After researching the various manners of transportation – plane, train, bus and ferry – I settled on the shinkansen or bullet train. While it was not the cheapest option, the shinkansen was the quickest and it was on my list of Japanese experiences and the trip there would only take about 4 hours. There are various overnight ferries and buses from Oita, but all would result in me losing about a day of travel. So train it was.
I bought my tickets a couple of weeks ago in Oita. It was once again a full on charades session, but as I had printed out the exact trains I wanted to catch it ended up working out fine. I have learnt 2 things in Japan:
1. Be prepared.
2. If you want to survive out here, you've got to know where your towel is.
Day 1 – Nara
The drive to Kitsuki was beautiful. The sun was rising over the sea and it was one of the rare moments when everything is so clear that you can see Shikoku. I got to the station in time and my car guard met me immediately and remembered that I was going for 5 days – again a communications epic win!
My first train was the 6:21 Sonic to Kokura, which is at the north of Kyushu and closest to Honshu. As expected the train was right on time. From there I caught the Shinkansen to Osaka. Many people worry that you don’t see much on as the train is too fast, I found this not to be entirely true. It’s only the tunnels that impeded any view and as things go they save you travel time, which can be better used for touristy things.
I didn’t stop in Osaka, instead I met up with the rest of the gang at Tsuruhashi station on the circle line. I love the Japanese transport system, I have said it before and I won’t stop until they ban the taxes in SA and import a Japanese train methods. I gracious host had planned a packed 5 days for us and our first stop was Nara.
Nara was Japan’s capital from 710 – 794 AD. I was thrilled that this would be our first stop as it features some of the most amazing temples and shrines in Japan - giving it it's World Heritage Status. Most of the Tourist attractions are in Nara Park – easy walking distance from the station. It is not hard to get lost and one of the first things you see is the Kofuku-ji temple with its five-story pagoda. The temple has been rebuilt a number of times due to fire but the current version dates back to 1426.
The walk through the park takes about 3 hours depending on how much you chose to see and visit. Our next stop after a soba noodle lunch was Todai-ji temple. To get there we had to go through the Nandai-mon gate. I think out of everything I saw that day (including the Nirvana hole) this is what took my breath away. On either side of the 19m high gate stood a giant wooden statue over 8 metres high. Of course one of the first things that Joss commented on was the potential fire hazard this caused – which was true considering it was all made of wood and huge beans from massive trees towered over you. The Nio, as they are known, are called Ungyo and Agyo. While many of the treasures of the area have been repeatedly repaired and rebuilt it still has not taken away from their impressive nature.
Once through the gate we entered the Todai-ji Temple – which is so impressive it warranted 2 full pages in my guidebook. Also a reconstructed treasure, it is now only two thirds of its original size and the largest wooden building in the world. Inside the temple is the worlds largest bronze Buddha. It is While the Buddha and the building itself was pretty amazing what really got to me was the line of people waiting to squeeze through the Nirvana hole behind it. Legend has it that if you can get through it you will be able to obtain Nirvana – though it seems that only the Japanese, toddlers and anorexics are invited to this particular party.
From there we continued to dodge deer and headed to the main viewpoint in the park – a hill that over looks much of the city. It was a bit of a climb but it meant that we walked off the soft cream (soft serve) we had just consumed. The area is truly beautiful and I was a bit disappointed that I didn't get it as my placement like I had originally requested.
From there we headed back to the train station via the Kasuaga Grand Shrine. There is a lot to see in Nara and one really needs to spend a full day there to take in all the history. But the setting is fantastic and beautiful and should you be in the area I would definitely recommended you stop there. Even if it is just to say you have been harassed by biscuit addict deer.
Link to my photos from day 1
Day 2 – Kyoto
Day two was dedicate to Japan’s old imperial capital of Kyoto. First off I want to say that we only had a day and we didn’t manage to see a fraction of what this amazing city has to offer – missing out on both the shopping and geisha districts as well as numerous temples and shrines. I would suggest that any visit plan at least 2 days in Kyoto but 3 to be safe.
Kyoto station was my first greeting to the city and it is some truly beautiful architecture. From here we hit the buses. I would suggest the buses for Kyoto – they head to all the major tourist spots and are easy to use and almost everything is in English. Though we made the mistake of not looking into us passes which would have made things a bit cheaper.
