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  • Kristyna Collins
mar. – may. 2024

Japan

Una aventura de 77 días de Kristyna Leer más
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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 39-40

    9 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ⛅ 11 °C

    Day 39

    Today we left Yamaguchi and headed all the way back up to Osaka as we begin our journey up north. After a few hours of travelling we made it to Osaka station and took the metro to our hostel, dumped our bags here and then went out again.

    Now today (being the 8th of April) is Buddhas birthday in Japan known as Hana matsuri, japan actually celebrate this earlier than the rest of Asia due to them swapping their calendar! Having researched heavily online I couldn’t find any form of real celebrations happening in Japan today which I thought was strange until I came across one article that said to go to the main temple of that city and they tend to have some kind of display and ceremony. So we headed to Shitennoji which has a beautiful pagoda and grounds with wonderful cherry blossoms. As we wandered around we noticed a statue of Buddha with flowers decorating it as an offering to Buddha. Around the statue a small seating area had been set up with some of the locals sat there. Shortly after we noticed this all the monks came out of the temple and walked over chanting to this area. Watching slightly from afar as we wanted to be respectful they began burning incense and clearly preparing from a ceremony. Then, very sweetly one of the security that escorted the monks invited us to come and stand closer so we got to stand and watch their ceremony! They had many mantras and it was an incredible experience and I think pretty amazing that we got to witness it as we were the only tourists there so not sure how we managed that one! But it didn’t seem a very largely advertised event today if I hadn’t looked it up I wouldn’t have known it was Buddhas birthday today!

    During hana matsuri there is also a tradition to pour green tea over the statues of Buddha but we didn’t see this today but we did get very lucky to see the ceremony!

    After this we wandered around the grounds for a little while before catching the metro out to our activity of the day- sushi making! Those who have kept up well with my blog will be slightly perplexed as we have already done sushi making, expect it wasn’t the classic “proper” sushi if you like and Jacob really wanted to learn and make the proper sushi, so reluctantly I agreed and I’m so glad I did!

    We met the chef outside a metro station with another British couple who were doing the experience and then our chef - Yuki lead us away from the station and we reached a block of apartments where she welcomed us into her home! I was very shocked by this as it didn’t say on the activity description that it was in her home! We took our shoes off as we entered and Yuki gave us some sliders to wear, she welcomed us into her small flat that had sliding door panels and a little kitchen table that we all gathered around to make sushi! We made a few different types of sushi and completely from scratch as we learnt how to properly prepare the rice too! We made Nigiri, sashimi, Maki and Tamago. I discovered that I actually quite like Maki to my absolute surprise! This is the sushi that is rice with fish and vegetables wrapped in a sheet of seaweed. I think the reason I probably liked it was the proportion of fish to rice but this is a huge step forward for me as I seriously don’t eat any fish- until now!!! Making the sushi was also so fun, Yuki was lovely and very helpful and open to lots of questions about cuisine but also Japan in general and her lifestyle. She worked in restaurants for 10 years and now teaches classes for a living! It was a really genuinely authentic experience and was so much fun and it really pushed me as I ate raw octopus! Now that I didn’t like but it’s always good to try new things and it just goes to show that it can work as I now like some fish! Not to dampen anyone’s hopes reading this but I still hated the other types of sushi but progress is progress!

    Day 40

    We had a slow morning today and headed over to Osaka castle which is one of the most famous in Japan as it signifies the end of the wars in Japan and unifying the country. Standing at 55m the gold and green embellished castle is really beautiful. Surrounded by a moat and extensive gardens it’s very easy to waste a few hours enjoying the scenery and wandering through the cherry blossoms to enjoy them before they disappear!

    We then headed to Tenjinbashi-suji Shopping Street which is the longest shopping street in Japan at over a mile long!! I have to say we were a bit disappointed with this as it really wasn’t aimed at tourists at all which is fair enough reallt but there wasn’t really anything that caught our eye. However, we still enjoyed strolling down it and looking through the food markets and stores. After a mile of walking I wanted a quick pit stop so we stopped to grab a late lunch before setting off to our last destination of today- Dotonbori!

    Now I feel that Osaka has been a very laid back city with actually very little energy so far until you get to Dotonbori! Large screens with adverts and posters and light up signs line the buildings- a little like a mini Times Square that leads you to the food street of Dotonbori which is completely bonkers. A long street filled with street food and restaurants with some very wacky eye catching sights. Large plastic moving crabs and cows and fish attached and hanging from buildings advertising restaurants and street food line the street. This is the most busy bustling part of Osaka and it’s so much fun. It feels a bit like a fever dream walking through a sleepy city to then reach noise and smells and lights and people on mass, everywhere!

    We tried two different street food vendors, one selling strawberries on a skewer coated in melted sugar which were delicious and awful for you I’m sure and also a wagyu beef skewer which was mouth wateringly good! So overall today has been pretty varied and once again so much fun!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero
    1

    Day 41

    10 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C

    Today is our last full day in Osaka so we started at the famous Osaka aquarium which was the largest in the world at one point and it really is massive. Huge tanks of fish from all over the world with several floors it takes about 2 hours to walk around! We enjoyed looking at the different types of fish before having a quick coffee and then walking around a nearby plaza. Wondering around the shops we saw a rather odd looking shop that looked like a puppy daycare. Curious we wondered up and you literally pay to go and cuddle puppies, so of course we did. A big room full of about 20 different dogs all running around and playing with each other and all very cuddly it really made me miss my doggies at home! But it was very strange but very cute!

    After this we went on the Osaka equivalent of the London eye and got some lovely panoramic views over the Osaka Bay Area before heading to a rather quirky restaurant! Arriving 20 minutes before opening in order to be the first in the queue we went to Zauo fishing restaurant where they have a large pond full with fish that you catch and then the chef cooks for you! It’s a surreal experience! Shown to our table we were handed a fishing rod. Fishing from our table I waited nervously to catch my fish, we decided to try catch a sea bream as Jacob thought this would be the most “tame” fish for me to try eat.

    Feeling a litttle nibble I tried to catch my first fish but it slipped away with my bait! Eventually after about 15 minutes i managed to hook one and put it in the net before it could get away and handed it quickly over to our waitress to deal with! She handed it back to me for a quick picture before taking it away to the kitchen to be grilled!

    Now it was jacobs turn and after a while he managed to catch another large sea bream! Now whilst the experience is really fun it came to eating the fish. When the fish was served whole- head and tail intact my heart dropped out of my stomach. For those who don’t know I really struggle to eat fish partly because I don’t like the taste but also because they kind of freak me out so this was really challenging me to the extreme! After a bit of a pep talk from Jacob which pretty much consisted of “man up and eat it you’ll be fine” I managed to eat about half of the fish before I timed out. It felt very cruel eating the fish next to its siblings! Jacob happily polished off the rest of my fish before heading off to our last activity today.

