Home In Britain

I'm back in Britain! It's so strange to be back! But of course it's lovely. I arrived at Heathrow yesterday and my family picked me up. It was such a nice reunion. We went to a restaurant and had a British roast dinner, which was amazing. It was exactly what I'd been craving - oven cooked food! And despite what the world may say, traditional British food is amazing.

Pretty much everything went smoothly for my last day, except for the beginning and the end. I got up at 5am to leave in time for my 6.30am bus from Kichijoji, which is 10 minutes by train. Wynne, Katy and Hime-chan came with me, and Rob got up to wave me off from the guesthouse. But when we got to the station, we found that there was a 55 minute delay on trains going into Tokyo! It said "Accident", but it's common knowledge that that usually means suicide.

So I had to get a taxi to Kichijoji station, and had a quick but sad goodbye to the girls. It really didn't hit me that I was leaving them. It took about 15 minutes to get to Kichijoji, but cost Y3,000 (£20) so I was very unimpressed!

I met Rei, the leader of Soul Run who had come to wave me off, at the station. He waited until my bus was out of sight to stop waving, which was really nice of him. It hit me then how much I'm going to miss everyone.

It took about an hour and 40 minutes to get to Narita Airport, and there I paid the rebooking charge for my flight. It was very easy to do, I just went to the JAL Ticketing Counter and showed them my e-ticket, and then paid the Y15,000 for it. After that I could check straight in at the check-in counter, and that went smoothly as well. Even though I had two pieces of hand baggage, and my suitcase was 3.5kg overweight, the woman who checked me in didn't say anything about it, and just chatted to me about my time in Japan and about ICU. I was really grateful, she must have known I'd have more luggage than the average passenger, having been in Japan for nearly a year. Even though I sent stuff home with my brother when he visited I still had a lot of things to bring back.

Then the flight went fine, until we were coming into land at Heathrow, and were about to touch down when the plane pulled up suddenly and started to circle the airport! They announced that there had been a plane on the runway that hadn't moved yet, so that could have been nasty! But we landed safely 10 minutes later.

Then immigration and baggage claim went very smoothly, and I was reunited with my family at arrivals. It was so nice!

We drove to a nearby pub and had our roast dinner, and then drove back to Birmingham. Everything was exactly as I remember it, and it was a very nice feeling when my house came into view.

It's weird being back, because everything is the same, and everything feels the same. Seeing my local area isn't special now, because I've come and gone so many times it just feels normal. Which is good - I suppose that means I'm growing up!

I haven't really reflected back on my time in Japan yet, I'm too tired! But it's already nostalgic, and I miss my friends and just being in Japan. I have lovely memories of that trip to Japan, and I know that it was one of the best times in my life so far. Let's hope that there are many more in the future!

Ready To Go!

I'm pretty much all packed and ready now. My suitcase and everything is on my bed, my room is spotless and sparkling (kind of...) and almost empty!

It really hasn't hit home yet that I'm leaving tomorrow, but it definitely will when my alarm goes off at 5am tomorrow morning and I have to get to Narita Airport. Some friends are going to come with me to my bus and wave me off, which I keep telling them there's no need to do, but they're adamant they want to come. I'll take a pack of tissues, just in case.

This is the end of an incredible year and I will never ever forget it. I definitely need some time to reflect on everything and let it all sink in. Maybe the 12 and a half hour plane journey will help!

My next post will be from Britain, so this is goodbye to Japan for the second time. Goodbye and see you again soon!!

Ready for China

I just finished packing everything up for my trip to China. I'm so excited!

I'm nervous as well, I really want everything to go smoothly, and a lot of things have to go right tomorrow. But I think it will, my flight is in the evening so there will be plenty of time for me to get across Tokyo by train. I'm taking the cheapest option, using normal commuter trains to get to Narita Airport, which takes just over 2 hours from where I live in West Tokyo, but only costs Y1,530, compared to the much more expensive express trains or buses.

I think I've got everything ready, and I've arranged to meet the friends who I'm staying with in Shanghai at Pu Dong airport, and then we'll go back to their apartment. Once I'm with them I'll feel much more comfortable about everything. That is until I go to Beijing by myself of course! But I'm sure everything will fall into place and plans will come together.

First things first - flight tomorrow!

I will probably blog about the trip when I get back in two weeks, and I'll also catch up on some of the happenings earlier this month, because I've been so busy recently I haven't had a chance to write everything up. It will get done, I promise!

I'm so happy I'm finally going to China!!

Matsumoto

Yesterday (Sunday), my friend Wynne and I went to Matsumoto, which is a castle city about two and a half hours north of Tokyo by train.

We went by Azusa express train from Tachikawa, and that left at 9.30am and arrived just before noon. It cost quite a lot (Y5,870 one-way) because you have to pay the express fee on top of the normal ticket. (You can take normal trains all the way as it's all the JR Chuo line, but it takes hours and hours and the price isn't too different in the end.) Wynne and I bought our tickets at a ticket machine on the platform, and you can't buy the express ticket from them, so we had to get an extra one from the conductor once we were on the train.

