So how does one top off an amazing four month trip? By going to easily the most expensive destination on our list and spending the last of the trip money we have left. Not to mention one of the busiest, crowded places on our journey - the perfect respite from an uneventful trip up to this point!
Our arrival into Japan was far from smooth as we were detained by the Japanese customs service while they went through our luggage item by item and asked the usual questions such as "are you carrying any firearms?" and "do you have any drugs in your possession?". Typically, Japanese don't travel with a lot of luggage, so we were a pretty automatic red flag when we strolled up to the customs desk in Hiroshima with a luggage cart stacked about as high as it could go and with stamps all over our passports from places like India and Cambodia. After clearing customs, we found that all of the English speaking information desks were closed, and we couldn't find the shuttle back to our hotel. At this point, the airport was getting quiet, we were tired, and we decided to hop in a cab...what a mistake. This was easily the most expensive cab ride we've ever taken - the 45 minute ride to our hotel cost about $150. As we got close to our hotel, we were actually beginning to get worried that we wouldn't have enough cash to pay the driver.
Once we finally settled into our hotel in Hiroshima, we set out to see some of the sights along with our guide Yuko Imada, or "Yuko-san". The first thing we noticed was how immaculately clean everything was compared to other places in Southeast Asia. Actually, it's probably the cleanest place we've ever seen. We set out with Yuko-san to Miyajima island, known for its Torii gate rising out of the water, and its Shinto shrine:
We then went to check out the so-called "A-Bomb Dome", the remnants of one of the only structures to survive the Atomic bomb blast over Hiroshima that ended WWII. The epicenter of the Atomic bomb was just a couple of hundred meters from this place:
We also went to check out the various war (and peace) memorials that are all over town, including paper crane monuments sent by children around the world, a monument to the Korean victims who were labourers in Hiroshima at the time of the bombing, and a mound of the remains of some 80,000+ unidentified victims of the blast:
We checked out the war memorial museum, which I can only say is a very emotional journey through the events of the day of the bombing and the months and years thereafter. I've decided to refrain from including any photos here as they are quite disturbing.
After Hiroshima, we made our way on Japan's well known highspeed rail service to Osaka, but not before we made a pitstop in the town of Kurashiki along the way. Unbeknownst to us, the town actually has an art gallery (the O'Hara gallery) containing works from Picasso, Matisse, Modigliani, Cezanne, etc., which seemed totally out of place in a small town like this. Here are some pictures from the town:
Osaka is a big business centre in Japan, and we were staying in the heart of the business district. The "typical" Japanese business man seems to work from about 9 a.m. until 8 or 9 p.m. every day, and then is out drinking with his co-workers after. Nearly every business man wears a dark suit, white shirt, and dark tie. At night, walking around Osaka, it wasn't unusual to see lots of business men staggering around trying to make it to their train for the long ride home. Apart from the business centre, Osaka has some neat happening areas around the city where the youth hang out and shop. Here are some pics from around the city:
We used Osaka as a base to take day trips on the train out to Kyoto, Nara, and Himeiji. Kyoto is known for its castle:
It's geisha houses, which are typically identified by a red lantern hanging outside and/or an obvious poster of a geisha outside the house. We were lucky enough to spot three geishas scurrying to their evening appointments. I shot a brief video, but it kind of resembles some early footage of "in search of bigfoot", so I didn't bother including it here:
And it's temples, including the so-called "Love Shrine", where couples go and follow various superstitious rituals:
Kyoto has a good mix of both its old town and its new modern areas. Here are some shots:
Our trip to Nara was on a very cold day which was spent mostly outdoors. Over the prior 3 months, Nadia and I had gotten used to some very warm temperatures, and tropical people like us went into toxic shock at about this point (I know you're all feeling REALLY sorry for us!). However, we endured and managed to see some great temples and shrines in Nara:
Our last day trip from Osaka was out to Himeiji, which is the the best Shogunate castle to visit in all of Japan. It rises high up on a hilltop, overlooking the whole town, and you're actually able to climb it, which seems to be a bit of a rarity for most Japanese monuments. Here are some pics from Himeiji:
Despite having a difficult time adapting to the new cold conditions thrust upon us, we took a trip to Takayama, in the Japanese alps. The train trip snaked its way through some amazing mountains and valleys:
Nadia and I were just about the only foreigners in Takayama. I like to think of us as celebrities, but no one was asking for our autographs. Takayama is a quaint little town, but a cold rain was coming down most of the time we were there that mixed with the snow that was already on the ground, so it made for a bit of a messy trip. Nonetheless, we got out to see some sights:
We also went for a typical Japanese high dining meal, also known as a "kaiseki" dinner. It was quite an elaborate spread, but not one we'll be repeating anytime soon. As Nadia was quoted as saying "this is the worst meal I've ever had", it was more about the experience rather than the food itself. Here are some pictures...
