Blog

Way back in the searing heat of The Philippines with the thermometer north of 40 degrees for the whole of South East Asia, we made the decision to get over to the cooler climate of Japan sooner than planned. Concerned about the budget adjustments of swapping the very affordable SEA to what we thought would be an expensive Japan, we came to the conclusion we should WWOOF. Essentially this involves working on organic farms in exchange for bed and board. Our quick research and lack of other responses landed us on the island of Hokkaido, separate from the mainland, it looked like an interesting place we would never have visited otherwise. So without further ado here is a brief summary of our two weeks spent at Ritz Garden Niji Guesthouse (not farm!).

Arriving

• Landing in a remote and sparsely populated island we jump on a bus from the airport. Not entirely sure we’re going the right way, even the bus driver seems confused by our presence here.
• We then switch to a tiny and kawaii (cute) one carriage train from Biei to Bibaushi
• As we wait for a lift from our host Gojo-San we practice how to introduce ourselves and say nice to meet you in Japanese
• A lady comes speeding across the empty car park, “I hope that’s not her” says Alex. Of course it is…
• We barely have time to say hello as we’re ushered into the car, no time to waste on friendly greetings
• Not a word is spoken during the short journey to her guesthouse. We try a couple of the few Japanese words we know but it doesn’t seem to register
• As we screech to a halt next to a converted barn, Gojo-San beckons over Victor who is also woofing here and speaks Japanese much better than we do. He is French but has great English so acts as a translator.
• We’re shown to our “room”, the main house is full of other woofers so we’re given an empty room with just a couple of futons, no WiFi and a few jumping cricket spiders for company. This is not quite what we had in mind but we have to grin and bear it.

Our fellow comrades

• Victor who I mentioned earlier: translator, sous chef, political correspondent, film buff and most of all a top bloke
• Costanza from Italy: full of energy, loved playing with Niji the cat, amazing chef who created magic from any ingredients she could find and adventurous hiker
• Kris from Singapore: really kind and sweet, acted more like a host and made us feel welcome and safe when we were wondering what the hell we’d got ourselves into!
• Nino from Germany: Intellectual and curious beyond his years, creative baker and Gojo-San’s favourite. Kept morale high when others dipped
• George from the Netherlands: Football pundit, food critic, fellow lover of toast and a foot-ski extraordinaire. Always finding hilarity in the ridiculous situation.
• Olivia from Indonesia: Cooked a wonderful dinner during the peasants revolt. A really lovely soul who had time for everyone and was happy to get involved in anything
• Ellie from America: Joined us towards the end, amazing energy and a go with the flow attitude.

Random events

• The majority of our ‘work’ involved painting five wooden guesthouses next to the “Baku” barn we slept in. The paint provided was really thin and watery so it took at least 3 coats to see much difference. Still this kept us busy and we enjoyed working outside for the most part.
• Our other main outdoor task was weeding. Great for a few hours of listening to a podcast but your back really starts to feel it in the afternoon.
• Leaving Alex to go talk to Kris and find her ‘talking’ to Gojo-San’s granddaughter in Japanese
• Niji the cat being spun around, aka “flying cat”
• Epic breakfasts, huge spreads of pancakes, porridge, fruits, spreads and of course, everyone’s favourite peanut butter
• Day out with Gojo-San and her granddaughter (not the cat spinner) seeing the Blue Lake, Volcano museum, Photography museum, ice cream stop and various viewpoints
• Visiting the man-made onsen baths, what a beautiful place to relax after the madness of wwoofing
• Natural onsen which we may or may not have meant to use
• Cycling into town on the electric bikes to get supplies and escape the chaos for a bit
• Walks in the nearby flower field
• Alex nominating me for some web development work while she was outside weeding in the rain
• Volcano hike on our one day off in fourteen days
• Gojo-San driving like a getaway driver. I think it’s because her eyesight was poor or she enjoyed torturing wwoofers
• Watching movies in the evening. Captain Fantastic, Akira, No Country for Old Men
• Waking up excited for the promised onsen but then being told we need to clean the house first
• Being told off with Google translate many times, “I’ve told you many times” despite never hearing the rule ever before
• “GIVE ME MY HAT” says the translate app during a confusing and hilarious exchange
• “You’re not a captive here Nino”
• A beautiful Hokkaido shaped cookie
• Melting the plastic pot in the oven during baking
• Confusing a tub of PVC glue for BBQ lighter fluid
• Using what looked like a flamethrower to light a log fire or BBQ
• Guests being entertained by the presence of wwoofers
• Gojo-San’s family telling us we looked old but also applauding our eye colours
• Gojo-San somehow renewing her driving license the day after driving 160km/h on rollercoaster road with 8 people without seatbelts on
• Gojo-San spending most of the day in her excavator machine landscaping the soil
• Her grand plans for pizza oven. With no expertise, why can’t you just build a pizza oven?
• Dreams of one day owning a (or making her own?) helicopter car
• The builder saying ladies should only carry one plank of wood but we have strong European ladies
• Demolishing an old shed and finding a nest of cricket spiders horrors
• Levelling the gravel for the new shed for it to be immediately covered by a new pile of gravel. Time to start over
• Confusing messages making us think we had to build a giant Gazebo but Gojo only wanted to see the dimensions on the box
• Costanza and Gojo practice their bouldering in the onsen
• Visiting an art gallery featuring stunning photos of paths/roads into the distance, and acoustic guitar songs to support an appreciation of nature. The two artists eventually met and created this symbiotic gallery.
• The ice cream around the area is devine and we ate a lot of it, this area is known for its dairy and this is true dairy ice-cream
• Tasting bear and venison stew. It didn’t taste particularly unique, just like any other game meat really

Pictures from the mountains of madness

Summary of the experience

James – I’m glad we did it, in some small way we’ve given something back during our travels. It’s probably not quite the experience we had in mind but we met some wonderful people and saw amazing sights. Even if the work is not what we wanted and we didn’t really learn any new skills, it was another small chapter in our big book of travels.

Alex – this experience was a mental, emotional and physical struggle for me, but as with all things challenging, I learnt a lot from it. Nothing about organic farming mind! I learnt I’ve grown a lot from my younger self, being more motivated, responsible and driven than I probably would have been in my younger years in the same situation. I learnt I like having a task to just get on with, even if it means weeding in the rain, rather than being constantly pulled from job to job. I’ve learnt how much I enjoyed just being outdoors all day, every day. Being with the elements, good and bad, looking after the plants, seeing it change each day, I loved it, and consequently, I missed my dad being around wishing I could talk to him about this experience. I learnt grief can still knock you off your feet no matter how many years you carry it. I learnt, once more, that you can do anything you set your mind to (especially if you have some willing WWOOFers (although maybe not build a pizza oven)). I don’t miss the chaos, or lack of ownership of my days, but I miss the flowers, the nature, being around such wonderful people (who I only wish I’d had more energy (and language skills) to get to know better), and of course, Niji 😺

*******************

Adventure – The whole experience really, cycling into town, visiting the local sights, hiking on our day off, trips to the wonderful onsen

Excitement – beautiful views from all around Hokkaido, a warm bath after a hard day’s work, finding out which new flowers had bloomed almost each day, ice cream sandwiches and many other dairy based treats

Trauma – Cricket spiders, no idea what the next day would bring, not being able to sleep on futons (Alex)

We arrive to Tokyo, our last tourist stop in Japan, thoroughly exhausted but satisfied. The last two weeks have been a whistle-stop tour of this beautiful country, which has taken a toll on our travelling battery levels, but we’re glad we’ve done it this way. Which is why, when we make it to Tokyo, we decide to stay in one place, and take it easy. Our first night isn’t spent wandering the bright streets, eating and drinking everything, but having a night in with snacks and an early night. Bliss.