    This was the team lab immersive art exhibition in a huge outdoor botanical gardens. With art projected onto huge rocks, lantern like lights on the water, colour changing globes, and a forest full of what looked like rain drops changing colour it was stunning! What was also nice is that the art changes depending on the behaviour of the people in the space, for example if you get closer to something it might get brighter or if you touch one of the globes in changes colour- it’s all very fun actually! All whilst winding through a garden it’s really breathtaking! I absolutely love this kind of modern art and it’s just such a fun way to experience and explore different spaces and forms of art.    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero
    11

    Day 42-44

    12 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 22 °C

    Day 42
    So today we had to leave Osaka and travel to nagoya in Aichi prefecture but there was still one thing left on our bucket list for Osaka- universal studios! Managing to dump our backpacks in a locker in the station we travelled to universal studios and it was SO fun and worth the slightly hideous entry fee! We started at Harry Potter world with a full sized hogsmead and a large hogwarts model it felt like we were in the real thing! It was really fun walking around and going into all the shops that are in the books and films! We then queued for a ride that sat us on these carts that basically immerse you in a ride but only using a screen?! I don’t really know how else to explain it but it was very clever and we both loved it! We also found it hilarious that Harry Potter and Hagrid were talking to us in Japanese!!

    After this we did a few more rides and walked through a whole section dedicated to hello kitty which felt like a rainbow had thrown up and they also had a jaws themed section and Jurassic park! They also had a Nintendo section but this wasn’t covered by our day pass sadly so we had to miss out on this! We then ate in an “American diner” before heading back to the station in the evening to grab our bags and travel up to Nagoya.

    I’m so glad we went to universal studios as we were really debating if it was worth it and it was actually so much fun with the loud music and seriously crazy rides!

    Day 43

    Today we decided to explore Nagoya city at a slower pace, starting at Nagoya castle we wondered through the grounds and stumbled across some street performers which was really weird as it feels very unJapanese as they are always very quiet and respectful and not obnoxiously playing music! Anyway, we sat and watched him for a while and we were so unimpressed with his crystal ball “floating” although it was so obviously not but all the Japanese people there LOVED it so we decided that they need to go see the street performers in London and then they really might be blown away!

    There was also some food stands in the grounds so I had an icecream sandwich and we sat under the trees for a while in the shade as the temperature had really picked up today and was about 22°c!

    After this we headed to Nagoya’s famous shopping street to go on the hunt for some shorts as I wanted to have a pair just in case the weather stays like this for a few days. Only problem is is that the Japanese are on the whole quite small and petite of which I am neither! So every pair of shorts I tried on either I couldn’t get past my thighs or were definitely not long enough to be deemed acceptable! Eventually, after hunting for a while we managed to find some that I’m pretty sure were men’s shorts, but I was happy.

    After some delicious ramen we stumbled across Osu Kannon temple which was absolutely infested by pigeons! And I’m not being dramatic there were hundreds and hundreds lining the whole roof and also on the ground and we soon found out why- there was a box where you could get food out for the pigeons and feed them! We watched one man do this and as he opened the box thousands of pigeons literally dived onto him engulfing him to get to the food it was so bizzare! As I walked up to the box two pigeons landed on me and refused to get off so I decided not to open the box as I would probably suffer a similar fate as the man which I was not happy about so I had one on either shoulder- call me the pigeon whisperer if you will! It was so so strange and I can’t wrap my head around why anyone would encourage pigeons! Then all of a sudden through the speakers you hear a chanting and all the pigeons in unison flew up to the roof of the temple like they were being summoned - SUCH an odd experience!

    Day 44
    To finish off our last day in Nagoya we thought we would tick the main boxes- one being the Nagoya science museum which is 6 floors and two buildings so absolutely massive! Full of immersive exhibitions ranging from cogs to bubbles to different elements to preserved pickled sharks and fish it was really quite the experience! I can see how a Japanese child would be fascinated by science from such a young age as it is presented to them in such an engaging way it really puts our science museum to shame! But none the less we throughly enjoyed making tornados in the tornado simulator and testing out all sort of clever tricks!

    After this we headed to see the 15m high Buddha statue! Tucked away just off the busy main road it suddenly becomes absolutely silent and peaceful in this small little temple, wondering through bamboo you find this HUGE statue of Buddha it’s amazing! With almost no one else there it was lovely to have to ourselves- all apart from one man who insisted he took a picture for us which was very sweet !

    To finish off the day Jacob really wants to go to the Toyota and automobile museum. 4 floors of models of cars ranging from the very first cars ever invented up until 2014 it was boy heaven as far as I’m concerned. I was very eager to find my Toyota aygo 2009 but I guess my car doesn’t quite pass as “cool enough” to be on display! Whilst I was walking around saying “ooo I like this colour” or “this one looks cool” Jacob was much more excited about makes and models than me! After dutifully looking at ALL the cars I managed to pull Jacob away and get a bite to eat!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 45-46

    15 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 24 °C

    Day 45

    Today we left Nagoya to travel to Nagano, I am super excited for our time in Nagano as we have some really cool day trips planned! From Nagoya to Nagano there is a train that takes about 3 hours but it’s very scenic! Nagano borders the Japanese Alps so we went through lots of tunnels through the alps and ran alongside rivers with mountains dusted with snow so three hours actually went pretty quickly!

    Arriving in Nagano we dropped our bags off and caught the train to Obasute which is only about 20kms outside of Nagano city but it’s like stepping into a completely different era. Nagano city is quite buzzy and it has lots of trendy bars and eateries but just outside the city it’s a completely different story.

    As we arrived and got off the train it felt like we had gotten off at a ghost station with just the two of us there we were wondering if we were at the right place! Wondering down through the hilly outcrop we were surrounded by beautiful views of the mountains and Nagano city in the background but most importantly - rice paddies! Terraced down the hill the rice paddies stretched for a few hundred metres alongside cherry blossom farmland and grape crops amongst others that we couldn’t identify! Small houses made of wood and thatched roofs lined the mountainside it was incredibly picturesque!

    As we were enjoying the scenery we saw a few farmers out working on the land and one in the smallest tractor we had ever seen it must have taken him a millennia to complete all his fields! Another with a small machine that appeared to be prepping the ground for planting. The rice paddies are quite marshy and as a result the farmers have built irrigation systems that have small channels of water that run on the sides of the fields to keep the fields boggy. As we went for a closer look I was rather startled when a frog jumped out of no where! Then all of a sudden there were about 10 of them all hopping around the rice field! I guess it actually makes perfect sense for them to be here as it’s nice and damp and cool with lots of choice for bugs but I just hadn’t really thought about it so I was very surprised when we started spotting them!

    Meandering through the farmland enjoying the warmth of the sun we eventually headed back to the train station - up a bloody huge hill to travel back to Nagano city to settle in for the night!

    Day 46

    Today we visited the largest Wasabi farm in Japan- Daio wasabi farm, it’s so large that it produces 150 tons of wasabi a year- I can’t even get my head around that large of a number!

    Despite the farm being in Nagano prefecture it is huge so it took us about three hours to get there which comprised of two trains and then a 45 minute walk.

    Greeted by a wasabi ice cream truck we felt like we had to try it! It was actually surprisingly nice apart from the fresh wasabi paste on top which burned my mouth off so I quickly scraped this off and enjoyed the rest of the ice cream!

