I left Hiroshima around noon today and arrived a few hours later in Osaka, a large, modern Japanese city not too far from Kyoto. I haven't seen much of the city so far - just the train station and subway line to the district that I'm staying in. My hostel is awesome. Very friendly staff and I'm meeting some other travellers. There's a group of us going out for ramen noodles for dinner this evening.
I'm going to use Osaka as a base for the next four days. I'm planning to go to an Osaka Hanshin Tigers basball game tomorrow. They are playing the Tokyo Giants (huge rivals) so it should be exciting. I am planning to buy a ticket in the Tigers side of the stadium to cheer for the home team! It will be interesting to see just how crazy the Japanese are about their baseball. I will likely do a daytrip to Nara on another day...
No photos or exciting stories to share right now, but stay posted!
Wednesday, 10 April 2013
Monday, 8 April 2013
Hiroshima
I'm writing this post from Hiroshima. I left Kyoto behind this morning and must say it's definitely nice to be in a smaller city. I spent the afternoon walking around the Peace Park here in Hiroshima. The Peace Park is located in the centre of the city and is the location where the first atomic bomb was detonated in the history of mankind. It was surreal to stand there looking up at the Atomic Bomb Dome (an early 20th century civic building that was only partially obliterated by the bomb). It was also surreal to look up at the clear skies above and think about August 6, 1945.
Outside of the Peace Park, Hiroshima is a nice city with lots of trees and a pretty laid back vibe. I went out for okonomiyaki again - if you forgot what this is, look back at my Tokyo photos. It was in this crazy building with four floors of little okonomiyaki diners - probably over a dozen different ones in total, but I didn't bother trying to count! I think I'll spend this evening hanging out at the hostel. I need to catch up on some reading and journal writing. I also have another bottle of plum wine to get through. I polished off the first one last night in Kyoto with the hopes of bringing down the weight of my backpack. But, just as I was leaving the capsule hostel in Kyoto, the owner gave me another one as a gift for my journey!!
Below are some photos from my afternoon in Hiroshima...
Outside of the Peace Park, Hiroshima is a nice city with lots of trees and a pretty laid back vibe. I went out for okonomiyaki again - if you forgot what this is, look back at my Tokyo photos. It was in this crazy building with four floors of little okonomiyaki diners - probably over a dozen different ones in total, but I didn't bother trying to count! I think I'll spend this evening hanging out at the hostel. I need to catch up on some reading and journal writing. I also have another bottle of plum wine to get through. I polished off the first one last night in Kyoto with the hopes of bringing down the weight of my backpack. But, just as I was leaving the capsule hostel in Kyoto, the owner gave me another one as a gift for my journey!!
Below are some photos from my afternoon in Hiroshima...
Saturday, 6 April 2013
Japanese Public Bath House
After a wet morning and soaked shoes, I decided it was the perfect time to visit a Japanese public bath house - called a sento. I walked to the sento in the rain, down a side street about 10 minutes from my hostel, away from the noise and traffic. It was in a fairly inconspicuous building. First thing, I locked up my umbrella and took off my shoes. They had little lockers for this. Then walked inside, paid 410 yen plus 100 yen deposit for a small green towel. Then walked into the change room, which was lined with tatami mat floor. Then stripped down naked and proceeded through the door into the bath house, the only foreigner in the place. Yes, they bathe completely naked in public here. I knew you had to wash yourself thoroughly before entering the baths. There were showers lining the wall, with plastic seats to sit on, and also a foot wash. So I washed there, all hunched over. Some older men were shaving and brushing their teeth at these showers. Next I got in the baths. There were a few hot pools, a cold pool, and a strange green pool that was luke warm and looked like green kool-aid. I went back and forth between pools. Nobody seemed to pay me any mind the whole time I was there. It was quite the experience and it was nice to get away from the tourists and do what the Japanese do after a day's work! Afterwards, I felt so refreshed, the rain had stopped and it felt like I was walking home on soft sand. I have no photos for this blog post, as you might expect!!
Thursday, 4 April 2013
In Kyoto now
I travelled from Tokyo to Kyoto today on the high-speed train (shinkansen). The weather was much nicer so I got to see Fuji-san (Mount Fuji) from my window seat. I also made it to the platform in Tokyo about 10 minutes early so I had time to buy a box of sushi and can of beer for lunch on the train.
