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Published: October 23rd 2014
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----- Figured out the issue with pictures and have posted a few ---
Hello all, or should I say Konichiwa! I'm in Japan and am now just finding the time to update you on my travels. Having issues with my browser so hopefully this will work out.
Arrived in Tokyo and it's been a 'hit the ground running' type of trip. I'm already in Kyoto but this post will be only Tokyo and surrounding areas. I'll update you on Kyoto in a couple of days, don't want to take up all your time in one post. Now, on to the good stuff...
Spent my first full day in Tokyo seeing two little areas, one called Asakusa and the other, Ueno. The tourist office offers 1.5 hour free walking tours of the areas so I thought, no better way to dip my toe in this place than to have someone guide me around for a bit. Both have great history and temples. My guide for Asakusa, named Hiro, sweet man who looked like he might have been around Asakusa when it was being built, he was pretty old, and small. The funniest part is his way of
Hiro and his white notebook...
Yup, that's Hiro trying to lead us down a very busy market street, little white notebook in hand. guiding us was to hold up a little white notebook so we'd see him. Honestly, this sweet man was just under five feet tall and this place was busy plus he knew how to get through the crowds, many times we'd all be searching for Hiro in the crowd but we'd always spot this little white notebook that was barely seen at the shoulders of the tourists. During the tour, I met up with two gentlemen, one from Germany and one from India, did both tours and ended up going to a Kabuki play with them later.
The Kabuki theatre is a big thing here in Tokyo. Most plays can last up to six hours and are performed in Japanese. I wasn't up to six hours, but there is an option to buy last minute tickets to single acts. The Kabuki-za Theatre in Tokyo, established in 1889, is one of the few in Japan where you can rent an audio player for the play in English. The play that was on was steeped in Japanese lore, but was also confusing. Still a thrill to watch this amazing tradition.
The next day I went to Nikko, one of Japan's
Asakusa's Celebrity Handprints
Unsure why the one in front has no hand prints but a signature, odd... major attractions that dates back to the Edo period (1600-1868). A two hour train ride outside of Tokyo, super interesting shrines and very crowded. The only downside is many of the shrines are undergoing restoration and were covered under tarps. A great thing that they are preserving history but makes for non-existent photo opportunities... Part way through the day is started to rain, not for the most fun time but still a rewarding day trip.
The next day, I wandered outside of Tokyo again to Kamakura. This place is only an hour train ride outside of Tokyo and well worth the trip. This place was Japan's first feudal capital between 1185 and 1333 and still have some stunning and huge Buddhist temples. The crown jewel in my opinion is Daibutsu, literal translation is Big Buddha. According to the ticket, it is an 11.4m bronze statue of Buddha and was completed is 1252. It was once housed in a huge hall that was washed away in a tsunami is 1495. Now it sits in the open and what a site it is to see. You don't see it until you follow a path around a few tall trees and when
Asakusa parade....
Small parade, about 10 people in ASS-a-kusa... haha... you round the last bend, there it is, right in front of you and it's breathtaking. Photos just don't do it justice... After Daibutsu, I wandered into another temple Hase-dera, just to round out my day in Kamakura... temples, Big Buddha, temples.... a well-rounded day.
A few musings about Tokyo, what a fantastic place. One of the reasons I've not posted sooner is it's one of the safest places to wander around. Most nights I don't get back to my hotel until late and am too exhausted to post. There are so many pockets of great things to look at, neon everywhere, activity everywhere, visually overloading the brain. One funny thing to note is there are drink vending machines EVERYWHERE! They sell mostly coffee, water and juices/pop. There has only been two times I've seen ice cream, every other is drinks, drinks, drinks. When I say everywhere, I mean it. Every block will have at least one, some have two, four or ten. And another interesting thing is every toilet seat is heated, this may spoil me when I get back home, haha... The only challenge I've had so far is likely language, that and food. Not many speak
English and my Japanese totals about four words but a lot of smiling and gesturing tend to get the points across, they are very sweet people. The food thing has been a bit challenging as they don't have many options for veg-heads like me. And the idea of 'no meat' perplexes them, and don't even try asking for something that typically has meat to not have meat, substitutions are not common. But I'm making due, definitely not starving and who cares what I can't eat, I have a pants press in my tiny little budget hotel! Who needs to eat when I can have spectacularly well pressed cargo pants, haha! I love it!
Sorry folks, can't seem to upload pics, bummer. It seems my browser isn't communicating with TravelBlog very well and I can't seem to figure it out. I'll keep at it and if I can get it to work, I'll post because I've got some great pictures I'd love to share. You'll get an email if I've updated with photos...
As I said, I'm already in Kyoto but will update in a few days. Take care everyone, be safe and I'll do the same 😊
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