I know I am back home when I can get Teddy Bear biscuits at almost any shop, when I see Vegemite on the shelves in all the supermarkets (but what happened to the 910 g jar?) and when the papers have Australian news in them.
I am really enjoying driving DOUG again. After a short drive to make sure all was okay after his long rest, he's now gone to Donald, Mildura, Broken Hill and Adelaide. He still has to do another 2000 km before next Monday so he will be right for his 165 000 km service. Then we will be off to Perth, but I'm not sure whether it will be early or late July when we do that.
ARTIE is also back on the road. I have to do a lot of distance in him, because of not being home for five months and not being at work. The only problem with clocking up distance will be that he is really a two-hour car and I really like driving long distances without a stop (but the Renault Clio has given me a slight back problem from sitting in it so long at times), but I suppose I will have to get used to stopping every hour and a half or so.
I've unpacked all the parcels I sent home (to Fran's), but haven't found a CD of the tour of Alcatraz I sent. It may be because I didn't look carefully enough or that I have placed it carefully between other things. The plastic container I placed everything into is HEAVY so I will have to get help putting it in and out of DOUG.
I am now very busy concluding the arrangements for my next (and last) overseas trip. My passport and photos have gone in and the final prices and times for everything are filtering through. I will begin posting for that trip on August 17 (I leave on August 18), but because I'm on organised tours for most of it, I am unsure about the routine I will follow for preparing my material and how I will get on with Internet access.
Saturday, June 21, 2008
Wednesday, June 11, 2008
11 June
After dozing during the night (I just couldn’t get comfortable – I should have looked for four seats empty together), breakfast came around at about 5:30 Melbourne time. All was finished with that and all was packed away when we descended into Sydney, arriving about 7:35. That was when the situation deteriorated.
After taxiing to our arrival gate, we were off fairly quickly. The luggage for those of us on connecting flights arrived quickly, but then we all formed into just two lines for immigration and customs. It took nearly half an hour to get to the immigration desk, but only a moment to go through. Then it was a few minutes to customs and quarantine, and a short wait to have everything x-rayed again. I passed through okay, and my statement about having Vegemite as a food with me must have amused them because there was a chuckle as I passed.
Then it was off to Qantas transfers. A long wait, with all of us looking at times on boarding passes and being worried because of being late. I and others needn’t have worried – because the flight I was booked on had been cancelled between leaving Tokyo and arriving in Sydney. A consultation with another clerk, a quick look on the computer and I was changed from the non-existent 8:40 flight to a 9:30 one. I fared better than the Lorne couple, as they were on a 10:30 flight, but with no boarding gate.
Then it was through security screening again, where despite doing the same as at every other airport, I set the alarm off. It let me through after I put all the tissues in my pocket through the x-ray.
Then it was waiting for the transfer bus. After ten minutes, it came and after another five, we left.
When we arrived at the departures, we were pointed in the general direction of where to go, but it was a case of the blind (me) leading the blind (all the others) – but we did make it into the terminal. I found my gate lounge, but then had to wait another forty minutes.
Once on the aircraft, we had to wait because a 747 beat us out, and then taxied right to the end of the strip in Botany Bay before we could take off. Then, instead of heading to Melbourne, we took the scenic route along the coast for about ten minutes before heading inland. Finally, at about 10:40 we landed.
Once off, I went to get my luggage – and found a flight from Perth had its luggage on the same carousel, despite one being empty next to us. Through a forest of people, I was able to find my luggage after a considerable wait. Then, out I went to catch the Gull Bus home, to find – it had left a few minutes before and I now had to wait until noon.
The bus left on time at 12:15, I arrived in Werribee and walked over to the taxi stand (gee, luggage seems to get heavier the closer to home I got) and caught a taxi home.
At 1:20, I was home.
Volume One of my world travels was over – volume two is still to come.
Resume reading in mid-August!
After taxiing to our arrival gate, we were off fairly quickly. The luggage for those of us on connecting flights arrived quickly, but then we all formed into just two lines for immigration and customs. It took nearly half an hour to get to the immigration desk, but only a moment to go through. Then it was a few minutes to customs and quarantine, and a short wait to have everything x-rayed again. I passed through okay, and my statement about having Vegemite as a food with me must have amused them because there was a chuckle as I passed.
Then it was off to Qantas transfers. A long wait, with all of us looking at times on boarding passes and being worried because of being late. I and others needn’t have worried – because the flight I was booked on had been cancelled between leaving Tokyo and arriving in Sydney. A consultation with another clerk, a quick look on the computer and I was changed from the non-existent 8:40 flight to a 9:30 one. I fared better than the Lorne couple, as they were on a 10:30 flight, but with no boarding gate.
Then it was through security screening again, where despite doing the same as at every other airport, I set the alarm off. It let me through after I put all the tissues in my pocket through the x-ray.
Then it was waiting for the transfer bus. After ten minutes, it came and after another five, we left.
When we arrived at the departures, we were pointed in the general direction of where to go, but it was a case of the blind (me) leading the blind (all the others) – but we did make it into the terminal. I found my gate lounge, but then had to wait another forty minutes.
Once on the aircraft, we had to wait because a 747 beat us out, and then taxied right to the end of the strip in Botany Bay before we could take off. Then, instead of heading to Melbourne, we took the scenic route along the coast for about ten minutes before heading inland. Finally, at about 10:40 we landed.
Once off, I went to get my luggage – and found a flight from Perth had its luggage on the same carousel, despite one being empty next to us. Through a forest of people, I was able to find my luggage after a considerable wait. Then, out I went to catch the Gull Bus home, to find – it had left a few minutes before and I now had to wait until noon.
The bus left on time at 12:15, I arrived in Werribee and walked over to the taxi stand (gee, luggage seems to get heavier the closer to home I got) and caught a taxi home.
At 1:20, I was home.
Volume One of my world travels was over – volume two is still to come.
Resume reading in mid-August!
10 June
Ah, my last day in Japan.
I woke at what was now my usual time, about 6, and wondered about getting up, considering there was no breakfast supplied. I went over to the window and was met by a blast of heat through it, once I opened the blinds. I decided to wait a little longer, got up at 7, checked emails, etc. and then prepared and left the room about 8:30. I chose not to go out any earlier because I didn’t want to hit the commuter rush. I enquired, and was able to leave my luggage at the hotel as long as I picked it up before the end of the business day. I headed out with my jacket (as all my cash in different currencies, passports, other ID and all important documents live in there), but once on the street I thought I need an alternative for later this year, as the weather will generally be warm to hot. A photographer/angling vest may fulfil my need, but I will have to look for it when I am home, rather than away, especially as my luggage is getting heavier.
I decided, on a whim, to go back the observatory in the Tokyo Government buildings, to see from the other tower. In the subway I was there before the tower opened to public viewing and spent a moment in the Tourist Centre – and found I could go on a guided tour of the buildings. I asked what time they left and suddenly found myself on a personal tour with just the guide and me (I think she was practicing, as this was her first time). I got to see other floors in the building, the municipal chamber, artworks, the cafeteria and then the observatories again, but this time with commentary. I was left there, and met up with a couple from Sunbury before I left. I told them about the helpful tourist bureau and they headed off there and I headed off to a museum. The guide said it was a minute from the station, but I couldn’t see it. I did find somewhere to have a late breakfast/early lunch and as I left, I saw the museum immediately adjacent to the station – with its signs up in the air, not at street level.
I went in to find the museum was on the fifth floor of an office building, and was amazed to find it was the property of the family who owned the building, donated to public ownership and now declared cultural icons. As I looked over them, tea chests and associated paraphernalia, screens and hangings, I heard the others discussing them in hushed tones, with older people viewing them almost reverently.
When I left there, I thought it wasn’t long after noon, but it was well after 1. I went to look at the shopping area near the hotel where I was staying, but was disappointed with quantity and quality of the shops there, and this was compounded by the humid and warm conditions. I walked back to the hotel to pass by two interesting sights: one, in a little shop, where basketball stars were filming endorsements of a drink. There were two girls keeping the background clear, but they lost when a group of schoolgirls recognised the stars and rushed over with cameras. The second was a donut shop, where there was a line longer than the shop and tripled over, enforced by two security guards.
I went up in the hotel, with about an hour to go, so read the local world paper I had been given that morning. Then, at about 3:45, I collected my luggage and went down the twenty floors to the lobby. I was to meet the guide there at 4, and she arrived on time. After that, it became a Maxwell Smart farce for a short time. I was supposed to take a taxi to meet a bus to the airport; as it turned out I was taken about one hundred metres down the road by taxi to meet the Airport Limousine Bus which had just left the hotel about ten minutes before! The taxi driver was as bemused as I was, but that’s the way it was organised. My guide bought my ticket for me, and then my luggage and I were on the bus.
We left a few minutes later. It takes up to an hour and a half to get to Narita airport from Tokyo, and I thought I could relax. However, despite signs saying not to use mobile phones, the Japanese version of “Claude the too loud commuter” was in the seat behind me and used hers incessantly for the entire trip. It was a relief when she left the bus at a different terminal from me.
I repacked my luggage (pins in suitcase) and checked in. The suitcase came at 20.3 kilograms and the backpack at 7.8 kilogram – just within limits. I said goodbye to my suitcase and got my boarding pass for the flight from Tokyo and for the transfer from Sydney to Melbourne. Security screening and immigration were completed in a few moments and I was off to the boarding lounge.
Here I was surprised to find refreshments at the same price as Tokyo streets (and, later, half the price of those in Sydney Airport). I got something to drink and then chatted to an Hawaiian girl returning from a surfing friend’s wedding in Bali. She caught her flight and then I met up with a couple from Lorne, retuning home after a long holiday. We compared notes and chatted until we boarded the aircraft. It was only just over half full, so after we left the ground (after over ten minutes taxiing) I moved to a pair of empty seats.
Despite all the prior preparation, there was no diabetic meal for me, but the standard meal was the first which I could almost completely eat. After that, I sat back, put the iPod on and dozed.
I woke at what was now my usual time, about 6, and wondered about getting up, considering there was no breakfast supplied. I went over to the window and was met by a blast of heat through it, once I opened the blinds. I decided to wait a little longer, got up at 7, checked emails, etc. and then prepared and left the room about 8:30. I chose not to go out any earlier because I didn’t want to hit the commuter rush. I enquired, and was able to leave my luggage at the hotel as long as I picked it up before the end of the business day. I headed out with my jacket (as all my cash in different currencies, passports, other ID and all important documents live in there), but once on the street I thought I need an alternative for later this year, as the weather will generally be warm to hot. A photographer/angling vest may fulfil my need, but I will have to look for it when I am home, rather than away, especially as my luggage is getting heavier.
I decided, on a whim, to go back the observatory in the Tokyo Government buildings, to see from the other tower. In the subway I was there before the tower opened to public viewing and spent a moment in the Tourist Centre – and found I could go on a guided tour of the buildings. I asked what time they left and suddenly found myself on a personal tour with just the guide and me (I think she was practicing, as this was her first time). I got to see other floors in the building, the municipal chamber, artworks, the cafeteria and then the observatories again, but this time with commentary. I was left there, and met up with a couple from Sunbury before I left. I told them about the helpful tourist bureau and they headed off there and I headed off to a museum. The guide said it was a minute from the station, but I couldn’t see it. I did find somewhere to have a late breakfast/early lunch and as I left, I saw the museum immediately adjacent to the station – with its signs up in the air, not at street level.
I went in to find the museum was on the fifth floor of an office building, and was amazed to find it was the property of the family who owned the building, donated to public ownership and now declared cultural icons. As I looked over them, tea chests and associated paraphernalia, screens and hangings, I heard the others discussing them in hushed tones, with older people viewing them almost reverently.
