The End

Some final general observations:

- All the figures depicted in road signs are wearing hats
- Automatic doors open just that little bit later
- Apple hasn't dominated here yet
- Food is over-packaged in the extreme
- The landscape is either flat or mountains, there's very little in-between

Thursday


Hiroshima was in full bloom. The river near our hotel was lined with dozens of Sakura trees and had even more parties gathering underneath them. When we returned in the evening a lot of them were still there, shivering in coasts and passing beers around. I guess its the equivalent of our BBQ season taking place regardless of the weather.


Just the name of the city invokes so much history. We paid a trip to the A-Bomb Dome and the Peace Museum. To be honest I found the whole experience a bit overwhelming. I've seen countless reports and documentaries about the atom bomb before, but seeing it up close...lumps of roof tiles with the description that they boiled and melted together, mannequins depicting flesh melting from the body...it was not pleasant. But I guess it's not meant to be pleasant.

There's been a few occasions where we've obviously looked very lost, as helpful locals have then pointed us in the right direction. We weren't looking particularly lost when someone approached us in the park. She mentioned that she had been to the British Museum and it was beautiful. We nodded in agreement. "Have you heard of the bible?" Oh, right. Closer inspection of the park saw dozens of them at work. I'm sure they're lovely people, I just wish they wouldn't.

Dinner that night was our first conveyor belt sushi restaurant of the trip. I only had one thing that made me feel sick so took that as a victory.

Friday


We quite literally set sail, on a boat and everything, for Miyajima. Just when I thought I couldn't be any more impressed with this holiday, we went to this mini tropical paradise. The centre of attention was the torii gate out at sea. The tide rapidly departed and we were able to paddle around it.


If Hiroshima was in bloom, Miyajima was ablaze with colour. You couldn't turn a corner without seeing another cherry blossom tree in full life. The island was full of tourists and package tours, but it was amazing how easily it was to ditch them. Quiet little havens of beauty were never far away. Like the beach front restaurant which gave us superb udon noddles.

In the evening we went searching for a Hiroshima delicacy. Okonomiyaki are large pancakes containing lettuce, bean sprouts, meat, noodles, egg and all types of herbs & spices. We went to a building that contained dozens of stalls selling these beauties. Picking one, we saw masters at work. Watching the cooks put these together was like watching a conductor at a symphony. Bloody tasty it was too, all that and the matriarch of the stall complemented my facial hair. I thanked them the only way I know how: by cracking my head so hard on the extractor fan that I nearly passed out.

Saturday

We made our way back through Japan, passing all the places we visited. My thoughts drifted. It's been 2 weeks but that disastrous journey here feels like a lifetime ago. In short: if Holiday Fatigue exists, I have it, and I'm ready to come home. We spent some of the day in a windswept Yokohama, but my attention was elsewhere. Waiting for the train, we experienced our one proper encounter with a local. An old man struck up conversation with us. He said he spent 12 years in America but his English wasn't very good (it was near perfect). A sweet end. We are spending our last night in Narita, just round the corner from the airport. The only thing that soothes my bruised head is that my journey home couldn't possibly be worse than my journey out here. Fingers crossed...

Japan Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5

Mountains Beyond Mountains

Monday

Really had to think about what day it was. It doesn't help that I log in to Facebook & Twitter and hear people talking about it being the morning when I'm ready for bed. Anyway, today we went in search of a castle. The more famous castle at Himeji is currently under major restoration until 2014, so we went along to Hikone instead.


The castle was apparently surrounded by around a thousand cherry trees, but alas we still didn't come across a swam in raging bloom. We found half a dozen gently flowering away, but that was about it. I sound disappointed. It was still beautiful.

Beautiful too was the recreation of a Lodge from the Edo era. It felt massive, with unending passageways leading on to silent, minimal gardens. The larger grounds at the foot of the castle hill were also very pleasant to walk around, save for the American tourists. I'm still seeing tourists everywhere. How must the locals feel?


The day belonged to Hikonyan, a Samurai Cat who was everywhere, and even had his own song (which, once heard, will never leave you). Yet again the gift shop did well out of me. What can I say, I'm a sucker for a novelty cat with its own theme tune.