We enjoy our first lazy morning in a long time, and it’s Guide Collins on duty this week (with some help from Lewis and Karl, thanks guys!) who directs us to Yoyogi Park. An immense woodland in the middle of this sprawling city. I didn’t think there were any parks in Tokyo so it’s a lovely surprise for me. Unfortunately, you can’t run here as it’s a sacred space, so you have to take it slow and appreciate the calmness of this area.

After the peace and tranquility of the park, it’s time for its polar opposite, Takeshita Street. A little rat run full of subversive fashions, capsule shops, souvenir shops and street eats. This used to be where young fashion-forward brands would use young people as models to show off their styles. A place renowned for its fashion, a bit like Camden and its punks, seems to have gone the same way… full of tourists, a shadowy gimic of the place it used to be, the locals having found somewhere else. We’re hardly the most fashion-forward, so it’s a bit of fun for us to enjoy exploring the tourist-geared shops… And try some of the bizarre street food!

Next up, we’re off to see the famous, giant, scramble pedestrian crossing I’m Shibuya. Apparently 2800 people can cross here at once.

Already pretty bushed, we head home for some more R&R. We find a store that sells fresh fruit and veg, even potatoes! And enjoy a rare home-cooked meal. It actually costs more to make your own food here, but it’s a nice little break from the ready meals and takeout. This country also has a whole thing with baths, so even in the tiniest apartments there is a bath, and we thoroughly enjoy another lazy night in.

A Game Of Two Halves

Our first stop today is Samurai Restaurant Time, which has replaced the tourist-favourite Robot Restaurant. James is given trousers to wear over his shorts, and we’re both given kimonos, that they call “happy shirts” to wear. It’s nice having James have to adhere to a dress code for once, although I have no idea why! As we sit down to our tables, two glowsticks are handed to us, and it’s time to learn the Japanese art of glowstick appreciation. The only way I can describe the next couple of hours is absolutely bonkers, not least because the first warm-up act we see is basically a burlesque show which we aren’t allowed to take photos of. I wonder if I’ve made a massive mistake of what I’ve booked us in for. Once the show actually starts however, the stage is full of kitsch, over-the-top, colourful, outlandish outfits, sets and floats, loosely depicting the samurai era it has in the title. I bet the samurai would be proud to be represented in all this spangly glory! I’ll let the images do the rest of the speaking…

I could go on, but I think you get the idea! We also get to enjoy some sake, and tea for free. A slightly different tea experience to that in Kyoto!

Next up is a baseball game. Nathan and Lisa on the Ha Giang Loop recommended we go to one, as baseball is Japan’s biggest sport. We’re looking forward to seeing this respectful and gracious people go wild for sports. We also seem to have accidentally gotten a pretty decent view.

Knowing absolutely nothing about baseball, other than its similarity to rounders, we spend most of the first nine innings trying to figure out what all the things on the scoreboard mean. It’s certainly entertaining, and you realise just how hard it is to hit a home run. Most of the time, if a batter does actually hit the ball into the sky, they just get caught out by the fielders with their huge gloves catching the balls with ease. Otherwise there is a lot of strikes out, balls being hit behind the pitch and getting a retake, and where the batter intentionally hits the ball to ground to sacrifice themselves so their teammates can get around one more base. It’s actually pretty tactical it seems.

The other special part of the game are the beer girls, who run around the crowds with kegs on their backs, pouring out beer for waving punters. They probably do more work than anyone on the pitch tonight.

Beyond deciphering what’s happening, the most entertaining parts of this experience are the fans. Each player has their own song, so as they come up to bat, the fans start their specific chant. The fans of the bowling side remain respectfully silent. Not a single boo to drown them out. We’re sitting in the home-ground side of the Swallows, with our opponents, the Chiba Mariners, directly opposite. They are a co-ordinated force! The sound from the other side of the pitch is actually deafening at points. They jump and wave and sing and clap as one giant block. They do this, non-stop, whilst their players are up to bat. It looks amazing from our side, and exhausting. We’re glad we accidentally didn’t book in that section!

Our fans, by contrast, seem pretty lacklustre. The songs take their time to build up, and many just copy the other but with a different name in place. The Venezuelan and Dominican Republic batters get tunes with Latin twists. There are little plastic baseball bats that fans use to ‘clap’, and they use these as accompaniment, or to do specific waving movements. The absolute best part of the display though, is when a run is finally scored, and suddenly everyone puts up their shiny, tiny, toy umbrellas, and bops them up and down, creating a shimmering sea of light.

Sadly, we only see this happen three times. Three! It’s surely a tense game, but it is loooooooong. Four hours by the end of it. The Mariners fans…? Still jumping up and down like it was the first five minutes. The game ends on a draw of three runs each after four hours and 12 innings. I don’t think we’ll be turning into baseball fans any time soon.

Borderless, Tokyo Tower and Back to a Walking Tour

Today we’re going to the TeamLabs: Borderless exhibition. A big visual art exhibition, featuring huge wall-to-wall projections, and clever uses of lighting and mirrors.

We quickly pop over to the Tokyo Tower to get a look at what was once the tallest Tower in the Japan.

Then it’s time for our first walking tour in Japan. It’s surely a very different experience to in other countries. Our guide doesn’t offer much information unless asked, more leading us to different areas of shinjuku and pointing out bits to notice, and answering our questions in between. He’s very knowledgeable, so we’re unsure if this is a cultural aspect or a just-him aspect, to not fill our heads with facts and figures about the area without it needing to be pried from him.

First stop is a tiny, quaint alley way that was apparently the only space here not controlled by the mafia. There are tiny little eateries all down it, vying for business. Apparently the mafia ended most of its rule here when the economic crash happened thirty years ago, I forget why.

We then walk over to the government building that has a free to access, 360°, top-floor view of Tokyo. It’s incredible to see the sprawling city, high-rise towers, and huge park, all for free no less. Apparently you can see Mount Fuji on a clear day. We’re not so lucky, but we can see where Lost In Translation was filmed.

This whole area was apparently originally a water treatment plant, but has all been redeveloped now. Just as in many parts of London, much of Tokyo was flattened due to air raid bombings. This gave them the chance to rebuild and redevelop. Much of the buildings here are apparently decades old, but you wouldn’t be able to tell at all, many look modern and stylish. There’s even one that looks like the Atari logo for any older nerds out there.

As we head back to the main part of Shinjuku, we stop at a shrine and ring a bell for a blessing. He tells us a bit about Shinto being a way of life, rather than a religion, and how the hydrangea flower symbolises Spring rainy season. It reminds me of home 🙂

Next up we head back to Shinjuku proper. Our guide reassures us that this isn’t the red light district, no no no, after all, look at all the children and prams being pushed around. He’s not lying, there are kids being pushed around in prams down streets with brothels and massage parlors next to restaurants and arcade stores. Just because the (illegal) sex trade houses itself next to PG-rated vendors and eateries doesn’t necessarily make this somewhere I’d want to bring a child… but what do I know. This is Japan after all.

We’re told about the latest development in Japan of superstar hosts. ‘Famous’ women and men from social media and even shows like X-Factor (or similar) have found a way to make money by creating their own themed ‘host cafes’. What were typically cafes or bars where you would pay for some company of a woman dressed in a slutty maid outfit, is now a bit of a Theme Park it seems. They create cafes or bars based on their brand. You can even ‘level-up’ your host with accessories or outfits based on how much you spend on them. Gaming becomes real life. Our guide is very matter-of-fact about the sex-trade aspect to many of these bars, there’s even a whole corner of a building where you can go to find your ideal host. Women stand on the pavements in huge black robes, with just their tiny legs and killer heels visible, hinting at the true nature of what they’re selling underneath. But people do go to these places just for company, it’s not all quickies out back we’re told. Our Portuguese tour companion is most confused why anyone would pay someone to spend time with them, without a happy ending. He seems completely lost to the concept of loneliness and the inate need for companionship for all humans, something Japan is now sadly quite well known to be lacking, hence the rise of these companionship bars.

