First day in Japan,
23rd April 2011
I arrived at Nagoya airport on Saturday at 2 pm. Raining. Had 1 hour sleep in the past 24.
The young lad at customs obviously thought I was a bit suspect.
Everything came out on the counter. All my old underwear. He looked suspiciously at my packet of porridge. A box of those little sachets of UHT milk. Hmmm. Anyway, probably due to my easy manner, he let me go.
Picked up my rental phone at the JAL ABC counter. Friendly and helpful.
Slow train into Nagoya - 850 yen (40 mins.) Huge station in Nagoya. Reminded me of Liffey Valley shopping centre, only bigger.
Quick train (Nazomi bullet, reserved seat) to Kyoto - 6,500 yen (35 mins). Bit of a "so-what" experience.
Taxi to Gion district. Trouble finding the apartment. I should have read the instructions from the owner more carefully. Rain didn’t help. Nobody speaks english. Big trouble trying to open the apartment door, until I noticed the second lock, lower down.
Apartment fine. Love the heated loo.
Rang home with my new rental phone. 180 yen per minute. Rang H. in Kitakyushu.
Phew! I’ve made it.
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| Kyoto Controls |
Second day in Japan
24th April 2011
Didn't do a lot. Tired, and it did rain, with thunder.
Listened to Radio Eireann. The apartment had good wifi.
Familiarised myself with the showering arrangements.
Ventured out about 6 (pm) looking for the supermarket recommended by the apartment owner. Supermarket Happy Rokuhara.
Found the supermarket, but encouraged by my trailfinding skills, ventured further.
Down Gojo-dori. Marvelous long wide street full of shops, and shoppers.
Ate in First Kitchen, a McDonalds style fast food joint. I was attracted by a picture of a pasta dish with slices of aubergine in a tomato sauce. It came with chips and a cold drink. All it needed was a nice glass of sauvignon blanc. Not the best eating on your own in a restaurant, but enjoyable, nonetheless.
Checked out a few book stores for an abridged version of Ulysses. Someone must have produced one. Had to run home to the apartment. Didn't think I'd make it. Very relieved to see that heated loo.
Listened to Dublin v Cork in League Final. Dublin, great in the first half and inept in the second, lost by a point.
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| Gojo-dori |
Third day in Japan
25th April 2011
Headed off towards Kyoto Station about midday.
Rain forced me into a diner type place near the station, for lunch. These photos of dishes are a great idea. Just point, and say "Hi".
Took a while to find the ticket office in the station where I could exchange my voucher for a Japanese Rail Pass.
Took longer to find my way back out of the station, into the rain.
30 minutes to walk back to the apartment.
Changed out of my wet clothes and back out to the Happy Rokuhara supermarket, where my Berlitz Japanese phrase book came in handy. Went to bed early, as I was going to Hakone tomorrow. Set the alarm on my JAL ABC phone for 6:30am.
Jumped out of bed when the phone went off. Started making porridge, when I noticed it was only 11:30pm. Rang H.. Yes, he had rung me.
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| Hihashi-Honganji Temple, near Kyoto station |
Fourth day in Japan
26th April 2011
Down to Kyoto Station, clutching my new Rail Pass.
Rush hour. Like Croke Park on an All Ireland day.
With some assistance, I boarded the 8:29 shinkansen, Tokyo bound. Very comfortable.
It got sunnier the further north we travelled.
Arrived Odawara 10:45, where I purchased a "Free Pass" for Yen 3,900. It was a 2-day pass. They didn't do 1-day passes. But it was worth it anyway.
Before boarding a lovely old mountain train (Hakone-Tozan) bound for Gora, I encountered a lovely old railway official, who handed me a photo of Mt. Fuji, which he had taken himself. I was touched.
I alighted at Miyanoshita, had a look at the magnificent Fujiya Hotel, where I should have been staying.
On to Chokoku-no-mori, where I baulked at paying the 1,400 yen admission into the outdoor sculpture museum. However, I did look over the fence.
On to Gora, and the funicular up to Sounzan, where I took the cable car to Owakudani. Started to get dull.
The cable ride was unnerving, due to the high wind. White-knuckle stuff.
Relieved to get off at Owakudani, an eerie place, smelling of sulphur with steam rising from the ground, and bubbling pools. You could buy 4 eggs that had been boiled courtesy of volcanic action. I wouldn't have minded buying one, as I was hungry, but 4 is too much. I should have had lunch in the Fujiya Hotel. It's cool up here. Glad I had my pullover.
Back into the cable car, and down to Lake Ashi, where I boarded a Spanish Galleon heading for Hakone-Machi. Had my photo taken with the Captain (“That’ll be 1,000 yen, me hearty”).
It was quite overcast at this time, and dull, so I took a bus back to Odawara, and headed back to Kyoto, and a bento box.
