last stop: hokkaido

tokyo: round 3

Here are the last set of pictures from Tokyo. Adam, Russ and Pierre rejoined me there after their trip to Kyoto and mine to Hiroshima. Without the jetlag that had slowed us down a bit the first couple days, we were able to enjoy Tokyo and it's nightlife a bit more. Highlights included raw horse meat, losing $10 in under 40 seconds at Pachinko, Okonomiyaki (savory pancakes) in Harajuku, a random blues bar where adam played a tune with the bartender, a trip to Shibuya and plenty more food, sake and beer. We really only had a day and a half here before heading North to Hokkaido, but seems like we accomplished what we wanted to.

hiroshima & miyajima

The trip to Hiroshima was a bit longer than I anticipated – roughly 5 hours of train travel with an hour layover in Osaka. Fortunately the Shinkansen is relatively comfortable and gave me an opportunity to catch up on some sleep. I arrived into town late in the afternoon and after checking into the hostel and cleaning up a bit I went walking around town. Fully reconstructed after WWII, it’s a modern town like any other in Japan. As a result, it doesn’t have a lot of character, but it’s tragic history is certainly thought provoking. After walking around town, snapping some night time pictures of the A-Bomb dome I made my way to an Okonomiyaki restaurant to taste the local specialty. In Hiroshima, the okonomiyaki is made with a variety of ingredients which are cooked independently and then covered with the cooked pancake on either side. It’s essentially one massive savory pancake. Mine had cabbage, udon, squid, shrimp, and a variety of sauces. Very tasty, but way too much food.

The next morning I woke up early and caught a train just south of Hiroshima to Miyajima, where the famous floating tori is located. The orange tori is located on the water just outside the main shrine on the island. With the tide changing the water level as much as two meters daily, the scenery can change dramatically depending on what time you get there. In fact, at low tide, you can walk out to, and under, the gate. I got there just before high tide and snapped a few pictures of the shrine and tori before walking around town. Along the way I enjoyed some of the local specialties, including grilled local oysters (good, but not great), steamed buns filled with eel (not bad), and a small chocolate filled cake like thing (quite tasty).

Since I only had one full day in the area, I made my way back to Hiroshima for the afternoon and toured the Peace Memorial Park, which includes the A-Bomb Dome and the Atomic Bomb museum. It’s all rather depressing and much like the Genocide Museum in Phnom Penh and the Burma Railroad Museum in Katchanaburi, it leaves you with a very uneasy feeling. Well worth visiting though. Though it was almost nightfall, I quickly made my way to the other end of town to visit one of the nicer parks in town. I only had 45 minutes there, but the serene setting was well worth the trip. Nothing quite like a Japanese garden. And so that was it for Hiroshima and Miyajima. One very full day, and some very achy feet, but some great memories. Now back to Tokyo for a couple days before heading north to Hokkaido for some skiing.

tokyo: jetlag

Russ, Adam, and Pierre arrived about when I expected them to on Tuesday evening, claiming they'd found the hotel without any problems. I was rather impressed since my first time in Japan it took me an hour just to figure out how to get out of the airport. However, they were rather exhausted and jetlagged, having not slept one bit on the flight from Chicago. Nevertheless I lead them out to nearby Shinjuku for some dinner and drinks. After walking around a bit, we ducked into a small yakitori spot and were directed to the upstairs room which seated 10 people at most - about the same as downstairs. This place was not big. Fortunately they did have an English menu and so I ordered a variety of skewers to snack on with a couple beers. Everyone seemed to enjoy the food, but they were also completely out of it - claiming that the building was rocking back and forth... Not good. After dinner we slowly made our way back to the hotel, stopping for one more beer along the way. Though no one was particularly hungry, we were informed that generally you have to order food with drinks towards the north east, and so we got some fried tofu to keep the wait staff happy.

Wednesday started relatively early. Everyone but me was up and ready to go at 7am. After I reluctantly rolled out of bed, we headed towards Asakusa – a district with one of the nicer temples in Tokyo. Unfortunately, it was currently being renovated, but the brisk breeze and sun made it an enjoyable stroll through the temple grounds. Seeing as we hadn't really eaten much of a breakfast, we then went to a noodle shop for some soba for an early lunch. This was a typical fast food spot, where you order your meal from a vending machine that spits out a ticket with your order. You then take the ticket to the counter where they prepare your order and then call it out for you to pick up when it's ready. It doesn't make a whole lot of sense till you do it, and then you realize that, like all things in Japan, it's relatively efficient.