We have a bit of a tour around the Golden Gai district, an area that used to be brothels, but is now tiny, tiny bars.

Our final stop is another shrine to go and get a blessing from a giant, wooden penis, to give us that “big dick energy”. Our guide says these things with the straightest of faces that we really haven’t been able to tell at all if he’s taking all this incredibly seriously or loves a bit of banter with the Westerners. To be fair, Japan has a whole penis festival. That weird juxtaposition of uptight vs openly celebrating penises, only in Japan.

We say goodbye to our awkward guide and tour companion, and decide to give sushi another go. This time, we stick to stuff we know and successfully avoid the urchin (although some eel makes its way onto our plates somehow).

Furiosa

Not much to say for today, other than we went to an arcade, got amazed by some people’s immense abilities on games, played some weird Japanese metal on the equivalent of Guitar Hero, watched Furiosa at the cinema (it’s such a nice break to go to the movies!), and went to see the free light show on the aforementioned government building (the biggest free one in the world?).

Run, Walk and Eat, Eat, Eat

Our final day in Tokyo is spent finally ticking off a priority task… Parkrun! We had tried to fit another one in everywhere we could but it just wasn’t happening, so there was no way we were missing this one, not even with an 8am start. We make our way there and quickly get talking to the other many foreigners who are as bonkers as we are. We are given the pre-run briefing entirely in Japanese. Thankfully they also have a map. I can’t imagine doing Highbury Fields without understanding how many laps you have to do of it! We line up, and we’re off. James speeds off, and I… dodge the start-line marshal by sliding into the mud, covering my whole left side. I quickly do the maths in my head of whether I have time to quickly clean myself off, but James has dared me to get sub-30, and I’m certain that’ll be impossible in my current state of fitness with a wash break. So I run the full 5k covered in mud, as the marshalls film my muddy hand waving back. On the plus side, I see a beautiful fluffy cat standing gracefully at the side, as a woman tries to introduce her terrified dog to it. And the course is really quite beautiful, flat, and paved (except of course for the muddy side spot I decided to clean up with my trainers). James smashes it like he’s not had months off running, and I beat the 30 minute target. Mud washed off, we head back home to get properly cleaned up.

Our next mission today is to go to a Ghibli store. There’s one an hour’s walk away, so we decide to get all our steps in today and walk the round trip. Broken up with lunch at an okonomiyaki place, the noodles cooked on a big metal plate. It’s still a winner.

Our last outing for the day takes us to Golden Gai, a district of teeny tiny bars. Some are themed, others are just bars. They are so small and old they circumvent the smoking laws. Only about 3-5 people can sit or stand in any of these places at any one time. James has earmarked a metal bar for us, but it’s jam packed, no-one looks keen to leave. We try out a few others, but like Goldilocks, they are either too full, too smokey, or too loud. Eventually, we manage to find one that is just right, enjoying a pint where we can talk to one another and not inhale lung cancer whilst doing so. We’ve missed this life a bit.

Our final meal is having Japanese bbq, where a grill is setup in front of us, and we cook up a storm.

And that’s our time in Tokyo. We sure didn’t live it up or large or crazy like maybe most tourists do, but we did enjoy ourselves nevertheless, cooking, watching films, lying in, doing parkrun, living a bit of a normal life. Who knows what our next two weeks will bring with WWOOFing?!

*******************

Adventure – exploring different districts of Tokyo, from below with parkrun, to above at the top tower

Excitement – seeing beams of light curve and getting lost in TeamLab, the absolute bonkers ‘Samurai’ show

Trauma – getting lost in Shinjuku Station all but one time

Arriving at the bus stop in Hirayu after some excellent travel planning by Alex (three buses and an equal amount of Supermarket visits along the way), the first thing we notice is a public footbath for tired walkers to bathe their feet. They really have thought of everything in this country! We check in to our traditional accommodation with classic Japanese style rooms and of course only futons for beds and giant sack pyjamas.

We decide to stretch our legs and take a short walk to a nearby waterfall. I’m slightly alarmed by the amount of signage warning of bear activity in the area, plus the lack of other tourists we could use as bait and outrun back to safety. Pushing bravely ahead, we pass a tired, rusted ski lift which we assume is still used in winter for the snow sports. Another 10 minutes up the road and we’re at the waterfall. According to Alex it’s one of the “Top 10 waterfalls of Japan” and it’s easy to see why…

Returning to town, we take advantage of one of the hotel’s facilities, the indoor onsen. For those who don’t know, an onsen is essentially a natural hot bath whose heat comes from the nearby volcanoes. Sometimes they are public and are shared between many, others are available for private use. This one is the latter and Alex and I gently lower ourselves into the incredibly hot water. It’s a little on the uncomfortably hot side and we both turn a concerning shade of pink after a short soak!

For dinner we head to one of the very few restaurants in town and are surprised to see the whole operation is ran by one person. There are approximately twelve people sat in his restaurant and he prepares, cooks, cleans, takes payment and serves food and drink to all of us. The menu is relatively simple but we enjoy some tasty ramen and sides and agree we will come back here tomorrow to sample some of the other dishes.

Lakes and Ladders

Today we will attempt to reach the summit of the local volcano Yakedake. It’s not entirely clear from reading various blogs how long this out and back should take but we figure we’ll give it a go anyway. The bus drops us by the beautiful and incredibly clear pond at the foot of the mountains. From here we loop around and cross the water to start the hike proper. As usual there are various signs warning us about bears and most of the locals are dingling bear bells as they hike. We are not convinced a gentle ring of a bell will do anything to deter an angry bear but the sound makes a pleasant backdrop to our ascent.

Japan takes hiking seriously and there are many people wearing impressive kit, some even wear helmets or crampons, in comparison we feel slightly unprepared. After around an hour we reach our first ladder, we’d read about this on a blog so we were not surprised by its presence, but the condition it’s in is quite shocking. Several rungs have split and are now only held together by duct tape, trying to steady myself with the rope nearly ends in disaster as the pole it’s attached to comes out of the ground with the slightest strain. Further ahead there is an entire graveyard of discarded ladders, we wonder how this came to be and if anyone was on them when they fell apart.

Eventually we reach a section of snow that has not yet melted and a nearby shelter. After a bit of confusion and bumping into some other Western hikers, we find ourselves back on the path to reach the volcanic summit. We’ve been going for a few hours at this point and as we reach an opening we realize it’s going to be a difficult and steep hike if we want to reach the top. For once we decide against finishing the hike and instead opt to enjoy the views and have a leisurely lunch. No need to over exert ourselves on every walk.

Returning to the crowds of tourists at the bottom of the mountains, we enjoy a well deserved soft serve ice cream and the stunning landscape around us.

In the evening we revisit the ramen restaurant from last night and explore some new items on the menu.

Back at the hotel, we try the outdoor onsen under the starry night sky. The air is biting cold but the steaming hot water keeps us warm as we attempt to spot constellations and silhouettes of mountains.

There is another football match happening and it’s a must watch, even with an 11pm kick-off Japan time. The FA Cup final. I can recall where I’ve been to watch the progress to the final, Nicaragua for Newport, Philippines for Liverpool and Vietnam for Coventry. Here we are against Man City in the final and I have to keep my cheering quiet to avoid waking Alex and the other hotel guests as we hang on to win 2-1. The celebrations finish around 1.30am, worth staying up for and then some.

The Bare Necessities

Today we will take the bus back to the mountains but walk a simpler, flatter hike alongside the river at a gentle pace. As we set off we spot a sign denoting a recent bear sighting, 4 days ago. As we progress along the path we spot several similar signs with the bear sightings getting closer and closer, even up to one being spotted this very morning! Rest assured dear reader we do not see any bears but we do see many, many snow monkeys! They’re very tame and are hardly bothered by our presence as we observe and take pictures of them all going about their business.