When I left there, I thought it wasn’t long after noon, but it was well after 1. I went to look at the shopping area near the hotel where I was staying, but was disappointed with quantity and quality of the shops there, and this was compounded by the humid and warm conditions. I walked back to the hotel to pass by two interesting sights: one, in a little shop, where basketball stars were filming endorsements of a drink. There were two girls keeping the background clear, but they lost when a group of schoolgirls recognised the stars and rushed over with cameras. The second was a donut shop, where there was a line longer than the shop and tripled over, enforced by two security guards.
I went up in the hotel, with about an hour to go, so read the local world paper I had been given that morning. Then, at about 3:45, I collected my luggage and went down the twenty floors to the lobby. I was to meet the guide there at 4, and she arrived on time. After that, it became a Maxwell Smart farce for a short time. I was supposed to take a taxi to meet a bus to the airport; as it turned out I was taken about one hundred metres down the road by taxi to meet the Airport Limousine Bus which had just left the hotel about ten minutes before! The taxi driver was as bemused as I was, but that’s the way it was organised. My guide bought my ticket for me, and then my luggage and I were on the bus.
We left a few minutes later. It takes up to an hour and a half to get to Narita airport from Tokyo, and I thought I could relax. However, despite signs saying not to use mobile phones, the Japanese version of “Claude the too loud commuter” was in the seat behind me and used hers incessantly for the entire trip. It was a relief when she left the bus at a different terminal from me.
I repacked my luggage (pins in suitcase) and checked in. The suitcase came at 20.3 kilograms and the backpack at 7.8 kilogram – just within limits. I said goodbye to my suitcase and got my boarding pass for the flight from Tokyo and for the transfer from Sydney to Melbourne. Security screening and immigration were completed in a few moments and I was off to the boarding lounge.
Here I was surprised to find refreshments at the same price as Tokyo streets (and, later, half the price of those in Sydney Airport). I got something to drink and then chatted to an Hawaiian girl returning from a surfing friend’s wedding in Bali. She caught her flight and then I met up with a couple from Lorne, retuning home after a long holiday. We compared notes and chatted until we boarded the aircraft. It was only just over half full, so after we left the ground (after over ten minutes taxiing) I moved to a pair of empty seats.
Despite all the prior preparation, there was no diabetic meal for me, but the standard meal was the first which I could almost completely eat. After that, I sat back, put the iPod on and dozed.
Monday, June 9, 2008
9 June
Today, my last day in Kyoto, was as normal except that I had noticed how hard the bed was, and that I could feel the springs through the mattress cover. I felt rather like the princess with the pea in the bed. I was up, made sure I had everything together, prepared and went down for breakfast. I overheard someone else commenting how hard the bed was. I remembered the porcelain pillow in the museum yesterday and thought that what I had was soft compared to that.
After breakfast I packed everything up (it fits, but I am not sure about the weight), checked email and such, then went down to notify the tour operators that I wouldn’t be on their shuttle bus to the local airport here. Memo to self: DO NOT notify operators of change in future, as they are overly concerned about how foreigners will go if they are by themselves; having been in most Western European countries by myself and survived, having taken the Tokyo subway twice by myself and having walked Kyoto three times by myself, I think I can make it across the street, on a bullet train to Tokyo when I already have the ticket and then a few subway stops to a hotel by myself. After having to leave all my details and promising to check in in Tokyo, I was finally allowed to leave. I’m hiding out in my room until I leave the hotel in case they come looking for me, worried about my welfare.
I left about 9:30 and headed over the six hundred metres to the platform. While waiting, I noticed: one train was about an hour and twenty minutes late; my train was five minutes late; there are Shinkansen which stop at every station, Shinkansen expresses which stop at about ten stations and Shinkansen super expresses which stop at three stations. That’s what I was on and got from Kyoto to Tokyo in two hours and twenty minutes.
The station attendant on the platform didn’t believe I could read the ticket correctly so had to make sure that I was waiting for the correct train and for the correct carriage (you wait in a queue in a marked line which is where the door will open; as soon as those getting off have left, you get straight on).
The trip was considerably quicker than my trip to Kyoto, but the speed of the train was about the same, so you see a few blurred bits in photos, as well as unintentional content. However, it was comfortable even though I had the suitcase upright in front of me (I didn’t get the room or the opportunity to put it in the luggage rack until near Tokyo).
Once in Tokyo, I headed for the subway. The station there is the Tokyo Line, and their machines are not as friendly as the ticket machines on the other lines. However, after a bit of playing around, I got my all-day ticket and headed off on one line to change to another to end up at Shinjuku Station on the Oedo Line (E27). I felt good in that while going through the turnstiles I had to help a local get through correctly (you can enter a station where there is a green arrow on the turnstile, and exit a station where there is a red arrow on the turnstile, but you can’t enter a turnstile with a “no entry” sign on it). Once out of the correct exit I did my usual trick of looking around and not seeing how to get to the hotel, which was directly across the road via a pedestrian crossing. Then it was up to the lobby (on the twentieth floor), checking in (and getting my fax message about meeting a guide tomorrow afternoon to go to Narita Airport) and setting up the computer.
Then, armed with another map, I headed off to the Government Building 1, with observatories. It was one subway station away (it may have been quicker to walk, as some subway entrances are up to a kilometre away from the actual platform). Once there, I found the actual Tokyo Tourist office, which was well equipped with English guides and maps of the whole Tokyo area. After getting a few (though too late to be of much use to me at the moment), I went up to the Observatory on the forty-fifth floor and it was magnificent. I would rate it far better than the Tokyo tower, but that may be because here I could do my thing, rather than listen to another. The views are great (although I’m still not sure there really is a Mt Fuji, as for the fourth time I looked and it still wasn’t there), there are panoramic guides of what is visible (if the day is clear) and there is plenty of room.
On the way down, an elderly Japanese gentleman admired my beard, asked where I came from and was generally quite talkative on the very short trip down.
Then I caught a lift down into the subway and here a lady enquired if I knew how to get where I was going. I said the only problem was I hadn’t decided where I was going. Her train came in and I decided I would go to the Ginza to see it in better (?) weather, so I held up the brochure on it to her and she thought it was a good idea.
I got out at the Ginza and had a look around, at two theatres and then the actual shopping strip. I succumbed to temptation and went in the Sony Building. It was only extreme willpower that stopped me coming out with a movie camera with better still picture performance than my current camera. Then I saw a beautiful Asahi Pentax digital SLR and I had to repeat to myself: “You can’t afford it until you’ve paid for the other trip” and back slowly away until the showroom was out of sight. I thought at this stage that I had better get something to eat and then go back to the hotel before I did give in (by the way, both cameras were about the same price, but I’d rather have the still Pentax if I had to make a choice – but the Sony movie camera was beautiful and the quality amazing). As I went into the station I heard an American girl say about visiting Australia, so I spoke to her and her companion for a few minutes, trying to sell the idea of visiting.
Once on the train, I found a station where I knew I could get some food, had that, and then caught the train back to the hotel. Here I ended up in conversation with an Irish lady from the Canaries and her son, who lives and works in Tokyo. We both agreed that guide books give the wrong impression of countries, from cost of living, to ease of getting around, to safety. We got out at the same station, but I was going to visit the local shopping street to see it lit up in neon. However, after a kilometre tramp to the correct exit, it was now pouring rain, so I headed under the road, back to the hotel, had a quick shower, processed and uploaded the photos and then wrote this blog, uploaded it, checked the email and then went to bed.
After breakfast I packed everything up (it fits, but I am not sure about the weight), checked email and such, then went down to notify the tour operators that I wouldn’t be on their shuttle bus to the local airport here. Memo to self: DO NOT notify operators of change in future, as they are overly concerned about how foreigners will go if they are by themselves; having been in most Western European countries by myself and survived, having taken the Tokyo subway twice by myself and having walked Kyoto three times by myself, I think I can make it across the street, on a bullet train to Tokyo when I already have the ticket and then a few subway stops to a hotel by myself. After having to leave all my details and promising to check in in Tokyo, I was finally allowed to leave. I’m hiding out in my room until I leave the hotel in case they come looking for me, worried about my welfare.
I left about 9:30 and headed over the six hundred metres to the platform. While waiting, I noticed: one train was about an hour and twenty minutes late; my train was five minutes late; there are Shinkansen which stop at every station, Shinkansen expresses which stop at about ten stations and Shinkansen super expresses which stop at three stations. That’s what I was on and got from Kyoto to Tokyo in two hours and twenty minutes.
The station attendant on the platform didn’t believe I could read the ticket correctly so had to make sure that I was waiting for the correct train and for the correct carriage (you wait in a queue in a marked line which is where the door will open; as soon as those getting off have left, you get straight on).
The trip was considerably quicker than my trip to Kyoto, but the speed of the train was about the same, so you see a few blurred bits in photos, as well as unintentional content. However, it was comfortable even though I had the suitcase upright in front of me (I didn’t get the room or the opportunity to put it in the luggage rack until near Tokyo).
Once in Tokyo, I headed for the subway. The station there is the Tokyo Line, and their machines are not as friendly as the ticket machines on the other lines. However, after a bit of playing around, I got my all-day ticket and headed off on one line to change to another to end up at Shinjuku Station on the Oedo Line (E27). I felt good in that while going through the turnstiles I had to help a local get through correctly (you can enter a station where there is a green arrow on the turnstile, and exit a station where there is a red arrow on the turnstile, but you can’t enter a turnstile with a “no entry” sign on it). Once out of the correct exit I did my usual trick of looking around and not seeing how to get to the hotel, which was directly across the road via a pedestrian crossing. Then it was up to the lobby (on the twentieth floor), checking in (and getting my fax message about meeting a guide tomorrow afternoon to go to Narita Airport) and setting up the computer.
Then, armed with another map, I headed off to the Government Building 1, with observatories. It was one subway station away (it may have been quicker to walk, as some subway entrances are up to a kilometre away from the actual platform). Once there, I found the actual Tokyo Tourist office, which was well equipped with English guides and maps of the whole Tokyo area. After getting a few (though too late to be of much use to me at the moment), I went up to the Observatory on the forty-fifth floor and it was magnificent. I would rate it far better than the Tokyo tower, but that may be because here I could do my thing, rather than listen to another. The views are great (although I’m still not sure there really is a Mt Fuji, as for the fourth time I looked and it still wasn’t there), there are panoramic guides of what is visible (if the day is clear) and there is plenty of room.
On the way down, an elderly Japanese gentleman admired my beard, asked where I came from and was generally quite talkative on the very short trip down.
Then I caught a lift down into the subway and here a lady enquired if I knew how to get where I was going. I said the only problem was I hadn’t decided where I was going. Her train came in and I decided I would go to the Ginza to see it in better (?) weather, so I held up the brochure on it to her and she thought it was a good idea.
I got out at the Ginza and had a look around, at two theatres and then the actual shopping strip. I succumbed to temptation and went in the Sony Building. It was only extreme willpower that stopped me coming out with a movie camera with better still picture performance than my current camera. Then I saw a beautiful Asahi Pentax digital SLR and I had to repeat to myself: “You can’t afford it until you’ve paid for the other trip” and back slowly away until the showroom was out of sight. I thought at this stage that I had better get something to eat and then go back to the hotel before I did give in (by the way, both cameras were about the same price, but I’d rather have the still Pentax if I had to make a choice – but the Sony movie camera was beautiful and the quality amazing). As I went into the station I heard an American girl say about visiting Australia, so I spoke to her and her companion for a few minutes, trying to sell the idea of visiting.
