I really loved Japan! The people were so friendly and helpful. And the food was delicious. I was lucky enough to visit several places: Tokyo, Hiroshima, Miyajima, Kyoto and Osaka.
TOKYO
I started in Tokyo, and was able to visit Melissa, my amazing friend who I interned with in Italy. It was so wonderful to catch up with her, and I really enjoyed meeting the other interns at the Tokyo Camp Adventure site. I was able to stay in the hotel with her, so it was a really comfortable and affordable sleep! The hotel, New Sanno, was so nice. The bed was ridiculously comfortable and the staff was some of the best. On Friday while the girls were at work, I meandered around Shibuya district, Yoyogi Park and Hirajuku. I had a delicious doner kebab in Shibuya (way better than any kebab offerings Korea has) and did a little shopping at H&M. After that I relaxed and people watched on a bench in Yoyogi Park. Then I walked around Hirajuku for a bit and was able to see some of the girls dressed up in their famous, crazy fashions. Sadly I did not get a picture with or of any of them!
Friday night we headed out to an English style pub that was having a sale of 50 percent off all drinks for the entire day. It was amazing! We got ourselves a few drinks there, and then headed to Greenland, a bar with a roughly 10 dollar cover for all you can drink until 11 p.m. And since we arrived 15 til 9 p.m., we certainly got our money`s worth! The odd thing about bars in Japan is that dancing is technically forbidden in establishments, and signs warning you not to dance dress the walls. But that did nothing to stop us or other patrons in the bar, and we had a great time dancing away. We left Greenland, grabbed some snacks at a convenie and were going to head home, but the owner of a bar nearby called Joker`s enticed us in to his joint with a free drink. We ended up getting two drinks free and some tasty popcorn, which I ate at the bar in addition to my convenie sandwich. An old man next to me kept tapping my shoulder, pointing to my sandwich and laughing. He found it absurd (as did I) that I was eating the sandwich in the bar. But the bar owner encouraged me to take it in when he offered the free drink, probably fearing that had I stayed outside to finish it, I never would have made it into the bar at all. We finally got away from the bar and headed back to the hotel, where we promptly fell asleep after such an eventful evening.
On Saturday we slept in late. We eventually headed to the famous fish market, grabbing lunch at an Italian restaurant along the way. Sadly once we finally got to the fish market, everything was shut down and packed up. So we then headed to the Imperial Palace. The grounds were so beautiful as were the buildings. It was such a nice little area, but sadly we only had about 30 minutes to explore. I could have gone for a little more time, but was happy that we were able to see it none the less. That night Melissa and I had dinner at a ramen restaurant. It was so good! We both got the vegetable ramen and shared a thing of gyoza. Later in the night we joined some of the other girls for a drink in the hotel bar. The staff were so sweet and gave us nachos and a cheesecake! It was delicious. We then headed back to Roppongi for another night on the town. We danced in another `no dancing allowed` bar for most of the night. After working up such a sweat, we headed to a nearby kebab stand to refuel. The kebab was delicious and had lots of meat, but was not quite as good as the one I had in Shibuya. And that was pretty much the end of our night!
Sunday we slept in as long as we could, and the headed down to the hotel`s brunch. Luckily, one of the children the girls work with was able to get us into the 25 dollar brunch for free. It was so good. Everything was ridiculously delicious. I ate so much food, I can`t even remember it all! The highlights were the fresh fruit, cheese, champagne, seafood and desserts. It was a real treat, and certainly would have been worth the price. After doing a quick load of laundry, it was time for me to say goodbye. I was so sad to leave! It was such a delight being able to spend time with Melissa again. And I really loved all the other girls who I met as well. Everyone was so nice and such fun to hang out with.
I was a fool and didn`t exchange my Japan Rail Pass before trying to leave. So I spent a good two hours waiting in (the wrong, then the right) line to exchange my pass and then get my reserved seat for the train to Hiroshima. I was so tired from getting such little sleep the night before, and stressed out that I was going to miss my check in window for my next hostel. Once I finally got my ticket (only the train from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima had any seats left to reserve) I burst into tears. At that point emotions were just all over the place, and try as I might I couldn`t collect myself for a good hour, crying on and off. When I got on the first train, I was so sad to have to stand; it was a 3 hour journey from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka. But after about 20 minutes into the ride, a sweet Japanese man showed me an open seat and encouraged me to sit down. I was so relieved to be able to sit there for the length of the journey. And I was able to use another kind Japanese man`s phone to call my hostel and let them know I was going to be late. So it all worked out and I was finally able to relax. After getting to Shin-Osaka, I transferred to another 2 hour train to get me to Hiroshima. Adding in the lines for tickets, it took me about 7.5 hours to get from Tokyo to Hiroshima. I was so exhausted by the time I arrived, but so happy to be able to get in to the hostel with no probably. I dropped off my stuff, took a quick journey to 7 Eleven to refuel and then headed to bed.
