kept hiding them under her bed so she would continue to make them, and thereby staying hopeful that she would get better. Unfortunately she never did. Her classmates as a tribute to her commenced a fund raising campaign resulting in the erection of a memorial. There are thousands of colorful paper cranes made by visitors that hang around her memorial and other statues within the gardens as a symbol of peace and hope.
We were then taken to the Museum which was where things got real. They had an amazing panoramic wall photo of Hiroshima before the blast and as you walk past you eventually pass through a door into a panoramic photo of what it looked like after. There was also a large round floor video screen that showed you the landscape of Hiroshima before the blast, the bomb dropping, the fire ball and then the devastation. If you stared into the middle of it you felt like you were falling with the bomb. It was really confronting when we saw burnt children's clothes and photos of the kids. There was even a burnt tricycle. As if that was not enough, as we were leaving there was a time clock at the door which showed the date of the Hiroshima bombing, August 1945, days passed since then, and then the days passed since the last time a nuclear test occurred which sickeningly enough was in 2017 North Korea.
It was an incredible day!
Tomorrow we say goodbye to Hiroshima and catch the bullet train to Kyoto. We feel like we have been in Japan for weeks because we have seen so much but it has only been 4 days. We are really excited about Kyoto, hopefully old Japan is alive and well and we with a bit of luck we may get to see the Geisha's.
Photos
2018-04-01 - Hiroshima, pre-dawn and early morning
2018-04-01 - Hiroshima and Miyajima
Today was a mixed bag. We booked a tour to Miyajima Island and the Atomic Bomb Site. The tour didn't start till 10.30 and it was a half hour walk to the meeting point so we decided to take in a bit of the neighborhood on the way. Hiroshima is green and leafy, has wide streets and is very clean. It is a lot quieter than Osaka and very orderly. We saw parking garages that stack cars and others that pull them sideways, we saw heaps of beautiful flower displays, little buildings crammed beside larger ones, a taxi rank outside one of the big hotels and Japan's version of the lollipop lady stopping traffic to let pedestrians cross.
We finally got to our meeting point in a very swanky hotel. The tour started off with a long bus ride followed by a short ferry ride to Miyajima Island which is well known for its floating shrine. You'll know it when you see the photos. It also has a 12th century Shinto Shrine and a Buddhist Pagoda. Shinto believes finding happiness in this life whilst Buddhist is finding happiness in the afterlife so they balance each other. There were two very large foo dogs watching over the entrance, one with its mouth open and one with its mouth closed. Apparently the dog with it's mouth open is saying the first letter of the Japanese alphabet and the one with its mouth closed is saying the last letter of the alphabet which symbolises start to finish. The path to the Shrine is lined with 108 lanterns which represents 108 sins (8 is a lucky number in Japan) and these are lit every night. It was a really beautiful place and even though there were thousands of tourists, it still had a really peaceful vibe. (Note: There are 1700 residents on the island and last year they had 4.3 million visitors) Also on the island are wild deer but they are so used to visitors you can walk right up and pat them.
After a few hours it was over to the A Bomb Site and Hiroshima Memorial Park. It was sad, sombre and very confronting. The Dome is one of a few buildings that survived the blast but it has been preserved in the condition it was left standing in. It is a very eerie place. The bomb did not fall on this building, it exploded mid air above the hospital building a few streets away however the effect was catastrophic. One man survived the blast because he was in the basement of one of the buildings. It is not known how he miraculously survived but he did live a long and healthy life.
There are numerous statues and symbols devoted to the survivors all over the park as well as number of fountains and ponds. The water features represent the water that fire victims were crying out for after the blast, and that many "survivors" though alive, perished as they ran or jumped into the water to soothe burns, and subsequently drowned as they could not stay afloat (a fire ball ripped through the surrounding areas). There is a monument to a 12 year old girl who was diagnosed with leukemia after being in the blast area when he was 2. The Japanese believe that making paper origami paper cranes brings good luck so she set about making them from medicine wrapping paper when she was in hospital. It is said she made over 1300 (the true number remains unknown) her parents kept hiding them under her bed so she would continue to make them, and thereby staying hopeful that she would get better. Unfortunately she never did. Her classmates as a tribute to her commenced a fund raising campaign resulting in the erection of a memorial. There are thousands of colorful paper cranes made by visitors that hang around her memorial and other statues within the gardens as a symbol of peace and hope.