Once on the train, I found a station where I knew I could get some food, had that, and then caught the train back to the hotel. Here I ended up in conversation with an Irish lady from the Canaries and her son, who lives and works in Tokyo. We both agreed that guide books give the wrong impression of countries, from cost of living, to ease of getting around, to safety. We got out at the same station, but I was going to visit the local shopping street to see it lit up in neon. However, after a kilometre tramp to the correct exit, it was now pouring rain, so I headed under the road, back to the hotel, had a quick shower, processed and uploaded the photos and then wrote this blog, uploaded it, checked the email and then went to bed.
Sunday, June 8, 2008
8 June
Today in Japan I faced my greatest danger while away – but more about that later.
I was awake at 6 with the alarm and up not long after, prepared and down before 7 and into the restaurant for breakfast before 7. This time I had NOT forgotten my Vegemite, so I was able to have vegemite on toast plus some other foods for breakfast – no cornflakes so I had to have rice crispies, but that was only a change, not a hardship.
I saw no-one I knew at breakfast, which after the last week seems incredible. However, it is the transient nature of being on holiday for a short time in one place. I finished, went up, checked emails and other Internet material, then set out for a walk. On the way out of the hotel I met the couple from Fern Tree Gully and said hello, but they were off on a tour again today.
I walked to the other side of the station and saw Astro Boy looking over Kyoto and ready to save it from disaster, went to take a photo and … found I had left my camera in the hotel! Great, my mind and memory are going on me now.
I walked back, got the camera and retraced my path, captured Astro Boy (as a picture, not in person) and headed off to the Museum. The day was warming up and it’s a fair hike, so I was grateful for the (many) pavement vending machines. Not that I will imbibe Thorpedo, but a coke doesn’t go astray. They are a standard price, ¥120 for a 330 ml can and ¥150 for a 500 ml bottle. Not all machines have both, but there are plenty around. It’s also where you find the rubbish and recycling bins (memo to self: remember in Hawaii they are called rubbish cans, not trash bins (whoops, I meant trash cans) like the rest of the U.S.).
I got to the museum, paid my entrance fee to one person, had my ticket stamped by another and was then shown through the gate by another. And the first artwork I saw was … The Thinker, by Rodin, which took me back to early television days and “The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis”. With those memories of poor Zelda floating in my head, I went into the museum.
No photo taking, so no pictures. One of the displays covered fighting implements from Neolithic to the Edo period, with stone arrowheads up to daggers from the 1860s. Others covered Buddhist artwork as paintings and carvings, kimonos, yogis and dogis (I’m not kidding and that’s not Yogi Bear), containers and trays and written and drawn commentaries. It was very interesting, and I would have loved to have had a small guide in English showing parallel works in other Asian cultures and in western cultures. The only thing is that in common with all museums, they do not have sufficient display space.
After over an hour there I headed off to the zoo. At the end of a long walk I found a canal museum in the way, so went into that. I asked for the English version of the information, and, as I was looking at it, one of the staff brought out a DVD in English and put it on for me. It was a good explanation of the history and construction of the canal, but no footage of the canal being used as a transport link for goods and people (though it was used as such until not that long ago, when road and rail stopped its use for that). Its primary and continuing purpose is to provide water to Kyoto for human consumption and its secondary purpose is to provide hydroelectric power. The museum centres on the human side of the construction and use, rather than the utilitarian side (which I was more interested in). It was good to see how forward-thinking some people were, even back in the 1880s, paralleling Melbourne in some ways.
I then left to see the zoo – but alas, that was not meant to be, as I and many others arrived at the front gate to find it closed. I couldn’t see if the reason was in Japanese on the gate, I don’t think so as even the locals peered in at the ticket gate after reading all the signs there. I decided to walk back to the hotel, but this time on the west bank (it has a more continuous path).
And here I faced the greatest dangers of all while away.
The first was Japanese cyclists NOT using their bell when passing pedestrians, especially those with a camera up to their eye, meant that stepping backwards or forwards to frame a shot better was extremely hazardous.
The second was hundreds out on a “love and peace” march with umbrellas and not taking care where they were holding them (at eye height of short western men), so despite love and peace being everywhere, I had to duck and weave to avoid permanent damage.
The birds were out fishing again, the sitters were out in force (including some young girls with a small kitten – eyes not open yet), the promenaders were there and so were the dog walkers, and the pig walker. Yes, you read correctly, one woman was out walking her pig!
After I left the riverbank (it is well labelled, with points along showing distances and where each bridge leads to, and how far), I came across some wonderful examples to show how life is similar everywhere. I found an Asian restaurant (imagine that, in an Asian city!) and I found a garage with cheap junk in the back forcing the expensive car to rest nose out in the weather (unlike other places, the whole car can’t go outside!).
On the way back to the hotel I had some late lunch, then went to my room to rest my feet. I estimate I walked between twelve and fifteen kilometres, but wasn’t game to catch a bus back (didn’t know how to pay the fare) and didn’t want to take a taxi (with doilies all over the seats).
Back in the hotel I processed the photos, caught up on email and then wrote and posted this blog.
If I do anything exciting after, I’ll add it to the blog later.
I was awake at 6 with the alarm and up not long after, prepared and down before 7 and into the restaurant for breakfast before 7. This time I had NOT forgotten my Vegemite, so I was able to have vegemite on toast plus some other foods for breakfast – no cornflakes so I had to have rice crispies, but that was only a change, not a hardship.
I saw no-one I knew at breakfast, which after the last week seems incredible. However, it is the transient nature of being on holiday for a short time in one place. I finished, went up, checked emails and other Internet material, then set out for a walk. On the way out of the hotel I met the couple from Fern Tree Gully and said hello, but they were off on a tour again today.
I walked to the other side of the station and saw Astro Boy looking over Kyoto and ready to save it from disaster, went to take a photo and … found I had left my camera in the hotel! Great, my mind and memory are going on me now.
I walked back, got the camera and retraced my path, captured Astro Boy (as a picture, not in person) and headed off to the Museum. The day was warming up and it’s a fair hike, so I was grateful for the (many) pavement vending machines. Not that I will imbibe Thorpedo, but a coke doesn’t go astray. They are a standard price, ¥120 for a 330 ml can and ¥150 for a 500 ml bottle. Not all machines have both, but there are plenty around. It’s also where you find the rubbish and recycling bins (memo to self: remember in Hawaii they are called rubbish cans, not trash bins (whoops, I meant trash cans) like the rest of the U.S.).
I got to the museum, paid my entrance fee to one person, had my ticket stamped by another and was then shown through the gate by another. And the first artwork I saw was … The Thinker, by Rodin, which took me back to early television days and “The Many Loves Of Dobie Gillis”. With those memories of poor Zelda floating in my head, I went into the museum.
No photo taking, so no pictures. One of the displays covered fighting implements from Neolithic to the Edo period, with stone arrowheads up to daggers from the 1860s. Others covered Buddhist artwork as paintings and carvings, kimonos, yogis and dogis (I’m not kidding and that’s not Yogi Bear), containers and trays and written and drawn commentaries. It was very interesting, and I would have loved to have had a small guide in English showing parallel works in other Asian cultures and in western cultures. The only thing is that in common with all museums, they do not have sufficient display space.
After over an hour there I headed off to the zoo. At the end of a long walk I found a canal museum in the way, so went into that. I asked for the English version of the information, and, as I was looking at it, one of the staff brought out a DVD in English and put it on for me. It was a good explanation of the history and construction of the canal, but no footage of the canal being used as a transport link for goods and people (though it was used as such until not that long ago, when road and rail stopped its use for that). Its primary and continuing purpose is to provide water to Kyoto for human consumption and its secondary purpose is to provide hydroelectric power. The museum centres on the human side of the construction and use, rather than the utilitarian side (which I was more interested in). It was good to see how forward-thinking some people were, even back in the 1880s, paralleling Melbourne in some ways.
I then left to see the zoo – but alas, that was not meant to be, as I and many others arrived at the front gate to find it closed. I couldn’t see if the reason was in Japanese on the gate, I don’t think so as even the locals peered in at the ticket gate after reading all the signs there. I decided to walk back to the hotel, but this time on the west bank (it has a more continuous path).
And here I faced the greatest dangers of all while away.
The first was Japanese cyclists NOT using their bell when passing pedestrians, especially those with a camera up to their eye, meant that stepping backwards or forwards to frame a shot better was extremely hazardous.
The second was hundreds out on a “love and peace” march with umbrellas and not taking care where they were holding them (at eye height of short western men), so despite love and peace being everywhere, I had to duck and weave to avoid permanent damage.
The birds were out fishing again, the sitters were out in force (including some young girls with a small kitten – eyes not open yet), the promenaders were there and so were the dog walkers, and the pig walker. Yes, you read correctly, one woman was out walking her pig!
After I left the riverbank (it is well labelled, with points along showing distances and where each bridge leads to, and how far), I came across some wonderful examples to show how life is similar everywhere. I found an Asian restaurant (imagine that, in an Asian city!) and I found a garage with cheap junk in the back forcing the expensive car to rest nose out in the weather (unlike other places, the whole car can’t go outside!).
On the way back to the hotel I had some late lunch, then went to my room to rest my feet. I estimate I walked between twelve and fifteen kilometres, but wasn’t game to catch a bus back (didn’t know how to pay the fare) and didn’t want to take a taxi (with doilies all over the seats).
Back in the hotel I processed the photos, caught up on email and then wrote and posted this blog.
If I do anything exciting after, I’ll add it to the blog later.
Saturday, June 7, 2008
7 June
Today, after setting the room alarm to wake me at 6, I woke at 6 and went straight back to sleep, waking again at just before 7. So preparing quickly, I headed down for breakfast and had to join a long queue. Memo to self: even if I wake up a little earlier than I want while away, don’t drop back to sleep if I have to be at breakfast for a certain time to avoid queues.
On the way down I met two Australian girls. There must be more Australians here then in Australia at the moment. When we got down to the ground floor (note: Japanese, like Americans, call the ground floor the first floor – I suppose that’s because they had floors on the first level of buildings, instead of just the ground) we all went our separate ways. I had breakfast but had forgotten my Vegemite – I won’t tomorrow! The variety for breakfast at the buffets is amazing – I don’t just mean the wide choices, I mean the type of choices: chips (real ones, not skinny French Fries), eggs in two or three different ways, many vegetables, many cereals, different meats, different soups; the list goes on and on. I had enough, but not quite what I wanted or needed – the Vegemite really does make the difference.
I went back up to my room, finished, got everything together and then went down. At the tour desk I got another badge for today and a ticket for the bus, but no more paperwork – thank goodness! After a few minutes, at about 8:40, we went out to the bus, got on and found it nearly full. As it transpired, the bus fills up from other hotels and ours (New Miyako Hotel) is last. During the morning tour (there were three different groups – the morning-only tour, the full day tour and the morning Kyoto and afternoon Nara tour), it was revealed that the bus was predominantly Australians – they said because of the dollar, but of course when I booked, paid and got currency, the dollar was not as strong as it is now. So I met two Australian couples – one here and one on their way to France – and a mother and daughter, here for just over a week.
We headed off and went firstly to the Nijo Castle.
Although it is not what we have conditioned ourselves to think of as a castle, especially as it is made of wood, it certainly deserves the term because of the grandeur of the surroundings and the buildings themselves. Initially it looks as though it will be small, but by the time we entered and were shown around (memo to self: check guided itinerary items and make sure socks have no holes in them if visiting a place where shoes must be removed) on squeaky – deliberately – floors in the public sections and quiet floors in the public sections, all the rooms and seen how they were organised and used, it looks huge. Unfortunately I couldn’t take any photos inside, as it is listed as a cultural monument, but I did get a good explanation from the guide.
