One Week Left

I can't believe it.

Time is really slipping away from me. I have no idea where the seconds, minutes, hours, days and weeks are disappearing to. I'm trying to ignore it and concentrate on where I am now, but there's always that nagging countdown in the back of my mind.

I know that 7 days from now I'll be on the plane somewhere over Russia. I can't believe it.

This last week will be extremely busy, and I have loads to do. Lots of people are asking me to go to places with them, or meet up for a final drink, but I can't do it all!

I have to think about packing, and leaving Sakura House, and closing my bank account, and everything else.

Unfortunately, because I have so much to do, I don't have time to write up everything in my blog now. I will do the most important things as they happen, but when I get back to Britain I will finish writing about my friend's visit, and my trip around Japan, because there aren't enough hours in the day to do it now!

I am sorry about the unorganised look that will give my blog, but the posts will appear in the right order. If you have time, please look back at the blog as new posts slot into place. I will definitely fill in the blanks!

Where does seven months go?

My Trip: Nara

On Saturday 19th it was Nara!

Nara (奈良) is a small city south of Kyoto, and it's full of temples and shrines. It's a former capital of Japan and I think it's perfect to do as a daytrip from Kyoto.

It has a grand total of eight World Heritage Sites, and the largest concentration of these is in Nara Park (奈良公園), which is just 15 minutes walk from Kintetsu Nara station (近鉄奈良駅), but a bit further from JR Nara station (ＪＲ奈良駅).

The other sites are further away and more spread out. If you want to visit these too, it's probably better to stay overnight in Nara rather than just do a daytrip, otherwise you'll end up exhausting yourself.

But Nara Park was sufficient for me. It's a really nice place to wander around, finding old temples and getting harrassed by deer.

I got up quite early, which meant that I was a bit tired for the whole day, and it was hot too, around 35C, which didn't help my energy levels!

I walked to Kyoto station and took the Kintetsu Nara line (近鉄奈良線) . I bought a Limited Express (特急) train ticket for Y1,100. Those tickets are reserved automatically so you're guaranteed a seat if the train isn't already full.

I was in this double-decker car. I've seen lots of these around but never been inside one. I was on the top level so I like to think that I had a good view.



The train was very direct, making only one stop at Yamato-Saidaiji station, and arriving within 35 minutes. I got to Nara at 11.05, just in time for the heat of the day! I walked up the road from the station and it was obvious where the Park was. I found some shade and put some sun cream on (yes, it was that hot) and then made my way to the first sight on my list.

On the way, I passed this woman who made the mistake of feeding the deer being attacked by hordes of hungry animals. You can buy deer food at numerous stalls all over the place.

Heralded as the star attraction of Nara, my first stop was Todai-ji (東大寺). This ancient Buddhist temple boasts the largest wooden building in the world, and the largest Buddha statue in Japan.

The first thing you see as you approach is the impressive wooden Nandai-mon (南大門).

Inside the gate, on either side, are fearsome carvings of Nio guardians, protecting the temple from evil spirits.

Through the gate, you then see this great building. This is the largest wooden building in the world, but it's only two-thirds of its original size.

This is the home of Japan's largest Great Buddha (大仏, dai butsu). The Kamakura Buddha is the second biggest.

This Buddha's head is a slightly different colour to its body, as a result of many fires and earthquakes in the past decapitating it on numerous occassions.

The route round the hall takes you behind the Buddha. There is a hole in the bottom of a pillar here, which, if you can squeeze through, guarantees you enlightenment.




Looking at the size of the hole, I'm happy to stay in this world thanks.

After the cool interior of Todai-ji's main hall, the sun was a bit of a shock. I started walking up the hill, but midday was a little too intense so I stopped for lunch in a restaurant.

Having recovered a bit, I made my way to Nigatsu-do (二月堂) and Sangatsu-do (三月堂), which are both a walk up the hill from Todai-ji. From them, there's a nice view of Nara Park and the city behind.

There was an artist painting a lovely view of the temples and the Park. If I'd had time, I'd have loved to sit and watch him finish it.

I followed the recommended route in the Lonely Planet Japan guide down the hill, pass lots of deer, to Kasuga Taisha (春日大社).

Kasuga Taisha is famous for the hundreds of lanterns that line it's pathways and halls.

This tree was huge! You can see the sign that accompanied it below the photo.

As you leave the Shrine, you can see loads and loads of lanterns along the road that leads through the cool shady wood.



After that, I headed out to the slightly far-away temple of Shin-Yakushi-ji (新薬師寺). It took a while to find it, following the path through the forest and out of the main city area, but it gave me time to think about things and reflect on what I'd seen so far.

After the temple, I looked at a map and found the right road back to Todai-ji. Admittedly, I did get a little lost and had to ask for directions, but it's all part of it!

Back in the Todai-ji area, I searched for Isui-en Garden (依水園), which was recommended in the guidebook. But when I say 'searched', I mean searched. It took me absolutely ages to find it, and I asked about five different people. And maybe it was because of that, or the heat, or my tired legs, but when I finally got there, it wasn't as impressive as I thought it would be. It was a nice Japanese garden, but no different from others I'd visited.

That's the art museum, Neiraku Bijutsukan (寧楽美術館), which is within the garden grounds. I didn't go in though because I was getting too tired!

After Isui-en, I walked back towards Nara Station and made my last stop of the trip to Nara, Kofuku-ji (興福寺). It's meant to have two famous pagodas, but try as I might, I could only see one.

There was also an interesting building past the pagoda, which is worth a look if you have time. But, if you're on a tight schedule, don't bother with Kofuku-ji, go to the more impressive sights.

I caught the 16.30 train back to Kyoto, so it was one of the earliest finishes to a day I'd had on my trip. I arrived back at Kyoto station after listening to the Gwen Stefani album (I'd forgotten about all the Japan references that made a lot more sense after living there!)

I took a couple of photos and videos of Kyoto station and Kyoto Tower opposite the main entrance.

