The longer I sit here in the tropical heat and overwhelming lushness of Cairns, the harder it is to cast my mind back to this time mere weeks ago, when I was booted-up and buckling-down to some serious touristing of my home for five months, the great nation of Japan. So armed with my diary from such wanderings and photos to jog my memory, I am finally going to get down my thoughts and stories- in a few parts. With the shear volume of photos to share (snap happy, me? Always) I've decided to split this into three entries- one for Tokyo, one for Kyoto, and one for my time in Hiroshima, the mountains of Okayama, and finally Osaka.
Let the journey begin!
Tokyo, dear reader, is freakin huge. Absolutely, totally, unfathomably, huge. My time in the capital of Japan was brief but I tell you months would not be enough to uncover all of the treasures Tokyo is hiding. I was lucky enough to have another Lucie with me, one who not only speaks Japanese so well business men in bars fall to worshipping her, but who also spent a year living in Tokyo while at university- aka, my own personal hostess with the mostess. She whipped us around Tokyo in a whirlwind of sights and sounds, stopping for food and sleep only occasionally (I think our longest day clocked out at 13 hours out and about). Tokyo harbours so many different 'scenes'- from the manga/maid cafe central of Akihabara, to the pop culture overload that is Harajuku, or the bustling night-life of Shibuya, all the way to the silence of the quiet backstreets that our hostel was hiding in. After the oppression of the winter (yeah so turns out I am no snow bunny) it was absolutely delicious to be able to wander around in jeans and a t-shirt, enjoying the warmth of sun on my bare arms and only carrying a hoodie for when it cooled of an evening. Spring was just beginning to ramp up, with the countdown for the sakura (cherry blossom) opening in full swing (there are whole websites devoted to the forecasting of this yearly phenomenon) and the winter coats finally being tucked away.
Seasonal awareness is on a whole nother level in Japan. The four seasons are really distinct (not like the hot or slightly-less-hot of Cairns) and there is a great deal of ceremony involved with the change between them. The sakura blossom plays a big role in this- once the cherry blossoms are out, Spring really has sprung. Initially I was a bit taken aback by how important some little flowers on a tree were (they have 'rules' for cherry blossom viewing, there is scaffolding to protect the bigger trees so they can prepare their buds in peace), but a friend who has spent a lot of time in Japan was kind enough to explain it to this ignorant foreigner. Once the sakura are out it is a country-wide invitation to collect your nearest and dearest, a tarp, some bento boxes, and go and park yourself under a cherry tree for an afternoon (or so) of frivolity. You can take some sakura Pepsi, or sakura fries from McDonalds, or the delicious sakura mochi, and really get around the seasonal theme. Sakura season is a time to be outside enjoying the sunshine and the company of friends and family- and once I had this explained to me I was fully on board, being a girl who loves a good picnic.
Tokyo is a fascinating city, especially so to me as it doesn't feel like an Asian city, at all. Excepting the fact that you'll see very few Westerners around and about, a lot of the normal features of a big Asian city are completely absent in Tokyo- smoking is illegal on the streets, it is impeccably clean, the prevalence of hybrid cars means the traffic is incredibly quiet (and orderly), the sky is clear and the air quite fresh. I was also taken aback by the quiet backstreets- as soon as you cut off the main roads you'll find yourself lost in a warren of increasingly narrow streets, with old Japanese houses letting the time pass them by quite comfortably. Wood is a huge feature in Japanese domestic architecture, so you quickly understand the need for the myriad signs warning of fire risks- while wood makes for stunning houses, it sure does make for good fuel for fire too. This, and Japan's precarious perch on the edge of two tectonic plates (and therefore the risk of earthquakes and other geological funtimes), combined with the sheer scope of this city (have I mentioned how HUGE Tokyo is?!) makes for a worrying equation... As Lucie noted, it isn't if Tokyo gets hit by another earthquake, it is when.
This slightly sombre geological chat was taking place while we were thankfully out of Tokyo, and making our way through the hilly countryside to Fuji-Q Highland, a theme park boasting four world-record holding rollercoasters and stunning views of Mt Fuji. While Lucie and I were initially planning to hike Mt Fuji (because that isn't a serious undertaking at the best of times ie the height of summer) we settled instead for hurtling around at break-neck speeds and observing it from up-side down instead. We boarded a bus early in the morning, complete with a guide and flag to usher us to the entrance of the theme park, and then spent the day with Japanese teenagers on school holidays as 2 of only 4 Westerners in sight. A knack for ending up in the very front car of each coaster gave us all the thrills we could possibly have desired, and also exhausted us so much we needed a nap in the cafeteria mid-afternoon (and then a nap on the bus on the way home. And also a nap on the metro).
With the thrills of Fuji-Q still thrumming around my nerves, our time in Tokyo got a whole lot more emotional with a visit to the Mega Tokyo Pokemon Centre and also a Studio Ghibli store- oh Japan, you have given us some fantastic pop culture icons. Lucie and I also had an absolute ball in the uniquely Japanese photo booths- the cameras smooth your skin, widen your eyes, give your face a definite heart-shape- yes, they turn you into dolls. And you can edit them after, though there is a time limit and it gets pretty stressful when you're trying to put cat ears on in the perfect orientation and also add some more red to your (now) bow-shaped pout. The gaming houses in which these booths hide are absolutely everywhere, and always full of young guys in suits rocking their games. Lucie had to pull me away on multiple occasions from watching guys with superhuman speed play both halves of one of those step-on-the-arrow dance games or this other cool guitar-hero-meets-car-racing type phenomenon but I was just gobsmacked by their prowess. You also see business men coming home from work on the metro smashing out some serious hand-held game time- gaming in Japan is for everyone, any time!