We were then taken to the Museum which was where things got real. They had an amazing panoramic wall photo of Hiroshima before the blast and as you walk past you eventually pass through a door into a panoramic photo of what it looked like after. There was also a large round floor video screen that showed you the landscape of Hiroshima before the blast, the bomb dropping, the fire ball and then the devastation. If you stared into the middle of it you felt like you were falling with the bomb. It was really confronting when we saw burnt children's clothes and photos of the kids. There was even a burnt tricycle. As if that was not enough, as we were leaving there was a time clock at the door which showed the date of the Hiroshima bombing, August 1945, days passed since then, and then the days passed since the last time a nuclear test occurred which sickeningly enough was in 2017 North Korea.
It was an incredible day!
Tomorrow we say goodbye to Hiroshima and catch the bullet train to Kyoto. We feel like we have been in Japan for weeks because we have seen so much but it has only been 4 days. We are really excited about Kyoto, hopefully old Japan is alive and well and we with a bit of luck we may get to see the Geisha's.
Photos
2018-04-01 - Hiroshima, pre-dawn and early morning
2018-04-01 - Hiroshima and Miyajima
31 March 2018
Osaka to Hiroshima and Wanderings
Today we traveled from Osaka to Hiroshima via bullet train. Armed with a better knowledge of the transportation system and local knowledge of how to get to places we were able to use the subway to get from Namba (local main JR Rail Station) to Shinosaka (the main Rail Station for Osaka). There were closer subway stations, but carrying down suitcases on stairways was not optimal. So in less than 10 minutes we're at the Namba station trying to work out where to go. Turns out we should have just gone down as the ticketing was down there along with station staff to assist with enquiries. Quick note here, JR passes only work on JR trains, not all trains are JR trains, so while we could get to Universal studios using the JR pass, it could not be used on the subway, this is also the same in Tokyo.
So we get to Shinosaka and go to the Information Desk to seek directions to the Hiroshima line, Platform 20, we decided to chance it and not get a reserved seat, just as well we lined up early. On that note, everything is very well organised, no matter what type of train you catch, you must line up on the platform and not cut in. It is all very orderly. But once on the train, every man for himself. We got a seat thankfully as we were very up near the head of the queue. The ride was mostly uneventful, GPS on the phone said top speed was around 308km/h.
Once in Hiroshima, we cabbed it as to get to the hotel required walking and buses, and suitcases are a right royal PITA on the bus.
Checked in our luggage at the hotel and then went for a walk to have lunch. Found an awesome restaurant called MARU. Without realising I had actually nodded and greeted the owner on the street as we were walking along. When we walked in he hurried over to seat us and guide us through the menu, explained everything to us and how to get our appetisers (MYO and also mini dishes of really awesome food). We ate the mains which were simply divine with all you can eat sticky white rice. The price was awesome, only $25 for both of us.
Then we wandered accidentally into the shopping mall. Wandered up and down, then round the corner to a 7-11 for some nibblies and then back to the hotel to check in. Ate the ice creams which come in these really cute packages. And then went for another wander.
The Hiroshima Peace Park is very sobering. Personally I am going back in the quiet of morning during Golden Hour to get some photos. The cherry blossoms are awesome, the memorial is very confronting, hard to think how one person could make a decision to cause that much destruction and not be accountable to the world.
Tomorrow we are heading off to the A Bomb site and then a boat to the Hiroshimagokoku Shrine.
Photos
2018-03-31 - Osaka to Hiroshima
2018-03-31 - Hiroshima Peace Park
2018-03-31 - Hiroshima Night Wanderings
So we get to Shinosaka and go to the Information Desk to seek directions to the Hiroshima line, Platform 20, we decided to chance it and not get a reserved seat, just as well we lined up early. On that note, everything is very well organised, no matter what type of train you catch, you must line up on the platform and not cut in. It is all very orderly. But once on the train, every man for himself. We got a seat thankfully as we were very up near the head of the queue. The ride was mostly uneventful, GPS on the phone said top speed was around 308km/h.
Once in Hiroshima, we cabbed it as to get to the hotel required walking and buses, and suitcases are a right royal PITA on the bus.
Checked in our luggage at the hotel and then went for a walk to have lunch. Found an awesome restaurant called MARU. Without realising I had actually nodded and greeted the owner on the street as we were walking along. When we walked in he hurried over to seat us and guide us through the menu, explained everything to us and how to get our appetisers (MYO and also mini dishes of really awesome food). We ate the mains which were simply divine with all you can eat sticky white rice. The price was awesome, only $25 for both of us.
