More photos

We have added a few more photos of Japan. Enjoy!

Farewell Nippon

This brings our travels in Japan to a close. We decided that we couldn't leave Tokyo without one trip to Roppongi, the suburb where all the foreigners go. It is a sea of western style bars and restaurants, and definitely not local prices. We had dinner at Tony Romas (the best ribs in the world apparently) and then on to Gaspanic bar for a few drinks. You could easily experience nothing of the real Japan as a foregner if you spent all your time in this part of town. Today we went to Harajuku and took some photos of the freakishly dressed locals (will arrange pics ASAP)and visited the Meiji shrine. We just couldn't leave without seeing one more shrine. Sayonara from Japan, and we will see you in Hawaii

Croaking Karaoke

Finally tuned up the vocal cords and let loose. My version of Dolly Parton's Jolene was deeply moving while Maddi's threat of singing Islands in the stream with me came true and with much humour. This morning the voices are hoarse, but it was worth it for the Japanese back-up vocalists and bad video clips alone! Til next time....

Photos, photos, photos!

Yes, after some technical issues we have finally been able to put some pics on the blog. There are more of Japan to come, but we hope these give a taste. Click on the link in the right hand column.

Kyoto and the crowds

We have spent today looking at some impressive Japanese cultural icons in Kyoto. It seems we have shareed the experience with half of Japans year 7 and 8 school kids which made us feel a little bit like being on the tour conveyor belt! Most impressive was the golden pavillion, burnt down in the 1950s by a crazed monk and then rebuilt soon after. They sentenced the monk to exile for twenty years on an island in the pond surrounding the temple! To calm us after battling the crowds, we went to a lovely zen rock garden and meditated(until the next school bus arriverd).

Last night we were lucky enough to see a geisha as we wondered down a side street. Between appointments, once sighted she was caught in the cross fire of flashes from all the tourists in the street! She proved the worth of her training by paying the cameras no attention and progressing on to her next client.

Hiroshima

The weather has taken a turn for the better with a lovely sunny day and temperature around 25C. This provided a counterpoint to the sombre visit to the Hiroshima Peace Park and A-bomb memorial. The people of Hiroshima have dedicated themselves to spreading the message of peace and have created a beautiful city in which to live. It has been a very moving experience.

Traditional Ryokan dinner

Shy Fuji san

We spent two days in lovely Hakone, one of the best spots to view Mt Fuji. Usually best in the winter when the sky is clear. We caught a brief glimpse of the shy mountain (which is absolutely massive!) before the clouds ruined any chance of a photo. A cable car ride into the hills allowed us to sample one of the black eggs of Owakudani, cooked in the sulfurous thermal springs for 15 minutes. (Perhaps someone with a background in chemistry can explain to me why the shell turns black). We spent the rest of our time checking out an open air museum with a range of impressive sculptures and the world`s largest collection of Picasso ceramics. The switchback mountain train provided awesome views and the cutest scene of little Japanese school girls being woken up bt their teacher to get off the train.

Today we are in Takayama. Maddi has likened it to Japan`s version of Sovereign Hill, but it is impressive to look around a very traditional peasant village. We head off back into the old town to sample the wares. They are famous for making miso paste, sake and the local hero is siru bobo, a little doll who is all red with no face (very cute indeed). The ryokan we are staying in is an old farmhouse that has been refurbished. Huge timber posts and head hunting cross beams - a work of art, but not for those over 170cm tall! We had a traditional dinner in the ryokan (very dishourable to eat anywhere else outside the ryokan) and ended up doing traditional dancing with a group of locals from the next room. Bit like the nutbush but older! Bear in mind we were all wearing our supplied kimonos, so we looked the part. Sayonara

Shogun

Yesterday we had an amazing trip to the kabuki theatre, and saw a 2 hour play about the end of the Shogun era in Japan. We had English headphones which meant we could follow the action. The crowd yells out the acting house names of their favourite actors every now and then, like they are barracking at the football.

We arrived in Nikko last night, which is a small town about 2 hours from Tokyo on the Shinkansen, which is the very fast train. We are staying in a Ryokan with tatami mats on the floor, and are sleeping on futons. We had our first onsen last night, which is the traditional Japanese shared bath. It was a private one, so a good practice run for when we go to the shared public bath. Today we spent the morning around the Shogun shrine complex for which Nikko is famous. It felt very traditional, and we took heaps of photos. We will put some on the blog once technical difficulties are resolved. If only the renowned 3 wise monkeys on the shrine here could help us. We have run into a number of schoolkids who love to
yell hello at us and then giggle. Having a great time.