There were lots of nice sights as we left Tokyo and zoomed north through the Japan Alps. As it's winter, the weather was cold but clear.



When we arrived at Matsumoto, the announcement was very funny, with an extremely elongated "Matsumotooooooooo".




We were quite hungry when we arrived, so our first port of call was lunch. We walked through the town (and it was noticeably colder than Tokyo, with the higher altitude) and found a restaurant that had one of Matsumoto's specialities - kake-soba (掛蕎麦) noodles.


The noodles were delicious, and came in a very warming broth. But the green tea that came with it was the best thing - it was smoothest tea I've ever drunk. And it warmed me right through.

After lunch we wandered through the town towards its main attraction, the famous castle. It's one of Japan's four castles listed as National Treasures. Walking through the town, you could always see the Japan Alps over the buildings, and they were covered in snow, so it was really lovely.

And there it is! Matsumoto Castle! (松本城, Matsumoto-jou.)

You can walk round the side for free, but then you have to pay to go into the grounds and inside the castle itself.

This is my favourite photo that I took of the castle. I was so happy to finally be standing there, as I didn't get a chance to get to Matsumoto the first time I came to Japan.

The entrance fee was only a few hundred yen, but they also had a student discount, so it was even cheaper for us.

The inside of the castle was much like any other interior I'd seen in Japan, but it had nice views of the surroundings and the mountains in the distance.

This was the top room, which you could only get to by traversing a single narrow staircase.

After exploring the castle and its grounds, we went to the nearby museum, which was included in the price of the ticket.

They had a few stands of ornamental dolls because Japan's Doll Festival (雛祭り, Hina Matsuri) is coming up in early March.

They also had a display of wooden phalluses, which were used in traditional festivals in the area.

After the museum, we went to a famous old bookstore in the centre. It was crammed full of old newspapers, magazines and books. I nearly bought an old Japanese magazine from the 50s, but it cost Y3,500 and I was already over my budget, so I decided not to.

After that, Matsumoto doesn't have a lot of attractions, but we wandered around a couple of Shrines and then went to see this clock. Every hour on the hour the clock opens and figures of children playing instruments dance in a circle.

It was very cute, but we ran to catch it, and then realised that it wasn't really worth the hurry, but it's nice if you're in the area on the hour.

We weren't hungry for dinner yet, so we went to see a traditional well a short walk from the city centre. On the way we passed this random penny-farthing bicycle! I never expected to see one of those just randomly on a street in Japan!

I tasted some of the water from the well, and it was delicious. Really clean and clear. I wish I'd brought a bottle to fill up!

For dinner we went to a restaurant that was recommended in the guidebook, Kura, and it served another of Matsumoto's specialities, raw horse meat (馬刺し, basashi).

It opened at 5.30, and we were waiting outside in the cold (as the sun went down the temperature dropped to near zero). It was gone 5.30 when someone inside noticed us and opened the doors.

We knew what we wanted - horse! It was quite expensive, but definitely worth it. It was such gorgeous tender meat. I really enjoyed it.

The basashi was quite small between the two of us, so we also got some sushi and a seafood rice bowl. What a dinner!

We had to finish dinner quite quickly because we wanted to catch the 18.35 train back to Tokyo. But we made it in time, and the sunset seen from inside the station was amazing!

We got back to the guesthouse at about 9.30pm, so it was quite a long day, and we were really tired on the train home. But it was a wonderful day - so nice to finally see Matsumoto Castle!

A Year Ago Today...

...I left for Japan!

That is not possible. That amazing year has just slipped away from me!

I can remember leaving my family in Heathrow so clearly, waving goodbye through the gate, as I queued for the metal detectors, for as long as I could see them. Then praying the flight would last forever, so I wouldn't actually have to land. And then the amazing feeling of seeing Japan, which I had only seen in photos or dreams, and breathing my new reality in as I left Narita Airport. One thing that has stuck in my mind is walking to customs from the gate, and stopping to go the toilet. For some reason, I was thinking that if the toilets weren't compeletely different from Britain's, and were normal, everything would be okay. How illogical is that?!

Then there was the incredible journey as I, bleary-eyed and confused, made my way across Tokyo to the Sakura House main office in the centre of Shinjuku. And after that, finding my guesthouse and collapsing onto my new bed for the next seven months of my life.

How do you fit so many memories into one day? I am overwhelmed by it. And now, finally, it starts to feel like a dream. I tell people about it and explain how I did it and what I did, and yet it doesn't feel real.

I have photos and videos of everywhere I went, and the friends I made, and the memories I keep, but it's like someone else took them and then superimposed me onto them.

And now, as I sit in my home in England revising for my exams next week, looking outside at the coldest winter Britain has had for decades (seriously, -11C!), I realise I can't wait to go back to Japan.

That's my motivation. I must pass this year of University and go back to Japan. And then I can record even more memories, and have as many new experiences as I can.

Hopefully, this time in eight months, I'll be back on a plane heading for Tokyo again. What a dream...

Exhaustion

This is something I forgot to write about when it actually happened, but I thought I should add it in retrospect.

