#Japan16 Kyoto Kimonos

At 8am I took a lazy stroll through the city. The breakfast I had paid for at my hotel turned out to be a starbucks voucher, so I picked up some pancakes, a yoghurt drink, and green tea kitkat balls (KitKats are big in Japan and are available in all kinds of flavours!) and snuffled them as K walked. I finished them off in a juice bar not far from Kyoto station, where I had a delicious mixed fruit smoothie to boot, and then decided to check out the Kyoto sky tower.
I had deliberately omitted the Osaka and Tokyo towers, but I durifully paid my 750 yen and rode to the top.
Aside from several large temple complexes visible from the sky, Kyoto looked much like any other city from this height. This coupled with the omnipresent smog made the experience underwhelming, and then my second set of batteries died.
I rode down feeling a bit like I'd been stupid (I'd known this was going to be rubbish, that's why I hadn't done it in Osaka or Tokyo, so why had I made that mistake here?) but successfully purchased some high-powered batteries from a convenience store.
I met Arkasas and we got the bus back to the Kimono shop. There we spent no less than two hours trying on Kimonos. I found a particularly expensive orange one (23,000 yen, yikes!) and the shop assistant dressed me up in it, pinning it with ribbons, adding a thick white Obi band, and then tying it off with a gold and orange rope. The effect was quite spectacular and I felt pretty special, but in the end I preferred last night's cream summer outer-kimono (which can be worn as a jacket) with a purple fan pattern. Arkansas chose a minty green kimono with a dark pink Sakura print, and we paid and went for lunch. (both our Kimonos put together cost less than half of the orange one!)
I had a photo of a page of a guidebook that advised me that there was a good vegetarian restaurant close by, and we eventually found the shop it should be above, but the cafe had gone. Next we did a local search and found another, but that had closed for lunch (sold out). We found a third veggie cafe which was hidden behind a good market stall, but that had closed for lunch too! So at ten to three, we hurried into a tiny Nepalese restaurant down a back alley, because they had an English menu with a veggie option!
Infact, Yak-Yeti offers two vegetarian curries (vegetable or Dahl) and it came with an immense naan bread, a portion of rice, and a salad. It was fantastic. The waiter was very polite, even when I nearly walked out without paying! Luckily Arkansas reminded me.
From the shopping street we took a bus ride north to the highly recommended Honen-in temple.
We never made it to Honen-in that day. We found this beautiful canal-side walk lined with cherry trees heavy with blossom flowers. In the afternoon sun, the petals seemed illuminated, and it was heart wrenchingly beautiful. We later realised this was Kyoto's famous "Philosophers walk"Which is said to have inspired some of Japan's great thinkers with its beauty and serenity. Soon though, we realised we had to head back down to the station. We were hoping to travel to Nigoshima for their enormous winter light show.
We got on the number five bus, which was standing room only. With every stop, more and more people got on, until the bus was groaning under the weight, and everyone on it was contorted around each other in order to fit! It was kind of amusing, except for the fact that it was a rather hot day thanks to the aforementioned sunshine, and it was a pretty uncomfortable journey. Another classic Japanese experience to add to the list!
By the time we arrived at the station, it was clear we didn't have time, as the park the light show was in closed at 21:00, it would take over an you to get there, and it was already 18.15.
After some dallying, we returned to the shopping centre to buy an obi for my kimono. There was a shop which sold cheat ones, with a string and a clip on bow to make them easier to tie, so I found one of those in purple, and then we returned to one of the nearby vegetarian cafes (that had only been temporarily closed)  for a delicious dinner and a studio gibhli film (Porco Rosso gor those who know Ghibli). Arkansas was quite surprised by how much she enjoyed her vegetarian pizza. I ordered something I couldn't understand (safe in the knowledge I could eat it) and got a delicious rice dish.
For dessert we went to a convenience store to get a version of the green tea rice putty cakes that had half a strawberry in the core rather than beancurd! It was delicious and I was really full. That night I used my own mini-pillow for the bed, and used my sleeping bag, so the duvet provided became a mattress topper. I was very cosy and happy!

#Japan16 Miyajima to Kyoto

I had a lazy morning for the first time, kicking off the day with an onsen session (again, I had it to myself) an enjoying the outdoor onsen with its little garden first until I noticed a large drowned spider in there with me! I washed my hair with the products provided and headed down the street to return to the temple.

The onsen (I could take photos as there was nobody else present)
 this one had a fountai at the back, but you can't quite see it for steam.

I left for some sightseing shortly after, and got chased down the hill by the concierge who thought I had checked out without paying! After explaining the misunderstanding, I returned to the temple as promised, unable to resist photographing the Sakura and fluffy deer as I went.

The temple was quite unusual in that the complex was full of little nick-nacks - Jizo statures adorned every flat surface, and almost all bore hats, bibs, even plastic jewellery. There were also dolls, little animal figurines, even a plush Winnie the Pooh! It was kind of adorable. I knew all of these gifts were tokens to protect the giver's children, either on earth or on the other side though, especially with Hiroshima not far away.

After leaving the temple, I checked out of my hotel, and took my stamp book back to the locations I missed (I am concerned I'm becoming a little obsessed, but I hardly had any stamps that day!) and then I took the JR ferry back to the mainland. I was not surprised that this was not only the cheaper, but also the easier option to get back, but I didn't really care.



It was a long journey to Kyoto. The train tracked back through Hiroshima,Fukuyama, Okinawa and Osaka on the way. I kept dosing off but the child behind me would helpfully scream or kick the back of my chair every twenty minutes or so, to ensure I never fell asleep and missed my stop.


Kyoto station was as busy as Miyajima ferry port. Not only with the usual domestic tours and backpacker couples, but also trains of older westerners (mostly American) with enormous suitcases and lost expressions. I ovverheard one lady ask her companion if they had missed the cherry blossom or it was about to begin, and was astounded that she had so little knowledge of where she was visiting!
My exhaustion was beginning to take its toll, and despite the clear numbering system, I took the wrong metro stop three times,and ended up walking about a mile to my hotel.