Tokyo felt almost too big to get a grasp of, especially in the short time I was there. Time kept ticking on though, so armed with matcha flavoured oreos (the powdered green tea that is everywhere in Japan)(did not tickle my taste buds) and all sorts of other convenience store goodies, a night bus was boarded and we napped our way to Kyoto.
Let the journey begin!
Tokyo, dear reader, is freakin huge. Absolutely, totally, unfathomably, huge. My time in the capital of Japan was brief but I tell you months would not be enough to uncover all of the treasures Tokyo is hiding. I was lucky enough to have another Lucie with me, one who not only speaks Japanese so well business men in bars fall to worshipping her, but who also spent a year living in Tokyo while at university- aka, my own personal hostess with the mostess. She whipped us around Tokyo in a whirlwind of sights and sounds, stopping for food and sleep only occasionally (I think our longest day clocked out at 13 hours out and about). Tokyo harbours so many different 'scenes'- from the manga/maid cafe central of Akihabara, to the pop culture overload that is Harajuku, or the bustling night-life of Shibuya, all the way to the silence of the quiet backstreets that our hostel was hiding in. After the oppression of the winter (yeah so turns out I am no snow bunny) it was absolutely delicious to be able to wander around in jeans and a t-shirt, enjoying the warmth of sun on my bare arms and only carrying a hoodie for when it cooled of an evening. Spring was just beginning to ramp up, with the countdown for the sakura (cherry blossom) opening in full swing (there are whole websites devoted to the forecasting of this yearly phenomenon) and the winter coats finally being tucked away.
Seasonal awareness is on a whole nother level in Japan. The four seasons are really distinct (not like the hot or slightly-less-hot of Cairns) and there is a great deal of ceremony involved with the change between them. The sakura blossom plays a big role in this- once the cherry blossoms are out, Spring really has sprung. Initially I was a bit taken aback by how important some little flowers on a tree were (they have 'rules' for cherry blossom viewing, there is scaffolding to protect the bigger trees so they can prepare their buds in peace), but a friend who has spent a lot of time in Japan was kind enough to explain it to this ignorant foreigner. Once the sakura are out it is a country-wide invitation to collect your nearest and dearest, a tarp, some bento boxes, and go and park yourself under a cherry tree for an afternoon (or so) of frivolity. You can take some sakura Pepsi, or sakura fries from McDonalds, or the delicious sakura mochi, and really get around the seasonal theme. Sakura season is a time to be outside enjoying the sunshine and the company of friends and family- and once I had this explained to me I was fully on board, being a girl who loves a good picnic.
Tokyo is a fascinating city, especially so to me as it doesn't feel like an Asian city, at all. Excepting the fact that you'll see very few Westerners around and about, a lot of the normal features of a big Asian city are completely absent in Tokyo- smoking is illegal on the streets, it is impeccably clean, the prevalence of hybrid cars means the traffic is incredibly quiet (and orderly), the sky is clear and the air quite fresh. I was also taken aback by the quiet backstreets- as soon as you cut off the main roads you'll find yourself lost in a warren of increasingly narrow streets, with old Japanese houses letting the time pass them by quite comfortably. Wood is a huge feature in Japanese domestic architecture, so you quickly understand the need for the myriad signs warning of fire risks- while wood makes for stunning houses, it sure does make for good fuel for fire too. This, and Japan's precarious perch on the edge of two tectonic plates (and therefore the risk of earthquakes and other geological funtimes), combined with the sheer scope of this city (have I mentioned how HUGE Tokyo is?!) makes for a worrying equation... As Lucie noted, it isn't if Tokyo gets hit by another earthquake, it is when.
This slightly sombre geological chat was taking place while we were thankfully out of Tokyo, and making our way through the hilly countryside to Fuji-Q Highland, a theme park boasting four world-record holding rollercoasters and stunning views of Mt Fuji. While Lucie and I were initially planning to hike Mt Fuji (because that isn't a serious undertaking at the best of times ie the height of summer) we settled instead for hurtling around at break-neck speeds and observing it from up-side down instead. We boarded a bus early in the morning, complete with a guide and flag to usher us to the entrance of the theme park, and then spent the day with Japanese teenagers on school holidays as 2 of only 4 Westerners in sight. A knack for ending up in the very front car of each coaster gave us all the thrills we could possibly have desired, and also exhausted us so much we needed a nap in the cafeteria mid-afternoon (and then a nap on the bus on the way home. And also a nap on the metro).
With the thrills of Fuji-Q still thrumming around my nerves, our time in Tokyo got a whole lot more emotional with a visit to the Mega Tokyo Pokemon Centre and also a Studio Ghibli store- oh Japan, you have given us some fantastic pop culture icons. Lucie and I also had an absolute ball in the uniquely Japanese photo booths- the cameras smooth your skin, widen your eyes, give your face a definite heart-shape- yes, they turn you into dolls. And you can edit them after, though there is a time limit and it gets pretty stressful when you're trying to put cat ears on in the perfect orientation and also add some more red to your (now) bow-shaped pout. The gaming houses in which these booths hide are absolutely everywhere, and always full of young guys in suits rocking their games. Lucie had to pull me away on multiple occasions from watching guys with superhuman speed play both halves of one of those step-on-the-arrow dance games or this other cool guitar-hero-meets-car-racing type phenomenon but I was just gobsmacked by their prowess. You also see business men coming home from work on the metro smashing out some serious hand-held game time- gaming in Japan is for everyone, any time!
Tokyo felt almost too big to get a grasp of, especially in the short time I was there. Time kept ticking on though, so armed with matcha flavoured oreos (the powdered green tea that is everywhere in Japan)(did not tickle my taste buds) and all sorts of other convenience store goodies, a night bus was boarded and we napped our way to Kyoto.
