Wow what a trip

Japan has amazed me around every corner that I have travelled. I cannot recommend it highly enough as a travel destination - you will not be disappointed. I have seen such a diversity of sights, from the largest wooden structure on earth, that houses the huge Buddha statues in Nara, the largest wooden spoon in Miyajima, Geishas in Gion, the Atomic bomb site in Hiroshima, stayed in luxury in the first hotel for Westerners, the Fujiya Hotel in Hakone, to staying in a monastery in Koyasan.

Japan shows you how things can be done, how society can conduct itself within cities of millions of people, where you wear your face mask just to keep in your germs! It is a society that truly respects its elders, the oldest people on earth are mostly Japanese, but the ageing population is taking its tole.  The new Prime Minister is increasing the retirement age from 57 to 65 to protect the pensions. In taking the best from the west there is a huge work ethic here and 12 hours days are common place. Workers nap in karaoke booths at lunch time and never leave the office before their boss. Child care is often from dawn to dusk, leaving children bereft if quality time with their ever exhausted parents. Commenters nap standing up on the trains, and the murder rate here is a fraction of the suicide rate.  Compared to its western counterparts Japan is both safe and familiar for the traveller passing through, but beneath the surface there is stress and unhappiness for those who work hard.  However it is important to note that we were met with such warmth and helpfulness that I will never forget.  Thank you to everyone who made this trip so amazing; the woman and guys who beckoned us into the bar in the golden Gai on our first night, Rachel's friends and Kate's relatives who showed us round Tokyo, the family who brought us lunch, to fellow diners who brought us sake, to chefs who gave us extra tasters of dishes, the guys who took us to The Hyatt for a gin and tonic on our last night (and then another beer), and anyone who I asked for directions and went out of their way to help, oh there's just too many to mention.  The Japanese are a very proud nation and are proud to welcome you to their county. 

What I will miss:

Bowing

Silence in the crowds

Orderly queues

Not being able to use your mobile phone on the trains or buses

Heated toilet seats 

Respectful conduct

Feeling safe

Being bought sake

The overwhelming friendliness and generosity of the Japanese people

Amazing bullet trains

Being in awe of the scenery, culture and temples

Miso soup

Whiskey and Soda highballs 

Vending machines on every street corner

Cherry blossom 

Beef in a steamed bun

What I won't miss:

Green tea 

Beer with a large head of foam
Eating from a fish that is still alive 

Which fish would you like to eat?

Last night in Nagasaki we decided to have a big Saturday night out.  Despite the rain we took a trip up to the top of the mountain to see the hazy night view of the sprawling city. Then on the recommendation of one of the hotel staff we headed into the entertainment district to an amazing fish restaurant. Here we were advised to eat the speciality of raw fish. The one we chose was then fished out from the tank in the restaurant and taken into the kitchen. It was then sent over on a dish with noodles with half of the flesh taken off for us to eat. What we didn't realise was that the fish was STILL ALIVE!!! It had a skewer under its head and out by its tail and I was tucking into the meat when I saw its head move!! The waiter came over and explained that yes it was still alive ..... 

Then we headed to the next door karaoke bar and ended up singing karaoke in our own booth for two hours.  You can understand the appeal,  as people have such small apartments they can come here and make so much noise. 

Then we headed to a tiny bar for one last cheeky beer and got chatting to a lad who had lived in Exeter as a student and he also loved fish and chips - well at least our fish is dead! 

Try this it's tuna

It seems that wherever we eat there's always an adventure.  Last night we popped into a small restaurant for a quick beer on the way to our restaurant and as we sat around the cooking station we were soon joined by three Japanese whose were also keen for a beer. Soon the restaurant was full of laughter, with one of the women declaring that she loved fish and chips, and there was a lot of 'cheers', as we had another beer.  As always the generosity of our new friends was slightly overwhelming, as we were offered tastings of their food, and the try this it's just fish dish came ariund and it turned out to be what tasted like putrid fish, so lucky I could only pick up a small piece with my chopsticks and they all laughed, knowing what my reaction wold be!!!

You never know what is hidden behind the cloth signs and the intriguing doorways of the restaurants and bars. With all this eating out we have never been disappointed with anywhere we have been to. We then headed to the old district in town and found the most amazing little restaurant.  Similar to the Golden-Gai in Tokyo, where the bars are tiny, here we sat at the counter, with only four bar stools available and we had the undivided attention of the owner. We ordered tuna carspaccio, which was Devine and pork cutlets for main - amazing. As always when communication got tough, a smart app on the owners phone enabled us to talk and agent an instant translation.  