I went back to my hotel and then headed out again to find dinner at about 5.30. I found an okonomiyaki (お好み焼き) restaurant and decided to try Kansai-style savoury pancakes. After I ordered, they lit a fire under my table and brought the ingredients to the metal section in front of me. They cooked it all there, so I could watch it brown and sizzle away.

The finished pancake!

The meal was delicious, but the icing on the ... pancake, was the waitress' laugh. I'm not exaggerating at all, she actually laughed exactly like Patty and Selma from The Simpsons. It even ended with a throaty cough and spluttering.

On the way back to the hotel, I passed a restaurant called Iimura where my family and I ate dinner one night in April, and also a random giant teddy bear that was sitting on a chair outside a chair, that my brother couldn't help hugging.

Later on, after a bath in the ryokan, I took advantage of the free internet in the hotel's annex. I checked my emails and Facebook, and updated my friends and family of my movements.

As you can imagine, it was as hot and humid as ever outside, but with the help of air con, I slept very well.

My Trip: Peace Museum & Kiyomizu-dera, Kyoto

Because I didn't sleep very well on Thursday night, it was a struggle to get up for my 8.30am breakfast on Friday morning. The World Friendship Centre give you two choices for breakfast time, 7.45 or 8.30, so you can imagine which I immediately chose!

I said goodbye to the Hawaiian girl I had met several times over the previous two days, and we exhanged contact details. I also gave my email address to the Canadian family I met twice by chance the day before. They even invited me to stay with them if I ever go to Canada!

I checked out, after paying and thanking Kent and Sarah very much for being such good hosts. It really was a great place to stay, and I told them that.

To be honest, I was a little nervous about going to the Hiroshima Peace Memorial Museum, because I'd heard so many stories about it being overwhelmingly sad. But I knew I had to go.

It's extremely good value for money, entrance is a mere Y50 (25p) and there are free lockers for luggage. The Museum is very central, located in the Peace Park.

I won't describe everything in detail like I normally would for two reasons.
The first is that most people know the events that led up to the bombing, and the results of the bomb very well. If you don't, this website seems full of information.
And the second is that I don't want to spoil it if you do visit. And I hope you can.

I did take some photographs throughout the museum.




This is a famous exhibit. A watch frozen at the precise second the bomb exploded over the city.

The last area, in the Main Building, was the most moving. The photos and videos below are of things that touched me most in the entire exhibition.

I don't think this photos is very clear, but the dark patch on the steps is somebody's shadow, etched into the stone.

Further away from the blast, dark patches on clothes or paper were burned away, while the lighter colours remained intact.

There's a photograph of this in my old A-level Geography textbook. It's called Black Rain (黒雨, kuroame). This toxic rain fell after the attack for several hours, staining walls like the one below.

There were lots of graphic photographs of burn victims, and vivid explanations of what radiation poisoning does to the body. This is one of the more tame pictures.

I spent a total of 3 and a half hours inside the museum. There were so many different things there, and I made a conscious effort to read everything and see each exhibit in detail. I could have done it in 90 minutes if I hadn't gone so carefully.

There was so much variety inside the Museum. There were drawings by hibakusha (A-bomb survivors) of skeletons stripped of their flesh, still standing up where they died; touchable artifacts recovered from the destruction; graphic photographs; lots of videos; and even real sections of buildings or walls taken from their original positions around the city.

I was very pleased that I went. In the end, it wasn't as overwhelming as I expected, so don't worry about going there. Some people might want to skip some sections though, I know I did. It was very sad, and very thought-provoking. It will certainly change your outlook on what happened.

I left Hiroshima at 14.30 on a Nozomi Shinkansen for Kyoto. It was very easy to buy the ticket, as I had the basic fare ticket I described in a previous post.

A few hours, and a few hours of sleep later, I was in Kyoto station. It was extremely humid, as I knew it would be, because Kyoto is infamous for being hot in summer. It's built inside a basin, so heat and humidity settles inside, and no wind can reach it to clear the air.

I was quite comfortable there though, as I'd been there once before with my family. I recognised a lot of things and knew my general way around. Before going to my ryokan (旅館, traditional Japanese hotel), I wanted to see one of the top sights of Kyoto that I didn't manage to get to last time.

I took a bus from the huge terminal outside Kyoto station and arrived there within 20 minutes. On the way up the hill, I spotted two maiko (young geisha) inside a building. I couldn't get too close but I managed to take a photo. I saw one geisha last time I went to Kyoto, but I didn't have time to take a picture, so I'm pleased I could this time.

And here it is! The entrance to one of the most famous temples in Kyoto, if not, Japan.

It's Kiyomizu-dera (清水寺), the sacred water temple. It's famous for its view over Kyoto, and the way the structure is built on struts overhanging the hill. Apparently it's spectacular in autumn when the maple trees burn with oranges, reds and browns all over the hill.




Here's the place where people catch water falling from the waterfall above and drink it to cleanse themselves.

There is a Shrine within the temple's grounds with a famous attraction. There are two stones placed about 18m apart from each other. You have to touch one, close your eyes, and walk to the other without peeking. If you manage to touch the other stone, your wish for love will come true. It's just my luck then that it was closed at 5.30pm!

I left the temple at its 6pm closing time, and I was waiting for the bus back to Kyoto station when it started to rain! It was very heavy, hot rain, and it meant that all the buses were completely full of people. I had to let three go because it was impossible to push myself in.

I did find one that was slightly more empty but it was still very crowded, and of course my huge bags didn't help!

But I got back eventually and then followed the map I'd drawn to my hotel. It's testament to my map-drawing skills that it took over an hour and three people's directions to get there.

It was a nice place, called Ryokan Hiraiwa (旅館平岩). It was another cheap one, only Y14,000 (£70) for three nights, but it was very good quality.

This was my comfortable room inside the ryokan.

I went out to find myself some dinner, taking careful note of where the hotel was, and was shocked to see mist in the headlights of passing cars, even though it was over 30C! So humid!

I passed lots of places I'd seen or been to with my family. A yakitori (焼鳥, grilled meat) bar I went to before was full, and that was disappointing because it was nice there, but I found a different one and ate there.

