Osaka. An interesting day. We headed out at 9 but Brenda forgot her JR pass so had to run back. We didn’t end up catching a train until 9:30. When we got to Osaka our first stop was to be Osaka castle. As soon as we got off the train we were kind of lost, it was a weird train station and once we got outside the area was strangely organized and didn’t make much sense….this would be a recurring theme throughout the day.
We made it to the castle and it was really big and ornate from the outside. There were enormous stone walls and a moat in around it… then we found out it wasn’t a real castle, it was a reconstruction of one from 1931. Haha, this is also a recurring theme in japan because they build everything out of wood then for some reason really enjoy burning things down and rebuilding them…
It cost $6 to get into the castle. We were all super tired today for some reason and it was overcast which didn’t add to the problem. We got into the castle and it was a really nice modern wood floor with a gift shop and TV’s and glass display cases everywhere…it looked in no way ancient or legitimate. The way to tour the castle is walking through each floor starting with the top, so we went up to the top floor…via elevator. Each floor was more disappointing and me gave up halfway through and called it quits. Even Dr. Velikova and Bisson were real disappointed.
Me, Annalise, Aaron, Brenda, JT and Dr. V decided to head to the Panasonic showroom. It was a few train stops away and it showcased unreleased products from Panasonic. Before we went to the showroom we got a lunch at a restaurant in the same building. Lunch was a disaster. I ordered the cheapest thing off the menu so I was safe. But Dr. V and JT both ordered shark fin soup and Annalise got egg and vegetable soup. They brought 3 different soups to our table at different times… no one knew whose was what and it was frustrating. The food was sub-par and overpriced. Then we got up to pay and of course they didn’t split the bill and the concept of separate checks was a foreign concept to them. So it took about 20 minutes to pay.
After that we were so tired. Our plan was to go to the Ferris Wheel and then head back home. We got lost about 5 times on the way to the Ferris Wheel and the people we asked for directions were not too helpful. Everyone else felt the same and thought it was very difficult to communicate with people. We got to the Ferris Wheel and apparently it is the largest one on the world. It overlooks the riverfront and port. I saw a this big bridge that looked really familiar. I told Annalise and Dr. V that I think that it is the largest suspension bridge in the world and I saw it on Modern Marvels.
We paid $7 to ride the Ferris wheel and the view was really good. There was a speaker on our car and it told us about the different buildings we could see and it said that the suspension bridge was the largest in the world so I was right!
After the Ferris wheel Annalise and I came back to Otsu. I took a nap for about 3 hours. Then did my cultural presentation. Afterwards we went to Kyoto and got some dinner at Nakau, a 24-hour Japanese fast food place.
Sunday, May 31, 2009
5/30 A Loooong Bike Ride
Today was a lot of fun. We went to Okasayama which is a city far out from any other big cities. There is really not much for tourists here besides a bike trail through the rural countryside of Japan. Before we did that we went to a garden area.
The garden was beautiful. At the time there was a traditional Japanese wedding going on. The bride and groom were dressed in traditional attire and I got a few pictures of them. Being at the park reminded me and made me think of it as the Japanese version of a nice American country club. The difference was that this had been a garden kept up for hundreds of years by many generations, one of the most historic gardens in Japan.
After that we took a train to go rent bikes and ride through the countryside. This was a lot of fun and the weather was AMAZING! It was Dr. Velikova, Aaron, Ryan and me. It was good to have a small group of us doing this. The guy at the bike place was super weird…a lot of people we encountered at this town were strange. They weren’t used to tourists it seemed.
We started and couldn’t find the trail for about the first half hour. After that we got on the trail and got lost about 500 times. It was so poorly marked! But it was great, we were having fun! At one point we were lost just trying to figure out where to go on the side of the road. This girl got stopped her car, parked, got out and asked us if we needed help. She spoke a little bit of English and she was really excited to use it and talk to us. She was a college student at the closest university. She helped us find the right way and was so nice and happy to run into us.
Four and a half hours later we finally finished the trail. It was a long ride but I loved it. We got to experience a part of japan that not many tourists get to see. At the end of the trail we returned our bikes, but the guy here was weird as crap too! He was this old dude with about a 7 inch hair sticking out of this mole in his neck. This guy would ramble on in Japanese at us for a minute and he just wanted those bikes bad. It was bizarre. There was younger girls there laughing at him.
We then got on the train and headed to the main station. There was a little shopping center around there and we went into the smallest hole in the wall place. There was this nice lady and when we walked in she turned on the lights and AC. She barely spoke any English but we were able to order without a problem. We were all so exhausted and hungry. Our food was out in about 20 minutes and it was one of the best meals I had so far! Delicious chicken, egg drop soup, rice and salad…for a good price too!
After we ate we headed back to the shinkansen and to Otsu. I slept the whole way on a 3 seat to myself. The shinkansen is so nice to sleep on! No bumps and so smooth, you barely know you are moving. I am exhausted and sunburnt now so I am going to sleep!