And this tram goes to the A Bomb site

Travelling in Japan is so easy - queuing is orderly, the trains leave on time and even the most complicated metro, as in Tokyo is easy to navigate.  Travelling on the bulkier train is a real highlight, as it effortlessly speeds through the countryside and towns.  Eater four train journeys we then find ourselves in Hiroshima.  Here there is such a devastating history  that you have to go to the Atomic Bomb site and the memorial museum.  It's a harrowing experience, but one that also leaves you with hope, the spirit of human endurance.  Here a whole city was destroyed and hundreds of thousands of civilians were killed either immediately or suffered slow deaths in the following years.  One of the last moving things to see at the museum was a watch that has stopped at 8.15 on the 6th August 1945. There is also a display of all the letters that the Mayor of Hiroshima has written to presidents and prime ministers across the globe after having undertaken nuclear tests. Letters to America,the UK, India etc asking to cease all nuclear armament as Japan is the only country to have had an atomic bomb used in war time and the effects were devastating. 

Nowadays Hiroshima is a vibrant city by the sea, it has amazing restaurants, bars and museums and so a visit here brings unexpected delights. We headed to a fish bar to have the local speciality of oysters, washed down with beer then headed to the famed food court were over 25 counters all serve the same fried fare, which was delicious.  a quick highball in a jazz bar ended the day off well, as we headed back to the bunk beds in our hostel!!!!

And the monk asked if we wanted beer or sake with our meal

Staying in one of the most spiritual places in Japan was a must, so a trip to koyasan was definitely on the agenda.  The train ride up the mountain was so beautiful, as it weaves its way  up the mountain to reach the funicular cable car to get us to the top of the mountain.  Here we sat and ascended the steep final part of our journey to the top of the mountain.  Here pilgrims come from all over Japan to visit the sacred monasteries and the thousand year old cemetery and we were staying the night at one of the most sacred monasteries, where at dawn they performed fire meditation.  We had a ryokan style room with futon beds and a table to sit up at and have Japanese tea - and the champagne sake that we had sneaked up from Kyoto! Really shouldn't have worried about alcohol,  as when the monk came in to tell us what time dinner was he also asked if we wanted beer and sake, so we ordered both!!!! 

The cemetery was amazing with over 200,000 plots filled over the last 1,000 years.  There were so many statues that were now dressed, honouring the spirits of deceased children, and major companies also had their own plots throughout the cemetery.  We were lucky enough to see a group of priests pray around the area, which really added to the spiritual experience.  

The prayers at dawn in the monastery were incredible, spell binding and calming. Around a dozen monks gathered in the inner temple, with just candle light and lanterns to light the temple.  Their chanting and voices were amazing and we were able to join in the ceremony by offering tea and incense.  Just amazing.  Then we had coffee with two of the monks, to learn more about their stand of Buddhism from china and about the temple itself. A truly amazing experience. 

It's Asia, but not as you know it!

Over the last few years all my travels have been in Asia; Myanmar, India, Nepal and Tibet have all been amazing travel destinations, with such rich culture and spirituality, but with the trappings of the developing world. Travel, bartering, negotiating and eating - the pure basics of being are always trying, confusing and time consuming and often frustrating.  Here in Japan you have the richness of tradition, culture, spirituality and difference, without any of the trials and tribulations of its Asians neighbours.  Here there is order amongst the millions, there's queuing, there's heated toilet seats, there's signs, pictures on menus and a quiet calm.  It's amazing. 

Japan has taken all the good things from the west and adapted them to their own end.  As you wonder around, you're largely ignored, it's so interesting to observe that you are not actually being observed.  You cannot fit in, but you do not stand out.  You are left alone, but when you are welcomed in, it is overwhelming.  So far we still haven't bought a single sake, every one we have drunk has been a gift. We have tried so many of dishes of our fellow diners, we have had meals brought for us and we have shared laughs and stories with so many people along the way. It has been a real eye opener into an incredible society and one that on may levels I truly admire (and that's not just for the heated toilet seats!). 