We walk a pleasant out and back with a quick stop for lunch in the sunshine and of course an ice cream reward when we’re back at the start.

With some more of Alex’s excellent travel planning we take a bus and then a train through the mountains to arrive in Matsumoto. From here we are picked up by one of the hosts of the Ryokan accomodation we’re staying in for the night. I had never really heard of a Ryokan before but Alex explained they are the peak of traditional Japanese hospitality. Usually providing futons, onsen baths and in this case, a 14 course Michelin star quality meal, sign me up! They’re on the much pricier end of the scale of course, so it’s only thanks to the generosity of Ben and Emma that we were able to treat ourselves to such an experience, thank you both!

We don’t have long before dinner but I want to try one of the several onsen baths available. This one is for men only and I think I just about get away with following the proper ettiquette… Even if in my haste I have forgot to bring a towel!

I desperately try and cool down from the boiling hot baths before dinner, opening all of the windows in a vain attempt to stop the sweating. Luckily, all we have to wear for dinner is a kimono and some underwear for modesty.

Dinner is an absolute feast, course after course of wonderful food arrives while we’re still eating or cooking the previous dish. Highlights include horse sashimi, unbelievably good Kobe/Wagyu style beef and crispy tempura.

We wobble back to our room and before bed it’s time for another soak. This time in the private onsen that can be reserved. It’s barely bigger than a large bath tub but it’s nice to unwind with Alex and reflect on a couple of amazing days.

Onwards

With a monstrous absolute feast for breakfast (buffet style this time), we’re dropped back at the bus stop and head to our final destination on the main island, Tokyo.

*******************

Adventure – Epic hikes surrounded by stunning scenes. Eating all sorts of wonderful food. Melting in the hot onsen baths.

Excitement – Meeting monkeys along the trail. The Ryokan experience. Beating Man City.

Trauma – Dodgy ladders. Worries about being bear food.

Nagoya, the third most populous metropolitan city in Japan, boasting the Toyota Museum as the star tourist attraction, is not exactly on many itineraries. But it is on ours. Entirely for one thing, the newly opened Ghibli Park, that is, for whatever reason, on the outskirts of this very modern city. It is very much a Park, rather than a Theme Park, with wildly mixed reviews, and as we weren’t lucky enough to get the all-access tickets (that are as difficult to get as Glastonbury tickets), I’m a bit nervous what we’ll actually get to see. But, it is something I’ve been wanting to come to since they hinted at its opening in 2020, we’ve got to see it for ourselves, even if it’s only a bit of it.

We’re staying in a cheap hotel that looks like it hasn’t been remodelled since the 80s, in a “single” room. Budget needs must. Once more we enjoy the anonymity and laissez-faire attitude of the locals who couldn’t care less that we’re foreign and talk at us in Japanese like we should know what they’re saying. Our first meal is trying some miso-katsu, apparently traditional to the area.

🎶Totoro, to-to-ro🎶

We make our way to Ghibli park early, and are surprised at how open everything is when we arrive. No huge queues to entrance gates. We walk towards and through a park built for an expo in 2005. There aren’t any rides with long lines, or people dressed in giant outfits, and the park is still open and free for people to wander around. As we speed on up to where we think Totoro is, no-one has checked our tickets, and we wonder what it is we actually paid for. Also, why is no-one else rushing with us to get to Totoro?! Compared to the chaotic stampede of Nintendo fans at Universal Studios, we really start to wonder if we’ve gotten this all wrong. We quick-march our way through the winding paths of the forest, trying to decipher the signs to get us to Dondoko Forest, the area that Totoro is found in.

Eventually, someone who works here appears with a sign in Japanese. In our best Japanese, gasping and sweating we say… “Totoro?”. We’re clearly fluent now, he understands, and points us up the path. Our tickets are now scanned, phew. Before long, the best forest spirit ever appears before us. Sadly, I have to be 12 or under to go inside. Gutted!

A million photos later, we realise it’s only 10:05, and we’ve ticked off the main attraction! Time to relax. We explore some of the little walkways around Totoro, take the funicular back up, take some more photos, and then wave Totoro goodbye.

The Grand Warehouse

We take a significantly more relaxed route back through the parks to The Grand Warehouse, where we have timed entry for 11am. There’s a lake and garden all beautifully maintained. This is all just part of the expo park, and such a wonderful place that’s accessible for free. We finally figure out that, essentially, Ghibli Studios have ‘carved’ out sections of the expo site to plonk in various ‘biomes’ to immerse its fans in the different worlds it has created over the years. So, you can either just wander around the beautiful grounds for free, or pay to get the Ghibli experience. Each section also has its own specialised store selling merchandise speicifc to that section. Within these Ghibli sections, are structures/sets that you get to go inside if you have the ‘premium’ all-access pass, which we don’t have. Still, seeing Totoro in the woods made me very happy indeed.

It’s time for the Grand Warehouse. Imagine Harry Potter Studios, but for Ghibli, and quite a lot smaller. Inside is a little movie theatre, a kids play-area (again, no childless adults allowed), little stores, contained set-creations, and some photo-opportunities. It’s like being immersed in Ghibli. It’s glorious.

Inside the Grand Warehouse is also the exhibition hall, where there are even more ample photo opportunities that you can be in yourself, recreating certain scenes. There’s also a ‘museum’ of models of all the food featured in their films, showing the animation hand-drawn-sketches alongside for all the foodie scenes! We skip the long and never-moving line for No-Face, and enjoy the rest instead:

Valley of the Witches

We now have a few hours left to hit the other outside sections, and start with the latest addition to the park, the Valley of the Witches. Designed around a British countryside village a la Earwig and the Witch, we’re frustratingly welcomed by a restaurant selling British pies! If only we hadn’t just eaten! The rest of the section is beautifully done and makes us feel like we’re back home. Of course, there’s no huge moving castle in the UK (that we’ve found just yet), so there’s one rather large difference!

There’s a couple of ‘rides’ here by way of a merry-go-round and spinning plane thing. The merry-go-round features characters from Ghibli films, it would be far too hard to choose which one to go on. How many do you recognise…?

Our final stop in this section is to go and become a full-flying witch:

Mononoke Village

Our next stop is to the significantly smaller section dedicated to Princess Mononoke. There’s a wooden tower, and a building you can make some food (for a fee), and the two scary beasts from the film:

Hill of Youth

Our final stop is on the other side of a poppy field, full in bloom. Perhaps a nod to From Up on Poppy Hill, or just because they’re beautiful.

There’s very little here other than a mock-bus stop and a house we can’t access without premium tickets. Thankfully there is also a tiny house, that is the recreation of the tiny house from The Cat Returns.

Mission Accomplished

All sections visited, we’re actually a bit relieved the last couple of sections don’t have much to them, as we’re pretty pooped. We exit through the gift shop and resist buying everything and anything.

In all, it was a fantastic day, and I’d happily go back with a Premium pass to explore the bits we couldn’t get to today. It’s totally different to a theme park, embodying the peaceful, calm, nature-yearning work of Ghibli Studios, that makes for a lovely day out.

We did it!

*******************

Adventure – Exploring Dondoko Forest, Katsu on a pizza, watching a short film in Japanese

Excitement – Meeting Totoro and all the other Ghibli creatures

Trauma – Realizing we sat down to eat in the wrong restaurant, hay-fever day 105

Memoirs of a Geisha

How does everything start and end in our blog posts? With us drained and exhausted from our adventures but finding renewed energy upon arrival in a new area. So as we turn up in Kyoto we drop our bags at the accommodation and head straight out to try a gyoza restaurant! The menu outside is so appealing we’re willing to stand and queue in the rain until they can seat us. It’s worth the wait, the chicken and mozzarella and the plum and pork varieties are especially tasty. I also sample my first taste of Sake (rice wine) on this trip, it tastes much smoother than I remember…

Our accomodation in Kyoto is located in the heart of the Gion district. If anyone has seen the film mentioned above, it’s where that is set. We’re staying a stone’s throw away from stunning pagodas, beautiful streets lined with traditional wooden buildings and endless shrines and temples. As we return to the apartment we walk down the picturesque main street, written on the wall are adverts for various Geisha shows, one of which Alex will attend tomorrow. Geisha’s are of course the famous ‘entertainers and performance artists’ of Japan known for their distinct appearance, delicate customs and warm company.