I would have liked to have spent longer in Hakone.
Definitely, the best of my days in Japan, so far.
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| The eerie egg boiler |
Fifth day in Japan
27th April 2011
Rain, and lots of it.
Discovered that there was a renowned Temple (Kiyomizu) a short walk away from the apartment. A lovely sight, but got rained upon going up, and more coming down.
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| Kiyomizu Temple |
Sixth day in Japan
28th April, Thursday
When the rain stopped, I headed up to Shijo-Dori. Had that nice pasta dish in my favorite First Kitchen, this time with a glass of wine. Staggered out with my pre-booked invitation to the Imperial Palace. My booking was for 2pm, and I knew I wouldn't make it under my own steam. Took a lace-lined taxi, showing the taxi driver my invitation, and made it with minutes to spare.
An outdoor tour, and very interesting, despite the rain. The guide, a gentle Japanese lady, spoke perfect English, and offered me, and any other unprepared tourist, an umbrella each.
Back to Kyoto Station, with 2 hours to kill before the arrival of H. at 6.30 pm, from Kitakyushu.
Great to see him.
My days wandering about alone aimlessly, and looking in through restaurant windows, not willing to enter and risk making a fool of myself, were over. From now on, we both would wander about aimlessly, with no restaurant forbidding enough to prevent us entering and making fools of ourselves. With lots of walking in between.
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| Imperial Palace |
Seventh day in Japan
29th April, Friday
Up early, as H. had this schedule drawn up, with some serious Temple/Shrine viewing.
Sanjúsangen-dó.
Fushimi-Inari Taisha.
Lunch (Udon - noodles) in Honke Owariya.
Kinkakuji (Golden Pavilion), the subject of Yukio Mishima's book, “The Temple of the Golden Pavilion”
Traipse around lovely Gion district.
Dinner on the 8th floor of a department store on Shijo-Dori. One of those places where you order raw meat, and cook it yourself on a huge gas brazier set into the table. Delicious.
“You've got to try this!” Raw horsemeat. Tasted a bit like smoked salmon.
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| The Golden Pavilion |
Eighth day in Japan
30-Apr-2011, Saturday
Taxi to Kyoto Station
Train to Hiroshima Station
Tube to Yokogawa Station
Hotel (Peace) just across the road, where they held our luggage.
Met R. (H's girlfriend) and friend. Had Okonomiyaki (Japanese style omelette/pizza, with noodles sandwiched between – lovely!). The girls headed back to Fukuoka.
Peace Hotel fine. Room with 3 beds, bath and heated loo. Bit of a balcony out front. I could have done with the balcony last week in Kyoto.
No meals, not even breakfast. Not a real problem, however, as there are sufficient eateries nearby.
Tram terminal just outside Yokogawa station. You entered from the rear and put in your yen (120) as you left at the front.
Impressed with the A-Bomb Dome, the bomb exploded almost directly above this building, and has been left as it was as an eternal reminder of the event.
A video showing drawings, splattered with red, and pitiful accounts, by child survivors, is chilling.
Purchased 2 brollies in a convenience store.
Great to be able to leave your brolly in the foyer of the hotel and know that it will still be there in the morning.
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| Hiroshima |
Ninth day in Japan
1-May-2011, Sunday
One of our brollies is missing. Had to borrow someone else's.
Breakfast (sandwich and coffee) in café nearby.
Tram to Ferryport.
Boat across to Miyajima.
Iconic vermillion floating torii standing in the bay in front of the Itsukushima shrine.
Great buzz about the place. Young de-horned deer walking about looking for food.
Senjokaku hall. Very impressive gigantic empty wooden hall.
Cable car ride (this one is not so hairy) up to Mt. Misen, from which there is a great view of the bay.
Oysters on way back to the boat.
Walked from port to Horoshima Castle, which was worth a look.
Yakitori (fried food on skewers)
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| Miyajima |
Tenth day in Japan
2-May-2011, Monday
Train to Kokura, Kitakyushu, and on to Tobata.
H's apartment.
Uninspiring outside, but pretty good inside.
Fukuoka Castle and museum.
Taiko practice. Earsplitting, but fantastic. Very friendly hospitable lot.
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=PviIJRKk-XE
More Yakitori, and beer, in a nearby “pub” with some of the Gaijins (foreigners) from the Taiko troupe.
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| Taiko practice |
Eleventh day in Japan
3-May-2011, Tuesday
Back to Fukuoka, meeting up with R. on way.
Lunch in a vegetarian burger place (Mana Burger).
The Yahoo Dome, home of the Fukuoka Hawks (baseball). Like nothing I've ever seen. A huge indoor arena.
Bought myself the jersey of the visiting team. Didn't try it on, as a “large” size should fit. It doesn't. Great spectacle. With beer. The Hawks won easily.
