Day Five

30th December 2006

We woke up today to a beautiful fresh day of around 5 degrees. It was a lot warmer than yesterday. The snow had stopped and there was no rain. We decided to venture off on our bikes again to finish looking at the temples and shrines we missed yesterday. Riding bikes is the best way to get around – it’s healthy and you get to view beautiful scenery everywhere you go. I nearly had a few collisions today and almost took out some old ladies but hey it was bound to happen sooner or later….the first temple we went to was called Higashihonganji Temple. There were pigeons all over the ground. They were quite tame and they were actually eating out of people’s hands and landing on their shoulders. I was glad they didn’t land on my shoulder. We actually got to go inside this Temple. You had to take your shoes off of course. There were lots of people inside bowing down and praying.

We ate our first McDonalds today. It tasted exactly the same to me. I had a double cheeseburger medium meal. The good thing was that inside the McDonalds they had a basin and soap so that you could wash your hands before you ate. I tell you these people are just so clean – it’s fantastic!
After McDonalds we rode to another temple called Toji. This was magnificent and by far the best one yet! The grounds were very well kept as they have been everywhere. This temple is a five story Pagoda. It looked amazing. We also got to go inside the buildings here. There were lots of Budda looking statues – you weren’t allowed to take pictures. I had a pretty funny experience today with the toilet. I went to go as I was busting, found the toilet and discovered that it was located in the ground. I couldn’t believe it. How was I supposed to use it? To squat for me is quite difficult but when you’ve got to go you’ve got to go! I was cracking up laughing the whole time I was squatting. It was pretty funny really. Very awkward and I would avoid these holes where possible. After the Toji Temple we rode around for about an hour and discovered some more cute streets, beautiful buildings and spectacular scenery.
Everything here is so picturesque! We are now back at the hotel having a little rest before we head out to grab some dinner and the go to a jazz bar where one of Yujins dad’s friends works. He told us to go there around 11:00pm. We went to an Asian Kitchen for dinner. It was yummy but very spicy. After dinner we rode to the Jazz Club. It took us a while to find it but we eventually found it. We walked in to a tiny little room. As soon as I walked in I felt very uncomfortable. There were about eight people sitting at the bar and there were 2 people sitting on the lounge. We had to squeeze in next to them. I didn’t feel welcome at all. The music was fantastic but I just couldn’t wait to get out of there. We stayed for one drink each. There was a man there who made us feel uncomfortable. He kept telling us to speak Japanese whilst in Japan – I could understand his point but we were trying hard to with our dictionaries and he was still making us feel bad. He was the first mean person we came across. Apart from him everyone else has been great! This jazz experience was definitely an interesting one and not a highlight for me!

Day Four Kyoto

29th December 2006

We woke up today to a magnificent view of snow falling outside our window – how cool is that?? It was awesome – a lot colder of course, I think the weather today was around 4 degrees. Again that didn’t stop us checking out Kyoto. We just rugged up in our thermals, lots of layers on top, our big jackets, beanies and gloves. How could you stay couped up in the hotel with such beautiful sights to see? Everything is absolutely amazing to look at. The snow was just falling on top of us – it was not cold enough to stay on the ground but it was still snowing quite heavily. We borrowed umbrellas from the hotel again which was good because we definitely needed them. It is the holiday period at the moment so we couldn’t do any tours……we decided to have a little walk around. We found a really nice café and had some breakfast in it. Steve had bacon and eggs and Marie and I shared a ham and cheese sandwich which came with fries and icing sugar on top – what a bizarre combination but it actually tasted really nice. Steve’s feet were killing him still from the blisters so we decided to hire some bikes. This was an excellent idea and we had a terrific little adventure exploring Kyoto with them. The bikes were 1000yen a day to hire which is good value as we could travel pretty far and get a workout at the same time!! We spent the rest of the day riding around the streets. We went to the Kyoto Imperial Gardens which were just gorgeous. There were temples and shrines all through it and were magnificent to look at. The snow was on and off all day – it’s funny because whether it is raining, snowing or sun is shining people just ride their bikes regardless. They just ride and hold their umbrella in one hand, so we just did as they did. It is pretty hard to balance a bike while holding an umbrella but I am slowly getting better. It was really fun riding around today – I had a great time. We found this other temple called the Shokokuji Temple which was really beautiful – this monk came out and let us have a look inside one of the shrines. This was where they worship Budda. The gardens surrounding this temple were spectacular. Kyoto is quite different from Osaka. It is a lot quieter and laid back. People are neat and tidy but not as dressed up as the people in Osaka. Steve liked the look of the girls in Osaka better as you can imagine!! The people in general everywhere we have been have been very friendly and helpful. They literally run to help you out and to go and get things. It’s really cute. The scenery is really nice wherever I look and everything is clean, the streets, the restaurants, the hotels……when you eat out they give you a little napkin that is wrapped in plastic that you wipe your hands clean with. I love this concept!! After we rode our bikes all day, we went back to the hotel to have a little rest before we headed out again for dinner. For dinner we took our bikes and rode to a busy street filled with restaurants and little shops. It took us about 10 minutes to ride our bikes there. Gee our bikes have really come in handy. The air was chilly but being rugged up it was ok to ride in. We found a restaurant that we like the look of and went inside. The meals we ate and the prices were fantastic. We had a three course meal: soup, I had a curried pork dish, Steve had steak and Marie had a beef casserole dish, and then we got ice cream and fruit and coffee for dessert. So my three course meal only cost 1200 yen which is around $12 – how good is that? Marie and Steve’s were around the $25, but still that is awesome for a three course meal. After dinner we rode our bikes back to the hotel to defrost and get some much needed rest!

