My Brother's Visit: Arrival

This morning I went to Narita Airport to pick up my youngest brother, Dominic. He's come to Japan for a ten-day holiday, to spend some time with me in Tokyo.

I spent the night on the sofa at my old house in Chuo-ku, because it's a lot closer to Narita Airport, and it meant I could get out of Tokyo without hitting any of the morning rush hour trains.

I didn't have a great night's sleep, about four hours, but that was all forgotten once I'd met him and we started chatting. We took the train back to my guesthouse, which takes between 2 and 2 and a half hours. But it seemed to go a lot quicker with him there.

It's so nice to have him here! I get on very well with my brothers, so it's like having a friend stay with me.

He's absolutely exhausted right now, and I'm quite tired, so we'll have an early night, and then we're going to Kamakura to see the big Buddha statue tomorrow with some friends from ICU. And it should be lovely because the cherry blossom is still in full bloom! (And this is the second time in my brother's life that he's seen Japan covered in blossom, because he came in Spring two years ago as well! Not many 15 year olds can say that they've done that, especially coming on their own the second time...)

And of course I can't wait for my 21st birthday on Friday!

Family Visit: Farewell at Narita

This was it.

We all knew it had been coming. It was just that none of us wanted it to come.

In a sort of daze, knowing that soon we'd be thousands of miles away from each other again, we made our way to the airport.

The check-in went with no problems, but the flight was delayed by half an hour. Of course, none of us cared about the delay, it was extra time together.

I found it very hard to eat my breakfast, but I had some, and enjoyed being able to see my family in the flesh for the last time in four months.

We looked back at the holiday, thinking about the blur of sights, emotions and experiences. It couldn't have been better timed. The weather for the most part was beautiful, and the cherry blossoms were out in full bloom in both Tokyo and Kyoto for the entire time. We saw all the parts of Japan that we wanted to, and most of all, saw each other.

We departed at the gate when we couldn't hold on any longer.

There was no way to keep my emotions inside me, so of course it was a tearful goodbye.

I waved until they were through the gate, and then followed them on the other side of the window up to the escalators down towards the departure gates. I waved for as long as I could, and then they were gone.


I took the JR Sobu line back to Kinshicho station, and then transferred to my subway line. I somehow lost my ticket on the way, but I just explained at the gate what had happened. The guard asked me how much I paid for it, and that was proof enough.

I went back home, seeing the places I visited with my family, like the coffee shop over the road. It was like a film or something, with blurry flashbacks to past memories.

Once I was back in my room, I started to sort through the presents and cards they brought me for my birthday, but I just couldn't do it.

I couldn't do it then. It was too hard.

Thankfully one of my housemates, Dong, suggested that we go to Ueno because he needed to go shopping. I was very grateful as I needed something to take my mind off the goodbye.

How amazing to see them, to be able to show them my life, have the opportunity to introduce them to all these new things.

Unforgettable. Truly unforgettable.

And that was it.

The end of the fastest eight days of my life. And the end of eight of the most wonderful...

Family Visit: The Temples & Karaoke of Kyoto

On our second day in Kyoto we wanted to see the places we'd seen photos of in guidebooks, on the internet and just generally thought would be nice sights.

This is the view of Kyoto station and the city from our hotel room. The great thing about Kyoto is that you can look in any direction and see hills and mountains, whereas in Tokyo you look in any direction and see grey buildings!



After a late start where we lazed in the hotel, we left to get the bus for Kinkakuji (The Golden Pavillion). There are loads of bus stops outside Kyoto station, and it took us a while to find the right one, but we asked an attendant and he was very helpful.

We bought 5 tickets for a reduced price from a ticket machine near the stop. The buses were set-fare so you can pay Y220 (I think) and go as far as the bus goes. When the bus arrived, we got on at the back door, and it took about 30 minutes to get to Kinkakuji. The exit was at the front of the bus, and you put your ticket into the machine by the driver.

We went into the temple grounds, a short walk from the bus stop. On the way, we stopped at a convenience store to buy lunch, and we sat outside a shrine in the warm sun. It was about 19C and the sky was very bright. It was lovely. My youngest brother got lots of stares from Japanese girls, which of course he loved.

The entrance fee for Kinkakuji wasn't expensive at all, and we got beautiful tickets with kanji on them.

Now, I don't often conform to the gaijin stereotype, but when I saw the temple appear through the trees I couldn't help pointing and calling out 'There it is!' Afterwards I thought, 'Did I really just point and shout?' but never mind, it was amazing to see it.


One of the bonuses of travelling with other people is that they can take photos of you!

