Indulge yourself....
....a little

First new day in Japan

Had the best nights sleep so far, 6 hrs. Woke up around 03:30 and as I put my foot on the floor it felt like I was in the lift. Took me a while to realise there was an earthquake going on. Didn't last more than a few seconds and it was reported on the news as only a Cat 3 (on a scale of 0-7) but it does focus the mind when your 8 floors up. Just something you have to get used to here!

Spent the entire day in a bit of olde-worlde Japan today - Naritasan Omotesando, about fifteen minutes walk from the hotel (why I chose this one). It's a working complex of Buddhist temples and at peak season you probably can't move. Today wasn't so busy. It was around 25 C today and humid again so a leisurely day was in order. Mackrel and stewed radish was on the menu for breakfast this morning. Still can't face a bowl of rice that early but most of the other guests were tucking in. I did try the Natto (fermented soybeans). It's the Japanese equivalent to Marmite in terms of love it/hate it. There wasn't any special taste to it so not sure what all the fuss is about!

Before getting to the shrine complex you walk down a long winding street of tiny shops, all geared up for the tourist onslaught. It was empty, apart from two shops that were open when I was walking down there at 8am but by the time I returned around lunchtime you could hardly move. There is a one-way road and you have to be a patient driver trying to wait for the tourist to let you through! I won't bore you with too many pics but here are a few temple pics.

One of the specialties of this area is the Unagi - grilled eels. There are loads of little restaurants that serve it and one had an enormous queue outside. In Japan, if you see a queue, you check it out. There was a young girl there handing out something and when I asked she spoke perfect English and told me that there was a three hour wait for a table there but they had another restaurant about five minutes away. I ventured down there and queued for ten minutes to pay and then waited inside for my number to be called. There was an older Japanese couple behind me in the queue and while we were waiting he realised I may not understand when my number was called and told me he would let me know (very nice people). When my number came up he insisted on going to collect it for me too. When I ordered the cashier seemed to insist I also order the side dish of Eel liver soup. It seemed impolite to refuse! It turned out be a broth with a few veg and an actual eels liver, a bit chewy but not as unpalatable as it sounded. The eel on a bed of rice didn't disappoint - well worth the wait!

On the way back I happened to accidentally walk into a Sake shop and in all the confusion came out with this - only 55% and a bit of an acquired taste!!

Next stop Tokyo

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.

Naritasan Shinshoji Temple.

Unagi - grilled eel. Didn't disappoint.

Forget pringles, these are the dogs...

Travel day

Left Narita yesterday morning and went on a few trips. There is usually a day to fill from checking out of one hotel until you can check in to the next. Sawara was an hour away on the train - an historic living village built around the canals.

All the houses are as they were built hundreds of years ago.....well the fronts are! If you look closely a lot of the properties have a fairly recent extension put on the back!! it's called 'Little Edo' as it's the closest you will see to what Tokyo would have started out like (Although that's grown a bit since those days!). They have something similar to Historic England over here and although that gap between the house and the canal isn't very wide it doesn't stop the endless traffic trying to negotiate the tourists. It may be 'historic' but it seems the locals are quite attached to their modern conveniences!

From there it was on to Chiba, quite a large city I wouldn't mind going back to for a proper look. I only ventured out around the town centre just to kill time before heading to Tokyo. They have a monorail here which runs through the local park, a journey to take next time?

Yesterday was a hard slog as I was carrying ALL my luggage most of the day. I did manage to offload some of it in Chiba for a few hours in one of the many luggage lockers dotted around the shopping centre/train station. I must have walked about twenty miles that day and when I got on the train I did the Japanese thing and took forty winks. Every other person you see on the trains here will generally be asleep for part of their journey!

Got to Tokyo around 9pm and, although the name of this place is called 'Ekimae' (which literally translates as 'in front of the station') it wasn't that easy to find given the number of exits this station has!!. This will be my first stay in a capsule hotel which is akin to sleeping in a coffin, given the size! It's quite an experience, in a good way too.