From Takayama we took a day trip to the native Hida mountain village of Shirakawago, known for its steep thatched roof houses up in the mountains. As we traveled up to the village, the mounds of snow got deeper and deeper, and many of the banks were probably about 10 - 15 feet high. Here's some pictures from our trip:
You would think we would have found a nice relaxing spot to finish off our trip; however, we decided to go to one of the busiest in Tokyo. The guidebooks will tell you that in Tokyo, most of the streets don't have names, most signs are not in English, and most people don't speak English, so each time one finds an intended destination, it is cause for celebration. Well, after our kaiseki dinner, we made our way to the nearest TGI Fridays and had our first celebration of success.
On our first full day in Tokyo, we met up with a family friend, Chris, at the famous "Hachiko the dog statue":
Chris took us to many areas around Tokyo, including Shibuya (known for the world's busiest intersection), which seems oddly quiet in this picture:
Harajuku, known for its crazy youth that come out on Sundays. We came back on Sunday to actually get most of these pics:
It's "Red Light District" area:
The Ginza, known for its designer stores:
And Akihabara, known as "geek central", which is a gamer and electronics geeks' paradise. It's also known for its "Maiden Cafes", where girls dressed in maid outfits serve computer geeks food and drinks:
Here are a few extra shots from our walking tour around Tokyo:
At the end of the evening, we went to a bar called "Kento's", which definitely provided one of the more unusual experience of our trip. The bar showcases 1950's and 60's cover bands, that dress and sing just like bands such as the supremes, the platters, etc. The patrons are mostly the dark suit, white shirt, and dark tie business men types in their 40's and 50's, with either their wives or girlfriends. They all line up in front of the stage and try to emulate the singers both by repeating all the lyrics and trying to mimic their dance moves. Some of these business men get really into it, and it's funny to see them unwinding likely after a hard day's work. Here are some pics and a brief video:
We had the intention of going to see Mt. Fuji while we were in Tokyo, and took a tour out to Hakone National park. However, it was a foggy day, and the road up Mt. Fuji was closed due to snow and ice and we never actually got to see the mountain. However, the scenery on our Lake Ashi boat cruise, and our trip up to the top of an adjacent mountain made for some nice scenery:
We also went for a Japanese tea ceremony to try to take in the last bit of Japanese culture before going home. Here are a couple of pics:
Japan is a strange place. It is the cleanest, most orderly place we've ever been. There are also a lot of contradictions here - for example, when Japanese girls laugh, they typically cover their mouth to hide their smiles; however, at the same time, when Japanese people go to the spa, there is no humility when it comes to their nudity.
We really enjoyed the Japanese trains, which offer the most extensive, timely, and efficient network of any place we've ever been:
Their vending machines, that offer everything from cold and hot drinks, to flower arrangements, and even travel insurance:
And their state-of-the-art toilets, that deodorize, play music and flushing sounds, have heated seats and various other features that make you say "ooh, I wasn't expecting that"...
We had a good time in Japan, but we would definitely recommend that anyone visiting would likely be better off in Spring or Summer. The cherry blossom season as we so prolifically read and heard about, is the best time to go. This sign outside of an ice cream parlour in particular, helped to hammer the point home, and rather pissed us off:
Japan was a great spot to end our trip, as we were able to acclimatize ourselves to the impending Toronto temperatures.
I will follow this post with one more post as an overall commentary on our trip as a whole, so stay tuned for that. Until then...
Mike and Nadia
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