A Japanese Sojourn - Part The First
Okay, so I’ve been a pretty slack on updating the blog, I’ve been on holidays. But now I’m back on the job. So a long update, or maybe two or three smaller ones.
About two month ago, I got to take a break from India and work, my first holiday outside of the Xmas period in a many years. First, I had a very short stop in Australia, about 6 days. Caught up with family and friends, did some bits and pieces at home and then I was back on a plane bound for sunny Japan.
I’ve been planning a trip to Japan for a few months now, partly because I had originally planned to take a few months break and go to Europe this year and couldn’t because of the Indian project; and partly to see a friend of mine, Megan, who I haven’t seen in 2 years and partly because I’ve always been interested in Japan.
After some discussion with Megan, the plan was to spend the first week based in Tokyo and Kyoto and the second week in Takasaki, Megan’s adoptive hometown. The reason for this was that Takasaki is not a particularly strong tourist area and also isn’t a very good place to get to other parts of Japan which I might like to see. Kyoto is both of these things.
TOKYO
So I flew into Tokyo airport on Saturday morning and then caught a train into the area where I would be staying, a suburb called Asakusa. I planned to stay at hostels, both because its cheap and because it’s a great way to meet new people. Unfortunately, my Tokyo hostel was quite small and well hidden. So despite quite detailed directions from the Asakusa metro station, I got lost. Thankfully I found a combini (a Japanese convenience store) where I was told that I was only 100m away, and I should head down this tiny side street. And sure enough, there is was. And it was everything you expect of Japanese accomodations, small, clean, efficient, friendly. Four double bunks shoe-horned into a room the size of a kitchen was my sleeping area, but still enough for the small amount of time I would be spending there.
Sensō-ji, the most popular shrine in Japan, and a stones throw from my hostel
The other travellers I met were a pretty varied bunch, but I struck an immediate rapport with a Canadian called Kevin. I wasn’t working to any sort of plan, so his suggestion to check out war musuem the next day seemed like a decent idea. But I managed to time my arrival to coincide with the Asakusa Samba Carnival, so a group of us from the hostel wondered the streets of Asakusa watching the girls go by:
That night we went to Roppongi Hills, an area full of nightclubs and bars, where we found a bar, lost half the group, met some girls, ignored rumours about Paris Hilton, searched in vain for a decent salsa club, paid too much for Cascade in a pathetic 'Australian' bar and finally watched the sunrise while eating very odd combini food. A good night.
The next day Kevin and I met up with a friend of his, Kiri and we went to see the War Museum which adjoins the Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial war memorial which enshrines WWII war ciminals and as such is the centre of continued political toing and froing. The museum itself is also criticised for being revisionist in how it portrays Japan involvement in war in the region, particularly WWII. I tend to agree, but then I'm not exactly a avid student of the politics of WWII. I did laugh at the implication at the end of the tour that the Japanese opposition to western aggression during the war lead, directly or indirectly, to the independance movements of all of the surrounding Asian countries who subsequently shook off their colonial oppressors.
Yasukuni Shrine - home the souls of Japanese war dead (and controversy)
War Museum ajoining the shrine
After the museum, we considered going to the neighbouring Imperial Gardens, but a line about 500m long (I kid you not) discouraged us. It turned out that the line was for the filming of some TV show, but by the time we figured that out, we couldn't be bothered to go back. We ended up at an Italian restaurant followed by a tiny out of the way bar, both in Harajuku, an area now famous for teenagers with unique fashion sense.
Somewhere in there one afternoon we went looking for a fight, which is to say, we went looking for a bar showing the mixed martial arts fights with a New Yorker (and professional boxer) called Ray, also a hostel guest. We never found the right bar, but we had a good time watching Ray, a six and a half foot, 120 kilogram black guy ask some Japanese policemen for directions. Among other things.
The next day it was off to Odaiba, on Tokyo Harbour, hope of weird buildings and great views. On our return we ventured into Ginza, the place where the well heeled buy expensive fashions and the rest of us drink beer and watch the barmen impersonate Tom Cruise.
The Rainbow Bridge - gateway to Tokyo Harbour and Odaiba
Kiri and Kevin pose before picturesque Tokyo Harbour
Fuji TV building
By this stage I had to sort out my trip to Kyoto, since I had a reservation for a hostel there that evening. Luckily, the shinkansen (bullet train) runs every half hour to an from Tokyo, so I ran to the ticket office, dashed up the stairs to the platform and made it on the train with whole minutes to spare. I had inadvertently chosen the super-express bullet train service, which seemed kind of redundant on a train that travels at 300 kph, but it meant that I arrived in Kyoto in just over two hours instead of the three hours that I had been told to expect. So with directions from the station to the hostel I found online, I wandered wearily around Kyoto streets lugging my three bags and after some assistance from the locals, I managed to find the hostel. Tomorrow, Osaka and Nara.