Upon arriving you have to remove your shoes, put them in a locker and hand the key to reception and check in. Each time you leave the hotel you HAVE to pay anything you owe-to-date (breakfast, drinks etc) before you get the key to your shoes. There's no settling your bill at the end of your stay! They seperate the men and women on different floors and provide you with fresh towels, pyjamas, slippers and toothbrushes, razors etc, all for just over £20 a night! Down in the basement they have large onsens (hot tubs), showeres and a sauna, all included! I even got a good night sleep considering you will hear anyone who snores (and there were) - there is only a curtain to close off each capsule. Still, for £20 a night it's a small price to pay to be in Tokyo!

I did another 10+ miles of walking again today and had to call into a number of shops tonight with a picture of some soft insoles for my boots. A picture speaks for itself and I managed to get what I wanted without having to resort to my bad Japanese!

Sawara old town

Chiba monorail.

First day in Tokyo

Tokyo is sprawling! I'm staying in Ueno for four nights. This place is meant to be a 'quiet' area. You wouldn't think so given all the street bustle deep into the night. Almost every building is given over to retail. Unlike the UK, most retail outlets are no bigger than one small room. I don't think I've seen a vacant premises here!

I spent about 6 hrs walking around Ueno Park today which is right next to the hotel. There are loads of temples to look at but all the museums were shut today. You could easily spend a few days in this park! I might try the museums again tomorrow but there are other places I want to go too, if my feet hold out!

There are a lot of English speakers here (tourists) and none of them seem to want to communicate with each other. I've had more conversations with locals here with hand gestures and google translate than I have with fellow Europeans (although I did have a rare conversation with a Swiss guy today). They say the Japanese are reserved but I'm not sure that's justified entirely. One elderly local stopped and talked to me in the park today. I also made a new friend...

There was quite a crowd around this little guy when I was walking past. Someone gave him this little biscuit and as the crowd thinned he came over to me and held my hand...and wouldn't let go for ages! I then became the centre of attention for other locals who thought it was cute and started taking pictures of the two of us for about ten minutes or so. The owner just sat there. He was cute though. He's called George and he's seven years old.

Time to head out for something to eat. I saw a nice (Japanese) curry place just down the road so will give that a try before heading to bed. Let's see what tomorrow has in store?

Dragon water spout

Life-size blue whale.

My new friend, George, 7 years old.

Second day in Tokyo

I can't believe I've only been here a week!

Wednesday I had another frustrating start to the day, everywhere I wanted to go shuts on a Wednesday! Who shuts on a Wednesday!! I did find one place on my list that was open and I met an elderly couple who live in Dubai. He was speaking English so I got chatting to him and when I told him what I did he said he was having some furniture made in London and he gave me his card and told me to contact him when I get back. I thought I came here for a holiday!!

As everything was shut I spent the day sightseeing again. Went to the Imperial East Garden which the royal family have recently opened up to the public. From there I headed over to Yoyogi Park where there is another shrine, they are everywhere! I think I may be all shrined out!

As night was falling I headed down to utter madness - the famous Shibuya Scramble Crossing. It's a sight to see but I think it's become it's own problem now. I'd say more than 50% of those crossing are just tourists filming themselves with their selfie sticks. They recently put signs up saying drinking alcohol on the street is now forbidden all year round. I can forsee a sign saying 'People carrying selfie sticks on the crossing will be shot' - it's what Jeremy Clarkson would advocate for!

If for nothing else, it is worth coming to Japan for the food. It doesn't even need to be Japanese. Most of the tiny restaurants were full and I didn't have time to wait but not far from Shibuya crossing I found a little kiosk that sold kebabs. I had a rice kebab bowl that had a sweet, spicy sauce I'd never tasted before. It was fantastic!

Quiet street outside the hotel!

Palace defences.

Size of typical stone used to build walls.

Tori gate leading to Yoyogi Temple.

Tower Records, Shibuya.

Shibuya Scramble crossing.