The most surprising thing about Kyoto was how uncrowded the major sights were. I don't know if we were just lucky, but everywhere we went it wasn't swarming with people, even though the sakura were in full bloom, and the weather was wonderful. The only thing I can think of is that it was because we were there during the week, not the busier weekends.

The path took us round the lake, behind the temple, and past other smaller temples and into the hills behind.

After Kinkakuji, we took two taxis (big taxis for more than four passengers don't seem to exist) to Ginkakuji (the Silver Pavillion). We knew it would be closed as it was 5pm but we had other plans.

Ginkakuji lies at the north end of the Philosopher's Walk (Tetsugaku no Michi). I don't know how famous this is out of Japan, but I've wanted to visit here for a long time.

The walk follows a cherry-tree lined canal south from Ginkakuji to Nanzenji, and lasts about one kilometre. It was really beautiful, and I think it's something that you shouldn't miss if you do go to Kyoto.

The different houses and areas near the walk were worth exploring too.

Once we reached the end of the walk, we took a bus into Gion. Gion is Kyoto's traditional entertainment district. It's where a lot of Memoirs of a Geisha was set.

This is the central shrine in Gion, Yasaka Shrine.

We wandered through Gion, and looked for somewhere to eat dinner. We stumbled upon an area overflowing with blossom.

It was near here that I turned to ask my dad a question on the road, and came face-to-face with a real geisha. It was so strange that my breath was actually taken away, and I completely forgot what I was about to say.

There was something incredibly elegant and beautiful about the way she moved on her high wooden shoes, wearing a flowing colourful kimono, with a white face and shocking red lips. She even had the exotic stripes of bare skin on the back of her neck.

She was moving so quickly that there wasn't time to get my camera out or anything, so you'll have to make do with imagination, I'm afraid. That was the only geisha I saw on the trip, but I'm just glad that I could see one.

Just for some juxtaposition, we found a pachinko parlour in the evening, and went in just to see what the pinball machine-style arcade was like. The noise, as you might be able to tell from this video, was industrial-level and we couldn't stay in there for long.

On the way home we stopped at a convenience store to buy some things for breakfast the next day (the breakfast at the hotel was ridiculously expensive) and there were about ten members of staff all calling out 'Irasshaimaseee. Konbanwaaa!' whenever anyone entered, and 'Arigatou gozaimaaaasu' whenever someone left the shop. The noise was crazy!



We went back to the hotel by bus (buses seem to be more convenient than trains in Kyoto as they go everywhere, like the subway in Tokyo).

My mum was very tired, so she went back to the hotel to go to sleep. But the rest of us were still a little hungry, so we went searching for something to eat. We really fancied teriyaki (skewered meat) so we searched for a nice looking place and found a great little restaurant near the station, which served a wide variety of dishes. We kept ordering more and more and had a great time trying out different types of Japanese food.

Then we decided to try our hand at karaoke! As you can't go to Japan, and not experience real Japanese karaoke!

We found a small bar, which had about 4 people inside, and watched them sing for a bit while we poured over the massive volumes of songs that we could choose. The variety of English songs was incredible. There was just so much!

It took me a while to drink enough beer until I felt ready, 2 bottles was enough though, as I was keen to have the experience. The first song I sang was Smile by Lily Allen, and then Irreplaceable by Beyonce. I was very nervous as I was singing in front of people, but I really enjoyed it. I didn't get into the flow of it like I did on my birthday the following week but everyone was really supportive and it was a very fun atmosphere.

We all had a go and had a great time. The owner of the place even did a duet of Hey Jude by the Beatles with my Dad! She was very nice, and said my Japanese was "subarashii" (excellent). My brother thought she was scary but I just thought she was a friendly Japanese woman.

After my first experience of karaoke ever (and it was in Japan!!), we headed back to the hotel. It was gone midnight and we were very tired, but it was a great end to a great day.

This video shows our hotel room, and Kyoto by night.

It was a wonderful day, but throughout the sightseeing, singing, and enjoying seeing my family, I kept getting struck by waves of sadness that soon they'd be going home, and I tried to push those feelings away, as I knew we still had two days, but it was very hard. I loved spending time with them, in a country that I had come to love.

Family Visit: My Official Birthday

My itinerary prescribed that we must visit Hakone on Monday, but plans change, and my family wanted to spend another day in Tokyo. Everyone said how much they loved the place! The thought of whether they would like Japan or not hadn't even entered my head, strangely, it felt like they were coming to see me more than to go on holiday. And there may be an element of truth in that!