Our first stop for the day was a ninja shop so that Dawid could buy himself a stick – well a Kendo sword. It was a valuable stop for me too as I managed to find 2 new KitKat flavours (vanilla Oreo cookie and Mochi).
With so much to see and so little time we settled on Kinkaku-ji– better known as the Golden Pavilion. Also a reconstruction dating back to 1950 it was originally a retirement villa and I hope that I get to retire in a gold pavilion. It is almost entirely covered in gold leaf, topped with a bronze phoenix and set on a lake amongst beautiful natural surroundings. Unfortunately we did not get to go through the stroll garden surrounding the pond.
After lunch we walked through the city to Daitoku-ji Temple, home of the one of the most famous Zen gardens in Japan and historically connected to the tea ceremony. The Muromachi-period dry garden represents man’s fate, relationship with nature and place in the universe. The Zen garden was rather small but after the crowds of Kinkaku-ji it was nice to find some silence and, well, Zen.
Photos from day 2
Day 3 – Himeji
What to do on day 3 became a bit of a debate. We had originally planned on visiting Himeji castle in Kobe (where the beef comes from) but as it was a quite a distance to travel we considered returning to Kyoto. In the end Himeji won out due to the fact this would be the last chance to see the castle before they close it for 3 years for renovations in November. We decided that it might be taking too much of a chance not to go in case we could not get back in time.
All I can say is that I am glad we did it.
We had another early morning start and stocked ourselves once again with a combini breakfast (ie. Convenience store – the breadbasket of Japan). Next up was the 2-hour train ride to Kobe. The train rides have been a great opportunity to practice my sleeping in unusual and uncomfortable places – and I am getting pretty good. I don’t know how the Japanese do it and they never miss there stops either. Though the best part of this train ride (well for the others) was the brief view we got of the sea. I am still on the cost but my fellow South Africans are still suffering from withdrawal.
We were once again blessed with the most amazing weather for the 3rd day in a row. Blue sunny skies but without the crazy humidity I was used to in Kunisaki. Once again the target of our adventure was within easy walking distance of the station, but I was completely unprepared for the size of the castle grounds. I knew it would be quite a sight (a whole 4 guidebook pages) but the gardens were truly extensive. It is built on a bluff and the six story main tower overlooks the entire castle grounds. It is consider to be the finest of the12 remaining feudal castles in Japan and is known as Shirasagi-jo – the white egret castle. This World Heritage site is the ultimate samurai castle.
The grounds are a true labyrinth of walls and passageways, designed to confuse invaders it also worked pretty well on the tourists. Though “luckily” for us it was impossible to get lost as all we had to do was follow the queue from the bottom gate to get to the main tower. All I can say is that I discovered Dante’s 10th level of hell – queuing. It seemed like half of Japan also wanted to get in on the Himeji action before it was too late. We queued all the way from the entrance of the tower before hitting the snake line at the bottom of the tower. We must have queued for 2 hours in the sun (resulting in more than a little sun burn) and were slowly starting to question the intelligence of this decision. At least we were kept entertained by Joss’s best impressions of a typical Cape Townian housewife and her maid.
We had taken it upon ourselves to adopt and educate our American friend on the ways of South Africa. So far we have taught him numerous Afrikaans words (including the best way to can like to speak wiff an Afrikaans accent), shown him all the Nando’s adverts we could find, some Casper De Vries and of course forced him to sit through Bakgat. This was a pretty rare experience. Mostly we South Africans are surrounded by Americans, so to get the opportunity to turn the tables is pretty rare. Eric is an excellent learner though he did often get a glazed look in his eyes when we would talk about Raith Gourmet or Bellville.
Eventually we made it up into the main tower, and it was pretty impressive. Unfortunately due to the crowds and the funnel effect I didn’t get an opportunity to really admire all the artefacts on display and I would have like to know more of what it was like back in it glory days. The view from the top was worth the climb despite being cramped inside and Joss’s fire hazard comments kept coming back to me so I was constantly on edge waiting for the screaming to start.
I am glad I got the opportunity to see the castle – I think I would have regretted not doing so. We didn’t see much after that, as we had to get back to Dawid’s place as we were meeting up with some other folk for a conveyor belt sushi supper and karaoke. The previous nights we had gone international with Indian and Chinese. Lunch was street food – I could live off street food in Japan. It is incredible. Dawid was a bit more adventurous with his squid on a stick while we stuck to yakitori – chicken on a stick. Desert came courtesy of Baskin Robbins.
