Japan

Ohio Gozaimasu!
It started with backpacks, a little money, knowing only where we wanted to go, no plans, and the spirit of adventure. We were finally in Japan. I have been so excited for this port since the beginning of the voyage and even though it pretty much signified the coming of the end of the voyage, I was still looking forward to it and was happy the minute we stepped off the ship.

I was concentrating my time in Kansai, the region in southern Japan. This is the heart of the Japanese culture and history, scattered with castles and pavilions and the occasional Geisha if you’re lucky enough to spot them. We arrived in the very middle of cherry blossom season, which was amazing considering the cherry blossom season only lasts for two weeks. Everywhere we walked, the beautiful pink and white blossoms guided us like signs and when the wind would blow, the blossoms would dance around in the air, surrounding you in a flurry of polka dots. It was some of the prettiest scenery I’ve ever seen. Japanese people are some of the nicest we’ve ever encountered too. They were so helpful and kind and they were really impressed with my poor and out of practice Japanese and that I took the time to use their language instead of just finding someone who spoke English. The only bad part about Japan was how expensive it is. We found pretty inexpensive lodging and our train tickets weren’t that much but it was the food that really got me. The food was delicious, although I was already Japan’s biggest food fan before even getting there.
So to begin this adventure, Sean and I took off for Nara as soon as the ship was cleared and we made it through customs, which actually took the better part of the day unfortunately. But we eventually hopped on our first train (after spending quite a bit of time figuring out the train station and the systems and the tickets) and sped towards Nara, which boasts 8 UNESCO World Heritage sites and is home to the famous deer park. We arrived in the late afternoon and went straight for the deer park where hundreds of wild deer roam and come up to you and let you pet them, all granting you feed them of course. I brought a mini-box of cereal for them and they loved it. I had a crowd of like 7 deer around me who bit at my hips whenever my hand wasn’t feeding them. It was funny actually because whenever I walked up to the deer they would let me pet them until they figured out I had no more food and then they’d walk away but they wouldn’t even let Sean get near them. We walked through the park a bit under the Sakura (cherry blossoms), enjoying the beauty and people. We walked next to Todaiji Temple, the biggest wooden building in the world. It is home to the famous daibutsu (Giant Buddha), one of the largest bronze figures in the world. It was really cool to see and incredible when you think of how large it was and how much bronze it took to make and how long ago it was done. At the back of the hall there is a wooden column with a hole at the bottom that is exactly the size of one of the Buddha’s nostrils. It is believed that whoever can fit through the hole is ensured of enlightenment. Let me tell you something, that hole is tiny. I didn’t think it was possible for any adult to actually fit through when I saw little kids fitting through with no extra room to spare. But Sean made it through somehow so I was determined. Ladies with hips: I don’t recommend it. I’ll admit that I got stuck in the middle when the lower half of my body tried to get through. But somehow, someway, I managed to wriggle myself through and I crawled out the other side to a crowd of people clapping and cheering. I am currently awaiting enlightenment.
We walked through the forest surrounding the park and Todaiji, which was breath-taking in the setting sun. Sakura still surrounded us and hundreds of lanterns line the path through shrines and statues and deer, over bridges and up ancient stairs. It was really something to experience. We came to Kasuga-Taishi, the most important shrine in Nara tucked way back into the forest. They have lantern festivals there twice a year and to see them all would be spectacular. We walked across the city to take a train to Osaka, found a hotel and went to eat on the busy, lit streets that apparently are Blade Runner atmospheric (I’ve never seen it so I can’t give a personal account).

The next morning we woke up to take a train to Kyoto and find our ryokan that we had booked for the night. This was our splurge, to stay in a traditional ryokan with tatami mats and futons on the floor. It was worth it too, this was the coolest place I’ve ever stayed! It was such a beautiful room with paper-walls covered in paintings and the boys had a connecting room with sliding doors to separate from my room. There were little features everywhere that made it so cool. So we dropped off our bags and walked back to the station to catch a train to this little mountain town Kurama. This turned out to be both of our favorite parts of the trip. This town was wonderful. It was situated around a beautiful river running through the center of town. It was all so peaceful and so un-touristy. The houses and architecture and gardens and Sakura enclosed by the hills and dark green trees of the mountains. It was perfect. We just walked through the town soaking up everything about it. I went for an Onsen, a traditional Japanese outdoor bath, which was an amazing experience. It was a beautiful, stone bath like the size of seven or eight hot tubs (and the temperature of them too) but only two feet deep with wood around the outside. To sit there, naked in the open looking out at the mountainside under the cherry blossoms that would float down into the bath was indescribable. It was heaven on earth and the most peaceful I have ever been. It was incredible, I want to be back there right now. After I was done soaking up the serenity, Sean and I went for an amazing bowl of kitsune soba and o-cha at a little shop on the corner of town. It was delicious! We hopped the train back to Kyoto and walked back to our ryokan for a nap. Jordan met us there that night and we went out to explore Kyoto by night. The central Kyoto area is so much fun at night. There is so much going on, so many good things to eat and great people watching. We went to an arcade, which is a big form of entertainment in Japan so this arcade was crazy! They also have the fun photo booths everywhere so we had fun with those too. Our ryokan had an 11pm curfew so we grabbed a few snacks and drinks and stayed up late talking and reveling in Japan.