We decided to make that day my "official birthday" as they weren't here for my actual one. We slept in for a bit and then met at Tokyo City Air Terminal where we had seen a nice cake shop. We ate a gorgeous breakfast of birthday cake, fruit and coffee.

And then I got even more presents! I had only asked for money as I didn't really need anything else but I think they wanted me to have things to open. I did get lots of money too, but I opened a 1kg Cadbury's Dairy Milk (wow!), a calendar of my local area in Birmingham, a placemat and coaster, a desk lamp and underwear!

I was so grateful for everything I got. I wasn't expecting anything near as much as that! It made it really special. But what made it most special was the 'I'm 19!' badge I got and wore all day.

Instead of doing more touristy things, we went to my local swimming pool in Hamacho Park. I took them down the alleyway of trees and bushes that I visited in January, and I was right, it was beautiful with the blooming sakura.

We swam for a long time, and then went into the sauna. We weren't sure if children were allowed in there but nobody said anything.

To go in, we had to buy tickets from a machine and then go through a gate like on trains. We couldn't quite figure out the machine, so we asked for help and the gate attendant woman helped us out. The ticket from the machine locks your locker in the changing rooms, and lets you get out afterwards. The lockers were huge - you could actually fit everything inside them!

Then you walk through to the pool area, through a shower area that senses you're there and sprays you clean. We got into the pool straight away, but then a lifeguard came over and (I was impressed that I did this conversation entirely in Japanese) told us that we all needed to wear swimming hats over our heads and hair. He said it was free and he'd give them to us.

So we all ended up looking like Ali G swimming round a pool.

They had a 'Walking Course', a 'Beginner's Course' and an 'Expert Course' separated by floats in lines. It was lots of fun, and relaxing as I hadn't had a bath since the onsen in Hakone.

At one point, they called everyone out for five minutes, while a woman wearing diving gear and flippers (not slippers) dived in and swam up and down the lanes. We had no idea what was happening but it seemed to be pretty normal so we just waited.

That evening, we headed to Roppongi on the Hibiya line from Ningyocho station. Roppongi is famous for its bars and clubs, popular with ex-pats. I'd never been there before, but it was interesting.

We went into one bar but I didn't like the look of it much so we found a TGI Friday's! It reminded me of 'The Simpsons' episode where they go to Japan and eat at America-Town. But I didn't care, it was great. I drank three cocktails (the 'I'm 19!' badge was safely pocketed at this point) and we all had a fun evening.

I even had a sundae with sparklers stuck in the top while people sang Happy Birthday to me!

Even as I write this, I haven't turned 19 yet, but that day was so special that I feel like my birthday has already been and gone! Yesterday a woman in the library asked me how old I was, and I so nearly 19.

Thank you so much to everyone who made it what it was!

Family Visit: Asakusa & Imperial Palace

On the third day we went to the traditional area of Asakusa to see Sensoji Temple. I visited when it snowed in February, and you can see the photos here.
It was much busier this time, but it was Sunday. I guess it would be quieter during a weekday.
This is the view I sent on a postcard to my family, and they saw it for real! The sakura (cherry blossom) was out 100% by now, so their visit was really perfectly timed. Thank you to the Church for making Easter early!
My mum was really taken with these samurai swords. We were all really surprised! We didn't buy one because we weren't sure of the laws regarding bringing a sword to the UK, especially after someone was killed with a samurai sword. We guessed they'd be banned so decided against it. Would be great to have one though!

We did buy a Throwing Star though, which will look very impressive. Obviously it's not sharpened.

We went into the gardens that last time were covered in snow, and were now flooded with blossom!

Then we had a wander through some more stalls, and had a tapas-style lunch with lots of different Japanese dishes forming one huge meal. Japan has changed my appetite and it was the first time in my life my mum gave me more food because she thought I needed fattening up! (Don't worry, I'm eating chocolate as I write this!)

Then we had a coffee in a very expensive coffee shop that was playing Lily Allen and planned our afternoon. I had written Ueno Park on the itinerary but everyone was too worn out for that so we decided to skip and go straight to the Imperial Palace near Tokyo station.

We took the Ginza subway line to Ueno station, and then transferred to the JR Yamanote line for Tokyo station.

Of course, as soon as we left Tokyo station's Renaissance-style facade, it started pouring with rain, but we pressed on to find the Imperial Palace.

The view was very atmospheric, albeit a little wet!

We went back to the station for dinner (the restaurant area inside Tokyo station near Yaesu North exit is actually really good - you'd never go to a station in the UK for a nice meal!) and headed home for some rest.