1June2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
Time for my last full day in Japan. These were always the hardest. Some of it being that I’m leaving Japan again, some of it being that my vacation is over, probably a lot of it is that I have to return to real life and all the problems that lie within it. I would wake up earlier than my alarm, of course a common occurence but a good one since I had to leave Tokyo and head south for Kamakura today to meet with Maiko. I would push out from the hotel a bit ahead of a schedule so I would kill some time by gift shopping in Tokyo before officially moving south. I would sleep most of the train ride although I would hear an announcement that the train was stopped for some reason, but I didn’t care enough to wake up since I was already ahead of schedule so I figured Japan was efficient enough to get me to Kamakura on time.
Once in Kamakura I did my best to look through the crowd for Maiko but gave up and just called her for which she quickly got a hold of me. We had decided on a plan to meet up and visit Kamakura quite awhile ago and while we didn’t finalize the plan until just today, I was very glad that she did take the time to make a walking route for us. The weather was a bit cloudy and cold but I decided to go with a polo and stand out as a tourist. Mainly because our route called for lots of walking so I decided I wanted to stay cool. We set out from the station very quickly upon meeting, walking down a busy shopping street to head out for one of the popular shrines in Kamakura. They had their shrine complexes down in Kamakura and of course there would be a Japanese wedding going on while we visited.
Afterwards we sat down for a quick snack of ice cream and Japanese sweets before pushing off for our next sight, the shrine to Benraiten, where one could wash their money in the water of the shrine in the hopes of blessing it so it would multiply rapidly. I threw my coins in a basket and did my best as I wouldn’t mind getting a bit more blessing in regards to my money situation. We left the caves and grabbed some lunch back at the shopping street. We went for a famous local dish, shirashi (I would call them baby fish) which luckily happened to be in situation during our time in Kamakura.
Once lunch was taken care of we got on a local train and headed a bit to the west to another part of Kamakura to first visit Hasedera, home to many impressive images of the Buddha. But the best was yet to come when we headed out a bit farther to the big outdoor image of the Buddha, quite an impressive sight. It was a freestanding outdoor Buddha, apparently not harmed too much by the elements. In fact there used to be a temple that surrounded it but apparently it disappeared over the years due to weather.
With impressive images of the Buddha in my mind, me and Maiko decided to head out from Kamakura (the cloudy weather limited a lot of our options, such as a hike) and go back to Tokyo to visit Harajuku. I had a gift in mind I wanted to get and while I decided to try and get it on Monday, it actually fit in better to visit today. Grabbing my gift, me and Maiko decided to slowly make our way to Ebisu by foot since we had a lot of time before meeting up for dinner, although our visit to Tower Records in Shibuya caused us to be late for our appointed time for meeting with Yuko and Taki-chan at Ebisu station.
Once all together we quickly regrouped however for a visit to a nearby izakaya that Maiko frequented for lunch when she worked. We decided on a few small dishes, but the place was famous for its pork, so pork made its way in every dish, such as raw pork (tastes like sashimi), ground pork and a pork shabu shabu with tonkotsu broth (which we then added ramen to later to make it into a semi tonkotsu ramen…that counts for the streak right?)
While I spent a good part of dinner lamenting the fact my dinner was over, Maiko also got to know Yuko and Taki-chan pretty well too, so I was happy that the meeting between two new parties went well. I was definitely sad about the fact my trip was almost over but very glad I had the chance to meet some really great people along the way and catch up with Yuko and Taki-chan.
After dinner we started to break away from each other, Yuko took the JR train back home, Maiko said goodbye to me and Taki at the entrance to the Tokyo Subway and Taki-chan eventually transferred off my train midway back to Asakusa. Now all alone I slowly made my way back to Asakusa, where I took a quick check of trains tomorrow to see when I need to head out for Narita. I had enough time to squeeze in a quick visit to Akihabara for last minute gift shopping…
Tags: japan·kamakura·tokyo
1June2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
I ended up waking up seeing a poster of Utada Hikaru on the ceiling wall of the room where Saori’s family put me. Not the worst sight to wake up to in Japan. The family had worried a bit about what to do today while I was in Shiga, despite briefly flirting with the idea of going to Osaka by train, it would be pretty far for the family to go so we decided to go to a German themed amusement park in Shiga. Again, I had no real plan and had already seen the main big sight in Shiga (that is, Hikone and its castle) so I was more than happy to go with their plan. We picked up Saori’s other brother, Kenta, along the way there so it was five of us (including Takashi and Saori’s parents) heading out for the day.
