Advertisement
Published: July 15th 2008
Edit Blog Post
Japan
It's getting bigger. Oksaka-it To You!
When we arrived in Osaka--after the craziest flight day ever--Japan greeted us with that humid, wet heat that only Billy can appreciate. We found our way to the Youth Hostel (in the Osaka Dome), settled in, and went to find some dinner to celebrate our 2nd Anniversary. This year, we ordered out of a vending machine. Though . . . we actually had a meal. I guess there are many restaurants in Japan where you choose what you want from this vending machine, you pay for it in the machine, and a real waitress brings the food out to you--not packaged like a bag of M&Ms or anything! It was pretty tasty, too. Billy had some curry, and I enjoyed some type of rice meal. It was delish! We do know how to celebrate in style. The next day, we headed to the Osaka Castle. It was actually really nice--even though it has been restored and remade recently--thanks to WWII. The only hard part about this trip was that it was around 90 degrees outside, and we had to carry our packs all around with us. This is because we were about to head out on a bus
Japan
Mt. Fuji at sunset. to Tokyo.
Tokyo Drift
As we rode the double-decker bus to Tokyo . . . on the nicest road ever with scenic and clean rest stops . . . we were excited to get there. We arrived in Tokyo at night, and Billy decided that we should try out a "capsule hotel". This sounded like it could be fun, so we trotted around Tokyo in search of this type of hotel. We found out that most of them are "men only" hotels. I guess it's because mostly businessmen use them. We finally found one that split the two of us to different floors, so we took it--mostly because we were sick of hauling our packs around the city. The next day, we headed out to see some sights of Tokyo--after securing our bus tickets to Mt. Fuji, of course. We saw the Sony building--which had the newest products that Sony has yet to release. One of them was a cool dancing MP3 player . . . it grooved to the beat of the songs it played. Then we found what we didn't even know we were looking for--Subway . . . the restaurant. Unbeknownst to us, it was to be
Japan
Shibuya . . . so happening. the last real food we were to eat for the next 48 hours. Upon leaving Subway, we ran into Cherrie's favorite store . . . Coach--oh, who are we kidding--Tasha, Brenda . . . everyone's favorite store! Lots of great purses for not so great prices. (That's my slogan for their sales team.) After some great window shopping on Tokyo's equivalent to Park Avenue, we headed to the bus station with a short stop to buy a sweatshirt, so Billy wouldn't freeze on the top of Mt. Fuji.
Stairs, Switchbacks, and Rock Climbing in the Dark
As we stepped out of the bus at the 5th station of Mt. Fuji, the cold wind bit through our T-shirts and sandals. It was time for us to run inside and put on everything we brought with us to keep us warm on the hike that night. Sadly . . . we didn't have too much to add to what we were already wearing! Thank the 1980s for spandex pants--that is what really saved our butts . . . literally. We each had a few shirts, a sweatshirt, spandex, wooly socks, hiking sandals, gloves (and/or socks for our hands), hiking pants, and Japan
We are so warm and happy. baseball hats. We felt pretty decent about our gear. After 3 hours of waiting, munching on snacks, playing cards, waiting . . . and stretching, we were finally ready to take off for the peak of Mt. Fuji. We left at 10:00 PM with two flashlights and a lot of adrenaline. The first 10 minutes were awesome! The trail was flat, and we chit-chatted with ease. Then we started going up . . . and it was all uphill from there. Each time we reached another station or mountain hut, I thought--"Wow! We must almost be there!" Yeah, well . . . that was a funny fantasy that kept me going. Billy is famous for saying, "Just up here, it gets flat." This hike . . . there was no such commenting. There was no flat. It was 5 hours (hiking) to the top, and we climbed over 4500 feet. Needless to say, it felt like we walked at a 45 degree angle or steeper the entire way. Around 3:00 AM, the cold started to get to us. Usually, if we had been moving, we didn't feel very cold at all, but starting at 3:00 AM and continuing until sunrise, Japan
Before the hike . . . upon arriving at the 5th station. the wind was fierce, and we were starting to feel like popsicles! But as the sun began to rise over Japan, it was all worth the cold, windy, uphill battle. The warm sun began to melt the feelings of defeat, and we basked in the knowledge that we had finally made it. At 5:00 AM, we reached the top of Mt. Fuji. We had climbed all night long, and we made it to the top. It was a great feeling, and even though there were some difficulties, it was well worth the trouble. And then we had to descend. I'm not sure that was worth the trouble. We went down 4500 feet in 3 hours--which is almost as fast as jumping out of an airplane . . . or at least that was what our ankles and knees and toes were telling us! The degree in which you descend is outrageously steep. All, of course, in loose, gravely, lava rock. It was treacherous and mind numbing and never ending! But when it finally did end, we felt so accomplished and very tired. We both slept the two hours back to Tokyo, and that evening, we went to bed at 5:00 Japan
Billy has an ice cream. PM--with plans to wake up at 8:00 PM for supper. Billy woke up at 5:00 AM . . . and I cracked open an eye or two at 8:00 AM. I guess we really needed the sleep!
The End of Overpricedville
On the Sunday after the hike, we went back to Subway to have lunch--our first real food in 48 hours. It was delicious! We took our sandwiches to a park that was just outside of the Imperial East Garden. So, after lunch, we headed off to see what the garden looked like. It was really nice but mostly trees and grass. Though there were a few hydrangea bushes, there wasn't too much for flowers around the "garden". It was still a peaceful and pleasant garden to visit. That evening, we went to Shibuya. There were lights and what felt like a million people everywhere! Within a 3 block radius, there were four McDonalds . . . we felt like we could have been in Chicago. 😊 On Monday, we went to temple near our hotel. It was nice and a huge tourist rip off. We enjoyed watching people buy countless souvenirs that were way overpriced--but that's the definition of Japan
Tasha & the descending route sign. Japan. That afternoon, we went to the airport to catch our flight to Hong Kong. Stay tuned for our next travelblog straight from HK.
Advertisement
Tot: 0.199s; Tpl: 0.016s; cc: 11; qc: 49; dbt: 0.081s; 1; m:domysql w:travelblog (10.17.0.13); sld: 1;
; mem: 1.2mb
cherrie
non-member comment
Coach...
I agree everyone should enjoy a little coach here and there. Sounds like you are having fun! I am looking forward to Bali. We missed you up at the lake.