This was exciting, as I was staying at the 9hours capsule hotel, another very Japanese experience!
The hotel was styled to be very clean and clinical. All of the rooms were white and brightly lit, with no natural light. The dorm also had no natural light, but was black. One wall was filled with two storeys of capsules. I thought they looked like ovens. A friend compared it to a morgue. What they actually were was beds. The beds were full size so I fitted comfortably inside capsule 425 with room to crawl in and out. My locker was just big enough for my backpack, so I crammed it in, picked up my daypack, and headed out into (what was now) the dusk. Kyoto followed the same rough formula as all Japanese cities that I had started to observe: The station 'city' shopping centre with the optionally attached department store, and further out in town there was a covered shopping arcade. The ultimate of these was of course Osaka's Dotomburi, but Kyoto had a massive series of interconnected arcades , and most of the stores sold gaudy polyester kimonos. I had a delicious 'Kyoto style' tomato curry and Sophie style slice of chocolate cake on the expensive side of the river in Gion district, and was casually perusing said kimonos (trying to get an idea of the price of my own yukata to take home) on the way back to my hotel, when a friendly voice asked if I was looking for a full on Kyoto. It was an American girl, from Arkansas, who took me to a second hand kimono shop. We spent ages sorting through the kimonos. I tried one on and fell in love with it, but I didn't have enough cash on me. By the time I'd collected my money, the shop had closed, although was only 8pm! I couldn't understand why everywhere in Japan (including Tokyo) shut so early. The shop didn't re-open until 11am either, so Arkansas and I agreed to re-convene then.
In the meantime, there was a particular Japanese evening pastime that was calling out to me.
Arkansas and I dove into a Kareoke bar. They take Kareoke very seriously in Japan, even more so than Glasgow, and we passed through a corridor lit by chandeliers before booking a room for an hour at a hotel reception style desk. We ordered drinks to our room (White wine for Arkansas, Peach Mojito for me) and collected our room key. We were shown into a huge booth with two tables and a TV. Arkansas dug out two microphones, and as soon as our drinks arrived she found a switch for disco lights and we sung our hearts out! We spent an hour screaming the place down with our Taylor Swift and Kelly Clarkson renditions, we were having a whale of a time! All too soon though our time was up, so we paid and went our separate ways, ready for kimono buying tomorrow!
The capsule itself was not a problem for me, but the pillow was rock solid and heavy, filled with something more sand-like than feathery, and the mattress was thin and uncomfortable. Every noise in the dorm echoed loudly, and many of the 24 other girls sorted through their backpacks inside their capsules. It was not a great night's sleep!

#Japan16 Hiroshima and Miyajima Island

When I woke up, it was so cold it took me half an hour to coax myself out from under my duvet, but the prospect of a pre-paid western breakfast gave me the incentive I needed.

Burnd and Maggie (our hosts who I had enjoyed dinner out with the previous evening) had prepared a decent spread. I was excited to see a bowl of fresh fruit, and also yogurts, a staple of my usual diet which I had been missing. There was also four kinds of cereal, and toast... Everyone staying at the WFC had breakfast together at 8, so I got to meet the other guests. One was from Europe (I think East Europe - she wasn't very chatty), two from New Zealand who were at the start of a three month cross-continental trip, an Asian lady (also not chatty), and an American guy from California. We all discussed where we had been and where we were going, it was nice to be able to talk.

After breakfast Burt spoke to me and the other European girl (who had also checked in only last night) about the mission of the WFC, to educate foreigners on the danger and evil of atomic warfare, to teach Japanese adults English, and to provide a support group for survivors of the atom bomb.

I packed my bag and brought it inside, just in time to meet Kasoka-san, a survivor of the bomb (The Japanese have a special word for it - a Hibakusha). Kasoka-san's niece was waiting at the table we had just had breakfast at to translate for her, and all of us gathered around to hear her story.

Kasoka-san was twelve years old on August 6th 1945. She, like many Japanese middle school children, had given up her schooling to help with the war effort, helping to pull down some of Hiroshima's tightly packed buildings to create fire breaks in case of fire bombing, which Tokyo had seen extensively. Hiroshima had received conspicuously little attention in the way of air raids, and many of the buildings were timber built, so the pulling down of houses was to prepare for the worst. That particular day was Kasoka-san's day off, and at 8.15 she had just put out the laundry and cleared away the breakfast dishes. Her parents had gone into town to help a friend, and so she was alone with her grandmother. Kasoka-san told us she was in front of a window when the bomb hit. Thee was a very bright "beautiful" flash of light, the window shattered into her face, and then she blacked out.

When Kasoka-san came around, she felt blood on her face, but feeling no pain, ran to the air raid shelter with her grandmother. She told us how none of the adults knew what had happened. When they came up from the shelter, many of their houses (3km from the bomb) had been knocked over by the force of the blast.

It is harrowing, and not my story to tell, but Kasoka-san told us of the black rain that fell, of a neighbour who returned from the city with skin pink from burns, of how she tried to nurse her dying father who had ben too close to the epicentre, and of the ghost like people she saw on their way to the military hospital by her house. Her mother never returned, and was cremated en mass.

Whilst we were given a good overview of that happened that day, Kasoka-san:s story was moving and personal, and I doubt I shall ever forget it. At one point I had tears in my eyes as she spoke. I asked her if she:d been scared, and she said yes, she ran and hid inside from the ghost people. With all the horrific things she had seen though, she had just dealt with them as they had happened. I cannot repeat how she described her father's condition, but she tried to cool him with grated vegetables, and broke the top off a bottle of beer so that he could drink it as it was his favourite thing, though he was unable to. She said her lasting regret was that at the time they had been told not to let burns victims drink water as it would kill them, and she still regretted not giving her father the drink he begged for. She was only twelve. Even at my age, I think I'd just run straight back inside that air-raid shelter and cry until it was over.

After the story, three of us (including Maggie's Japanese language teacher, who had turned up that morning) went to the Peace Park, where we took a guided tour. I had no idea that there were so many monuments in the park, and it was great to have someone with the knowledge to show us the significance of so many. We also stopped by the A-bomb dome, the closest building to the centre of the blast to have survived in any part, and also a plaque for the hypocentre, a hospital which has been rebuilt in the same place today.

The A-bomb dome. I'm not sure what my face is doing here
but it felt inappropriate to take many photos.

After the tour I couldn:t face the museum. I found it hard to imagine such devistation in such a bright, lively city as Hiroshima is today. It:s full of normal people going about their day-to-day business just like any city which hasn't been raised to the ground. 140,000 people died as a result of that single bomb. 70,000 died on the spot, and their ashes are held in a special mausoleum for unidentifiable victims, either because there was nobody left to identify them, or because they were too burnt to tell.

After that sombre morning, I took a speedboat directly from the park to Miyajima island, my first day in Japan where I haven't used a train!

Miyajima island is a holy place within sight of Hiroshima city. It is also home to thousands of semi-tame deer. I met one pretty much straight on the boat. Remembering yesterday:s rabbits (was it really only yesterday?!) I took a quick photo before continuing on towards my hotel for the night. I had four hours left before sunset and I was on a mission!

Bambi and co.

As I arrived at the hotel, I realised why it had cost nearly twice as much as the WFC. It was another fancy hotel (with Onsen, yes!) and I dumped my bag and took my day-pack up to grab a cable car (or as they call them in Japan, Ropeway) up Mount Misen, the highest point on the mountain. The cable cars were crammed with eight people (and three of us were European size!) but luckily the windows opened so it wasn't too stuffy. We were all literally shoulder to shoulder.
At the top I had the option to climb to the summit, but I established from hikers returning the other way that there were no monkeys there, and that was my primary interest with the top of the mountain. So instead I took the reportedly scenic route down, heading towards Daisho-in temple.

My excuse for this selfie is that there wasn't enough room
in the car to get the camera further away from my face!

The route was indeed scenic. The sun was getting quite low, and the path was mostly stone steps, all made out of rough stone blocks, so I could never take my eyes off the ground for too long, but it looked wonderfully rustic! The island was very green and there were even a few waterfalls, and the occasional blossoming cherry tree too.

The temple itself was right at the bottom of the walk, an array of fantastic traditional buildings snuggled into the hillside and encircled with sakura. It was stunning, but the sun was too low for any spectacular photos. I resolved to return in the morning before I left for Kyoto.