We've actually had quite a bad run of trying to find museums that have since closed down. I'd say around 6 or 7 have turned out this way so far. They've either vanished forever for temporarily closed for refurbishments. So after our latest failure, we went to the Kyoto Manga Museum. The place itself was more of a massive library, and it was great to see kids of all ages with piles of books next to them, sat outside in the sun. There was some informative exhibits and a superb collection of art once again responding to the March 2011 Earthquake.

For the last two nights we've been dining at a great little restaurant not far from our hotel. Like most things in this country, you order your meals by vending machine. It's a great concept: the pictures are descriptive enough and you don't need to worry about the bill at the end. I've had two variants on what was basically a mixed grill. Taste heaven, and cooked extremely fast. Free rice fill-ups too.

Our hotel in Kyoto has been a step up from our other accommodation. When booking the trip this was the only one that fitted our date window and my requirements (sorry, but I don't do shared toilets). The result of which has given us a little 4 star luxury, and the comfiest bed of the trip so far. Example of swank: the bathroom mirror is heated in the area above the sink, so no matter how fogged up the bathroom gets, you can always see your face. But we can't get too comfortable, as tomorrow we move on again...

Tuesday

Osaka seems to get a bad rep in the books I've read. The suburban sprawl hasn't been handled as artistically here as in has in other areas. It's basically Japan's version of Birmingham. We arrived in the worst rain we'd experienced so far. The layout of the main station wasn't too amazing either. It didn't have a proper subway station, just three lines hidden amongst an underground shopping mall (they love these here).


So we were a bit damp and frazzled, and unfortunately our first destination did nothing to help that. One guide book named the Osaka Aquarium the best in Japan. I fear for the rest of them. For our 2,000 Yen entry (that's around £18), we were treated to cramped corridors full of rude children and ruder parents. It seems that we're now in the school holidays, which wasn't the Aquarium's fault, but the whole experience was underwhelming and overpriced.

Thankfully our next trip was a lot better. The Modern Transport museum was showing its age, but it had enough charm to make it a much more enjoyable couple of hours.

The rain had reached the point of forcing its way through the museum roof, so we gave up and went back to the hotel. Defeated but not discouraged, it was good timing to have a much needed quite evening.

Wednesday

Determined to have a better day, we went out of town to Nara. On the train there we passed many cherry blossom trees in bloom. Finally, I thought, I'll get my wish to walk alongside a whole bunch of them in bloom.


I can't recommend more the Nara walk that Lonely Planet suggests in its Japan guide book. It took us away from the main tourist trail and started off at the most beautiful garden we've visited so far. It felt like we had the whole place to ourselves, it was so peaceful.


Carrying on through herds of wild/tame deer who harass tourists for biscuits, we visited several temples, including the largest Buddha statue in the country. It was an awe inspiring sight, especially seeing so many people offering a prayer.

To the side of the hall, metres away from the statue, was a gift shop. Now, this isn't the only tacky stall to encroach on an historic landmark, but for some reason this really got to me. This was a place of worship, fair enough I'm not the slightest bit spiritual and I was taking pictures like everyone else. But the whole vibe of "You've offered a prayer NOW BUY THE T-SHIRT!" just didn't sit right with me.


We had another 2 or 3 miles to walk, so I had plenty of time to forget about that and just enjoy the scenery as it unfolded.

Back into Osaka, we decided to pay the city's castle a visit. Just as we were walking out of the station, something caught my eye. There, tucked away behind a mound overlooking the bay, was around a dozen cherry blossom trees in bloom. And Sakura parties were in full flow underneath them. Children were playing, drinks were flowing, it was quite a sight. And I finally got to see it.


The climb up to the castle and back down again was pretty impressive too. It's one of the highest points in the city, and some people joke that it's only the most visited site in Japan because Osaka has no other places of interest.

We went out in the evening to try and prove this wrong. And after one of our trademark wrong turns, we found the main shopping district: a 2 mile long covered stretch that feels like a busy street as opposed to a soul-less shopping mall. It was surrounded by neon signs and street vendors. It sure beat staying in.


Since Tokyo we have been moving on every other night. It's weird, just as you start to get a handle on a place, you leave. It's hard to make any real conclusions. The only definite is we are about to journey to our final city of the holiday. The end is looming, and hanging heavy in my mind.

Japan Part 1 - Part 2 - Part 3 - Part 4 - Part 5