Make way for the Geisha's

It has always been a dream to go to Kyoto and to walk around the Gion district in search of the illusive Geisha's. Never did I think firstly I'd go to Japan, nor once here be able to see a geisha!! Well all my dreams came true today. Gion is one of the oldest districts in Kyoto, small streets are lined with old tea houses, which many now are exclusive restaurants for geisha entertaining. Taxi's with uniformed drivers and white gloves drive the wealthy business men here to be entertained and drive the geisha's out to their private meetings. 

 As dusk falls, the geisha's scuttle down the alley way from their house and the police guard their safe passage through the alley ways. It was incredible to see them so closely and make way for them as they headed out to their booked meetings in the restaurants across the area. Some were in such a rush they practically ran, with one loosing her shoe, and we even saw one with all her hair pined back but her immaculate hair piece was missing!!! Their kimono's were exquisite and their make up was so beautiful, with the white finishing just below the hair line, and scooped at the back. And for once I was speechless!!!
On a weird aside the toilet in our hotel automatically makes a flushing sound when you use it, to mask any sounds you might make!!!!

Can we have a volunteer please

This region is famous for a beef, karicuco (mechanical puppets) and ancient floats, so we made sure that we experienced all three. As luck would have it, we were in town the first morning of the spring two day festival, where huge floats are paraded through town to mark spring. Thousands of people descend on the region to catch a glimpse of these amazing floats being taken through town, and as expected it was all done in an orderly fashion. Roads were shut off and the crowds politely gathered to watch the floats being pushed and pulled through town. With mechanical puppets and people riding on the tops of the floats they made an incredible sight, and we were so lucky to see this, as it only happens four days each year. 

We ate a lot of the famed Hida beef, in noodles soups and grilled on the BBQ,  washed down with cool draught beer.  It was real melt on your mouth meat and understandably a wonderful delicacy. 

So to the third, the puppets. They have been a local tradition for over five hundred years. We headed to an amazing show that showcased all the puppets, from one that walked up steps, to one that was an acrobat! At one point a seated puppet was waiting to write and the curator asked for a volunteer and rachel offered me - so I had to stand by the puppet and it wrote a sign out, which was given to me once the paint dried. Never a dull moment! 

It's like peeing on a roller coaster

Train travel in Japan is so easy, comfortable and fast.  We've been on the  amazing bullet trains a few times now and the squat toilets are fun! There have hand rails by the sides, so you need to hold on , so it's like peeing on a roller coaster!!!!  When you are waiting at the station and the bullet train goes past, it's too fast to take a picture, to say that it passes in a blink of an eye isn't an exaggeration! 

Everyone is so friendly and we haven't paid for a glass of sake yet!!!!! Had a great bar snack last night - spicy cod intestines !!!!! You never know what exciting thing is in the menu to try here!!!!!  We're now in Takayama, an old town not far from the norther alps.  It's famed for its Hida beef, which is amazing quality and to be found in most dishes (apart from my bar snack last night!!).  So I'll be searching for that in the menu today.

From mixed dorm to five star luxury in 24 hours

The last time I stayed in a mixed dorm was sixteen years ago on my second bout of travelling  around Australia. When travelling it's all about mixing it up.  So far we have stayed at a hotel in the heart of the red light district, a ryokan, a youth hostel and tonight it's the Fujiya hotel, the oldest hotel in Japan.  Charlie Chaplin has stayed here, along with European royalty and now Sarah and Rachel! It feels like a step back in time, with large rooms filled with beautiful 1920's furniture and the bath running with the natural hot spring water.  

The Mount Fuji area is so scenic, you never tire of seeing the mountain, and everyone is snappy happy and there is a great opportunity to recreate the picture that is on the back of the 1000 yen note.  We even went to the 4th level of the mountain by bus (the usual 5th level destination was impossible to get to due to an avalanche). 

The generosity and friendliness of people is often overwhelming.  At lunch time we went to a local restaurant, where you sat at the table, whilst soaking your feet in the hot spring bath under the table, amazing!! An older couple were at the end of the table and within a few minutes of chatting they insisted on buying lunch for us and the guy went off to order. Earlier on the bus a woman who we had got on the bus with made sure that we got off at the right stop. The prize today for the person who really made me laugh today was the woman who showed us to our posh room, and proudly showed off the tv, with a button that changed the speech from Japanese to English, and I asked if it worked on her and she started to speak Japanese then English.... Sorry it's one of those you have to be there moments. 