We take a much needed nap at the peaceful accommodation before heading out in the evening for another wonderful meal… a restaurant where you “sizzle” your own katsu steak then dip it into one of many sauces in your set. It’s so good I even opt for an additional steak to use up all of the dipping sauces, we are eating well in Japan!

Exercising Our Trotters

Come gather now as we explore the beauty of Kyoto. I’ve planned a route that should cover most of the local landmarks and give us a good taste of the area we’re staying in. It starts with a walk past Otani Cemetery (you won’t find any other tour groups here!), a vast city of tombstones I haven’t seen on this scale since the war cemeteries in France.

Leaving the peaceful bliss we rejoin the swarming masses at Kiyomizu-dera. It’s hard to describe the spotless beauty of these temples, the only place that comes close is the Grand Palace in Bangkok in terms of the quality and the care taken to maintain these immense structures.

I leave most of the religious customs to the locals, in fear of upsetting the monstrous spirits that guard sacred grounds. I still cower in eternal wrath, though I do partake in ringing a giant bowl as there are instructions in English of how to use it properly… Even then most foreigners still get it spectacularly wrong!

We spend a couple of hours exploring the area, as usual this is best described with pictures…

Returning to the bustling streets, we make a pit stop to try Matcha ice cream in a cinnamon roll:

Heading across town we swap the old for the new, transitioning from the wooden buildings and narrow alleyways of Gion to the modern shopping malls of new Kyoto. Here we visit the Nishiki Market where crowds shuffle through a small pathway surrounded by vendors selling all sorts of wares. There’s fresh seafood, so recently skewered some of it is still twitching, dozens of types of sake, strawberry treats and deep fried delights. Once again I’m haunted by the sight of the ugly orange sea urchin flesh. We stop for lunch and devour some delicious Sashimi.

My original plan was to carry on to Kyoto Castle but we’re feeling a bit worn out, this is my own fault for planning too much in one day! Instead we opt for something much less historic but still somewhat cultural in Japan, an animal cafe. These strange establishments offer quality time with some unusual animals from hedgehogs to micro pigs. Figuring they’ll be more fun to interact with, we opt for the latter. It’s an odd experience being crammed into a small room full of others tourists sat in their socks and wearing blankets over them while micro pigs run riot choosing who should give them a scratch and a massage next. They even wag their little curly tails just like dogs. At one point the biggest “micro” pig makes a determined shuffle towards me and I realize I need to lay this beast to rest in my lap and soothe it, hoping it doesn’t get too boisterous!

Alex goes for a show…

No photos allowed here, so I’ll just give a brief recap of the main events. It was a quick run-down of seven different types of traditional performance, starting with a tea ceremony, some music and a display of flower arranging (called Ikebana). The delicate, patient, and precise movement for each display is incredible. Everything is done with intention, nothing is rushed, in a way, it forces you to be calm, taking in these minute small movements with such care. I’ve opted for a visual aid to help explain what is happening throughout (thankfully), and it explains that asymmetrical designs are favoured with the flowers, because the negative space is just as important as what you fill the space with. They all do a fantastic job.

The following acts are a battle dance, and a comedic play, which provides some surprising levity, something we’ve not yet experienced in Japan. It’s a simple but clever comedy, about a lord tricking his two workers, who keep stealing his sake whilst he’s out, into being tied up. However, they are more determined than he can imagine, and they still manage to get into his sake cabinet and get wrecked, with their hands tied to a pole and behind their backs, being caught in the action upon his return. It’s nice to see the comedic side of this stoic and serious nation.

The penultimate act is called a Noh play, where a rather large, old, man dresses as a beautiful, fallen, female spirit/angel. He dons a mask too small for his face, with the delicate features of a woman. This is not meant to be a comedy, but I really find it difficult to imagine the man as the beautiful maiden he is meant to be. Perhaps this is part of the expertise, to dance so gracefully the audience forgets they’re watching a man. And he does a great job with his movements, if it weren’t for the stubbly chin overflowing from the mask I probably wouldn’t have known. Here’s an image of the brochure for context:

The final act is the Kyomai dance with two maiko (geisha/geiko in training). Now they are beautiful. The costumes and make-up and dancing with the fans is mesmerising, peaceful, graceful. You can see why people pay good money for their entertainment, everything is a precise art.

Nietzsche said it .. “All truly great thoughts are conceived by walking.”

A brand new day and plenty more exploring to do. Today’s adventures take us further afield, as we take a bus to the edge of Kyoto to visit Arashiyama Bamboo forest. It’s not a huge area considering the hour long journey it took to get here, but it’s worth it for the pictures…

There’s no time to lose as we head from West to East, all the way back across the city to visit Higashiyama Jisho-ji a.k.a The Silver Pagoda. There is also a Golden Pagoda in another part of Kyoto, but it was too much of a dog leg to get to. The golden version was created to (literally) reflect the sun and all its glory. Therefore the silver version was built for observing the moon.

Next up we take a walk down the Philosopher’s path. So called as it was used by two university professors who used to walk the path for daily exercise. We wonder what these people pondered as they walked this route. Did they question why all tides are married to the moon or simply discuss where to go for lunch. I can answer one of those questions. I’ve found a nearby “diner” and they’re serving Philly Cheese steak and pulled pork sandwiches. Not quite local cuisine but we’re fancying a change and when I tell Alex they’re served with french fries there’s no saying no.

Full from lunch we continue down the Philosopher’s path, something floating down the canal catches our eye. We walked to the edge to see there are several boats made from bamboo and decorated with flowers. We follow the trail and are surprised to find a local man perched on a small bridge creating the boats by hand. He beckons us over. Having been in SE Asia for a few weeks we fear a tourist trap but you’ll find no such thing in Japan. He simply instructs us to take one of the boats, folded together from a bamboo leaf, hold it out above the water, and gently let it go. If it floats down the river facing up then luck is on our side, if it lands upside down or sinks, then just think of it as a rehearsal. No money is suggested, just a man passing the time and bringing joy to people with a simple idea.

We complete the path and head back towards the Gion district. We take a detour to see a humongous Tori gate and more stunning shrines.

Having once again decided against visiting the castle we instead opt for a visit of the landscaped garden behind the temple. To think that I believed my hay-fever symptoms would have subsided by now was naive as I’m still suffering greatly! Perhaps spending all of this time in parks and gardens is not the most sensible idea after all… But how can you say no when they are this beautiful?

We barely have time to stop at the flat as we must head out to catch the sunset. The evening light’s not gone but fading fast as we try and catch a meta photo, hopefully you can see why.

We’re in the mood to try sushi again, I guess I must have recovered from the dreaded urchin by now. I’ve found two highly recommended options on Google Maps, typically one is closed tonight so that makes the decision for us. We stumble upon option two, we wait at the front for a few minutes, eventually we sit at the counter infront of the kitchen… It takes fifteen minutes for us to be given a menu. We are slightly confused but not frustrated, the entire establishment is run by a man and wife, they are no spring chickens either, in their sixties at least. They wait, serve, chop, fry, cook, clean, organize and manage every customer in the place. Needless to say service is not fast but once we get used to it we gratefully wait for our food as it is prepared right in front of us. We don’t feel anything but gratitude for these two diligent, hard-working people who put themselves through this every night for frankly not a lot of money. Tipping is strictly uncouth in Japan so we can’t even show our thanks with a bit of extra yen.