In the main town, which was thronging with tourists, I found a pub with an English Menu offering vegetable tempura. I dove in and, dodging all the conger eel on the menu (tempura, sashimi, steamed or broiled) I ordered tempura, omelette, and rice. I even had a dessert, which was the typical japanese dessert of egg custard, but instead of caramel this had blueberry jam on top, and in the middle was a small random slice of yam. I left just in time to watch the sun go down.

Miyajima is famous for its Tori gate, which is part way out to sea. When the tide is low (as it was now) tourists flocked to it to take photos, and in the sunset it glowed bright orange. With its distinctive shape, it also looked amazing silhouetted against the sun setting between the distant mountains on the mainland.

The Miyajima Tori gate

I returned to the gate at night to photograph it lit up. The tide never came in but it looked great anyway. On the way back I saw some more Miyajima wildlife - a small racoon like creature snuffling throuh the undergrowth. It was kind of cute but I was wary of it. As I wandered back to the hotel in the dark, the stories of Kasoka-san's ghosts began to come back to me, I couldn't believe the horror she must have felt.

The steaming onsen soon relaxed me though. I had them to myself, and it was an unexpected bonus as I thought I had experienced onsen for the last time. The hotel was similar to the Ryokan in that I also had a yukata and slippers, but the bedrooms were in a western style.

#Japan16 Okunoshima

Easter Monday. After checking out of my hotel, I walked up to Fukuyama castle (less than 500m away) and took some photos of the castle. It was more like Wakayama castle than Hiroshima, although all three were pretty similar, and I didn't linger there long.

I had plans to go to the Belgian waffle shop in the station for breakfast, but it was closed, so I went to 'Mister Donut' and bought some snacks there instead. They were much lighter in texture than something you might bjy from Gregs, and therefore did almost nothing to quell my hunger. I then gook a train to Mihara, changing onto the coastal line for Tadanoumi.

One of the small Hiroshima prefecture coastal towns

It was another scenic journey, similar to that through Shikou in terms of rural villages and hills, but with additional bursts of seaside. I was impressed to see stretches of tropically sandy beaches under tall palm trees. I seemed to be a long way south of Tokyo!

The beautiful Sinto Sea

The queue for the rabbit island ferry was immense, and I didn't make it onto the first boat, but luckily there was a second a few minutes later, which wasn't mentioned in my timetable for whatever reason.

I had barely got off the ferry port when I saw my first rabbit. The island was swarming in tame rabbits, and the rabbits were swarming with children. I was gratified to see that 90% of the tourists were Japanese, but obviously the secret had got out further afield, as there were a number of Americans too.

The bunnies were very cute. They weren't shy either, and let me get really close to take lots and lots of photos.

  

I hired a bike from a hotel, the only inhabited building on the island, and cycled around, stopping every hundred or so metres for a photo of the rabbits, the scenery, or... the poison gas storage tanks.

Okunoshiwa Island had been taken off the maps for a time last century, as the Japanese military used it to manufacture thousands of tons of mustard (blistering) gas and tear gas. When America occupied Japan, the gas was disposed of, either through being burnt or dumped in containers in the pacific(...) some sources I have read say that this was to hide the extent of it from the allies. Others say that it was done under American orders.

The presence of the bunnies on the islands also has two possible reasons. Rabbits were used to test the gas manufactured on the island (It's upsetting to think about, but what isn:t upsetting about chemical weapons?) They may have been released after the factory closed. Alternatively, it has been suggested that all the experiment rabbits were killed, but some schoolchildren released their pet rabbits onto the island after it had been abandoned. Either way, these founding rabbits did what rabbits do best, and now the island is covered with cute rabbits of every colour, size and coat. I didn't see any lop-eared rabbits though.

Most of the tourists had brought whole lettuces to give to the
rabbits. I saw one woman with a lettuce the size of a basketball.

As I wandered around feeding and stroking the rabbits, I began to notice that a lot of them had eye infections. Some of them had a blind white eye. Some of them had uncomfortable looking weeping eyes, and some of them had eyes too gross for me to really look at. As soon as I noticed this, I avoided touching the rabbits and washed my hands. I noticed that there were a lot of no-go areas on the island with large metal cylinders behind fencing, but the rabbits had hopped through or dug under it. Maybe they were experiencing disease as any creature in the wild might, or maybe they were feeling some ill-effects from their sinister home.

I could also smell something alien and unpleasant in the air. As I climbed higher up the mountain, occassionally being approached by rabbits as I walked (they had learnt humans were not to be feared, and provided lettuce), I began to feel that this island was a bit creepy. Everywhere there was the decaying ruins of gun batteries and poison storage tanks, I began to notice more and more the disfigured rabbits, and that smell was making my imagination run wild. What if I was smelling traces of the gas?

As I neared the top of the island on foot, I began to feel the rare sensation of complete physical exhaustion. I couldn't walｋ as fast as I was trying to, it was all I could do to keep moving with my backpack on. I wasn't tired or hungry, just weary. I knew this fatigue was coming from having travelled and experienced so much in so few days, but I was determined to last at least until the end of the trip!

Sakura

I reached the top of the island for 365 beautiful views of the Sinto Sea. It was bright blue in the afternoon sunlight. I took it all in for a while before returning to my bike, planning to return it and get the next ferry off the island, despite originally planning to stay longer.

As I cycled the last stretch towards the hotel, I saw a number of bikes parked outside a tunnel, and pulled up to take a look. Through the tunnel was the burnt out shell of the poison gas factory. It was utterly haunting.

Here on the coast, the smell was less strong. I returned my bike and couldn:t resist going for a paddle in te beautiful blue water, trying not to think of all the containers full of toxic chemicals which had been dumped somewhere out there at sea!

You can see why I was tempted by the water!

I didn't paddle for long though because despite the beautiful weather, it was still March, and the water was turning my feet numb with cold! I got on the ferry back to Tadanoumi, the train back to Mihara, and then eventually rode another Shinkhansen to Hiroshima, where I would be spending the night.

It was raining lightly when I got to Hiroshima. The station waｓ packed full of baseball fans - I:d just missed a game at the Hiroshima stadium　Not that I'd　have　gone　if　I　could　-　I　don:t　know　the　first　thing　about　baseball　in　my　own　language,　let　alone　Japanese!)

I took　a　local　train　and　then,　when　I　stared　at　my　map　for　too　long,　a　local　lady　kindly　guided　me　to　a streetcar (tram)　to get to　where I was staying. I found it quite poignant to ride a streetcar, as I could recall from a documentary I had seen about the atomic bomb, that a survivor interviewed had been driving a streetcar for the first time when the bomb exploded. I recalled that she said her first concern was that she'd done something wrong.

It was an easy walk from my stop to the World Friendship Centre (WFC from hereon), and I was greeted by a German man who looked so perplexed that I momentarily wondered if (despite the glowing signs outside, and having exchanged emails with his wife earlier that afternoon) I:d got the wrong place. They soon warmed up though, and after I had put my bags in my room (a whole room to myself again, but this time with Tatami mats and Futon, and a shared bathroom with the man across the hall) we all went out to dinner together at a tiny local eatery run by two brothers.