The shinkansen aka Bullet Train pulling into Tokyo Station (yes, thats actually an action shot, but it is slowing down)
About two month ago, I got to take a break from India and work, my first holiday outside of the Xmas period in a many years. First, I had a very short stop in Australia, about 6 days. Caught up with family and friends, did some bits and pieces at home and then I was back on a plane bound for sunny Japan.
I’ve been planning a trip to Japan for a few months now, partly because I had originally planned to take a few months break and go to Europe this year and couldn’t because of the Indian project; and partly to see a friend of mine, Megan, who I haven’t seen in 2 years and partly because I’ve always been interested in Japan.
After some discussion with Megan, the plan was to spend the first week based in Tokyo and Kyoto and the second week in Takasaki, Megan’s adoptive hometown. The reason for this was that Takasaki is not a particularly strong tourist area and also isn’t a very good place to get to other parts of Japan which I might like to see. Kyoto is both of these things.
TOKYO
So I flew into Tokyo airport on Saturday morning and then caught a train into the area where I would be staying, a suburb called Asakusa. I planned to stay at hostels, both because its cheap and because it’s a great way to meet new people. Unfortunately, my Tokyo hostel was quite small and well hidden. So despite quite detailed directions from the Asakusa metro station, I got lost. Thankfully I found a combini (a Japanese convenience store) where I was told that I was only 100m away, and I should head down this tiny side street. And sure enough, there is was. And it was everything you expect of Japanese accomodations, small, clean, efficient, friendly. Four double bunks shoe-horned into a room the size of a kitchen was my sleeping area, but still enough for the small amount of time I would be spending there.
Sensō-ji, the most popular shrine in Japan, and a stones throw from my hostel
The other travellers I met were a pretty varied bunch, but I struck an immediate rapport with a Canadian called Kevin. I wasn’t working to any sort of plan, so his suggestion to check out war musuem the next day seemed like a decent idea. But I managed to time my arrival to coincide with the Asakusa Samba Carnival, so a group of us from the hostel wondered the streets of Asakusa watching the girls go by:
That night we went to Roppongi Hills, an area full of nightclubs and bars, where we found a bar, lost half the group, met some girls, ignored rumours about Paris Hilton, searched in vain for a decent salsa club, paid too much for Cascade in a pathetic 'Australian' bar and finally watched the sunrise while eating very odd combini food. A good night.
The next day Kevin and I met up with a friend of his, Kiri and we went to see the War Museum which adjoins the Yasukuni Shrine, a controversial war memorial which enshrines WWII war ciminals and as such is the centre of continued political toing and froing. The museum itself is also criticised for being revisionist in how it portrays Japan involvement in war in the region, particularly WWII. I tend to agree, but then I'm not exactly a avid student of the politics of WWII. I did laugh at the implication at the end of the tour that the Japanese opposition to western aggression during the war lead, directly or indirectly, to the independance movements of all of the surrounding Asian countries who subsequently shook off their colonial oppressors.
Yasukuni Shrine - home the souls of Japanese war dead (and controversy)
War Museum ajoining the shrine
After the museum, we considered going to the neighbouring Imperial Gardens, but a line about 500m long (I kid you not) discouraged us. It turned out that the line was for the filming of some TV show, but by the time we figured that out, we couldn't be bothered to go back. We ended up at an Italian restaurant followed by a tiny out of the way bar, both in Harajuku, an area now famous for teenagers with unique fashion sense.
Somewhere in there one afternoon we went looking for a fight, which is to say, we went looking for a bar showing the mixed martial arts fights with a New Yorker (and professional boxer) called Ray, also a hostel guest. We never found the right bar, but we had a good time watching Ray, a six and a half foot, 120 kilogram black guy ask some Japanese policemen for directions. Among other things.
The next day it was off to Odaiba, on Tokyo Harbour, hope of weird buildings and great views. On our return we ventured into Ginza, the place where the well heeled buy expensive fashions and the rest of us drink beer and watch the barmen impersonate Tom Cruise.
The Rainbow Bridge - gateway to Tokyo Harbour and Odaiba
Kiri and Kevin pose before picturesque Tokyo Harbour
Fuji TV building
By this stage I had to sort out my trip to Kyoto, since I had a reservation for a hostel there that evening. Luckily, the shinkansen (bullet train) runs every half hour to an from Tokyo, so I ran to the ticket office, dashed up the stairs to the platform and made it on the train with whole minutes to spare. I had inadvertently chosen the super-express bullet train service, which seemed kind of redundant on a train that travels at 300 kph, but it meant that I arrived in Kyoto in just over two hours instead of the three hours that I had been told to expect. So with directions from the station to the hostel I found online, I wandered wearily around Kyoto streets lugging my three bags and after some assistance from the locals, I managed to find the hostel. Tomorrow, Osaka and Nara.
The shinkansen aka Bullet Train pulling into Tokyo Station (yes, thats actually an action shot, but it is slowing down)
posted by David Brennan + Anne Swart at 8:06 pm
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