The garden was beautiful. At the time there was a traditional Japanese wedding going on. The bride and groom were dressed in traditional attire and I got a few pictures of them. Being at the park reminded me and made me think of it as the Japanese version of a nice American country club. The difference was that this had been a garden kept up for hundreds of years by many generations, one of the most historic gardens in Japan.
After that we took a train to go rent bikes and ride through the countryside. This was a lot of fun and the weather was AMAZING! It was Dr. Velikova, Aaron, Ryan and me. It was good to have a small group of us doing this. The guy at the bike place was super weird…a lot of people we encountered at this town were strange. They weren’t used to tourists it seemed.
We started and couldn’t find the trail for about the first half hour. After that we got on the trail and got lost about 500 times. It was so poorly marked! But it was great, we were having fun! At one point we were lost just trying to figure out where to go on the side of the road. This girl got stopped her car, parked, got out and asked us if we needed help. She spoke a little bit of English and she was really excited to use it and talk to us. She was a college student at the closest university. She helped us find the right way and was so nice and happy to run into us.
Four and a half hours later we finally finished the trail. It was a long ride but I loved it. We got to experience a part of japan that not many tourists get to see. At the end of the trail we returned our bikes, but the guy here was weird as crap too! He was this old dude with about a 7 inch hair sticking out of this mole in his neck. This guy would ramble on in Japanese at us for a minute and he just wanted those bikes bad. It was bizarre. There was younger girls there laughing at him.
We then got on the train and headed to the main station. There was a little shopping center around there and we went into the smallest hole in the wall place. There was this nice lady and when we walked in she turned on the lights and AC. She barely spoke any English but we were able to order without a problem. We were all so exhausted and hungry. Our food was out in about 20 minutes and it was one of the best meals I had so far! Delicious chicken, egg drop soup, rice and salad…for a good price too!
After we ate we headed back to the shinkansen and to Otsu. I slept the whole way on a 3 seat to myself. The shinkansen is so nice to sleep on! No bumps and so smooth, you barely know you are moving. I am exhausted and sunburnt now so I am going to sleep!
5/29 Hiroshima
Today we went to Hiroshima. This was one of the big events that I was really looking forward to. I am fascinated and intrigued by the impact of the atom bomb on the city and on mankind as a whole. It was such an enormous event. We met at 7 to take the Shinkansen to Hiroshima. The train ride was about 2 hours and when we arrived in Hiroshima we took a street-car to the first site.
As soon as I got off the train car I saw the atomic dome. It is the only building that was left standing. It has been preserved as a reminder of the destruction. The walls are crumbled and the dome at the top is shattered; only the iron skeleton remains. I walked around it and looked for a while in awe.
We then crossed the river right into the Atomic Peace Park. As I walked over the river I thought of the thousands of people that jumped into its water to die because they couldn’t stand the pain of their burns. The park is a very open and grassy area. At the center a flame burns, only to be put out when every nuclear weapon is destroyed.
We then went into a memorial hall that had information about the event on the walls. An observatory in the center is the hypocenter of where the bomb exploded. This area was silent and I sat in awe and reflection. Around the walls was a 360-degree view of the destroyed city from the hypocenter. It was crazy being at the center knowing right where I was standing was a place that everyone in the world knows about and where so many lives were lost.
Next we went to the museum. The basis of the museum is for peace and the destruction of nuclear weapons. It is a warning of the danger faced by them as much as it is a memorial to the event of August 6, 1945. The museum was incredible. Inside was tons of information and displays. One wall was full of letters of protest to various nations from the mayor of Hiroshima. In all there have been 594 with letters to North Korea being the most recent.
The museum was filled with artifacts from the blast. Charred cement, bicycles, clothing, etc. More than anything there was children’s clothing. I think the main message it was trying to get across was the innocence of so many lives that were lost. The whole experience was very moving and I learned so much from it.
After the museum we headed to the island. The ferry ride was free because it was a JR ferry. We got to the island and we wanted to go to the recreational beach. It ended up being a half hour walk and it was a deserted sharp rock/shell beach. Needless to say, no one got in, but it was a cool experience. It wasn’t a very touristy area and I always love being by the water.
We spent a little more time on the island before taking the ferry back and making the journey to Otsu. Today was fantastic and I think it was my favorite day of the whole trip.
As soon as I got off the train car I saw the atomic dome. It is the only building that was left standing. It has been preserved as a reminder of the destruction. The walls are crumbled and the dome at the top is shattered; only the iron skeleton remains. I walked around it and looked for a while in awe.
We then crossed the river right into the Atomic Peace Park. As I walked over the river I thought of the thousands of people that jumped into its water to die because they couldn’t stand the pain of their burns. The park is a very open and grassy area. At the center a flame burns, only to be put out when every nuclear weapon is destroyed.