When we got to the park it looked very nice at the front but quickly revealed itself to be not as exciting as we had all hoped in the beginning. While for all intents and purposes, it was a very nice place, it was mainly a very nice place for young kids and we all fretted about the lack of fun for older folks. It was a nice day so it was very beautiful and gave a good view of the surrounding mountains and open fields. But most of our fun was limited to petting farm animals, shooting a few arrows at a archery range and eating sausages (which were surprisingly good!)
We tried our best to stretch out our stay at the theme park but even after visiting a few shops we found little else to keep us occupied and we headed out for a nearby ramen shop for a late lunch. In keeping with my theme of the second week it was a quiet, relaxed fun. Nothing super exciting. By the time we all did get back to the house I checked online to see that I needed to leave pretty quickly upon arrival to get on a train out to Tokyo, so I quickly said goodbyes once again to the family after my very short stay and headed from Tokyo from Yasu.
I enjoyed my last bullet train ride for this trip (as my rail pass would expire the next day and I wasn’t leaving Tokyo anymore) as apparently did many other groups of people on my train. Not that I had a problem falling asleep, catching up on a bit of my sleep debt. I was also a little proud to notice that the person next to me was a tourist (she could’ve passed for Japanese but I noticed little things here and there and gave her away) showing that I was getting used to my time here. Of course, just in time since I would be leaving in two days. (I just hoped I wasn’t giving off too many of the same tourist signals, since I always liked to blend in when I go traveling.
In a repeat performance I would stay at the same hotel as I did with Tom last weekend, for the exact same days. We didn’t plan it as such but we apparently had been both attracted to the cheap rate of the room. I wouldn’t be in the exact same room (like in Kyoto) but I would be right across from it. While it was a crowded place with Tom, when just all alone it was actually quite a spacious room (not as spacious as Ito of course but more than enough for me in Tokyo). I didn’t stay long though as I had recieved a call from Yuko (a different one than the one from Tsuru) while in Shiga-ken to let me know she was in Tokyo with another friend so I quickly hustled over to Ikebukuro to meet with the two of them, Yuko and Miki. I gave her a call when I got to Ikebukuro and she quickly found me (I guess I do stand out) and lead me into a nearby izakaya where her friend, Miki, was already sitting.
While it was my first time meeting Yuko in person and was meeting Miki for the first time ever we quickly got into a groove with our conversation (drinking did help). I think there was more proof of my “drinking helps me Japanese” line of thought as I did pound a few drinks along the way so my usual worries about Japanese disappeared as I did my best to talk with the two of them, which it was relatively easy to do so. Miki worked in Tokyo and was a friend of Yuko, who came all the way from Yamagata (in the north) to visit but also knew enough to drop me a line if we could possibly meet. I had a great time meeting with the two of them and hoped I could keep in further touch as I made my way back to Asakusa, a bit drunk. This might have been a slight taste of how Tom felt his morning after clubbing at Ageha.
At the hotel there was nothing left to do but just rest up. I ended up staying late watching Japanese TV, I would watch another episode of CDTV, a memory of the last TV show I watched in Tsuru back in my old apartment there.
Tags: japan·shiga·tokyo
28May2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
My business hotel room in Ise actually had a legitimate view (rather than directly facing another building, as was the case in my Tokyo stays) but this meant that light could shine in easily into my room, which it did. I guess I don’t do well with light in the room because I woke up early and I was too lazy to completely block out the entire window so I woke up earlier than planned. But it would be a good thing since I had a full day of sightseeing I needed to cram in before I headed out to Shiga to meet up with Saori’s family.
So in actuality, Ise Shrine was divided into two parts, an outer shrine located close to the station (and my hotel) and an inner shrine that required a bus ride. Of course the inner shrine was the more impressive one but I decided to warm up and visit the outer shrine first. It was a bit smaller in size than the inner shrine, so I made relatively quick work of the outer shrine, visiting the various holy shrines throughout the complex. I made a minor faux pas trying to take a picture at the main shrine of the complex for which I was quickly told to put away the camera. At the main shrine you can only get a small glimpse of the roof of the main building, which is only meant for the Imperial Family and very high Shinto priests to see. But the other shrines in the complex, smaller replicas of the main shrine were more than impressive enough, especially considering that they were built without any nails, just interlocking pieces of wood.