    Wondering around the wasabi fields was quite the sight! Wasabi effectively grows in a steam and what’s special about this wasabi farm is that all the water that passes through the farm is spring water from the Japanese alps that flows tactically through the farm! It’s very impressive!

    Vast fields with little green plants dotting the landscape it was quite the operation! Reaching the best view point we had a nice view of the farm with the alps in the background, sitting down and enjoying the view we watched a few of the farmers out in the field picking the wasabi and working on the farm. A lot of the wasabi is covered in a black netting that is to protect them from the sun as wasabi is apparently very sensitive to direct sunlight once it’s developed past a certain stage!

    After taking it all in we wondered through the shop and saw some wasabi wine which we felt like we HAD to try, once we got back we tried this and it was actually very interesting. It was just very weak wine with a really subtle taste of wasabi, I don’t think it would become my regular drink but it’s always good to try new things!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 47-48

    17 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ -3 °C

    Day 47

    So we’ve been trying desperately hard to plan a day trip into the Japanese alps as it feels like it would be SUCH a mistake to miss them. The only problem is that without a car they are almost completely inaccessible. We even looked into staying in the alps and just taking the hit with having to cancel a different booking but the prices were outrageous and the lodges completely inaccessible. We were feeling at our wits end a little as it seemed that our dreams of visiting the alps were becoming more and more impossible to fulfil. Until I found the alpine route. This is a route through the mountains that starts in Nagano in ogizawa and ends in Tateyama in Toyama prefecture. It’s a popular route by car and also for hiking but we still had the problem of no transport until I found a website entirely in Japanese that offered a day ticket through a pathway in the alpine route using only public transport. Absolutely thrilled and seriously surprised that it wasn’t more advertised as it took quite a lot of hunting to find to it we booked it!

    When the alarm blared at 6.30am I groggily got up and got dressed before we grabbed a quiet bite before taking a bus all the way to ogizawa. Luckily the lady at the bus terminal was a saint as we were struggling to find tickets and where the bus went from and she recommended to go to the stop before the station and just as well as we wouldn’t have got a seat on the bus otherwise and then we would have been screwed!

    After 1 1/2 hours we started winding up through the alps with blinding snow on either side the bus pulled into this tiny little bus station literally on the mountainside with nothing around it. Getting off we managed to get a physical copy of our ticket from a vending machine and then began to look for our tour guide. After a while of looking around we couldn’t find one, just the other passengers there. Slightly confused we went back onto the website and translated it all and managed to work out that we didn’t actually have a guide, it’s basically a ticket that secures you a spot on the public transport route but the rest you have to work out yourself! Managing to find a map I felt a little more confident that we knew what we were doing but in truth we made it up as we went along quite a lot!

    We started by taking a cable car through a tunnel in one of the mountains. Climbing out we climbed the 220 steps to the view point which was absolutely spectacular and actually probably the best view of the whole day! A gorgeous frozen dam winding in between the snowy mountains it was just breathtaking, the pictures don’t do it justice we literally stood there in awe it was incredible. Seriously a view of a lifetime. What’s also special is that apart from when your on the public transport it didn’t feel as though there were many people there as everyone dispersed at the viewing points so it didn’t feel really touristy or over crowded. Once again, we were the only western people there, everyone else was Japanese which would explain the Japanese only website but it just seems bizarre that it wasn’t really advertised to the western tourists!

    After this we took a long Ropeway even higher into the mountain range and the highest we went was 3000 metres! It honestly felt like we were in a different world, with no real civilisation in sight just wilderness it was really really special.

    We took a few more buses through the alps before reaching our last stop- the snow wall. Now this isn’t the famous one in Aomori prefecture but it’s just as impressive and I’m sure less busy. The snow wall accumulates in drifts and creates 20 metre high walls of snow. For most of the year the route is inaccessible but from mid March-June they bulldozer a route through the snow creating the snow walls! Wandering through glancing up in awe it’s hard to imagine this level of snowfall it’s just insane. You definitely wouldn’t want to be any where near these mountains in a snow storm! It’s so compact that it’s almost ice now it really is quite the sight and this was probably one of my favourite parts of the day trip!

    The last public transport was an hour bus that slowly made its way down through the mountains with amazing views before ending up at a train station. We took two trains to get home and had a quick dinner before crashing and going to sleep as we had been out of 13 hours and I was shattered but completely and utterly worth it! Amazing day and definitely one to remember.

    Day 48

    Today is our last day in Nagano so we decided to have a relaxed day just exploring the city as we haven’t actually done this yet! Having a yummy breakfast we walked through the city for about 30 minutes before arriving at Zenkōji temple which is a massive temple with a few very large gate entrances and lovely grounds. Sitting in the sun we enjoyed the birds chirping away and took a few photos of them. Jacob got very excited taking photos so I found a nice cherry blossom tree to sit under whilst he wondered around taking photos. After a while we slowly weaved our way through the streets of the city and browsing in shops and stopping for a quick lunch. We explored the city for a few more hours before walking back and having a relaxed evening getting all our things in order for the move tomorrow.    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero
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    Day 49-50

    19 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    Day 49

    Very little to report for today! We left Nagano today and travelled to tochigi which took most of the day so we checked into our room and spent the rest of the evening plotting and planning for the next few days!

    Day 50
    WHAT? Day 50 already?!

    Today we took the train to Nikko city to visit Nikko unesco world heritage site which is MASSIVE as we discovered. It consists of over 100 religious buildings ranging from small shrines hidden away in the forest to huge brightly decorated temple halls with stunning painted ceilings to statues and figures woven into an incredibly historic area. This area for centuries has been known for its sacred buildings with incredible architecture in a beautiful natural setting, it also has close links to the Tokugawa shogunate who ruled over Japan as a dictatorship during the edo period (1606-1868). The reason this is so famous is the edo period is known as the “last traditional period in Japan” before western and foreign influences were introduced.

    The Tokugawa shogunate ruled with an iron fist forbidding social interaction between the classes- warriors, farmers, artisans, and merchants. For examples, peasants who made up around 80% of the population were forbidden to engage in non-agricultural activities to ensure a steady income stream to the rich farm owners.

    So now we know a little background, what was the site actually like. It was nothing like I could have imagined and in the best way possible. I cannot get across the magnitude and scale of this site, over 100 buildings! Jacob and I spent 4 1/2 hours exploring and we definitely didn’t see it all, if anything we barely scratched the surface!

    Some highlights were the 5 story pagoda, now you all must be thinking god aren’t they sick of temples and shrines yet?! Honeslty no! When it’s on this scale and you can get so up close to the pagoda it’s a new experience to the other temples and shrines! Normally the pagodas aren’t really that accessible but this one you could walk right up to!

    Also the colours on these buildings were just sublime! Striking reds and oranges dance down the temple halls with gold flashes and scenes with figurines hidden and tucked away until you take a closer look. Regal white dragons staring down at you guarding the entrances and even a small carving of a sleeping cat which protects the entrance gate of Lord Tokugawa Tokugawa Ieyasu’s grave! We climbed over 200 steps to see the grave which I think I could have just looked at a picture of this one, seriously unimpressive for 200 steps!

