Well it may have taken us 4 months to write it, but finally here is the first instalment of the 'Trotter Tales'. We hope you like it!
So we got dropped off at Heathrow airport by our folks, and said our goodbyes with a mixture of excitement and apprehension. The fact that we were leaving the country and in a few hours time would arrive in another half way around the world had not really sunk in. The flight was good and we managed to get a few hours sleep. Eating breakfast at 10pm UK time was a little strange, but it was food so of course we ate it!
We arrived in Tokyo, and finally managed to find the right exit for the underground, and then the right ticket machine from which to purchase a ticket. It was a strange experience being somewhere where everything is not only in another language, but also another script altogether. However, it is also a humbling experience to be somewhere where everyone is so willing to help you, at no benefit to them what so ever.
The hotel we stayed in was basic, but nice and reminded us a bit of youth hostels you find in Europe, full of travellers with stories to share. The one difference however since our last travels is the presence of technology...the laptop! Everyone seems to have them with them, although ours was by far the biggest.
We spent a total of 4 days in Tokyo at first, visiting most of the districts.
Shimbuya was completely crazy. Here is the world’s busiest cross road which is surrounded by big TV screens showing adverts. The red man shows and the crowds gather the green man shows and it is like a meeting of the oceans biggest waves. The amazing thing is that no one even seems to get hurt.
Roppongi Hills has the best view out over Tokyo, especially from the Tokyo City View. This is a viewing deck situated 52 floors up which with a 3600 view around the city. It is also the best point from which to view the Tokyo Tower (imagine the Blackpool Tower at night and you get the gist!).
Shinjuku is the place of complete opposites. The west is the financial district housing the huge skyscraper that is the Tokyo Metropolitan Government offices. The east is the equivalent of being in a Japanese advertisement, very animated. When we were here the viewing deck in the TMG offices was closed as there was an earthquake, which apparently happens very often and we didn’t even notice!
Harajuku is where the trendy kids hang out. It is very funky, almost like a living work of modern or even futuristic art. There is a beautiful Shrine here called Meiji-jingu which is set amongst a forest. There was a traditional Japanese wedding taking place when we visited. It was quite an honour to be present although I thought weddings were supposed to be happy events and everyone looked really miserable!
Central Tokyo has loads of stuff to look at. We did a walk from our hotel to the imperial palace. Although you couldn’t actually go in the palace, there was a really nice garden nearby which you could walk through. The first park we visited was the Kitanomaru-Koen (the city park). This was full of people with their families, many were westerners. This was the first time we were really aware of the multiculturalism that existed in Tokyo. We then went on to the east Imperial Palace gardens. These were stunning, but it was strange to see all the skyscrapers in the background. Around the streets of Central Tokyo we also spotted three genuine Geishas. They were beautiful and very shy.
Tsukiji Fish Market, wow what an experience. As a vegetarian seeing so many dead fish was not the nicest experience, however just being there was fascinating. The feeling is intense, and people are just rushing around all over the place. It really did encapsulate all things Japanese. Dean was in his element, absolutely loved it as you can see in the photos. We had our first plate of sushi (at 7.30am) although mine was just rice and carrot!
Odaiba is situated across Tokyo bay. To get here you have to take the automatic monorail (driver less) across Rainbow Bridge. It has a beach and really reminded us of Brisbane as you can see all the skyscrapers in the back. The ambience here is definitely ‘Rivera’ with a huge posh shopping area at the back whilst down on the foreshore the surf dudes hang out looking very cool. Odaiba also has Japans very own Statue of Liberty (yes we were confused too!). I am not sure what the Americans make of it.
We left Tokyo looking forward to a more relaxed pace. Our next stop was Kyoto. To get there we had to take a Shinkasen, or bullet train. These things look like something out of a space movie so sleek and high tech, you would never find one of these in London!
In Kyoto we stayed in our first Ryokan which is a traditional Japanese Hotel. These are usually nice old wooden buildings which are run by families. On arrival you must remove your shoes and put on some slippers that are provided for you. You are then shown to your room where there is a flask of hot water and some traditional Japanese Green Tea. The floor is covered with Tatami mats and the beds are Futons. There is a Yakata or Japanese robe that you can wear in your room, or where there are shared facilities you can wear them to the bathroom.