And when do you take off your robe?

Japan has so many traditions and rules around things; slurp when you are eating noodles, take your shoes off when you go into a temple, bow to those you are speaking too, but when do you take your robe off heading to the hot springs?

There are so many things here that are so familiar, but your first experience at staying in a ryokan, a taste of the old Japan is one of slight bewilderment. In Nikko we stayed at a former shogun's house in the middle of the world heritage site of thousand year old temples.  

You firstly have to remove your shoes and then you ares shown to your suite, which was a series of rooms.  There's an eating area, balcony if lucky, and a main area, where at night your futon bed is laid down for you. You are given robes to wear, so you completely remove your western covers.  The amazing difference here is the bathing is communal, so you have to go to the washing area and then you can join your fellow female ryokan guests in the hot spring bath -this really does feel like you are so far from home!! Great for soaking your muscles after a hard day of walking. 

Nikko is an incredible world heritage site,within day trip distance from Tokyo, but we have left the bright lights and big city behind to stay over. Scattered among hilly woodlands temples and shrines are dotted around the area and its a breath taking experience after the modernness of Tokyo to really see some history.  In one of the main temples the priest sat, trance like, in front of a fire meditating, which was an incredible sight. 

So far all the travelling had been so easy (worried I've now jinxed the next journey), today we had to get four trains to travel from Nikko to Mount Fuji and it was absolutely fine. The bullet train was incredible and my favourite journey was on the small Fuji express train that weaves southward towards Mount Fuji, which remained constant in our sight the whole journey, which was amazing. 

So far everyone has been so friendly. Today's highlights were the guys who gave us sake in the restaurant, the driver from our hostel who picked us up from the train station and the train driver who pointed out the best place for me to take a photo of the mountain when the train stopped. Japan you are incredible. 

Having a whale of a time

There's always a chance that you take when you're booking your accommodation in new city. Now we've got trip advisor it's fantastic, which I input into myself, so the guess work is taken away from places. So I chose hotel Siena, right in the heart of the red light district and close to one of the main rail stations, Shinjuku, so it would be really convenient. With jet lag, I have been waking early and what a better start to the day than walking round the red light district at 6 am watching all the suits appear from the cellar bars and clubs, after their entertaining Saturday night, ready to weave their way down the streets towards the station, as their first trains to take them home had just started. Hilarious, but I know this seeder side of life has a horrible tale of exploited women and even here scary mafia run clubs, but it certainly was a sight to see!  Just to mix it up a bit I popped along to the local temple, which strangely enough was completely empty and joined the queue in the local 7/11 to get a black coffee to take the edge off the early start.  

Later we we met by an old travel mate of Rachel's, who she had worked with in New Zealand 15 years ago. He hade bravely brought in his wife and daughter,three and sone, five! This was their first family trip to Tokyo and was hilarious!!! We headed to the young and trendy area, Harajuku, to see what the trends were and there were some amazing young people around, my favourite, and of course I have a photos, was a girl with crazy bunches, eclectic clothes and white makeup with a heart sticker on her nose, not sure if that will catch on!!! Then we headed to the  fish market area and not only had our first amazing sushi meal, but we also had whale on a stick from one stall!!!! Mixed with the chicken gizzards from the BBQ selection that we had the night before, there's plenty of unusual things to eat here, but it's not for the faint hearted!

This was an incredible day of meeting people, so we headed back for a quick revitalising snooze (my 6am start was taking its effect). we met a friends' brother in law, who is a researcher at the university along with his Japanese wife, who has been amazing in offering us a lot of local knowledge via many emails, whilst we were planning our trip. So armed with bags of twiglets and a copy of private eye, we thanked them for their help and headed to an incredible restaurant, called Atika dining, where all the food, wine and beer came from a northern Provence, as did the local god, who twice in the night came to check on the customers, which was quite alarming, as he was huge, with a fiery red mask and covered with straw, wearing an amazing fringed wig. Mariko and Giles went here with their families the night before their wedding and the small children were reduced to tears! But what an incredible evening, we ate horse , snails, cooked soup at the table and gods even gave us sake, as they sat and preceded to chop our heads off with their mock saw!!! Just another crazy night in Tokyo!!!