HIROSHIMA
Hiroshima was a really great city, and I took advantage of its proximity to Miyajima Island. The island was definitely worth a day trip. It is best known for its Toori Gate that appears to be floating at high tide. Sadly, the tide was low the whole time I was there, so I didn't get to see the floating effect. But it was fine, because I was able to walk around the gate on the beach and check it out from a much closer vantage point. I spent the day walking around the island and checking out the various temples and buildings. My favorite was the five-tiered pagoda. The island is also known for its deer, and for good reason! They were everywhere. And not at all concerned about the people milling about. The deer were actually quite aggressive if you had anything they wanted, namely food. They would walk up to someone and persistently try to snatch it from them. I did my eating inside a restaurant, so I happily did not have to battle a deer for my meal. I had some oysters, which are popular in the area. They were grilled and very tasty.
In Hiroshima, I visited the A-bomb Dome and Memorial Peace Park. I happened to be there on the anniversary of the bomb drop, so it was a really interesting experience. I just kept thinking that if I had been there 68 years ago, I would likely have been killed. It was surreal. There were several booths and activities happening to commemorate the anniversary. I walked on a strip of cloth with a dye on my feet for a group collecting footprints. And I visited the museum, which was really informative. It had a good collection of pictures, artifacts and replications of the bombing. Some of it was hard to see, especially the pictures of people with their flesh burned off and their bodies mangled. The thing that impacted me the most, though, was a wrist watch that reads 8:15, the time when the bomb was dropped. It just embodied something being frozen in history. Sadly I didn't have time to say for the lantern lighting in front of the dome, needing to get to my hostel in Kyoto in time for check-in.
Imperial Palace
I started in Tokyo, and was able to visit Melissa, my amazing friend who I interned with in Italy. It was so wonderful to catch up with her, and I really enjoyed meeting the other interns at the Tokyo Camp Adventure site. I was able to stay in the hotel with her, so it was a really comfortable and affordable sleep! The hotel, New Sanno, was so nice. The bed was ridiculously comfortable and the staff was some of the best. On Friday while the girls were at work, I meandered around Shibuya district, Yoyogi Park and Hirajuku. I had a delicious doner kebab in Shibuya (way better than any kebab offerings Korea has) and did a little shopping at H&M. After that I relaxed and people watched on a bench in Yoyogi Park. Then I walked around Hirajuku for a bit and was able to see some of the girls dressed up in their famous, crazy fashions. Sadly I did not get a picture with or of any of them!
Friday night we headed out to an English style pub that was having a sale of 50 percent off all drinks for the entire day. It was amazing! We got ourselves a few drinks there, and then headed to Greenland, a bar with a roughly 10 dollar cover for all you can drink until 11 p.m. And since we arrived 15 til 9 p.m., we certainly got our money`s worth! The odd thing about bars in Japan is that dancing is technically forbidden in establishments, and signs warning you not to dance dress the walls. But that did nothing to stop us or other patrons in the bar, and we had a great time dancing away. We left Greenland, grabbed some snacks at a convenie and were going to head home, but the owner of a bar nearby called Joker`s enticed us in to his joint with a free drink. We ended up getting two drinks free and some tasty popcorn, which I ate at the bar in addition to my convenie sandwich. An old man next to me kept tapping my shoulder, pointing to my sandwich and laughing. He found it absurd (as did I) that I was eating the sandwich in the bar. But the bar owner encouraged me to take it in when he offered the free drink, probably fearing that had I stayed outside to finish it, I never would have made it into the bar at all. We finally got away from the bar and headed back to the hotel, where we promptly fell asleep after such an eventful evening.
On Saturday we slept in late. We eventually headed to the famous fish market, grabbing lunch at an Italian restaurant along the way. Sadly once we finally got to the fish market, everything was shut down and packed up. So we then headed to the Imperial Palace. The grounds were so beautiful as were the buildings. It was such a nice little area, but sadly we only had about 30 minutes to explore. I could have gone for a little more time, but was happy that we were able to see it none the less. That night Melissa and I had dinner at a ramen restaurant. It was so good! We both got the vegetable ramen and shared a thing of gyoza. Later in the night we joined some of the other girls for a drink in the hotel bar. The staff were so sweet and gave us nachos and a cheesecake! It was delicious. We then headed back to Roppongi for another night on the town. We danced in another `no dancing allowed` bar for most of the night. After working up such a sweat, we headed to a nearby kebab stand to refuel. The kebab was delicious and had lots of meat, but was not quite as good as the one I had in Shibuya. And that was pretty much the end of our night!