    Getting off the beaten track we walked for about an hour finding small wooden shrines hidden in the forest and stone tori gates overseeing waterfalls. It really is an amazing area and once you get away from the main buildings it becomes silent and you barely see any people.

    There are very few places that I’ve been that you get that level of quality interesting sites that compacted in one area, it really was an experience to remember! It is a magical and mystical place full of so much character and history it has definitely been one of my favourite temple sites we’ve visited.

    We actually had more planned to do in Nikko today but we seriously underestimated how long we would need at the temples! So we will actually be going back before we leave tochigi as there is still more to see! Really interesting day with the most stunning architectural designs imbedded in the mountain side and tucked away in the forest, so glad we visited!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 51-53

    22 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    Day 51

    Today we actually went back to Nikko as we wanted to visit the famous Chuzenji lake which is the highest lake in Japan. It was formed 20,000 years ago by the eruption of Mt Natai. The lake now sits at an altitude of 1,200 meters with a circumference of 25km its a pretty impressive sight! It took us a few hours to get here as the lake is located well up a mountain so we had to take a bus up. When I tell you this driver must be incredibly well seasoned as the roads are SO windy I almost fell seasick! I was very glad I wasn’t the one trying to manoeuvre a huge bus around those bends!

    Arriving at a small mountain town we enjoyed some lovely views of the lake but quickly realised that the town was well a bit dead with very little to do! So we just enjoyed wondering around the lake before visiting two sets of waterfalls one is definitely more impressive than the other! But nevertheless some lovely views of the lake. Wondering around a few small shops we picked up a few souvenirs to add to the ever increasing weight of our bags!

    Heading back down the winding road we took the train back for the night. A nice day in a quiet town.

    Day 52

    Today we wanted to have a slow paced day so we decided we would visit the Ashikaga flower park which is famed for its wisteria and beautiful seasonal flowers. A thank you to my mum who sent me an article on this which inspired us to visit!

    It took us about 1 1/2 hours to get there so I picked up my book and then the journey was over in a blink of an eye. Getting off the train we walked around to the entrance of the flower park which was a lot busier than we were expecting! Now unfortunately I rolled my ankle right outside the entrance and went flying! Jacob had to scoop me off the floor and effectively carry me over to a bench, not my finest moment and pretty embarrassing in front of lots of curious Japanese people. We sat down for about 20 minutes before I managed to hobble through the flower park, Jacob offered to rent a wheelchair and wheel me around which I was not interested in!

    The flower park was absolutely stunning with thousands of different flowers from wisteria to tulips the park was massive and really beautiful as almost everything was in full bloom. Definitely worth the visit, we also had some wisteria flavoured ice cream, I’ve never eaten wisteria before to tell you if it was accurate or not but it was very yummy!

    Unfortunately my ankle was still very sore so we actually headed back for the day so that I could rest it and Jacob managed to fashion an ice pack which consisted of ice in a sock which he tied to my ankle so points for creativity! Not everyday can be perfect but hopefully in a few days it will be right as rain!

    Day 53

    Today we actually have to leave Tochigi to travel up to Fukushima for a few days. Luckily it was only one train but hobbling on a bad ankle with my backpack on is no easy feat and pretty sore! So we took it very slowly and luckily there wasn’t too much walking involved in the transit and it was feeling a little better today so that’s a relief!

    We dropped our bags and then visited a very pretty park at the base of a mountain where I sat and read whilst Jacob went to the summit. I was very happy sitting in the sun with my book and managed to get out of a hike whilst Jacob still got his so a win win I think! A restful rest of today with hopefully a little more on the agenda tomorrow!    Leer más

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    Day 54-56

    24 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ 🌫 11 °C

    Day 54

    Today was pretty uneventful as we decided to have a relaxed day at the hotel to rest up my ankle and get a bit of energy back for the coming days, spending the morning reading and relaxing with the occasional trip to get ice for my ankle it was a very relaxed start to the day.

    Deciding it would be good to walk on it a little to stop it from seizing up we went to visit Iwaya Kannon which is a place of worship at the base of Mt Shinobu and very close to our hotel. There are over 60 Buddhist carvings in the side of the mountain all carved by different generations as a deceleration of faith. It’s pretty hidden away and it’s a bit strange as you can go right up to them and touch them if you wanted to. We obviously didn’t do this but it was protected at all and it’s not really signposted or known about unless you know where to look which is a little bizarre as they are really lovely!

    Many are faded a little by the weather but knowing they have been carved as an offering to the gods is quite special and it was a nice way to still get out of the room today without having to stray too far!

    Day 55

    My ankle was feeling quite a lot stronger today so we decided we would venture out for a day trip to the Goshikiuma ponds. Also known as the “mysterious lakes” it is famous for the emerald green, cobalt blue, turquoise blue, emerald blue, and pastel blue appearance of the different lakes that are completely natural. They were formed from the collapse of the summit of mount Bandai In 1888 due to a steam explosion. The subsequent rock avalanche blocked the river and this led to the formation of lakes in this area and are known for being absolutely stunning.

    Despite the drizzle the colours were more vibrant than I was hoping as we were worried that in the rain they wouldn’t be as visible but it was lovely! A really gentle walking path takes you past the main 5 lakes and some of the water was so clear and incredibly colourful! It was really beautiful and we had it completely to ourselves so very special indeed! I was very grateful for the easy trail for my ankle which held up very well!

    After returning back to Fukushima city we headed for some ramen for dinner and to our surprise they had an English and a good sense of humour!

    Day 56

    Another restful day with little to report! We were planning to go to a volcano today but they closed the walking trails due to the winds today! The only other option was to go visit some of the Fukushima disaster sights from the 2011 tsunami that caused the nuclear plant meltdown but this is 4 hours away from where we are and ironically only an hour and a half away from where we are staying next week so we plan to make that day trip then! So a relaxed day or reading and chilling was on the cards today as we leave Fukushima tomorrow to head to Niigata!    Leer más

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    Day 57-58

    27 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Day 57

    Today we packed up our backpacks once more and headed out of Fukushima to travel to Niigata prefecture. The journey was slightly frustrating as Fukushima is east and Niigata is situated on the west coast but there is no viable route going across the country so we had to head back towards Tokyo and then out to Niigata so it was a bit fiddly! It took us about 4 hours from leaving to arrive at our hotel so we dropped our bags and then headed to the beach for an evening stroll. We were hoping to enjoy sunset however it was very cloudy so we didn’t see much but it was still a nice stroll to end a travel day.

    Day 58

    This morning we wanted to explore Sado island which is just off the coast of Niigata prefecture and is one of Japan’s largest non mainland islands. So we headed down to Niigata port and took the ferry to Sado island which only took about an hour and got up to speeds of 50mph which we thought was pretty impressive!

    We arrived at Sado island and headed to the Toki ibis sanctuary. These birds are endangered and Sado island has taken on breeding and reintroducing them into the wild so quite a feat! The extensive work and dedication to these birds has reduced their status from critically endangered to “just” endangered with 11,000 left in the world. We learnt about their strategies and also got to see some of the birds too. It was definitely interesting and does fill us with some hope for wildlife in this climate crisis we find ourselves in!