And now it’s getting kinda late but there is one more place I want to squeeze in before the day is done. We head back into the shopping mall area which has a new personality at night…. “girl bars” galore! Alex jokingly(?) tells me not to look as we pass various posters of scantily glad women and several sirens attempt to lure men into their bars. I reassure her that’s not what I’ve brought her here for. Instead we head to another N64 cafe and try some unique cocktails and play games of Street Fighter.

Every Matcha Made in Heaven

The only question that you’ll ask, what’s left to do in Kyoto after all of this sight seeing? Well, there is one stone left unturned, the Fushimi Inari Taisha. The what? Let me show you…

Over 10,000 Tori gates line this sacred pathway up a mountain trail. We later learn that in Shintoism it’s customary to donate a Tori gate once whatever you wished for at a temple has come true.

We check out of our hotel but Alex has another experience up her sleeve before we leave Kyoto behind. This time we will both take part in a traditional “tea ceremony”. We begin with our host Zuka introducing herself and everyone says a couple of lines about themselves and where they’ve been so far in Japan. While we’re being served a refreshing green tea, we’re informed about the importance and history of tea ceremonies. Originating in China, a tea ceremony sees the simple task of serving a hot drink to a guest raised to an intricate art form. The “way of tea” is a microcosm of Japanese hosting and honouring a guest. We’re asked to remember various manners, procedures and even a handful of Japanese words that are expected to be spoken by a receiving guest. We head upstairs for the ritual proper to begin.

We sit in rows of three, sat opposite each other with a beautiful tea set in-between us. The friendly and cheerful Zaku disappears behind a paper wall and reappears transformed. She is in full ceremony mode now. Moving as gracefully and carefully as an expert geisha. Each movement is delicate and nothing is rushed. Without saying a word she creates a perfect cup of matcha tea, all of us watch on transfixed by her flawless form.

Next up it is our turn, one by one we must replicate the intricate ceremony (luckily with a few shortcuts) and present our creation to our chosen guest. Then the previous maker becomes the Sensai (teacher) for the next maker. It’s slightly nerve wracking as Zaku did it so elegantly and we don’t want to spill a drop on the floor of the beautiful room. Most of us forget the Japanese words we’re supposed to say while giving and receiving the tea but with a gentle nudge we get there without causing too much offense or so we hope.

So let me put to rest another wonderful experience in Japan. A country which is quickly becoming one of my favorites of this trip. Alex is incredibly excited about the next leg too as we’ll be paying a visit to Totoro in Ghibli Park. Until next time, sayonara!

*******************

Adventure – Walking the traditional district of Gion. Dinner prepared and served by kind locals. Seeing as much of Kyoto as possible but we’ll still come back for the castle and the golden pagoda.

Excitement – Spotting an actual Geisha walking around Gion, a shame that a dozen tourists snapped their cameras at her like paparazzi dogs.

Trauma – The snuffleoppagus persists. Failing to remember a few simple Japanese words during the tea ceremony 🙈 Trying to figure out restaurant customs when unable to speak the language

We’re back on accommodation form in Nara as we check into a hotel more typical of our trip. The futon mattress is as thin as the wall, so my first night here yields even less sleep than usual. We’ve wedged this brief, one day, two night visit to Nara after some research from James.

Nara is renowned for being the first permnanet capital of Japan back in the 700s, and for its deer, and we find out about the latter straight away. As we walk towards the park, there are deer, tourists, and deer biscuit vendors throughout. Tourists attempting to savour their special moment with the deer (captured on camera of course), deer attempting to get the biscuits out of the human hands as quickly as possible. You can imagine these are conflicting desires. Despite signs reminding people that the deer are wild and can bite, barge, and whatever else, and they should not be touched, of course everyone is. This is Japan, if there are people selling deer biscuits, they are being allowed to sell people deer biscuits, so this is somewhat conflicting messaging!

Children cower against railings. Adults hold the biscuits aloft. A woman throws her purse to the ground as she runs away. Deer casually tug at shirts and gobble up biscuits before phone cameras can even be turned on. The tourists are new to this game, the deer are the pros. No-one is harmed mind. Everyone is taking it in good spirits, realising their own follies as they are outsmarted by the pros to this match. It’s hilarious watching. And cleverly, because the deer are only allowed to be fed these biscuits, they don’t hassle you for real food. Smart.

Our day in Nara is spent having a long walk around and admiring what used to be the capital of Japan. We first stop at a beautiful garden, so peaceful and intricate.

There’s a huge gate with the standard terrifying guardians, and a temple/castle/pagoda that we see through the fence.

Then we head on up to Mount Wakakusa, not realising we have to pay, or that it’s actually a pretty steep ascent. But when have we let that stop us? We need to undo all the enforced lethargy from the heat of SE Asia. So we climb.

We decide to loop down a different way through the Primeval forest. So lush and green and peaceful, like so many places we’ve experienced in Japan.

As now becomes tradition in Japan, as we start to tire and think about heading back, we happen upon an amazing, beautiful complex of traditional buildings, sculptures and greenery.

We also find a free garden next to the one we paid to go in earlier which is almost just as beautiful. This one has a moss garden, and a man carefully tends to it. Such a different approach to the endless moss-lawn battles in the UK.

We head back for a rest, and then reward ourselves with two pizzas, chips, and some craft beers at a brewery down the road. It really hits the spot, especially the cream cheese and salmon topping. How we miss cheese!

It’s then off to another pub for an overpriced beer before calling it a night, as we’re off to Kyoto tomorrow.

*******************

Adventure – exploring another Mount on a whim

Excitement – watching all the tourists getting attacked by demanding deer, over and over again

Trauma – the schnuffleupagus returns, a kid chasing a deer with a stick.

We’re doing a one-night dog-leg to Hiroshima from Osaka, so we start early to get our first bullet train of the trip! We’re super excited! Until we get to the tube station and realise I’ve lost my (very expensive, multi-day, all inclusive) travel pass. We’re on a tight schedule though, so we just have to take it as a (tearful) loss and buy a new one to get us back through the barriers and literally back on track. We’re travelling some 350km to Hiroshima, in a mere one and a half hours! This isn’t even the super-speedy service, as we make a few stops on the way. Nevertheless, the world speeds by outside the window (although a good portion is in tunnels, and the train soothes James to sleep through half of it!).

In no time at all, we’re in Hiroshima, and head to our hotel to dump our bags for the day. We wonder if we’ve navigated to the wrong place as we walk into a fancy, top-floor, hotel reception bar. As they struggle to find our reservation, we realise it’s too good to be true, we’ve clearly booked some cheap hostel with the same name and gotten confused by Google Maps. So, it’s with huge surprise that, after some help of a colleague, our booking is eventually found. We are staying here after all! After a brief regroup and reset on the sprawling, luxurious sofas, it’s time to head out and learn about what Hiroshima is sadly most famous for.

War All the Time

I’ve gotten rather tired of writing about the horrors of humankind, so I’ll try and keep this one brief, instead using photos of some poignant display boards.

A map shows the parts of the world with no nuclear weapons, and a pact to never have them… basically the whole southern hemisphere.

Part of us wishes all leaders with nukes in their arsenal would have to come to this museum before bandering around the threat of nuclear destruction, to see the human price paid for the decisions of a few men (on both sides to be fair). But as we’ve sadly now seen across the world, there are just some leaders who put so little value into human life. If a leader came here, would they care about the human cost so painfully exhibited? Or, would they just see that the USA ‘won’, they got their surrender, there was no fallout for the USA, was there? No price they had to pay for obliterating two cities in a single moment, and destroying the lives of those left behind in multiple ways?

The museum calls for disarmament as the only solution.