Technologytastic

This is the city where the lifts open as soon as you walk Into the foyer, the toilet seats opens as you move into the cubicle, as you can get your bottom sprayed with water and hot air blown on to you after you finish, all the while sitting comfortably on a heated toilet seat - many times you literally don't  have to lift a finger, as it willow course flush after you have finished!!! This is a nation that takes going to the toilet very seriously. In fact it takes a lot of things very seriously, from everyone wearing the same somber black work suits,  it is no surprise that office workers are transformed to karaoke stars when the office day is done. On the streets the young follow their own crazy fashions, dressing as manga characters, wearing crazy heels and coloured wigs, as they are all desperately trying to look so unique, but incredibly all look the same.  

Despite the cherry blossom coming early this year there is still traces of blossom thought out the city, and a journey to the Ueno district, where only a few weeks ago the park was full of cherry blossom parties, there is now still a few trees still In full bloom and the paths are lined with confetti like blossom, bringing a hue of pink to the grey of the pavement. 

The old traditions really do permeate throughout the city when you see geisha like ladies, minus the amazing white makeup, walking along slowly, with their shoes clattering against the pavement. Along the ancient side roads around the Sensoji temple in Asakusa, traditionally dressed men and women wander around, to the delight of us tourists. This is an ancIent side of life that is still around and a joy to see. In Asia I usually spend my time monk watching, now I have something new to gaze at!!!

Something that I didn't want to gaze at was the view from the stop of the enormous Ferris wheel - what possessed me to agree to go on? and in a totally glass see through capsule.  Feeling like I was in the glass elevator in Willy Wonkers factory, this glass capsule rose high above the city, swaying in the wind.  Not my best use of 900 yen, as my eyes stayed firmly shut most of the time!!! and in true WW style when we visited The Sony showroom, they were staying tight lipped about the spec for the impending ps4 ! Innovation is such a secret. 

 Still I was rewarded with crazy sights after p,to make up for the views that I had missed. In the nearby games world, manga style teens gambled on the slot machines, danced to the games and preened their purple hair.  How many times can I say that Tokyo is such a crazy city -  a mega metropolis of 35 million people ..... That's half the population of the UK!

It looks like cheese, but it's not cheese, it's fish!

OMG what can I say about my first impressions of Tokyo. It's an enormous sprawling new city, but there's an incredible clam and order around. I expected crazy streets with millions of people trying to cross a road, and In rush hour that does happen, but there's ordered calm in the air. No pushing,  no rushing, no beeping of horns, even on the bus coming in an announcement was made not to use your mobile phone as it will annoy your fellow passengers!!! Despite incredible tiredness there's a huge city to explore and lunch was had in a city noodle bar, a lunch special delivered a large bowl of noodles, rice, a weird  tofu square (left untouched) and some amazing deep fried wantons. We were surrounded by groups of black suited office workers, who we saw later letting their hair down in the packed bars enjoying their Friday night beers. 

So far we have been met with smiles and support, from the waving man outside the train Station, the reception staff at the near by Best western, who let us sit in their lobby and use their wifi, to the patient waiter at our dinner stop, as we excitedly pointing to practically everything on the menu that could be grilled on a stick to then wash down with a cool beer.

Sinjuku is the place to stay, here the young and old mix in the crazy bars, rooms in hotels are rented by the hour, for intimate hungry couples and there's a vibe of excitement on the streets. We headed to the amazing Golden-Gai alleys in the evening, where there Are rows of bars as small as my spare bedroom, and are packed with really friendly locals in it for the long hall of having a bar to yourself and relaxing. We were beckoned Into a tiny bar my a waving group of locals and spent a couple of hours laughing, drinking and sampling local bar snacks (hence the title of today's pub), and huge cheers for picking up the tap - to the guy on my left at the bar -what an amazing first night :)

I didn't expect to be drinking whiskey sodas to midnight, I didn't expect to be greeted so warmly and I didn't expect this city to have such order and calm. So far Tokyo, you have blown my mind !!  

One sleep to Japan

Ok I'm not counting the plane snooze - almost packed and slightly regretting the two pints of Guinness in the pub after work!!!! Now on the computer syncing up my itouch, making sure that I have enough episodes of DID's to occupy me on the long train journeys ahead, what a tech savvy world we live in now.....

So buckle up and enjoy my travels with me, I can promise funny stories, interesting banter and a real cultural experience.

さようなら

Sayōnara