We then made our way onto the river boat cruise which leaves from the nearby docks and made our way south along the river towards the Hama-rikyu Gardens, which are near Ginza. After a brief stroll through the park we hopped back onto the train and went to straight to Akihabara – Tokyo's noisy electronics district. There we went from store to store exploring the weirder sides of japanese culture. Arcades, comic book stores, hobby stores, huge electronics stores and more, this is certainly one of the more entertaining areas of Tokyo to walk through. Somewhat tired from all the walking, we slowly made our way back to the Hotel, stopping for a beer and a bowl of noodles along the way.

That night we went back to Shinjuku, in the hopes that perhaps this time, everyone would be a little more awake. We started off in another yakitori type place which was rather inviting and had a nice soundtrack of blues to accompany the food and beer. Highlights included pork cheek skewers and a beverage that goes by Hoppy. Apparently (as we found out later) this is a drink for people who can’t afford beer. You get a class of Sochu and then top it off with a extremely lightly flavored beer-like beverage. It wasn’t bad, but also not that great. We continued on into Shinjuku, and popped into an Izikaya next, for a few more beers and a bit more food. This time all ordering occurred on a touchscreen at the table. Luckily, though everything on the screen was in Japanese, it also included a number of pictures, and we were given a paper menu with translations. With all this in hand we were able to order everything we wanted, though not without almost asking for the check before the meal had started. Here we got rice w/ ketchup topped with an omelet and more ketchup, sashimi, potato croquettes, beer & sake. We stayed quite a while before retreating to the hotel in anticipation of the early morning wake up call to get to Tsukiji fish market.

The next morning we woke up relatively early, checked out of the hotel and made our way to Tsukiji fish market. This is one of the most remarkable places in Tokyo, with constant commotion from 5AM to 11AM. We arrived at 7:30ish and took a stroll through the market, dodging the constant stream of carts moving to and fro, taking in all the weird sea creatures, and working up an appetite. By 8:30 we were ready for breakfast sushi and so we made our way to one of the many sushi shops around the market. Adam and Pierre got the sashimi plate, while I got the 10pc tasting. Both were very good, but Pierre and I were both scolded by the owner. Pierre had apparently poured too much soy sauce in his saucer while I was dipping the rice into the soy sauce instead of the fish... oops. Meanwhile Russ who doesn’t eat fish was promptly asked not to sit at the counter since he wasn’t ordering. The sushi was pretty good, but the owner could have been a tad bit nicer. That’s it for Tokyo for now. Next up Hiroshima for me while the others go to Kyoto for a couple days.

tokyo: noodles

Well I've been in Tokyo just over 24 hours and already I've already had a great time. I arrived at the hostel right around lunchtime yesterday and before even dropping off my bags, I was asking the receptionist to point me towards the best ramen in the area. This small spot didn't dissapoint - even though there was not a word of english on the menu. I picked what ended up being ramen with thingly sliced fatty pork. What a great way to start the trip. I left full and with a huge grin on my face.

Since Adam, Russ and Pierre weren't in yet, I decided to walk through Rappongi, Hiro-O, and Ebisu, with the ultimate goal of finding the Onitsuka Tiger store which was just west of Ebisu. These are quite affluent neighborhoods and somewhat quiet during the day, so I didn't think we'd be going back with the rest of the crew. Turns out the walk lasted 3-4 solid hours as I repeatedly got lost. I purposely left any maps and addresses back at the hostel, so I was just using the subway station maps and my memory to navigate. Unfortunately each of the maps around town is oriented with the north arrow pointing in completely different directions each time, so that can be rather confusing. I eventually found the Onitsuka store and was rather dissapointed with the rather measly selection of shoes and the exhorbitant prices. oh well, t'was a good little walk anyway.

For dinner I met Neha who was also traveling through Japan, and along with a few of her friends we ate at an Izikaya restaurant in Shinjuku. We ordered way too much food - and yet managed to eat it all. See the pictures of most, but not all of the dishes below. The fried chicken cartilage and chicken skin yakitori were my favorites.

Today I moved to a hotel in Shinjuku where we'll stay for a couple days. For lunch I walked around Shinjuku thinking perhaps I was craving sushi. I've noticed that some of the best food in Tokyo is usually hidden in small alleys or on the 9th floor of buildings. Since going up and down building elevators didn't seem practical I focused on the small alleys. I ended up finding an soba/udon/tempura spot that seemed rather popular. I sat down, pointed at the businessman next to me's bowl of udon with tempura and was promptly served - mine with the addition of a soft boiled egg. I wolfed down the bowl like everyone else around me and once again left very satisfied. 3 for 3 with meals so far. I spent the rest of the afternoon walking around Shinjuku and the adjoining park snapping pictures of the few trees that were in bloom.

kyoto

Kyoto has been very nice and definitely lived up to the hype. It doesn’t have all the neon Tokyo does and it’s certainly not blue collar like Osaka, but it does have an unimaginable number of temples, shrines and pagodas. It’s a little overwhelming to be honest. We arrived Sunday evening and after checking into our hostel, we headed back towards Kyoto Station to find some food. The station is actually a massive complex opened in 1997 with shopping, dining and a hotel – not to mention a major train and bus station. The inner concourse is enormous – with skywalk on the 10th floor and great views of the city from the 11th floor. Afterwards, Steve and I enjoyed some conveyor belt sushi – which we hadn’t had since the first day in Tokyo.



