O-hayo gozaimasu! (means "good morning").
I`m in Nagasaki today, the rain hasn`t stopped. I was looking on the internet before and it seems most of Asia is taking it, rain wise. China seems to be in a particuarly bad state. Meanwhile, Europe is in a heatwave. Ho hum. Well, if I was back in the UK I`d probably be stuck in a lab staring out of the window wishing I was in the pub.
The temple stay at Koyasan was fun and interesting, but it was ruined slightly in the morning. Myself and an American couple who were also staying there were up at 7AM to watch the monks chant in the main hall. The chanting went on for quite some time, the four monks were really getting into it (apart from the older one who kept coughing up phlegm). After wards, the head monk gave us a quick tour of the hall, telling us about how after a big fire in teh past, many of the temples in Koyasan had been destroyed, but a wealthy samurai lord had donated money for their rebuilding. Then the monk asked us for a donation in order to help with reconstruction, 1000 yen (about 7 pounds) and we`d get a nice set of chopsticks in return. Well, I did the moral thing, packed my bag and sneaked out of there, ninja style, and jumped on the next train to Hiroshima.
I didn`t do too much in Hiroshima as it rained constantly and I was getting fed up of being wet all the time. I had a look at the A-bomb dome, the remains of which are quite eerie, and the museum which has lots of stuff about the bomb. I gathered that the Americans (backed by the British of course) had three reasons for dropping the atomic bomb on Japan:
1) put a swift end to the war
2) to test the weapon - a uranium bomb was dropped on Hiroshima and a plutonium one on Nagasaki, and the sites were chosen as much for the ease of observation of the effects as for the strategic importance
3) to show the Russians who was boss
I also visited Miyajima Island, which most people who go to Hiroshima do. It was very wet and foggy when I was there. I tried to climb up the mountain but got drenched and gave up 600m from the top. Not that I would have ahd a good view anyway.
At least the hostel there (K`s house) had a guitar, it was great to sit around on the sunday and just play for the first time in ages. I almost wrote a new song too (no words though).
So now I`m in Nagasaki (even more rain). Free internet so I`ve been arsing around all morning. Will have to get out eventually though...
Til next time,
Rob
Monday 28 June 2010
Saturday 26 June 2010
Fuji to Koya san
Hi, a quick one today. I didn:t climb Fuji, it was pouring down. Instead I took the train to Osaka, spent the night in a capsule hotel and ate fried octupus balls (Takoyaki). The capsule hotel was cool , each room has an upper and lower set of capsules down each wall. Each capsule is about 2x1x1 metres, made of plastic, and with a blind at one end to seal it. It reminded me of a suspended animation capsule from a science fiction film. There is a thin matress inside and a tv (or I had the option to choose one with a charging socket). The end of the capsule I watched the last England game in there (vs Sloveni). There was a coin slot in the room and I was curious on what it did so I put my 100 yen in and was treated to two channels of Japanese porn. In the interests of journalism I watched on, as a man and woman got it together in a car and the woman made noises like a wounded cat or small child. On the other side a woman was tied up by the wrists as a man used various implements on her nipples, including the type of wide brushes they use here for stirring tea. The slurping noises were horrific.
Er, so after that I took the Nankai express and cablecar to Mount Koya-san. This is one of Japans three power spots as places with spiritual significance, along with Fuji and Takai. I went into the tourist office and booked a night at a temple, 9500 yen which is the most I"ve paid for a room yet (about 70 quid I think). It was a lovely day in Koyasan and I wandered around the graveyard, temple area and did a bit of a walk up the side of a hill. The temple meal was great, lots of small (vegetarian) dishes but I was quite full after (lots of tofu and pickled veg, and a really nice miso soup). After that I tried meditation with one of the monks, and had a great sleep in a big airy room.
Ok, my internet times up, see you later!
Er, so after that I took the Nankai express and cablecar to Mount Koya-san. This is one of Japans three power spots as places with spiritual significance, along with Fuji and Takai. I went into the tourist office and booked a night at a temple, 9500 yen which is the most I"ve paid for a room yet (about 70 quid I think). It was a lovely day in Koyasan and I wandered around the graveyard, temple area and did a bit of a walk up the side of a hill. The temple meal was great, lots of small (vegetarian) dishes but I was quite full after (lots of tofu and pickled veg, and a really nice miso soup). After that I tried meditation with one of the monks, and had a great sleep in a big airy room.