And in the end, I was pleased that I found it because, halfway through my meal, an Australian guy came and sat next to me. I decided that I should make the first move, as when I meet people, they always start, and I need to be less shy! I pointed out that the English translation of some of the dishes like 'Heart' and 'Gizzard' didn't sound very appetising.

We got to chatting and I found out that he's here for a two-week holiday with his family. In just six days, he said he'd really gotten into J-pop, a topic I love to talk about. He said his favourite singer was Yui, who I like too, so I recommended some songs to him. Of course, I endorsed my favourite band, Perfume, and wrote some of their song titles down for him.

He told me that he stayed in the Tokyo Park Hyatt, which I've wanted to go to for ages! We talked until 10pm, and then swapped email addresses before heading back to our hotels, where I had a lovely hot bath.

It was so nice that I could make new friends on the trip, as I thought that I'd be alone for all of it except the first couple of days in Kyushu. What a great experience!

My Trip: Miyajima & Peace Park

I woke up early (8.30am) for one of the World Friendship Centre's amazing breakfasts that I described in my last post.

It was huge and I was really full at the end of it. I felt very rested because I'd slept very well. I asked Kent and Sarah, the volunteer owners of the WFC, when high and low tide were, so I could go to Miyajima island to see the best view of the famous 'floating gate'.

On the day I went, high tide was at 8.45am and 10pm, and low tide was 3am and 3pm. I arrived at 11.30, and I was just in time to see the water still around the gate, but it was receeding rapidly. To see the water covering the actual Shrine's base you need to go at the proper high tide. You can check the predictions for the high and low tides here, but remember that it's not 100% accurate.

I left the hotel at about 10am, and took the Number 2 tram, which runs from Hiroshima station (広島駅) to Miyajima-guchi (宮島口). I bought a day pass for just Y850, which includes unlimited rides on trams in the city, and the ferry to Miyajima and back. It's definitely worth getting this. When you get on the tram, you can just point to the ticket if you have an information guide about it.

You pay for your trip when you get off, and when you get on for a journey within the city you don't have to do anything. The rate for going anywhere within the city zone is Y150 but if you go further, to Miyajima for example, then it will cost more. Without a tram day pass, it costs Y350 to get to Miyajima-guchi station. You can just drop your money into the slot near the exit door as you leave. There are older trams, where the doors aren't manned, called 'One Man' (ワンマン) trams, and newer ones where someone is standing halfway down the tram. You can ask them for help if you need it. If you don't have the right change, both types of tram have a change machine installed, usually at the back or front, or both.

The trip down to Miyajima-guchi took about 40 minutes from the World Friendship Centre. It takes 1 hour from JR Hiroshima station. Then there are two types of ferry you can take. I actually took the wrong one, the JR ferry. You can buy a day pass which includes the JR train journey and ferry, or the tram and ferry. I didn't know this so bought a tram day pass and then got on the JR ferry. But it was too late once I was on the island, and they let me through the ticket gate. JR Rail Pass users should use the JR ferry.

The ferry wasn't very busy and I had a great view of the island as we approached. The whole journey takes about 12 minutes, and they take you very close to the floating Shrine so you can see it well.

There it is!
Miyajima (宮島) means 'Shrine Island' and this is its common name, but its proper name is Itsukushima (厳島). It was named after the island's famous Shrine, Itsukushima-jinja (厳島神社).

Itsukushima Shrine is one of Japan's three most scenic spots, and has been immortalised in countless guidebooks and travel guides, but that doesn't mean that I can't take a few of my own!

In case you are interested, the other two most scenic spots are northern Kyoto prefecture's sand spit at Amano-hashidate, and the islands of Matsushima near Sendai, north of Tokyo.

It costs Y300 to enter the Shrine, and the actual Shrine area (below) is nice, but the thing you come to see is definitely the floating torii (Shinto gate). Because the island is sacred (and I've read before that no one is allowed to be born or die on the island), commoners used to have to enter the Shrine by boat through the gate to go to the Shrine. Itsukushima Shrine was built on the water so people didn't have to actually set foot on ground.

This video shows the Shrine when the tide is still covering the torii's base.


But the water receeded quite quickly.



While I waited for the tide to go out far enough so I could walk up to the torii, I went into the Shrine area.

Taking photos of yourself with famous sights is difficult! The hardest part is trying to smile, but I was actually happy! Honest.

One of the nicest things about Miyajima is the wildlife. There are lots of wild deer in the area, and even monkeys in the hills!

I'm not sure what this deer was after, but the guy behind the window was just ignoring it!

Then I went for a wander through the town, and bought lunch. At one point, one brave deer marched straight up to me and bit my jumper, which was tied round my waist, it didn't let go for a few seconds, but eventually it decided that it wasn't very tasty. There was no damage to my clothes, thankfully!

By 1pm, the tide was far enough out for people to walk up to the torii. Surprisingly, the ground wasn't too wet and it was easy to walk on. I do recommend waterproof shoes though as there's lots of slippery seaweed and deep pools left behind by the sea.

Hopefully the people in these photos can give you an idea of scale. The gate is 16m high and is very impressive up close.

I put Y10 in the left main pillar (left from the island) for good luck. The traditional coin to put in is Y5 because the pronunciation is 'goen', the same as 'Good luck', but I didn't have any Y5 coins. The photo isn't very clear but it's a close up of the coin stuck inside the wood.

Why does my hand look so fat here? I've lost weight in Japan!

The Shrine was lovely, but I had a full day planned and I had to explore more of the island, so I made my slippy way back to shore and headed further inland.

The tallest mountain on Miyajima is Mt Misen, at about 530m above sea level. You can hike up to the summit, or take a cable car (also called a ropeway). It was so hot that day, and I had time restrictions, so I decided to take the cable car.

There's a free shuttle bus from near a temple called Daisho-in (大書院) to the cable car terminal. The journey to the top is in two parts. The first car operates from 9am til 5pm and is on a continuous loop so you don't have to wait long. The second only has two cars, and runs every 15 minutes throughout the day. The first car to run on the second section is at 9am and the last to leave for the top is at 5.15pm, and the last to come back is 5.30pm.