After yet another lengthy train ride we were ready for supper. The restaurant was one huge conveyor belt with touch screen order menus should you want to get something directly. Once again let me reemphasize that sushi here is entirely different. There was only some maki, not a single California roll in sight and avocado did not make an appearance. Though what I did see was countless things that really should stay in their shells in the rock pools from whence they came. I have eaten some crazy stuff so far but some of it I just couldn't stomach. It was only R10 a plate – which is crazy cheap compared to SA and for every 5 plates you eat you get to play one game of slots for a chance to win a capsule toy. They do make eating in Japan a lot of fun.
Day 3 photos
Day 4 – Osaka
We said goodbye to Dawid and Joss, Eric and I headed back to Osaka for the day. Once again we were running on Combini power and were ready to take in as much as we could before Joss and Eric caught their bus back to Tokyo. I had booked into a capsule hotel for the night – another thing on my list of crazy stuff to do in Japan.
After hunting the station for open lockers we were finally able to stash our bags – and I am truly sorry I didn’t have one with wheels. Our plan from here was to first visit the Uemda Sky Building with its roof top view of Osaka. From the 39th floor Floating Garden Observatory you get a 360-degree view of the city. It was pretty was amazing though unfortunately our weather luck had run out so it was a bit over cast, but it didn’t take away from the view all that much.
We then headed to Osaka Castle, but this time we did not intended on going inside as this one is merely a reconstruction and not as impressive as Himeji. It was a good visit and we finally got our Takoyaki lunch (octopus in a ball of fried batter – not too bad akchelee) from this wonderful street vendor that discounted our food as long as we didn’t tell his wife.
At the castle the Japanese have buried a time capsule with over 2000 items to be opened in 5000 years time. What I really want to know is how much Hello Kitty stuff is contained within this cultural and historical archive.
Once of the crazy things we came across that day was a man with 2 Pomeranians – fully clothed and accessorised. Their outfit included handcuff chains with Zippos and cigarettes and one was wearing sunglasses. These dogs must have been used to posing for pictures and seemed rather long suffering.
I had book into my capsule so we collected my goods and head on to Shinsaibashi. This turned out to be a pleasant surprise. It was the most amazing shopping district I had yet been to. My last few days had been spent in the typical tourist areas and it felt like we had discovered the secret Japanese shopping grounds. And not just your usual trendy, labels – that was a few blocks down – this was punk territory and where you go if you think the 80’s was the height of fashion. For the next few hours we just roamed the streets discovering all manner of weird things – including some Merc SLKs completely covered in crystals.
Dinner was at an American café in American mura where we ate Japanese versions of American food. We then had to hunt down a ¥100 store to find some travel pillows and where I discovered, and was able to stock up on, some Cadburys.
After this I had to say farewell to my travel mates – which was horrible. It was really nice to be around some Saffers (including the adopted one) again. So on my own again I head back to my night in the capsule.
The capsule hotel was really comfortable for what it was, and for only ¥2700 (R270) and rather cheap too. I was provided with a locker as well as my own sleeping pod. The bathrooms were typical Japanese style with communal shower stations and a big hot bath for once you are clean. I am now pretty much used to the system. Though I still worry about being the stupid gaijin that does things wrong.
The hotel is amazingly quite. Everyone is very respectful of other people and the noise is non-existent. This is really important, as the capsules are not enclosed or sound proof. They are also rather bigger than I imagined. You can easily stretch out and I was able to sit up in mine without banging my head. All in all I had a really good nights sleep and I wouldn’t mind getting one for my house to protect me from the spiders (only air tight with ventilation).
Day 4 photos
Day 5 – Home time
I again had an early start to catch my train. By now my luggage was really killing me. I will have to invest in something with wheels that can still fit into the station lockers. I had some time so I stocked up on omiyagi for my teachers (it is tradition to take food back as gifts for your co-workers) and train lunch. Tradition dictates I should have bought a bento box on the train but I had heard that it can be a bit expensive and you never know what you are going to get.
I had another fun trip back, practiced my sleeping and watched a movie on my iPod. Train travel is much more fun than planes and far less stressful than going by car. Though I did have the overwhelming desire to jump off at random stops and see what I could discover. However all that will just have to wait for the next long weekend.
Photos from the last day
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