The outer shrine was a relatively pleasant walk through a wooded area with shrines here and there but when I got to the inner shrine, I could see all the tour groups and buses come into sight. This was definitely the reason you came to Ise and it showed in the number of people in the complex. While many of the same style of shrines were around the area, the complex was bigger in size and you could also more easily see one of the interesting facts of the Ise Shrines. That is, they rebuild the shrines every couple years so right next to one shrine is an empty lot of the same size. Why is that? Because they have to move and rebuild the shrine in a spot right next to where the current shrine is. And this repeats every couple years on a schedule. Look it up if you’re interested but basically this ensures that the shrines stay fresh with the best wood out there. Obviously the shrines were well kept for one of the holiest places in Japan.
I pushed my way through the crowds at the inner shrine to get some good shots but then headed out on a nearby shopping arcade for a quick bowl of Ise udon, which was basically udon in a dark broth. Nothing fancy, but it was cheap and just what my wallet needed after the dinner I had the night before. Unfortunately, by this time I was a little bit worried I wouldn’t be able to make the train I had wanted to at first so I cut my time at the market short to get out to my next sight I wanted to see, the wedded rocks of Futami (meotoiwa). This required a very short train ride from Ise station and a walk through a very quiet city (and I thought Ise was quiet). Unfortunately I would get there at low tide but nonetheless, it was a nice sight to see the rocks connected by a heavy rope, symbolizing the connection between husband and wife. There wasn’t much else to do here but see the rocks and take a few pictures. A quick walk through the quiet city and another short train ride and I was pack in Ise. I hustled to get my bags and get back to the station in time.
I had to take another long ride back to Nagoya and then get on a bullet train headed west to get to Shiga and meet up with Saori’s family. But once I made it back to familiar Yasu station it was yet another surge of nostalgia for me, as I had just visited the family last year and this would be my 4th time doing so with the family. But it was back to the business as usual, catching up, them commenting on why I come back to Japan so much and then sitting down for a good home made dinner (a nice alternative to all those restaurant meals) and drinking with the family. A nice stay in a Japanese home was a great alternative to all the hotels I had stayed at. We wondered a bit about what to do in the next day but we would play it by ear and see what would happen in the morning.
Tags: ise·japan·shiga
27May2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
Ikebukuro might’ve been a crazy nightlife area but I didn’t partake in any fun last night because I was just tired from my 6 hours of train rides in the last day. This was proven when I actually had to use the wake up call service (and not wake up before it) for my hotel which gave me a later start to the day in Tokyo than I had before. No problem for me, I’d rather be well rested anyway.
So I had no real plan for the day. I could’ve gone out to Ise Shrine early if I wanted, but I was in no real rush. Ise didn’t have much to offer besides the shrine so I decidedly to hold off until Friday for the tour. Which meant I had some time to kill in Tokyo. I could’ve gone shopping but I wasn’t in any real hurry to do that either.
But I was in Tokyo for lunchtime so what else could I do but look for ramen? Using a ramen database I ran across during my ramen research, I found that the best ramen in Japan luckily resided in Tokyo. Well, depending on the ranking you use, the 2nd best in some areas, but really all things considered, the ramen place comes recommended as one of the best places in the country for ramen. With backing like that, I think it was worth a look.
Those interested can find the original Japanese database page here and an English review here.
The ramen place was located on the east side of the city and with Ikebukuro on the west it would take about 30 minutes to get out there. Nothing a little subway ride couldn’t solve but in order to get there for lunch and avoid a huge line I couldn’t do anything else in Tokyo but head out for the place right away. I would head to a rather nondescript part of Tokyo, populated with no real tourist attractions, just offices and stores but finding the ramen place was relatively easy, as I could see a long line already forming in front of a shop that hadn’t even opened. I took my place in line and waited for my turn to get one of the 10 counter spaces inside the ramen shop.
I came early enough, a little bit before opening, to avoid being way back in line and with ramen luckily being a quick to eat food, I didn’t have to wait long to get inside. Of course the line kept growing behind me and I would see a few people come by and see the line and turn around, making me more confident in my choice to head out early.
I asked for a extra large size of ramen, because if I was going to the best place in Japan, I’m going to get a good sized portion of it. The operation inside was relatively simple, one cook, one helper and many pots boiling. The bowls came out quick. I quickly dug into my bowl as others around me finished their ramen much faster than I did. So how did it taste?
Maybe because I had heard it was the best ramen in Japan my expectations were a bit high. I don’t know what I was expecting but I still feel like I’m more a Hakata ramen fan if anything. Still, it was an excellent ramen and I was happy to get it and willing to wait. It was a dark tonkotsu (more like my first night in Japan rather than a Hakata style) but full of flavor. I do have to hand it to them on the noodles though, they were at an excellent consistency and even though I like thin noodles more, the noodles I had here were probably the best I’ve had, all things considered.