On Monday morning we headed out hoping to cram in quite a bit of sightseeing. The weather channel called for rain on Tuesday, so we wanted to get as many sights in as possible. Our first stop was at Kiyomizu-dera, which to the untrained eye might otherwise seem like an Ewok village perched in the hills. It was gray and hazy out, but we still got some great views of Kyoto while following the hordes of school children and tourists around the grounds. From there we followed the path set out by the Lonely Planet guide down small alleys, parks and near other temples and shrines, though we opted not to visit each and every one in detail – there are literally hundreds. This actually took quite a while and so it was soon time for lunch. Having become experts in Japanese fast food over the last week or so, we were quite comfortable ordering rice and noodle bowls from a vending machine… Basically you walk in to the restaurant, put your money into a vending machine, press one of the buttons – most of which have tiny little pictures of what you’re getting – and then hand your ticket over to the waiter. In turn, he brings your food tableside. It’s just as efficient as everything else in Japan and it’s actually kindda fun trying to figure out what all the tiny pictures are when you’re “ordering”. So far I don’t think either of us has been disappointed with of the food that we’ve gotten at these “fast food” restaurants and in fact some of them have been excellent. After lunch, we made our way to Ginkaku-ji which is a temple (unfortunately under construction) with very peaceful gardens behind it. There’s a cool rock garden, a pond and lots of pine trees, all of which make for a very nice afternoon walk. With a light rain falling we decided to head back towards the hostel along the “Path of Philosophy.” Rest assured that Steve and I did not philosophize about very much of anything, but the walk down the canal was also very pleasant. Note that we saw countless other shrines and temples throughout the day, but those were certainly the highlights.



This morning (Tuesday) we left anticipating a day abbreviated by rain. As it turns out, the forecast was way off and it was actually nicer than yesterday – thanks weather channel! Once again, we ended up walking a ton, first heading north from the hostel towards the Imperial Palace Park. The park is massive and it took quite some time for us to get across – but it wasn’t nearly as crowded as the rest of the city – so that was a nice change. Since the weather appeared to be holding up we decided to turn around and head south, past the hostel to Fushimi-Inari Taisha. This shrine originally dedicated to the gods of rice and sake has thousands of torrii which lead up the wooded slopes of the adjacent mountain. It’s a very impressive sight and was certainly worth the long trek down. Oh, I almost forgot. On the way down to the shrine we stopped at Mos Burger – essentially the Japanese equivalent to McDonalds. But fear not, I haven’t lost my mind quite yet. I really wanted to try a “rice burger” which is basically a burger with “rice patties” as buns. I also didn’t actually get a burger but rather “ginger pork” which was actually something like bacon simmered in teriyaki sauce and ginger and then stuffed between the “buns”. It was quite a challenge to eat since it basically falls apart into what would normally be a rice bowl – but was otherwise quite good. Other differences from McDonalds – coke served in an actual glass (and made with real sugar!), no ketchup to be found and tableside service by a staff that actually seems happy to work there. After the Fuhimi-Inari shrine we took a train back to the hostel (we needed a break from all the walking) but stopped at the Nishi food market nearby first to take full advantage of the samples of Japanese pickles and other assorted food products on display. All in all Japan has been full of awesome foods and I think I’ve really enjoyed each of my meals here. Whether it was an Izakaya, a noodle shop, a sushi restaurant or a “fast-food” stop, the Japanese really know how to eat well. It’s been a fun nine days.