Fukuoka is a grand comfortable city.
Dinner (Udon – Noodles) on a bench by the river.
R. headed off to meet some friends.
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| Yahoo.com Stadium in Fukuoka |
Twelfth day in Japan
4-May-2011, Wednesday
Train to Nagasaki.
The Hamilton Hotel. Fine hotel.
Hotel near tram stop Shianbashi.
The Nagasaki Peace Park commemorating the atomic bombing of Nagasaki, which destroyed wide parts of the city and killed tens of thousands of inhabitants.
Lovely Indian meal, with the smallest glass of wine that I've ever been offered.
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| Nagasaki Park statue |
Thirteenth day in Japan
5-May-2011, Thursday
Coffee and sandwich, and a banana, for breakfast in the hotel (free).
Boat over to Gunkanjima (Battleship Island), a small island off Nagasaki. Until 1974, the island had a coal mine, and more than 5000 residents, with the highest population density in history. Interesting, but might have been more so if there was a tour in English.
Back for lovely pizzas.
Walked to Glover Garden, which is an open-air museum with mansions of former Western residents of Nagasaki. Beautiful gardens, and great view of the city.
H. met up with R. and friends for a meal in Chinatown.
I sneaked off, to look at some of the string of temples nearby, and back to the hotel for a shower.
Took tram to Takaramachi station (met H. on route) where we walked to the ropeway (cablecar) station, and ascended Mount Inasa, for a great view of the lights down in Nagasaki.
Disappointing meal in an upstairs Italian restaurant, empty save for H & I, a pleasant waitress, and a chef with a bad cough.
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| Glover Gardens.Nagasaki |
Fourteenth day in Japan
6-May-2011, Friday
Train back to Kokura, Kitakyushu.
Shopping.
Sushi in a real sushi-bar. Lovely.
Shaky courtesy bus out to an Onsen in the countryside, where, after scrubbing myself clean, I got to lie naked in hot (not just warm) water, indoors and outdoors.
I lasted only 3 minutes in the sauna.
Massage chair that plummeted your back, grabbed you by the ankles and tried to pull your feet off. Brilliant!
Back home for some delicious vegetable soup made by H.
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| Sushi bar |
Fifteenth day in Japan
7-May-2011, Saturday
Packed.
Posted my postcards.
Taxi to Tobata station.
Bagel lunch with H. in the station
Off 12:40 , solo, for home, with butterflies.
4 trains (and 5 hours) later, I arrived at Nagoya airport.
Surrendered my Japanese phone. Paid 11,100 yen.
Waited for the Ethiad check-in desk to open. The first to be dealt with. Great!
I handed over my printout of the confirmation from Ethiad to a nice Japanese girl on the check-in desk. “Is this all you have?” she said. After a bit of consultation with her supervisor on the phone, she asked to see the receipt for €157 that Ethiad had given in Dublin for the balance of the fare, paid at Dublin airport, as they had no record of it. Either that or to see the credit card or a photocopy of the credit card which was used to pay the deposit. I knew that I had the receipt but, going through everything in my case, in front of the world, couldn't find it. I thought that A's credit card had been used, but the girl checked against mine, just in case, without success. I offered to pay the €157 again, but that was not acceptable. I did a second thorough search through my suitcase. She then said that they would accept it if I could provide the number of A's credit card. She brought me over to a public phone, from which I tried to ring A. (home and mobile), but couldn't get through. Unfortunately, I had handed in my rental phone. Things felt quite desperate. I wouldn't get on the plane home. I would have to book into a hotel and either get a copy of A's credit card, or book a flight home via another carrier.
Anyway, on my fifth fine comb through the case, I found the receipt. My own credit card had been used.
I returned to the desk, and raged at the Ethiad representative. She talked. I fumed. She “gave” me a pass to the priority lounge, which I took but had no intention of using.
When I reached Emigration, there was a problem with my entry visa, which "had expired". I was led away by a taciturn officer and had to sit outside an office while they did some work on my passport. Nothing was explained. After about 10 minutes, imagining the worst, I was handed back my passport and "allowed" to proceed.
Had to strip to the waist in the washroom and wash the sweat away. Luckily, I’d put a clean shirt in my knapsack.
Definitely my worst day in Japan.
Japan to Home
8-May-2011, Sunday
Nagoya to Beijing. 3 hours. Plane empty
2 1/2 hours parked on Beijing airstrip.
Plane packs up. Lots of sneezing and coughing.
Dour American man next to me.
Beijing to Abu Dhabi. 8 hours.
Changed at Abu Dhabi.
Chaos at security. Just like at Delhi airport.
Spirit lifted at familiar accents.
Nice old Australian lady next to me.
7 hours to Dublin.
Great to see A.