After a walk through the garden around the museum, passed a monument to the child victims, a beautiful rose garden with gifts from countries across the world, a multi-storied stone pagoda, we end our tour at the A-Bomb dome.

The A-Bomb Building survived as much as it did because the bomb detonated in the sky, and this building was kind of in the “eye of the storm” where it didn’t suffer the full effects of the blast further into its radius. The people inside, of course, were not so lucky.

This building is being maintained as best as possible to look just as it did after the bombing, as its own monument. It’s clever. Especially now after decades have gone by, a city rebuilt, trees, grasses, gardens, shops, everything around beautiful under this blue sky and glorious sunshine. The mangled wreck of this building serves as a stark reminder to the history of this place, so that we may never forget what happened here, and the people that paid the price for the world to see the true cost of these new weapons.

Needless to say, the prospect of a nuclear war is all the more terrifying, having seen the protratic and multi-faceted fallout experienced in Hiroshima. Not only were the immediate effects of the bomb devastating in that moment for so many lives, and the city itself, but those that survived within the radiation radius suffered horrific illnesses due to radiation poisoning, and still died, but slowly and painfully. People also thought radiation sickness was contagious so you also had to deal with a psychological torture alongside the physical pain. Add in that their city had been wiped out, there was barely any infrastructure to care for anyone or provide services, and the West was covering up the true fallout inflicted on these innocent people. If they survived those immediate years, many still developed cancers later in life in higher proportion, including impacts to their children. Lives, homes, jobs were lost. People who survived had to survive on nothing.

How does a city rebuild back from something like that? What we see in the city rebuilt is one of dignity, an amazing feat technically, mentally, physically, and structurally, that could so easily have taken a darker path, but chose peace and light and hope. An example to us all, that I hope no place ever has to go through again.

Back to the Present

We grab a lemon sorbet ice cream to try and lift our spirits as we head back to the hotel, putting the world to rights, and wishing for a simple solution.

Our room is no less luxurious than the reception bar we checked into earlier. We even have a view out onto the peace memorial and garden. It seems we’re lucky being here mid-week where the prices are a third of their weekend rate. We jump into bed and soothe our tired and saddened heads.

For dinner, we go to check out a recommendation from my buddy Karl. It’s a narrow four story building full of simple eateries, specialising in ‘okonomiyaki’. Okonomiyaki is, simply, a dish of noodles and fillings grilled on a big metal plate. We had some in Osaka, but this is a main dish of Hiroshima it seems. Two stools empty up facing a huge metal plate in front of a lone chef wielding metal spatulas.

We go for the squid and prawn mix, and the house special. It’s SO good. I’ve tried squid before and it was rubbery and tastless, this is smooth and easy to eat, the tiny prawns also juicy. You can just taste the freshness here, I doubt anything has been frozen, and it makes a massive difference.

Not only is the food itself gloriously tasty, the production itself is like watching a work of art being made. Each mound of ingredients expertly brought together by our head chef, whilst the younger woman at her side handles the admin and cleaning. There’s definitely a lot to be said for specialising in a certain dish and just doing it really well. Something Japan has gotten down to a fine art.

Peaceful Miyajima

Our second day in Hiroshima is spent visiting the neighbouring island, Miyajima, before we bullet train our way back across the country to Nara. We say farewell to our lovely hotel, and ditch our bags at the station. We’re amazed that there are coin lockers in almost every station in Japan. It’s SO useful, especially when accommodations have check-outs at 10am and check-ins as late as 4pm!

We take the ferry across to the island finding ourselves in a picturesque, old-style village, full of eateries and souvenir stalls to tempt the tourists to part with their cash. There are also ample pagodas and temples, and even some rather friendly deer!

We have a Mount to explore instead, so we speed through town, a beautiful garden, and jump onto the handy cablecar that will take us most of the way up.

There’s a (surprisingly strenuous) walk around the top of this Mount, across to the various viewpoints. It’s lush and green all around us, beautiful.

After exploring as much as we can, we decide on a route down that doesn’t threaten so many mamushi snakes. As we enjoy the jaunt down the hill, we pass many a hiker sweating and spluttering their way up. Something tells us many of these people didn’t realise how hard this would be, as we see all sorts somehow making their way slowly but surely up. Where there’s a will there’s a way. But I’m very glad we chose the easy option for the grand sum of £10.

As we make it to the end, some huge traditional roofs stick out amongst the trees. We pass an entrance, and there’s a whole complex behind these here walls, and no entry fee! We decide to check it out. And we’re glad we did. The place is huge, spectacular, and not too busy. There’s side gardens with jizo statues adorned with red crochet hats and bibs, prayer wheels lining the stairs up and around, pagodas and temples and cute traditional structures all over. Everywhere you look, there’s beauty, whether it’s natural or man-made, they seem to work perfectly together.

After this little find, we are well and truly shattered, and stop off for some food at a quiet hidden away eatery, enjoying a katsu curry and beer. We make our way back to the ferry, taking a few final photos of the famous floating torii.

And enjoying some traditional Miyajima stuffed cakes/biscuits:

After taking the ferry and tube back to pick-up our bags, we jump on the first bullet train at the platform, forgetting to check if it’s the one we reserved a seat for. It is not. As luck would have it, it isn’t the super-slow-stopping service that takes three hours, but a super-fast-two-stopping service that takes even less time than our way out here. If the world sped by before, now it is zooming by. The way out seemed just like a fast train. This one really feels like we’re on a bullet. Of course, the lucky locals on the window seats couldn’t care less, as they sleep, work, or distract themselves as they take this amazing feat of engineering for granted, and James and I stare out passed them and through the windows.

*******************

Adventure – clambering down Miyajima and through the temple complex

Excitement – finding out we’re staying in a really fancy hotel for hardly anything, seeing very friendly deer, the amazing 360 views, and beauty of Miyajima

Trauma – more reminders of the horrors of man, and how much more relevant they are today, losing the very expensive train pass

How many blog posts have started with us arriving somewhere absolutely knackered? Well you can add one more to the list! After a sleepless night due to illness the night before, followed by a 1.30am flight the day after, we arrive in Osaka deprived of rest and borderline delusional! Alex has done her homework though and guides us to the subway station to get from the airport to Osaka central. Of course we need to use cash to buy the tickets and seeing an ATM behind the subway barriers I ask a policeman (in an oversized uniform and wearing delicate white gloves and a blue cap) if we can go through to withdraw cash. “Oh! Not here. Over there.” He says, gesturing back towards the airport. His outfit and manner reminding me of numerous Nintendo titles and due to lack of sleep I feel like I’m in a video game.

Eventually we make it into Osaka central and as we walk around one of Japan’s most famous and largest cities, we feel a slight sense of unease. It’s a Sunday morning in the heart of a city and there are plenty of people milling around, including the occasional cosplay dresser but something is different. It is completely silent, you could hear a pin drop. Pedestrians obediently wait in line at crossings for the green man to show, even when there isn’t a car in sight. The lights change and more police (again in oversized uniforms) gently wave people across the road. No one shouts, no shrill whistles, no hordes of scooters beeping at you as they drive through red lights, just quiet tranquility. It is also immaculately clean and tidy. After the noisy chaos of Latin America and South East Asia this is quite the change of scene.

After a quick breakfast we head up to Namba Mall, one of many malls in Japan but this one has a unique feature, a landscaped garden on its stepped rooftop. We wander through the green leaves in the cool air and even feel a spot of rain or two, it’s most welcomed after melting every minute in Vietnam. We find a couple of chairs under the shelter of a tree and feeling exhausted and still under the weather I grab a few minutes of sleep. Alex is keen to explore and offers to meet me back here so I can grab more precious sleep, it’s tempting but I’ve been looking forward to Japan for a long, long time, sleep can wait. Almost immediately I’m glad I chose to explore as we stumble on the bizarre spectacle of a J-Pop band performing on a small rooftop stage. They’re in full costume and make-up and although they continuously cut out, there is a loud sound system too. Only a dozen or so people are sat watching them but the performers give it their all as they belt out high energy and expertly choreographed tunes. At the end of their first song we expect the locals to clap or cheer but there is just a deafening silence. The Westerners exchange awkward glances. This happens a couple more times before they finish their set with a graceful bow, now the locals burst into applause. That must be how it works here!