Sunday we slept in as long as we could, and the headed down to the hotel`s brunch. Luckily, one of the children the girls work with was able to get us into the 25 dollar brunch for free. It was so good. Everything was ridiculously delicious. I ate so much food, I can`t even remember it all! The highlights were the fresh fruit, cheese, champagne, seafood and desserts. It was a real treat, and certainly would have been worth the price. After doing a quick load of laundry, it was time for me to say goodbye. I was so sad to leave! It was such a delight being able to spend time with Melissa again. And I really loved all the other girls who I met as well. Everyone was so nice and such fun to hang out with.
I was a fool and didn`t exchange my Japan Rail Pass before trying to leave. So I spent a good two hours waiting in (the wrong, then the right) line to exchange my pass and then get my reserved seat for the train to Hiroshima. I was so tired from getting such little sleep the night before, and stressed out that I was going to miss my check in window for my next hostel. Once I finally got my ticket (only the train from Shin-Osaka to Hiroshima had any seats left to reserve) I burst into tears. At that point emotions were just all over the place, and try as I might I couldn`t collect myself for a good hour, crying on and off. When I got on the first train, I was so sad to have to stand; it was a 3 hour journey from Tokyo to Shin-Osaka. But after about 20 minutes into the ride, a sweet Japanese man showed me an open seat and encouraged me to sit down. I was so relieved to be able to sit there for the length of the journey. And I was able to use another kind Japanese man`s phone to call my hostel and let them know I was going to be late. So it all worked out and I was finally able to relax. After getting to Shin-Osaka, I transferred to another 2 hour train to get me to Hiroshima. Adding in the lines for tickets, it took me about 7.5 hours to get from Tokyo to Hiroshima. I was so exhausted by the time I arrived, but so happy to be able to get in to the hostel with no probably. I dropped off my stuff, took a quick journey to 7 Eleven to refuel and then headed to bed.
A-bomb Dome
HIROSHIMA
Hiroshima was a really great city, and I took advantage of its proximity to Miyajima Island. The island was definitely worth a day trip. It is best known for its Toori Gate that appears to be floating at high tide. Sadly, the tide was low the whole time I was there, so I didn't get to see the floating effect. But it was fine, because I was able to walk around the gate on the beach and check it out from a much closer vantage point. I spent the day walking around the island and checking out the various temples and buildings. My favorite was the five-tiered pagoda. The island is also known for its deer, and for good reason! They were everywhere. And not at all concerned about the people milling about. The deer were actually quite aggressive if you had anything they wanted, namely food. They would walk up to someone and persistently try to snatch it from them. I did my eating inside a restaurant, so I happily did not have to battle a deer for my meal. I had some oysters, which are popular in the area. They were grilled and very tasty.
In Hiroshima, I visited the A-bomb Dome and Memorial Peace Park. I happened to be there on the anniversary of the bomb drop, so it was a really interesting experience. I just kept thinking that if I had been there 68 years ago, I would likely have been killed. It was surreal. There were several booths and activities happening to commemorate the anniversary. I walked on a strip of cloth with a dye on my feet for a group collecting footprints. And I visited the museum, which was really informative. It had a good collection of pictures, artifacts and replications of the bombing. Some of it was hard to see, especially the pictures of people with their flesh burned off and their bodies mangled. The thing that impacted me the most, though, was a wrist watch that reads 8:15, the time when the bomb was dropped. It just embodied something being frozen in history. Sadly I didn't have time to say for the lantern lighting in front of the dome, needing to get to my hostel in Kyoto in time for check-in.
The Golden Pavilion
Fushimi Inari Shrine
KYOTO
I did a lot of exploring in Kyoto. I checked out some of the more interesting sites, including the Golden Pavilion, Ryoanji rock garden and Sanjusangendo Shrine. The Golden Pavilion was really beautiful and one of the cooler buildings I've seen in Asia. I also really loved the rock garden. The garden itself was pretty awesome, but the area surrounding it was absolutely gorgeous. It was a lush, moss-covered forest that seemed enchanted with the way the sunlight peeked in. Sanjusangendo Shrine was really interesting as well. It is filled with Buddhist statues. There are so many, it seems like an army.