Then we were all back on the bus and off to Kitano Tenmangu. Here there were many students setting themselves up to get good luck for their exams. As another guide said, and this one repeated, Japanese are pragmatic with religion and go to Shinto Temples when things are bad and Buddhist Temples when things are good. Of course they also now celebrate Christmas, but no-one celebrates Easter like Australians, who consume more Easter eggs than any other country on earth (not per head, in total amount).
Then we were back on and off to Kinkakuji Temple, which has peaceful lakes and gardens, and a Golden Pavilion with a Buddha inside. We had a good look and guided commentary around that, then were back on the bus and off to the Kyoto Handicraft Centre. Here we could look around, participate, have lunch and catch a shuttle back to the hotel.
I chose to leave the group there and walked back along one side of the Imperial Palace. As in Tokyo, the grounds are open in many areas as gardens for the public and so there were many walking and riding inside. After a bite to eat, I looked for a museum which took my fancy but just couldn’t find it. I decided to walk along the river instead, and on my way there, saw many very small shops which were the ground floor of residences. The variety was wide, including retail, catering and service. Walking along the river proved to be an interesting experience, as the river is quite wide but extremely shallow, common to many areas where the waterways are fed from mountains and especially spring thaws. There were fishermen in the river (but they didn’t seem too successful), birds in the river (at least one was successful, as I captured a picture of it eating a fish), many people cycling and walking beside the river, large numbers sitting beside it, a lot having lunch and a few just there for the experience, such as the girls in geisha costumes.
Under many of the bridges there were piles of belongings, which looked to be the preserve of some homeless, though I didn’t actually see anyone there.
I eventually came up from the river edge and walked through the Kyoto city centre and down to the Kyoto Tower. After initial difficulty, I found the entrance to the tower and went up, and for once, I could actually see. Kyoto appears to be locked within mountains and buildings creep up as far as it is economically (and most likely, safe) possible to build.
After that, with now sore feet from about ten kilometres walking on uneven ground at the river and then city pavements, I came back, processed photos, wrote this up and let my feet recover. I’m unsure as to whether I’ll go out again. I have all day tomorrow to look around.
On the way down I met two Australian girls. There must be more Australians here then in Australia at the moment. When we got down to the ground floor (note: Japanese, like Americans, call the ground floor the first floor – I suppose that’s because they had floors on the first level of buildings, instead of just the ground) we all went our separate ways. I had breakfast but had forgotten my Vegemite – I won’t tomorrow! The variety for breakfast at the buffets is amazing – I don’t just mean the wide choices, I mean the type of choices: chips (real ones, not skinny French Fries), eggs in two or three different ways, many vegetables, many cereals, different meats, different soups; the list goes on and on. I had enough, but not quite what I wanted or needed – the Vegemite really does make the difference.
I went back up to my room, finished, got everything together and then went down. At the tour desk I got another badge for today and a ticket for the bus, but no more paperwork – thank goodness! After a few minutes, at about 8:40, we went out to the bus, got on and found it nearly full. As it transpired, the bus fills up from other hotels and ours (New Miyako Hotel) is last. During the morning tour (there were three different groups – the morning-only tour, the full day tour and the morning Kyoto and afternoon Nara tour), it was revealed that the bus was predominantly Australians – they said because of the dollar, but of course when I booked, paid and got currency, the dollar was not as strong as it is now. So I met two Australian couples – one here and one on their way to France – and a mother and daughter, here for just over a week.
We headed off and went firstly to the Nijo Castle.
Although it is not what we have conditioned ourselves to think of as a castle, especially as it is made of wood, it certainly deserves the term because of the grandeur of the surroundings and the buildings themselves. Initially it looks as though it will be small, but by the time we entered and were shown around (memo to self: check guided itinerary items and make sure socks have no holes in them if visiting a place where shoes must be removed) on squeaky – deliberately – floors in the public sections and quiet floors in the public sections, all the rooms and seen how they were organised and used, it looks huge. Unfortunately I couldn’t take any photos inside, as it is listed as a cultural monument, but I did get a good explanation from the guide.
Then we were all back on the bus and off to Kitano Tenmangu. Here there were many students setting themselves up to get good luck for their exams. As another guide said, and this one repeated, Japanese are pragmatic with religion and go to Shinto Temples when things are bad and Buddhist Temples when things are good. Of course they also now celebrate Christmas, but no-one celebrates Easter like Australians, who consume more Easter eggs than any other country on earth (not per head, in total amount).
Then we were back on and off to Kinkakuji Temple, which has peaceful lakes and gardens, and a Golden Pavilion with a Buddha inside. We had a good look and guided commentary around that, then were back on the bus and off to the Kyoto Handicraft Centre. Here we could look around, participate, have lunch and catch a shuttle back to the hotel.
I chose to leave the group there and walked back along one side of the Imperial Palace. As in Tokyo, the grounds are open in many areas as gardens for the public and so there were many walking and riding inside. After a bite to eat, I looked for a museum which took my fancy but just couldn’t find it. I decided to walk along the river instead, and on my way there, saw many very small shops which were the ground floor of residences. The variety was wide, including retail, catering and service. Walking along the river proved to be an interesting experience, as the river is quite wide but extremely shallow, common to many areas where the waterways are fed from mountains and especially spring thaws. There were fishermen in the river (but they didn’t seem too successful), birds in the river (at least one was successful, as I captured a picture of it eating a fish), many people cycling and walking beside the river, large numbers sitting beside it, a lot having lunch and a few just there for the experience, such as the girls in geisha costumes.
Under many of the bridges there were piles of belongings, which looked to be the preserve of some homeless, though I didn’t actually see anyone there.
I eventually came up from the river edge and walked through the Kyoto city centre and down to the Kyoto Tower. After initial difficulty, I found the entrance to the tower and went up, and for once, I could actually see. Kyoto appears to be locked within mountains and buildings creep up as far as it is economically (and most likely, safe) possible to build.
After that, with now sore feet from about ten kilometres walking on uneven ground at the river and then city pavements, I came back, processed photos, wrote this up and let my feet recover. I’m unsure as to whether I’ll go out again. I have all day tomorrow to look around.
Friday, June 6, 2008
6 June
Another day dawned – at about 4:30 the strong sunlight burst through the curtains and woke me up. I was left in no doubt that the new day was upon me. When I pulled the curtains back, I could feel the heat in the sunlight and see the view from the room. That was in comparison to yesterday’s overcast, rainy and generally poor for viewing day. Alas, we were not going up Mt Fuji today!
I prepared for breakfast, went down and ended up sitting with a fellow from New York who is doing a similar tour here to me (in fact, there are a multiplicity of tours and no matter which one, they all seem to be the same price!).
I was also chatting to the lady from Georgia and so breakfast turned out to be quite a busy time.
I went back to my room, finished and finished packing and was down in plenty of time. All of us were going on the bullet train, but some were on the earlier one and some on the later (9:37) one. The greens went on the 9:07 and the yellows came with we blues, but they got off in Nagoya. We stayed on until Kyoto.
The trip on the train was interesting. We had allocated seating and, I presume, were in economy as we had five seats (three on one side, two on the other) abreast across the train. They were still wider than aircraft seats and certainly both wider and of greater pitch than EuroStar seats. The train was reasonably smooth, though if memory serves me well, the 125s in England were smoother. The train was fast, accelerating to its speed quickly, which you didn’t notice if sitting down but you certainly did if you were standing.
With the pictures I took, I tried to capture the views from the train, which went from suburban and industrial, through to areas with rice paddies crammed into all available spaces, through to scenes with mountains in the background (BUT NOT MT FUJI!), scenes with tea growing, nets around driving ranges and baseball parks, city and factory buildings and rivers. If the foreground is blurred, it’s because the train was going FAST and if the scene isn’t framed properly, it’s because of the shutter delay. By the way, if any railway engineers read this: REMOVE barriers to the side of track because in the train all you see at some spots is barrier; don’t have bridges with above-track trusses because when you take a photo all you get is trusses; have overhead wire supports alternately in the centre of the track and the outside so they don’t appear in every photo taken!
By the way, they have sixteen cars, take eight seconds to pass when one is still and take four seconds to pass when both are moving.
After three hours we arrived in Kyoto, got off and met our guide, who dutifully marched (at the double, I should add) to the hotel, which was only three minutes away – so we arrived before check-in time. It would have been better to have perhaps shown us the Tourist Information Centre in the station, walked more slowly, and then we could have checked in when we arrived.
After ten minutes we were able to check in. Luggage had arrived and was in the cloakroom, so the bellgirl got it and took it and me up to my room. Letting her take it went against all my principles and it was all I could do to stop myself from grabbing it from her and letting her carry the room card (no key). Once in the room I unpacked (put shirts on hangers so they don’t look TOO crumpled), set up the computer and found a tourist guide to Kyoto and found I had walked right past the Tourist Information Centre on the way out of the station.
Out I went to the Tourist Information Centre, found an “English Speaking Desk” (actually a desk manned by an English speaking person) and got a very good map, good walking directions, hints on what I would NOT see on the tour tomorrow morning and the comment that the train museum I wanted to see was really for kids.
I went to the train museum and found he was right – kids from twenty-five to seventy were really enjoying variously watching or playing with the trains, but kids of two to seven were more interested in the sand pit. After an hour I dragged myself away and went to the Toji-Temple.
Here I paid the admission charge, got my guide and looked around. Memo to self: do NOT greet counter staff issuing tickets and guides by using native greetings as you then get a guide in the native language, NOT English. As an aside, the mark of ENGLISH SPEAKER on my forehead in Europe must have worn off because today three schoolchildren tried to converse with me in Japanese and got terribly embarrassed when I couldn’t reply to them and then the girl at the Toji-Temple gave me a Japanese language guide because she thought I was a fluent speaker (but I used one of only the two words I know: hello and foreigner).
The temple is old, but the buildings have been rebuilt a number of times – wooden structures are prone to fire, from man and from lightning. The peace and serenity inside were amazing, considering they are on a main road and only a few blocks from the city centre.
After that I walked back to the hotel, sat down with my shoes and socks off (these shoes ARE NOT MADE FOR WALKING), processed the photos, wrote this, posted both, did my email and went “phew!”
Some observations from today:
The gardens in a park I walked through were being maintained by volunteers – removing the old flowers, planting out the new ones and composting the old.
Smiling at people and nodding, even if you can’t speak to them, elicits a smile, often a nod or bow back, and sometimes a polite greeting.
Few if any of the bicycles in Kyoto are locked up to secure them.
People are as familiar with bicycles as they are in the Low Countries, with loads and children being easily carried by people of all ages.
I prepared for breakfast, went down and ended up sitting with a fellow from New York who is doing a similar tour here to me (in fact, there are a multiplicity of tours and no matter which one, they all seem to be the same price!).
I was also chatting to the lady from Georgia and so breakfast turned out to be quite a busy time.
I went back to my room, finished and finished packing and was down in plenty of time. All of us were going on the bullet train, but some were on the earlier one and some on the later (9:37) one. The greens went on the 9:07 and the yellows came with we blues, but they got off in Nagoya. We stayed on until Kyoto.
The trip on the train was interesting. We had allocated seating and, I presume, were in economy as we had five seats (three on one side, two on the other) abreast across the train. They were still wider than aircraft seats and certainly both wider and of greater pitch than EuroStar seats. The train was reasonably smooth, though if memory serves me well, the 125s in England were smoother. The train was fast, accelerating to its speed quickly, which you didn’t notice if sitting down but you certainly did if you were standing.