I didn’t want to stay too long at the place because they hurried people in and out and everyone else ate at a faster pace than me so I finished as much of the bowl as I could (I had to leave a few noodles behind but took care of all the soup) and left to see the line at the same size it was when I first came, a sign of the popularity the store enjoyed (it was running about 30 people deep).
My ramen desires fulfilled all I had left on my plate was to get to Ise. Time for a familiar scene, picking up my bags at the hotel and riding trains out to another location. It was business as usual on the bullet train up to Nagoya but once I got on the train to Ise from there it turned into a ride through a pleasant countryside (albeit on a much slower train than the bullet). But again, I enjoyed the relaxation and reflection I could enjoy on this ride in my solo second week. It definitely also let me know I was going somewhere where not many tourists go (despite Ise Shrine being one of the most sacred ones in all of Japan).
Once in Ise I found a very quiet city, it almost made me long for the excitement of Ito. If anything, at least Ito had a sea, Ise city apparently had little going for it. I didn’t even find any loud pachinko parlors, if anything the city seemed to be made of high school students riding around on their bikes. I checked into my hotel, a nice (but small as always) business hotel and decided to go for a walk around for something to eat, I would save the shrine for tomorrow as planned. There were very few appealing choices in the city and I ended up getting a bit lost walking around, but I eventually came across a highly recommended restaurant that featured spiny lobster, a specialty of Ise. I put down quite a bit for this meal, but I figured that I wouldn’t be paying too much in meals for the rest of my trip so I should splurge one last time.
I was even down to play pachinko for my quiet night in Ise, but I honestly could not find a place. The city of Ise might not have much to offer me but I hoped the shrine would make it worth my trip out to this far part of Japan.
Tags: ise·japan·tokyo
26May2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
Unfortunately any plans of an early meeting with Saori would be dashed by the fact she had to attend a sports outing with her coworkers. Not the biggest of problems considering I had a long commute ahead of me to get from Shizuoka to Tsuru, my old university. I briefly flirted with the idea of visiting Tsuru last year in my trip but I knew this time I had to go. After a quick public bath and some free breakfast I would leave the hotel in Ito (quite impressed, as well) and push out on my long trip to Tsuru.
A few transfers in I would make it back into Tokyo proper and left my bags in a locker in Shinjuku. Then I headed out on a train towards Otsuki. Luckily it was an express so I would skip many stations and get right into Yamanashi. Otsuki station was nostalgic enough (it was our main link to the outside world from Tsuru) but once I got on the Fujikyu line towards Tsuru, I could feel the nostalgia sweep over me, especially as more familiar sights came into view.
It’s hard to describe the nostalgia I felt coming back to Tsuru, especially since I had been back a few times already, in my 5 trips to Japan I’ve come back 4 times. But this time was definitely personal, all my university friends had already graduated so I was here to meet a few teachers and just take in the sights of being back in town. My first steps took me back towards the university, where I tried my best to blend in with the student population there. I decided to drop by the old administration office, seeing if Takiguchi-sensei and Fumi-san were in. They were in and immediately recognized me, although I did give them advance warning of the fact. We had a great conversation catching up and updating each other on what was new. And this time I had apparently gained enough Japanese ability to maintain a decent level of conversation. That’s what pleased me the most, being able to show to them that the Japanese program I participated in so many years ago actually developed into a reasonable Japanese ability.
After dropping by the office I headed out towards my old ramen place of choice, Happo, to grab a bowl of ramen at the place where all my ramen fandom began. The place was pretty much the same, albeit a bit dirtier from 5 years ago, but more a sign of the cooking that took place in there than anything else. It didn’t turn me off when I came in and I was just pleased when the owner recognized me immediately upon arrival. Not that we had a big chat during lunch, whenever I came in the past it was more about just getting down to business and eating, but we did engage in a long chat about English teachers in Japan (the conclusion: the native Japanese English teachers are no good). The ramen for what it was, was still fantastic and I decided to ask him more about it this time. It was a soy base, his own creation, apparently made so it would be good for you (a healthy ramen) and even supposedly improved the skin (thus being popular with the nearby university ladies). Good thing I ate my fill 5 years ago. He even gave me a shocked look when I told him I had hakata ramen, a decidedly unhealthy broth.