One of the brothers spoke pretty good english, and both were very smiley to the only guests in their restaurant, and I drank some Japanese spirit (not Sake, but I don't think it was Whisky either. All I know is that it came from a sweet potato) with warm water, then ate a large amount of vegetables, some cold, and some battered as tempura.

Yummy Tempura (holiday calories don't count)

We chatted happily about travel, life in Japan, touching only briefly on Hiroshima's history, nuclear weapons and prospects for world peace. I enjoyed the meal and got an early night on my mat.

#Japan16 Shikoku

Waking to my alarm at 6.30, I decided to take the ferry from Wakagama port to Shikoku. From there I could get to the south coast of Honshu, ready to re-join my itinerary by Sunday evening.

Unfortunately I spent too long over the breakfast buffet (I was delighted to get Belgian waffles, but not so delighted to see deep fried whale! So I just missed the 8.30 ferry and had to wait two hours for the next one. The crossing took two hours itself. The ferry was huge, and besides a strange lounge are which looked like the middle column of seats from an aeroplane, randomly placed in the interior deck, there was also a carpeted room with shoe racks where people were sat on the floor. I joined them and researched where to go next, breaking occasionally to look for dolphins (there were none), or buy an ice cream from the vending machine (I only did this once for the record). I also got an amusing badge which has the ferry name written on it, with a picture of a scantily clad manga girl offering her hand, I assume to invite you onto the boat...

Due to their own gulf stream, Wakayama area
is a lot warmer than Osaka, and as a result
 has a lot more Sakura (and palm trees!)

The time passed quickly, and we soon alighted at Shikoku. Shikoku means 'four regions' in Japanese. The island is split roughly into quarters, and I would be limited to the north-easterly region of Tokoshima, and a little of Kagawa.

I chatted to a Swiss couple as we waited for the bus from the port into Tokushima city. They were very friendly although they didn't seem confident in their English, they too were backpacking and told me (as Tsusonoka had also reported) that Kyoto was amazing. I was very excited for the city that would be the grand finale for my trip. on the 25th March, Japan Guide (my go to guidebook website) had announced that Sakura Season had officially begun in Kyoto, so my hopes were high.

From the bus, Shikoku didn't seem much different to the mainland. The city however was very unlike Tokyo or Osaka. Tall palm trees swayed above raised walkways. (the walkways had escalators) and the city had the bright, breezy vibe of a hot country. I grabbed a map and walked to the Tokushima museum of Awa Odori, a festival in the summer when the whole city lours kut into the streets to dance the traditional awa Odori dance, in beautiful costumes and folded straw hats. The museum had a 3D video of the carnival as well as a number of miniature models of it, with tiny dolls dressed in kimonos of carrying octopus banners. The music was very catchy, I would love to return in August for the real thing!

Tokushima:s main drag. Not how I imagined Japan, but I'm not
complaining!

My favourite part of the day was the train journey through Shikoku. It was much more lush and rural than Honshu (the main island) and interspersed with conical green mountains. A beautiful place.

Next, I had to change train at Takamatsu, so I wandered around the city square. It was very smart, and dominated by the yellow brick Symbol tower. Aided by a surreally helpful (and sharply dressed) security guard, I made it up to the 30th floor of the East tower of the Symbol Tower building, and when the lift doors opened I couldn't suppress a gasp. The low afternoon sun had cast the city in gold. The deep shadows defined every building, and I could see them wrap tightly around the base of each hill, and jut out in peninsulas into the south sinto sea. The sea itself sparkled so brightly it dazzled me, and my camera couldn't do it justice.

My favourite Japanese security guard

When I returned to the ground floor (they call it the first floor in Japan), I thanked the security guard, and he asked where I was from. We had a chat and then he lead me across the building into the lift for the west tower. On the eighth floor the doors  opened to a spectacular view of the sea, speckled with islands of every shape and size. The guard pointed out every island and told me their names, then bowed apologetically and told me he must get back to his post.

I enjoyed the beautiful view, trying to absorb that this was Japan, and I was really here! After a while I wandered down to the harbour wall, took some more photos of the sun over the islands, and then got onto the Marine Liner train, bound for Okinawa!

The marine liner wove through north Shikoku before taking the Seto Ohashi bridge from Shikoku to Honshu (the main island). Somehow I timed it just right and as the train came over the bridge, I was able to see the sun setting over the sea from my window. It was the most amazing, beautiful sight, and I think it was the cherry on top of a beautiful day on the island.

It was a lot more magical than it looks, you'll have to take my
word for it!

I had dinner in Okinawa's underground shopping mall, ordering a vegetable and rice dish which I had chosen from the array of plastic replica dishes on display ("yasai?" "Hai!") it was absolutely delicious and surprisingly normal! If was also fantastically cheap and filling, so I was a happy bunny. There didn't seem to be anything worth staying late for in Okinawawa. There was a castle I couldn't be bothered to visit (I'd been castling at dawn and dusk the day before after all) and after I'd got a photo of the golf ball shaped waterfall, and got the obligatory stamp, I took the shinkansen to Fukuyama, where I spent the night in an un-noteworthy business hotel.

#Japan16 Osaka etcetera

Waking ag 7.30, I realised I had missed my alarm (it was a buzz from my FitBit) but I had packed the night before so as not to wake the other girls when I left. I put on the like of clothes I had prepared and grabbed my day pack for the short walk to Osaka Castle. The morning was bright and cold, perfect for photography.

Osaka Castle in all its restored glory.

I was gratified to see that the 'Sakura' was much more populous here, and I wandered around the large, star shaped castle grounds, snapping photos of the castle and buildings with cherry blossoms in the foreground. I came across a small monument, where the Priest Rennyo laid his clothes.
Many years before Osaka's first castle, Rennyo was the head priest of the Jodo Shinshu sect of Buddhism. He started a small temple on this site, and over the years it grew and grew. Rennyo hung his clothes on a tree by the temple as a token, to help his temple grow. There is now no trace of the temple, and a cat was curled in the roots of the stump that was all that was left of the tree.
Osaka castle itself is now in its third iteration. The first was burnt down by a war. The second was burnt down when struck by lightening. This one has only ever been a tourist attraction, and apparently has escalators inside. (and hopefully fire extinguishers!)

I returned to the hostel, collected my backpack and checked out. Next stop was Osaka Aquarium Kaiyukan, one of the largest in the world, which is particularly proud of its pacific ring of fire exhibit, which features two fully grown whale sharks.

The aquarium was more humane than Ueno zoo. I saw one small dead fish, and an obese seal, but seals are fat anyway so maybe it was supposed to look like that! The whale sharks were even more impressive than I'd hoped, one coming right against the glass as I stood there. There was an adorable sea otter and a number of cute fighting river otters in a separate enclosure, but perhaps my favourite exhibit was the jellyfish, which were absolutely spectacular as they pulsed against the side of their tanks, stunningly delicate and yet probably pretty dangerous - I was reminded of the movie Seven Pounds.

  

Osaka aquarium also gave me lots of stamps! At one stamp point, a Japanese boy was playing with the stamper, he seemed confused by it, so I let him stamp my book, which made him very happy. His mother thanked me and smiled.