During my time in Kyoto, I was able to hang out with my friend Tiffany. She taught English in Korea as well and decided to travel to Japan too. We met up my second day in Kyoto, and headed to nearby Kumara to check out its Onsen (public bath house). This one was special, because it was in a mountainous setting with indoor and outdoor baths. It was rather small, but so beautiful. I loved just hanging out in the bath while gazing at delightful nature. And I also enjoyed the clothes we were given to cover up when walking from the indoor to the outdoor bath. It was so comfortable! We spent nearly the whole afternoon there, deciding to leave a little after 6 p.m. We lucked out, because the last bus into the city was at 7 p.m. We had a bit of a wait, but it was nice to know we still had a sure way to get back to Kyoto! Once we got back we went out to dinner and then ended the night with some sweet karaoke.
My final day in Kyoto I ran into Tiffany when I went to get breakfast. So we decided to head to Fushimi Inari Shrine together. We didn't see the whole area, because it is ridiculously vast, but we got a good feel for it. It was a really awesome place. There were so many of the orange gates. I believe the official count is more than 1 million! And the bright color was so striking. We parted ways after the shrine, and I headed to Sanjusangendo Shrine, and then on to Osaka.
Sinsekai
OSAKA
I did very little sightseeing in Osaka, but that was perfectly fine with me, because there was little I really wanted to see. I went to Osaka Castle the afternoon I arrived and was pretty content with what I had seen. But my hotel was close to the Sinsekai area, which is know for its gambling rooms and fried food on a stick, so I went to check it out. I had a whole assortment of food fried on a stick: avocado, lotus root, pumpkin, asparagus, salmon, shrimp and scallop. They were quite tasty, but not my favorite meal in Japan (honestly, I think the pack of edamame I ate almost everyday from the convenies may have been my favorite!). I wasn't quite ready to turn in for the night, so I went to Spa World, which is a huge collection of public baths. There is an Asian section and a European section with various styles of baths. From the brochure pictures, it looked like the European section had Roman, Greek and Spanish style baths. Women were in the Asian section for the month, so I was able to use the Islam, Persian, Japanese and Bali style baths. It was a nice and relaxing evening.
The next day I went to Summer Sonic, the epic music festival that drew me to Japan in the first place! It was absurdly busy. I thought Korea had crowded events; boy was I wrong. It was just incredible how many people were there. Utter insanity. But I made the most of it. When I arrived, the line for the shuttle bus from the train station to the concert site must have been at least a three hour wait. I just didn't have the patience (and I didn't purchase a ticket beforehand, so I wasn't sure if I'd even be able to ride it), so I scoped out the crowd and saw two foreigners trying to flag down a cab. So I ran over to them and asked to join in their taxi. They were really nice and agreed, but we weren't able to get a taxi as they all were busy or kept being taken. So we went one train stop back and caught a taxi from there no problem. The weird thing though, was that the previous train stop was for Universal Studios theme park, so I was a bit shocked when I got off the train and walked into a theme park version of America (i.e. the city walk)! But I didn't have much time to marvel, though the roller coasters did tempt me, as we hurried to get a cab. We got the the site within a 10 minute drive, and I only ended up paying about a dollar more than I would have for the shuttle. So worth it!
Once I finally got to the concert, I walked around the area to get an idea of where things were located. Then I got to see the first band I was looking forward to, Imagine Dragons. They were so good and incorporated so much percussion into the performance. A really great show! I also saw John Legend (pretty good), Cyndi Lauper (awful), Carly Rae Jepsen (a little whiny for my tastes), and the Smashing Pumpkins (good). Additionally, I was able to watch Two Door Cinema Club. They were so great! I really love their music, and that was reinforced by their excellent performance. Sadly I only caught the middle performance, because they were playing at the same time as the band I most wanted to see: Muse! Oh my goodness! Muse was so incredible. They totally rocked my socks. Even though I missed about 20 minutes of their performance to watch Two Door, I heard all of my favorite songs. So I was completely happy with how it turned out. One of the best performances I've seen!
Leaving the concert was not as bad as I had anticipated. The line for the shuttle was again insanely long and no taxis were to be found. But I happened to walk past a public bus stop that had a really short line. I wasn't sure where it was going, but something said JR, so I figured it was associated with the railway system and thought I'd take a chance to see if it could get me to the train station. I ended up waiting for only about 10 or 15 minutes. And it was a pleasant wait, because two Korean guys who spoke good English were behind me. So we chatted a bit, which helped pass the time. It was a bit odd though, because it felt a little like a comfort of home talking to them. Maybe because I was able to speak English and actually converse with someone. But I think also because they were Korean and its like my second home now. So a nice feeling. Anyway, my intuition paid off, as the bus went directly to the train station and I was able to catch a train back to my hotel rather quickly. Leaving Summer Sonic was thankfully a much quicker process than arriving there. But it was absolutely worth it, and I am so glad I was able to see so many great performers. The concert was the last eventful thing I did in Japan, and a nice way to end. I crashed at my hotel before waking up for my morning flight to Bali.
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