After ramen I headed back to the university and dropped by my old classroom to see Shima-sensei, one of my first teachers when I was at Tsuru and admittedly a great supporter of me back then. She also knew I was coming and introduced me as a “dai senpai” (loosely translated to “big alumni”) to the class, which was about 20-25 in size, much bigger than my time in Tsuru. The class consisted not only of the UC kids, but also some Chinese, Korean and even one Swedish foreign student. Shima-sensei would interrupt the class to have me come and introduce myself and also answer questions from the assembled students. They were probably more confused if anything but I did my best to field their questions, again proud that I knew enough Japanese this time to do so (something I could not claim maybe even last year).
I would stick around the classroom for a bit longer, learning a few things about business Japanese in the process before heading out for a bit to take some pictures of the area and indulge in some more nostalgia. I had agreed to catch up with Shima-sensei in a one on one meeting at a tea place near the station before she headed back to Tokyo. Again I was pleased my Japanese was able to keep up and it was great catching up with her, 5 years later. She went into a bit about how she was questioning 5 years ago why she should travel so far to teach from Tokyo but found the experience with us, her first group of students, to be so fun and rewarding she stuck around to do it even 5 years later.
After saying goodbye to Shima-sensei, I found myself with some time to waste before dinner with Victoria and a few of the other UC foreign students. With nothing else to do (it was Tsuru after all) I headed to the old foreign student lounge, if anything, to play some DS but I found the Swedish foreign student there instead. We spoke for a bit before one of the Japanese tutors came by and he started to play her in a 3d version of Connect Four. Eventually I would get roped into the game too where I would beat the girl once, but found myself losing to the Swedish guy two times in a row. I would find out that he was actually enrolled in Tsuru as a regular student, not on a special program like the UC students. Unfortunately, he didn’t seem to associate with the UC students a lot and would head out on his own way instead of joining me and UC kids for dinner.
6 of the 9 students would come out for dinner at Kawafuji, where I would finally indulge my desires for Chicken Cheese Katsu, although I would find it cheesier than I remembered and passed some of it on to the other UC kids. But really, I was just hanging out with them, learning more about their time here, telling them a little bit about my time here and how Tsuru used to be. You know, what old people do when they try and relive their pasts, right? If they were bored, they didn’t show it and were gracious enough to help me enjoy a little bit more of my trip.
Unfortunately I couldn’t party with them anymore and had to rush to catch the train back to Tokyo. I relived some great memories of my past and made a few more good new ones today. Somehow I made it to my hotel in Ikebukuro, despite the fact that apparently all the trains I took (I was traveling around 10pm) were filled with drunken businessmen.
Tags: japan·tsuru
26May2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
There’s nothing like waking up in a big room. You kind of miss that feeling after a week of tiny rooms. Today’s plan was to meet up with Saori early, so we could get a car and drive around a few parts of Shizuoka. The morning started well enough, with me enjoying a free breakfast from the hotel and just loving the fact that I was in a sparsely populated place, far away from the busyness of Tokyo, Kyoto and Hiroshima. So here I was, walking through relatively quiet streets (although thank god it was a sunny day in Ito, otherwise me and Saori woud really be screwed) and just enjoying myself away from the hustle and bustle of busy city life. I would meet up Saori easily at the station and we then headed off to a rental car place, which unfortunately, happened to be out of cars.
Fine, I remembered there were a few places near the station that also rented cars. Saori was worried about the price so I offered to pay half of the cost but we were happy to see the prices were not too bad. However, once we got to a location, the lady there informed us there wasn’t anything she could do because she couldn’t give a car away to an inexperienced driver, something Saori was just having got her license a few months ago. We worried for a bit on our next step, but we decided to fall on the good old Japan standby, the train.
In a recurring theme, I would miss my train by a minute but we occupied ourselves with planning our now day-by-train. We would head south of Ito to cliffs by the sea, which were framed beautifully with a suspension bridge which provided a great view of the stormy sea, only made more crazy by the insane wind coming towards the land today. We would for the most part, occupy ourselves with walking/climbing around the cliffs and taking pictures while fighting the wind. On the way back to the station after we had our share of cliff climbing, we would find a cafe. A cafe sure, but it actually was run out of a person’s house, when we first opened the door we thought we were coming into someone’s place and almost turned around before someone came and welcomed us inside.
We were treated to a great meal in a very relaxed setting, literally the owner’s backyard garden. We took our time just eating the food and also enjoying some great tea which was brewed with herbs grown in the garden. I was just so relaxed and content after the meal that I pretty much took a quick nap right then and there while Saori was enjoying the sights herself. Our feet finally refreshed we would make it back to the station to see a train we wanted to take just leave (common theme!) before we decided to reverse direction back towards Ito and head north on a different train.
