Oh dear... I'm still a month behind on this blog - sorry Mum!! :)
So... having spent a great few days with my new Scottish friends, our paths were now headed in different directions, and it was time to travel solo again. I went to Osaka on the way to Kyoto... I was passing through there on the train, so I figured I may as well put my backpack in a locker and head out to see the delights of Osaka for a few hours!
So... having spent a great few days with my new Scottish friends, our paths were now headed in different directions, and it was time to travel solo again. I went to Osaka on the way to Kyoto... I was passing through there on the train, so I figured I may as well put my backpack in a locker and head out to see the delights of Osaka for a few hours!
Osaka
The Castle was pretty awe-inspiring from the outside.
... but having paid my 600 Yen (about £5) to go inside the castle, thinking that it would be just as beautiful on the inside, I was disappointed to see that the interior had just been plastered over and made into a museum. :(
And the view of Osaka from the top wasn't that great either!
I did spy a very interesting looking insect outside though... it was extremely agile, swinging its body up to make its way over the hole in the wall!!
A quick internet search has told me that it MAY be a Fukura / Fukurasuzume Caterpillar, according to this guy... although there doesn't apper to be anything more I can find on this insect. Anyone know what it is??
I headed back through the grounds to the train station, and went back to Osaka city centre, intending to wander around the city for a bit. It started to rain, and I instead decided that I didn't have enough time anyway - I needed to catch my train to Kyoto.
Kyoto
Having wandered around Kyoto train station for ages trying to find my way to a visitors centre to get my much needed map, I FINALLY found it. I got the bus route sorted, and off I went. I got off the bus at my stop to be greeted by p*ssing down rain. Because my backpack was so heavy, I didn't want to put it down to get my rain jacket / backpack covers out (as I'd never get it back on again!), so I just got soaked. Fun times! I had my hand-written directions of how to find the hostel in front of me (also getting soaked), and followed it to the T. But couldn't for the life of me find it. I went into a post office (why it was still open at that time, I don't know!) and made a few hand gestures, said a few Japanese words that even I didn't fully know what they were, and finally found out that I had to take a side alley, which HADN'T been detailed in my directions!
I finally arrived and put my bags down into my basement dorm, where I met Connie, an 83 year old lady from New York State, who was also travelling solo.
She'd just spent 4 weeks in China (which she loved), and was spending 2 weeks in Japan, but was very upset that the low exchange rate meant that she had hardly any money to spend... And the fact that she had to sleep on the floor (see pic above).
She was amazing. She's travelled to nearly every country on the planet. Twice. She'd just got one more trip she wanted to go on, and she'd call it a day. Namibia, up to Libya and across to Cairo, "just to see how they'd changed". I was in awe. But the down-side was that she'd also never married or had kids...
We went out together the next day. It was still p*ssing it down. We went to the Golden Palace, which was amazing, and would have been even better with the sun reflecting off it, I'm sure.
Connie and me in front of the Golden Temple... in the rain.
These are tiny little fish! Yes I did try them - they were pretty bland and chewy.
After the market, we went to another temple, and then back to the hostel - me with grand intentions to go straight to bed and get up early (6.30am) in the morning to go to the Torii Fushimi Inari Shrine (the one with lots of gates) before heading off to Nara.
Instead, I went bowling and drinking, and didn't get up 'til 9.30am. Oh well - I had a great night!
Japanese bowling shoes are so much cooler than the UK's!
I don't even know...??
Nara
Leaving my backpack at Kyoto train station, I headed off to Nara feeling a little worse for wear. I fell asleep on the train, and the moment I woke up and squinted my eyes open, an elderly Japanese man gestured to me, asking if he could sit with me. I had JUST woken up, and was wanting to shut my eyes and go back to sleep, but said ok anyway. He spoke very good English, and told me a bit about Nara. The issue I had was when he started shouting at me to read to him... I didn't really appreciate that! Anyway, when we got to Nara, he showed me to the tourist info, and helped me to get all of the info I needed to do the walking tour.
