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Published: April 11th 2010
L writes: We arrive at Tokyo Narita airport after an easy flight. It is 9pm and Ben has kindly instructed us to find the "Friendly limousine bus" to Minato-ku - good job as there are many buses waiting! Ensues our first experience of Japan: a member of platform staff looking with attention to his watch and exactly on time (to the second), and after a series of bows exchanged with the bus driver through the open door, we are on our way through the skyscrapers and into Tokyo.
Ben warmly welcomes us to Japan and we go together to a local bar to drink a few sake based cocktails - lovely while Ben chats away happily to everyone in Japanese. Another beer at another place and I get chatting at the bar with a guy, apparently the local Yakusa representative in the neighbourhood!? How is that for a start?
After a restful night (thank you so much for your welcome and your bed Ben!), we are off to Yoyogi park the next day to witness Japanese people letting their hair down: extreme teen action with groups of Goth Maidens near Harajuku station, Rockabilly dancing (members only, as we are
menacingly reminded), a 5-piece orchestra rehearsing, C-list celebrities posing for photos. Ouaw! On the way back, we go and admire the famous mad zebra-crossing action at Shibuya and visit an exciting food hall: they have everything and good stuff too. Then back to the camp for the night.
Next day, we are off to make the most of our rail pass, direction Kobe on the Shinkansen (the bullet train). We wouldn't want to go hungry though, so we buy Eki-ben on the platform, a bento box typical of what can be found in train (Eki) stations and it is delicious. Shinkansen is quite an experience in itself: very fast and with each full row of seats swirling around so that groups of people can face each other. At the same time, every other carriage is a smoking one, so hundreds of people are puffing away (so 80s!).
We finally arrive at Kobe station where we have been invited to stay for a few days with Yuki and Yuui, friends of Joanna. Surprise as a taxi driver with a misspelt sign and white gloves bows us inside his cab and keeps bowing all the way to the flat. No
tokyo-style automatic door action as MK Taxis prefer a more personal approach with the driver opening and closing the car for you. This is what it feels like being a celebrity!?
We arrive at the flat and are greeted by Yuki, the lovely 3-month old Yuuga and the house dog: well-behaved sheepdog Pudding. After a refreshment -it is hot and humid in Kobe- we walk to meet Yuui at his office. Kobe is modern, vibrant and clean, a very nice feeling while walking around. We have invited the hosts out for dinner and we all head out for a proper Sushi dinner. No luck at the best in town -closed - so we end up in a high-end restaurant eating classic Japanese fare: fish, pickels, omelettes, ginger and great wasabi all washed down with warm sake. Yum. Yuui is king and secretly treat us to the meal, but we feel we will have to be firm next time around to return the favour.
The sleeping arrangement is just fabulous: Yuki and Yuui's one-bedroom flat turns out to have a "secret" second bedroom, partitioning off half of the living room some amazingly comfortable futon mattresses (thin but so comfy)
go on the floor and here we are sleeping away. One of the best night of our travel in terms of bedding!
Next day, our trusted MK Taxi picks us up at the flat to Shin-Kobe, the Shinkansen station for a short trip to Himeji. As we walk out of the station there, down the avenue towards the oldest and best preserved medieval castle in Japan, we start seeing the white fortress against the green hill it is built on. It is clearly obvious why it has been nicknamed "The White Egret". It is quite a magical place really, with simple wood work and beautiful slate tiles combined simply to make the place timeless. The main tower is an imposing wooden structure with supporting beams on display and built on several floors with each level narrower than the last, all accessed using a steep wood ladder. It finishes with a breathtaking view of the surrounding countryside. We then visit Koko-en landscaped garden at the foot of the castle: pine, bamboo, giant carps and traditional tea house gives a great feel. We do fail however to find tako (octopus) dumpling, one of Himeji specialties, it is probably too late in
the afternoon. So we get the train back to Kobe and wander the streets of the city down to the harbour, getting lost on the way. A nice Japanese business man takes us all the way back from where he clearly came from for about 10 min to show us the right way back to the flat - nice!
Back at Yuui and Yuki's flat, we are treated to some delicious cabbage pancakes before being invited to take a bath. I decline as politely as possible whilst M is offered the first spot in the family bathwater and is summoned by the bath when appropriately full (really) and enjoys the temperature controlled hot hot hot water before scrupulously ensuring same water is acceptably cleanly for the next bather! This bath thing is as hi-tech as the all singing and dancing toilets! We have not booked anywhere for the following day in Kyoto - all the websites are in Japanese! But anyway, we are quite firmly asked to stay an extra night to get a chance to go to the nice sushi restaurant we tried to go to already, and after sleeping on it, we accept the kind offer.