With the pictures I took, I tried to capture the views from the train, which went from suburban and industrial, through to areas with rice paddies crammed into all available spaces, through to scenes with mountains in the background (BUT NOT MT FUJI!), scenes with tea growing, nets around driving ranges and baseball parks, city and factory buildings and rivers. If the foreground is blurred, it’s because the train was going FAST and if the scene isn’t framed properly, it’s because of the shutter delay. By the way, if any railway engineers read this: REMOVE barriers to the side of track because in the train all you see at some spots is barrier; don’t have bridges with above-track trusses because when you take a photo all you get is trusses; have overhead wire supports alternately in the centre of the track and the outside so they don’t appear in every photo taken!
By the way, they have sixteen cars, take eight seconds to pass when one is still and take four seconds to pass when both are moving.
After three hours we arrived in Kyoto, got off and met our guide, who dutifully marched (at the double, I should add) to the hotel, which was only three minutes away – so we arrived before check-in time. It would have been better to have perhaps shown us the Tourist Information Centre in the station, walked more slowly, and then we could have checked in when we arrived.
After ten minutes we were able to check in. Luggage had arrived and was in the cloakroom, so the bellgirl got it and took it and me up to my room. Letting her take it went against all my principles and it was all I could do to stop myself from grabbing it from her and letting her carry the room card (no key). Once in the room I unpacked (put shirts on hangers so they don’t look TOO crumpled), set up the computer and found a tourist guide to Kyoto and found I had walked right past the Tourist Information Centre on the way out of the station.
Out I went to the Tourist Information Centre, found an “English Speaking Desk” (actually a desk manned by an English speaking person) and got a very good map, good walking directions, hints on what I would NOT see on the tour tomorrow morning and the comment that the train museum I wanted to see was really for kids.
I went to the train museum and found he was right – kids from twenty-five to seventy were really enjoying variously watching or playing with the trains, but kids of two to seven were more interested in the sand pit. After an hour I dragged myself away and went to the Toji-Temple.
Here I paid the admission charge, got my guide and looked around. Memo to self: do NOT greet counter staff issuing tickets and guides by using native greetings as you then get a guide in the native language, NOT English. As an aside, the mark of ENGLISH SPEAKER on my forehead in Europe must have worn off because today three schoolchildren tried to converse with me in Japanese and got terribly embarrassed when I couldn’t reply to them and then the girl at the Toji-Temple gave me a Japanese language guide because she thought I was a fluent speaker (but I used one of only the two words I know: hello and foreigner).
The temple is old, but the buildings have been rebuilt a number of times – wooden structures are prone to fire, from man and from lightning. The peace and serenity inside were amazing, considering they are on a main road and only a few blocks from the city centre.
After that I walked back to the hotel, sat down with my shoes and socks off (these shoes ARE NOT MADE FOR WALKING), processed the photos, wrote this, posted both, did my email and went “phew!”
Some observations from today:
The gardens in a park I walked through were being maintained by volunteers – removing the old flowers, planting out the new ones and composting the old.
Smiling at people and nodding, even if you can’t speak to them, elicits a smile, often a nod or bow back, and sometimes a polite greeting.
Few if any of the bicycles in Kyoto are locked up to secure them.
People are as familiar with bicycles as they are in the Low Countries, with loads and children being easily carried by people of all ages.
Thursday, June 5, 2008
5 June
Let’s start at the very beginning, a very good place to start …
I awoke after a good sleep but not relay feeling too refreshed. I suppose that is due to the different type of activity now compared to the last four and a half months. After packing (and JUST getting everything in) I went down for breakfast and sat with the same couple as yesterday. Just as I was finishing, another Australian (who defected to New Zealand) asked about my Vegemite and had some.
After bringing my luggage down, I found we were all on the same bus – but only to the terminal. There we would swap to different buses for different tours – and even then, we could still be on a different tour, just sharing the same activity that day. This time, now being familiar with the area, I took note of our path and position and found, after ten minutes … we had gone around the corner! The bus terminal was in reality just over from the subway station I had used for the past two days. Even walking with my luggage, I could have been there within five minutes.
We had been given our chits for the trips at the hotel, so I presented mine, with suitcase, to see the suitcase labelled and whisked away. I can only hope it is reunited with me at Kyoto. I got my bus and seat number, sat down, then found I was with Cathy, who I had been with on Tuesday. However, we are on different tours, so she goes elsewhere tomorrow while I go to Kyoto.
We all packed our material away and then the tour guide introduced himself (Yoshimi) and we were off.
We set off through the city traffic onto the Expressway bound for Mt Fuji. We passed through the commercial centre, then government centre, then the suburbs of Tokyo and could see the height of buildings drop and the number of houses increase. It wasn’t far out before paddy fields became visible. Unfortunately at this stage the rain started as a light drizzle, not an inconvenience but certainly an annoyance. I was chatting to passengers behind and across from me, to find they were from the US (mother and son) and they thought I had seen more of the US than they had.
As we got towards Mt Fuji, cloud set in and the drizzle became rain. All the way up, after we had paused at the Visitors’ Centre at the base, I kept my fingers crossed that we would break through the cloud and see Mt Fuji in glorious sunshine.
However that was not to be. When we got out the drizzle had well and truly set in, the cloud extended from below to above us and there was still snow on the ground. We had some time there, looking around at different things, but there was no prospect of any better weather, so we returned to the bus only with memories of what might have been.
We headed off down to the Hotel Highland Resort (very large hotel) and went in for lunch. We had already been asked for our lunch preferences earlier and only part of the vegetarian meal seemed suitable for me – the other had fish. When the vegetarian meal arrived, some was mushrooms (off the menu for me) and some was not readily recognisable, so with discretion being the better part of valour, the only things I had were the rice (and I was still able to use chopsticks well, thanks to my lesson nearly twenty-five years ago at the Mambo Towers restaurant in Geelong), one vegetable and two desserts (the lady next to me, an actress from inner Sydney, couldn’t eat hers so I offered to solve the problem.
After lunch we went to Hakone, passed through it and then arrived at Lake Ashi. The rain had stopped and, although the cloud cover was low, it looked like being a good cruise on the lake. As soon as we set off from the dock, the rain set in again, but as the cruise was fairly short, it wasn’t a problem there, but …
We proceeded to the ropeway (a cable car) and boarded, only to see the rain had followed us over and at some points it was difficult even to see the ground. When we arrived at the top, expecting to see craters, lakes and other features, all we could see were the disappointed looks on each other’s faces. We cannot control the weather, so there wasn’t much we could do expect wait and travel back down again and board the bus.
After that we had a fairly subdued trip back to the hotel where the group split into those staying at the hotel tonight and those returning to Tokyo. Those of us staying at the hotel got our room keys and settled in, then explored the hotel.
I got a bit of a shock to find the toilet here outdid the one in Tokyo by having the same features but the additional one of heating – a shock when I wasn’t ready for it. But after a while one can adapt to anything …
As it is a resort area here, there isn’t too much else around. I won’t be partaking of the hot springs, so it will be an early night for me.
I awoke after a good sleep but not relay feeling too refreshed. I suppose that is due to the different type of activity now compared to the last four and a half months. After packing (and JUST getting everything in) I went down for breakfast and sat with the same couple as yesterday. Just as I was finishing, another Australian (who defected to New Zealand) asked about my Vegemite and had some.
After bringing my luggage down, I found we were all on the same bus – but only to the terminal. There we would swap to different buses for different tours – and even then, we could still be on a different tour, just sharing the same activity that day. This time, now being familiar with the area, I took note of our path and position and found, after ten minutes … we had gone around the corner! The bus terminal was in reality just over from the subway station I had used for the past two days. Even walking with my luggage, I could have been there within five minutes.
We had been given our chits for the trips at the hotel, so I presented mine, with suitcase, to see the suitcase labelled and whisked away. I can only hope it is reunited with me at Kyoto. I got my bus and seat number, sat down, then found I was with Cathy, who I had been with on Tuesday. However, we are on different tours, so she goes elsewhere tomorrow while I go to Kyoto.
We all packed our material away and then the tour guide introduced himself (Yoshimi) and we were off.
We set off through the city traffic onto the Expressway bound for Mt Fuji. We passed through the commercial centre, then government centre, then the suburbs of Tokyo and could see the height of buildings drop and the number of houses increase. It wasn’t far out before paddy fields became visible. Unfortunately at this stage the rain started as a light drizzle, not an inconvenience but certainly an annoyance. I was chatting to passengers behind and across from me, to find they were from the US (mother and son) and they thought I had seen more of the US than they had.
As we got towards Mt Fuji, cloud set in and the drizzle became rain. All the way up, after we had paused at the Visitors’ Centre at the base, I kept my fingers crossed that we would break through the cloud and see Mt Fuji in glorious sunshine.
However that was not to be. When we got out the drizzle had well and truly set in, the cloud extended from below to above us and there was still snow on the ground. We had some time there, looking around at different things, but there was no prospect of any better weather, so we returned to the bus only with memories of what might have been.
We headed off down to the Hotel Highland Resort (very large hotel) and went in for lunch. We had already been asked for our lunch preferences earlier and only part of the vegetarian meal seemed suitable for me – the other had fish. When the vegetarian meal arrived, some was mushrooms (off the menu for me) and some was not readily recognisable, so with discretion being the better part of valour, the only things I had were the rice (and I was still able to use chopsticks well, thanks to my lesson nearly twenty-five years ago at the Mambo Towers restaurant in Geelong), one vegetable and two desserts (the lady next to me, an actress from inner Sydney, couldn’t eat hers so I offered to solve the problem.
After lunch we went to Hakone, passed through it and then arrived at Lake Ashi. The rain had stopped and, although the cloud cover was low, it looked like being a good cruise on the lake. As soon as we set off from the dock, the rain set in again, but as the cruise was fairly short, it wasn’t a problem there, but …
We proceeded to the ropeway (a cable car) and boarded, only to see the rain had followed us over and at some points it was difficult even to see the ground. When we arrived at the top, expecting to see craters, lakes and other features, all we could see were the disappointed looks on each other’s faces. We cannot control the weather, so there wasn’t much we could do expect wait and travel back down again and board the bus.
After that we had a fairly subdued trip back to the hotel where the group split into those staying at the hotel tonight and those returning to Tokyo. Those of us staying at the hotel got our room keys and settled in, then explored the hotel.
I got a bit of a shock to find the toilet here outdid the one in Tokyo by having the same features but the additional one of heating – a shock when I wasn’t ready for it. But after a while one can adapt to anything …
As it is a resort area here, there isn’t too much else around. I won’t be partaking of the hot springs, so it will be an early night for me.
Wednesday, June 4, 2008
4 June
Today I reluctantly rose after a fitful night’s sleep. I’m not sure whether that was due to my mobile going flat (it won’t charge now through the USB cable I have for it, only through the car charger, and … no car!) and me worrying about not waking in the morning, the fact that my sojourn is nearly over or other factors.
I was prepared by 7 and went down, this time armed with my Vegemite. I met another Australian couple on the way down, from just north of Sydney (they have retired to there from Sydney), and we had breakfast together and chatted about Australia, travelling and retirement. Not long after we started, another Australian couple from yesterday came down, the wife spied my Vegemite and asked for some. I said she could not borrow any but she could certainly have some. She did, and looked as if she was really longing for it.
After breakfast we all went our separate ways. I got ready for a day out, came down, and ran into the Australian lady from yesterday, with her daughter now. Her daughter looked at her despairingly as she headed off for a tour but didn’t know which one. I headed off to the subway to get my ticket and work out what to do.
The weather was just warm, overcast, but no rain. I got my all-day travel ticket and headed off to the Imperial Palace. On the subway, I suddenly realised where everyone was – on the same train as me! It was very crowded and, at each stop, although large numbers got off, large numbers also got on. Once out at the other end, the Imperial Palace looked a lot better in the overcast conditions, with the green grass really looking green and the stone blocks looking quite menacing. I walked around and found that the gardens were open, so went in through the gate.