At Futo, the station just north of where we were, our plan was to head for a shrine dedicated to love, as marked by a guide map we recieved from the owner at the cafe we just ate at. But really for the most part, we just wandered aimlessly around the area, even having a local boy try and help guide us. Eventually we would have another local woman lead us to the shrine we were looking for, which much to our chagrin, happened to be where we had already visited (the boy told us to go there) but we had dismissed that shrine as being the one we wanted because it was so tiny and run down looking. Nonetheless, love doesn’t need to be pretty and both me and Saori threw some yen in and made our wishes.
We climbed (and I mean climbed) back to the station, giving up on our plans to visit a beer factory and just take ourselves back to Ito. Once back in Ito, we had one more sight to visit, that of an old famous ryokan in Ito that had closed several years back but modified itself into a museum/bathhouse (baths only on the weekends). We again slowly made our way through the sites, an interesting look into a past Japan. I wondered why it had to close as a ryokan as it was quite a luxurious place in my mind, but we still enjoyed our walk through the place. Afterwards we finally decided it was time to just eat and relax, so we headed to a nearby izakaya (one that Saori wanted to go to yesterday) and drank and ate in the Japanese style I love so much.
I finished my visit with Saori by buying random foods at a nearby convience store, eating and drinking at my hotel room, while watching an hour of Japanese television. I knew my second week in Japan would be relaxing, but I didn’t know I would enjoy it that much. Unfortunately, this is where I would say goodbye to Saori and despite my new desire to just stay in Ito for the rest of my trip, I had made promises to go to Tsuru in the next day so I said a goodbye to her (but I knew I would see her online soon enough) and closed out my most relaxing part of Japan with a late night soak in the public bath.
Tags: japan·shizuoka
26May2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
Time for Tom to enjoy his last taste of Japan. While the second half of my trip would begin in earnest after we parted ways, we wouldn’t do so right away. The rain was falling down pretty hard in Tokyo, so there was little we could do to occupy our morning. Tom wasn’t flying out until the evening and I had no immediate need to run out to Shizuoka to meet with Saori so we wandered the Ueno area (it was a logical choice for both of us to make our next travel moves), at first looking for a bank where I could exchange money (there are a shocking few banks that actually do that for you in Japan) and then indulging in a nearby tonkotsu ramen shop to keep my ramen streak alive. It was a heavy broth, unlike Hakata ramen, so I would be full for most of the day afterwards but Tom needed one last Tokyo meal, of course. We would part ways afterwards at the station as Tom decided to head out to Akihabara to kill some more time in Tokyo while I decided to finally make my move for Shizuoka.
Unfortunately my timing was a bit off so I couldn’t hit the straight line train from Tokyo to Ito. I would take a bullet train to Atami, miss my ideal transfer and end up taking a local train out to Ito. The train was quite interesting, not the usual style I was used to in other parts of Japan. Rather, this train was set up with seats facing the windows, as if it was set up to help people take in the sights of the ride a bit easier. I didn’t get one of these seats but I could see where the scenery appeal would be, if again, it wasn’t raining and cloudy in Shizuoka. Once I got to Ito, I could easily identify (rather, she would see me), despite her shorter hair (a more aerodymanic version of her).
As always, it was great to meet up with Saori and despite our long awaited meeting in person, since we speak so much online, there wasn’t a big feeling of nostalgia for the two of us. Rather, we got right down to the business, just like we spoke online, although we had a little trouble finding my hotel in Ito. Once we did make it in, I was very pleased with the size of the room, happy to have something with a reasonable sense of size, after the cramped rooms I shared with Tom over the last week. After dropping my bags at the hotel room, Saori would take me out to her apartment where we attempted regroup and find something to do in the rain. We could not find anything worthwhile unfortunately (there really was nothing to do in Ito in the rain) although we entertained ourselves with her watching me chat with people online for some amount of time.
Truly, with no plan and no options in a rainy Ito, we would wander the rainy shopping streets of the city, which was very very empty, a stark contrast to busy Tokyo. But I enjoyed the escape from the busy city so me and Saori would spend time just chatting with each other, at first at a local cafe, then as we attempted to find a place to eat, then at a very delicious and reasonably priced seafood restaurant, then finishing up the night with a bit more night walking (and an even quieter Ito) and a local whiskey bar, although we both decided to just settle on (fantastic) cocktails.