Tomorrow Steve heads back to the States while I make my way to Beijing. A number of you have asked me about the status of my plans in China given the recent terrible earthquake in the Sichuan province. I have been following the news closely and will certainly adjust my plans as necessary to avoid Chengdu and the Sichuan province in general. Since I don’t really have concrete plans past Beijing, making last minute adjustments should not be difficult. For now I expect to simply fly from Xi’an to Kunming and spend more time in the Yunan province than I had originally planned. Hope everyone back home is doing well. Next stop, China.

oh deer

Today we made it out to Nara which is directly east of Osaka – just under an hour on the local train. Nara is home to quite a few UNESCO World Heritage Sites including the impressive Todai-ji temple. It’s supposedly the world’s largest wooden structure and houses Daibutsu - the giant Buddha statue and several of his equally mammoth friends. Many of Nara’s UNESCO sites are within Nara Park, which is where we spent most of the day. The park is also home to some 1,200 wild deer, which aren’t actually very wild at all. In fact they’re just about as docile as you could imagine and rub right up to people – especially children – looking to be fed the round crackers people buy inside the park. It’s like one giant petting zoo. Now we’ve moved onto Kyoto for our last couple days in Japan. Very much looking forward to all the sights here.

osaka and himeji-jo

Osaka has a slightly more laid back atmosphere - but then again after the insanity that is Tokyo I can't think of too many cities that wouldn't feel this way. After our smooth 3 hour trip on the bullet train from Tokyo to Osaka on Friday we dropped off our bags at the hostel and and went for a walk towards the nearby business district, grabbing lunch along the way at the supermarket. After walking around a bit, we took a ride on a ferris wheel which was perched atop one of the buildings to get a better sense of what the city is like... Turns out, it's huge! Although Steve spearheaded this ferris wheel adventure - it didn't take long before he balanced himself in the middle of the cabin and admitted he was afraid of heights. This amused me to no end. We eventually made it back to the hostel, which is utilitarian but clean and with a friendly staff to help navigate the city. We took a quick nap before heading to the Dotonbori Dori area in Osaka. It's basically the main drag where you can get all sorts of street food and do quite a bit of people watching. After walking up and down a few times we settled on a random Izakaya for a late dinner and beers. We both enjoyed the deep fried hard boiled quail eggs and the Ochazuke - green tea poured over rice with salmon on top - very much comfort food (well maybe not the eggs!).

Today we made it out of the city and headed towards Himeji-Jo - the oldest remaining castle in Japan and a Unesco World Heritage Site. The five story castle is quite imposing, overlooking the town of Himeji and beyond. I'll let the pictures do the talking on this one, but it was very different from any other castle I've visited. Afterwards, Steve and I took advantage of the free bicycle rental at the town tourist office to bike around town aimlessly for a little while. This didn't last too long though because we're quite lazy and decided to return home on the train. Tomorrow we're planning on heading to Nara before going to Kyoto for our last three days in Japan.

tuna orgy

Didn't sleep that well last night, though it seems like Steve slept like a log. Not sure whether it was the green tea or what but I just couldn't fall asleep despite being exhausted. In any event, Steve and I left the hotel at 6:15 AM and headed south towards the Tsukiji fish market through the early morning rain.

As it turns out, Tsukiji was everything I'd hoped and then some. More seafood - both fresh and frozen - then you could imagine and an atmosphere of organized chaos which is exhausting to be part of. Basically the whole time you're there, you're on edge trying to avoid getting run over by the thousands of carts zooming throughout the market in every direction, down all the narrow isles, while trying to take in all the sights and sounds around you. Exhausting, but endlessly fun!

Afterwards we went and did what any self-respecting tourist would do at Tsukiji and ate Sushi for breakfast. This too was sensational. After a bowl of miso soup, I enjoyed the tuna plate special with four types of nigiri tuna sashimi including ridiculously unctuous fatty tuna and some tuna rolls. Steve enjoyed the chef's special plate with a full assortment of nigiri. Sushi doesn't get any fresher than that - what a great way to start the day.

Unrelated, I'll be continuing to post the slideshow of pictures in my posts, but you'll have to allow popups from this site to see the pictures full size - otherwise I don't think it'll work.

finally here

After about 22 hours of traveling, Steve and I have finally made it to Tokyo. Our flights were unremarkable, with terrible food and crying babies to keep us amused. I slept part of the way and read The Tipping Point on the 11 hour flight from Chicago to Tokyo. I don't think I've ever read an entire book in one sitting before, but I really didn't have much else to do. The Ryokan Katsutaro (hotel) we are staying at is in Ueno - a quiet/residential part of Tokyo on the northeast side of the city. After checking in around 5pm we decided it was time to get our first Japanese meal. We ended up at a conveyor belt sushi restaurant and had some pretty basic sushi to start our trip. Nothing fantastic, but the price was right and we didn't have to strain our tired brains too much to order the food. Afterwards, we walked from Ueno to nearby Asakasa, which is the electronics neighborhood. At this point, we were both pretty exhausted plus the shops were closing, so after visiting a few "geek" shops with all sorts of toys, we returned to Ueno. Tomorrow we may try to hit up the Tsukiji fish market since we're calling it an early night. Course that may change depending on how we feel in the morning.