Third day in Tokyo

Thursday I ventured out of Tokyo and headed to Kamakura and the famous Komichi Street - home of the famous Giraffa Curry Bread. Yes, it's a crusty bread roll filled with (very hot) curry and cheese. Then went to see more temples.....

On the way back to Tokyo I stopped at the port city of Yokohama. It's a very modern city and home to the likes of Sony, Fujifilm etc. It also used to have the tallest skyscraper in Japan until recently. I'm not sure if it predates the London Eye but the ferris wheel here comes with it's own rollercaoster! I'm glad I stayed until after dark as the thing lights up like a christmas tree at nightime too.

There was a specific reason for this stopover - probably the most important export ever to come out of Japan - to see the Cup Noodle Museum. It was getting late by the time I got there and the queues were enormous. You can get your own pot noodle made there - whatever ingredient combination you want.

Curry bread - bread with curry (and cheese).
15

Yokohama.

Japans most important export?.

Engraved wedding ring box with carved detail.

Another travel day

Friday I left Tokyo and headed to a port town callled Oarai where I boarded an overnight ferry heading north to Hokkaido. It's been baking hot the entire time I've been here, until today. It's been nothing but rain!

As you get further out into the sticks it becomes apparent that, as a Westerner, you stand out more. The last train I got onto before reaching the ferry terminal was full of kids, many of whom couldn't help but stare at the 'gaijin' on the train. In the main cities there are lots of English signs. Out here, nothing! While I was trying to find the shuttle bus from the train to the port a group of young boys plucked up the courage to ask me where I was from. The boy was from the Phillipines and spoke quite good English so I took advantage and asked him about the bus. It turned out I'd just missed it and the next one was a 45 minute wait. The walk was less than 20 minutes and as I headed off the boys asked me what I was doing? - 'You can't walk in the rain, you don't have an umbrella!!' It seems that appropriate attire is a must in Japan if you don't want to stick out!

Japanese ferries are nothing like those back home. This is like a luxury yacht! I opted for the cheap deal where you get to sleep in a dorm room with about twenty others - who sleeps on a ferry?. The dorms have tatami mats so you have to remove your shoes at the entrance. You get a roll-out bed and a curtain for privacy. I could have done with a brick wall as one of my neighbours had the loudest snore I've ever heard!

Dinner and breakfast are an all-you-can-eat buffet and, to be honest, was first class quality. While I'm travelling I'm trying most foods, some of which I couldn't identify. Breakfast this morning was a mix of unknown foods, very sweet cereal, curry and rice (yes, for breakfast), croissants, sausages, a choice of pickled vegetables and lots of other things I wanted to try but couldn't as I was too full!

I have four days up here, in two cities (Asahikawa and Sapporo - where the beer comes from). The waters up here are cold (just below Russia) and it's said to have the best seafood. We shall see.

Beautiful sunrise onboard ferry to Hokkaido.

Hokkaido

Having docked in Hokkaido I had to make my way up to Asakihawa, the furthest north I'm travelling in Japan. It's also the second largest city on this island. If you like skiing this is a place to come during the winter and if you like trail hiking it's the place to come during the summer - being so far north the summer temperature is more bearable than the rest of Japan . The city is largely industrial. It's the home of the furniture industry in Japan where they now try to use as much of their local resources as possible, rather than relying on imported timber (it's mostly mountainous and forested up here). There are lots of small independant furniture makers here and much of their work can be seen at the Asahikawa Design Center - well worth a vist.

I must be going soft because I opted to use the bus to travel the 8km from my hotel, rather than walk. I did take a slow meandering walk back though, especially as the Otokoyama Sake Brewery Museum was on the route. I wasn't that taken by the bottle of sake I bought last week but I did buy a can of non-alcoholic rice-water to try. Surprisingly, that is quite a refreshing drink.

Heading to Sapporo I took the coach. Most of the flat land up here is given over to agriculture from what I could see. Considering the fact that towns/cities here are seperated by mountain ranges there are no meandering roads up and down them. Back home we still have those tortuous routes. Here they just tunnel through the mountain.