After a short walk I got to the garden entrance, where I was given a plastic ticket (to be returned when I left). After another short walk there was a rest house, kiosk and supply of maps of the gardens. I bought postcards of the actual Imperial Palace, as I wasn’t going to be able to get into there and got a map to guide me walking around the Imperial Palace gardens.
I set out, but realised quickly I had already walked about four kilometres to get to this point, and I have said before, the shoes I now have left (the others have winged their way home) are not made for long-distance walking. I slowed my pace and perhaps appreciated the scenes a lot more. The gardens contain many relics from the earlier Imperial times, but also contain plant species and are a calm and serene area only a short walk from the bustling heart of Tokyo.
During my walk around, I met a few Australians, a family from the US and a few others, where I ended up taking photos of them in groups or pairs. I also found there are no rubbish bins, except at the kiosks. By around midday I had looked at most parts and gained an appreciation of the gardens.
I went back onto the subway and took the line I caught out to its terminus (Nishi-takashimadaira). A few stations before the terminus, the subway became elevated and the Tokyo I expected to see was there – high-rise apartments, small balconies, furniture and washing out and plenty of people.
I took another line out to Hakarigaoka and went for a walk at the terminus there. Bicycles? Nearly as many (or perhaps more) than in Holland, very few locked up, but all in use as areas were secured after dark. There was also a shopping centre, bustling, with hours of 9 to 6, compared with the city hours not starting until nearly 11. I had hit the real Tokyo of living people. When I photographed the bikes, I got a grin from an elderly local who probably thought, “Mad foreigner!” as this was a common scene – but only common if you live there. Prices of things were far lower than in the centre, with a 500 ml bottle of Coke being ¥150, almost the same vending price as in Australia.
On the way back to the hotel, school was out, so there were young children (six or so) travelling by themselves on the train, giggles of teenaged girls and the inevitable groups of boys being quiet and sombre (though the earpieces gave the reason why they were quiet. Just to show things aren’t different, when I caught the train, some girls from a group did but others didn’t, and once on the train, they sent text messages to the others saying they were on the train (as if they didn’t know).
There were also large groups of men in business suits, but why they were wandering around at that time of day made me wonder.
I got back to the hotel, processed the photos and was writing this when I got a call that there was a fax for me. I had already checked downstairs and knew I had to be ready before 8:30 with my luggage and that the suitcase was going straight to Kyoto while I was to take an overnight bag (well, the backpack and the computer, as that’s all I have) with me to Hakone. What was on the fax? Exactly what I already knew, except the excess baggage charge.
It seems to be a case of multiple redundancy in terms of personnel, which is very evident in nearly everything which is done. It contrasts very much with Denmark, where there just are not enough people to do jobs.
Ah well, I will go to sleep tonight secure that I have learned a few things today.
I was prepared by 7 and went down, this time armed with my Vegemite. I met another Australian couple on the way down, from just north of Sydney (they have retired to there from Sydney), and we had breakfast together and chatted about Australia, travelling and retirement. Not long after we started, another Australian couple from yesterday came down, the wife spied my Vegemite and asked for some. I said she could not borrow any but she could certainly have some. She did, and looked as if she was really longing for it.
After breakfast we all went our separate ways. I got ready for a day out, came down, and ran into the Australian lady from yesterday, with her daughter now. Her daughter looked at her despairingly as she headed off for a tour but didn’t know which one. I headed off to the subway to get my ticket and work out what to do.
The weather was just warm, overcast, but no rain. I got my all-day travel ticket and headed off to the Imperial Palace. On the subway, I suddenly realised where everyone was – on the same train as me! It was very crowded and, at each stop, although large numbers got off, large numbers also got on. Once out at the other end, the Imperial Palace looked a lot better in the overcast conditions, with the green grass really looking green and the stone blocks looking quite menacing. I walked around and found that the gardens were open, so went in through the gate.
After a short walk I got to the garden entrance, where I was given a plastic ticket (to be returned when I left). After another short walk there was a rest house, kiosk and supply of maps of the gardens. I bought postcards of the actual Imperial Palace, as I wasn’t going to be able to get into there and got a map to guide me walking around the Imperial Palace gardens.
I set out, but realised quickly I had already walked about four kilometres to get to this point, and I have said before, the shoes I now have left (the others have winged their way home) are not made for long-distance walking. I slowed my pace and perhaps appreciated the scenes a lot more. The gardens contain many relics from the earlier Imperial times, but also contain plant species and are a calm and serene area only a short walk from the bustling heart of Tokyo.
During my walk around, I met a few Australians, a family from the US and a few others, where I ended up taking photos of them in groups or pairs. I also found there are no rubbish bins, except at the kiosks. By around midday I had looked at most parts and gained an appreciation of the gardens.
I went back onto the subway and took the line I caught out to its terminus (Nishi-takashimadaira). A few stations before the terminus, the subway became elevated and the Tokyo I expected to see was there – high-rise apartments, small balconies, furniture and washing out and plenty of people.
I took another line out to Hakarigaoka and went for a walk at the terminus there. Bicycles? Nearly as many (or perhaps more) than in Holland, very few locked up, but all in use as areas were secured after dark. There was also a shopping centre, bustling, with hours of 9 to 6, compared with the city hours not starting until nearly 11. I had hit the real Tokyo of living people. When I photographed the bikes, I got a grin from an elderly local who probably thought, “Mad foreigner!” as this was a common scene – but only common if you live there. Prices of things were far lower than in the centre, with a 500 ml bottle of Coke being ¥150, almost the same vending price as in Australia.
On the way back to the hotel, school was out, so there were young children (six or so) travelling by themselves on the train, giggles of teenaged girls and the inevitable groups of boys being quiet and sombre (though the earpieces gave the reason why they were quiet. Just to show things aren’t different, when I caught the train, some girls from a group did but others didn’t, and once on the train, they sent text messages to the others saying they were on the train (as if they didn’t know).
There were also large groups of men in business suits, but why they were wandering around at that time of day made me wonder.
I got back to the hotel, processed the photos and was writing this when I got a call that there was a fax for me. I had already checked downstairs and knew I had to be ready before 8:30 with my luggage and that the suitcase was going straight to Kyoto while I was to take an overnight bag (well, the backpack and the computer, as that’s all I have) with me to Hakone. What was on the fax? Exactly what I already knew, except the excess baggage charge.
It seems to be a case of multiple redundancy in terms of personnel, which is very evident in nearly everything which is done. It contrasts very much with Denmark, where there just are not enough people to do jobs.
Ah well, I will go to sleep tonight secure that I have learned a few things today.
Tuesday, June 3, 2008
3 June
Today was my first full (and waking day) in Japan.
After getting up and preparing, I was down for breakfast at 7:05 and I was not the first. A number of businessmen were there already and a fair number of tourists had already arrived or arrived within a few minutes of me.
I had my western-style breakfast (but, horror of horrors, I forgot to bring my Vegemite down with me) and made sure that I wouldn’t be hungry for a few hours. During my repast, I heard quite a few different accents and then, boing, some from Australia – a RNDS nurse from Mt Martha and a couple from Lennox Heads. I chatted with them a few minutes and then the couple and I realised we were both doing a morning tour – but the details on theirs differed from mine. The bus was due at 8:30 and we were all on the same bus, but when we got our chits, they were for different tours. We left the hotel in rain – not heavy, but persistent.
We unloaded at the terminal where we swapped our chits for tickets to our respective tours – and this was the first place (bit not the last) where I experienced the new Japanese proximity radar system for backing buses. The tour guide goes out the back and yells out steadily until the bus is close, then yells out something else and the driver immediately halts the bus.
There were about sixteen on the tour I was on – only four from the hotel I am staying at (Shiba Park). They included a few Australians (Cathy, from Mildura, who was seated next to me, a couple from Skipton, who knew mutual acquaintances through Lions and another couple), a German, an Englishman, at least three Americans and other assorted people whose nationality wasn’t obvious – but no Japanese.
The rain had set in and our guide (nickname Kay, for asking “Okay?” so often) started off by explaining we would see certain things, but the weather would make it difficult (she thought it was raining hard, but I think of raining hard as front rain in Melbourne or monsoonal rain in Darwin, so to me it was gentle but persistent). We had to make sure we stayed together and that we returned to the bus when asked or at the time given. It made me realise the freedom I had travelling by myself and how much I managed to pack into a day and how it will be very different next time (for my following three month adventure). We were also reminded to put our seatbelts on (their new law came into force at the beginning of the month). Off we set!
Our first visit was to the Tokyo Tower. Seeing it was interesting as I had seen the Eiffel Tower (or should that be “Eye-full” Tower?) only a few days ago. Seeing from it was another thing, as my destiny at the moment is to travel up towers and see very little – and this tower was no exception. Had a wonderful view of clouds and rain, but little of anything else, as the photos will show. However, on a clear day, the view is magnificent – so I am hoping tomorrow will be better.
Our second visit was the Imperial Palace plaza, where all sorts of great information was passed on – that it was originally a Shogun’s palace, that it was taken over by the Emperor when he moved the capital from Kyoto (western capital) to Tokyo (eastern capital), which explains similar spellings. Also, the moat (nearly sixteen kilometres long) was tidal, but not now, as it was originally on the coast, but not now that land has been reclaimed (both the Dutch and the Japanese seem to be in the habit). We walked a small distance here, but the rain made sightseeing difficult.
Our third visit was to the Asakusa Kannon Temple and the adjacent Nakamis shopping arcade. With only a small walk to the temple, we didn’t get too wet. Apparently the temple started on the site in 614, so it has a very long history. Then we could shop at the arcade, and the rain didn’t stop dedicated shoppers. Neither did the bus leaving time, so we had one running up nearly ten minutes late.
We had already driven through Ginza, but with the weather and consequently few crowds, it didn’t look too impressive. We now made our way to a cultured pearl establishment where we got a lecture on how the artificial pearls are made and one lucky viewer won a pearl (a young American boy, but I think his mother had claimed it before they left the room. We departed through the showrooms onto our bus, where we returned to our respective hotels. At this point I wondered why we were ushered from the showroom under an umbrella, and onto the bus with an umbrella, but got wet in between.
Back at the hotel I had a quick scan of what I would like to see, then got a subway map and directions to the stations. I set out to see the Ginza under more populous conditions, but by the time I arrived (armed with my all-day ticket and maps and such) it was still raining. I walked up and down, but the flavour just wasn’t there. I went back to the subway station to see if there was anything suitable to see or do on a rainy day, and while I was looking at the map, a young Japanese girl came up and asked in clear English if I needed help to find where to go. I said, unfortunately not, I just need no rain or otherwise a view which won’t be affected. She couldn’t come up with one either, so I thanked her and she went off with her friends.
I took the subway line to the end and then swapped back to the line to get me back to the hotel. Walking back, I found a western place to have a bite to eat, then trudged through the rain back to my room.
Ah, my room. This is the first place I’ve been at with sterilised slippers (but not with a bathrobe, although at least this one doesn’t have the price tag on it). It’s also the first place where I made a mistake and thought handtowels were on the rack, but I was totally out. It is also the first place with a combination (and automatic) bidet, which comes on standby each time you use the toilet. Technical details only to those who ask, because I’m not sure how to explain it for general consumption. It also comes with toothbrush, comb, razor and emery board. But then again, considering the cost, perhaps I ought to expect it.
Now I’ve drivelled on for nearly as long as the rain. Apparently the rain is from a tornado offshore and is forecast to stop overnight and tomorrow is expected to be cloudy. I hope so, as I will then hit the sights with a vengeance, two empty camera cards and three full sets of batteries.