The next day, we are going to Kyoto for our first day there. Yuui has given as a tip for a fantastic traditional restaurant there, with directions and booking, and we finally find it after much searching. The 10-course tempura menu for $35 each is truly beautifully tasty and all cooked in front of us. We then visit the famous Kiyomizu temple, "balcony" style looking over the woods of the surrounding countryside after much trouble finding it amongst the many Shinto and Buddhist temples in the area. School kids in sailor uniforms are everywhere visiting too. Next, we walk to Gion - the main historical centre of Kyoto - all sliding doors, wooden beams and narrow cobbled streets. Not much happening there at this time of the day although we catch the odd glimpse of Kimono wearing, Geisha-looking girls.
Back to the station and Shinkansen to Kobe where we finally get to sample the fantastic Sushi restaurant Yuki and Yuui suggested eating at. We meet them there and have one of the best meal of our lives! The sushi in Kobe is generously sized, not the pretentious small size, well-presented version found in Tokyo (quoting our Japanese hosts) and
tremendously tasty. We really appreciate how lucky we are having local hosts, there isn't a single tourist here and it simply wouldn't be possible to find or order without them. Super amazingly nice. The conversation covers lots around the table, in particular, we discuss the three forms of languages commonly used in Japanese and marvel at how truly varied and complex a language it can be. I cunningly escape to the toilet and settle the bill, just about managing by using sign language with a confused and wary waiter. Payment done, we break the news of having settled the tab to our hosts (guests!), surprised but taking it philosophically and we all head home. A few more drinks and photo sharing with our lovely hosts and we are off to bed. The next day, it is time for our farewell as we take our leave for a night in Kyoto and a traditional Ryokan we - with help from Yuki - booked there.
We leave our bags at the train station left luggage and hurry for the private visit our Kobe hosts booked for us (by post) at Kokodera, a moss garden temple in the suburb of Kyoto. We
really struggle to find the place after 50 min of suburban bus and a 30 min walk in residential Kyoto. By sheer luck and much broken English/Japanese discussion with locals, we finally locate it and with minutes to spare we kneel on the tatami of the main temple room with about 50 other guests. First off, the lead Buddhist monk invites us to listen to his incanting and chanting along to the regular and deep drumming beat of his fellow monks accompanying him: very strangely relaxing and contemplative, trance inducing experience lasting a good 15 minutes. Then we are instructed to trace prayers in Japanese using quills and ink. Our desk neighbours giggle at our inaptitude to use the old traditional ink pads and assist us in doing so. After 15 minutes of careful tracing over obscure but beautiful Japanese characters, we surrender our tracing to be added on the prayer pile that will be said for us alongside our personal prayers. I wrote down something about "peace in the world", no, "good health forever", no, I think it was "about travelling for the rest of our lives", or something like that? Anyway, it is then time to wander in
the Moss garden itself and what a treat, it is beautiful! Continuing our our journey of discovery of Japanese culture, we are off to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavillion and finally Ryōan-ji Zen Garden, the most famous Zen garden in the world. It is very minimalistic and beautiful, in rocky kind of way. Yuui said we would take learnings from going there, I guess he was right! We then somehow manage to get ourselves in one of those mad rushes that ever so often overcomes us. While I am rushing to the train station to pick up luggage and head for the Ryokan house, Martha goes to queue for tickets at Gion Corner theatre. I somehow manage to join there 2 minutes before the start of the performance covering all the traditional customs of Kyoto: the tea making ceremony, Ikebana and Japanese harp playing then a farce & puppet show (very funny and talented puppeteers!) and finally a Geisha dance. It might be a show put on for tourists but a good way to have a bite-size take of Kyoto traditions that we probably wouldn't get otherwise. Eventually back at the Ryokan with a bit of time to look around the
room: gorgeous tatami affair, with sleeping on floor action and very confortable robes to sleep in. M looks in at the Japanese baths downstairs - all Ryokans have them - but decides against getting nude with the couple of women earnestly chatting in there. I am exhausted so have a fitful sleep.