We then went into a memorial hall that had information about the event on the walls. An observatory in the center is the hypocenter of where the bomb exploded. This area was silent and I sat in awe and reflection. Around the walls was a 360-degree view of the destroyed city from the hypocenter. It was crazy being at the center knowing right where I was standing was a place that everyone in the world knows about and where so many lives were lost.
Next we went to the museum. The basis of the museum is for peace and the destruction of nuclear weapons. It is a warning of the danger faced by them as much as it is a memorial to the event of August 6, 1945. The museum was incredible. Inside was tons of information and displays. One wall was full of letters of protest to various nations from the mayor of Hiroshima. In all there have been 594 with letters to North Korea being the most recent.
The museum was filled with artifacts from the blast. Charred cement, bicycles, clothing, etc. More than anything there was children’s clothing. I think the main message it was trying to get across was the innocence of so many lives that were lost. The whole experience was very moving and I learned so much from it.
After the museum we headed to the island. The ferry ride was free because it was a JR ferry. We got to the island and we wanted to go to the recreational beach. It ended up being a half hour walk and it was a deserted sharp rock/shell beach. Needless to say, no one got in, but it was a cool experience. It wasn’t a very touristy area and I always love being by the water.
We spent a little more time on the island before taking the ferry back and making the journey to Otsu. Today was fantastic and I think it was my favorite day of the whole trip.
5/28 The Golden Letdown and The Garden That Didn't Rock
Today a group of us went to see the famous Golden Pavilion and a Zen Rock Garden. It was overcast and cloudy with light showers here and there. Many of us came into the day real tired. All these long days and early mornings are starting to take their toll. The pavilion and garden were a bit of a walk from the train station so we took a bus to get us closer. It was our first bus experience and several of us had trouble fitting into the seats…
From the bus stop it was about a 15-minute walk to our first stop, the world renown Gold Pavilion. I personally was very excited about seeing an ancient oriental pavilion made out of pure gold. I was hoping it would be sunny so the gold would glimmer in the sunlight but it was real cloudy.
We got to the gates and were hit with an entrance fee of 3 bucks. When we got inside we read about the pavilion in the pamphlet. It was not actually an ancient one…it was rebuilt in 1957 as a replica…and it wasn’t made out of gold, just gold leaf on the outside. So the glimmering ancient solid gold structure wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was neat and I got some pictures but this was the first time on this trip that I can say I was disappointed. I was glad to find that I wasn’t the only one disappointed by the Golden Pavilion as it seemed to be the general consensus. However, Ryan and I did have fun trying to throw our yen pennies into the Buddha bowls so if you ever visit make sure you bring some change.
We then headed to the Rock Garden. I was very interested to see what it was like and figured if anything, it would at least be a pretty walk. We got to the gate and….it was a 5 dollar entrance fee. Only three of us went in while the others waited at the gate. It was about a 5 minute walk from the gate past a scenic pond and into the temple where the Rock Garden was. The rock garden is supposed to emphasize simplicity, a place where you can free your mind and meditate. Well let me tell you how soothing it was to be serenaded by the sound of bludgeoning hammers and construction reverberating off the walls and throughout the temple. They were in the process of remodeling the temple. The rock garden was…well, very simple. It was what it said it was, rocks in a garden. I know it is supposed to be simplistic and all, but to me it just looked like a gravel putt-putt course with a big white construction board on one side. Maybe I just don’t get it, maybe my zen was disturbed by the cacophonous racket caused by the construction, maybe I need to be more enlightened by climbing Mt. Hiei again or squeezing through some nostrils.
After the rock garden we headed back to Kyoto station and finished out the night with some delicious Okonomiyake. Although I was disappointed by the sightseeing today our group managed to have fun together and continue to make the best of our time in Japan!
From the bus stop it was about a 15-minute walk to our first stop, the world renown Gold Pavilion. I personally was very excited about seeing an ancient oriental pavilion made out of pure gold. I was hoping it would be sunny so the gold would glimmer in the sunlight but it was real cloudy.
We got to the gates and were hit with an entrance fee of 3 bucks. When we got inside we read about the pavilion in the pamphlet. It was not actually an ancient one…it was rebuilt in 1957 as a replica…and it wasn’t made out of gold, just gold leaf on the outside. So the glimmering ancient solid gold structure wasn’t what I thought it would be. It was neat and I got some pictures but this was the first time on this trip that I can say I was disappointed. I was glad to find that I wasn’t the only one disappointed by the Golden Pavilion as it seemed to be the general consensus. However, Ryan and I did have fun trying to throw our yen pennies into the Buddha bowls so if you ever visit make sure you bring some change.