Ok, my internet times up, see you later!
Monday 21 June 2010
Tokyo
After five days of temple exploration in Kyoto and Nara, I decided to get on the bullet train to Tokyo and have a weekend there. It was easy enough to get a seat ticket using my rail pass (I even asked in Japanese: Tokyo ni ikitai desu) and then I was off. The shinkansen moves pretty fast from the word go; it took about three hours (to do about 471km) and then I had the fun of trying to navigate Tokyos incredibly complex metro rail system in order to get to Asakusa, where I had a hostel booked.
I stayed in the Khaosan Annex, one of a chain of four in the same area of the city. The hostels distinguishing feature was that the dorm beds were in individual wooden cabins. Cool idea, but they were damn hot every morning when I awoke. I used my rail pass to go around the Yamanote line which loops around the central part of the city. Its a bloody big place. I spent 3-4 hours a day just getting around on the train and subway. Most of the areas I visited were quite similar, in that they were very busy and had loads of shops, but not really much else of interest. I didn't even see any business men reading schoolgirl manga porn on the train.
Before I arrived, some other travellers had told me that the Japanese were quite unfriendly to foreigners. Judging by my experience so far that isn't true as I've met a lot of friendly, helpful people. They can't always speak English very well, and some people expect foreigners to be able to understand Japanese, so perhaps more so than the other countries I've visited in Asia having a bit of language skill is very handy (not that I have any myself really). It is true that it is a relatively expensive place, fruit in particular is extortionate (although cigarettes are cheap), but I don't think its any more expensive than Australia or European prices.
I had a big night out on saturday. I went with some other guys from the hostel to Atom in Shibuya, probably the most expensive club I've been to (3500 yen entry) and definitely the most rammed and hottest. The music wasn't great so it was more for the experience of seeing young Japanese going crazy that I hung around (like Louis Theroux or something). I lasted until about 3AM (the club shuts around 5.30AM) then escaped. There is no public transport at all in this, one of the biggest cities in the world, until 5AM, so rather than hang around (no way I was paying for a taxi) I walked about two hours in the direction of my hostel, which only actually moved me a fraction of the way back, then finally caught a train. The next night I was out again in a karaoke bar.
So after all that malarky I thought it would be good to get out into the countryside, so I took a series of trains to get me to the Fuji five lakes area. I had a wander around the lake nearest to where I'm staying (Kawaguchico) last night and its very scenic, with a nice view of Fuji-san topped with a bit of snow. A couple I met in the hostel last night are taking the bus this morning to the fifth station in order to attempt a climb so I 'm going along then. Climbing season doesn't start until the 1st of July, so there are not many buses on at the moment, but at least it won't be too crowded. There's some other walks in this area too so I may hang around for a few days more. I still haven't decided whether to go to Hokkaido - its a long way and will probably involve me going back to Tokyo but the area sounds really nice for outdoors-y stuff.
Til next time!
I stayed in the Khaosan Annex, one of a chain of four in the same area of the city. The hostels distinguishing feature was that the dorm beds were in individual wooden cabins. Cool idea, but they were damn hot every morning when I awoke. I used my rail pass to go around the Yamanote line which loops around the central part of the city. Its a bloody big place. I spent 3-4 hours a day just getting around on the train and subway. Most of the areas I visited were quite similar, in that they were very busy and had loads of shops, but not really much else of interest. I didn't even see any business men reading schoolgirl manga porn on the train.
Before I arrived, some other travellers had told me that the Japanese were quite unfriendly to foreigners. Judging by my experience so far that isn't true as I've met a lot of friendly, helpful people. They can't always speak English very well, and some people expect foreigners to be able to understand Japanese, so perhaps more so than the other countries I've visited in Asia having a bit of language skill is very handy (not that I have any myself really). It is true that it is a relatively expensive place, fruit in particular is extortionate (although cigarettes are cheap), but I don't think its any more expensive than Australia or European prices.