    We then headed to the lakeside to enjoy the views of the mountains and the small very run down fishing villages that run along the bank of the lake. The lake was artificially connected to the Sea of Japan to help prevent flooding and as a result has a high salt content so the oyster fishing industry keeps these small villages going.
    With huge piles of old oyster shells literally everywhere it’s slightly bizarre as they litter the landscape!

    As we enjoyed wondering and exploring the island we had some lovely views of rice paddies once more! The rice paddies have actually been flooded now as part of the growing process casting pretty reflections that dance across the water. What was extraordinary was the sounds of the frogs and birds all around the area! Not just in the rice paddies but in small creeks it was actually really beautiful! No sounds of humans just of frogs and birds! We had a lovely stroll enjoying this and also keeping a sharp eye out to see a wild Toki ibis as they apparently are big fans of the rice paddies but sadly they didn’t want to come out of hiding for us today!

    Following this path winding back towards the port it abruptly turned a corner and stopped dead at the main road. Feeling uneasy I consulted Google maps which wanted me to walk right on the main road. Feeling slightly concered I looked at the buses and realised there was a stop just a two minute walk away on the main road. Gathering ourselves we made a quick dash to the bus stop and waited for the bus. Now the bus was coming from the wrong direction so we thought it might turn up the small alley and we would meet it there, but it just stopped dead on the wrong side of the road! The driver signalling us to come around we crossed the road and then edged around the bus fighting with a bush to get past and onto the bus! Quite a strange place to put a bus stop really but it all worked out well in the end!

    Arriving back at port we had a bite to eat and then wondered through the shops before waiting for our ferry back to Niigata city. Whilst we sat waiting I seemed to have gained an adoring fan? As a Japanese lady waved frantically at me with the biggest beam on her face. Extremely confused Jacob and I did the classic “smile and wave” whilst I started in complete confusion. I think it’s seldom that westerns make it out to this very remote island!

    I write this sat on the ferry watching the Sun sink behind Sado island as we zoom back towards Niigata, another fun day exploring.    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 59

    28 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ⛅ 16 °C

    Today we hiked Mount Yahiko in 22°c so safe to say by the end we were very sweaty and gross!

    It took us a while to reach the nearest station which actually looked more like a temple from the outside than a train station! However, it only has one track and one train route so it’s a very small station so it definitely gave it a bit more character!

    Heading up to the base with as many water bottles as we could fit in the bag we walked for about 1km before reaching the dreaded stairs. We then proceeded to climb up the steps through the forest for 3km. 3km of steps- absolute hell for me. It was a beautiful setting through the forest but if I see another step today I might loose my mind!

    Huffing and puffing we made it to the top where I collapsed onto a bench and sent Jacob to go get an icecream which was much needed and deserved.

    The view from the top was absolutely beautiful with a view of Niigata and the surrounding rice paddies one way and the Sea of Japan the other way.

    We tucked into a bowl of ramen at the restaurant at the top with floor to ceiling windows - definitely had worse views! Before heading back towards the station to head home for the day.

    On the train back we actually got some lovely views of the setting Sun reflecting on the rice paddies. I am constantly reminded of the absolute beauty in this country, so lucky to be here!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 60-61

    30 de abril de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C

    Day 60
    Really not long to go now! I can’t believe our trip is winding down to the last few weeks now it really has gone by so quickly!

    Today marks the beginning of golden week in Japan which is basically just a weeks worth of bank holidays and everyone in Japan travels and takes time off work so it can get very crowded particularly in the large cities. Luckily further up north where we are didn’t feel too bad today.

    Today we needed to travel out of Niigata to Yamagata prefecture. This isn’t actually our final destination but we are staying in Yamagata for one night just to break up the journey. We had two options: take two bullet trains there and get there in 3 hours and spend £100 each or take three trains and two buses and get there in 6 hours and spend £25 each. Guess which one we chose? If you chose the bullet train route you would be wrong! Although, I think by the end of the day we definitely would have wanted to go back in time and choose the bullet trains. However, being golden week the bullet trains would probably be extremely busy and the bullet trains are basically the only trains you can book in advance so we thought we’d have a much quieter journey on the other route, which in all fairness we did. Golden week didn’t seem to affect our transport route at all really.

    I won’t bore you with the details of our long day but it was in fact very long. When we arrived at one train station and we found out that we were so rural they didn’t have any English translate button on the tickets machine, it wasn’t looking good. Asking the station master for help he simply pointed us back at the ticket vending machine… great! We managed to work out the fare and get two tickets and then as I was walking to the door the station master called us back and started rambling away. Looking at him blankly I guessed he was asking us where we were trying to go. A lucky guess at that as he responded well and we managed to communicate with him to secure tickets for our next train all the way to Yamagata saving us the hassle on the other end!

    When we finally arrived we went to the hotel, checked in and had a really quick dinner in a nearby restaurant before crashing to get an early nights sleep!

    Day 61

    Today we just had to make the final push to travel from yamagata prefecture to Miyagi prefecture more specifically Sendai city. Sendai is the largest city in the Tohoku region which is the most northern region of Honshu island. For those who don’t know, Japan has a few more layers of location than we do in the Uk. So in the uk we might say we live in this city in this county in this country. (Im hoping I haven’t left anything out there!) Japan, you have the city in this prefecture, in this region, on this island, in this country. For example, Sendai city in Miyagi prefecture in the Tohoku region on Honshu island in Japan. It’s not that many more layers than the UK but I know I found it confusing when I first looked at Japan!

    So we made the final journey to Sendai city and as we began walking to our hotel we walked through a large market with lovely fresh produce so we eagerly picked up some fruit and wondered through it slowly. Grabbing a bite to eat and enjoying a crème brûlée latte which was delicious we checked into our hotel and spent a few hours walking around the city exploring before heading back for a relaxed late afternoon and evening.    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero
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    Day 62

    1 de mayo de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    Todays agenda didn’t quite go as planned but probably in the best way possible. The original plan for today was to travel to a small mountain village and then take two cable cars up near Mount Zao and then hike for the last hour to reach Okama which is a volcano with a crater and a caldera in that looked really beautiful!

    So we got up at the crack of dawn in order to catch the 7.45am bus that got us there at 10am so we would have plenty of time to explore.

    Finding the cable car station we were chuffed to find it empty! Thinking we would have all the views to ourselves and that we had done really well to avoid the crowds we eagerly headed up towards the summit. After stepping off the second cable car at 1,700 metres high we realised why we were the only ones here. Thick cloud covered the mountainside and you couldn’t see more than 20 metres in front of you. Not letting this deter us we began the trail still keen to give it a go until the trail disappeared under a hill of snow. Now the website had said that the hiking trail would be opened around the middle of April so we thought we would be able to do it, however I think a live update would have been helpful! The wind whipping around us we tied bandanas around our noses to try keep some heat in. Trying to explore what we could we soon realised it was a bit of a lost cause. It was very cool to be up there in such an eerie atmosphere but not what we came to see and do!