We then headed to the Rock Garden. I was very interested to see what it was like and figured if anything, it would at least be a pretty walk. We got to the gate and….it was a 5 dollar entrance fee. Only three of us went in while the others waited at the gate. It was about a 5 minute walk from the gate past a scenic pond and into the temple where the Rock Garden was. The rock garden is supposed to emphasize simplicity, a place where you can free your mind and meditate. Well let me tell you how soothing it was to be serenaded by the sound of bludgeoning hammers and construction reverberating off the walls and throughout the temple. They were in the process of remodeling the temple. The rock garden was…well, very simple. It was what it said it was, rocks in a garden. I know it is supposed to be simplistic and all, but to me it just looked like a gravel putt-putt course with a big white construction board on one side. Maybe I just don’t get it, maybe my zen was disturbed by the cacophonous racket caused by the construction, maybe I need to be more enlightened by climbing Mt. Hiei again or squeezing through some nostrils.
After the rock garden we headed back to Kyoto station and finished out the night with some delicious Okonomiyake. Although I was disappointed by the sightseeing today our group managed to have fun together and continue to make the best of our time in Japan!
Thursday, May 21, 2009
5/21 Free Day
Well we were supposed to go on a tour of a Sake brewery today but they brewery has cancelled all tours... due to swine flu. This is ridiculous. Swine flu is out of hand, i really don't get it. The symptoms are more mild than normal flu, no one has it. .. and people are freaking out. EVERYONE here has masks on!! It is unreal. Every store is completely sold out of masks and they have canceled all the high schools. Its just stupid. Oh well, the good thing is lots of the sites we go to have less school-kids on field trips.
So we had a free day today. In class we talked about Japan's entry into WWII and everything leading up tot he bombing of Pearl Harbor. This was really interesting for me because I had never studied it. I am excited to go to Hiroshima next week.
Tomorrow we head to Tokyo for the weekend!! I can't wait! I really hope it is everything i have dreamed of! I want to see all the crazy fashion in the Harajuku district and the neon lights and huge buildings! I have been told Tokyo is like LA and New York combined. We take a 2 hour train ride to get there but it goes around 200 MPH! I am pumped!
So we had a free day today. In class we talked about Japan's entry into WWII and everything leading up tot he bombing of Pearl Harbor. This was really interesting for me because I had never studied it. I am excited to go to Hiroshima next week.
Tomorrow we head to Tokyo for the weekend!! I can't wait! I really hope it is everything i have dreamed of! I want to see all the crazy fashion in the Harajuku district and the neon lights and huge buildings! I have been told Tokyo is like LA and New York combined. We take a 2 hour train ride to get there but it goes around 200 MPH! I am pumped!
5/20 Uji and the Shoe Search
Today we went to Uji. This area has A LOT of history. It is known as the site of where the first novel of all time was written, "The Tale of Genji." I am told the story has more than 400 side characters and its super long. I saw a copy in a store and it looks like a dictionary... I say no thanks.
Uji is also the tea capital. There are tons of green tea shops that offer free tasting and a variety of green tea products. I got some green tea ice cream which was delicious. Other people got tea products to take back home as gifts.
We visited another temple in Uji. This one was on a lake and was really beautiful. The architecture is so aesthetic. Built by monks in the 11th century all of the designs and artwork are made to be well balanced. Everything is so well made and pleasing to the eye. Inside we were not able to take pictures of a lot of the ancient artifacts and decor.
There is a big river in Uji and it is very scenic. We all stopped there a while and just hung out and talked and it was fun.
The real adventure of the day came after the visit to the temple. Ryan's feet were still hurting him so we went to look for some more shoes on a tip from our contact, Martin, here in Otsu. We headed for this enormous department store calls Joscos. aaaaaaannnn..... Nothing above 11 again. Ryan is about to give up!
After failing to find shoes we headed back, but not before stopping at McDonalds. Funny side note, Ryan is no good at cash transactions. It is hilarious every time. We were laughing so hard about it. He is not used to this cash based society. First at the tea place his purchase was 200 yen. They have a 500 coin but Ryan got it confused with a 50 yen coin. He was trying to get the lady to accept his coin when it was really the equivalent of a nickel for a $5 purchase! He then realized this and reached in his wallet.. all he had was a 10,000 yen bill, equivalent of $100. Quote of the day by Ryan, "Imagine being in the states and someone tries to pay for something that is two dollars with a nickel then they pull out a hundred dollar bill." We were laughing so hard.
Oh man later that night me and Ryan wanted to go out on the town and have walk around downtown Kyoto. We went the same way we always go...but somehow we got lost. We ended up wandering around empty streets for 2 hours lost. We were so hungry so we stopped at some little restaurant and ate, which was actually really delicious. Then we headed to take the subway back and it had stopped running since it was after midnight!! We were a little scared but we were able to find a JR station down the street and the JR lines run til 1 in the morning. WHOO!
Uji is also the tea capital. There are tons of green tea shops that offer free tasting and a variety of green tea products. I got some green tea ice cream which was delicious. Other people got tea products to take back home as gifts.