You can buy tickets from the cable car terminal or a shop near the shuttle bus stop. One way is Y1,000, and then you hike back down, or return is Y1,800.

The first car is very small! I had to bend double to actually get in, but thankfully I was by myself. The view was great but the car was quite claustrophobic. It only takes 10 minutes to get to the transfer station halfway up.

I waited for the second car for about 10 minutes, watching people bat away bugs of various sizes and descriptions. A large hornet caused a lot of distress!

Once I got to the top, I saw lots and lots of warnings about monkeys. There are lockers to put your things in so the monkeys can't mug you.

The cable car takes you to a point that's quite high, but it's not the summit. I debated the hike up to the top, but in the end I decided to do it. Foolishly, I left my water bottle in my bag so I did the 25 minutes uphill walk without sustenance!

I passed hordes of monkeys on the way up, which was very nice, but I kept my distance!

With the price of drinks at the occassional vending machine going up by Y50 every time, I decided I could wait til I got to the top, but it was really hot and humid heading up the path. If you do attempt it in summer, take lots of water with you!

Around 5 minutes from the top, there is a temple devoted to Kobo Daishi, a priest who trained on the mountain for years and years. The story goes that he lit the fire under this pot 1,200 years ago and it's still burning now. This fire was used to light the flame in Hiroshima's Peace Park.

After seeing that, I trundled on up to the top.


And what a great view of the Seto Inland Sea (瀬戸内海, Setou nai kai)!






The island in the very far distance is Shikoku (四国), Japan's smallest main island.






On my way back down to the cable car station, I met a Canadian family that I was staying with at the World Friendship Centre. I had actually bumped into them that morning in Hiroshima too. They asked me for directions, and said they were planning to hike back down.

I took the 4.15pm car back down but I couldn't find the ticket I had bought for the cable car. But as I was searching my pockets, the guard saw the tram day pass I'd bought and said it was okay and let me through. He must have thought it was the 2-day pass you can buy which includes a return journey on the cable car, tram and ferry.

The second cable car operator sent me down in a car by myself, even though there was a queue. I guess this is because I'm a heavy gaijin and I might have upset the car's balance!

Once I got back to the shuttle bus stop by the cable car terminal, I sat down and waited for the next one. The driver, on his break, came and sat next to me and asked me some questions in Japanese. Thankfully, I understood and we had a conversation.

He said, about my Japanese: "Umai desu. Kotoba ga kirei desu." (It's great. Your words are pretty.) I replied, somewhat disbelievingly: "Hontou ni?" (Really?)

After the bus dropped me in the town, I walked back to the ferry terminal. I found this 'giant wooden ladle', as it says on the town map, I took a photo of it because my Chinese housemate showed me his photos of Miyajima and said that I should take one of this spoon too.

I passed the floating torii and Shrine again, and I wished I could see it at night because I've seen some lovely photos of it all lit up, but I had to get back to Hiroshima. I guess it would have been back in water at about 6pm that day.

The two ferry companies operate trips about four times an hour in the middle of the day. The JR ferries start at 5.45am, and finish at 10.15pm. The other company starts later and finishes earlier.

I took the ferry back to Miyajima-guchi, and then the tram to Genbaku doomu mae (原爆ドーム前, A-bomb dome). This was all included in my tram day pass.

When I was standing in front of the Dome, I had such a powerful mixture of emotions. Later, on the phone to my Mum, I couldn't even describe how I felt.

I was sad, and angry. And I didn't want to take photos of it.

I can remember wondering how people can pass it everyday on their way to work. It would be too sad for me.

The Peace Park was prettier, but just as powerful.

This is the flame that won't be extinguished until all nuclear weapons have been destroyed. I don't mean to sound pessimistic, but I think it will be a long time before they put that fire out.

This cenotaph commemorates all the victims of the atomic bomb. In total, the number of victims is somewhere around 140,000 people, but no one is sure of the exact figure. That's the same amount of people who died in the 1923 Great Kanto earthquake in Tokyo.

This monument to all the children who died in the attack was particularly powerful. It tells the story of a girl called Sadoko, who survived the blast when she was a very young girl, but developed leukaemia at 10 years old as a result of radiation exposure. Japanese folklore says that if you can fold 1,000 paper cranes, then your wish will come true. So she folded cranes every day, some were so small she had to make them with a needle.

But, before she could finish, she died. Her classmates finished the task for her, and the story spread across Japan. Now, strings of paper cranes are kept on display around the monument from all over Japan, and the world. There is a box there where you can donate your cranes, and give information about yourself, and how many cranes you've given, and why etc. The video below these photos shows how many cranes there are already.

Continuing through the Park, I found a monument remembering all the Korean victims of the bomb. 1 out of 10 victims were Koreans forced to work as slaves in factories in and around Hiroshima.

And this last place I saw was very emotional too. In this mound there are the ashes of 70,000 unidentifiable bodies.

By the time I headed back to the World Friendship Centre, it was dark and the A-bomb Dome was lit up. It was quite creepy and eerie in the darkness.

Rubble surrounded the building, just like it did on the morning of August 6th 1945 at 8.15am, when the bomb exploded 600m above, and 160m south-east of this building, preserving the skeleton of the structure, but incinerating everything, and everyone, inside.

I got back to the hotel at 9pm and happened to find the Hawaiian girl I went for a walk with the previous night outside.

She asked if I wanted to go and see some of Hiroshima's nightlife, and I thought, I might never come here again, so I went with her. We walked to the city centre and found a very relaxed bar/ restaurant place. There, I went crazy and bought a Diet Coke and chocolate brownie.

We met an American English teacher who lives and works in Hiroshima, so I asked how it was working in a medium-sized city. He said Tokyo was too much for him, but Hiroshima was a good size. He did say that people here weren't very keen on Americans though, and after my afternoon, I could kind of understand why people here might dislike any white people.