 I walked from the aquarium to the Tenzopan Ferris Wheel, another 'one of the worlds largest...' Large clouds had come in whilst I was in the aquarium, but as my Ferris car rose from the platform, the clouds broke and I was able to get some photos of the city in sunshine. It was a nice relaxing break, and (because it's Japan) I had an uncomfortably upbeat musical accompaniment the whole way around. I had the car to myself, in fact I may have been the only person on the whole wheel, I couldn't understand it!

The impressive view from the wheel, looking back toward Osaka city.

From the wheel I spied a vegetarian cafe, so after a quick stop in a shop for 'kawaii' where I bought presents for my sisters, I treated myself to a vegetarian lunch buffet. The staff all welcomed me as I entered which was nice. They spoke no English but the sign said Y850 all you can eat. That's about £5, and I ate my fill for once! I was pleased to find Osaka living up to its reputation for good food.

After bowing my way out of the vegetarian cafe, I took a subway back to Umeda (quite different in daylight) and rode up to the thirteenth floor of a department store for Kyoto(?!) Pokemon Center! I was very excited. The store was a lot like Debenhams or John Lewis, so I felt a bit silly in my backpack, but I considered this a pilgrimage! I was disappointed however, to find it was just a merchandise shop, but I bought a few more gifts, and hurried downstairs to the station, for my train to Koya San.

My Pokemon Center shopping bag. Pikachu looking even more Japanese than usual!

I asked a lady queuing on the platform if it was going to the station I needed (there were three trains between Osaka and Koya San). The lady told me I was fine, and asked me where I was from, and how I was liking Japan. Japanese people speak very quietly so at times it was hard to hear her, but we chatted on the train all the way to my station. She had lived in Australia for a year, and was now on her way to meet her mother to go shopping. I was sad to say goodbye, but went into the station and purchased my (non rail-pass eligible) ticket to Koya San, for Y1200.
On the way, I realised I had got my dates out by one day, and as I hadn't turned up the previous night, the temple had cancelled my entire booking.

To cut a long story short, I booked the Wakayama 'Dormy Inn' hotel, because it was the nearest hotel with rooms for that evening, and boarded the train for Wakayama. As the train chugged through rural landscapes highlighted in the late afternoon sun, I was approached by a Japanese High School student. he was sat next to me and asked me about my travels. We spoke about Japan, Scotland, Scottish food (I tried and, I think, failed to explain what a haggis was!), and British vs American English (I told him that yes, we can understand each other!) he told me he was a fan of Glee!

Presently he left the train, and I eventually arrived in Wakayama. I was surprised to see lots of signs in English - more so than Osaka. I found out later this was because being a port and airport town, Wakayama sees a lot of tourists coming from Shikoku to Koya San to complete the 88-temple buddhist pilgrimage.

The Dormy Inn hotel was bizarrely smart and well ordered compared to the kooky hostels and run-down Ryokan I was used to. There were two onsen for each gender, and when I got to my room on the seventh floor, I almost cried with happiness. It had all the mod-cons. A bathroom to myself, a double bed, a TV, and pajamas included! I had to tear myself away to photograph Wakayama castle at sunset.

I had the castle to myself, and it was surrounded by cherry blossom. I took close up photos of it and of the (uninspiring) cityscape under the colourful sky. I smugly felt that this hiccup had worked out for the best.

You wait all week for a castle, and then two come in one day!

 All of the eateries in town had no room for one person, so instead I went back to the hotel to console myself in the Onsen.

The onsen here was on the second floor. It was not cloudy, and lacked the mineral scent of Hakone. I doubted it was a hot spring at all, but it was none the less soothingly hot. Presently a Japanese lady and her daughter entered the room and washed themselves (onsen procedure is to clean and rinse yourself before you get in). The daughter got into the same onsen as me, but her mother went outside, so she left too. I felt a bit put out, as part of the onsen experience is that it's communal. I moved to the Sauna, and then to the cold bath (not as bad as I expected) and then, as I left, they moved to the bath I was in originally. I decided not to take it personally!

I used the facilities to wash and dry my clothes, pre-packed my bag as I had the night before, and bought and drank a strange fruit juice-cum-milkshake from an over-engineered vending machine before returning to the Onsen again! This time it was absolutely packed. This was it! Group naked bathing time! ...I know it's weird. I didn't actually feel self conscious at all, and it was nice for us all to calmly soak together. Afterwards I treated myself to a foot massage that included my legs. It was nice, and I felt very relaxed.

#Japan16 Hakone to Osaka

After the best night's sleep I'd had in a week, I went straight downstairs for an early morning dip in the Onsen. It was just as relaxing as I'd remembered, and again I had it to myself. I pinched another ice lolly on the way back to my room, admiring the view out over the valley from my balcony. The steam from the hot springs was rising up to merge into the clouds. It was beautiful.
I had breakfast arranged, and I had my own vegetarian breakfast of tofu, rice, pickles, omelette, beans, miso soup and steamed vegetables (cooked in a little heater on my table). It was all good excel for some weird mushrooms in my soup. I thought my soup was a bit fishy, but I know it is common to use fish stock in food over here. The mushroom I ate seemed to be the sauce of the fishiness though, and the texture was... Odd. I carefully finished my mouthful before inspecting another one. No, it was definitely some deformed sea creature! I felt quite unwell, but I finished everything except the soup, knowing my next meal was uncertain. I left the hostel, boycotting the funicular (now I knew the route) to enjoy an atmosphere walk through misty Goya. I took this time to appreciate that I was really in Japan, and it looked just as mysterious and beautiful as I'd hoped. The weather was cool and damp, perfect for hiking, but Osaka was calling, so I got on the train!

The offending 'mushroom'. Just looking at
it makes me feel queasy!

It was a long journey to Osaka, but on the way I befriended a young Chinese -American man, who waas telling me of his love for Akihabara (Tokyo), where he had bought a suitcase, and a suitcase worth of video games! He was studying to become a composer of music for video games, and we exchanged soundtracks, which made the journey much more pleasant, and we exchanged details before we parted company at Osaka station.

I didn't linger in the city but got a local train straight out to the suburb of Mono -o/Minoo/Minoh (depending on who you ask). There I bought a Japanese sweet, a green putty made of rice, with a core of sweet beancurd. The ladies at the cafe who had enticed me in were very friendly and also gave me a sort of gelatious bean sweet, and a cup of bean tea. Now that is exotic even for my kind of teas! I can't say I enjoyed it but it was interesting!

Bean cake, bean sweet, and bean tea. Yummy...

From the cafe I walked into Minoo park, a serene place tracking a clear, shallow river for nearly three kilometres. Signs warned me of wild monkeys, but sadly I didn't see any. The walk culminated in a beautiful red bridge over the river, begin which stood a tall waterfall. Three boys were filming each other boxing on the bridge, but they left after a while and I got some photos. Unfortunately the foliage was still a bit barren from winter, but it was nonetheless worth the trip.
By the time I got back to the city centre, dusk was falling. The buildings we passed looked spectacular in the lowlight with their rainbow signage, so I impulsively decided to take my camera for a wander around the Umeda area of the city.