The next morning, breakfast was served to us in the ryokan and we ate in the common room with all the other travelers. It was really nice to meet them all and talk to them about their experiences and trade tips. After getting all ready then, we packed up our stuff and stocked up on picnic food at the grocery store. We went to Heian-jinga for cherry blossom viewing. It’s a beautiful garden to walk through and we found a seat by the lake and ate our picnic under the Sakura. After that we went back to pick up our stuff at the Three Sister’s Inn (highly recommended by the way) and head to the other side of town to find a guesthouse. Took a while to get there and get situated. But we were ready for another night exploration of Kyoto. This time we went by the guidebook’s recommended walking tours to see parts of the city we otherwise wouldn’t have. It was really fun and we ended up in Pontocho, a really fun street off the Kamo-gawa, the canal that runs through town. Walking through Kyoto at night is a really neat experience and you must do so if you’re in Japan. We found another really good restaurant and ate for a while, had some heated discussions and headed out to karaoke, also a must-do in Japan. We got back to our guesthouse late that night and had a good long sleep.

We left the next morning with all our gear on our backs again and headed out for a full day of sight-seeing. We first stopped at Nijo-jo, a ninja castle with nightingale floors that squeek when walked upon as a means of defense against intruders. It was surrounded by beautiful gardens holding tea ceremonies that all the women came out dressed in their kimonos for. It was a really beautiful sight and really fun to walk through the castle, built in the 15th century.  Next we headed to Kinkaku-ji, the Golden Pavilion. This was incredible! It literally was a floating golden pavilion on a lake surrounded again by beautiful gardens. There is a walk through the grounds and at the end you come to this little street lined with vendors selling mochi and sweets and tea. It was so much fun! We got green tea and Sakura flavored ice-cream which was delicious! I was in heaven. Until we tried to go to the famous zen garden, Ryoan-ji, and it was closed. That just means I’ll have to go back to Japan in the near future! We headed out to Kiyomizu-dera, a huge temple with sacred springs and a love shrine. We got there as the sun was setting and it’s at the top of this huge hill looking out over all of Kyoto so the views were magnificent. Not to mention the incredible display of Sakura they have. It’s a beautiful walk through the temple and we drank from a sacred spring that has flown for thousands of years and is believed to improve test scores. It was really funny to watch all these moms drag their kids up there and practically throw the water down their throats. I have my fingers crossed they’re right. The love shrine was already closed when we got there though which I was really bummed about. Just another reason to head back there soon. We walked back through Kyoto at dusk for another great meal and a shinkansen, bullet train, to Tokyo. My ears were popping it went so fast but it was dark out so we didn’t get to see the country whizzing by. We got there around midnight and out grand plan was to find a place to sleep and walk around to experience Tokyo night-life. But we were so exhausted that we just walked around for about an hour and hopped a train back to Yokohama to sleep on the ship. I have never been so tired in my life.

The next day I explored Yokohama by myself, just walking around taking it all in. I loved all of Japan. And I really can’t wait to go back there soon. It was more than I thought it could be and I fell in love with all of it. Its really hard to imagine that I’m already done with this trip pretty much. It has been a long time and I’m exhausted and I can’t wait to get back home but at the same time I can’t imagine not living on a ship and circling the world. It is going to be very weird. Well I’m on the ship now for 8 more days before Hawaii and I’m so excited! That sounds so funny to be so excited for Hawaii when I’ve just been to all these exotic locations but my boyfriend is coming to meet me there and I can’t wait! A little taste of home is going to be much appreciated now.

Sayonara!