Reminiscences of old school days

Today, in another day of rain, we went to St Mary's, which is the school Adam used to go to in Tokyo. As luck would have it, they were having their annual Carnival, so there was a sea of people of all nations. Each nation seemed to be running their own food stall as well, so there was everything from Kenyan, to an Aussie steak sandwich. Thought we would mention food again, to satisfy the guru (see prev comments). We have caught up with the tour group, but do not head out of Tokyo until tomorrow afternoon. We are staying in a number of traditional inns, so very much looking forward to that. Yesterday we checked out the Budokan, which is a traditional sumo wrestling venue, that hosted the Beatles back in the day. Would have to queue before 7am tomorrow to have any chance of seeing the sumo, so no go. Please let the sun be shining in Hawaii!

Lost in Tran$lation

Yes, for those of you who haven't seen the movie, please do. While Bill Murray is paid to drink whiskey at the New York Bar and Grill at the Park Hyatt, we had to pay for the privilege. Yes, there was a $25 entry fee each to get into the 52nd floor restaurant but it is just as it appears in the movie. Subtle lighting, jazz band in the corner, and an extensive list of drinks. Regardless of price, the view was spectacular with the city visilble to the horizon from all directions (20 million do live in Tokyo). A highlight of the visit!

Today we ventured out into Shinjuku to see what life is like there during the day. It is amazing what you can find in the basement of a Japanese department store. We decided to make our way out into the burbs (if there is such a thing here) to sample a "traditional" tea. We had green tea "soup" with ice cream and red beans and I think tofu of some sort. Sound funny? It was one of the best desserts I've had in a while. Dinner found us at Niniku-ya, a garlic restaurant. We managed to sample Japanese spirit and then fill up on garlic flavoured food which was divine. It is hard to walk around anywhere without falling for the food.

Culture and Food

Have had a very cultural day today, heading off to the Tokyo National Museum. The whole first floor was a chronological depiction of Japanese art and culture, with silk paintings, tea ceremony ceramics and (Adam's favourite) swords and armour. Absolutely fascinating, and a real taste of Japan. Followed directions to a little back street retaurant for a tonkatsu lunch (deep fried pork pieces which was our first sizeable piece of meat in days, and delicious). Maddi has had a beer a day, which is more beer than the rest of her life combined, as it seems to be the Japanese drink of choice. Crazy morning at the Tokyo Central Fish market yesterday, with 3 wheeled trucks buzzing around at full speed between rows and rows and rows of fish stalls. Best sushi ever...it is hard to get fresher than 1 minute from the market. We have been too tired for night life until now, but are making the effort tonight. Those stilettos were worth packing after all.

Disney and dinner

Had a trip to Disneyland in the rain today. We really wanted to put a pic on the blog of both of us with Mickey, and our fingers held in the traditional Japanese photo V, but Mickey was in a hurry and not stopping for pics with the fans. Had a delicious traditional Japanese fry up for dinner, cooked in the middle of our table for 2, and thanks to Jenny for the recommendation. The Japanese spirit (like sake but stronger) mixed with hot water and a pickled plum was a real pick me up. No karaoke as yet.

Omotesando adventures

Well it rained a lot today, so it seemed to make sense to hit the shopping strip for some adventure. We had fun working out what a heezernut latte was and I'm sure it tastes alright too! We even managed to find a store selling Ugg boots that were actually made in Australia! Felt like we were at home. We have discovered that it is possible to put a double room inside a broom cupboard as long as you have a window to look out of....

Asakusa and Akihabara - a world apart

We decided to bookend today with two extremes.

We started the day in Akihabara which is Tokyo's "Electronic Town". Maddi decided that we need a keisan-ki (calculator) to better aid in working out those exchange rates. We also managed to buy a contactu rens kess. We are well on our way to learning Japanese but that may be because of the liberal use of English based words.

Second half of the day included a trip to Asakusa which is an older area of Tokyo with a very large temple and lots of markets and food stalls. It felt like half of Tokyo was there but maybe I'm just used to Melbourne crowds!

Tales from Tokyo

We have safely arrived and are already flitting back and forth across the city like seasoned Metro professionals (apart from the occasional wild guess of boarding a train with no idea where it is going and crossing our fingers). We have had a couple of great local meals, and our first Japanese beer. We found a lost little Japanese girl and handed her in to the local police, who had a bit of trouble understanding what on earth was going on, but the family are reunited now. No pics yet.

2 days to go and no time to pack!

We've nearly got everything ready but where do you find a large supply of cute stuffed Australian mammals to take away as presents?

All suggestions welcome!