    Feeling slightly disheartened we headed back down the cable cars and just began exploring the little mountain village which is a onsen town. This basically means there is loads of natural hot spring bath houses that you can visit. I’ve been putting off going into these as you bathe naked which neither Jacob or I found an appealing experience with a bunch of other people! This was until we came across this tiny little onsen, curious I went to have a little look and the ladies hot spring was completely empty and Jacob checked the men’s which was also empty. Feeling like this was our best opportunity we both went into the hot springs and it was soooooo nice. I got my own little private hot spring to wallow in which was actually incredibly hot- almost too hot! It was lovely and I’m so happy that we got to do it as I really wanted to but I didn’t want to go in naked with lots of strangers!

    After enjoying our private hot springs we met up outside and headed to catch the bus back. So not the day we had envisioned and it was a shame we weren’t able to see the volcano but it worked out pretty well in the end with quite a special onsen experience!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 63-65

    2 de mayo de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    Day 63

    To round off our time in Miyagi we wanted to explore Matsushima Bay which has over 100 islands and is known for being very pretty. However, In all fairness a lot of the islands are more like big rocks and all of them are uninhabited. However, the views in the bay are really pretty and on a sunny and warm day like today it seemed like a perfect way to spend the day.

    Hopped on the train that only took an hour or so and then we walked along the coast which was really beautiful with the sun dancing across the water and almost no clouds in the sky. There are a few islands that can be reached by footbridge with the most famous being Fukuurajima which is connected to the main land by a bright red 200 metre bridge. Crossing the bridge we followed the footpaths around the island enjoying the views across the bay and strolling along the quiet beach. Looking for nice shells and enjoying the sea breeze the day soon slipped away from us. Wondering around the bay for a little while longer we grabbed a bite to eat before heading back to Sendai for our last night before we head to Iwate tomorrow. Another fun day exploring all Japan has to offer.

    Day 64

    Today we left Miyagi and made the journey to Morioka city in Iwate prefecture. Luckily the journey didn’t take too long so we had time to enjoy the day at a more leisurely pace enjoying a nice breakfast before we left. Arriving in Iwate we checked in and wondered through the city for a while. It’s really interesting, Iwate prefecture is made up of very few cities. They are effectively all in a line heading north with the bullet train running through them and the rest of the prefecture is mountains and beautiful landscapes some of which we are hoping to see tomorrow!

    Day 65

    Today we decided to head towards the coast which is what Iwate is famous for especially Jodogahama beach! So we hopped on the two buses and arrived in the sunshine at Jodogahama beach. Absolutely the perfect day for it today as we enjoyed a beautiful costal walk with stunning views of the crystal clear waters and dramatic rock formations. It’s no wonder it’s famous it really is a gorgeous stretch of coast!

    We managed to rent a rowing boat and we ventured around the bay taking in all the views. We still had to wear a life jacket though which felt utterly unnecessary but I’ve never rowed on the sea before so that was a fun new experience!

    It really was so much fun, we also grabbed what looked like a large hash brown from a food truck but it definitely was not a hash brown but I have no idea what it was! Possibly squid?? It was very hard to tell!

    With the sun sinking quickly we hopped on the first bus which took us back to the nearest village where we waited for our last bus. Unfortunately there wasn’t enough space for us and we were kicked off. Feeling rather disheartened as the next bus wasn’t for 2 hours the driver then came up to us and said he had called for a bus to come get us in 10 minutes! Absolutely bewildered we thanked him and were thrilled we didn’t have to wait another two hours. Only in Japan would they call another bus out to pick up two people- absolutely extraordinary we couldn’t believe it, and sure enough 10 minutes later a bus arrived to pick us up!

    So we’ve had a lovely few days on Japans coast and the perfect weather for it!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 66

    5 de mayo de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C

    Today we thought we’d have a bit of fun and go to the horse races for the day! Morioka which is the city we are staying in has a racecourse and there was a big event being held today-some national cup so we thought it would be a fun day out.

    It was almost impossible to understand their website and neither of us could work out a way to get tickets in advance so this morning we headed to the station and went to tourist information. The lady was very helpful and pointed us in the right direction for the shuttle bus that goes there. Arriving we queued up for tickets and accidentally bought reserved seats as we had no idea what was going on or even what our options were! We ended up ditching the seats so that we could sit outside on the grass by the track which was so much nicer than being sat indoors! It’s so strange lots of people had set up camp indoors and were watching the races purely on the screen inside which seems a weird choice when it’s happening 50ft from you!

    Managing to find a shady spot we settled in for the day and enjoyed the races. It’s a very different culture here no one cheers or shouts for the horses so it felt very strange! I sort of ended up half whispering “come on number 10” or “you can do it number 11” it was quite amusing.

    Now we couldn’t for the LIFE of us work out how to bet in the venue it was so complicated but Jacob managed to download an app which we could bet on and at the end of the day we had broken even so I’m happy with that!

    It was really amusing that to mark the start of a race they would blast a fan fair tune through the speakers it sounded as though a royal procession was about to start every time!

    We stayed for about 7 races before taking the shuttle bus back to the city. A really fun day out and made me quite nostalgic for home as it’s a thoroughly enjoyed activity in the Collins’ household!

    P.S. photos taken by Jacob as I was much more interested in if we were going to win or not hahah!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero
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    Day 67-68

    7 de mayo de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 14 °C

    Day 67

    Today we packed up our backpacks once more and headed north to Aomori which is the most northern prefecture on Honshu island for our last few days before heading back to Tokyo.

    After an easy few hours travelling we arrived in Aomori and dropped off our bags and the first place we wanted to visit on our list today was The Aomori Nebuta Festival cultural museum. This festival is held every year in summer and was traditionally held to ward off evil spirits and to protect the farmers crops for the rest of the year. Huge floats are paraded through the city and in the museum we got to get up close to some of these really impressive works of art! The festival is held at nighttime so all the floats are installed with lights inside so they light up and they are huge! I imagine an incredible sight during the festival as just seeing them in the museum was very impressive.

    The next stop on our list was the A factory which stands for apple factory. What Aomori is famous for is apples as they are the largest producer of apples in Japan. The a factory sells lots of apple related products including the biggest apples I have ever seen! The photo doesn’t do it justice but I’d say they were about 3x bigger than the apples we have in the uk! We then tasted a few different apple ciders or cidre as it is called here. I discovered I prefer the sweeter apple cider whilst Jacob prefers the dry.

    We finished the day off with a walk along the seafront with a very distant view of Hokkaido peeping through the fog.

    Day 68

    We started today at Sannai Maruyama Site which is the largest and most complete preserved village from the Jomon period (13000-300bc). Registered as a world heritage site in 2021 it definitely sparks your imagination about what life would have been like back then! They were definitely a lot shorter back then as you can go into the preserved huts and buildings and all the entrances are absolutely tiny, we had to crouch and shuffle through! I haven’t felt that tall on our trip to japan until today where I felt like a giant! They also had items such as pottery on display that had been found during the excavation. It was really interesting and looked similar to Anglo-Saxon settlements.