I had a big night out on saturday. I went with some other guys from the hostel to Atom in Shibuya, probably the most expensive club I've been to (3500 yen entry) and definitely the most rammed and hottest. The music wasn't great so it was more for the experience of seeing young Japanese going crazy that I hung around (like Louis Theroux or something). I lasted until about 3AM (the club shuts around 5.30AM) then escaped. There is no public transport at all in this, one of the biggest cities in the world, until 5AM, so rather than hang around (no way I was paying for a taxi) I walked about two hours in the direction of my hostel, which only actually moved me a fraction of the way back, then finally caught a train. The next night I was out again in a karaoke bar.
So after all that malarky I thought it would be good to get out into the countryside, so I took a series of trains to get me to the Fuji five lakes area. I had a wander around the lake nearest to where I'm staying (Kawaguchico) last night and its very scenic, with a nice view of Fuji-san topped with a bit of snow. A couple I met in the hostel last night are taking the bus this morning to the fifth station in order to attempt a climb so I 'm going along then. Climbing season doesn't start until the 1st of July, so there are not many buses on at the moment, but at least it won't be too crowded. There's some other walks in this area too so I may hang around for a few days more. I still haven't decided whether to go to Hokkaido - its a long way and will probably involve me going back to Tokyo but the area sounds really nice for outdoors-y stuff.
Til next time!
Thursday 17 June 2010
banzai!
Hey. I`ve got 7 minutes left on this machine so here goes.
My Air NZ flight was nearly empty, I had an empty seat next to me. I slept most of the way. Arrival in Kyoto was fine, no one asked to see my onward ticket to Korea. Later I asked other travellers about whether they were required to have one, and no oen else has had to. The check in people obviously just don`t like the look of me.
I`ve had five days in Kyoto, the 3rd capital of Japan and seemingly its main cultural place these days. Its a huge city, it took an hour by bus to get to my hostel (ok so its probably about the same size as manchester but theres a lot more tall buildings in the city centre). I stayed at UTan oyouth hostel, which is very nice, it has a large enclosed green space and a bath house, and an all you can eat breakfast, but I think its more of a retreat place or place for school groups rather than independent travellers. I stayed out til 11 (woo!) the night before last and I couldn:t get a bus back; I rang up the hostel and they told me that the place would be locked down at midnight, so I had to get a taxi back. A bit annoying really, as the city centre is quite boring by day, and I`ve only seen it once at night time.
Apart from that I`ve visited a few temple sites and generally wandered around. I went to Nara for the day, which is a smaller city, but the temple area there is in a large park with lots of deer, so I had a better time (in Kyoto there is either a lot of walking through city streets or waiting for buses to get from one site to the next).
Ok thats it for now, see ya!
My Air NZ flight was nearly empty, I had an empty seat next to me. I slept most of the way. Arrival in Kyoto was fine, no one asked to see my onward ticket to Korea. Later I asked other travellers about whether they were required to have one, and no oen else has had to. The check in people obviously just don`t like the look of me.
I`ve had five days in Kyoto, the 3rd capital of Japan and seemingly its main cultural place these days. Its a huge city, it took an hour by bus to get to my hostel (ok so its probably about the same size as manchester but theres a lot more tall buildings in the city centre). I stayed at UTan oyouth hostel, which is very nice, it has a large enclosed green space and a bath house, and an all you can eat breakfast, but I think its more of a retreat place or place for school groups rather than independent travellers. I stayed out til 11 (woo!) the night before last and I couldn:t get a bus back; I rang up the hostel and they told me that the place would be locked down at midnight, so I had to get a taxi back. A bit annoying really, as the city centre is quite boring by day, and I`ve only seen it once at night time.
Apart from that I`ve visited a few temple sites and generally wandered around. I went to Nara for the day, which is a smaller city, but the temple area there is in a large park with lots of deer, so I had a better time (in Kyoto there is either a lot of walking through city streets or waiting for buses to get from one site to the next).
Ok thats it for now, see ya!
Friday 11 June 2010
Are we having fun yet?