Next day, over a gorgeous traditional Japanese breakfast, we discussed what to do with ourselves. We would like to stay longer in Kyoto but at $200 a night, the decision is not to be taken lightly. We decide to the canal walk from Ginhakuji passing the Silver Pavilion, the old Shogun house to Nanzenji temple along the "Philosopher's path" named after Kitaro. In the afternoon, we go to the Manga Museum which, in fact, has very few Manga in English but gives us a great opportunity to lounge about in the sunshine. It is then back to Ben's in Tokyo where we arrive quite late but to an empty flat. We hear him arriving later with a girl, but all very innocent as she has missed her train, had too many a cocktail and just needs a place to crash. We feel quite guilty sleeping in the
only bed as they are curled together on the narrow sofa...
Next day, we get to meet Yuu, a friend of Ben who has come to meet him at the flat. She really impresses me, picking up the PS2 controller and giving me a right run for my money on a completely insane manga fighting game that she has never played before! Really lovely girl who confides that her brother, to our amusement, is called "Mi". Yuu and Mi :-) Today is time to head off to Akihabara, also known as "geek town", a complete and utterly mad amassment of electronics with Hi-tech and junk piled up high and people rushing around. So exciting. Martha and I split up as it is not super interesting for her (she finds thrift stores and buys a few things for about 20p each!) and I sneak in a Manga shop, on 3 floors where thousands of titles are available on shelves. The lower floor is dedicated to "adult" mangas and I am really flabbergasted at how hardcore the porn mangas are - absolutly crazy. Even crazier is the fact that we have seen respectful, suit clad middle aged men reading them openly
in public transport. All his fellow travellers seems perfectly at ease with his commuting time choice of reading while the very same people really frowned upon Martha taking a bite of her sandwich. Japan is all about live and let live but completely intransigeant if the "live" infringes on peoples's liberties and impact on them. Reading porn in trains is your choice and not considered wrong whereas eating in public transport is plain rude, who-do-you-think-you-are-to-eat-when-everyone-else-refrains-from-doing-so like. Interesting contrast I guess.
Late afternoon, we head back for Ben's and meet him having a drink at the terrace of a nearby cafe. We join in and the plan is to go to the stadium with some of his friends to support "The Swallows", the Tokyo local Baseball team. A great experience! No nonsense baseball as seen sometimes in the USA - some proper playing with no ad-break, fun entertainment and the supporters being very "systematic" in their supporting, probably consistent with them being Japanese. Each team's supporters taunt the other with colourful umbrellas which apparently means "you are a wash-out" :-) The cute beer girls are always on the prowl for thirsty customers and Ben's friends are really great. The game
is spectacular and we are informed that Japanese baseball is widely recognised as being the best in the world! After the match, we all head off for more action and we end up with Ben and Yuu in a "pub" on the third floor of a building, reached by a lift, and have more beer and some food. Another great night!
Next day is recovery day considering the state of everyone's hangover so we walk about going to posh Kappong Hills for a spot of shopping around. In the evening, we all go and eat to the Japanese restaurant that was the inspiration behind the place where the final Kill Bill 1 showdown takes place. We can definitely see why that is. Ben secretly pays again for us all - Ben, you have been such a star for us, we will never forget!- and Yuu brings us to tears with a gift she gives us, a coffee cup with a photos of the four of us on it!
Next day is officially our last day travelling. We are determined to see a bit of Japanese countryside and have decided to to go to Hakkone, a hot-spring town for
the day. We realise quickly how much of an error this turns out to be. The trip there takes 4 hours in various public transport, albeit all much picturesque than the previous one and we have little time to spare doing anything, even eat. Visibility is very poor so we don't even get to catch a glimpse of the local hill, let alone of Fuji-san which is there in the distance. Oh well, we have faith it is, somewhere in the mist. At least we get back to Ben's and he has cooked us a delicious sushi based meal for our last night. What a fantastic host!
Next day, we are up at 5am for a taxi to the hotel from which we can get the Friendly limousine bus and off to the airport for the final flight home.
Japan has left us mostly confused at all time, always wondering if we had done the right thing. A vibrant country with so many friendly people, unique and fascinating culture. Like our life-changing, 11 month round-the-world trip, it has left us realising that, in life, it is important to always want more while also being able to make the
most of what we have got.
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ym_kenny
non-member comment
Interesting to read
Good you seem enjoyed the time in Japan. >Reading porn in trains is your choice and not considered wrong whereas eating in public transport is plain rude, >who-do-you-think-you-are-to-eat-when-everyone-else-refrains-from-doing-so like. Yeah it's somehow got to be "normal" for us Japanese, but yeah, it's actually wiard culture, innit? ;)