I found it funny that I still managed to hang out with Saori almost at least once a year, trying to make time to hang out with her with each Japan trip. And somehow, over the last 5 years, we still managed to remain close friends, even as other tutors I met in Tsuru started to fall out of contact. For the most part it was a quiet day, there would be no crazy walking all over, no trying to get through crowds to that next tourist spot, it was just me hanging out with a friend and enjoying each other’s company. That’s all I expected and that’s all I needed.
Tags: japan·shizuoka·tokyo
24May2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
Tom would come back home at around 6, not very audibly but loud enough that I would notice him stumble into his futon and go right to bed. I would wake up around 8 and despite doing my best to keep myself busy, I would be forced to wake him up around 930, mainly because the maids were starting to go through the rooms and also because we had a relatively full day of Tokyo planned, Tom’s last full day in Japan.
Despite only having a few hours of sleep post clubbing, Tom was raring to head out to Akihabara and our first stop along the way would be a maid cafe, the same one I went to with Ajay two years ago. I even had the foresight to bring back my maid cafe card (they give one out to everyone who visits, relax) for this visit. Luckily, there would be no line this early on a Sunday so we got in without trouble, where Tom was treated to the full maid cafe experience. Magical chanting before serving drinks, drawing pictures in ketchup on our food and overall just being so cute. Tom would eat it up, so much that he forked over 500 yen for a photo with a maid (which they hold a premium since you can’t take pictures inside the place).
Tom’s appetite for cuteness satsified, we would wander a few random stores in Akihabara before Tom would meet up with his hostel friend, at which point I decided to separate and go on my own around Akihabara for a bit. In addition, I was able to set up a last minute meeting with one of my Tokyo friends in Roppongi. She wanted to meet at the Ritz Carlton, 45th floor lounge, which I figured (and was) to be very fancy. Taking a glance at the high tea menu and prices I was a little worried but was relieved to discover she only intended we have a pot of tea, not a whole high tea set.
We enjoyed a nice 2 hour talk, sipping tea, catching up, talking about relationships. I was worried we wouldn’t get a chance to meet, but was glad to have the chance, things just happened to fall into place. After Roppongi I would go back to Akihabara to meet with Tom and then we went out to Shinjuku to meet with Yuko, one of my old tutors from Tsuru. She was now working in Tokyo and was gracious enough to give some of her time to us for dinner. We were both aching for food since we had only had rather scarce (but cute) maid cafe food. Yuko would arrive at the station (a feat in itself, Shinjuku being one of the busiest stations in Tokyo) and we would head out to a nearby izakaya to catch up and eat and drink. I had a good time catching up with Yuko while Tom informed her of our travels together in Japan. After a few yakitori, sashimi and drinks (including a delicious Calpis Sour), me, very eager to continue the ramen streak, headed out for a ramen place near Shinjuku station where I got a small bowl (like, mini size), but that was still too much for my stomach so I gave about half my share to Tom. Nonetheless it counted for me and I kept my ramen streak in place.
Yuko would leave back for home after ramen, she unfortunately had to work the next day, but me and Tom would go back to Asakusa to rest up. Tom spent the rest of the night trying to fit his Akihabara gifts into a box, getting ready for his trip to Korea. For my own part, I had to think about my trip out Ito and Saori in the next day.
Tags: japan·tokyo
24May2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
After several days of staying in Hiroshima, we finally decided to actually tour the city. While most of our day would be occupied by traveling to Tokyo, the morning/afternoon was free to tour through Hiroshima. We started by walking from our hotel down the main shopping street in Hiroshima towards Peace Park. Peace Park is always a sobering sight, especially when you reach the A-bomb Dome and see the first visible reminder of the atomic bomb dropped on Hiroshima. We would walk through a few more of the monuments at the park before getting to the main focus of the park, which was the Peace Museum.
Full of stories about Hiroshima before and after the bomb, I had gone through the museum at least three times now, but each time the images were very powerful, especially of the recollections of the day of the bomb. Me and Tom went through the museum silently for the most part, the museum did most of the work for us. We spent our time slowly walking from exhibit to exhibit, as each part of the museum lent some insight into the bomb falling on Hiroshima, never placing blame of anyone or anything, just explaining why and what happened.
Once done with Peace Museum, we decided to head for Hiroshima Castle, to give Tom at least one taste of a Japanese castle. While Hiroshima Castle was no Himeji, Tom still enjoyed the walk through the castle, albeit it being very steep for our very tired feet. We would also walk by the old baseball stadium, I was a little disheartened to see it regelated to being an exhibition hall for peace cranes.
