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Published: February 5th 2011
Doll Train-spotter
Could you be any more weirder?Dear Blog Readers,
Here is the fifth and final part of our Japan travel blogs. This one is dedicated to Kyoto, Hiroshima and Fukuoka. If you haven't done so already, check out parts 1, 2, 3 and 4 by clicking here:
Part 1 - Korea Part 2 - Osaka Part 3 - Tokyo Part 4 - Hakuba Kyoto, Hiroshima and Fukuoka
It was quite fitting to leave Hakuba to torrential downpours of snow. It snowed so much overnight that we were worried we wouldn’t even make it to the station. Our shuttle car needed to be dug out of the meter of snow that seemingly fell overnight. He also needed boiling water to put around the lock so that the key would fit in there! Train spotters in Japan take on a new level of weirdness. I managed to take a picture of a middle aged man who was taking a picture of a train whilst holding a doll. Yes, a doll!? We found out that our train was to be late by about 15 minutes leaving Hakuba presumably due to the snow, or to avoid weird train-spotters getting on board. Considering our change over time for the bullet train to Kyoto was 11 minutes we had
Lotus Flower
The sign of the Imperial Family to re-timetable our train rides. Unfortunately this meant losing out on about an hour and a half before making it to Kyoto.
However, during our train rides we continued the long running Virgin Trains vs Bullet Train debate. We discovered that any of the double seats on the Bullet train can be turned around and made into a four person type configuration. We also discovered the First Class for the Bullet train which has carpet, their own compartment and oak finishing. Objectively, Laura noted that Virgin trains’ toilets are much better.
We’ve been using Hostel World for our bookings and some of the descriptions of where the hostels are located have been exceptional in their vagueness but the one in Kyoto took the biscuit. We got out our booking form at the station and the only information we had was, “About one minute walk from the station.” Numerous enquiries later we found out that ‘the station’ was actually a subway station about three stops from the main station and the ‘one minute walk’ was actually a five minute walk around the back streets of Kyoto. Once there we settled in and were pleased to be told that we
Kiyomizu-dera
Pagoda overlooking the city had been upgraded from the 10 bed dorm that we’d booked for a 6 bed dorm…and we were the only two in it!
We found a cool street filled with shops, which I loved of course, Laura loathed the opportunity to go shopping for the fiftieth time but I insisted that these shops were selling unique things that we wouldn’t have seen before in Japan thus far. Anyway, whilst waiting outside a hippy shop, I looked through our photos and noticed something about the ridiculous suitcases we’d been carting around Japan with us. Laura had purchased them before we came out because they would be so inconspicuous. During out Zenkoji Temple tour we were told about two very important symbols in Japan. The first being the swastika symbol which is actually an ancient Buddhist symbol for power and good luck and it was just hugely unfortunate that it is now connoted with the Nazi Party. The second is the 16 petal lotus which is a symbol reserved for the Imperial Family and is of grave importance to the Japanese. It can’t be used haphazardly and is often reserved for places such as temples. We’d had a lot of compliments
Geisha
Fake geisha in Kyoto. about our suitcases pretty much everywhere we went and I zoomed into one of our photos, and to my surprise, realised that Laura’s suitcases are covered with 16 petal lotus flowers!
With our Imperial Family like status cemented, we decided to go around the back streets of Kyoto, and in particular, Gion. We’d read that it has some of the most beautiful streets in the whole of Asia and we weren’t disappointed. The subtly lit streets lined with overhanging trees and traditional tea-houses combined with the sound of running water from streams criss-crossed with narrow wooden bridges. It was so picturesque. We found an awesome little restaurant and got a good bowl of ramen – it was so good to eat some proper Japanese food again! It was unfortunate that we didn’t have the energy to go out with the other foreigners but it was another early night as we had plenty to do in our one full day in Kyoto!
The subway system and buses are really expensive so it was worth getting a pass for the day or walk around. Our guidebook had a great route for a half day walk around Kyoto so we thought
Kinkaku-ji
The Golden Pavilion we would give it a go. Our first trip was to Kiyomizu-dera which was an amazing temple and pagoda at the top of a small hill. The colours and architecture were awesome. We then checked out the shops down ‘Tea-Pot Lane’ and then we got lost again! We found ourselves going through some backstreets of Kyoto off the beaten path. I took a beating by walking straight into a piece of concrete – the Japanese backstreets aren’t made for a 6ft 2in Westerner!
It was around here that we saw our first geisha. Geisha are in decline and there are only about 100 left in Japan with the majority living in Kyoto. Most geisha that are seen now are Japanese tourists who have paid to be dressed up as one and we think that is what we saw but it didn’t stop the fact that she looked amazing. Unfortunately some tourists have been chasing and grabbing real geisha so it is driving them away from wandering the streets.
After a couple more temple stops and a spot of lunch, we checked out the market near our hostel which contained some perfectly formed fruit and some weird food options
Tits Cafe
Probably the best cafe in Japan. such as ‘octopus on a stick’. We then got a bus to the Kinkaku-Ji which is famous in Kyoto as the ‘Golden Pavilion’. Upon first sight I got the same sense of awe that struck me when I first saw the Taj Mahal. I wasn’t expecting it to look so brilliant but it really was a perfect scene. Trees surrounded the lake and small islands that were occupied by the herons flying around with the majestic gold plated building jutting out into the lake.