Setting my camera down on any stable surfaces I could find, and playing with the shutter speed, I got some fantastic photos of neon Osaka. I stumbled into my new Hostel, Guesthouse Morizou, at 7.45. It was a tiny place, cosy and very cute, covered in handwritten notes secured with Washi tape saying things like "please mind your head! :)", and plastic figurines. The beds had curtains with friendship bracelet tie-backs, and the staff were very friendly, the girls even called me "kawaii"!

So much neon. And so many bikes!

 I ditched my bag there and messaged my new friend from the train. He was staying with a friend, and the three of us agreed to meet for dinner, so I hopped on the Japan Railways train to Namba station, where I came across several young people dancing in the street. Literally. It was like a scene from one of the Step Up movies - some cool break dancing street gang. I wanted to stop and watch, but didn't want to put them off, as I was a lot more conspicuous in Osaka than in Tokyo (Osaka is less touristy) and I had people to meet! I walked "Namba walk" which was a strange underground shopping and food arcade, and also an art gallery! At the other end was the station where my new friends were waiting, and we went to Dotomburi. Dotombori was recommended in my guidebook as one of the best places to eat in Osaka, a city renowned for its food, but we were limited by my vegetarianism. Finally we found a place with a number of meat free small dishes, and to my delight we ordered by vending machine! I entered all of my small change, selected the numbers of the items I wanted, and received three tickets, which I then presented to the waitress inside the restaurant.

My first vending machine dinner. Not sure how I missed the cat!

I had rice, Kimchi, and beansprouts. Although rice is rarely exceptional, the Kimchi was quite nice and the beansprouts and seaweed which came with it was absolutely delicious! After that we wandered down to see the famous Glici "running man". I thought he was a poster but it:s actually an enormous neon sign. Of course it:s neon - this is Osaka. Osaka was such a vibrant, happy city, I liked it much more than I expected. The guys dropped me at the nearest subway station and I made it back to my stop just in time for curfew. As I hurrid back to the hostel, someone came up behind me and made me jump. It was one of my room mates, a Korean girl who I had chatted briefly to as I unpacked.

She was lovely to talk to as we strolled back. She had discovered that he two Japanese girls in opur dorm were in Osaka for the same reason as her - to watch a Japan Idol concert live in Osaka Castle Park the next day! Unfortunately I didn:t have the spae time to join them, but we laughed at the thought. She asked what I:d had for dinner, and when I told her about my Kimchi, she explained that Japanese Kimchi is different to the original -  less salty, less spicy, and sweeter apparently. Personally I thought Japanese sounded better, but I wasn't going to tell her that! She also identified my strange breakfast sea creature as a clam!!

#Japan16 Lost in Hakone

I left Khaosan Kabuki Hostel with a heart almost as heavy as my backpack (which, believe me, is less comfortable than it looks!) . I could happily have spent another day in Tokyo, it is an enormous city, which unlike London or Glasgow which seem to shrink, it only seemed to get bigger the more you explored it.

Me and my baggage leaving Khaosan Kabuki Hostel

I journeyed to Tokyo station, from which I grabbed a bento box brunch, and had the pleasure of seeing the train cleaners bowing to a shinkhansen as it pulled into the station, before boarding it, turning the seats, and thoroughly cleaning it within ten minutes. They moved fast, and looked fantastic in their pink uniform with a Sakura print. I'd seen a video of this on youtube beforehand, so I was quite excited by it. All the more so because I then boarded the shinkhansen myself and settled down in one of the newly clean seats!

My pickled vegetable brunch, mm-mm!

Despite being able to travel at more than 200 mph, the shinkhansen didn't feel any faster than a normal train. It was a bit smoother though, and much brighter and more comfortable. As the train left the city, I caught my first glimpse of a misty Mount Fuji. I was so excited!

Shortly after, we stopped at Odawara station, where I collected four stamps in black, red, and purple, and I bought my misleadingly named Hakone Free Pass for 4000y. This allowed me to board the local train into Hakone-Yumuto station, from where I got a mountain railway up into the hills for Gora. The mountain railway is apparently the only full size one of its kind in Japan, and features three switchbacks up the hill, which is cool but takes absolutely ages. Everyone on the train was dozing, myself included, luckily my destination was the terminal.

A brief flicker of the fantastic mountain scenery

from Gora (where I got another stamp!) I took the 'cable car' (funicular railway) directly up the mountain, stopping at Naka-Gora for my Ryokan. There were a lot of lost tourists wandering around consulting maps and smartphones, but I happily made my way directly to my destination, thanks to the numerous maps they had sent me, besides the fact it was a straight walk down the road directly out of the station.

Suirinso Ryokan has a deceptively modern exterior, but inside was not only traditional, but old and worn in a less romantic sense too. Regardless, I was very impressed, not only by the array of slippers available, the fast food vending machine, and the free ice lollies, but also the traditional style rooms with Tatami mat floors and kneeling chairs, which I peeked at through paper doors on my way to the toilet.

Having used the facilities, decanted my sightseeing essentials into my day-pack, and stolen a yogurt flavour ice-lolly, I boarded the funicular again and visited the Hakone Open-Air Museum, an art gallery (predominantly sculptural) set into the beautiful hillside. I was very happy here. I saw no less than three Henry Moore statues (I had studied his work at school, but I got a much better understanding of it in person) besides an impressive number of fascinating and thought provoking artworks, the symphonic sculpture (a cylindrical tower of stained glass with a spiral staircase inside, which illuminated beautifully in the afternoon sunshine, and a large gallery dedicated entirely to original Picassos!

A lot of the art was very easy to enjoy

My plan had been next to get the ropeway (an actual cable car) down to Lake Ashi, so that I could get a cruise as included in my free pass. However, the ropeway was closed due to heightened volcanic activity in the area (don't worry Mum!) so I had to get a bus. "no problem" I thought, clambering onto a tourist bus (also included in mh pass) which was going the right direction. The scenery was spectacular, and once I got a seat, (most people got off at the same stop, about half way through the journey) I really enjoyed the ride. The bus driver was a character, announcing to all his passengers as he checked each mirror every time before he pulled off. He too wore a smart peaked cap, shirt and tie, and little white gloves.

Finally the board at the front of the bus showed that we were approaching our final stop. To our dismay, we arrived at Gotemba outlet centre. I spoke to the bus driver as I got off. "Togenda?" I asked him. He told me I should have changed where everyone else got off. I gesticulated to ask if I could stay on the bus "next bus four" he told me. I hopped off and thanked him, and settled down for my four minute wait. I made several bad assumptions here.
1) this is not Tokyo, therefore public transport would be not as frequent and prompt
2) the queue of four schoolgirls at the stop did nor mean a bus was due
3) "four" did not mean four hours, but 4pm. It was ten past three.
I realised this with only five minutes until the bus was due, when the queue was forty or more people long, and my lack of sleep had started to catch up with me in the form of shivering cold. If I had realised earlier I could at least have walked around the outlet, although from what I saw it was just a disappointing version of the Swindon designer outlet.

