My Shout

Next stop on our tour of Japan was the small town of Nikko, home of the World Heritage listed Nikko Shrine and Temple complex and the National Park. We were waiting for the hour long bus ride to our hotel mentioned on the internet when Janelle noticed a courtesy bus of theirs picking up some other guests. We talked our way onto that courtesy bus and 5 minutes later we arrived at our hotel, baffled as to why the regular bus would have taken an hour. Turns out my directions were for another Hotel Kanaya in the not so nearby town of Chuzen-ji.

The Hotel Kanaya is a beautiful old building, (1873) quite rightly noted in our guidebook as an 'architectural delight', with impeccable service and beautiful garden view rooms. There is a long list of famous people who stayed at this hotel, with photos dating back a hundred years plastered all over the walls.

The view from our room at the Hotel Kanaya

Shinkyo Bridge, just down the road

We went down the road for lunch in the pouring rain and soon came across 'The Little Yakatori Bar'. It would seem this place is notorious among travellers. It has several glowing guidebook reviews tacked on the wall and inside the whole place is plastered with notes and business cards from people who have eaten there. I think the main highlight is that it serves vegetarian food, which isn't necessarily easy to come by. We found the food reasonable, but not nearly as exciting as the glowing advertorials would have you believe. The old lady was very friendly though and the atmosphere was pleasant. Naturally, you can now find a Travellerspoint card on the wall as well Interesting to note is that all the other nearby restaurants seem to be copying The Little Yakitori Bar's tactics now, making a big deal out of their list of international diners.

The primary attraction in Nikko are the numerous shrines and temples and the various buildings and gardens are truly awe inspiring to behold. It was handy wearing sandles for this excursion though, as it would have be a royal pain in the you know what taking off your shoes every time you need to enter a particularly important place. What more can one say about looking at temples? Scary looking statues, lots of incense burning, golden buddhas and such things. Some pictures below should give you an idea. It's a very enjoyable place to visit.

Exiting the temple district, we decided we would take the bus up the mountain to Chuzen-ji, where the other Hotel Kanaya is located. We made some dumb choices regarding transport, passing up the option of a shuttle service the hotel runs, opting for a regular bus instead. Little did we realise it would come to 1000 Yen a person each way. Oh well, such is life. Oh, I forgot to mention the other lure of the mountain, namely wild monkeys.. Anyhow, halfway up the mountain, nearing our final destination, we experienced a moment of confusion when the bus pulled up at a very scenic lookout offering people the chance to get off. Strangely enough, we decided to get off and see what there was to see, despite the protests of other passengers on the bus. A very nice view mainly, but also a chair lift up to err.. an even nicer view, this time of the lake and town we were trying to get to. Ok, that sightseeing need taken care of, we returned to the bus stop to complete our journey. And it turned out the next bus would be here in, let's see, an hour! argghh .. Perhaps to torment us while stuck on this block of cement with nothing but a toilet to entertain us, there was an interesting sign stating not to 'approach the wild monkeys with food'. Unfortunately, no monkeys were available to approach. So, there we stood for a while in the drizzling rain waiting for the next bus. A friendly lady said it was a twenty minute walk to Chuzen-ji from here, but we decided to wait anyway. Either way, by now it would be roughly the same time waiting or walking. Then they came, first one crossing the road, then a swarm. At least a dozen hairy, red faced monkeys (don't ask me for the species) were wandering around the place, some with young. Naturally, I took note of the sign and didn't approach them 'with food', instead approaching them with my camera - hey they're monkeys, they're clever right? Later we spoke to an Australian who had been attacked by a gang of vicious furry monkeys, so this perhaps was not a very wise move on my behalf - note to kids, don't sneak up on monkeys.

Waiting with us at the bus stop

Oh, and Lake Chuzen-ji and the nearby waterfall were also well worth the trip. See the pics below.

Now, we're being bulleted to Osaka at 300 km/h. I must say, these Shinkansens really do make you feel like you've entered a warp zone of some sort. A very pretty warp zone too..

