reis

Today we visited Itsukushima island (or Miyajima as it's more commonly referred to), which is a short ferry ride from the mainland (in Hiroshima prefecture somewhere, I forget). It's a quaint place, inhabited by about 2000 people who share the island with many deer similar to those we encountered in Nara. Miyajima is most famous for its floating shinto Torii shrine. Fortunately for us, it was an absolutely glorious day when we joined the throngs of tourists all making the pilgrimmage to the shrine. The shrine is huge, given that you can see it from the mainland. The size of it really hits you when you see the ant-like people taking photos next to the shrine. There were quite a few people getting married there as well, so I guess it must be popular. We ... read more

Went to Himeji yesterday, which is home to probably the prettiest castle in Japan - Himeji-jo. Given my penhant for chambara films it was of particular interest to me. Yet another UNESCO world heritage site, it was built during the Edo period, and as such gives insight into the military practices of the time. Its clever design resulted in a castle that was both aesthetically pleasing and defensively sound. As it has never been attacked, it has survived almost intact to this day. Being constructed entirely of wood, you are made to don these useles little slippers with no grip whatsoever and walk up 7 stories worth of tall slippery narrow stairs, and then back down again once you've reached the shrine and are rewarded with the awesome view up top. It's probably equivalent to ... read more

According to some manual on what gaijin, or foreigners do in Japan, gaijin go to Harajuku to see the Real Aliens, ie. the alienated youth who cos-play every weekend... so thats what we did today...we went alien hunting. After brekkie we braved the morning express and the press of many bodies on the way Tokyo, heading first to Shinjuku. Shinjuku station is the biggest station in Japan, and the busiest in the world with an estimated 3 million people passing through its gates each day. On weekdays during peak hour it's insane O_o From Shinjuku we hoofed it to the Tokyo Metropolitan Government Building where you can get an awesome 360 degree view of the massive urban sprawl, for free. We then wandered over to Yoyogi- Koen, visiting firstly the Meiji shrine. The shrine was ... read more

When we got up this morning, Marie's mum had made us an insane amount of breakfast. Thus fortified, we toured Ebina on foot. Next to Tokyo it's tiny, but it's a city in its own right - home to some 120 000 people. After Osaka, it felt really peaceful and laid back. I got to see my friends' old school - surrounded by rice paddies! Bit of a trip down memory lane for them. The station is newly refurbished with Vina Walk - a complex of shops, restaurants and movie theatres that has everything one needs. We had home-made sukiyaki for dinner, soo good. The beef here is excellent, unsurprisingly. Coffee in Japan is terrible, but at least one can attain their caffine hit via copious amounts of green tea. ... read more

On the day we caught the shinkansen to Hiroshima, perhaps fittingly, it was raining. We walked past the A-bomb dome, the eternal flame, and visited the Hall of Rememberance and the Peace Memorial museum. I found the whole experience incredibly sorrowful and thought-provoking, but essential to experience at least once. Even though there were so many visitors to the museum, the mood was solemn and respectful. Especially moving were the personal testimonies of those caught up in the tragedy, recorded decades later for the world to share; as well as the personal mementos donated by the families who had lost children - tattered scraps of uniforms, a watch, even a bento box preserved by the radiation, the rice gone completely black. The legacy of grief and loss continues some 60 years on. It's incomprehensible that ... read more