Sapporo was host to the 1972 winter Olympics but is probably most famous for the beer they brew up here! Naturally I had to stop by the Sapporo Brewing Museum and sample some of their wares. I'm not a big beer drinker but having tasted the Sapporo Black Label I might have to reconsider - that is the best tasting beer I have ever drunk.

Sapporo is quite a modern city full of high rise office buildings but there are a lot of communal outdoor spaces to break up the monotony. Odori park, which I subsequently learned was meant to be a street, runs over 1.5km dividing the city into north ans south. It's also a university city (Hokkaido University) and for the tree lovers there is an entire avenue of gingko trees on the campus - unsurprisingly called.....'Gingko Avenue'. You will see as many photographers there as their are trees!

Japan has a very different approach to retail and there are covered arcades here that spread for multiple blocks (kms) where there must be over 1000 small independent retailers interspersed with numerous small eateries which might only sit 8-10 people. They are nearly always full. I kept walking past what looked like a subway entrance with the title 'Pole Town'. It was only when I exited one store from the basement level that I discovered it was yet another subterranean shopping centre that spread as far as the eye could see! I didn't have time to explore this! I guess they have to keep the retail going when the city is blanketed in snow!

Asahikawa Design Centre.

Beautiful carved box.

Stool in ADC.

Park behind Asahikawa Station.

Otokoyama Sake Brewery.

Sapporo TV tower.

Almost unending shopping arcade.

Gingko Avenue, Hokkaido University Campus.

Sapporo Brewery Museum.

Sapporo Brewery - sampling the wares!

Otaru and the second ferry trip

Last stop in Hokkaido was the port town of Otaru where I had a few hours to kill before boarding another ferry down the west coast of Japan to Niigata. The ferry terminal is in a historic (preserved) town. It's famous for the canal systems they build to transport goods around the town and is also home to the Music Box Museum. Outside the museum there is a steam clock that has a connestion to the city of Vancouver - I need to investigate!

The ferry was an interesting experience. There was a musician on stage playing guitar as we boarded. He performed for an hour later that evening too. P&O have a lot to learn!. Unlike the first sailing up the east coast this was a very different sailing experience. The first journey was like sailing across a pond. This was like a rollercoaster. Weather conditions this side can be very changeable and there was news of an impending storm. Whilst the first few hours were reasonably smooth by the time everyone was heading to bed the sea got quite choppy for most of the next twelve hours. You get a berth on this ferry - a bit like a bunk bed. It's probably deliberate as you have something to keep you 'in' with all the movement of the boat! The seperating curtain on the previous ferry wouldn't have been up to the job! It was probably no worse than crossing the Irish sea on a bad day but it went on a lot longer. We ended up docking nearly two hours later than expected.

The central staircase on the ferry!

The Music Box museum in Otaru with steam clock from Vancouver.

Steam Clock in Otaru with Vancouver link.

Otaru canal - you'd never guess!

Otaru canal - details of railing!

Leaving Niigata

I only stayed one night in Niigata, the highlight of which was a visit to the Standing Curry Restaurant. It's what you think! Situated in the corner of the bus station you order your dish and eat it standing up at a counter. It was packed. They proudly display the fact that they won a national curry award last year. I can see why. For around £2.50 you get a big bowl of rice covered in thick udon curry. The trip alone was worth it for that! I'm sure there is more to the city than that but, with all the walking I've been doing lately, my feet are in need of some serious TLC so I didn't explore as much as I would have liked to.

I'm sat on another coach as I type this, en-route to my next stop - Kanazawa. As we drive along the coast there is a small town on every bit of flat land between the mountains. I was going to stop at two towns in between but I've decided to change my plans a bit. I'm going to be stopping for longer in other places and take day trips out. The problem with hotel-hopping is that you lose a lot of the time inbetween checking out of one hotel and cheking in to the next. Plus you're left carrying all your luggage inbetween. I thought I packed light for this trip but even that was too much! I've been able to do laundry on each of the ferries I've taken. If you intend coming to Japan, trust me, you hardly need more than a chage of clothes. There are laundry facilities everywhere!