Day Three

28th December 2006

Today was a lot colder than yesterday. We woke up and it was raining. That didn’t stop us from looking around Osaka. We checked out of hotel and while we looked around for the day we left our luggage at the hotel. They lent us umbrellas for the day which was nice of them – good thing we had them too as it was pouring with rain for half the day. We went into the mall again to do some last minute shopping from the day before. Steve bought some sketchers as his shoes were killing him and giving him blisters (luckily we saw a sketchers store which had sizes to fit him!) and Marie and I bought some really nice leather boots. This was exciting as we actually were able to find shoes that fit ☺ We then went and had some pancakes for breakfast in a café. It was pretty hard to find somewhere to eat as most places didn’t open until 11:30. The pancakes were pretty average but the hot chocolate that went with it was absolutely fantastic. In fact, it was the best hot chocolate I have ever drunk! After breakfast I bought a really nice white coat and some winter shorts. You see, I had to fit in with everyone here, so wearing my new winter shorts, my white coat and my new boots I look like a little Aussie Geisha! ☺ We dropped our belongings back at the hotel and then set off to find the Japanese Gardens. This was an adventure as we had to use the train system for the first time. I found it all very confusing as everything was in Japanese (of course), luckily Steve was with us and could figure it out. We took a few wrong turns but we finally made it to the Osaka Castle Gardens. They were beautiful and very neatly presented. The castle looked pretty amazing too. We walked around for a while taking photos until we couldn’t stand the cold any longer and decided to head back to pick up our luggage and head to Kyoto. Kyoto is another city in Japan and where we will be located for the next three days. The amazing part was that we could catch a train from Osaka to Kyoto for only $5.40 and it only took about 30minutes to get there. Once we checked in at the Gimmond Hotel we headed off to find some dinner. We have walked so much since we have been to Japan – but that’s a good thing since I haven’t been going to the gym! We ate at an Italian place tonight. Marie and I shared a capriciosa pizza and garlic bread and Steve had Carbanara Spaghetti. The pizza was very tasty – the spaghetti was pretty average.
I don’t think I have mentioned the bikes here in Japan yet……it is very interesting to watch. Everyone pretty much rides a bike. Bikes are everywhere. You do not need a helmet to ride one and you can just ride on the footpath with the walkers. Bikes seem to have right of way in Japan – none of this give way to pedestrians……bikes just come swooshing past you and you just have to get used to it1 I don’t think I am quite used to it yet. I am just amazed that there aren’t a lot of collisions because seriously people just ride their bikes around corners, through people without any hesitation. I need to make sure that I don’t crash into people when I am riding my bike. People ride their bikes with their skirts and high heeled boots – it’s quite interesting really.