At 4pm, I rode the bus to Sengoku, hopped off, and waited for the Togenda bus, shivering with exhaustion and feeling pretty miserable. When the bus finally arrived (10 minutes late. Where do they think this is? England?!) I cheered up at the prospect of potentially getting some good sunset shots of Lake Ashi and Mt Fuji. I had given up on getting traditional dinner delivered to my room at the Ryokan, but found that if I got off the cruise at Hal way point, there was a restaurant in the information guide, which offered vegetarian adjustments to the dishes. As my bus pulled in at the lake, I was dismayed to see that the last boat had just left the dock. It was pulling away as the bus halted, and the gate to the jetty had closed. The last ferry was supposed to be at 5pm, but it was 4.35.

I was freezing and feeling very miserable. My day had not turned out at all as planned, almost entirely consumed with travelling. I got on the next bus, even though it would only take me to Hakone-Yamote station (at the foot of the long mountain railway) but the bus was stuck in terrible traffic. At the station I grabbed a plastic pot dinner and a cream cake just like the night before, and sat jn the cafe watching trains rumble in and out of the station. It was surprisingly pleasant until they started playing One Direction background music!

I rode the mountain railway up to Goya, but the funicular had closed for the night. The station master advised me to wait for a taxi, but I was in a bit of a fluster, and knew I could almost see my station from here, so I decided to walk it. As I started up the hill, a Japanese lady called up to me "No, stop, you can't walk! Too far!" I thanked her but insisted that I wanted to. I only had my light backpack, and these shoes didn't hurt, so I determinedly scrambled up the steep road. I got to my station easily, but there was no bridge or underpass. I looked down at the cable track. I had seen someone jump across it earlier in the afternoon, and it seemed to be the only way across, but I have a strange fear (and recurring nightmares) about train tracks, and I know that I wasn't supposed to... I walked back and forth along the platform to make my mind up, then walked back down the hill to the nearest underpass. With google maps leading the way, I began to walk along the block to my Ryokan, when I heard a car approaching. As it slowed down, my heart began to race, but I turned to recognise the lady from the station. She wound her window down "I worry about you." She told me, beckoning for me to get in. Her daughter watched me with interest from the back seat. I got into the car. She introduced herself, as did I, and asked me where I was staying. It was a very short drive to the Ryokan and I thanked her repeatedly. I know it isn't appropriate to tip in Japanese culture, but they do like gifts. I wish I'd thought on my feet but I was too exhausted.

Luckily when I entered the Ryokan, a little old Japanese lady was just tidying the reception area. She gave me a tour and then I headed straight down to the onsen bath, just as three Japanese ladies were leaving. In a way this was good because I didn't feel self conscious. The water was cloudy and smelt of rocks and minerals. It was naturally hot from the spring so the effect was like a bath that never gets cold. It was the best thing all day. I got an early night, sleeping on the futon I prepared myself with a pillow of sand(?), and slept in my Yukata robe.

My Japanese room, complete with tatami mats, kneeling chair, and paper door.

#Japan16 Kamakura and night time Tokyo Bay

hi Today was the first that I ventured outside of Tokyo. I wanted to leave early so I could return to the city for the evening, but woke much earlier than intended at 5.30am (that's 8pm Sunday UK time) once again unable to return to sleep, so I headed out at 6.30. This meant I had the pleasure of seeing the Japanese businessmen hurrying into work. They looked so stuffy, I was very happy to see the stereotype fulfilled. Many of them fell asleep on the train. I also saw more Japanese schoolgirls, in blazer, shirt and tie, with invariably short pleated skirts and knee high socks. My trains were never too busy, but I also witnessed the famously crushed commuter carriages, which put London's 8.30am central line look like first class!

An unhappy Sardine., and a curious advert!

I was on my way to Kamakura, but disembarked at Ofusa to see an immense white statue of the head of Kannon (goddess of mercy), which looks down over Ofusa town. The Ofusa temple is known for its roses and wqind chimes, and has a lovely back story, but I have read that it is only really worth visiting Autumn-Spring. My Ofusa train station stamp featured the statue, I was very pleased with that - my first stamp of the day! I also got myself breakfast for the first time - sushi cucumber rolls! I miss my muesli!

The main reason I stopped here, however, was to change to the Shonan Monorail, a suspended monorail which actually serves a purpose for local residents instead of a tram or train. I was really excited to ride the suspended monorail, and it was very interesting to see a normal (i.e. nopt touristy) Japanese town from such an unusual angle. I was disappointed to find, however, that the carriages didn't swing out at the corners nearly as much as I'd hoped they would!It looked a lot more exciting on Rollercoaster Tycoon...

My view out of the back of the monorail.
Apparently it's over 45 years old!

The Monorail terminated at Enoshima, and I caught my first glimpse of the Pacific Ocean, and noticed tsunami evacuation direction signs printed in the pavements. That made me pause for thought.

Then I collected my Enoshima stamp and boarded the Electric railway (basically a tram) for Kamakura. The electric railway was fun! the seating was (like the Tokyo trains) two opposing benches, so passengers can see out over their opposites heads. I moved sides so I could see the beach! The sand there was volcanic grey, and at the time there was a blanket of white cloud, so none of my photos of it came out right! As the two previous days though, the sun did come out with a vengeance later, luckily for me just in time for the important photo opportunity, at Hase Dera temple!

The temple was set in beautiful grounds, with a large Koi pond, a number of incense and candle shrines including a natural cave, a fantastic sea view, and most importantly, an immense collection of Jizō statues. Jizo is the god of travelers and of unborn children. These statues have been placed over centuries to commemorate children lost to miscarriage, abortion, or stillbirth. There are thousands of them, placed by grieving parents. There are also a lot of bunches of flowers, it was as very special place. Here's a link for more information about Jizo: http://www.japantimes.co.jp/community/2012/03/31/our-lives/a-guide-to-jizo-guardian-of-travelers-and-the-weak/ 

Next I wanted to visit Hokokuji Temple, also known as Bamboo temple, for it's magical bamboo gardens. Although the complex was only small, there was a fantastic serenity and calmness to the place. It was a much needed break after the 45 minute walk from Hase Dera, and I sipped my bottle of cold green tea and munched on pastry fish (my lunch, and a Japanese specialty)

Bamboo gardens

I mooched back to the station enjoying the glorious sunshine. My feet were hurting though, so I decided to head back to Tokyo. Getting the JR train all the way back, I got back to Ofusa in less than half the time, and effectively for free on my JR pass. Feeling pleased at having made it back so much earlier than planned, I elected to walk from the station back to Asakusa. Again I was deceived by my map. By the time I returned, I couldn't face anything more exciting than waiting in the hostel for my new Partner in Crime (the other British girl, we'll call her Tsusonoka) to arrive back.


She appeared at exactly 6pm, as planned, and we headed out to Tokyo Dome for the arcade, which I had come across by sheer  accident the previous day. in the arcade was an exciting photo booth called 'Heroine Face', with the enticing caption 'I want to be the last heroine'. It makes literally no sense, but that was part of the attraction! Tsusonoka and I scrabbled together 400 yen, and our Heroine Face experience began! We struck a few ridiculous poses involving Tsusonoka's cuddly rabbit (we'll call him Stuart 2) but managed about two photos before collapsing in giggles. When our photos were done, we were directed to a second booth, where we customised the photos with stars, crowns, kisses and sunglasses, besides such poignant poignant captions "Secret face", "Happy Date" and "Chu!". We might have gone a little over the top, but we had so much fun, the funniest moment of my trip so far!