We got back and found our favourite named café of the trip – ‘Tits Café’ – and bought a cup of ‘Caribbean’ tea and some cake which included green tea flavoured ice cream. We then got a bus to see the Torii Gates. It’s not in the guidebook but they are famed for their appearance in the film Memoirs of a Geisha which we watched on the way to Kyoto on the train. The sun was setting on Kyoto and we hiked up the hill lined endlessly with the bright orange pillars and gates up to the shrine at the top of the hill. We got some great photos and the place was really quiet.
Torii Gates
In Memoirs of a Geisha. It was a really great experience.
We had another early start to catch the train to Hiroshima. Before visiting the Peace Park we wanted to get a feel for the city itself and had a good wander around to soak up the modern day atmosphere. We found some cool shops and cafes for lunch and slowly made our way there. We first visited the Hiroshima Museum which was very interesting and very depressing. Although slightly out-dated, the museum did a great job of objectively showing the lead up to the dropping of the bombs, the actual events that took place and testimonies of survivors. Some of the testimonies were truly shocking and some of the official documents that were classified at the time are simply barbaric in their contents. For example, one of the reasons that Kyoto was spared from annihilation was because the US Minister of War at the time had a good honeymoon there a decade earlier.
It was also interesting because it gave both sides of the story, for example, how the Japanese Emperor simply wouldn’t surrender and that the casualties that the Americans and Japanese would suffer if they had invaded would have been
Sunset in Kyoto
From the shrine. 10 times more than were killed in the atomic bombs. However, it may be a generation thing but it’s very difficult to comprehend or understand the thinking behind bombing innocent civilians in such a way. Actually, one of the most distressing parts of the museum was the current state of nuclear weapons deployed in the world and the capabilities that are at the fingertips of some of the heads of countries. Simply put, any nuclear war that would occur nowadays will cause Armageddon considering the power of the bombs now at their disposal.
We walked back through the park with sobering thoughts and made our way towards the A-bomb Dome which is a preserved building that was left standing even though the bomb exploded about 200m above it. We finished off our whistle-stop tour of the city by walking towards the restored Hiroshima Castle which overlooked the city. We caught our train back to Fukuoka and found our hostel because it had given us great directions from the station even though it was quite a walk away! He recommended a great ramen restaurant where we went in the evening and ate some of the best ramen we’d had since
Peace Park
Hiroshima Peace Park being in Japan.
We got some sleep on a traditional ryokan style bedding which was a different experience. They only sold 3-bed dorms so we had the awkwardness of sharing our room with a random Korean guy. We should have put his bed in the middle really. We had a lazy morning (finally!) and had a final morning in Japan before our ferry in the afternoon. We’d been told about this sashimi restaurant but that we would need to get there by 11:30am because it will be crammed with locals. Laura wasn’t feeling too well so I went alone and managed to get there shortly before the advised time and the queue was already 20 people long. One of the chefs told me that the head chef owned a fish shop and that they make, “damn good sashimi”, so I told him I would eat whatever he recommended. There were no seats left so I had to squeeze into a booth with a couple of Japanese guys. I was the only Westerner so it couldn’t get too much more awkward. I hadn’t a clue what to have as it was my first time but out came this perfect meal.
Cenotaph
Cenotaph in the Peace Park in the shape of the A-bomb Dome in the background. Seaweed topped rice with a bowl of miso soup and a plate full of different pieces of raw fish. I have absolutely no idea what I was eating but each mouthful was a completely different culinary experience. It was without doubt the best meal I had in Japan, and to top it off, it only cost £3! I left the place and the queue outside was now even longer but no Westerners in sight – I may have stumbled across an absolute gem.
I made my way back to the bus stop via a beautiful temple. I entered through the huge stone gate as an old man sat on a tree stump chanted from a book he was reading and then I discovered a ceremony going on in the main temple hall which was really cool and in all the temple visits that we had made we hadn’t seen a ceremony occurring until now. Laura wasn’t too impressed that she’d missed out whilst we sat on our ‘Nishitesu’ bus passing the Fuku Building just off Gofuku Street.
On the ferry back to Busan we could look back on our experiences. Comparing Korea with Japan is impossible for us
Sashimi
Sashimi restaurant in Fukuoka. because we live in Korea and we were tourists in Japan so the experiences that we had are completely different. We have, however, had an absolutely phenomenal time and had so many ‘once in a lifetime’ experiences that it really has been one of the most special trips that we have ever done. I will begin next week’s blog with some of our reflective thoughts as I’m sure you’ve had enough reading for one session! Thanks for reading!
Tink and Laura
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Turp
non-member comment
Enjoyed the Japan monologues - looks awesome! Especially the octopuses on a stick...Well as you move on back to Korea, I move to Grimbsy for 6 months - joyful. Have you got plans to visit other countries whilst you're there? How long until your next holiday?