    After this we visited the Hakkodamaru Memorial Ship. This bright yellow ship used to connect Aomori with Hakodate city on Hokkaido island shipping everything from people to trains. We wondered through preserved cabins, the engine room and ended up on the vehicle deck which could hold up to 48 rail cars on four separate tracks which is really impressive. I’ve never really thought about ferries transporting trains but if we can transport cars I guess it shouldn’t be so far fetched!

    A very history centred day today ranging from 13000bc- 1988 a pretty impressive range!    Leer más

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    Day 69-70

    9 de mayo de 2024, Japón ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    Day 69

    We took today at a nice slow pace having a lie in and milling around the city for the day. This included a nice walk along the pier passing some modern art statues that unfortunately didn’t do it for me and looked more like junk than art sorry to all the modern art lovers reading! We visited a lighthouse that has been sprayed funky colours and patterns as well as visiting a few shops and going to the top of a very triangular building for the view over the sea with Hokkaido in the distance. We enjoyed a DELICIOUS steak that was served rare - to perfection if you ask me and enjoyed the day wondering through the city and savouring our last few moments before heading back to Tokyo tomorrow!

    Day 70
    Boohoo day 70 🥲

    We checked out of our hotel and headed to the station to find a coin locker for our big rucksacks. Luckily we managed to find one locker big enough for both our bags which was very impressive amongst lots of little lockers we did well to secure the only big one! We then went ten pin bowling and played two games with both of us winning one but both of us playing awfully with the top score being about 70!! I blame the very small very slippery bowling shoes that they made me wear!

    Then to round off the day we went to a fishing spot about 20 minutes from Aomori on this lovely secluded pier with a stunning view. Sadly we didn’t catch any fish in the time that we were there but it was so bloody windy that I was quite glad when Jacob agreed it was time to give up so that I could head back inside to somewhere a bit warmer!

    Catching the train back to Aomori station we had a quick dinner and filled our backpack with snacks and drinks and then headed to the bus stop. We are taking a 12 hour bus from Aomori all the way down to Tokyo tonight so super looking forward to that one! But it’s a very cheap way for us to get back to Tokyo only costing £40 in total versus over £200 each on the bullet train although this would have only taken 4 hours!

    Clambering onto the bus we were pleasantly surprised when we discovered we had been given blankets and a pillow like on a plane! And we also have this bonnet type thing that you could pull down over your head if you wanted to be in the dark but it does look very funny!

    We are just settling into the bus journey now only an hour in so far so wish us a smooth journey and we will update you once we get to Tokyo!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 71-72

    11 de mayo de 2024, Japón ⋅ 🌬 19 °C

    Day 71

    After a 12 hour bus consisting of no sleep for me, a beautiful sun rise and lots of mixed opinions about the pull down hoods and main lights turning on every 2 hours we arrived at Shinjuku bus terminal in Tokyo at 6.30am. Stumbling off the bus we put our bags in a coin locker for safe keeping and then managed to find a cafe that was open to have a coffee and a much needed sandwich and debated how we were going to kill time up until 4pm when we could check into our hostel.

    We decided at 8am we would head over to our hostel and drop our bags off there so that we didn’t have to trek back to the bus terminal later in the day to pick them up again. Arriving at the hostel we were very confused when the man at reception said we didn’t have a reservation. Then we realised there were 4 hostels in Tokyo with the exact same name which is really helpful! Heading to the right one we dumped our bags before heading off towards the nearest park where I crashed for 30 minutes to have a Power nap. Feeling marginally more rested we headed over to the Tokyo skytree thinking that because we got there at opening time the queue would be really short, how wrong we were! We decided neither of us wanted to queue 30 minutes to go up when we had already seen some good views of Tokyo earlier in our trip so we headed to the aquarium that was next door that had no queue at all!

    After this we visited a few temples and wondered through some early morning markets before stumbling across another puppy cafe. Thinking it was a good way to pass some time we headed in and to my utter dismay all the dogs didn’t want to have a cuddle with me and just with Jacob! I was not happy at all and I’m very much looking forward to seeing my own doggies at home!

    Settling in for a big bowl of ramen we wasted some more time until we stumbled across the ninja samurai museum. We thought this could be quite interesting but they started by dressing us up as samurais which wasn’t quite what we expected, but then gave a very interesting and detailed talk of the history of the samurai and Japan. He explained the hierarchy of society in Japan starting with merchants, then craftsmen farmers and fishermen, followed on by ronin then Samurai, Daimyo which are the leaders of each clan, then the Shogun who is the ruler of Japan and head of the Samurai and then of course at the top is the emperor who is the symbolic leader of Japan.

    After the talk we got to have a go at a throwing stars range which was quite fun and a bit harder than it looks!

    Eventually after what felt like an eternity it was 4pm and we checked in and zonked out for the rest of the day.

    Day 72

    Today was shopping day. After a very lazy morning we headed to the markets and HUGE departments stores filled with everything you could ever imagine. One shop chain called Don Quijote is just massive. 5 floors packed with everything from toothbrushes to fake food key rings to matcha it’s like stepping into a different world. With isles packed to the brim and loud blasting music we felt exhausted coming out!

    We spent a total of 6 HOURS shopping today, and my feet were definitely complaining by the end of it but we did get some really nice bits and I’ve got everything I wanted so far! We’ve bought a small hand luggage suitcase for Jacobs carry on for the plane to try and help us get everything back as our bag are bulging more every day!

    Enjoying the view from our hostel rooftop of the sky tree we rounded off another day just enjoying the cityscape.    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero
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    Day 73 -74

    12 de mayo de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 21 °C

    Day 73
    Hello everyone I’m super excited to share with you what we got up to today!

    We started the morning by visiting the Kappanbashi kitchen town in Tokyo which is essentially one long street lined with shops absolutely packed to the brim with kitchen stuff. Of course Tokyo has a cooking utensils street! It was absolute mayhem in these shops though, there were lots of people picking up everything from ramen bowls to vases to tea cups literally everything you could imagine. And these shops have shelves absolutely packed full with the stuff how on earth they do inventory I will never know! With tiny little isles that you have to squeeze through, it’s like playing dodgems in real life except our aim wasn’t to bash into people this time!

    It was really quite a sight and there were some shops with beautiful china so it was really fun to look around! After Jacob and I bought a few bits and bobs we popped back to our hostel to quickly put them away before heading to Gifu prefecture so quite a journey for our next and last activity of the day!

    Three trains, a bus and 3 hours later we arrived at Gifu cormorant fishing pier. Now cormorant fishing is a traditional fishing method that has been around for over 1300 years, it’s a method that uses trained cormorant birds to dive down and catch the fish. Each fisherman leads about a dozen cormorants on leashes who swim alongside the boat and dive under the water to catch fish by swallowing them whole. The fish are kept in a special pouch in the cormorant's throat to be retrieved later and are prevented from being swallowed by a snare around the bird's neck. Each boat carries a large fire to provide light for the boatmen to steer and the birds to fish by. Now there is definitely some animal cruelty questions that could be raised here and I cannot deny that, however it is an incredible art. We glided alongside them in silence as the fishermen worked with the birds who were successfully catching fish quite often!