Earlier today I was getting very annoyed. I arrived at Auckland airport to check in for my Air NZ flight to Osaka. It was only 1pm, and the flight is not until 10.45pm, but it seemed like a better idea than hanging around the hotel lobby.
On the first attempt, all was going well until the man behind the counter asked me if I had an onward ticket for Japan. No, I said, I was going to take the ferry from Hakata to Busan in South Korea. Could I not book that online, he asked. Well, I didn't really want to do that as I wasn't sure when I'd want to leave. But I was pretty much forced into it. So I went over to the (luckily free of charge) internet booth and booked a ticket for the 5th of July. This gives me about 3 weeks in Japan and 2 in Korea before I go to Hong Kong (I'd already booked that flight to meet up with my girlfriend Linda). It was about what I was going to do anyway.
So I went back to the check in desk (bearing in mind I hadn't eaten since the night before and that was just jam sandwiches on the plane) and talked to a different person this time, he said I needed an actual print out of my booking confirmation, rather than just the details written down in my notebook. He told me in a very patronising way that this was what I needed when I used airports. Well I'd been doing fine without any printouts since I'd left the UK, and flown to Bali, Singapore, Bangkok, NZ and Australia (and back to NZ). Of course the computer terminal doesn't allow printouts, so I was told to email the details to one of the people at the ticketing desk. Well JR Ferries never emailed me a confirmation, its just on their page which I have to access by password. I couldn't even copy the page and paste it into hotmail. So I took a photo of the screen showing my booking details, then laboriously copied them onto a blank email. It looked a bit dodgy, but when I went back to check out they accepted it (after disappearing for some time to check it out in a back room). So, with luck I should be going to Japan after all. Good job I turned up early!
What a pain. It seems things are made as difficult as possible for overland travellers. The situation in Thailand was the same, I wanted to travel overland to Cambodia, which no one books until they get to Bangkok, but they wanted to see proof of onward passage so I ended up flying. After spending what seems like the past two days in an airport, I can safely tell you that they suck, and being stuck in a metal box for hours crammed in with your miserable human-kin is no smilefest either. Yesterday I had the joy of an extremely overweight woman sitting beside me, taking up half my seat, and in front of me was my favourite kind of person, that is the type that continuously try to recline their chairs further and further back until I'm almost breathing in their hair. And then there was the bloke who just poked me in the arm to ask me a stupid question (Which one is the window seat? Hey, its the one on the diagram thats near the window-looking object). I'll stop there before the rage consumes me utterly.
At least the hotel last night was nice. I had a bath, several cups of green tea (my own tea bags) and watched the first half of the first match of the world cup in a double bed in my own room! Luxury. Most expensive room I've had yet (about 70 pounds), just a shame I arrived after midnight and couldn't have a full night of it.
Ok then, til next time, sayonara
Rob
On the first attempt, all was going well until the man behind the counter asked me if I had an onward ticket for Japan. No, I said, I was going to take the ferry from Hakata to Busan in South Korea. Could I not book that online, he asked. Well, I didn't really want to do that as I wasn't sure when I'd want to leave. But I was pretty much forced into it. So I went over to the (luckily free of charge) internet booth and booked a ticket for the 5th of July. This gives me about 3 weeks in Japan and 2 in Korea before I go to Hong Kong (I'd already booked that flight to meet up with my girlfriend Linda). It was about what I was going to do anyway.
So I went back to the check in desk (bearing in mind I hadn't eaten since the night before and that was just jam sandwiches on the plane) and talked to a different person this time, he said I needed an actual print out of my booking confirmation, rather than just the details written down in my notebook. He told me in a very patronising way that this was what I needed when I used airports. Well I'd been doing fine without any printouts since I'd left the UK, and flown to Bali, Singapore, Bangkok, NZ and Australia (and back to NZ). Of course the computer terminal doesn't allow printouts, so I was told to email the details to one of the people at the ticketing desk. Well JR Ferries never emailed me a confirmation, its just on their page which I have to access by password. I couldn't even copy the page and paste it into hotmail. So I took a photo of the screen showing my booking details, then laboriously copied them onto a blank email. It looked a bit dodgy, but when I went back to check out they accepted it (after disappearing for some time to check it out in a back room). So, with luck I should be going to Japan after all. Good job I turned up early!