Then we wandered accidentally into the shopping mall. Wandered up and down, then round the corner to a 7-11 for some nibblies and then back to the hotel to check in. Ate the ice creams which come in these really cute packages. And then went for another wander.
The Hiroshima Peace Park is very sobering. Personally I am going back in the quiet of morning during Golden Hour to get some photos. The cherry blossoms are awesome, the memorial is very confronting, hard to think how one person could make a decision to cause that much destruction and not be accountable to the world.
Tomorrow we are heading off to the A Bomb site and then a boat to the Hiroshimagokoku Shrine.
Photos
2018-03-31 - Osaka to Hiroshima
2018-03-31 - Hiroshima Peace Park
2018-03-31 - Hiroshima Night Wanderings
30 March 2018
Osaka Trekking and Universal Studios
Today was the first and only full day we have in Osaka and of course what do good tourists do, they spend half of it at an American theme park and eat Chinese food. Yes, I'm afraid so. Universal Studios is in the top 3 things to do in Osaka.
The day started early which is usual for us. It is quite cool here, reminds me of a Brisbane Winter, cool in the morning, warms up during the day and cools down again in the evening. It gets windy here and that's what bites,
Before we could do anything we had to activate our JR Rail passes so we decided we would walk to the one of only a few train stations that do it. It was only 7kms away right. We walked through quite a bit of our district and it was interesting to see the neighborhoods change. Around our hotel are clubs, restaurants and more clubs. Early hours of the morning though (8.00 am seems to be too early for the locals) there were not many people around, just a few suits going to work. As we walked our grungy neighborhood disappeared and gradually we wandered into the business district which was all your usual high-rises, plenty of people going to work but super clean. We saw a few older guys in business attire picking up rubbish with what appeared to be long handled tongs. As we kept walking the business district disappeared and we were back to grungy but cutely odd. Various shrines and weird things were outside a lot of the local eateries and the number of people died off again. We came across one of the few waterways that runs through Osaka and it had a few cherry blossoms. Not many but enough to keep me happy. After about an 1hr 20 in we decided to cab it the rest of the way because the phone map said we wouldn't get to the train station until midday.
The cabs, by the way, are great. Again super clean and ours had little lace coverings over the tops of the seats. The driver was really helpful and I was able to try out a little Japanese on him.
Finally in the station and we managed to get our tickets validated. Then it was off to navigate how to get to Universal Studios which ended up being quite straight forward as it has its own railway station. Not a lot of people on the train, we managed to miss peak hour so there was no shoving going on.
Universal was a good theme park as far as theme parks go. I did get to exercise my inner nerd though and saw the new Harry Potter exhibit. Loved it!! We also saw a Sumo wrestler and his wife. Everyone was in awe of this man and he was treated with great respect. It was really nice to see, no one asked for a selfie or an autograph, he was left to enjoy the day with his family.
After a few hours we decided to tangle with Japanese Rail and find our way back home. We managed to get to Osaka without too much hassle but after that, we had no chance. Hot tip, you really should know what station you need to get to and what main line it runs on otherwise you have little hope of navigating your way out. In the end we decided to cab it back which was a blessing because we were tired but Sean will never admit to that because he wanted to keep looking for that elusive station.
For dinner we ventured out into our neighborhood again. It appears that we are smack bang in the middle of the most popular district in Osaka, Dontonbori. It also features in the top 3. It is filled with shops, restaurants, street food, clubs and little weirdy shops that sell plastic cartoon characters, cookies and other odds and sods. Cookies are really popular here, anything that is commercially popular is made into a cookie. We decided to try some street food for dinner which has me a little worried now because seafood cooked on the street may not have been a good idea but we won't know until later on.
Tomorrow we head off to Hiroshima by bullet train which I am really looking forward to. I am searching for traditional Japan and although we found small pockets here, it is quite a modern city. Great experience though.