In order to keep my ramen streak alive, we would have an order of Hiroshima tsukemen (the noodles separate from the soup), which featured a hot sesame oil dipping sauce. Tasty enough for me! And it counted in my mind for my “everyday of ramen” plans. We would take a streetcar back to our hotel, where I had the idea we could get a transfer ticket and not have to pay for our car back to the station. Unfortunately that was not the case and we would instead just save our yen and walk from the hotel to the station with our bags. Not a big hassle but after long days of walking we would’ve appreciated a free streetcar ride.
Not much to say about our long trek back to Tokyo. The ride was without incident on the bullet train. When we got back to Tokyo we hopped on a subway towards our hotel, unfortunately the subway we got off at lacked an elevator so I had to lug my bags up for a few flights of stairs. But once at the hotel we settled in quickly, Tom got ready for his clubbing night out near Shibuya, but I would be having none of that, rather desiring just to sleep. The both of us would enjoy a light dinner at a nearby izakaya before parting ways for the night, Tom heading out on his own (would he make it back?) to Shibuya while I settled in at the hotel for a relaxing night at home.
Tags: hiroshima·japan·tokyo
21May2010
Posted by Roland under: Travel.
Alarm off but I would still wake up earlier than Tom and make it down for breakfast before he did. Today’s plan? Go to Fukuoka and enjoy Hakata ramen, the beautiful women of Fukuoka (labeled as “Hakata Bijin” or “Hakata Beauties” by the Japanese) and a baseball game featuring my favorite Japanese baseball team, the Hiroshima Carp. Despite just missing a train to Fukuoka by one minute, we would occupy ourselves with a bookstore near the station for about an hour before we could get on a train headed to Fukuoka.
We would arrive in Fukuoka just in time for lunch, so we headed right to Tenjin (a famous shopping district in Fukuoka) and right to a Lonely Planet recommended ramen place. The place was quite intense, featuring a taiko motif as their theme with intense taiko music playing the background and a rushed feeling to service as they tried to get people in and out of the place as quick as possible. However, that didn’t take away from their fantastic ramen, making the trip out to Fukuoka for tasty ramen a great success.
Me and Tom would wander the Tenjin area for a bit (I would finally get a packet of tissues that I needed) before going backwards on the subway a few stops to visit the largest wooden Buddha in Japan. It lived up to billing (although I do remember seeing it 4 years before in my other visit). From then we went to Canal City, a popular shopping mall near the water (obviously) where we would play a game of Taiko no Tatsujin (the taiko drumming arcade game) and lose several yen at a claw game. We also flirted with the idea of buying another round of ramen, but held off as we had only eaten several hours before (we were eager to eat as much Hakata ramen as we could).
We then headed for Yahoo! Dome, home of the Fukuoka Softbank Hawks and the home team that would host the visiting Hiroshima Carp. I had watched the Carp play previously in Hiroshima and would’ve loved to see them in their new home stadium but they were playing an away series, luckily of all places, Fukuoka. It was meant to be. Ramen and the Hiroshima Carp. Getting tickets was a relatively easy process and I was impressed as we got into the stadium. It was my first time seeing a game in a domed stadium and it was quite a sight.
We sat with the Carp supporters so we were heavily involved in all the chants and cheering that went on throughout the game, my favorite part of Japanese baseball. From there we were treated an excellent showing by the Carp team. The Carp kept batting in the runs, bringing the Hiroshima crowd into a frenzy and the namesake on the jersey I wore actually hit a homerun on that night, a rarity considering his skills were declining as he is now 39 years old. They would win 7-1 and the Carp pitcher pitched a complete game, a shutout going in all the way till he was 2 outs away from it in the 9th. It made the trip well worth it to the stadium.
Unfortunately, our game ending time was a bit close to the last train from Fukuoka to HIroshima so we rushed a bit from the stadium to the subway. Once on the subway we were okay on timing and got on our bullet train to Hiroshima, although we did not get back into town until 11:30, whereupon, for lack of anything else to eat, we went back to the same okonomiyaki place yet again, making it three nights in a row we went to the same place. The owner was again happy to serve us and actually had the game we just watched in Fukuoka replaying on the TV. We would be pleased to learn that me and Tom made it on as Japanese TV, albeit as a speck in a large crowd shot of the Hiroshima fans. We said our last goodbyes to the owner (we were leaving tomorrow for Tokyo) so he gave us a few farewell gifts, Tom got some Gundam figurines and I got a few Hiroshima Carp baseball cards.
It was really late by the time we got back to the hotel, around 12:30, but we had a very full and complete day in Fukuoka which we truly enjoyed.
Tags: fukuoka·hiroshima·japan