We visited another temple in Uji. This one was on a lake and was really beautiful. The architecture is so aesthetic. Built by monks in the 11th century all of the designs and artwork are made to be well balanced. Everything is so well made and pleasing to the eye. Inside we were not able to take pictures of a lot of the ancient artifacts and decor.
There is a big river in Uji and it is very scenic. We all stopped there a while and just hung out and talked and it was fun.
The real adventure of the day came after the visit to the temple. Ryan's feet were still hurting him so we went to look for some more shoes on a tip from our contact, Martin, here in Otsu. We headed for this enormous department store calls Joscos. aaaaaaannnn..... Nothing above 11 again. Ryan is about to give up!
After failing to find shoes we headed back, but not before stopping at McDonalds. Funny side note, Ryan is no good at cash transactions. It is hilarious every time. We were laughing so hard about it. He is not used to this cash based society. First at the tea place his purchase was 200 yen. They have a 500 coin but Ryan got it confused with a 50 yen coin. He was trying to get the lady to accept his coin when it was really the equivalent of a nickel for a $5 purchase! He then realized this and reached in his wallet.. all he had was a 10,000 yen bill, equivalent of $100. Quote of the day by Ryan, "Imagine being in the states and someone tries to pay for something that is two dollars with a nickel then they pull out a hundred dollar bill." We were laughing so hard.
Oh man later that night me and Ryan wanted to go out on the town and have walk around downtown Kyoto. We went the same way we always go...but somehow we got lost. We ended up wandering around empty streets for 2 hours lost. We were so hungry so we stopped at some little restaurant and ate, which was actually really delicious. Then we headed to take the subway back and it had stopped running since it was after midnight!! We were a little scared but we were able to find a JR station down the street and the JR lines run til 1 in the morning. WHOO!
Tuesday, May 19, 2009
5/19 Toyota Plant Tour
Today we went on about a 100 trains to get to Toyota City for a tour of the plant... Ok so not really 100 but 4 trains to get there and 4 to get back. It really is crazy how you can get anywhere by train though... Anyway the plant tour was pretty cool. I liked the Toyota museum as well. They also displayed future Toyota products at the museum which were crazy to see. There was a robot there that played the trumpet too... Completely flawlessly. After seeing the robot play the trumpet flawlessly then the robots build cars (which was insane to watch) I started thinking of Terminator. I just wonder when these robots will become self-aware, then we're in trouble.
After the plant tour Ryan said that his feet were hurting him and his shoes felt too tight. He wanted to stop in Kyoto and get some new shoes. So when we finally got to Kyoto station Ryan, Annalise and I headed for the covered mall area on Sanjo street. This was an experience because it was the first time we had taken the train or subway by ourselves without any instruction! We were getting around Japan all on our own. We walked around the mall area for over an hour and went to about 10 shoe stores... none of which carried anything above a size 10! Don't try to buy shoes in Japan because they have super small feet! So Ryan was out of luck!
We got dinner at a restaurant on Sanjo street and it was very delicious. We had a great time and sat in the restaurant for over an hour just talking and hanging out. We left and started our quest to get back to Otsu. We ran into another white guy who could see we were a little lost. He was really cool and talked to us on the train. He was from New York and is now a Shinto Buddhist. His wife was with him, who he had met in Japan and she spoke a little English. He pointed us in the right direction to get back!
On the last train we were on we ran into a group of Japanese girls that all had basketball bags. We started talking to them and they were so excited to talk to us! It was so much fun. They would use a little bit of english and ask us questions and I would use a little japanese and ask them questions or translate things! They were hilarious and just so excited to talk to us. It was a great night and we made it back all on our own!
After the plant tour Ryan said that his feet were hurting him and his shoes felt too tight. He wanted to stop in Kyoto and get some new shoes. So when we finally got to Kyoto station Ryan, Annalise and I headed for the covered mall area on Sanjo street. This was an experience because it was the first time we had taken the train or subway by ourselves without any instruction! We were getting around Japan all on our own. We walked around the mall area for over an hour and went to about 10 shoe stores... none of which carried anything above a size 10! Don't try to buy shoes in Japan because they have super small feet! So Ryan was out of luck!
We got dinner at a restaurant on Sanjo street and it was very delicious. We had a great time and sat in the restaurant for over an hour just talking and hanging out. We left and started our quest to get back to Otsu. We ran into another white guy who could see we were a little lost. He was really cool and talked to us on the train. He was from New York and is now a Shinto Buddhist. His wife was with him, who he had met in Japan and she spoke a little English. He pointed us in the right direction to get back!
On the last train we were on we ran into a group of Japanese girls that all had basketball bags. We started talking to them and they were so excited to talk to us! It was so much fun. They would use a little bit of english and ask us questions and I would use a little japanese and ask them questions or translate things! They were hilarious and just so excited to talk to us. It was a great night and we made it back all on our own!