Photos from today
2018-03-30 - Osaka and Universal Studios
The day started early which is usual for us. It is quite cool here, reminds me of a Brisbane Winter, cool in the morning, warms up during the day and cools down again in the evening. It gets windy here and that's what bites,
Before we could do anything we had to activate our JR Rail passes so we decided we would walk to the one of only a few train stations that do it. It was only 7kms away right. We walked through quite a bit of our district and it was interesting to see the neighborhoods change. Around our hotel are clubs, restaurants and more clubs. Early hours of the morning though (8.00 am seems to be too early for the locals) there were not many people around, just a few suits going to work. As we walked our grungy neighborhood disappeared and gradually we wandered into the business district which was all your usual high-rises, plenty of people going to work but super clean. We saw a few older guys in business attire picking up rubbish with what appeared to be long handled tongs. As we kept walking the business district disappeared and we were back to grungy but cutely odd. Various shrines and weird things were outside a lot of the local eateries and the number of people died off again. We came across one of the few waterways that runs through Osaka and it had a few cherry blossoms. Not many but enough to keep me happy. After about an 1hr 20 in we decided to cab it the rest of the way because the phone map said we wouldn't get to the train station until midday.
The cabs, by the way, are great. Again super clean and ours had little lace coverings over the tops of the seats. The driver was really helpful and I was able to try out a little Japanese on him.
Finally in the station and we managed to get our tickets validated. Then it was off to navigate how to get to Universal Studios which ended up being quite straight forward as it has its own railway station. Not a lot of people on the train, we managed to miss peak hour so there was no shoving going on.
Universal was a good theme park as far as theme parks go. I did get to exercise my inner nerd though and saw the new Harry Potter exhibit. Loved it!! We also saw a Sumo wrestler and his wife. Everyone was in awe of this man and he was treated with great respect. It was really nice to see, no one asked for a selfie or an autograph, he was left to enjoy the day with his family.
After a few hours we decided to tangle with Japanese Rail and find our way back home. We managed to get to Osaka without too much hassle but after that, we had no chance. Hot tip, you really should know what station you need to get to and what main line it runs on otherwise you have little hope of navigating your way out. In the end we decided to cab it back which was a blessing because we were tired but Sean will never admit to that because he wanted to keep looking for that elusive station.
For dinner we ventured out into our neighborhood again. It appears that we are smack bang in the middle of the most popular district in Osaka, Dontonbori. It also features in the top 3. It is filled with shops, restaurants, street food, clubs and little weirdy shops that sell plastic cartoon characters, cookies and other odds and sods. Cookies are really popular here, anything that is commercially popular is made into a cookie. We decided to try some street food for dinner which has me a little worried now because seafood cooked on the street may not have been a good idea but we won't know until later on.
Tomorrow we head off to Hiroshima by bullet train which I am really looking forward to. I am searching for traditional Japan and although we found small pockets here, it is quite a modern city. Great experience though.
Photos from today
2018-03-30 - Osaka and Universal Studios
29 March 2018
Brisbane to Japan, Osaka-Namba
What a day. Possibly one of the better international travel routes, going southern to northern hemisphere and to our destination in one day and only one hour gained in the time change.
The carrier Jetstar however leaves a lot to be desired. They don't have a very good disabled person policy, most airlines allow disabled people to use the business class line, not Jetstar. So TOGirl lined up while I sat and waited for her to get to the head of the queue. Then boarding they didn't announce it properly, it was just fortunate we were at the head of the queue waiting in seats so were able to board first. Kansai airport also seemed to be a little lacking in disabled mechanisms for processing immigration, lesson learned.
First glimpse of Japan was coming out of the Namba rail station in the middle of Osaka, WOW, its busy and its 10pm. We walked from the station to the accommodation and our senses were assaulted in every way. Food smells, lights everywhere, the sounds and lots of bikes of all shapes and sizes.
We had to go for a walk as the adapters we have are all earthed and the sockets are not, couple of adapters at the 7-11 have seen this righted.
Its off to bed now, early morning start with breakfast and then a walk to the main Osaka train station to activate the JR Pass. Then its off to Universal studios for the day.
Photos
2017-03-29 - Osaka, first night
The carrier Jetstar however leaves a lot to be desired. They don't have a very good disabled person policy, most airlines allow disabled people to use the business class line, not Jetstar. So TOGirl lined up while I sat and waited for her to get to the head of the queue. Then boarding they didn't announce it properly, it was just fortunate we were at the head of the queue waiting in seats so were able to board first. Kansai airport also seemed to be a little lacking in disabled mechanisms for processing immigration, lesson learned.
First glimpse of Japan was coming out of the Namba rail station in the middle of Osaka, WOW, its busy and its 10pm. We walked from the station to the accommodation and our senses were assaulted in every way. Food smells, lights everywhere, the sounds and lots of bikes of all shapes and sizes.
We had to go for a walk as the adapters we have are all earthed and the sockets are not, couple of adapters at the 7-11 have seen this righted.