Kyoto definitely has a different feel than Tokyo. There are hordes of tourists from all over the world here. The traffic is congested, and I've actually heard cars honking their horns... don't remember hearing this in Tokyo. I went to the Kiyomizu-dera temple this evening. It was outstandingly beautiful. Just amazing. The temple was lit up in the forested mountainside on the city's edge, cherry blossoms and maples in full bloom, ponds, shrines, all lit up in the warm night. BUT... I was sharing this with thousands of people and cameras everywhere. In Tokyo, it felt like I was living there. Here, it feels like I am just one of many tourists. Still though, I am excited to explore Kyoto over the next few days.
Just got back from the izakaya (local bar) down the streeet where I knocked back a warm sake and a beer. Also had some yakitori (grilled skewers) that were prepared on the bar right in front of me. It was just me and some locals hanging out, sharing some laughs.... what a great time!
Kyoto definitely has a different feel than Tokyo. There are hordes of tourists from all over the world here. The traffic is congested, and I've actually heard cars honking their horns... don't remember hearing this in Tokyo. I went to the Kiyomizu-dera temple this evening. It was outstandingly beautiful. Just amazing. The temple was lit up in the forested mountainside on the city's edge, cherry blossoms and maples in full bloom, ponds, shrines, all lit up in the warm night. BUT... I was sharing this with thousands of people and cameras everywhere. In Tokyo, it felt like I was living there. Here, it feels like I am just one of many tourists. Still though, I am excited to explore Kyoto over the next few days.
Just got back from the izakaya (local bar) down the streeet where I knocked back a warm sake and a beer. Also had some yakitori (grilled skewers) that were prepared on the bar right in front of me. It was just me and some locals hanging out, sharing some laughs.... what a great time!
Kyoto, early evening: Kiyomizu-dera temple
Kyoto, late evening: my local izakaya bar
Tuesday, 2 April 2013
Stormy Tokyo
It's been pouring rain in Tokyo for the last day and a half, and was incredibly windy today, but this has not diminished my experience here. I'm really starting to love Tokyo and am glad I booked five nights here. There are so many things I could share about my time in Tokyo in this blog and it's hard to choose just a few.
Two days ago I went to Tsukiji, a massive fish market near the waterfront in Tokyo. It's very much a working market with vendors selling fresh fish to retailers, cleaning fish, driving forklifts around, and shouting. There is everything here you could imagine - live fish in bins, eels, octupus, huge knives, fish guts and bloody tables and counters. Although seemingly chaotic, it's actually well organized and they clean up thoroughly afterwards. I went with a guy from Toronto named Terence. He convinced me to go halves on this tray of tuna sashimi at one of the vendors. It cost 1500 yen (about $18) for about 20-25 pieces. So we stood there at 10 a.m. and devoured a massive amount of sashimi. That was our breakfast. It was by far the best sashimi I've ever had.
Yesterday evening I went to the Maruyama's home for dinner. Hiroko and Masabumi are the parents of Yoko, the instructor of the Japanese class I took in Vancouver. I met Masabumi at Shibuya station and we took the bus together into the Tokyo suburbs to their home. They were gracious hosts and very friendly. Hiroko prepared Shabu Shabu for the main course, where we cooked our food in boiling water in a cooker in the middle of the table and then dipped it in sesame sauce to cool it before eating. After dinner they presented me with a bottle of Sake and a whole bunch of food and candy to take with me. My gift to them was a cedar box of smoked salmon from BC.
I really like Asakusa, the neighbourhood where my hostel is located. It's a 'shitamachi' area of the city and has older, lower buildings and quiet, narrow streets. More of a traditional feel than other parts of Tokyo that are super modern. Lots of little bars and cheap restaurants and diners around every corner here. K's House, my hostel, has been awesome. I'm meeting a lot of other travellers here. I will be leaving Tokyo for Kyoto tomorrow.
Broken umbrellas after today's wind/rain storm
Two days ago I went to Tsukiji, a massive fish market near the waterfront in Tokyo. It's very much a working market with vendors selling fresh fish to retailers, cleaning fish, driving forklifts around, and shouting. There is everything here you could imagine - live fish in bins, eels, octupus, huge knives, fish guts and bloody tables and counters. Although seemingly chaotic, it's actually well organized and they clean up thoroughly afterwards. I went with a guy from Toronto named Terence. He convinced me to go halves on this tray of tuna sashimi at one of the vendors. It cost 1500 yen (about $18) for about 20-25 pieces. So we stood there at 10 a.m. and devoured a massive amount of sashimi. That was our breakfast. It was by far the best sashimi I've ever had.