We chatted there until gone midnight, and then I decided I really had to get back, as I had yet another busy day to come. The Hawaiian girl and I started to walk back, but halfway she decided to go and meet that guy again, so I walked the rest of the way by myself.

Because it was dark and everything looked different, I lost my way and had to ask someone for directions. He pointed me in the right direction and I headed off, but then he caught up with me and said he wasn't quite sure if he was right. He didn't speak much English so our conversation was in Japanese.

Even once I knew my way, he insisted on coming all the way to the hotel with me. I don't know how far it was from his home, but he was very kind to come with me and make sure that I was safe.

Despite the language barrier, we managed to have a good conversation, and he told me a little about living in Hiroshima.

Once I was back in my room, I had a quick shower and then settled down into bed. But I didn't sleep very well. It was so hot and humid that if two parts of my body touched for a while, they both became drenched in sweat. The worst part was the inside of my elbow.

It was a mixed day. There was the wonder and beauty of Miyajima, and the power and sadness of the Peace Park.

One thing was sure - it was unforgettable.

My Trip: Kokura & Hiroshima

On Wednesday morning they woke me up at 7am (argh!) and they had all been up since dawn at 5am. It was such a rural lifestyle.

There was a breakfast of cooked ham, fried eggs, sausages and miso soup waiting for me in the kitchen. Dazed and confused, I knelt down on the tatami and ate as they sorted things out for the day.

We watched TV for a while in the living room, and my friend showed me that she had the song 'Miles Away' by Madonna on her phone. This song is huge in Japan as it's the theme tune to a popular TV drama called 'Change'. Whenever my housemates and I hear this song, we all sing along with it. It was nice for me to hear it, as I really was Miles away.

It was that morning that I was attacked by bad hayfever. I couldn't stop sneezing! Usually I'm not affected at all by pollen but maybe my body has grown accustomed to not being surrounded by nature in Tokyo, and this was a bit of a shock.

All the windows and doors of the house were open to let a cool breeze blow through, but it also let the pollen in! I really felt like a city person. Get me away from all this damn nature!

But, despite the streaming eyes and increasingly red nose, we drove to a nearby spot, and all they told me was we were going to see 'Totoro'. I didn't know this word in Japanese so I just sat back and watched the countryside flash by, behind a protective screen of pollen-proof glass of course.

After about 15 minutes, we stopped near a small forest with this sign in front of it.


Oh! Totoro!

This is Totoro's Wood, from the Hayao Miyazaki animated film 'Tonari no Totoro' (となりのトトロ). I watched this film just once before I came to Japan, but I still recognised the bus and the characters.




After having a wander through the enchanted wood, we drove back to the big bridge we had gone to the previous day, and my friend bought me some presents to take back. She gave me some Kyushu cookies and a box of ramen. In return, I gave her some sweets I had bought for her family, a leaflet for Cadbury World, and my business card. Fair trade?

Then, still bleary eyed and wet nosed, she drove me back to her house, where I thanked all her family and said goodbye. Her mother didn't speak English, but she wrote me a note, which I kept because it was so thoughtful.

She drove me back to Miemachi station, and waited with me until the train came. A woman in the waiting room told me that my jumper was touching the ground, and when I understood, she started a conversation, asking me why I was in Kyushu and if I liked it. I love the people there!

It was actually very sad to say goodbye to my friend, as it was such a short time to meet for the first time. But it was lovely, and a great experience for me to stay with a rural family in a place so different to Tokyo.

I took the train back to the city of Kokura, which took a couple of hours. I noticed that all the train station announcements elongate the name of the station when a train pulls in. Like, when I arrived in Kokura, the loudspeaker blared "Kokuraaa. Kokuraaa." Obviously, people have more time to listen to long place names in the countryside, or inaka in Japanese.

I had arranged to meet one of my housemates' brother, because he lives and works very near Kokura. As I was walking to the station's main gate, he appeared behind me and tapped my arm. I was very surprised to see him there, but it was nice to see him again, as I met him once when he visited Tokyo earlier in the year.

He said there's not a lot to see in Kokura, but there is a castle. So that's where we went. Kokura Castle (小倉城) is very modern, and it actually looks new as it's so clean and pure white. Though it's not so modern it has an elevator installed, like Osaka Castle (大阪城).

He said it was very hot that day (33C), but I felt it was quite cool. Actually, when I got back to Tokyo the next week, it was only 31C and I thought it was lovely and cool, but everyone was complaining about the heat and stickiness. Looks like I'm finally adjusting to the hotter climate, a couple of weeks before I have to go back to 20C in Britain!

Entrance to the castle was only a few hundred yen, and there were several floors of exhibits to see, so we went in. My housemate's brother paid for everything that afternoon, which was very kind of him. He bought me a ramen lunch, where they played 'Soba ni iru ne' by Aoyama Teruma, a song I like.

This tiger's eyes follow you wherever you go, which is actually a bit unnerving.

They had lots of exhibits showing the town as it used to be, as it had real artefacts from the feudal era.

The tour takes you to the top floor, where you can see a view of the moat and the city around you.
Kokura actually has some funky looking buildings.
After the castle, we went to a nearby Shrine.
Before I left he treated me, yet again, to a cold summery drink at Starbucks. It was very refreshing. Then we walked back to Kokura station and he helped me buy my first ticket back towards Tokyo. My destination was Hiroshima.

I thanked him very much for meeting me and for buying me everything that afternoon and then took a Kodama Shinkansen. Kodama is the slowest of the three types of bullet train. It stops at every station on the route, while Hikari stops at only semi-major and major stations, and most Nozomi trains zoom past the small and medium-sized places, stopping only at Hakata (博多), Kokura (小倉), Hiroshima (広島), Shin-Kobe (新神戸), Shin-Osaka (新大阪), Kyoto (京都), Nagoya (名古屋), Shin-Yokohama (新横浜), Shinagawa (品川) and Tokyo (東京) on the Tokaido (東海道) route.

The Kodama is less comfortable than the Nozomi Shinkansen, and slower, but it gets the job done and I arrived at Hiroshima within 90 minutes.