Moving on, curiosity gets the better of us and we follow the flow of cosplayers until we reach a street full of people in elaborate costumes from their favourite anime series. It seems there is a special event on today and the city is filled with anime, manga and video game characters. We follow the crowds until the streets are packed with people and yet again you could hear a pin drop, it’s quite eerie!

With Alex’s expert navigating we are soon in the shadow of the Tsutenkaku Tower and find a fried chicken place to stop for some lunch and rest. Eventually we can finally check-in to our Airbnb at 4pm and immediately crash into bed for a much needed nap.

Castle in the Sky

We start the day with a visit to Osaka castle. Perched well above the ground on a plinth of huge stones, the castle is elevated for defensive purposes but this also means it is visible from quite far away.

Construction or the castle began in 1583 by order of Toyotomi Hideyoshi. In 1597 construction was completed, Hideyoshi died the year after. The castle passed to his son, Toyotomi Hideyori.

In 1660, lightning ignited the gunpowder warehouse and the resulting explosion set the castle on fire!

For lunch, we follow Karl’s (one of Alex’s friends) suggestions of a sushi restaurant in a shopping mall in the city center. I’m not joking when I say it takes us almost an hour to find the place within the mall. It’s a very odd layout where most of the mall is only two stories while the part we need is on the fifth, buried away towards the back. After much despair we finally find the place and while it is open there is not another soul inside. Eventually a staff member spots us and sits us down. The chef comes out from the kitchen and hands us a basic menu seemingly just for dumb tourists like us. We point to a couple of platter options and await our fate. Most of the sushi is palatable at best with the chef watching us ominously over our shoulder to ensure we are enjoying it. Alex bravely swallows down the salmon eggs which explode an intense fishy liquid into your mouth on each pop while I appear to have saved the worst until last, sea urchin. I enjoy most food but this thing is horrid, tasting like a stagnant rock pool I have to switch my brain off detecting any taste while trying not to grimace with the chef watching on. I will have to thank Karl for his suggestion the next time I see him!

That evening, we head out to try Okonomiyaki, another one of Karl’s recommendations but hopefully a better one. It’s a kind of cross between a noodle dish and a pancake where the chef starts the process, combining all of the ingredients before serving it onto a hot plate infront of you to finish cooking it yourself. The small restaurant is run by a lovely couple who despite the language barrier make us feel very welcome and relaxed.

Universally Speaking

Now one of the days I’ve been most looking forward to for some time. Because I’m a big kid, I have wanted to do a theme park trip at some point in our travels. Having been to American parks in Florida I’m curious to explore a Japanese version and Universal Osaka is the park of choice. With pre-booked tickets bought weeks ago, we join the queue of thousands of other excited fans and furiously attempt to work out how the Universal app works. Super Nintendo World opened here in 2020 and is immensely popular. So much so that you need to reserve a time slot to ensure you’ll be allowed into this section. After much panic and fuss, once we get through the gates just after 8am we have confirmation we can visit Nintendo world at 9am! Result.

The majority of visitors are rushing towards Nintendo World hoping to get in first thing. This means they’re all rushing past the big Hollywood Dream rollercoaster by the entrance. Alex being of a nervous disposition for such thrills leaves me to it and having joined the “single riders” line I’m in the loading station in no time. On this ride you can choose a soundtrack (including Taylor Swift!?) to play as you fly along the tracks. Confused and not fully awake I somehow select a high energy J-Pop song similar to what we heard yesterday, that blasts in my ears as I hurtle along at 60mph. It’s quite the wake up call!

With that experience over, I’m questioning myself if I still enjoy rollercoasters while we head over to Super Nintendo World. We’re allowed in at 8.59 and immediately join the line to buy a Yoshi watch. These incredibly overpriced items allow us to play mini-games and collect digital coins and stamps within Nintendo World through the mobile app. I told you I was a big kid.

Still early in the day we join the line for the Mario Karts ride inside of Bowser’s Castle as the queue for this can be three hours long at the peak of the day!

We end up spending five hours in the Nintendo section of the park, here are a few more pictures…

After finally leaving Nintendo-land behind, even though we could have happily spent all day there, we explore some more of the park. We ride the classic Jaws ride with some genuinely scared locals, then seek a late lunch in the nautical themed cafe. While we digest our food we take a seat and enjoy the stunt show “Water World” based on yet another film that Alex has seen and I haven’t even heard of.

We finish the day in the Harry Potter biome of Hogsmeade. Alex has already done the Forbidden Journey ride in LA so I fast track the two hour queue by joining as a single rider. I get on instantly, closing my eyes in the section full of giant skittering spiders thank you very much. The last ride of the day will be Alex’s first rollercoaster, the family friendly Flight of the Hippogriff. Amusingly I’m told I am “too tall” when we board the middle of the train and we have to get on the next one at the front for “larger passengers”.We leave the park tired but content with a fun filled day. It’s been nice to be a child in wonderland again and forget about all of the horrors of the world by immersing ourselves in a land of make believe. It seems crazy that there can be places like this, full of joy and people losing themselves in their imagination while on the other side of the world wars are raging and people are in very desperate situations without hope. It makes us incredibly grateful we’re one of the lucky ones.

Beware of Bears

For our final full day in Osaka, Alex has picked an exploration of Koyosan, outside of the city, on recommendation of cousin Ben. A beautiful train ride leaves the city behind and we’re immersed in the lush green mountains. Arriving at our destination at the end of the line, we are the only ones on the train who opt to walk the route rather than take the funicular up the steep hill. As we begin the walk, we spot the first of several signs warning us about black bears inhabiting the area! No wonder everyone else opted for the safety of the funicular. We walk for one hour up the incline and only pass one soul on our journey. Reaching the end of this path we decide we’re hungry for more and Alex expertly plans our route onwards.

A while later we arrive in the town itself. Entering through a gigantic gateway, protected either side by huge monstrous guardians.

Walking through the main drag of Koyosan we spot a familiar face and have to go inside to see what merchandise is on offer.

Koyosan is stuffed to the brim with incredible temples, pagodas, Tori gates and many more impressive sights, here are a few..

Our adventure in Koyosan ends with a scenic walk through a beautiful cemetery (Japan’s largest according to Wikipedia) and a visit to a famous shrine.

Returning to Osaka in the evening we opt to eat another local specialty, octopus balls. No not that, they are dough balls stuffed with octopus. And they’re pretty delicious.

After dinner we find a Nintendo themed bar nearby. We order a couple of beers and take each other on at Mario Karts on the N64. Alex hits me with a lighting bolt as I’m in 1st place going over the jump in Waluigi Stadium and I will never forgive her for it. Through nefarious methods Alex wins all of the races and we vow to leave before we get too competitive 😂

The last stop in Osaka is the famous bridge in Dotomburi district where the iconic running man picture comes from.

Epilogue

Our long day isn’t over yet as we trek back to Osaka Castle to pick up a Fitbit charger that has finally been delivered by Amazon. I can finally use my Fitbit again after Dad took my charger home in Hawaii and we lost countless hours looking for a replacement in South East Asia!

*****************

Adventure – Cosplay festival. J-Pop weirdness. Adjusting to Japanese culture. So many beautiful temples, shrines, cemeteries and more in Koyosan.

Excitement – Super Nintendo World. Amazing food (minus the sea urchin).

Trauma – Absolute exhaustion on arrival and not being allowed into our Airbnb until 4pm. Universal App. Feeling poorly (James).