Japan: Final Impressions

Things I miss:
- the very kind and polite people
- organization
- engrish

Things I won't miss:
- the lack of public trashcans
- the massive amount of paperwork / intractable beaurocracy
- raw egg

Things I still don't understand:
- all the bowing
- AKB48
- the lack of wifi
- where all the robots are at

Other observations:
- they like blonde haired women just as much as you like asians
- an entire population has been trained to carefully separate their trash into over three types of bins, even in mcdonalds
- you can purchase almost anything from a vending machine

One summer is definitely not enough for Japan. A post-doc for two years would be a good way to take in the country and learn the language while at it. I definitely hope to return to the land of the rising sun someday.

Making the Most of your Japan Rail Pass

The last week of travel was done almost entirely on the Japan rail pass. Purchased from Vivre Le Japan it cost about 250 euros. Here's the breakdown of the major train travel I used the rail pass for (all in yen):

Tokyo -> Kyoto           13,020

Kyoto -> Nara                   690

Osaka -> Himeji             3,340

Himeji -> Hiroshima      7,870

Hiroshima -> Tokyo    16,630

Total: 41,550 yen

Rail Pass Cost: 26,408 yen

Or, I paid about $350 for $550 worth of travel. Not bad. A round trip ticket from Tokyo to Kyoto is enough to justify the price, and Hiroshima just made it that much better of a deal. The real kicker was using the rail pass for the overnight train from Hiroshima to Tokyo. This only works for a few select overnight trains, and you end up in the lowest grade seats. However, as long as you board the train before midnight on the last day of your travel, it still counts the following morning until you exit the train. So for my 7th day of rail travel, I boarded the sleeper at 10:30 and arrived in Tokyo at 7 am on the 8th day of travel, without having to pay any extra. This effectively replaces a half day of travel with more time for sightseeing, and allowed me to see Sandan-kyo. 

The Sunrise-seto sleeper was almost like being in a capsule hotel

I like experiencing sleeper trains in different countries. My first week in asia I slept on the dirty unreserved floor space of a train from Beijing to Xi'an, only to return to Beijing in a comfortable soft-sleeper. My last night in Japan would be spent in their most uncomfortable of sleeping cars, but still better than an isle floor in China. The compartment wasn't much better than a pod hotel, and if you sat up  you could see everyone sleeping from one end of the train car to the other, except for those bunked above you. I was inserted between a mother and her child, and quickly motioned that we could switch so she could be next to her son, which she seemed grateful for. The train had one more surprise: it was one of the few trains in Japan I had been on that was unusually late. Instead of arriving in Tokyo at 7 am, it arrived at 9:50. I got last minute souvenirs from a shop, headed to campus to get my luggage, and then to Narita airport to get my 5 pm flight back to the states. 

Sandan-kyo

Lonely Planet suggested Koya-san was one of the most peaceful places on earth, but after a visit to Sandan-kyo I'd have to disagree. The path was not nearly as crowded as any of the other hikes I had ventured on in Asia, while the scenery was the most remarkable, perhaps rivaled only by the alien landscapes of Mt. Fuji. 

A man pulls you on a boat to this enclave. 

Can anyone identify?

Hiroshima

My main motivation for coming to Hiroshima was of course its history, being one of the two cities destroyed by an atomic bomb. 

The atomic bomb exploded about 600 meters above the Atomic Bomb Dome, one of the few remaining structures that withstood the shock from the explosion. Was this because the bomb exploded directly overhead and the shock waves expanded outwards? Detonation at 600 meters was done specifically because the propagation of shock waves would cause maximum damage when originating from this height. Whatever the cause, this building was one of the few remaining after the explosion, and was kept as a reminder and memorial of the attack. The museum was of course very moving, evoking emotion with relics and photographs in a similar manner to the Holocaust museum. It was interesting to see the descriptions of why the bomb was dropped from a Japanese perspective. Words were not phrased with any animosity, simply the facts were presented. The two main reasons presented for dropping the bomb were 1) to bring an end to the war before the Soviets got extensively involved and made a claim to more of East Asia, and 2) the cost of the Manhattan Project was so large that using the bomb to end the war was necessary to justify the program. 

Before heading to the museums, I took a look at Miyajima, housing the Itsukushima Shrine, one of the most photographed sites in all of Japan. 

A visit to Miyajima also consisted of a trolly ride to the top of the mountain. 

5 if run really fast

Nightlife in Hiroshima was interesting to say the least. There seemed to be an unnaturally high concentration of scandalous bars in the nightlife district. We were fortunate enough to run into a local self-proclaimed otaku at the Mac bar, and he proceded to take us to a maid cafe. Maid cafes are the Japanese equivalent of hooters, except the girls dress in maid costumes, sometimes with cat ears. We made the most of our 30 minutes of unlimited drinks, and then headed back to the hostel. 

Koya-san

Supposedly the most peaceful place on earth (according to Lonely Planet) this mountain buddist sanctuary houses an amazing set of temples to stay the night, an an impressive buddist graveyard. 

The temple we stayed at

A stay at the temple includes an evening meditation prayer session, and a morning chanting prayer session. Each of these was an experience to participate in and observe. Whatever your denomination, 40 minutes of meditation is enough to make your thoughts wander interesting places, and the chanting of the morning session presents well enough to ponder as well. You are also served two meals of the monk's vegetarian cuisine (shojin ryori). I'm not sure why this also is anti-garlic, but some of the tofu was good, while other dishes were questionable. We were put in an eating room with the only two other foreigners visiting the temple, likely so we could not interfere with the rest of the Japanese with our lack of understanding for proper table mannerisms. 

The main attraction atop Koya-san is Okunoin, a buddist graveyard where Kobo Daishi is enshrined. 

I didn't expect to come across a spaceship in Koya-san, but apparently it is dedicated to an aerospace company. 

Himeji Castle

A two hour stop on the Shinkansen from Osaka to Hiroshima is just the right amount of time to visit Himeji castle, one of the best preserved and few remaining castles in Japan. Unfortunately at the time of my visit the castle was undergoing restoration until 2014. They were however, kind enough to show and image on the restoration casing showing me what I was missing. 

Despite the restoration, the walk among the castle walls was still worth the visit. Although it was a bit disappointing that they charged extra to visit the restoration platform which obscured the view of the main castle keep. 

This plaques are at the end of roofing units and have the seal of the samurai that helped build the castle. 

Osaka

Only one night, was spent in Osaka. Our visit consisted of the famous Osaka Aquarium, Osaka Castle, and a memorable night with our CouchSurfing host. 

The design of the Osaka Aquarium was most impressive. The tour went along the Ring of Fire, a chain of trenches, volcanic chains, and volcanic arcs around the pacific basin. The design of the aquarium is a large pacific tank in the center, with a path that spirals around the tank from top to bottom. On the spiral you visit visits in an arc around the Ring of Fire, and see each tank repeatedly from different heights as you descend deeper in the spiral. 

Whale Shark

Jelly Fish

Osaka shore

Osaka Castle

Samurai

To the death