My hotel gave excellent directions and I was able to take the tram (Hiroshima has both trains and trams, as well as buses, but no subway) to the right station, and found the place easily. It was night by the time I arrived so I couldn't see much of the city, but my hotel was very near the Tenma River so it was pleasant walk.

The place I stayed was called the 'World Friendship Centre'. I truly cannot recommend this place enough. If you are going to Hiroshima, definitely make this your first port of call to see if they have rooms available. It was easily the best hotel/ hostel I've stayed in in my life.

It is so relaxed there. The front door doesn't close, and the individual rooms don't lock from the outside. But the atmosphere is so friendly you feel completely safe. When I first walked in, I was greeted by another guest because the owners had gone out. She showed me my room, and where the kitchen and everything was.

You can use the computer there for Y300, unlimited time. They don't even check if you've paid for it, they just trust you to put the money in the tin. For a local call, the phone costs Y100.

My room was basic but very pleasant and comfortable. The owners, Kent and Sarah Sweitzer had left me a little origami swan on my pillow.

Kent and Sarah were so friendly, I met them both that evening. They're an American couple who have been at the hotel for one year out of their two. They are volunteers and love Japan so wanted to come here and run the hotel, while doing English lessons and experiencing the country.

They go well out of their way to make their guests feel comfortable, and even do your washing for Y500, and make you a personalised breakfast. The breakfasts were really something. There's a choice of cereal, toast or bread, juice, yoghurt, fruit and tea or coffee, and everyone sits around the table together, chatting and getting to know each other.

One girl who was staying there had scalded her hand and they were so helpful, offering to call their friend who's a doctor to come round and take a look, and doing everything they possibly could.

They can provide everyone with information about sightseeing in Hiroshima, arrange talks with hibakusha (A-bomb survivors), tell you when high-tide is so you can go to Miyajima Island at the right time, and basically anything else you need to know.

I really really recommend this hotel. It's just 15 minutes walk from the Peace Park and one of the best things it, you get all that for only Y3,900 (less than £20) per night.

That evening, I met another guest, a Hawaiian girl, and she asked if I wanted to go and explore the city. Normally, I would shy away from doing something like that with a stranger, but I decided that I should have as many new and different experiences as possible, so I said yes.

We saw a lot of Hiroshima at night, and I learned that she's an English teacher in a tiny town in Niigata prefecture (新潟県), north of Tokyo, so I was very interested to hear what teaching was like out there.

She was very friendly, and I was pleased I found someone to chat to, as I was a bit worried I'd get bored and lonely by myself.

So far so good!

My Trip: Beppu's Hells & Meeting My Penpal

On Tuesday morning I got up and checked out of my hotel before 11am. It was a bit of a late start but I was quite tired so I needed a good lie-in.

I wanted to see a bit more of what Beppu had to offer before I left to meet my friend in the small city of Saiki. I read in the guidebook I took, 'Lonely Planet', that Beppu has two types of onsen. There are the ones for baths, and ones for looking at. These are called jigoku (地獄), or 'hells'.

A group of hells was quite close (or so it looked on the map) to my hotel, so I decided to walk there after checking-out. It turned out to be a gruelling uphill hike in 33C. I was so overheated I had to sit down several times during the walk, which took about 40 minutes.

They were called the Kannawa hells, and there are loads of different ones to choose from. I only had time for two so I went to Shiraike Jigoku (White Pond Hell) and Umi Jigoku (Sea Hell). The entrance fee for both was about Y400, but you can buy a combination ticket for Y2,000 which allows entrance to all of them, excluding two.

I went to White Pond Hell first.




And then Sea Hell.

They were very interesting and definitely worth a visit, but I had to get back to the station, and it's a long way from the Hells!

I asked a local and she said to take a bus from station number 1. So I waited for just ten minutes, I was worried that it could be an hour or so as it's quite rural, and was on my way to JR Beppu station. As I got off and paid my fare, I accidentally put my money in the change machine instead of the slot for paying, and a load of Y10 coins came pouring out! The driver said "No, no! Cheinji!" but some of the coins fell on the floor and he said it was okay. I apologised and got off the bus, very embarrassed.

I bought my ticket to Miemachi station, which is near my friend's house, and then took a local train to Oita city, the capital of Oita prefecture. There, it was quite easy to change to the long-distance train, which took me all the way to Miemachi. It cost about Y1,000.

We passed more countryside, and there were no real city areas around.

At one point, my friend rang me to ask where I was, but I didn't know the name of the station, and I was struggling to remember what I'd seen on the sign, when a woman in front of me turned round and told me the name! How nice of her!

And then, once we were off again, a man came up and sat behind me, and started chatting to me! He must have been in his sixties but spoke some English, which he said he learned in high school. I said he must have a great memory. He gave me a pack of chewing gum and even waited with me until my friend arrived at the station! He was so kind.

I think that Kyushuians (I have no idea what the English word for them is!) are generally very friendly, as several people asked me if I was okay, or let me know when my jumper was touching the ground and I hadn't noticed.

Meeting my friend for the first time was very strange. We'd written so many letters to each other, for nearly five years, but never met face to face.

She and her sister drove me to a shopping mall nearby, and she bought me some lunch. I was very surprised to find that in Kyushu, people can stand on either side of the escalators, and the people who want to walk up have to wind their way through them. In Kansai, people stand on the right and walk on the left, but in Tokyo everyone stands on the left and walks on the right.

Then she drove me to her home. She lives in the middle of some really beautiful scenery.

This is her house. It's so traditional! She told me it's 200 years old.

I met her family, who were very kind to me. Everyone was very friendly. But at first all her pets went crazy when they saw me. They'd never met any foreigners before so I must have been very strange for them. But they warmed to me and let me play with them after a while.

They drove me to a large bridge nearby, and we looked down at the view and took some photos. It was still very hot, but because her house is in the mountains, the air was fresher. It was so clean!

Coffee and pizza anyone?
Then we headed back to her house for a delicious meal. It was very like British Shephard's Pie. They said that it tasted bad, but I thought it was great. We all knelt down around the table and ate like a traditional Japanese family. They were very impressed that I could use chopsticks!