5/18 Lost in the Land of Torii
Today we went to 10,000 Torii. Torii means gate and at this place there are 10,000 gates that you walk through along a path up a mountain. This was built in dedication to the Rice and Sake gods which are often represented by a fox. Torii indicate that the ground beyond them is sacred. Apparently if you climb to the top and pass through all the torii it will bring you good luck in business endeavors so we saw several businessmen making the hike. Our goal was to get all the way to the top. The sight was beautiful and the torii are bright orange and all of them have beautifully carved Japanese characters on them. We kept going and going, up and up through tunnels of torii. We finally reached the top after about 45 minutes, which was pretty anticlimactic....There was no amazing view or big shrine or anything, it just started going back down.
After about 20 minutes of going down, we came to a fork in the road. One way headed up and another one down, so we naturally chose the one going down. Well, another 20 minutes later and we could clearly see we were lost. Somehow we broke off the path. We ended up going through a bamboo forest and into a Japanese suburb area. We had to ask for directions 5 times to get to the closest train station. 3 hours after we started our journey we ended up at a train station on the other side of the mountain about 2 miles from the train station we got off at! It was an adventure and a lot of walking, but it was fun!
At night we went to Kyoto station, where we have been many times before, but we explored the entire thing. The station is enormous with 11 or 12 floors. We went all the way up to the top, taking about 5 escalators. At the top there is a garden and a great view of the city and just a big open area to hang out. This apparently is THE PLACE for couples and go on dates! There were couples all over the place. After that we got some dinner and called it a night.
After about 20 minutes of going down, we came to a fork in the road. One way headed up and another one down, so we naturally chose the one going down. Well, another 20 minutes later and we could clearly see we were lost. Somehow we broke off the path. We ended up going through a bamboo forest and into a Japanese suburb area. We had to ask for directions 5 times to get to the closest train station. 3 hours after we started our journey we ended up at a train station on the other side of the mountain about 2 miles from the train station we got off at! It was an adventure and a lot of walking, but it was fun!
At night we went to Kyoto station, where we have been many times before, but we explored the entire thing. The station is enormous with 11 or 12 floors. We went all the way up to the top, taking about 5 escalators. At the top there is a garden and a great view of the city and just a big open area to hang out. This apparently is THE PLACE for couples and go on dates! There were couples all over the place. After that we got some dinner and called it a night.
Sunday, May 17, 2009
Previous Journals Before I Set Up Blog
5/14
We are sitting in the Tokyo Airport and I just ate my first Japanese meal! I got dumplings and they were delicious. This is so crazy to actually be here experiencing everything. We have only been off the plane a short time and we have already experienced several cultural inconsistencies. First, we needed to take an elevator so we walked up to the elevator and pressed the button and waited right in front of the doors. As we waited I noticed there were several Japanese people standing several yards behind us. We didn’t realize you stand 15-20 feet away from the doors of the elevator while waiting!
It was crazy landing in Japan. Health officials immediately boarded the plane wearing masks and goggles and armed with infrared cameras to check people’s temperature….this swine flu thing is out of hand. It took about an hour because they…actually I have no idea why it took so long, the whole thing was ridiculous.
11:50 PM
I just got to my room and it is awesome! My toilet has a bidet and heated seat. The town of Otsu seems really cool. Everything is so neat and well-kept here. The sidewalks are very nice and so are the roads. All of the cars are so small! I am so tired after 26+ hours of traveling though so I am going to bed!
5/15
The word right now: Culture shock. I feel so out of place! I don’t know what to do and there is the language barrier as well. Today was crazy. We went to Kyoto and saw the Aoui Festival and explored the town, walking around for hours. Shannon and I stuck together throughout the day. We feel somewhat separate from the group because we are quieter in nature and feel like the group draws too much attention to itself being as loud as they are.
For lunch Shannon and I walked into a restaurant with traditional style seating. We had to take off our shoes and sit cross-legged at a table. Luckily the owner was extremely kind and seemed to enjoy that we were there. After we got done the chef asked, “How was it?” to which I responded “Oishii!” (Delicious!) and made them laugh. They did not expect me to answer in Japanese!
However, tonight was a fiasco. We planned on getting food from the grocery store but it was closed so we walked to another restaurant. We are not familiar with the restaurant process and shyly meandered in. We were then turned away by the hostess. We walked down the street to another restaurant and again we were turned away by the lady at the front! We have no idea what we are doing wrong! Then we ran into Brenda and Dr. Bisson who told us about a restaurant where they had just eaten. We headed there.
This restaurant was an experience. We felt uncomfortable and out of place from the time we walked in the door. We had to walk through a curtain, which was strange then the seating at the table was interesting as well. My seat was something I would best describe as a post. Thankfully the man at the restaurant was so nice to us. The food was very good and we got done eating and sat… and continued to sit as we waited for our server/chef to attend to us but he never did… until we asked him for a check. The check as all together and we had to get them to split our large Yen bills so we could give the correct amount of money. Then we awkwardly exited the restaurant through the curtain.