Its off to bed now, early morning start with breakfast and then a walk to the main Osaka train station to activate the JR Pass. Then its off to Universal studios for the day.
Photos
2017-03-29 - Osaka, first night
06 January 2018
Byron Bay
Well we had planned to go to Byron Bay, then we cancelled, then after teary phone calls, we decided to surprise That Other Eldest Daughter by going down. This would be the last time we would see her until we know not when, plus never having been to Byron Bay it was a good excuse to go.
It took about 3 hours to do the drive at some times slowing down to 11km/h on a freeway. Australian drivers just have no idea how to merge and off course then every other lane of drivers panics and slows down as well for no reason.
We finally caught up with That Other Eldest Daughter at "The Farm", just outside Byron Bay. Then we headed to their accommodation about 500m from the beach. After getting changed we all headed to the beach, me driving with the other elderly visitors, the rest walking.
On entering the water and getting about 50ms out I realised the electronic car key was still in my pocket. Bugger, I quickly left the water, pulled the key apart and left it to dry in the sun with That Other Girl.
Over the course of the afternoon, there were some drunken possibly "ice'd" up idiots causing a ruckus nearby. In the group e agreed whoever took care of the antagonist would in all likelihood receive a standing ovation from the beach goers. Well possibly about 30 minutes later the antagonist decided to leave. I decided to keep my back to him in order not to be drawn into anything. Bending down to change lens on the camera, he decided to slap my arse as he walked past. That was it, I basically said to him did he want to try again while I was looking? Trouble is I looked absolutely livid and was waving my walking stick like a weapon at him. He sobered real quick, apologising. I basically verbally abused him and told him to stop apologising and just leave the beach as we were all sick and tired of his crap. He skulked away never to be seen again that day. Shortly we left to go back for some rest at the accommodation.
as luck would have it my key worked to get home. It continued working until about 30 minutes before we wanted to leave, then it stopped. I tried the assist number, but being keyless (they do have an emergency door key hidden from view) I could only enter the car (setting off the car alarm), but not start it. A hair dryer to the key got it working enough to get the car started, but then the car claimed it could not find the key. So with Auto Sop/Start disabled and barely enough fuel to get home we left. A clear run at night saw us home in just over 2 hours with about 50kms of fuel left in the tank.
Postscript: After being bagged with desiccant for a few days, the key has recovered thankfully, saving a $470 bill for a replacement key.
Photos:
2018-01-06 - Byron Bay
It took about 3 hours to do the drive at some times slowing down to 11km/h on a freeway. Australian drivers just have no idea how to merge and off course then every other lane of drivers panics and slows down as well for no reason.
We finally caught up with That Other Eldest Daughter at "The Farm", just outside Byron Bay. Then we headed to their accommodation about 500m from the beach. After getting changed we all headed to the beach, me driving with the other elderly visitors, the rest walking.
On entering the water and getting about 50ms out I realised the electronic car key was still in my pocket. Bugger, I quickly left the water, pulled the key apart and left it to dry in the sun with That Other Girl.
Over the course of the afternoon, there were some drunken possibly "ice'd" up idiots causing a ruckus nearby. In the group e agreed whoever took care of the antagonist would in all likelihood receive a standing ovation from the beach goers. Well possibly about 30 minutes later the antagonist decided to leave. I decided to keep my back to him in order not to be drawn into anything. Bending down to change lens on the camera, he decided to slap my arse as he walked past. That was it, I basically said to him did he want to try again while I was looking? Trouble is I looked absolutely livid and was waving my walking stick like a weapon at him. He sobered real quick, apologising. I basically verbally abused him and told him to stop apologising and just leave the beach as we were all sick and tired of his crap. He skulked away never to be seen again that day. Shortly we left to go back for some rest at the accommodation.
as luck would have it my key worked to get home. It continued working until about 30 minutes before we wanted to leave, then it stopped. I tried the assist number, but being keyless (they do have an emergency door key hidden from view) I could only enter the car (setting off the car alarm), but not start it. A hair dryer to the key got it working enough to get the car started, but then the car claimed it could not find the key. So with Auto Sop/Start disabled and barely enough fuel to get home we left. A clear run at night saw us home in just over 2 hours with about 50kms of fuel left in the tank.
Postscript: After being bagged with desiccant for a few days, the key has recovered thankfully, saving a $470 bill for a replacement key.
Photos:
2018-01-06 - Byron Bay
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