It was interesting for me to listen to the local dialect, called Kyushu-ben. Usually I can gather some meaning from people's conversation, but their accent was so different!

The main one I noticed, because they said it a lot, was the difference in pronunciation of "Atsui" (hot). It sounded much more like "Achii". And I'm not sure, because I'm not a native speaker, but I think the 'o' sound was a little different from Tokyo Japanese. It was very interesting for me to hear it!

After dinner, we all had a traditional Japanese bath (separately, not at the same time!) which is called an o-furo (お風呂). It was my first in a Japanese home. It was the usual procedure, where you shower and wash hair before you get in, and then you wash all the soap and shampoo away before easing yourself into the scaldingly hot water. It was so hot it felt like sunburn!

After the bath, we took her dog for a walk around the local area. The thing that struck me most was how dark it was! Tokyo is never dark, but there it was pure blackness. You could see the stars, moon and Milky Way clearly. It was lovely. It reminded me of one of my last nights in Birmingham, when I stared up at the night sky and wondered what the sky would be like in Japan. I know now!

Something that surprised me was how cool and fresh the air became at night. I guess because it's a higher altitude, but it was a big difference from Tokyo, where it stays sticky and warm all night.

I slept in her brother's room, because he was away, and I saw that he had Friends DVDs, 'Spirited Away' and a PS2! I should meet her brother.

Before we went to sleep, she showed me all the letters she keeps from people all over the world, and some of her photos from when she was a baby and at school. It was a completely different life from mine. She loves drawing, and she showed me some really lovely pictures she had done. It was nice to be able to finally see these things in real life.

She also showed me her English study notes. They were really extensive and detailed. I was impressed.

As I lay down to sleep, I had a weird feeling of missing Tokyo. It was probably because I was so far out in the countryside, but I had a sudden desire to be back in the city. It was reassuring to see a Coke vending machine or a McDonalds. I'm such a city kid!

My Trip: Tokyo to Beppu, Kyushu

Last Monday (14th), I got up at 9am, which was actually an early start (oh dear!) and got my things together. I'd packed the previous night, and was surprised to find that I'd managed to pack very lightly for seven nights. Everything fit into my rucksack and shoulder bag.

I took the train to Tokyo station, which only takes half an hour at most including walking time, and showed both tickets to the man at the ticket barrier. With the tickets I bought you need to either put them both into the ticket machine simultaneously, or show them to the guard.

I was half an hour early for my 10.30 Nozomi Shinkansen to Hakata (博多) so I could relax and enjoy being on the Shinkansen platform. I love how it all works so well. Each train arrives at its destination within six seconds of the expected time, and they are always so clean and sleek-looking.

I got on and we were off! A five hour journey south through Japan, past Mt Fuji, Kyoto, Osaka, Hiroshima and through a tunnel to a different island. It was exciting and the view was interesting so the time passed very quickly. I bought lunch from the trolley that makes its way up and down the train.

Here's a video of Fukuyama (福山) station, with Fukuyama castle in the background.



Each carriage in the Shinkansen has 20 rows of 5 seats, and there are 15 carriages on one train, meaning that they can transport 1,500 people up and down the country. Even more amazing, they run about four times an hour!

If you hadn't guessed, I'm a fan of the Shinkansen.

I wasn't going all the way to the terminal of the Tokaido line (Tokyo to Hakata), but instead the other station in Kyushu (九州), Kokura (小倉).

Just to clear something up, Hakata is also called Fukuoka (福岡), and Kokura is also Kita-Kyushu (北九州). It really confused me, but trains usually say Hakata and Kokura, and people refer to the cities as Fukuoka and Kita-Kyushu.

So I got off at Kokura station, which is right at the top corner of Kyushu, very close to Honshu (本州), the island all the major cities are on, and I was hit by a shocking blast of heat and humidity. It was so hot. I don't know the exact temperature, but I left 10.30am Tokyo with about 27C and arrived at 3.30pm Kyushu and it must have been 33C at least.

Kyushu is further south than Tokyo, not by a huge amount, because although it is 1,000km away, it is more horizontal than vertical.

I transferred to a limited express (特急) train that was going to Beppu (別府). It was called a Sonic (ソニック), and it was very comfortable. I didn't buy a reserved ticket but I sat in a reserved seat by accident and the conductor didn't say anything when he checked my ticket.

Here's some of the countryside that flashed past on the way south to Beppu.


And here's a town we went past with a very amusing name!



Beppu is a famous onsen (温泉), or hot spring, town in Oita prefecture (大分県), north-east Kyushu. But, I didn't travel all that way to stay one night in an onsen town, as I could go to Hakone for that, but I have a penpal, who I've written letters to for five years and never met, who lives in Oita prefecture. She invited me to stay at her house for one night, so I was staying at Beppu to see some of Kyushu before meeting her.

It took about 90 minutes to get to Beppu, and then I had to walk to my hotel. That took about 40 minutes. I stayed in Hotel Sun Valley, which I booked through Japan Hotels Online (which I recommend if you want to find hotels in Japan). It was the most expensive hotel of my trip, at Y5,000 for one night, but it was very comfortable and the room was nice.

By the time I reached my hotel, the sun was going down behind the mountains. It was 34C and still very humid, but because Beppu is right on the coast, there was a fresh breeze.

Here's my hotel from the outside.

I went to a ramen (Chinese noodle) restaurant nearby and it felt strangely like America. I could see a big McDonalds next door and I was opposite an amusements arcade called Las Vegas, which was flashing like crazy. The restaurant was even playing cheesy music, including that one that goes "Sunshine, lollipops..."

After dinner, I went back to the hotel, passing a restaurant called Joyfull that looked exactly like Britain's Little Chef chain, and rang my grandparents. I wanted to call them once from Japan, and I thought that it was a good time when I was on my travels.

