Day number 6 in Japan and I just arrived in Tokyo after an overnight bus ride. I will have to catch the bullet train next time. In light of my ever growing expense spreadsheet, I took the bus to save about $150. I can use that money for other things like taking a day trip to Mt. Fuji (the highest point in Japan)..

Japan is probably one of the most expensive countries I have been in and definitely one of the most expensive places in Asia. For example a movie might cost you $1,800 yen which is essentially $22 dollars. A restaurant meal may cost you the same or more depending on where you eat, but you can get some cheap stuff as well. Like ramen at a restaurant my cost you 550 yen, sushi 1000+ at a restaurant, maybe 600+ at the grocery store. Sushi here tastes pretty much the same way it does in the US, there is just a lot more variety here I suppose.

What I have I been up to the last couple of days?

Instead of taking a trip to Nara (and visiting more shrines and temples) on Saturday, I met up with a fellow Japanese Couch Surfer that lives outside of Kyoto. It’s always nice to meet up with locals and actually be taken around with people who know the city. Very helpful. We basically walked the city and Naomi explained ALL thing Japanese to me.

Me: Why does everyone where those hospital masks?

Naomi (laughing): The Japanese are very germ conscious and do not want to catch colds.

We laughed at all the people wearing them we saw that day, which seemed like 1 in 4 people. I am actually remembering that at the airport, they had a quarantine station at immigration where they looked at peoples eyes and at their throat that looked sick I suppose.

Me: What is the proper way to hold/use chop sticks?

Naomi (showing me): Rest the bottom stick on your ring finger, use the pointer and index finger to move the top one and grab. Your skills are actually pretty good, we have to practice when we are kids. Picking up little beans. Nowadays a lot of the kids, go to second school (until late at night), miss chopstick lessons and do not use them properly.

Me (all day) why this, that and the other?

Me (At the market): What is the name of this, that and the other?

She graciously explained the names of things, what they are used for, when they are eaten etc.

The market was fabulous for pics and strolling!!! All things strange and Japanese. They loved pickled veggies. You can taste test them. I am not a fan. We also tried a bunch of sweet black and red beans. Good!!. Then we ate these gummy green things with sweet bean paste inside. I couldn’t get past the consistency. Its like gummy bears meets uncooked dough. We tried loads of other things, dried fish, dried fruit, crackers, cakes etc. Strange food of the day. They have these large dried fish that are dried so hard I looks like piece of wood. They then shave these fish to make what looks like thing wood flakes that are sold and used in soup. Another interesting thing: some rice dishes are served with a raw egg on top. Naomi had one of these for dinner when we ate at a beef bowl restaurant.

We went to an electronics store: I have never seen such a thing. There were like 100 different varieties of everything. Naomi was looking for a battery for her Iphone, so I was nearby looking at all of the different types of Iphone covers. You can get a noodle cover.

Next we walked downtown and stopped by a Shrine. In Shintoism – during the new year, there are are a lot of people going to the shrines and making wishing/offerings. All of the Shrines are crowded with people buying palm tree leaves with trinkets on them that I suppose represent things they want. There are also wood blocks with drawings and other things that people buy and hang or tie on pillars. I have pics of one of the most famous Shrines in Kyoto I took the next day.

We finished our evening off by going to an art center, having some Japanese beer and then a beef bowl. After a long hard day, I went to a Sento (bath house/sauna) that is across the street from my hostel. These are the cheapest things in Japan, only $5 for however long you want to stay a towel, shampoo and body wash. But, its too damn hot in these places you can not stay in there long. I lasted maybe 30 minutes.

The next day I went to the Fushimi Inari Shrine to witness the festival – i.e. thousands of people buying, selling, offerings and walking up this never ending path of orange pillars and stairs. Then I went to a quieter part of town hugging the mountains and walked through a bamboo forest. If you want to view all of my Japan pics, go to the Picasa link on the right of the main blog page.

Randomness

This whole blog was full of randomness, need I say more?

I have yet to write a poem about Japan, I don’t think I have anymore creativity in me so I will linger in that space until I reach the sun in the Outback. Consequently when I arrive in Australia it will be raining, sad. Oh well. I will post some old ones for you all though. Whats beautiful: scenery, culture etc. Whats broken: People seem to work too hard. Someone was telling me about how kids are in school from early in the morning and then after normal school go to second school til 10 pm and then do homework until late.

So I was talking to my mom and she asked me did I need anything when I got home. “Like what” I said. “I don’t know” she replied, “like underwear” (what is it with moms and underwear? do they ever cease to want to by you underclothes). Anyway back to the subject that was TMI. I said “no, what I will need is a card and a vacation.” “A vacation!!!” she said. “Isn’t this a vacation”. I laughed hard at that one. “This is definitely NOT a vacation, its an experience an adventure even, but not a vacation” By far its been on of the hardest and most tiring things I have done, probably the most incredible too. Such duality.

a response to William Meredith a Major Work

Marching Onward

Death is hard to live through

Life we cease to understand

Failure is something we fear

And how we loved is all we remember in the end.

But whether from a flash of inspiration

Or a divine hand

The heart, mind and soul converge

And the body marches onward