Yesterday evening I went to the Maruyama's home for dinner. Hiroko and Masabumi are the parents of Yoko, the instructor of the Japanese class I took in Vancouver. I met Masabumi at Shibuya station and we took the bus together into the Tokyo suburbs to their home. They were gracious hosts and very friendly. Hiroko prepared Shabu Shabu for the main course, where we cooked our food in boiling water in a cooker in the middle of the table and then dipped it in sesame sauce to cool it before eating. After dinner they presented me with a bottle of Sake and a whole bunch of food and candy to take with me. My gift to them was a cedar box of smoked salmon from BC.
I really like Asakusa, the neighbourhood where my hostel is located. It's a 'shitamachi' area of the city and has older, lower buildings and quiet, narrow streets. More of a traditional feel than other parts of Tokyo that are super modern. Lots of little bars and cheap restaurants and diners around every corner here. K's House, my hostel, has been awesome. I'm meeting a lot of other travellers here. I will be leaving Tokyo for Kyoto tomorrow.
Tsukiji fish market
Okonomiyaki restaurant in Asakusa. Sitting at the table was hard for a tall guy like me.
My street in Asakusa at night. On the corner is a ramen noodle diner, where I had dinner a few nights ago. If Tom Waits was in Tokyo, this is where he'd hang out.
Shabu shabu at the Maruyama's home. It was a feast!
Sunday, 31 March 2013
First full day in Tokyo
It was my first full day in Tokyo today. It was a cool, cloudy day but good for walking. I checked out Ueno Park in the morning, which was packed full of people taking in the cherry blossoms, despite the unusually cold weather. Many people sit around on big blue tarps talking, eating, and drinking. In the afternoon I took the subway across the city to Harajuku, a crazy shopping district with all sorts of strange sights to see. The subway and rail have been an adventure in themselves. I've had lots of fun zipping around the city, getting to know the maps, routes, and stations. It's very clean and easy to use, though Shinjuku station is HUGE and seems neverending.
The best parts so far have been the food and talking with the locals. I had breakfast at a tiny bar near the hostel. It was cheap and satisfying: green tea 'matcha' bagel, hard boiled egg, and OJ for about 400 yen (less than $5). Had a good conversation with the staff there, and also a couple locals who came in and sat beside me. For lunch, I stopped into this small bar in Ueno. It was a dimly lit, cramped little bar, but had a really nice, warm atmosphere. Had a rice/chicken/egg dish and shiitake soup. Came back to the hostel in the afternoon and hung out with some of the staff here. They've been so nice and keep helping me with my Japanese. They were making orgimami at the kitchen table and showed me how to make a crane.
A few observations. Many people here wear facemasks. I know we sometimes see this in Vancouver, but here it's pretty normal. I've heard this is because they are sick and do not want to pass their virus on to you. But I've also been told it's common during flu season, sick or not. On the subway I would say 1 in 5 people wear a mask. Also the crows here seem to laugh at you. I know that seems weird, but they sound like they're saying 'ha, ha' not 'caw, caw'.
The best parts so far have been the food and talking with the locals. I had breakfast at a tiny bar near the hostel. It was cheap and satisfying: green tea 'matcha' bagel, hard boiled egg, and OJ for about 400 yen (less than $5). Had a good conversation with the staff there, and also a couple locals who came in and sat beside me. For lunch, I stopped into this small bar in Ueno. It was a dimly lit, cramped little bar, but had a really nice, warm atmosphere. Had a rice/chicken/egg dish and shiitake soup. Came back to the hostel in the afternoon and hung out with some of the staff here. They've been so nice and keep helping me with my Japanese. They were making orgimami at the kitchen table and showed me how to make a crane.
A few observations. Many people here wear facemasks. I know we sometimes see this in Vancouver, but here it's pretty normal. I've heard this is because they are sick and do not want to pass their virus on to you. But I've also been told it's common during flu season, sick or not. On the subway I would say 1 in 5 people wear a mask. Also the crows here seem to laugh at you. I know that seems weird, but they sound like they're saying 'ha, ha' not 'caw, caw'.
Saturday, 30 March 2013
In Tokyo, safe and sound
The flight to Tokyo today went without a hitch. I'm now at my hostel in the Asakusa neigbourhood of Tokyo. Nothing too exciting just yet; this posting is mostly just to check in. It's a different world over here but definitely some similarities to western culture. I've been speaking a bit of Japanese... a little self-concious so far but that will change for sure. Food so far has been a big container of instant ramen noodles! It's evening here but early morning in western Canada and the sun is going to rise soon. So I leave you with this: おはよう ございます。
Subscribe to:
Posts (Atom)