Japan

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We arrived safely in Tokyo after a 4hr flight from Hong Kong. What a difference in countries, peoples and customs. Having made our way to the bus only to be told most apologetically that it had finished running for the day we were shown to the taxi rank. The people here are so polite, they bow to each other as a sign of respect and the whole place is scrupulously clean. There is not one item of rubbish to be seen on the streets or even down the back alleys. Having just spent the last five weeks in sub standard accomodation we decided to go a little bit extra and have a bit of luxury for the night which was lovely. We met up with Phil which was fantastic and after a lot of hugging and back slapping and kissing we made our way to the sky bar and swapped news and stories over a few beers, gin and tonics and then cocktails. He is such a bad influence!!!!! After all this consumption food was required and we made our way across the road to a restaurant where you get your food served by Ninjas. Quite a novelty, you are led through secret passages, all very dark and secretive then when you get to your table a Ninja comes and shows you some magic tricks. All very theatrical, the food was not bad and it was very different. Day two in Tokyo and we did the tourist hop on hop off bus. It basically runs around three routes and we did them all. We saw the Tokyo Tower, The Fuji television centre which is a very strange building, bizzarly we saw the statue of liberty which stands overlooking the sea. Apparently they had to get permission off the French to erect the statue. The government buildings, the fish market and all of the other sights. It was a good way to get round. Dinner out tonight was Phil's choice and he choose burgers!! Not much to say about that really, except when in Japan eat American??? To give him his due he loves Sushi and all that kind of stuff but there is no way he will get his Dad over the threshold if fish is involved!

Moving onto a new town today called Kyoto which in years gone by was the capital of Japan. We were very excited as we went off to the station to catch the bullet train. These are just mega, so smooth, fast, roomy and clean and bang on time. It's a fantastic service, not a bit like British Rail. It's a bit on the pricey side though, one way trip for a 2hour journey was £60. Arrived and dropped off our luggage. After spending two nights in luxury we were a bit bothered what a hotel @ £40 a night was going to be like, no worries it is absolutely fine, so much so that we have booked an extra for tomorrow. Off we went to hire push bikes. A new city to explore on bikes with three people with not one iota of any sense of direction, what could possibly go wrong! Armed with a map we set off and it didn't take us long to get out of the city and amble along by the side of the river to the temples. It was really pretty and we spotted lots of cormorants, storks and herons along the way but the ultimate find was an eagle. It was huge and flew right over our heads and landed in front of us, awesome. Really enjoyed our cycle, it was very relaxing except for being a bit roasty toasty!! Dinner tonight was Baz choice and we went to a noodle bar with a twist. It's called Menbakaichidai and basically you pick what you want from the menu although it's only a choice of three things then they clear the decks of everything and what doesn't get moved gets covered over with towels. We were then given large bibs to wear, I was given a hair band to tie up my fringe which as many people will know I have a phobia about being a slap head so I was not overly impressed, we were then instructed not to move or lean forward. We were served noodles and then the guy came along the bar pouring hot oil into our bowls which created an inferno in front of us. It was a little warm and probably more than a little dangerous. The food was good the experience very different and my fringe remains in tact!

Have to tell you about the toilets as I have spent the last two blogs complaining about the squat toilets in China. The ones here are like something from another planet. You sit down and the water starts swirling beneath you, it has a deodoriser, front and back wash, music and volume buttons, heated seats and air circulation. Unbelievable! I thought they were only like this as we were in a posh hotel but no even the public loos are like this. It's fantastic, I don't have to wait at least 20 hours for a widdle anymore, if fact we just go for the hell of it now!!

Another day and Baz and Phil went off to do some rambling this morning. Lots of gateways and steps, they came back looking a bit hot and bothered. I remained in bed suffering with Mr Bennetts cold!! They were back by lunch and we headed off on the public bus to visit the Golden Pavilion or Kinkaku as it is known. It's a beautiful building and it sits in the most amazing Japanese gardens that are so peaceful to stroll around. The gardens and buildings, centred on the Golden Pavilion, were said to represent the Pure Land of Buddha in this world. It's not made of solid gold but of gold foil on lacquer covers and it has a golden Phoenix that stands on the top. It is stunning in the sunlight and it reflects so beautifully in the lake that surrounds it. After our visit we jumped back on the bus and headed off to the markets. They were covered markets with ornate glass roofs in very bright colours and after strolling around for a bit we made our way to the food market to get more food. The different types of fruit and veg and fish that we had never seen before and lots of Japanese tea shops, there were things to sample on cocktail sticks and it was a nice clean market and thankfully everything that was for sale was already dead and cooked, no caged animals awaiting their inevitable date with the dinner table as in China. We found a local noodle house and had three bowls of yummy noodles with pork, quite delicious. When we came out the heavens had opened and we were completely unprepared so it seemed like the best thing to do was sit out the rain in an Irish Bar. The rain persisted for quite some time unfortunately!!

Today we have jumped back on the bullet train and we are headed for Hiroshima. We are parting with Phil at this point as we need to get back toward Tokyo ready for our flight tomorrow and Phil is staying on for a couple of weeks to do some touring of the area, so first stop was to drop off his bags and suss out where his hotel is. Onto the Hiroshima Peace Garden and memorial museum. I really don't know how to put into words how this affected all three of us. We walked around the gardens first and the memorial which is simple in design but very effective. It starts with the cenotaph to the A-bomb victims, then your eye is drawn to a flame of peace, then the fountain of peace and then at the end is the Atomic Bomb Dome. It is such a peaceful spot but obviously all you are imagining is the devastion and the scenes of death and it's after effects. We took turns to ring the bell of peace and nearby there is a clock tower that chimes it's bell at 8.15am every morning being the time that the bomb exploded on 6 August 1945. It was a very sombre emotive walk around the gardens and when we got up close to the dome which is the only remaining building left as part of the memorial you can see for yourself some of the effects of the bomb. The building with it's dome remained relatively intact as the bomb exploded 600 meters directly above it and therefore the blast and the heat rays spread out and crushed nearly all the buildings within 2 kilometres of the centre and killed nearly 200,000 people on that day and over the next year. The museum has displays of belongings left by the victims, these include clothing that is so badly burned it's a wonder that a lot of the children even made it home and if they did they died within days. There are many photos and household goods barely recognisable. Each item has been carefully labelled with a little story of who it belonged to and what happened to them. The items embody the grief, anger or pain of the everyday people affected by this and now as the city has recovered from the A-bomb calamity its deepest wish is the elimination of all nuclear weapons and the realisation of a genuinely peaceful world. All three of us were moved beyond words.

Next trip after another Japanese lunch of noodles was Hiroshima castle. This has obviously been rebuilt but it has been done meticulously and is a stunning piece of architecture. Long walk back to the train station where it was a tearful farewell to Phil. It has been lovely to share at least a little part of Japan with him but it's tough saying goodbye again.

Last day in Japan and we have to catch the bullet train back to Tokyo and then a fast train to the airport. It's all very easy to get round, the public transport system is incredible, most people speak English, the toilets are fantastic and the Japanese people are so polite and friendly it's been a joy.

Off to LA and just found out we have been upgraded to premium which means large comfy armchairs, yippee......................

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