Engraved wedding ring box with carved detail.

Kanazawa

Kanazawa was on my radar because I wanted to spend time a little further north in Wajima. This is where most of the lacquerware artisans are based but I, only recently, discovered the region was badly damaged in an earthquake earlier this year (New years day). Rebuilding will take time but it will happen. I might not have been able to visit the centre of the craft but there was plenty of lacquerware to see in the museums I visited. I very much enjoyed Kanazawa. It's not a huge city and, to-date, I would say it has been the friendliest place I've been so far.

I've had more people ask me where I'm from whilst being in Kanazawa than anywhere else. They are genuinely interested and the ones who speak English are more than happy to have a lengthy conversation. The concept that the Japanese are 'reserved' is, I would say, more down to being able to converse in a common language. Sadly, my limited Japanese isn't up to scratch. I did have one sort-of-conversation with an ollder lady where she knew enough English words and I knew enough Japanese words to be able to communicate, with a lot of pointinng. Where there's a will....

People regularly take the Shinkansesn (bullet train) out here for a day trip (only 2.5hrs from Tokyo). Apart from it's beauty it's probably because all the tourist hotspots are within walking distance of each other. It would be possible to see them all in one day but you'd miss a lot too. In order to give my poor feet a reprieve I opted for the more leisurely approach. I was here for three full days and spent an entire day walking around Kanazawa Castle and Kenruoken Gardens, a day visiting the various museums here and an afternoon in the Samurai District.

Arriving at Kanazawa Station you can't help but be impressed by the architecture of the entrance. It's probably the most photographed place in the city? There is also a cool 'clock' nearby made up of a series of small water spouts. It works along the lines of a dot-matrix printer.

Kanazawa Castle, and the gardens/grounds it's in, can easily take up a whole day. I got talking to one of the tour guides (who was a big Rolling Stones fan) who explained all about the castle, the gardens and the on-going effort to restore it all. Being the highest point on the landscape it is very vulnerable to lightning strikes and over the years has succumbed many times; it got burned in 1602, 1631, 1759 and 1881. The guide told me that the last occupant abandoned the place because he got fed up having to repair all of the damage. He was half-joking but maybe he had a point? The castle has been completely rebuilt over the last 25 years using traditional techniques, naturally, and anyone with any interest in construction should visit this place just to examine (and be in awe of) the joinery. Interestingly, they incorporated a lift into the rebuild. Not very historic but at least it makes the place accessible to those who might need it.

The following day I went back to the outskirts of the castle and got sucked in to (nearly) all of the museums around the area. I did get to see some amazing lacquered boxes on display though, pics below. Sadly the best examples were barred from being photographed and each gallery had a person there to ensure compliance! Everything was behind glass so the pictures won't show as much detail as the eye could see.

My last day out I spent an afternoon walking around the old Samurai District. They haven't existed since the 1800's and much of the area is private housing now so is naturally off-limits. There are a few buildings that have been preserved and, from what I could see, the movie depictions of the samurai living in palatial opulence is far from reality.

The iconic entrance to Kanazawa Station.

The details.

Water-spout clock, Kanazawa Station.

Kanazawa Castle - rebuilt.

Kanazawa Castle.

Kanazawa Castle - Roof detail.

Scale model of Kanazawa Castle.

Full scale model of joints used in construction.

Lacquered box.

Lacquered box.

Lacquered box.

Lacquered table.

Sculpture outside the Kanazawa Museum of Modern Art.

Kyoto

Another pleasant coach ride to Kyoto. A lot of the drive was along a two lane road with one lane blocked off for roadworks. No speed reductions, no cameras, no holdups, no idiots trying to overtake! Unlike back home, it all keeps moving here - even in rush hour. The hotel I stayed in was very nice but, like a lot of places here, is on what we would think of as an alleyway. They can be difficult to find! I liked this place because, unlike everywhere esle I've stayed so far, here you had access to the air conditioning controls. They're a necesssiity in summer but are usually the loudest thing in the room. It was nice to switch it off and get some sleep.

