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!!!