We didn:t even come close to keeping it together,
we were in hysterics!

Tsusonoka (definitely not her real name) customising our Heroine Faces

Next we decided to hunt down a famous fifteen metre tall robot in the dark, by route of a rainbow bridge! Unfortunately this involved shelling out for a specific ticket (500y) and when we arrived at the distinctly underwhelming rainbow bridge, we were four minutes too late to cross it on foot, so I had to lay another 500y to get across it on the train! (Tsusonoka had a Pasmo card, which is basically a Tokyo Oyster card) the rainbow bridge took us onto a man-made island in Tokyo Bay, which is pretty cool. This raised all kinds of questions about engineering and sea levels (why did this not flood Tokyo?) which I will have to ask Wikipedia about later! It did remind me of the last Superman movie, and I was telling Tsusonoka about how the baddie had made an island and put kryptonite in it. Tsusonoka said we were obviously not superheroes, as the island was not making us weak, but I advised her not to fall over or injure herself here as a precaution.



The robot was pretty cool. Unnervingly, as we approached, he turned his head and followed us with his gaze. This was totally coincidental, but being Tokyo I actually believed for a moment that it had detected our presence with some kind of motion sensor! we took some photos with the robot, then moved on to Palette town, of Pokemon fame! Unfortunately this had nothing to do with Ash Ketchum's home town, I don't even think it's spelt the same, but to make up for this disappointment, there were some uplit arches with water vapour that appeared to glow in the light. Tsusonoka and I struck some inspiring poses I the lights, some of which looked genuinely cool, and wandered to the nearest station which wouldn't require spending any further yen. This caused all kinds of confusion and although the ticket inspectors were very helpful, they didn't understand English, or even my efforts at Pictionary! However in the end we sorted it out, and limped (literally in my case) back to the hotel, collecting some interesting food on the way.


Both Tsusonoka and I bought the traditional Japanese omelette and rice. It looked vegetarian! A mound of link sticky rice was snuggled under a plain omelette, with a dribble of gravy over the top. We decided to eat it cold rather than use the hostel microwave, as we couldn't tell if the Japanese packaging said it should be warmed up. Unfortunately hidden in the pink rice were tiny balls of meat (not fish!) the exact same size and colour as the rice grains. We were ravenous though, so we picked out the meat and ate the rest. For desert I had a sort of egg custard/omelette type thing (theme unintended) and Tsusonoka had a delicious custard and cream pastry! We had half of each, then went to bed. It was long past midnight by the time I got to sleep.

#Japan16 Embracing Tokyo

Cover photo: One of the first stamps I collected!

I woke at 6am, too excited and full of plans to return to sleep. The others in my dorm woke at about seven thirty when I finally started shuffling about to get ready. One is another English girl, who also takes annual leave to travel the world independently. She is planning Tokyo-Kyoto-Hakone plus day trips, whereas I am planning Tokyo-Hakone-Osaka-Koya San-Hiroshima-Miyajima-Kyoto plus day trips for the same period of time!

First I got on a metro train heading for Harajuko, which I hadn't really done justice the previous day. Part way into the journey I realised Akihabara anime district. I jumped off the train spontaneously and realised that a) I was going in the wrong direction for Harajuku anyway and b) I had got off at the ideal stop to change for Akihibara! Lucky accident...

Electric Town, Akihabara

I completed my second successful fully Japanese transaction, gleefully purchasing some 'Lotte' koala mini biscuits to banish my hunger pangs, (which I then remembered I couldn't eat in the street!) and walked to the Akihabara Electric district, where there was an immense queue of Japanese men about my age, apparently for the release of a new saga anime game! Everywhere you looked, starry eyed manga girls with ridiculous proportions begged you to play with them or buy something (usually both)

Unfortunately the Anime museum and shop, my second priorities to see after Electric Town itself, were closed, as Mondays in Japan are like Sundays in Britain. However, in the same building, I found myself a very interesting breakfast of tea and cake. The cake was not like what I'm used to, the sweet potato cake being particularly... challenging, but at least it was pushing me out of my comfort zone a little!

Sweet potato cake. Just as stodgy as it looks!
Interestingly, Japanese packaged cakes come
 with these drying sachets inside!

Whilst I was in Akihabara, I got far too excited about finding a normal toilet (no frightening buttons that have the potential to shoot jets of water at you whilst you're sat, and not a squat either!), and I also bought some amazing souveniers...

Chihuahua waffle anyone? Or would you prefer a St Bernard Burger?

Next, I went to Tokyo station to begin my Japan stamp collection (no really), and see the Imperial Palace. The station is attractive, although not very Japanese looking, and sits in the middle of the high rise metallic business district of Tokyo. I took some photos, collected my stamp, and then headed on to the imperial palace.

Tokyo station is so large, it calls itself a city in its own right!

The imperial palace gardens were closed for Monday, as I knew they would be, but I enjoyed the fountain park and walking the perimeter of the palace. I honed the art of selfies further, but still can't balance my phone and manage a peace sign at the same time. Happily, there wasn't much to see, so it's not a major issue that my face fills most of the photo!

God I'm so happy!

With my first stamp in my notebook, I boldly returned to the hostel to grab my Japan Rail pass, and commenced a tour of Tokyo via the Yamanote line (an over-ground loop of the city), disembarking at every stop and stamping my little notebook. I got to visit Shimbashi (the home of Japanese railways), Kanda, re-visited Ueno, Akihabara, and Shibuya (the latter in the dark, for what I hoped would be more dramatic photos of the neon) and finally arrived at Harajuku. Harajuku is amazing. The closest thing I can compare it to is London's camden market, but without the seedy, druggyness, and more Kuwai (cute!). There were also crepe stores offering ridiculous crepes involving things from cheesecake to Tuna Curry. I personally opted for green tea icecream and 'brown sugar syrup'. It contained three weird gelatinous balls, and the 'syrup' was pretty gelatinous too and, come to mention it, so was the sauce which I had taken to be whipped cream... but the green tea icecream was nice! I'd had a fruit smoothie from Shimbashi for lunch as I'm concerned about the nutrition I've been not getting.

An Harajuku Crepe. Ew.

Last stop was Ginza, as I was hoping to watch a Kabuki performance - Japan's traditional theatre, in which famously only men are allowed to perform, many of whom as female characters. It promised to be an amazing spectacle, but unfortunately my city map was hopelessly vague, and and after I explored all street corners within a three minute (one block) walk of Ginza metro station, I only later discovered that it was ten minutes away. I got very frustrated at that. However Ginza was a beautiful place, full of polished, expensive high end shops, and I came across my first Japanese busker - a talented lady playing a saxophone to a respectable gathering of onlookers. This didn't seem quite right in Japanese culture - in a country where waiters do not accept tips, and eating and drinking in public spaces is not permitted, it seemed to clash with the practice of paying people playing music in the street.

Finally I mooched back to the hostel. Tomorrow my metro pass expires, as I will be going out of town for at least a few hours to explore the seaside town of Kamakura.