Despite promising weather forecasts, our second day in Tokyo turned out to be only slightly less damp than the first. The Lure of the Giant Pandas was too much to resist by now, so we made our way to Ueno Zoo. Sure, there were snakes, giraffes, zebras, turtles, even a giant turtle, but let's face it, we were here for the pandas. Ling Ling and Zhuan Zhuan, the two pandas who call this zoo home, were asleep when we walked past, so we decided to have a look at some of the other animals and come back. Wandering amongst the school children, we strolled past the gorillas, tigers, lions, elephants and other animals. But we could only be distracted for so long and so we headed back to the pandas' neck of the woods to see if they had woken up. Though both were still snoozing we watched for a while and were very pleasantly surprised when Zhuan Zhuan finally decided to get up for a spot of lunch! We were very pleased What a beautiful creature. We're glad we stopped by for a visit.

But animal loving aside, how can Tokyo be properly experienced without a few shopping trips? Shopaholics would find no cure here. The numerous department stores are packed with goods from every corner of the globe. Anything you want can be found, providing you look in the right area. It seems whole districts are devoted to one particular profession. For instance, a whole area with practically nothing but 'Hair and Make' shops, or the rather famous electronics district Akhabara with a sufficient range of tempting gadgets and gizmos. Yes, that's a real word, my spell checker says so. We thought we may have ended up in the 'Star Wars' district at the Tokyo International Forum, but it turned out to be a convention of sorts.

Star Wars Convention

Shibuya Intersection

Tokyo is a fascinating city. Bustling to its brim with activity, and yet it feels safer than any other large city I've been to, including Melbourne. People are polite, the advertising isn't. Visiting various areas of Tokyo, it is interesting to compare the differences in the suburbs. Shibuya, in Western Tokyo, with what seems like 100 giant TV screens all shouting for attention, is the bustling crazy Tokyo most imagine the city to be. In contrast, Ginza in Central Tokyo, though busy, is refined and kind of feels like an open air hushed library. The street was closed down to traffic while we were there, so people were wandering the street freely.

We visited Yoyogi Park for their flea market on Sunday. Surprisingly, no purchases were made here, but it was entertaining wandering around listening to Japanese punk music and enjoying the street performers.

Market at Yoyogi Park

Afterwards a visit to the Senso-Ji Shrine in Northern Tokyo, not particularly far from our hotel, was a necessary stop. Though packed with tourists, ourselves included, there are still enough worshippers here practising their rituals. Fanning the incense smoke over themselves, tossing coins into the giant offering area and going about their routines. The construction itself is a magnificent sight to behold and a pleasure to walk around. The nearby stalls provide some good colour as well.

Returning from the shrine, we noticed there seemed to be quite a few scantily clad Japanese men walking around in matching outfits. As we headed further away from the temple, we noticed more and more of these men gathering. Before we knew it, we were in the middle of a procession of some sort, fully equipped with a creepily masked man, an old guy on a horse and what must have been a very heavy shrine.

We have enjoyed our stay in the Hotel New Izu. The staff were very friendly, even presenting us with a gift of two pairs of chopsticks on our last day! Not much was ever on TV, apart from The Ring one night; that's the American adaptation of the original Japanese movie, dubbed back into Japanese. If only they had English subtitles.

Heading out of Tokyo on the Shinkansen, by now we were ready for a change of scenery.

We arrived in wet Tokyo with nothing but some light coats to stand between us and the weather. First things first, time to catch a train. The Keisei Skyliner is an express service that conveniently runs between the airport and Ueno station, a mere ten minute walk from our hotel. We patiently waited on the platform and watched as seats in our train were automatically swivelled 180 degrees to allow us a better view, a thoughtful touch. First glimpses along the way showed us a rural landscape with bamboo groves, lush green ricefields and err ... a windmill complete with a typical Dutch bridge. And a pleasant drizzle to complete the picture.

We soon realised that life without an umbrella may prove less than ideal today. In most cities, you tend to see a few people without an umbrella, happy to be soaked or simply unprepared, having forgotten to watch the news the night before, but not in Tokyo it seems. In Tokyo, everyone had one with them today. They must all watch the weather forecasts.