After I got back from Japan on 7th August, I went on holiday with my family to Norfolk on the 10th. I was okay for the first two or so days there, but then I became so tired every day. I ended up sleeping for around 10 hours every night, and then anything except sitting around and eating made me tired.

It wasn't very pleasant because I sometimes had to take a nap after going out to recharge some lost energy.

If you experience this, don't worry, because it passed after a week and then my sleep pattern was normal and I had energy in the day again.

I guess it was just caused by the stress and everything finally ending once I was back at home. I was so busy during that last month in Japan, I didn't had time to relax or reflect on anything.

It may have just been me though, so don't take it for granted that you will be that tired once you return from travelling!

Time and Time Again

After being in Britain for three weeks now, and having been on holiday here twice (hence the huge gap between posts because I didn't have internet), I've kind of had time to reflect on the whole trip.

I've found that I have certain memories that stick out above all the rest, but mainly I feel happy about the whole thing. When I think about it, the over-riding emotion is happiness. Happiness that I could go, that I had the opportunity to see amazing things and meet amazing people, who I am still in contact with now.

It also seems incredibly short. Seven months is not a long time, even if it felt like it was back in January when the journey was stretching ahead of me. I could have stayed longer in Japan, but I had to come home.

I feel so lucky. Lucky is the word I think. Lucky to be able to do these things. I feel much more mature, and like my life is richer now.

Looking back over my 5,000 photos and videos (yes, I know...), and showing them to my family and friends, is just great. I can open up Japan for people who still confuse it with China, and let them see what a beautiful and interesting country it is.

The word that fits it in Japanese is 懐かしい (natsukashii), which means 'fondly remembered'. And that's definitely what my Japan trip is, fondly remembered.

And now, I have three weeks before University starts in Leeds. I'll be studying English and Japanese so I'm studying Japanese grammar and kanji before I go. My aim is to learn 500 kanji before I start the course. We'll see if it happens! 104 down, just a few more to go...

頑張ります！

I'm Back Home!

I'm actually back!

Very tired and a little confused, but definitely back in Britain!

I will write about my flight properly soon, but it went without a hitch. It was extremely sad to leave my guesthouse and my housemates, but I knew that it had to happen. I said goodbye to everyone, and everything, and really had to fight myself to stay as composed as possible. I was leaving my home of seven months.

My Chinese housemate, very kindly, came to Tokyo City Air Terminal on Thursday morning to wave me off. It was incredibly sad to say goodbye to him, because he was very kind. I waved until the bus rounded the corner and he was gone.

On the bus to the airport, which cost Y2,900, I was having real flashbacks to various times during my trip. I know it sounds like something you see in a film, with grainy black and white images representing memories, but the journey was actually filled with random images of people, places and emotions.

At the airport, I sent emails to some people from my phone, and told them I was safely ready to go, and thank you for everything.

I couldn't believe I was leaving Japan. The last few days there didn't feel real.

On the plane, I looked through the selection of music you can make your own playlist out of, and I found some songs that meant a lot to me while I was in Japan. I feel I must admit that Touch My Body, by Mariah Carey, was included, but I probably heard that song more than any other over the last seven months.

I only slept for about 90 minutes the night before I left, and had maybe 3 hours of broken, uncomfortable sleep on the plane.

But somehow I stayed awake and alert, probably from adrenaline, until 11pm at home. My mum, brother and cousin met me at Heathrow airport in London, and then we had lunch in a pub (so British) and drove up to Birmingham.

The over-riding feeling was a dream-like state that I found myself in. It felt like I was just in Britain for a little bit, and I'd be returning 'home' to Tokyo soon.

Once I got home, everything felt strange, lovely, but very strange. It didn't quite register that I was at home. My real home, in Birmingham.

I knew that, after a few days, Japan would feel like the dream, but for now, Japan is still my reality.

I can't find the words, and that's not because I lived in a non-English speaking country, to describe how absolutely amazing my trip to Japan was.

The way my personality, outlook, and life has changed as a result is more than I ever expected. I can't recommend doing something like this enough.

Although I was sad to leave, I'd much rather be sad to leave because I enjoyed it, than be happy to go because it was a painful, trying seven months.

And sometimes it was difficult, looking back at it, and I did feel a bit homesick at times, but the memories and experiences I have now make up for it a thousand times.

I have to close that chapter of my life behind me now, and look forward to University in September, where I'll study English & Japanese, and after that, in September 2009, I will return to Japan as an exchange student to study for one year.

An exciting four years lie ahead of me!

And I can't wait.

All Ready To Go!

Well, I'm sitting down with all my bags around me. It's 3.30am and my flight is at 10.55am from Narita Airport.

I'm all checked out and ready to go.

Today has been so emotional, saying goodbye to my friends, to my room, to the life I've had for the last seven months.

I gave all my housemates presents and we went out for a lovely meal at a nearby restaurant. It was so fun, but I had a nagging sadness that kept telling me I was leaving in a few hours.

And now it's a mere four hours before I have to go to Tokyo City Air Terminal to catch the bus to the airport.

And in less than 24 hours I'll be back at home in Birmingham, England.

How strange.

How wonderful.

My next post will be from home, so wish me luck for the flight!

I can't believe it's over.

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.