What a pain. It seems things are made as difficult as possible for overland travellers. The situation in Thailand was the same, I wanted to travel overland to Cambodia, which no one books until they get to Bangkok, but they wanted to see proof of onward passage so I ended up flying. After spending what seems like the past two days in an airport, I can safely tell you that they suck, and being stuck in a metal box for hours crammed in with your miserable human-kin is no smilefest either. Yesterday I had the joy of an extremely overweight woman sitting beside me, taking up half my seat, and in front of me was my favourite kind of person, that is the type that continuously try to recline their chairs further and further back until I'm almost breathing in their hair. And then there was the bloke who just poked me in the arm to ask me a stupid question (Which one is the window seat? Hey, its the one on the diagram thats near the window-looking object). I'll stop there before the rage consumes me utterly.
At least the hotel last night was nice. I had a bath, several cups of green tea (my own tea bags) and watched the first half of the first match of the world cup in a double bed in my own room! Luxury. Most expensive room I've had yet (about 70 pounds), just a shame I arrived after midnight and couldn't have a full night of it.
Ok then, til next time, sayonara
Rob
Leaving Oz
Hey hey. I'm typing this in an airport again, the joy of free internet and weird keyboards. After Sydney I went to Katoomba in the Blue Mountains area, very nice on the first day with a geat view of the canyon, and saw my first unusual wildlife - pigeon-type birds with little spikes of feathers on their heads (not cockatoos, although they are wild here aswell). I played some songs in a pub, although it was probably one of my worst performances (and thats saying something). On day two it was all fog and rain so I easc aped and got a train to the c apital, canberra. A big wide mostly featureless city, with one youth hostel miles away from the train station (thats planning for you). The walk up AInslie hill was cool though, I saw some kangaroos and got a good view of the city at night.
The last place I went to was Melbourne, home of Neighbours although I didn't see Harold or anything. Melbourne has more of a cool feel than Sydney, more a place you'd actually want to live. I met up with a friend who I'd originally met in Laos and she took me to some great little bars (I'll have to get the names off her, but two were out of the city cente in the north part of town), and we had a massive meal in a Lebanese restarant (in fact I've just finished up the left overs at the airport!). I had to get back to Sydney so I took an overnight bus... 12 hours ... my head is not right today.
So going back to NZ now for one night, then onto Kyoto!
Banzai!
The last place I went to was Melbourne, home of Neighbours although I didn't see Harold or anything. Melbourne has more of a cool feel than Sydney, more a place you'd actually want to live. I met up with a friend who I'd originally met in Laos and she took me to some great little bars (I'll have to get the names off her, but two were out of the city cente in the north part of town), and we had a massive meal in a Lebanese restarant (in fact I've just finished up the left overs at the airport!). I had to get back to Sydney so I took an overnight bus... 12 hours ... my head is not right today.
So going back to NZ now for one night, then onto Kyoto!
Banzai!
Tuesday 1 June 2010
Sydney
All the while I was travelling in New Zealand, I was toying with the idea of coming over to Oz for a bit, seeing as I was in the vicinity. Although Oz wasn't on my original plan, I'd met quite a few sound people from that country, and the chance of seeing some of the wildlife there was also tempting. I think what decided it was when I was reading Bill Bryson, Down Under, in a youth hostel in Rotorua while it rained heavily outside.
So I booked a cheap flight with Jetstar to Sydney, and three days later I was there. A friend had recently moved over there from the UK and he very generously decided to put me up for a few days. On my first night we went down to the harbour to see the classic Sydney icons, the harbour bridge and opera house. The opera house which was lit up by some interesting lighting effects as part of a art event called Vivid, so it looked even more like something out of a science fiction series than usual.