First day out I visited a number of sites and did a lot of climbing! First on the list was Fushiri Inari Taisha - a Shinto shrine that dates back to the 8th century. It is famous for the (over) 10,000 tori gates that snake their way up the hillside. The peak is only 233m high so not quite a mountain! I didn't count but there must be three times the number of steps on the route up and down? Halfway up you do get a good view of the sprawl of Kyoto.

Next was a trip to Kyomizu-Dera, a Buddhist temple built on the side of a mountain. What is most impressive with this temple is the wooden-stilt structure that supports the entire thing.The surrounding area is a maze of aleyways filled with shops and restaurants (izakayas). Everywhere is packed with tourists and it isn't at peak tourism! I think I heard the majority of the worlds languages today!

Last stop on the way back to the hotel was a stroll through the Gion district. I got there early evening and didn't want to linger too long. It's famous for the nightlife but that was way past my bedtime!!

The following day I took a train to Arashiyama, just outside Kyoto. Here you will find, amongst the throngs of tourists, a bamboo forest and a Monkey Park. Beware - they take your money first before pointing you to the sign telling you there is a 20 minute climb up to the summit! 20 minutes if you're fit! This one is only 160m high but with the winding path seems a lot higher. Up top there is a troop of Japanese monkeys, about the size of macaques? There was one who was bigger than all the others and he was the one they all ran away from as he wandered about.

The iconic tori gates at Fushiri Inari.

The route up and down.

Top of the tori gate climb.

Kyomizu Dera temple.

Pagoda at Kyomizu Dera.

Pagoda at Kyomizu Dera.

Not sure people realise what's beneath??.

Wandering the streets around Kyomizu Dera.

Bamboo forest in Arashyama.

Scenery around Arashyama park.

Down on the river in Arashyama.

Monkey park in Arashyama.

This old monkey hardly moved from this spot.

Monkey park in Arashyama.

Monkey park in Arashyama.

The climb up to the Monkey park in Arashyama.

The view of Kyoto from the monkey park. My hotel was not far from the tall tower you see in the distance.

Leaving Kyoto for........Nagoya

I had planned on going to Osaka after three days in Kyoto but life is never that simple! Trying to book a hotel somewhere that wasn't three/four times the price I'd typically been paying proved rather difficult. Matbe it was because it was a Friday/Saturday but I became very aware of the phenomenon of surge pricing!

Nagoya wasn't on the list till later but that had to change as it was the only place with beds available so I booked up two nights. I met a few fellow Brits there who told me they were doing the same thing, having to find accomodation! Like everything in Japan, the capsule hotel was very clean and the staff were brilliant. I have noticed though that capsule hotels tend to be obsessed with ramping up the air conditioning at night. This place was like sleeping next to a jet engine!!

I was a little surprised to see how big Nagoya railway station actually is considering this city only has a population one quarter that of Tokyo (whis is around 40 million!). It's a bit of a central hub station for the whole of Japan and holds the world record as the largest railway station in the world - it covers 101 acres!

The one whole day I had to explore I went to Nagoya castle. It dates back to the 1600's and whilst the castle remains (although it's undergoing renovation) the palace that lies within was burned down during WW2. Renovation of Hommaru Palace took 4 years and was finished in 2013. One part took an hour to get into but it was worth the wait. It is easy to see why the renovation took so long given the level of detail that has been achieved. The woodwork here is exquisite and I will have to come back here again to see more of it.

While I was in Hommaru Palace it started raining. It didn't stop all day and got so bad they had to delay some of the bullet trains. I would have liked to have taken some better pictures of the outside of the castle but I couldn't find anywhere dry enough to use the camera.

The first picture shows the castle on the right whilst the wooden building in the foreground is the renovated Hommaru Palace.

The second picture is of the south tower which is accesible to the public. I liked the sign on the second floor. Despite the fact this was constructed to withstand a seiging army, nowadays it's not safe to hold more than 9 people!!

