Nomadic Wanderings

Our first stop in Japan was Kyoto and my husband and I didn't know what to expect. Arriving at the station was incredible: A massive mall built atop the train station loomed over us, like the Tower Of Babylon.

My friend, Dave was the host for the stay. We were shown around the city that night, discovering that Korean BBQ and karaoke are incredibly fun! We proceeded to the Gion district to go Geisha hunting, one of Dave's favourite activities. I spotted my first geisha and stalked her to get a picture (I succeeded).

We tried a bit of the venomous fish, Fugoo, and lived to tell the tale. By day we explored the Golden Pavillion, a stunning piece of architecture draped in the maple trees surrounding it. We then did a bit of woodblock printing and afterwards headed to a Japanese tea house. There's a sense of tranquility in traditional Japanese houses. From the floors to the authentic screens, to the garden, the place exuded peace.

We braved an onsen during our stay in Kyoto. It was unnerving at first to bathe among strangers, but I soon relaxed and stepped from bath to bath, some warn, some hot, some cold. I loved the outside baths enclosed by high walls, relaxing in a round wooden tub while rain gently pelted on the roofs above us. The women were helpful and demonstrated how to use the showers and shampoos.

The time came to say goodbye to Kyoto and we traveled to Hakone, arriving just in time to see Mt Fuji at dusk. It was worth the rush, it has always been on my 'to do' list.

The next morning we caught a train to Tokyo and booked into a hostel. We explored Tokyo park as dark fell, walking past the zoo and rides whilst munching on panda doughnuts filled with red bean paste. Our last day arrived and to end things off, we explored the Harajuku district and Shibuya crossing. Harajuku blew my mind, the shops were indie, the people were indie, everything was indie!

From there we had to head to Narita airport. My heart felt heavy as we took off, I can certainly say that I left a piece of my heart in Japan. The culture is so different from mine, which I found so appealing. In a week I learnt Japanese phrases fluently, my chopstick skills improved dramatically and my mind was exposed to more than ever before. There is so much to learn from the Japanese culture, and I'm glad to have been one of its students.