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Published: November 8th 2007
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Day 8 continued....
After picking up my backpack from the hostel, I caught a train to Kyoto. This was followed by a ride on the subway and a ten minute walk to my new hostel, “Uno House”, which it turns out, couldn’t be more different from my accommodation in Osaka. Constructed of timber (a bit like the farmhouses I’d seen the day before), the place has had bits added and taken away all over the place. A labyrinth of rooms, spread over two floors, are divided from one another by boarded partitions. Each room is at a slightly different level to the previous (thereby maximising potential for tripping over). Cupboards fill nooks and crannies and there's clutter everywhere. The dormitories, look a bit like empty stables (fortunately without the straw). As a guest, you just lay down your futon onto a mat and you have a bed for the night! Due to space restrictions, you get to know the people either side of you quite well (yes the dorms are sex-segregated)! A thin ragged material curtain exists to maintain a minimal level of modesty when changing for the showers....and did I mention that the drinking water comes from a well!
Although a little strange, I quite like Uno House for all its little eccentricities! The only real downside has to be the lack of security (there are no lockers, or indeed locks on the dormitories) and lack of heating (it's freeeezing at night!). On the bright side, there are more backpackers staying here and I've got to meet some interesting people from all over the world over endless cups of Japanese tea.
Day 9: Hiroshima
I wasn't feeling so good today. I'm sure this was partly due to the hostel being too cold to sleep in, but I'm also aching from walking around with my backpack and carrying it on and off of trains (backpack was over 20kg at last weigh in, hand luggage probably about another 5kg). It was raining in Kyoto so I thought it'd be good to get out of the city and make the most of my Japanese Rail Pass heading down to Hiroshima. Having sorted out my rail pass (allowing unlimited travel on trains for the next week), I got a ticket for a Shinkansen (bullet train) to Hiroshima. Although impressively fast, I did make the most of having 2 hours on
a train and caught up on a bit of sleep.
It was raining in Hiroshima as well and it took me a while to find the Peace Memorial Park and museum (must be the maps again!), so I was quite soggy by the time I arrived in the centre. The museum, which was packed with Japanese schoolchildren, was a harrowing account of the dropping of the atomic bomb on the city and its aftermath. There was lots of written information, including testaments by those who had survived, but who had lost friends and relatives; as well as clothes, books and possesions of those who were either killed in the attack or died soon after. It was all quite sobering. I'd like to think that few people could visit the museum at Hiroshima and still be able to produce a good argument for possession and use of nuclear weapons (however, sadly I think there are probably many, on both sides of the Atlantic).
The Park (which prior to the bomb, was covered in dense housing) has been left as an open green space with a central monument to those who died (and a separate children's monument). The 'A-Bomb Dome'
also remains over the river from the gardens. Previously an industrial promotion hall, the A-Bomb Dome marks the point where the bomb was activated (600m above the city). As one of the few buildings in Hiroshima to be constructed of bricks and steel, it remained standing after the bomb and despite being quite wrecked, the ruins have been reinforced and stand as a reminder of previous events. Although the museum and park are thought-provoking, Hiroshima itself is a lovely city (even in the rain), and was well worth the visit - not just for the park and museum.
Day 10: Temples, towns and chinese whiskey
After breakfast in a french cafe (croissants hurrah!), I went for a walk to the outskirts of Kyoto and to the 13th century zen temple complex of Nanzen-ji (though it's been rebuilt a few times since the original was constructed). Set in the woodland, a little way up a hill and out of Kyoto, the temple and subtemples are very different to Chinese designs. Lacking ornate carvings and bright colours, the beauty of Nanzen-ji seems to lie in its simplicity and natural setting. Buildings were made of wood (unpainted), with verandas overlooking
perfectly-pruned gardens, ponds and waterfalls. Inside the temple were traditional old Japanese paintings and wooden furniture. I went for a walk in the woods around the temple, to find more similar subtemples, an old, but still functioning, aquaduct and numerous small shrines lining the paths. Following the river up into the woods, there was a large shrine/temple complete with monks, in a secluded part of the wood next to the waterfall (Nanzen-ji oku-no-in).
On the way back down into Kyoto, I emerged onto a path lined with maple trees. Unlike others I'd seen closer to sea level, these were a fantastic firey red and a real contrast to the luscious green forest of the woodland. I felt I should probably see a bit of Kyoto since I was staying there (despite my new aversion to crowds and cities) and headed into the centre of town. It was quite pleasant in places, although a bit touristy. There were several not-so-nice shopping malls packed with touristy shops, cheap clothes shops and an abundance of "Hello Kitty" items (from fans and chopsticks to t-shirts and cookies); but away from the main roads, there were some narrow streets lined with traditional noodle bars,
sushi restaurants and other eateries with lanterns outside and not a word of english writing to be seen. There were also some fantastic cake and sweet shops providing all kinds of wierd and wonderful, beautifully decorated treats (at a price). I did have a half-hearted effort at trying to find a Geisha and went for a stroll around the entertainment district where they're sometimes seen, but had no luck. I think all the Geishas are hiding behind closed doors - not that I really blame them, I think they probably get mobbed when they step out into the open!
I had been quite proud of my minimal alcohol intake since leaving England. With the exception of an odd glass of wine, I hadn't had anything to drink since starting my travels. Unfortunately, it all went to pot on meeting a group of Chinese people and a drunken Ozzie at the hostel. The Chinese posse had come to Japan on business, bringing with them a cask or two of Chinese whiskey. With the encouragement of the Australian guy (who'd just arrived from Tokyo and already had a skinful of vodka), I joined them for a drink or ten, for what
turned out to be quite a pleasant, if slightly drunken evening, sitting round the table at the hostel sharing stories.*
*I should add that rice whiskey tastes as nice as it sounds - I wouldn't recommend it!
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Nicki
non-member comment
alright?
Hey Emma, glad your having such a jolly time, it's cool hearing about what your upto, I've decided I would now like to go to beijing, might have to stop reading your blog cause I could end up wanting to go to lots of different places...I currently own a bottle of chinese rice wine and I can only imagine things would have to be pretty desperate for me to drink it, well it's only 14% so perhaps not that deperate, take care nicki xx