I am completely exhausted right now so I am going to sleep! Oh, and listening to Kanye west to feel a little in place!
5/16
Today it was raining and cloudy but that is ok! It is just great to be here and the rain isn’t going to bother me. We took a tour of Otsu today with our contact, Martin. It was interesting learning about some history and facts. I am observing a lot of the big differences between Japan and the US in the way that things operate.
Everything here goes vertically. To save space instead of everything being on one floor, there will be a small area on one floor, then 5 floors above. The grocery/convenience store is a good example. On the bottom level they have a grocery area. Above that they have a health floor with over the counter medicines, toiletries, etc. Above that there is a clothing store, above that school and office supplies and that was as far as I went up, it kept going! All of the floors are connected by escalators also.
The craziest thing that goes vertical: Parking garages. A parking garage is a tall, skinny building with ONE little garage door opening. You drive into the little opening, get out of your car, then it lifts up on an elevator! The cars are on a conveyor belt that goes all the way up to the top of the building!
They don’t have any big parking lots here. Parking lots in front of businesses are usually only 2-4 spots and most places don’t have them. The train and subway systems can get you anywhere. There is barely any traffic on the streets. The sidewalks are so big and all the cement on the roads and sidewalks is so fresh and well kept. There are absolutely no cracks or potholes.
As far as activities, today we went to downtown Kyoto. It was awesome. We visited the covered mall. This place was HUGE with rows upon rows of all kinds of shopping. I also really enjoyed seeing the younger crowd of Japanese, teenagers and such. Fashion here is a priority. People really care and think about what they put on! For me, that is exciting! What is really interesting is there is not a specifically set, cool way to dress. Everyone has there own taste and fashion. There is such an abundance of fashion stores giving them so many options. If you go to a mall in the states there are only a few styles to choose from.
In the covered mall area there was also a marketplace. The marketplace was AWESOME. So busy! In any country I am in I always love going to the marketplace. There are so many sights and sounds and smells and it really gives you a feel for the culture. Seafood dominates the market. Everywhere you look there are fish, shrimp, squid, octopus and you can smell it too! It is all so fresh.
We walked around the marketplace and Kyoto for several hours then came back here. I am exhausted now. I finished editing some pictures and videos and I am going to upload them to Facebook and go to bed!!
We are sitting in the Tokyo Airport and I just ate my first Japanese meal! I got dumplings and they were delicious. This is so crazy to actually be here experiencing everything. We have only been off the plane a short time and we have already experienced several cultural inconsistencies. First, we needed to take an elevator so we walked up to the elevator and pressed the button and waited right in front of the doors. As we waited I noticed there were several Japanese people standing several yards behind us. We didn’t realize you stand 15-20 feet away from the doors of the elevator while waiting!
It was crazy landing in Japan. Health officials immediately boarded the plane wearing masks and goggles and armed with infrared cameras to check people’s temperature….this swine flu thing is out of hand. It took about an hour because they…actually I have no idea why it took so long, the whole thing was ridiculous.
11:50 PM
I just got to my room and it is awesome! My toilet has a bidet and heated seat. The town of Otsu seems really cool. Everything is so neat and well-kept here. The sidewalks are very nice and so are the roads. All of the cars are so small! I am so tired after 26+ hours of traveling though so I am going to bed!
5/15
The word right now: Culture shock. I feel so out of place! I don’t know what to do and there is the language barrier as well. Today was crazy. We went to Kyoto and saw the Aoui Festival and explored the town, walking around for hours. Shannon and I stuck together throughout the day. We feel somewhat separate from the group because we are quieter in nature and feel like the group draws too much attention to itself being as loud as they are.
For lunch Shannon and I walked into a restaurant with traditional style seating. We had to take off our shoes and sit cross-legged at a table. Luckily the owner was extremely kind and seemed to enjoy that we were there. After we got done the chef asked, “How was it?” to which I responded “Oishii!” (Delicious!) and made them laugh. They did not expect me to answer in Japanese!
However, tonight was a fiasco. We planned on getting food from the grocery store but it was closed so we walked to another restaurant. We are not familiar with the restaurant process and shyly meandered in. We were then turned away by the hostess. We walked down the street to another restaurant and again we were turned away by the lady at the front! We have no idea what we are doing wrong! Then we ran into Brenda and Dr. Bisson who told us about a restaurant where they had just eaten. We headed there.
This restaurant was an experience. We felt uncomfortable and out of place from the time we walked in the door. We had to walk through a curtain, which was strange then the seating at the table was interesting as well. My seat was something I would best describe as a post. Thankfully the man at the restaurant was so nice to us. The food was very good and we got done eating and sat… and continued to sit as we waited for our server/chef to attend to us but he never did… until we asked him for a check. The check as all together and we had to get them to split our large Yen bills so we could give the correct amount of money. Then we awkwardly exited the restaurant through the curtain.