Day Two

27th December 2006

We woke up really excited and ready to see what the day would bring. We didn’t really have a plan of what we would do today but it was fun just walking around. The weather was cold but not freezing – we all wore our thermals, jacket and a beanie. We went into a 7 Eleven which was just down the road from our hotel and bought some breakfast from there. It was bizarre going into a shop as everything was in Japanese (of course) so it was difficult to choose something to buy. I just ended up buying a cheese roll and a mocha milk drink. It wasn’t very expensive at all. Marie and I were practising Japanese phrases on the plane ride so we were trying to use them as much as possible throughout the day. Our main word was arigato and konnichiwa. At least it is a start! We sat down on a step on the side of the road to eat our breakfast and it was fascinating just watching people waling by. I was very surprised at how the people in Japan dressed. I knew that they were very fashionable – but I didn’t realise that they dress to the nines everyday. All the girls were wearing high heel boots, skirts or shorts and fluffy jackets or a coat of some sort. The men were mainly wearing suits or were dressed very nicely. I just couldn’t believe that even in winter they were wearing short skirts and shorts. ( I left my shorts at home in Australia as I thought that I wouldn’t need them until summer – WRONG!! ☺) After we ate breakfast we walked around the corner from our hotel into a really long street which was full of shops. It was awesome. We spent the day looking in all of the shops. The fashions are sooo cool. Marie and I were trying on shoes but were having no luck as none of them fit ☹ Clothes were very small too and even jackets were hard to fit into. They said size medium but I think that is really small. And you wouldn’t believe it but they only had one size. Where were the large sizes?? You can imagine our self esteem being shattered ☹ hopefully something will fit us….. I actually went into one store looking for some jeans as my jeans got a hole in them (can you believe that – I was not a happy camper!) and anyway the biggest size was 64 – I looked at them and thought that there was no way that they were going to fit, but I tried them on anyway (and when you went in the change room you had to take your shoes off), anyway the jeans fit – I was so excited that I had to buy them. They were only about $30. I am getting a bit more used to using yen – the notes are ok – it’s just the coins that I have to figure out. So apart from food, my first real purchase were the jeans. I had to buy something from Osaka and they fit so that was a bonus. For lunch we had a vegetable crepe. It only cost $1.00 and it was very tasty. Chopsticks are the go here of course and I am having a few issues with them, but hopefully I become a natural very soon. Vending machines are everywhere in Japan. We bought a 500ml Pepsi for $1.20. The shops just didn’t end, everywhere you looked there were more shops – we were loving it. For tea we went to a Japanese restaurant. This time we sat at a table. It was a cute little restaurant. The menu had pictures thank goodness otherwise I would have just picked something and hoped for the best. I ordered a pork dish and it was delicious. It came with rice, soup and pickled vegetables. I enjoyed every mouthful. After tea we went back to the hotel to drop off our things and to have a little rest then we headed out into the streets again – which were still packed mind you. The nightlife is amazing. Lights and people everywhere and it is a Wednesday night. I wonder if it is always like this or of it is just because it is a holiday period? We walked to a little temple in Osaka. It was very fascinating. There was a budda which was covered in moss and people were throwing water over it. Interesting to watch. While we were taking photos, some Japanese people stopped to talk to us. They wanted to know how old we were and where we came from. They spoke a little English. One of the men gave Marie and I a little present which we thought was very nice. When we opened it up they were little Miffy key rings. Very cool. We then went to Starbucks and had a coffee before we headed back to our hotel and called it a night. My first day in Japan was just unreal. I have enjoyed every minute so far and can’t wait for tomorrow.

Hello From Japan - Osaka

26th December 2006

Hello. Today was my first official day in Japan – to be more precise Osaka! We arrived at Kansai airport on the 26th of December where Yujin and his dad Hideo Aminaka met us. We got through customs at the airport without any trouble and our luggage was waiting for us (thank goodness). Yujin’s dad drove us to a 7 eleven so we could send our big bags to our apartments in Himeji. Driving to that 7 Eleven was actually quite terrifying as Yujin’s dad was driving extremely fast – 140km per hour to be precise – so you can imagine Steve, Marie and I freaking out. After we dropped our bags off we were driven to our hotel in Osaka (Metro The 21). We got there safely ☺ We quickly took our bags up to our hotel and then went out to a Japanese restaurant for tea with Yujin and his father. By this stage it was around 12 midnight – you think the streets would be dead…..infact it was the total opposite, it was pumping!! People were everywhere. My first impressions of Japan were exactly as I pictured it – lots of lights and people everywhere.
When we went inside the restaurant we had to take our shoes off and put them inside a little locker and then we sat on the floor on cushions to eat. I ordered a chicken noodle curry dish, Steve ordered a chicken and egg dish and Marie ordered a pork dish. The meals were gigantic and delicious – and although I wasn’t very hungry I managed to eat all of my meal (I’m sure no one would be surprised about that!) We then went back to our hotel for some much needed sleep. It was a fantastic first night in Japan and Yujin and his father were very hospitable and helpful.

My first entry

Hi everyone, I will be in Japan in 1 more day!!!