    It truly was magical and what was lovely is that it’s not really that touristy at all, there were only a small handful of boats going out to observe the fishing and very few westerners there at all. It really goes to show that once you go outside of Tokyo, Kyoto and Osaka the level of tourists drops so drastically.

    It is definitely one of my favourite experiences we’ve done in Japan even if we had no idea what our guide was saying or what time it would start or finish!

    In absolute awe we arrived back at the bank of the river and quickly ran to get the last bus and then the next train and then, once we were finally sat on the bullet train back to Tokyo, we could really take in what an incredible experience we had just had. Absolutely extraordinary and I am so chuffed that we got to see it!

    Day 74

    After getting back at home midnight last night we groggily got out of bed and headed to a cafe for a yummy sandwich and some coffee before braving the rain. Winding through Tokyo trying to avoid the worst of the rain we enjoyed looking through a few small shops and ended up in Shinjuku and Shibuya for the famous neon signs and buzzy night life, definitely our favourite districts in Tokyo as they have such a fun atmosphere! Another nice day and sumo wrestling on the cards for tomorrow which I am SO excited for I cannot wait!    Leer más

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  • Kristyna CollinsJapanViajero

    Day 75-76

    15 de mayo de 2024, Japón ⋅ ☁️ 20 °C

    Day 75

    Today is a day I have been waiting for for a very long time, I’ve wanted to go to a sumo wrestling tournament FOREVER and it’s super high on my bucket list, and today I got to give it a big tick off!

    Eagerly jumping out of bed we got dressed and headed for a late breakfast before going to our meeting point for midday. We had booked our tickets through a company rather than direct as trying to buy them directly is next to impossible as they sell out within minutes!

    Meeting our guide Miki and the rest of our group- only about 10 of us, Miki then talked us through the history of sumo wrestling and the rules and generally what to expect and how to be respectful. She also made us a cheat sheet that laid out each match so we could choose someone to cheer for! This was all really helpful as without this explanation I think we would have been at a total loss!

    Sumo wrestling does not have any weight classes so we saw some of the heaviest sumos- 200kg against some of the lightest about 130kg. It does feel very unfair and I don’t think the lightest guy ever one but our guide was adamant that with the right techniques the lighter guy had a fighting chance, rather him than me that’s all I can say!

    Sumo is instead ranked by divisions with there being over 10 divisions sumo wrestling fights actually start very early in the morning but most people don’t go until the top two divisions start fighting as they fight last. In order for a sumo wrestler to not be demoted from their division they must win at least 8/15 matches. With matches lasting a maximin of about 30 seconds it’s a lot of training for a very short amount to prove yourself in!

    The tournaments last 15 days with each sumo having one fight a day, and the champion wins a 29kg solid silver trophy which looks bloody heavy! They also win sake, rice, wagyu, pickled plums and macaroons. Our guide very point blankly explained that this is due to them needing to eat so much so it’s like being repaid for all the money they’ve spent on food! The average sumo wrestler eats 20,000 calories a day which is pretty mind blowing if you compare it to the 2,500 calories that is considered the limit for adults.

    The actual rules of sumo are quite simple. The first sumo wrestler to be removed from the fighting circle or touch the ground with anything but his feet is the loser. Miki then explained a bit of background on a few of the fighters we would be able to see today and surprisingly a large amount of the sumos are from Mongolia which we definitely didn’t expect!

    After Miki explained all of this to us and more we headed over to the stadium and found our seats and we were thrilled that we had a really good view! We were only three rows back on the second level so we could see very well and had the luxury of comfortable seats as if you sit on the first floor you only have a pillow!

    As we began to watch the marches unfold we quickly ran out to the food vendors to grab some snacks and settled in for an extraordinary couple of ours! As we moved up through the divisions the stadium slowly filled until it was packed for the top division. The top two divisions have a ritual they do before every match which consists of drinking water given by another sumo for purification and throwing salt across the fighting circle. You’ll see in the pictures I’ve taken that there is a structure hanging above the ring. This is meant to represent a Shinto shrine which is believed to protect both fighters from being injured.

    We got to watch about 40 matches which was incredible and we were also gifted cheering towels which have the name of one wrestler on so when it’s there match you can wave your towel around to show your support! It was the most extraordinary day and the atmosphere towards the end was buzzing with people in the crowd very passionate about who won the matches. I’m so so glad that we managed to experience the sumo wrestling properly at a tournament and so so happy and just loved every second. I came away beaming what an awesome day and an excellent way to help round off our trip!

    Day 76

    Our last day in Japan I can’t believe it!
    We’ve pretty much done everything we wanted to do in Tokyo so we started today at the skytree which goes up to 450m so we got some lovely panoramic views across Tokyo and what a city it is! It really is a hustling and bustling place with a great atmosphere we’ve really loved our collective time in Tokyo. After enjoying a nice lunch we headed to the Teamlab planets art exhibit down by Tokyo Bay Area. We weren’t really sure what to expect but nothing could have prepared us for it, it was completely out of this world! We started by taking off our shoes and socks and then walking through running water! The whole concept behind it is “feeling and experiencing the art with your whole body”. And the exhibits were incredible, there was a room filled with knee high water with dancing fish and flowers projected onto the surface, large light up balls, beautiful hanging and dancing lights, hanging flowers that were alive which was extraordinary, truly out of this world when it’s all put together. 100% the best art exhibition/experience I’ve ever had, it felt like my whole brain was illuminated with creativity, such an amazing time.

    Whilst wondering back towards the subway we saw a rent a bbq place so we wondered in and managed to rent a bbq with a lovely atmosphere and view of the skyscrapers in the background. A lovely way to wind down our trip and spend our last evening reminiscing on our once in a life time trip, we are so blessed!

    We are currently trying to pack everything so wish us luck, hopefully it will all fit!! I can’t believe we are flying home tomorrow morning and saying goodbye to this wonderful country, it will be seriously missed!!

    To finish off u thought I’d make a short list of things in Japan that surprised us/ how things are different in Japan for a bit of fun.

    1) the cities are immaculate. No cigarette butts on the floor and no rubbish on the streets despite there being no bins anywhere!

    2) even in the most rural places you will never be too far away from a drink vending machine which gives you hot coffee- something that will be sorely missed!

    3) you’re not meant to drink, eat or talk on the public transport apart from the bullet trains- don’t ask me why but it’s true!

    4) it’s such a culture of respect here, at no point have we felt particularly out of place or uncomfortable and have always been treated very well by the locals.

    5) a much more cash based economy than the UK with most Japanese people paying for most things with cash instead of cards.

    6) some restaurants use robots to serve you and this is seen as very normal.

    7) the trains are never late in our experience.

    I’m sure there is a whole lot more but off the top of my head that’s what I can think of! Thank you to everyone who has read along and followed our journey, I hope I haven’t talked your ear off too much although I’m sure many of my friends will tell you that I have a bit of a habit of doing that! Despite being sad to leave I’m very much looking forward to seeing my family and getting back to some good food!!    Leer más

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    Fin del viaje
    16 de mayo de 2024