My hotel had a public onsen bath on the 10th floor with windows looking out over Beppu harbour so I had to try that. I was more comfortable with being naked in front of strangers, even if they did all stare to see if I had three of anything, this time because I'd been to an onsen in Hakone in February. The view was lovely, and the 50C water was very soothing on my tense muscles, but it was so hot I couldn't stay in there too long.

Afterwards, I went back to my room. You can see a video of it below.

I even found Shrek dubbed into Japanese on the TV! Yes, I was sad enough to record some of it.

I was in a traditional Japanese yukata, which is great for hot weather and very comfortable. After watching a funny programme teaching Chinese, I slept very well, although it did feel strange to be so far away from Tokyo.

Shinkansen Tickets

I went to Tokyo station the weekend before last to buy my Shinkansen (新幹線), or bullet train, tickets from Tokyo to the southernmost main island of Kyushu.

This time it was very simple, not like the two hours it took last time. The not so easy part was handing over the money though. It cost me Y23,000, which is over £100!

My plan was to reserve this trip, and then buy separate tickets each time I wanted to use the Shinkansen during the holiday.

But the day before I left, Sunday, I was speaking to my Chinese housemate, and I asked him if I could buy a ticket that would get me from Kyushu to Tokyo, but allow me to get off at stations along the way for a couple of days at a time.

He didn't know, but he came with me to Tokyo station and was a brilliant translator. He helped me buy a ticket that allowed me to travel from Kyushu to Tokyo on normal trains, and then I just pay the superexpress fare on top of that at each station to use the Shinkansen trains.

That ticket cost just Y10,000 and was valid for 14 days. I really recommend buying that because it was so useful to just walk up to the ticket office in various cities and say:

"Kono kippu o motte imasu kedo kyou wa destination e ikitai desu." (I have this ticket but today I want to go to destination.)

Then they ask you the usual questions like, do you want reserved or non-reserved ticket. I generally chose non-reserved (juuseki) because it's cheaper, and usually easy to find a seat.

It made my trip much cheaper and simpler so consider it if you go travelling around Japan by train!

One Month Left in Japan

One month today.

The one thing that I'm thinking most is "I can't believe how fast the time has gone". I'm thinking back over everything I've done in the last six months, and it's really incredible that I had the opportunity to do it.

I know a month is still a long time, but it's also no time at all.

At least I can't dwell on having to leave because David is here for a few more days, and then I'm going travelling for a week after that, so I'm very busy.

I have blockages in the way before I have to consider packing and everything like that. I want to enjoy my time here some more!

It will be so sad to say goodbye. So I hope my last month is a good one!

My Friend's Visit: Karaoke in Shibuya

My friend and I were still quite tired on Friday, so we had a very relaxed morning.

We went for a wander round my local area again, and we went to Hamacho Park to see some green. It hit 30C for the first time while I've been in Japan, and as we were out at midday the heat was a little overwhelming.

It was lovely and sunny though, even though the summer's omnipresent humidity made it a little less enjoyable. It is still rainy season, but recently it's just been blankets of grey cloud broken by the occassional sunny afternoon. The general trend for the day is that it's extremely humid in the early hours (around 98%) and cloudy, then the humidity drops to around 60 or 70% in the afternoon, when the temperature goes up and we might see some sun. Then the temperature drops and the humidity rises in the evening.

We went back to my guesthouse (maybe to recover a bit as we are British, and we're not used to this weather!) and waited for my Chinese friend who lives in Western Tokyo to arrive.

There was a vague plan to go to Shibuya for dinner and karaoke, so when he arrived at about 5pm we left after introducing everyone.

It was nice to catch up with his news, and he's started studying French at University so he and my French housemate chatted about France and he practised a little.

There were four of us that evening, and I took them to a karaoke place I knew called Utahiroba (歌広場). We went for two hours (which is quite a short time as it goes so quickly) and they do unlimited free non-alcoholic drinks. Including some food we bought, it was Y1,900 each.

My Chinese friend and David had never done karaoke in Japan, and my French housemate likes to listen more than sing, so it was up to me to start it off. I asked them if I should do an English or a Japanese song first, and they said Japanese, so of course it had to be Perfume.

Along with my usual songs, I did some duets of Leona Lewis' 'Bleeding Love', 'My Heart Will Go On' by Celine Dion, 'Suddenly I See' by KT Tunstall and Aretha Franklin's 'RESPECT'. You've got to choose the most embarrassing ones, otherwise it's not as fun!

Then we ate dinner in a nearby restaurant that I'd been to before and afterwards went for a walk round brightly-lit Shibuya, which was heaving as it was Friday night.

We then took the Yamanote line (山手線) to Shinjuku (新宿), as my friend had to go home, and we wanted to show David the skyscraper district at night.

We took one of the last trains home and helped one of my housemates choose her outfit for a night out. It took nearly two hours! David was falling asleep on the sofa towards the end of the fashion parade but it was fun, and good practice for my Japanese!

By the end of the day, we were both very tired and we fell straight asleep, with the air con on of course!

My Friend's Visit: Meeting at Narita

Back to Narita Airport again!

This morning I had to get up at 6am (the earliest I've had to get up so far in Japan) to go and meet my friend David at the airport.

I did consider taking the train, but in the end I decided it was too much hassle and took the Limousine Bus. Because I live very close to the Tokyo City Air Terminal (東京シティーエアーターミナル) it was a short walk there to buy my ticket for the 6.30 bus to Narita Airport.

It costs Y2,900 for an adult one way, so it's much more than the train. A normal train by JR Sobu line (総武線) or Keisei line (京成線) costs about Y1,000, and a limited express Narita Express N'EX from Tokyo station, or Keisei Skyliner from Ueno is around Y2,000.

But it was very easy and convenient for me.

I arrived at 7.35 and he came through customs at 7.50 so it worked very well. I was waiting for him when he came through the gate.

Of course he filled me in on all the news from my friends in Birmingham, and we took the bus back to my guesthouse.

He was very tired after the long trip, and I'm actually quite tired too as I only had four hours sleep!

We'll have a relaxed afternoon, but we might go for a walk around my local area, and then start proper sightseeing when we've recovered a bit tomorrow.