We made our way to our accommodation, the Hotel New Izu in, while refreshing ourselves in the rain. Though we were very early to check in at 10:00 AM, they already had our room more or less ready for us. Our room is small, but feels more than spacious enough. It is decorated in Japanese style with mats on the floor and simply mattresses as beds. Comfortable enough and a very good price for Tokyo at just over 10,000 Yen per night. One immediate difference you note as a westerner is that all the doorways are considerably lower. Even I am not far off bumping my head!

The rain would not let up, so we decided to brave it. Our hostess was kind enough to lend us a couple of umbrellas to walk around with, to help us fit in. Tempted by the prospect of giant pandas in nearby Ueno Park, we headed in that direction.

First lesson in Umbrella Etiquette.
Store your umbrella appropriately when entering a store.

We were in need of a caffeine fix by now and duly entered a coffee shop. Noticing a bucket near the door with someone's umbrella in it, this seemed a logical place to put ours. Well, unfortunately, the other person had set a bad example it seemed, as the shop assistant quickly came over and started tidying our umbrellas. Turns out there were plastic bags in the bucket for the specific purpose of putting one's umbrella in. So, if possible, shake your umbrella well, roll it up and bag it before entering an establishment. Most stores have these umbrella shaped bags at the entrance, some with hi-tech bagging machines to make life easy.

During our coffee break it became apparent to us that a zoo visit would be rather unwise considering the present state of the weather. So, we shifted our focus to the Tokyo National Museum, also located in Ueno Park.

Second lesson in Umbrella Etiquette
Technology can help.

Well, technology can help with just about anything; from hi tech toilets to trains, from all-in-one washing basins to umbrella storage. Entering the museum (420 Yen a person), we were presented with a rather nifty system of locking away your umbrella for the duration of your visit.

The museum turned out to be a great choice for the day. Providing shelter from the rain and an initial insight into some of Japan's rich cultural heritage with a little lesson into the Japanese culture of today thrown in.

Third lesson in Umbrella Etiquette
If your umbrella's broken, make it obvious.

Moving from Honkan, the primary building, we went to visit one of the other exhibition buildings, the Gallery of Horyu-Ji, that is part of the National Museum complex and part of the same 400 Yen ticket. While folding up my umbrella I noticed some of the spokes were loose, so I spent about 30 seconds trying to sort it out. Before I knew it, a rather friendly lady rushed out of the building offering me a new umbrella! Baffled by why such generosity, I thought I must have misunderstood her, but after some discussions it was clear she couldn't bear the thought of me carrying around a less than perfect umbrella. How nice, now I would have a souvenir and an umbrella of my own!

So, after a day of Northern Tokyo, the Japanese get my vote for the most polite people I've met so far.

View from Honkan, at the Tokyo National Museum

Who needs a seperate soap dispenser, tap and dryer when you can have them all in one device?

Gallery of Horyu-Ji, part of the Tokyo National Museum complex

Some more photos added later..

There's no shortage..

and a final lesson, by the great educator Sesame Street.

Less than two weeks now before we hop on the plane again and head for Japan.

See the pic of our travel agent below - it used to a a movie theatre.

We popped in today to pay for our JR Rail Passes. Two weeks for two people cost just over AU$1100 . Supposedly that's considerably cheaper than paying for individual tickets (on the bullet train at least).

All the planning is starting to come together. Our first accommodation is booked - the Palace Side Hotel in Kyoto - this place is a serious bargain compared to the other options I've seen so far and gets a very good ranking on Tripadvisor to boot. We got a twin room with kitchenette for 8925JPY per night! Saves on food too this way

Well, seeing as I selfishly created my own personal design for my blog, it was only fair enough to make another one available to you guys as well. So, to bring the number of choices to 5 is the new design Metropolitan. Ok, originally, I was going to make an Art Deco design, but I got distracted halfway and went on a tangent. Hope you enjoy. This one hasn't been tested in many browsers yet, but considering it is based on other ones that have already, I'm assuming it's mostly ok. Let me know if you find any quirks.

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