After getting up and preparing, I was down for breakfast at 7:05 and I was not the first. A number of businessmen were there already and a fair number of tourists had already arrived or arrived within a few minutes of me.
I had my western-style breakfast (but, horror of horrors, I forgot to bring my Vegemite down with me) and made sure that I wouldn’t be hungry for a few hours. During my repast, I heard quite a few different accents and then, boing, some from Australia – a RNDS nurse from Mt Martha and a couple from Lennox Heads. I chatted with them a few minutes and then the couple and I realised we were both doing a morning tour – but the details on theirs differed from mine. The bus was due at 8:30 and we were all on the same bus, but when we got our chits, they were for different tours. We left the hotel in rain – not heavy, but persistent.
We unloaded at the terminal where we swapped our chits for tickets to our respective tours – and this was the first place (bit not the last) where I experienced the new Japanese proximity radar system for backing buses. The tour guide goes out the back and yells out steadily until the bus is close, then yells out something else and the driver immediately halts the bus.
There were about sixteen on the tour I was on – only four from the hotel I am staying at (Shiba Park). They included a few Australians (Cathy, from Mildura, who was seated next to me, a couple from Skipton, who knew mutual acquaintances through Lions and another couple), a German, an Englishman, at least three Americans and other assorted people whose nationality wasn’t obvious – but no Japanese.
The rain had set in and our guide (nickname Kay, for asking “Okay?” so often) started off by explaining we would see certain things, but the weather would make it difficult (she thought it was raining hard, but I think of raining hard as front rain in Melbourne or monsoonal rain in Darwin, so to me it was gentle but persistent). We had to make sure we stayed together and that we returned to the bus when asked or at the time given. It made me realise the freedom I had travelling by myself and how much I managed to pack into a day and how it will be very different next time (for my following three month adventure). We were also reminded to put our seatbelts on (their new law came into force at the beginning of the month). Off we set!
Our first visit was to the Tokyo Tower. Seeing it was interesting as I had seen the Eiffel Tower (or should that be “Eye-full” Tower?) only a few days ago. Seeing from it was another thing, as my destiny at the moment is to travel up towers and see very little – and this tower was no exception. Had a wonderful view of clouds and rain, but little of anything else, as the photos will show. However, on a clear day, the view is magnificent – so I am hoping tomorrow will be better.
Our second visit was the Imperial Palace plaza, where all sorts of great information was passed on – that it was originally a Shogun’s palace, that it was taken over by the Emperor when he moved the capital from Kyoto (western capital) to Tokyo (eastern capital), which explains similar spellings. Also, the moat (nearly sixteen kilometres long) was tidal, but not now, as it was originally on the coast, but not now that land has been reclaimed (both the Dutch and the Japanese seem to be in the habit). We walked a small distance here, but the rain made sightseeing difficult.
Our third visit was to the Asakusa Kannon Temple and the adjacent Nakamis shopping arcade. With only a small walk to the temple, we didn’t get too wet. Apparently the temple started on the site in 614, so it has a very long history. Then we could shop at the arcade, and the rain didn’t stop dedicated shoppers. Neither did the bus leaving time, so we had one running up nearly ten minutes late.
We had already driven through Ginza, but with the weather and consequently few crowds, it didn’t look too impressive. We now made our way to a cultured pearl establishment where we got a lecture on how the artificial pearls are made and one lucky viewer won a pearl (a young American boy, but I think his mother had claimed it before they left the room. We departed through the showrooms onto our bus, where we returned to our respective hotels. At this point I wondered why we were ushered from the showroom under an umbrella, and onto the bus with an umbrella, but got wet in between.
Back at the hotel I had a quick scan of what I would like to see, then got a subway map and directions to the stations. I set out to see the Ginza under more populous conditions, but by the time I arrived (armed with my all-day ticket and maps and such) it was still raining. I walked up and down, but the flavour just wasn’t there. I went back to the subway station to see if there was anything suitable to see or do on a rainy day, and while I was looking at the map, a young Japanese girl came up and asked in clear English if I needed help to find where to go. I said, unfortunately not, I just need no rain or otherwise a view which won’t be affected. She couldn’t come up with one either, so I thanked her and she went off with her friends.
I took the subway line to the end and then swapped back to the line to get me back to the hotel. Walking back, I found a western place to have a bite to eat, then trudged through the rain back to my room.
Ah, my room. This is the first place I’ve been at with sterilised slippers (but not with a bathrobe, although at least this one doesn’t have the price tag on it). It’s also the first place where I made a mistake and thought handtowels were on the rack, but I was totally out. It is also the first place with a combination (and automatic) bidet, which comes on standby each time you use the toilet. Technical details only to those who ask, because I’m not sure how to explain it for general consumption. It also comes with toothbrush, comb, razor and emery board. But then again, considering the cost, perhaps I ought to expect it.
Now I’ve drivelled on for nearly as long as the rain. Apparently the rain is from a tornado offshore and is forecast to stop overnight and tomorrow is expected to be cloudy. I hope so, as I will then hit the sights with a vengeance, two empty camera cards and three full sets of batteries.
Monday, June 2, 2008
2 June
Well, after a night of fitful sleep, I woke to find I hadn’t been sick, so something worked.
Breakfast was served at about 11 Tokyo time, and again, while the meal didn’t have fish, it had some strange concoctions which I wasn’t about to try and so much fruit is was literally crawling with sugar. So, unusual to my form, I left about half of it. With two small rolls, it was still quite filling.
We had a fairly good flight into Tokyo, though as normal, on going through clouds there was a bit of turbulence. We landed before time and only taxied for about eight minutes before coming to a halt. It was a long time unloading because the plane was full, and then a reasonable wait for luggage. However, the immigration and customs formalities took so little time I wondered whether I could have done them while still walking. I was fingerprinted again (รก la the US) and photographed again (should I charge copyright fees?) but it took so little time. Then in the Arrivals Hall and there was my name, so I met (albeit very briefly) my first English-speaking guide and was presented with my ticket to get to the hotel.
The first thing I should say is that the Airport Limousines is a bus line, and therefore you catch a bus. The luggage is put in for you and you MUST wait until you are told to enter the bus. Mine was at 3, so I had a few minutes to wait and watch the system in operation.
Once on the bus (with a Frenchman who had come from Paris for work – business class seat and posh hotel – on electrical distribution, especially underground cables) we headed into Tokyo and the hotels we were at (there are about six hotels served by each bus). The first thing that got me was how far out of the city we were – it took over an hour to reach the outskirts and another hour to tour all the hotels. The second thing was all the rice paddies – small, not deep, but so close to the city. In that respect, Europe and Japan are similar and very different from Australia and the US (although one of the largest cattle stations in Australia, in terms of numbers, is less than half an hour from the centre of Melbourne). The third thing was the speed. Despite signs for 60 and 80, the traffic was generally moving at 110. There wasn’t too much of it, but that may have been the time, the day or the fact that it was a toll road.
Once in the city area, I was amazed by the open spaces and the lack of pedestrians. It may just have been our route, but despite having many tall buildings, there were parks, lakes, rivers(canals?), and plenty of plantings around, so it looked far greener than I expected.
We got to the hotels, and I got to mine, to be looked after by three people – the bellboy with the luggage, the girl on the desk and her assistant. I booked in, got my three breakfast vouchers (no, I am not adventurous enough to have a Japanese-style breakfast at this stage ane end up missing any of my time here), found out where I was having breakfast and then went up to my room. After the formalities, I unpacked, set up the laptop (first problem – only two pins, so I had to get an adaptor out I had bought in the US and was nearly curing for being a useless burden; second problem – only wired Internet; third problem – only a 100 Mb/s server, so I don’t know how I will go to upload photos, but I will try tomorrow), checked emails and sent some out, then had a bath. Now I’m recovering from the high temperature (memo to self: don’t have a deep bath if the temperature of the water is high), finishing this and uploading this and then going to get some sleep.
Presently my itinerary gives me sightseeing in Tokyo tomorrow morning, so I have the afternoon free and the next day. I will get a map of the trains and the city centre and see how much I can see by myself in the time I have. Fortunately most of the signs are repeated in English (except on some roads – glad I didn’t arrange a rental here) and the subway stations (that’s railway, not the food stores) are clearly marked. Riding them may be a different experience.
So farewell from the far east and we’ll see how tomorrow goes.
Breakfast was served at about 11 Tokyo time, and again, while the meal didn’t have fish, it had some strange concoctions which I wasn’t about to try and so much fruit is was literally crawling with sugar. So, unusual to my form, I left about half of it. With two small rolls, it was still quite filling.
We had a fairly good flight into Tokyo, though as normal, on going through clouds there was a bit of turbulence. We landed before time and only taxied for about eight minutes before coming to a halt. It was a long time unloading because the plane was full, and then a reasonable wait for luggage. However, the immigration and customs formalities took so little time I wondered whether I could have done them while still walking. I was fingerprinted again (รก la the US) and photographed again (should I charge copyright fees?) but it took so little time. Then in the Arrivals Hall and there was my name, so I met (albeit very briefly) my first English-speaking guide and was presented with my ticket to get to the hotel.
The first thing I should say is that the Airport Limousines is a bus line, and therefore you catch a bus. The luggage is put in for you and you MUST wait until you are told to enter the bus. Mine was at 3, so I had a few minutes to wait and watch the system in operation.
Once on the bus (with a Frenchman who had come from Paris for work – business class seat and posh hotel – on electrical distribution, especially underground cables) we headed into Tokyo and the hotels we were at (there are about six hotels served by each bus). The first thing that got me was how far out of the city we were – it took over an hour to reach the outskirts and another hour to tour all the hotels. The second thing was all the rice paddies – small, not deep, but so close to the city. In that respect, Europe and Japan are similar and very different from Australia and the US (although one of the largest cattle stations in Australia, in terms of numbers, is less than half an hour from the centre of Melbourne). The third thing was the speed. Despite signs for 60 and 80, the traffic was generally moving at 110. There wasn’t too much of it, but that may have been the time, the day or the fact that it was a toll road.
Once in the city area, I was amazed by the open spaces and the lack of pedestrians. It may just have been our route, but despite having many tall buildings, there were parks, lakes, rivers(canals?), and plenty of plantings around, so it looked far greener than I expected.
We got to the hotels, and I got to mine, to be looked after by three people – the bellboy with the luggage, the girl on the desk and her assistant. I booked in, got my three breakfast vouchers (no, I am not adventurous enough to have a Japanese-style breakfast at this stage ane end up missing any of my time here), found out where I was having breakfast and then went up to my room. After the formalities, I unpacked, set up the laptop (first problem – only two pins, so I had to get an adaptor out I had bought in the US and was nearly curing for being a useless burden; second problem – only wired Internet; third problem – only a 100 Mb/s server, so I don’t know how I will go to upload photos, but I will try tomorrow), checked emails and sent some out, then had a bath. Now I’m recovering from the high temperature (memo to self: don’t have a deep bath if the temperature of the water is high), finishing this and uploading this and then going to get some sleep.
Presently my itinerary gives me sightseeing in Tokyo tomorrow morning, so I have the afternoon free and the next day. I will get a map of the trains and the city centre and see how much I can see by myself in the time I have. Fortunately most of the signs are repeated in English (except on some roads – glad I didn’t arrange a rental here) and the subway stations (that’s railway, not the food stores) are clearly marked. Riding them may be a different experience.
So farewell from the far east and we’ll see how tomorrow goes.
1 June
And so my last day in Europe dawned.
I gathered everything together, cleaned my shoes, had a shower and dressed, packed most of my suitcase and backpack and then went down for breakfast. Breakfast is a smorgasbord, with toast (white and brown), cereal, bread rolls, a type of croissant, teas (but no plain ones, all fruit or herbal), coffee and orange juice. I sat watching the French Sunrise program and could understand what they were talking about, but no the detail.
