Following a day with monks and meditation, we made our way down the coast to Kurashiki. The journey from Koya-san down the mountain is an experience in itself as the little train winds and bends its way down the single track (one can almost hear it complain as it twists along) The mountainside is covered with spindly tall trees that have grown tall and thin as they fight each other for sunlight - the snow dusting makes it all magical. A long day on fast trains sees us make it to Kurashiki (a quaint Edo-era town of traditional buildings lining narrow canals).
Not much more to the day itself than a curry and to bed. This blog would not be complete without a mention of our best meal in Japan so far - a tiny little curry house (Japanese curry that is) off a side street and we were the only table in the place... the owner took this as an invitation to practise his English on us and we spent the rest of the evening shuffling pages in our respective phrase books in order to hold a basic conversation. We were rewarded with a brilliant meal and very entertaining conversation - if you are ever in the area you must go to Naish Curry!
James Bond moments are never far away and the following day we wandered around Himeji castle. The structure is amazing and all wood above the foundation. The weight is estimated at 5000 tons - http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Himeji_Castle
Bombed and attacked many time it has had to have much repair work done to it, but a walk to the top is rewarding and pretending to be Tom Cruise (Last Samurai was filmed here) in ninja-style moves along the way was even more entertaining.
The picture says it all and yes, for those James Bond fans out there, this is from 'You Only Live Twice.'
Dutifully following the guidebook we got a bento box lunch and had it in the castle grounds. I was treated to the worst food I have yet had in Japan and accidentally ate some seafood smelling thing (yet to be identified) Simon on the other hand discovered cans of warm tea from a vending machine - all his Christmases had come at once to this Englishman!
From film sets to horrific events. Tuesday saw us off to Hiroshima and I am not sure we were prepared for the magnitude of the lesson in history.
The Peace Park (above) and Memorials were very moving, but the clearest message of all was of how strongly the people of Hiroshima appeal to the abolition of nuclear weapons throughout the world. The life stories and photographs were a bit of a shock to the system and in stark contrast to that of the Japan we had experienced to date.
The A-bomb Dome was the only structure still standing after the bomb exploded and it has been left as it was as the stark memorial to the events of that day. It is staggering to stand in the middle of a city (now a cosmopolitan hub) and imagine how it all vanished in a moment.
The origami crane statue is in memory of all who suffered the side effects - to a little girl who got leukemia 7 years later and suddenly died. She believed that if she made 1000 cranes she would be cured, but didn't reach her goal before she died - from that day in 1955 to today, children all over the world make origami cranes to support the message of peace. We loved Hiroshima and if ever back in Japan one day, it is a must-see destination.
Then we turned tail and headed for Tokyo - we had gone as far south as we could and Wednesday was mostly spent on the Shinkasen rushing through the countryside heading for the big city once more. I have noticed that we are both reading a lot (for pleasure and not work or CIPD this time) and devouring book after book. Simon had to hunt down the only English bookshop in Hiroshima to get a new fix of literature! Good thing too - 5 hours on a train means you run out of things to talk about!
Big city lights - this reminds me of a scene out of Lost in Translation. A Tokyo (the very famous electric district) I expected. Never before have you seen so many gadgets - for everything. The funniest were the exercise machines that simulated horse riding - we must have been there for 20min riding and laughing as we rode off into the sunset side by side!
Thursday is Chinese New Year day and no better place (other than China possibly) to see it in than Chinatown in Yokohama. What a fab place. Beyond the restrictions of an already crowded Tokyo is a very stylish, new, sparkling city. The shops are like nothing I have ever seen. More shops from everywhere, every brand, every style, every country, ever everything - all in one place. Clare Rule - I did think of you as we wandered the floors (not buying anything!)
Chinatown was a buzz with steaming stands of large dumplings, lion dancing, firecrackers on every corner and people by the thousand. We didn't stand still for too long for fear of having a lantern hung from us - every other stationary object was adorned with one! Dumpling and green tea and roasted chestnuts - welcome the year of the rat!
Not bad for one posting - more Tokyo tales to follow soon I am sure.
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