A Plum Job … Osaka, Japan

I finally have some decent internet again and a day to myself so I am determined to catch you all up to date. 

Before I get started on Japan I realised that I forgot to tell you about China ‘vomgate’! To be honest it’s one of those moments where you had to be there but imagine if you will a party involving copious amounts of our new favourite drink baijiu. Unfortunately the youngest member of our group, a sweet 18 year old girl, had clearly tried to keep pace with the more hardened drinkers among the group and the result was pretty messy. One minute she was conscious, the next it looked like she was having a stroke, talking slow motion gibberish, vomming all over the table, mid-sentence, then passing out. The actual doctor was too drunk to do anything so Jess and I had to play nurse and we ended up with a delirious naked teenager trying to go and sleep on the street! I’m very glad I’ve grown out of that… see upcoming Philippines blog for my own vom-gate.

After such a turbulent few weeks in China I could not wait to touch down in Japan. Before I left Shanghai my Australian friend Chloe gave me the best advice I’ve ever been give: “Press all the buttons on the toilet and drink as much plum wine as you can. You won’t regret it. ” I took her at her word and she was so right! 

Day 70-72 Osaka Leanne flew in from Yorkshire and it was so nice to be reunited with a friendly face from home and my jeans! Unfortunately she also brought the weather with her so the first couple of days were a bit wet and cold  We visited the Umeda Sky Building where we had an awesome view of the city and also Osaka-Jo Castle which was a bit boring but got us out of the rain. Our favourite place was the Museum of History where we had a hysterical time dressing up in authentic Japanese clothing; the ladies helping us spoke no English but the conversation they were having about us being too big for all the clothes needed no translation! We also had a great time in Dotonburi where we tried lots of amazing food, including ramen and Kobe beef, and our first plum wine which was served with sherbet. YUMMY! 

Day 73-74 Hiroshima We got our first Japanese bullet train to Hiroshima, which was fabulous as expected. On the first day we visited the A-Bomb Dome and the Peace Park with all its memorials to the the horrific atomic bomb dropped there. It was incredibly poignant and very sobering considering the time we are living in with Trump and North Korea. 

Next day We visited Mayajima Island on the ferry. We spent The day wandering around the temples and and pagodas in the sunshine and found our first bit of cherry blossom. Hurrah! 

Day 74-76 Takayama Our stay in Takayama started rather dramatically when we arrived at the train station late at night and I realised that I had left my precious JR rail pass at Ngoya Station, predictably distracted when buying snacks. Luckily a very nice man at the station called them and located my pass and allowed me to go back on the train the next day to pick it up! Something or someone is definitely looking out for me! 

After a night in some traditional Japanese lodgings, where you sleep on the floor on tatami mats, we got the bus up into the Alps to Hirayu to stay in an onsen hotel. In theory I knew that the Onsen would mean getting naked and I’m not usually shy but when you actually get there it’s quite intimidating to begin with. You don’t even take a towel.. Just stark naked wandering around! We started in the the private spa with a bottle of wine to get brave and then after dinner we went to the public spa and sat in the hot water under the stars. It was very liberating but I’m still glad there was only one other person there!

Day 76-79 Tokyo Our first night in Tokyo we decided to nip round the corner for a drink and dinner and ended up having an unforgettable experience. We walked into this little place and there was an audible gasp from all of the locals and staff. We didn’t know what to do but we didn’t want to be rude so we sat down at the nearest table whilst everyone stared at us. After 30 minutes of making jokes about it being “a local bar for local people” and watching the staff avoid/hide from us we decided to take matters into our own hands. We found a picture of a menu which had plum wine written in both English and Japanese and using sign language we managed to order a drink. At that point they realised that we weren’t leaving so they called in enforcements and a friend of their’s arrived  to help us order and translate for everyone! We ended up having  a great meal and copious amounts of their delicious homemade plum wine.  When our bill came it was far too cheap so we asked them to check but it turns out that they were so impressed that we had come to their restaurant, as they had never had any tourist, and they wanted to give us all our drinks for FREE! We weren’t even allowed to tip!  

The following day we explored Harajuku, watched the crazy Shibuya Crossing and did a slightly odd walking tour of Shinjuku which included the red light district and a Godzilla statue. 

We also did a lovely day trip to Nikko from Tokyo. We caught the old fashioned train and spent a gorgeous day exploring the World Heritage site which is filled with beautiful temples and natural wonders like the Shinkyo Bridge and the Kammangafuchi Abyss.  

Before leaving Tokyo we visited the National Museum which was one of the smartest museums Ive been to, particularly in Asia. There’s soooo much to see and it’s really beautifully curated. I’d definitely recommend if your ever in Tokyo.

Day 79-82 Kyoto We reached Kyoto  in the dark and pouring rain and spent 20 minutes walking in the wrong direction being lead by a crazy Emma Watson fan who wanted to practice his English, so we were super relieved to finally reach our capsule hotel. Unfortunately I’d done it again and managed to book us in for the following week. What is wrong with me?! Fortunately I must have done something right in a former life as we managed to sort it out and Celebrate with an Onsen. 

Day one in Kyoto we visited the Arashiyama Bamboo Forest and I used my selfie stick for the first time. It helped me to get a response really nice photos but I still feel like a knob when using it. In the afternoon we visited the Nishiki Market and tried street food and then we caught a cultural show in Goin, the Geisha quarter. The show was a bit weird and included a tea ceremony, martial arts, music, comedy, Bunyraku puppets and Maiko and Geisha dancing. It was really interesting to see all the traditional art forms but the puppets were like something from a horror movie! 

Day two we visited the Fushimi Inari Temple and got the obligatory shot of us amongst the orange pillars before getting lost in the Japanese countryside. It was so sunny and pretty it felt like being in Devon. On the final day we definitely trumped it though with a trip to the Kinkakuji Temple which is covered in gold. It was AWESOME! 

Day 83 Nara All I knew about Nara was that there were deer there. There’s actually lots of temples there and even a big Buddha, which we visited, but I have to admit the highlight of my day was still the deer. At a certain point you get a bit templed-out and getting a selfie (Or #delfie if you will!) becomes much more fascinating. And they weren’t just good for photo ops. Watching them abuse stupid tourists was better than an episode of You’ve Been Framed. It was the perfect last day for Lea.  

Day 84 Osaka Saying goodbye to Leanne was harder than I thought it would be. The realisation that she would be back in Lund (where she lives just down the road from my mum) within 24 hours was surreal and I felt lonely and a bit bereft after such a fun fortnight together. I spent the day in Dotonburi eating ramen and feeling sorry for myself. In the evening I drank the last of the gin whilst watching a really soppy chick flick. It wasn’t  Bridget Jones and I didn’t sing All By Myself, but I might as well of done. 

Day 85 Fly to Manila in The Philippines!