I am completely exhausted right now so I am going to sleep! Oh, and listening to Kanye west to feel a little in place!
5/16
Today it was raining and cloudy but that is ok! It is just great to be here and the rain isn’t going to bother me. We took a tour of Otsu today with our contact, Martin. It was interesting learning about some history and facts. I am observing a lot of the big differences between Japan and the US in the way that things operate.
Everything here goes vertically. To save space instead of everything being on one floor, there will be a small area on one floor, then 5 floors above. The grocery/convenience store is a good example. On the bottom level they have a grocery area. Above that they have a health floor with over the counter medicines, toiletries, etc. Above that there is a clothing store, above that school and office supplies and that was as far as I went up, it kept going! All of the floors are connected by escalators also.
The craziest thing that goes vertical: Parking garages. A parking garage is a tall, skinny building with ONE little garage door opening. You drive into the little opening, get out of your car, then it lifts up on an elevator! The cars are on a conveyor belt that goes all the way up to the top of the building!
They don’t have any big parking lots here. Parking lots in front of businesses are usually only 2-4 spots and most places don’t have them. The train and subway systems can get you anywhere. There is barely any traffic on the streets. The sidewalks are so big and all the cement on the roads and sidewalks is so fresh and well kept. There are absolutely no cracks or potholes.
As far as activities, today we went to downtown Kyoto. It was awesome. We visited the covered mall. This place was HUGE with rows upon rows of all kinds of shopping. I also really enjoyed seeing the younger crowd of Japanese, teenagers and such. Fashion here is a priority. People really care and think about what they put on! For me, that is exciting! What is really interesting is there is not a specifically set, cool way to dress. Everyone has there own taste and fashion. There is such an abundance of fashion stores giving them so many options. If you go to a mall in the states there are only a few styles to choose from.
In the covered mall area there was also a marketplace. The marketplace was AWESOME. So busy! In any country I am in I always love going to the marketplace. There are so many sights and sounds and smells and it really gives you a feel for the culture. Seafood dominates the market. Everywhere you look there are fish, shrimp, squid, octopus and you can smell it too! It is all so fresh.
We walked around the marketplace and Kyoto for several hours then came back here. I am exhausted now. I finished editing some pictures and videos and I am going to upload them to Facebook and go to bed!!
Nara Deer and Buddhists Temples
It rained again but it was another great day! I am finally figuring out how the train system works! It is just confusing to me because I have never used public transportation before and here everything is in Japanese characters, but the location will flash up in English every once in a while!
Today we headed to Nara. Nara is historically the first capitol of Japan, but it was only the capital for a few months. Every time the emperor died they would change the capitol. The big get-up in Nara is that there are deer everywhere. They aren't afraid of people at all and they just roam freely. You can buy little cookie type things and feed them. I loved this and went around chasing and petting deer!
We visited a Buddhist temple area. There are lots of smaller ancient looking buildings then a HUGE temple. To get inside we climbed the stairs and passed by a huge urn of incense (the first stage of enlightenment). The temple was enormous and inside it was a gigantic bronze Buddha. It was overwhelming looking at it. Inside the temple were other enormous statues and various sacred elements. There were lots of schoolchildren on field trips there and some of them wanted to get pictures with us! It was very amusing!
After that we headed back to the station. Brenda, Taylor and I ran around the Kyoto station for about an hour in search of this Ice Cream place! The Kyoto station is humongous and it is so easy to get lost! We finally found a good ice cream place and it was delicious! It was also the hardest I have laughed the whole trip! I am going to get dinner in a little bit and we start meeting for class tomorrow.
Today we headed to Nara. Nara is historically the first capitol of Japan, but it was only the capital for a few months. Every time the emperor died they would change the capitol. The big get-up in Nara is that there are deer everywhere. They aren't afraid of people at all and they just roam freely. You can buy little cookie type things and feed them. I loved this and went around chasing and petting deer!
We visited a Buddhist temple area. There are lots of smaller ancient looking buildings then a HUGE temple. To get inside we climbed the stairs and passed by a huge urn of incense (the first stage of enlightenment). The temple was enormous and inside it was a gigantic bronze Buddha. It was overwhelming looking at it. Inside the temple were other enormous statues and various sacred elements. There were lots of schoolchildren on field trips there and some of them wanted to get pictures with us! It was very amusing!
After that we headed back to the station. Brenda, Taylor and I ran around the Kyoto station for about an hour in search of this Ice Cream place! The Kyoto station is humongous and it is so easy to get lost! We finally found a good ice cream place and it was delicious! It was also the hardest I have laughed the whole trip! I am going to get dinner in a little bit and we start meeting for class tomorrow.
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