The next day I took the ferry from where my friend lives in Balmain over to McMahons point. From there I walked around a nice little bay area which featured the remains of Sydneys last shipbuilding site. I walked over the harbour bridge to the circular quay area and had a good mooch about for the rest of the day. Sydney is a huge city, but the weather at the moment is quite cool so it was not so tiring to walk around. It rained torrentially at one point so I hid in a bus shelter. After it had died down I walked back to Bahmain via the Anzac bridge, which in some ways is even more impressive looking than the harbour bridge, although it doesn't have the same classic view of the harbour and opera house.
Today I decided to do a small pilgramage. In the Bryson book, he recounts how he walked down Victoria road to Hunter's hill, which he describes as being pretty special, then through the suburbs back to Sydney central. At some point he decides to take a shortcut through a place called Tennyson park, where he gets chased by dogs and escapes by climbing over someones back garden fence. The owner is standing in the kitchen watching him in disbelief and its a very funny section of his book (a lot more funny than how I'm telling it). Anyhow, I followed his route from Bahmain across several bridges and two rather confusing subway systems which enable pedestrian access onto the bridges. The road walk wasn't that great, just a main road, but there was little in the way of quieter roads running parallell that I could take (most side roads lead down to the water). Hunter's hill was nothing, just a hotel, cafe and a highly busy road junction. I was thinking that either this place has changed a lot since Bryson was here, or that he was high when he wrote it. I also found Tennyson park, which was actually a nice patch of regenerating bush. It didn't look like many people had been through there since Bryson had. It was a long walk into the city centre from there, I reckon I was walking for about 5 hours through Lane Cove, North Sydney (just a load of office buildings) and back over the harbour bridge.
On checking his book later, I realised that Bryson must have walked to the end of the peninsula where Hunter's hill was. Hmm, that will teach me to not read things properly then shoot out of the door for a ridiculous hike. At any rate, two days in a city is enough for me (especially after spending the previous three in a different city) so I'm planning on taking the train up to Katoomba in the blue mountains next.
So I booked a cheap flight with Jetstar to Sydney, and three days later I was there. A friend had recently moved over there from the UK and he very generously decided to put me up for a few days. On my first night we went down to the harbour to see the classic Sydney icons, the harbour bridge and opera house. The opera house which was lit up by some interesting lighting effects as part of a art event called Vivid, so it looked even more like something out of a science fiction series than usual.
The next day I took the ferry from where my friend lives in Balmain over to McMahons point. From there I walked around a nice little bay area which featured the remains of Sydneys last shipbuilding site. I walked over the harbour bridge to the circular quay area and had a good mooch about for the rest of the day. Sydney is a huge city, but the weather at the moment is quite cool so it was not so tiring to walk around. It rained torrentially at one point so I hid in a bus shelter. After it had died down I walked back to Bahmain via the Anzac bridge, which in some ways is even more impressive looking than the harbour bridge, although it doesn't have the same classic view of the harbour and opera house.
Today I decided to do a small pilgramage. In the Bryson book, he recounts how he walked down Victoria road to Hunter's hill, which he describes as being pretty special, then through the suburbs back to Sydney central. At some point he decides to take a shortcut through a place called Tennyson park, where he gets chased by dogs and escapes by climbing over someones back garden fence. The owner is standing in the kitchen watching him in disbelief and its a very funny section of his book (a lot more funny than how I'm telling it). Anyhow, I followed his route from Bahmain across several bridges and two rather confusing subway systems which enable pedestrian access onto the bridges. The road walk wasn't that great, just a main road, but there was little in the way of quieter roads running parallell that I could take (most side roads lead down to the water). Hunter's hill was nothing, just a hotel, cafe and a highly busy road junction. I was thinking that either this place has changed a lot since Bryson was here, or that he was high when he wrote it. I also found Tennyson park, which was actually a nice patch of regenerating bush. It didn't look like many people had been through there since Bryson had. It was a long walk into the city centre from there, I reckon I was walking for about 5 hours through Lane Cove, North Sydney (just a load of office buildings) and back over the harbour bridge.
On checking his book later, I realised that Bryson must have walked to the end of the peninsula where Hunter's hill was. Hmm, that will teach me to not read things properly then shoot out of the door for a ridiculous hike. At any rate, two days in a city is enough for me (especially after spending the previous three in a different city) so I'm planning on taking the train up to Katoomba in the blue mountains next.
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