I will let the photos speak for themselves

Nagoya Castle and Hommaru Palace.

Nagoya South Tower.

???

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Hommaru Palace.

Nagoya Castle.

Nagoya Castle.

On to Osaka...and beyond

Another coach trip from Nagoya to Osaka and a five night stay in a(nother) capsule hotel. I also tried another ramen - each region has it's own version and in Osaka they seem to like lots of onions in theirs (to be fair, that might just have been what I ordered by pointing at a picture!). I had to make sure I wasn't in France! Another dish I really enjoyed there one night was a black curry. Not sure what's in it but the description isn't much of an exageration! Delicious though.

Japan used to be a good destination for good value rail travel, but that benefit (only available to foreigners) got curtailed a year or so ago from what I read before coming here. However, there is still one rail pass (for tourists) in this region that must be one of the best value-for-money offers going - the Kansai-Hiroshima pass. Five days of unlimited rail travel, including the shinkansens (bullet trains). One round trip from Osaka to Hiroshima on the shinkansen is more expensive than the cost of the pass! The only downside to all this travel bonanza is that, apart from the evenings, I haven't really seen a lot of Osaka! Not to worry though as I will definitely be coming back here.

Night scene in Osaka.

Night scene in Osaka.

Night scene in Osaka.

Not the one that was devastated in the tsunami-this was the nearst station to me in Osaka!

Nara

First day trip out was to Nara to see the famous temple to see Bambi! I'm sure people go there for other things? This was one of those trips out where you didn't need to use a map, you just follow the crowds. I was impressed with the wood clad ceiling underneath the station - it makes a change from the concrete!

Nara park is about 1.5km from the station along a tourist avenue of shops. When you get to the park there are loads of people selling rice cakes to tourist wanting to feed the deer. Unfortunately, it looked like the deer were fed up eating them!! There was also a gentleman walking about the park with a trolley of chestnuts he was throwing everywhere. The deer couldn't get enough of those. By the time I left the park there were piles of uneaten rice cakes left on various benches. I think the only time I saw a deer eat one of the rice cakes was when the supply of chestnuts dried up!

Underneath Nara station.

Aren't they cute.

Leave me alone.

Where's the chestnut man!

They even know how to use the crossings!

The infamous push-me-pull-you deer of Nara!

Hiroshima

Second day out was my first trip on a shinkansen, to Hiroshima. 187 miles away from Osaka in just under an hour and a half - imagine London to Manchester in just over an hour!!

If it wasn't for the Peace Park you would hardly be aware of the devastation that was wrought on the city. Like most of Japan today, Hiroshima is now a vibrant modern city. It would be easy to write volumes about Hiroshima but all I will say is that it's one of those places you should visit, given the opportunity.

I spent a long day in Hiroshima and after spending much longer than I thought I would, in and around the Peace Park, I took a long walk through the city. Inevetably, I found a castle! Naturally, this didn't survive the bombing but it was 'faithfully' rebuilt in 1958 - in reinforced concrete! You wouldn't know that from the exterior though and it doesn't detract from the impressive architecture of these castles.

My last stop was to the Shukkeien Gardens (Shrunken Scenery Park). It's the bonsai equivalent of the Lake district!! Very pretty. Almost everywhere I've been I always see couples trying to take selfies of themselves in the kimonos they've rented for the day. I generally ask if they'd like me to take a picture of them on their phone and they always take me up on the offer. Today I asked one couple if they'd like me to take their picture and, to my surprise, the girl stood aside from her other half and started posing as if I wanted to take a picture of just her with my camera! She was a bit embarrased when the penny dropped and (reluctantly) posed with the guy she was with!

When you enter the park they offer you (at a a cost) food to throw to the koi in the lake. I'm not sure how long this has been going on but the moment fish see a human at the water's edge they head towards you with mouths wide open - very Pavlovian! It obviously works given the size of these fish!

Hiroshima Peace Memorial.

The inscription on the memorial has been translated into 16 languages.