After, I went back up to my room, checked that all was packed, finished by cleaning my teeth and remembering to put that into the suitcase (toothpaste tube over volume limits for cabin luggage) and then sent my last bulk email.
I’ll briefly describe the place I am staying, as I forgot to add some pictures for today.
Reception leads into a corridor with a breakfast room off to one side and residential room for the rest. With fifteen on the ground floor and twenty-six on the next three floors, each room has either two singles on the floor and a raised bunk, a double on the floor and a raised bunk or four (and I’m not sure of their disposition). The room rates are €44-€65 a night for a room, €4,80 for breakfast and €4 for outside parking (€6 for undercover parking). They each have a shower, toilet and handbasin in a prefabricated section about the size of a telephone booth. Towels are of normal size, so all in all it’s a reasonable place to stay. Being less than five minutes from the airport makes it handy and I can see two different types staying here – those who arrive, book in, get a night’s sleep and then go on their way and those who arrive the day before they leave, get a night’s sleep and can then be at the airport within a few minutes (actually about thirty when you go by bus, as you have to wait at this end, then wait for it to do the circuit if you happen to be the last off).
I left after checking everything three or four times and cleaned out the car. As every other flight I have been on said “one piece of cabin luggage AND a computer bag”, I packed the computer separately (more later). I connected the phone and the iPod to charge and went for a little drive, to kill time, to calm me down and to use up some of the diesel I had paid for and someone else is now going to use.
After a while, everything was charged (including me, all hyped up) so I set course for Charles de Gaulle Airport and, on arriving, was glad to see the TT notices to return the car. I put it in, together with the accident report from the French Police, and then was taken by shuttle to Terminal 2. The first sign I saw on entering the airport: “ONE piece of cabin luggage” and no mention of computers. But Japan Airlines aren’t up yet (it’s Air France’s notices) so I will have to wait and see. The best laid plans of mice and men…
I felt strangely nostalgic about leaving France, as though part of me belonged here (which I don’t feel in England, yet dad was born there, and I haven’t felt in any other country. Once I’m on the plane and heading home, I may feel different.
I tried ringing reverse charges from the airport to WestPac and there was again no provision and all the operators will only give information on their service (naturally I suppose, as they are out to make money), so I bit the bullet and rang on my AMEX card – I hate to see what the charges will be! The matter was cleared up quickly and I was asked to notify them when I go overseas – WHICH I HAD DONE! SO I’m not too happy a chappy at the moment.
I have a bottle of diluted orange juice to last me until the flight, but each drink I take reminds me that what goes in must go out – and that means I have to take everything with me, unless I happen to find someone who can keep an eye on things for me (and that trust has to work both ways). It’s one of the perils of travelling on one’s own nowadays.
At the airport, of course, there is WiFi at considerable expense, so I thought I would use up my last entitlement under Orange France – only to find it expired a day ago, so no WiFi for me at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The weather today is overcast, slightly humid and about 18°C.
After seeing people go up for an earlier flight, I had a more careful look at the screens over the terminal personnel and found they were catering to two flights at once – an earlier flight and mine, to Tokyo. By the time I went up, there were no window seats left so I am stuck in the middle somewhere. Hopefully it means I can sleep a little, as the flight leaves here at 1905 local time and arrives in Tokyo 1355 local time.
I decided once I had got my boarding pass to go through immigration and security straight away, just in case I got delayed. I thought I had done it all right, but the x-ray operator thought there was something peculiar, so my backpack got gone through – very thoroughly, by a charming young French girl – and we just managed to close it up. I got through with my computer in the backpack from the Grand Canyon (the FREE gift with the movie show ticket), otherwise the things I had in my had were a little bulky, and difficult to keep together. I am going to have to get things better for the numerous flights I’ll be doing in the second half – but I don’t want too large a suitcase, as I have to tote it around with me, and I certainly don’t want a small suitcase to use as cabin luggage. Then again, I won’t have anything for a car – SatNav, power leads and cords – but I will have other things for charging the mobile and iPod with me. I will have to practice in the intervening time.
I’m now waiting in the boarding lounge (F52) as my flight is the next one, but I can’t see a power socket so I won’t be writing too much.
I heard, then chatted to, an Australian couple from Cairns, on their way back from a holiday in Italy and Malta. We compared notes on travelling and different experiences, then parted when we boarded (they were even further up the back of the plane than I was). I was sitting in the middle of the middle row, between a young Japanese man on my left (who spoke good English) and an older Japanese woman on my right (who spoke reasonable English). Before we took off, I was “tagged” and my meal arrived not long after takeoff. Guess what? Diabetic meal with loads of sugar (some dieticians!) and fish, so I avoided that and ate around it, then kept my fingers crossed nothing happened.
As we taxied, on the screens we got a pilot view of our path. We started taxiing at 7:05 p.m. and at 7:22 we approached the runway. I thought we were gong to Japan on the ground! Once in the air, we had a wonderful panoramic view of the French countryside until cloud covered it. We also went over Ribe in Denmark – suddenly I had this feeling of “been there, seen that”!
On this flight, the usual warnings about not using things came up - including not to use laptops AT ALL on the flight. So mine stayed under, despite me wanting to write.
Somethings did happen – the first was the itchy sensation under the skin from too high a sugar level (not much I could do by then, but I resolved to eat the meal more carefully and with discrimination, though leaving food uneaten is hard for me to do) and the second was the racing pulse, high temperature and bilious feeling in the stomach – usually preludes to a day or so of reaction to the fish (or other seafood). I tried to get to sleep, convincing myself I hadn’t eaten any fish and it was only psychological. Did it work? You and I will find out tomorrow.
I gathered everything together, cleaned my shoes, had a shower and dressed, packed most of my suitcase and backpack and then went down for breakfast. Breakfast is a smorgasbord, with toast (white and brown), cereal, bread rolls, a type of croissant, teas (but no plain ones, all fruit or herbal), coffee and orange juice. I sat watching the French Sunrise program and could understand what they were talking about, but no the detail.
After, I went back up to my room, checked that all was packed, finished by cleaning my teeth and remembering to put that into the suitcase (toothpaste tube over volume limits for cabin luggage) and then sent my last bulk email.
I’ll briefly describe the place I am staying, as I forgot to add some pictures for today.
Reception leads into a corridor with a breakfast room off to one side and residential room for the rest. With fifteen on the ground floor and twenty-six on the next three floors, each room has either two singles on the floor and a raised bunk, a double on the floor and a raised bunk or four (and I’m not sure of their disposition). The room rates are €44-€65 a night for a room, €4,80 for breakfast and €4 for outside parking (€6 for undercover parking). They each have a shower, toilet and handbasin in a prefabricated section about the size of a telephone booth. Towels are of normal size, so all in all it’s a reasonable place to stay. Being less than five minutes from the airport makes it handy and I can see two different types staying here – those who arrive, book in, get a night’s sleep and then go on their way and those who arrive the day before they leave, get a night’s sleep and can then be at the airport within a few minutes (actually about thirty when you go by bus, as you have to wait at this end, then wait for it to do the circuit if you happen to be the last off).
I left after checking everything three or four times and cleaned out the car. As every other flight I have been on said “one piece of cabin luggage AND a computer bag”, I packed the computer separately (more later). I connected the phone and the iPod to charge and went for a little drive, to kill time, to calm me down and to use up some of the diesel I had paid for and someone else is now going to use.
After a while, everything was charged (including me, all hyped up) so I set course for Charles de Gaulle Airport and, on arriving, was glad to see the TT notices to return the car. I put it in, together with the accident report from the French Police, and then was taken by shuttle to Terminal 2. The first sign I saw on entering the airport: “ONE piece of cabin luggage” and no mention of computers. But Japan Airlines aren’t up yet (it’s Air France’s notices) so I will have to wait and see. The best laid plans of mice and men…
I felt strangely nostalgic about leaving France, as though part of me belonged here (which I don’t feel in England, yet dad was born there, and I haven’t felt in any other country. Once I’m on the plane and heading home, I may feel different.
I tried ringing reverse charges from the airport to WestPac and there was again no provision and all the operators will only give information on their service (naturally I suppose, as they are out to make money), so I bit the bullet and rang on my AMEX card – I hate to see what the charges will be! The matter was cleared up quickly and I was asked to notify them when I go overseas – WHICH I HAD DONE! SO I’m not too happy a chappy at the moment.
I have a bottle of diluted orange juice to last me until the flight, but each drink I take reminds me that what goes in must go out – and that means I have to take everything with me, unless I happen to find someone who can keep an eye on things for me (and that trust has to work both ways). It’s one of the perils of travelling on one’s own nowadays.
At the airport, of course, there is WiFi at considerable expense, so I thought I would use up my last entitlement under Orange France – only to find it expired a day ago, so no WiFi for me at Charles de Gaulle Airport.
The weather today is overcast, slightly humid and about 18°C.
After seeing people go up for an earlier flight, I had a more careful look at the screens over the terminal personnel and found they were catering to two flights at once – an earlier flight and mine, to Tokyo. By the time I went up, there were no window seats left so I am stuck in the middle somewhere. Hopefully it means I can sleep a little, as the flight leaves here at 1905 local time and arrives in Tokyo 1355 local time.
I decided once I had got my boarding pass to go through immigration and security straight away, just in case I got delayed. I thought I had done it all right, but the x-ray operator thought there was something peculiar, so my backpack got gone through – very thoroughly, by a charming young French girl – and we just managed to close it up. I got through with my computer in the backpack from the Grand Canyon (the FREE gift with the movie show ticket), otherwise the things I had in my had were a little bulky, and difficult to keep together. I am going to have to get things better for the numerous flights I’ll be doing in the second half – but I don’t want too large a suitcase, as I have to tote it around with me, and I certainly don’t want a small suitcase to use as cabin luggage. Then again, I won’t have anything for a car – SatNav, power leads and cords – but I will have other things for charging the mobile and iPod with me. I will have to practice in the intervening time.
I’m now waiting in the boarding lounge (F52) as my flight is the next one, but I can’t see a power socket so I won’t be writing too much.
I heard, then chatted to, an Australian couple from Cairns, on their way back from a holiday in Italy and Malta. We compared notes on travelling and different experiences, then parted when we boarded (they were even further up the back of the plane than I was). I was sitting in the middle of the middle row, between a young Japanese man on my left (who spoke good English) and an older Japanese woman on my right (who spoke reasonable English). Before we took off, I was “tagged” and my meal arrived not long after takeoff. Guess what? Diabetic meal with loads of sugar (some dieticians!) and fish, so I avoided that and ate around it, then kept my fingers crossed nothing happened.
As we taxied, on the screens we got a pilot view of our path. We started taxiing at 7:05 p.m. and at 7:22 we approached the runway. I thought we were gong to Japan on the ground! Once in the air, we had a wonderful panoramic view of the French countryside until cloud covered it. We also went over Ribe in Denmark – suddenly I had this feeling of “been there, seen that”!
On this flight, the usual warnings about not using things came up - including not to use laptops AT ALL on the flight. So mine stayed under, despite me wanting to write.
Somethings did happen – the first was the itchy sensation under the skin from too high a sugar level (not much I could do by then, but I resolved to eat the meal more carefully and with discrimination, though leaving food uneaten is hard for me to do) and the second was the racing pulse, high temperature and bilious feeling in the stomach – usually preludes to a day or so of reaction to the fish (or other seafood). I tried to get to sleep, convincing myself I hadn’t eaten any fish and it was only psychological. Did it work? You and I will find out tomorrow.
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