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Published: June 21st 2006
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We have spent 2 weeks in Japan, soaking up the atmosphere and visiting a number of different places. We spent:
- 3 nights in the capital city of Tokyo, where Hiroko (ex-work colleague from Chris' Japan office) gave us an insider's tour of the city & showed us some of the good restaurants - so many thanks, Hiroko!!
- 2 nights north of Tokyo, on Lake Chuzenji, and spending the days exploring the temples/shrines of Nikko. We managed to cross the language barrier and stayed in a traditional Japanese inn (a "ryokan"), and were served traditional dinner & breakfast - and yes, rice & broth do come with both of those meals!!!
- 2 nights in Hakone, exploring some of the lakeside towns in the area, and getting a misty view of the top slopes of Mount Fuji in the distance. Also discovering that in "the country" most restaurants close for dinner by 6 or 7pm!!
- 2 nights in Takayama (Hida district), where we savoured the lovely old, traditional-style buildings - and we also did a fair amount of souvenir shopping!!! We enjoyed testing the local delicacy (the Hida beef), and we found the WADA bar in the
Temples & shrines everywhere
This was from one of the Kyoto tourist spots (the Kigomizudera temple & Jishu shrine complex) town too, and obviously had to pay it a visit. (For those of you who don't know, Wada is a very common Japanese surname & means "Peaceful Field", although we are not sure at what point our family name left Japan, but it was at minimum over a 100 years ago).
- 4 nights in Kyoto, where we found the quaint old, traditional town hidden between the modern, high-rise main streets. We saw temples and shrines galore, and enjoyed more Japanese fare (although admittedly we also found a good curry house in a quiet corner of town!!)
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We have thoroughly enjoyed our Japan segment, and it has been quite different from rest of our trip (particularly after 2 months travelling around English-speaking countries!!) So here are some reflections on the Japan that you probably think you already know, together with some that you probably won't...
JAPANESE STEREOTYPES THAT SEEM TRUE...
- yes, the trains are amazingly effective. If a train is due to leave at 12:00, the train doors will have been shut at two minutes to twelve, and the driver will spend the next two mins looking at his watch to check he leaves
High Fashion
The taxi rear door opens automatically for another fashion victim...!!! on time! So no last minutes dashes for the train around here!!!
- rice CAN be served with breakfast, lunch & dinner.
- the electronic age is everywhere, with large stores in major cities that make the largest UK electronic retailers look tiny. Your mobile will probably look out-of-date, and your camera lens seem very small ... compared to those that the locals have, anyway!
- as a nation, the Japanese tend to visit major tourist sites by the coachload ... and that DOES include trips to tourist sites INSIDE Japan (ie: not just those outside Japan)!
- the street fashions are slightly different, with knee-length socks & high heels the "in" thing; but you may also pass the odd kimono-clad lady ... and the bus, train and taxi drivers all look very pristine with their spotless white gloves on.
THE NEW SIDE OF JAPAN THAT WE DISCOVERED...
- if you fancy testing out a "toilet seat warming" device, or an automatic bottom washer (all built into the toilet), then Japan is the place for you. Just make sure you press the right button to flush the toilet, otherwise the unexpected bottom wash may
come as a bit of a shock!
- if you want to feel like a local, then you must eat a lot ... you must eat very, very fast (evenwhen eating rice with chop sticks) ... but you must also have a high metabolism (as none of this food seems to show on the average figure!)
- if you want to hire a bicycle in Kyoto, then you must ride it down the pavement as fast as you can, trying to knock over as many pedestrians as possible in the process! Alternatively, if it is raining, then why don't you ride your bicycle down the street with one hand, whilst holding up an umbrella with the other hand?!
- having a blue roof is perfectly acceptable.
- you never need fear facing backwards on a train (ie: not facing same direction that the train is headed), as the seats are all automatically turned round to face the opposite direction at end of the line (so you will always face forward). Guess it beats turning the
Our ryokan accommodation
Helen in our room at the "Minharashi" ryokan on Lake Chuzenji (near Nikko) train around!
AND SOME HANDY HINTS FOR ANY POTENTIAL TOURIST...
- everyone that we have met in Japan has been extremely friendly, helpful and welcoming ... despite our pitiful attempts at speaking only a few words of Japanese!!! If you just keep using the words "Arigatoh" (thank you), "hai" (yes) and "sumi massen" (excuse me / pardon me) a lot, and combine it with lots of bowing (in place of handshakes), then you will be fine!
- don't try to open or close the left rear door of a taxi, unless you want some filthy looks from the taxi driver ... as that door is opened / closed automatically by the driver (at flick of a switch). Trust me, it's hard to break the habit!
- if you keep getting thirsty OR you in constant need of some more nicotine, then do not despair, as there are drink and fag machines on almost every street corner (even out of the main cities). Luckily, there is also a set of public toilets near every landmark and at every station (which is useful after all the drinks!)
- Smoking culture is perfectly acceptable in most public places (more like the UK ten years ago) ... so if don't smoke, make sure you ask for a non-smoking seat on a train / restaurant.
- if you want to find an ATM outside of a major city, then you need to find the Post Office, as no smaller banks accept non-Japanese cards at their ATMs. And many hostels only accept cash! (All of this from one of the most electronically-advanced nations).
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Ceri Davies
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Fashion Victim
Is it just me that finds it strange that Chris takes a photo of a taxi door automatically opening and comments on the fashion victim getting in? And she happens to be a nubile young asian woman with thigh high stockings and tiny denim shorts, hmmmmmm