It was a lovely sunny day, which I spent going to temples / shrines, seeing the huuuuuge buddha and wondering how the wild deer in the park actually put up with the kids smacking them on the bum without retaliating. Very patient and tame - and VERY different to the wild deer in Miyajima! There were, however, stalls all over the place selling 'deer biscuits' for 150 Yen, so I guess if the deer are being fed, then they're probably happy to put up with screaming children... I, on the other hand, was not and moved on pretty sharpish.
A wild deer just takin' a stroll down the street...
Please don't eat him!
Someone else as sad as me!! :)
I ran back to the train station, caught the train to Kyoto, collected my bag and made my way to Tokyo.
Tokyo (round 2)
I finally managed to get to the hostel late in the evening, pretty sweaty having got lost whilst walking with my 20kg backpack through the humid streats of Tokyo. I was greeted by Neil, Gillian and Kenny at the hostel, grabbed a shower and we went out for some drinks. It was lovely to see them again! But I was pretty sad when I had to say goodbye the next day.
Unfortunately, once I'd left them I decided to go looking around a big market, and got back to the hostel far later than planned. I ended up having to run (with my backpack on... not an easy or fun task) to catch a train to the airport. Of course, having been in an unfamiliar hostel, I got a bit lost on my way to the metro station. Great.
I finally made it to the main station, only to find that I'd just missed the train to the airport by 2 minutes. Cr*p!! The next train was in 28 minutes... I figured that I'd have to get there at least 1 1/2 hours before the flight left - with my reasoning, I had to be there AT THE LATEST 12.30pm. With the 1 hour train journey to get to the airport, catching the next train wouldn't get me there until 12.45pm. Not cool. This was one time when having absolutely no means of communication with anyone was not a good thing. I had no phone. I had no access to internet and couldn't find paid internet access anywhere. I tried to find an international phone card to phone my dad and ask him to check in online for me, but couldn't find one anywhere. This was not good, and I was beginning to feel VERY defeated! I figured I may as well get on the train, and see what options the airline could offer me for a missed flight. I was absolutely gutted, and really didn't know what to do.
I finally made it to the main station, only to find that I'd just missed the train to the airport by 2 minutes. Cr*p!! The next train was in 28 minutes... I figured that I'd have to get there at least 1 1/2 hours before the flight left - with my reasoning, I had to be there AT THE LATEST 12.30pm. With the 1 hour train journey to get to the airport, catching the next train wouldn't get me there until 12.45pm. Not cool. This was one time when having absolutely no means of communication with anyone was not a good thing. I had no phone. I had no access to internet and couldn't find paid internet access anywhere. I tried to find an international phone card to phone my dad and ask him to check in online for me, but couldn't find one anywhere. This was not good, and I was beginning to feel VERY defeated! I figured I may as well get on the train, and see what options the airline could offer me for a missed flight. I was absolutely gutted, and really didn't know what to do.
I got to the airport and RUSHED through to the check-in desk. When I got there, I panted to the lady 'Auckland', and she gestured to a check-in desk. My heart jumped for joy! Did this mean that check-in was still open for Auckland?? For MY flight?? WOW!! I couldn't stop smiling! I could have got there at 1.15pm and still made check-in; it only closes 45 minutes before departure! The releif was overwhelming. But the realisation that my Japanese adventure was over was very saddening. I'd truly had an amazing time, met some wonderful people, and learned a great deal about a fascinating country and its remarkable culture.
I recommend anyone to go to Japan. I thought that it would just be an interesting stop-over; a place that I'd be unlikely to ever visit any other time, so I 'might as well' visit it now. It turned out, however, to be one of the most beautiful and serene counries I've ever visited; a place that has taught me a great deal about the kindness of strangers, and the way that society can be without (obvious) violence, crime and hatred, which is so obviously reflected in its people's warm hearts and honest, trusting natures. Japan has definitely left a big imprint on my heart, and I will most definitely return... but next time I'll make sure that I can stay for longer!!