The Peace Memorial Clock showing the time the first atomic bomb used as a weapon of war exploded - 8:15.

The peace bell.

The atomic dome that stood after the bombing.

The insatiable koi!

Wakayama

Another day out on the train. Unfortunately there are no shinkansens on this route so, although it's less than half the distance between Osaka and Hiroshima, the journey time is about the same! Wakayama is another nice city with...... a castle that dates back to the 1585. Highlght here - there was a beautiful lacquered litter on dispaly here - this was how the nobility would have travelled.

Wakayama castle.

Wakayama castle.

Travel in style!

The view from Wakayama castle!

They don't sell these in Jewsons!

Okayama and Kobe

You can get used to the convenience of the shinkansens very quickly so today I took another trip on one to Okayama, about halfway to Hiroshima. Guess what, they have a castle too!! This one is a little different though as it's black. Whilst I was there I did my good deed by taking a picture of two older ladies who were visiting. One of them was so grateful she asked if her friend could take a picture of the me and her. Maybe she'd heard about my celebrity status with the monkey! Who was I to turn her down!.

On the way back to Osaka I stopped off for an afternoon stroll around Kobe. Whilst I was at the station waiting for the train a Japanese man stood next to me and struck up a conversation. This is very rare in Japan but it turned out that he was concerned that I might be cold! Admittedly, the temperature had dropped a bit and I was only in a t-shirt. Japanese people are very reserved and they rarely make eye contact. I have noticed one thing that makes them change though - the weather. Walk out in a light shower without an umbrella or go out inappropriately dressed for the cold and you can feel the eyes of Japan on you! I've had strangers offer me their umbrellas on the odd occaission it's rained in the time I've been here.

Kobe, most famous for it's beef, was devastated by an earthquake back in 1995 but you wouldn't know that today. It's a vibrant city once again and this is a place I'd like to come back to as there is plenty to do here. As I only had a few hours I took a long walk from the station down to the port. It's a bit of an entertainment district and has many waterfront hotels for the cruise-loving set. The port has an impressive tower constructed from a lattice of steel. It has an observation deck atop but I didn't have the time to explore that, maybe next time?

Okayama castle.

Nicer in black?

So much nicer in gold?

Eating in style.

Kobe today.

Sculpture of fish in Kobe

Kobe Port Tower.

Sculpture in Kobe.

Proud to be in Kobe.

Osaka and Himeji castles

To finish the tour of castles I went to see the ones at Osaka and Himeji. As I approached Osaka castle I was nearly overrun by almost half the kids in Osaka. Friday is obviously the day to do school trips - there were hundreds of kids everywhere you looked! When I got to the castle the queue to get in was way too long for me to wait....so I didn't!

Although it's on the shinkansen line only a few bullet trains stop at Himeji during the day. There is also a reasonably fast regular train that goes there frequently so it's still easy to get to (about an hour). Whilst I was at the station I witnessed a rare occurence in Japan - the train was delayed by twelve minutes. You didn't need to understand Japanese to see the look of concern on peoples faces. It's considered rude to be late for any appointment (business or personal) and within minutes people were, it appeared, making apologetic phone calls. Trains are probably the most reliable forms of transport here so when they suddenly aren't it really resonates! It's easy to take this for granted!

Himeji castle, built in 1601 and known as 'White Heron Castle' is Japans most visited castle. Unlike other castles from that era it escaped siege, fire and WW2 bombings (although the city of Himeji was destroyed), so most of it is still original. This is partly why you have to walk around the place without your shoes. Climbing to the top is about 120 steps up incredibly steep stairs but the view is worth the climb. Unfortunately all the windows have very restricting wire barriers that only a phone lens can clear!!

Osaka Castle.

Himeji Castle.

View from Himeji Castle.

Model of Himeji Castle and the surrounding town.

Journey's End - back in Tokyo

That's it folks! 21 towns/cities and 12 hotels......in just over a month! I'll add more before I leave on Thursday.....or maybe I'll wait till I get back?

Nagoya Castle and Hommaru Palace.