Kyoto is known for the vast number of Temples and Shrines that are located in a relatively small area. I was hoping that with all the Temples and Shrines around I would be in luck and there would be a variety of vegetarian restaurants around. Wishful thinking! More veggie sushi from the supermarket!
Many of the Temples and Shrines involve a steep walk up a hill or a ramble through a forest to get there. This is always worth the effort, and maybe even adds to the wonder of the place.
In Kyoto we spotted our second group of Geisha. They seemed a little less confident than the group we saw in Tokyo and we suspect that they were not the real deal. It is possible (for a small fee) to get dressed up as a Geisha for the day, have your photo taken and walk about the streets of Kyoto! Looked like fun, but wasn’t sure that Dean had the legs to carry off the look!
There were two highlights of Kyoto for us. The first was Tenryu-ji Temple. This is a beautiful World Cultural Heritage Temple located in Sagano District of Kyoto. Here we were able to eat a Zen Buddhist meal while looking out over a beautiful Zen Garden. The whole experience was very spiritual for me, although I think dean would have preferred a big lump of Kobi Beef!
The Sagano area is very attractive. There is a big lake which sits at the bottom of a large range of mountains. You are able to do a rural walk through a bamboo forest which passes by a few other Temples and Shrines. Dean and I did this walk and found ourselves in the middle of nowhere. We went to a bus stop which looked very deserted, and due to our very poor grasp of the Japanese language (even though we were armed with a phrase book) became slightly apprehensive that we had missed the last bus. This view was shared with a passing Japanese family who saw us waiting and stopped to give us a lift to the bus station. It turned out that we were lucky as there was one bus left, but we really appreciated them stopping for us. Later we tried to imagine if that same situation had occurred in Cheshunt would we have got in the car...I don’t think we need to answer that!
The second highlight was the Fushimi-Iriari Shrine. There are 4km of orange Torii Gates that you can walk through to get to the other Shrines that are situated within the vicinity. While we were here we saw some workman fixing one of the Torii Gates which was really tough work as they had to carry the massive structures by hand up steps in the 40ᵒC heat. Impressive!
Next on the itinerary was Nara. This is very close to Kyoto and very similar in lay out. Nara has loads of Deer. There are hundreds of them and you can buy Deer biscuits to feed them! They can get a bit aggressive, but the baby ones are very cute. The highlight in Nara however was the Todai-ji Temple which is the oldest and biggest wooden Temple in existence and houses a huge bronze Buddha.
On our last night in Nara, Dean and I had our first Japanese baths. They are separate for men and women and lucky Dean got his to himself. I on the other hand didn’t and shared mine with a very nice French lady. I have to admit I felt very British, naked bathing with strangers is a bizarre experience, and probably not one that I will encourage in the UK!
Hiroshima was our last destination (other than returning to Tokyo to catch our flight). This was more familiar. Nowhere in the same league as London for dirt, pollution, Crime, and basic grubbiness, but it felt more like home. Downtown Hiroshima is very quirky and has edginess that we had not experienced anywhere else in the country. Vibrant and inspiring.
Sadly Hiroshima is known for being the site the first Atomic Bomb hit. The museum there has lots of traumatic reminders of effects of that event but it also echoes strong feelings of hope. The people of Hiroshima are unwavering in their quest for world peace and the abolishment of nuclear weapons. Britain by no means has the most weapons, but we definitely are up there. It was hard not to feel angry at world leaders and the stupidity of man.
From Hiroshima you can travel across the river to Miyajima. Here is a beautiful shrine which at high tide has Torii gates which appear to be floating in the water! We met a Spanish couple on our way there. The girl was wearing a T-shirt that said “save the whales”. Brilliant, I hope no one spat in her food!
Japan was such a contrast for us. For a country where people are so humble, polite, and caring it is hard to understand why they encourage the killing of Whales. It is so baffling.
On reflection I don’t think we have ever visited a country and been so unprepared for how much we would fall in love with it. It really is a wonderfully diverse and magical place.
Our next stop is New Zealand.....can’t wait!!
