Devil‘s Pulpit
23. juli, Skotland ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C
Today I was finally going to meet up with Maddie, my New Zealand travel buddy!
We originally wanted to hike through the Devil’s Pulpit, but decided to meet up at her place in Glasgow.
First, however, I hiked through the Devil’s Pulpit myself.
What great fun!
Though it was incredibly hard to find. The car park was easy enough to spot.
But not the entrance to the Pulpit.
I and countless other people walked to all the wrong places first.
There really should be clearer signs.
The Pulpit (incidentally also featured on Outlander as the Liar’s Spring) is a canyon with a little river and the occasional small waterfall.
It’s such a raw beauty!
Once you find the entry point, you hike down a staircase that is less of a staircase and more of a rooty, rocky obstacle course. But it’s easy enough to manage, though also wet enough to slip.
Good thing I brought aqua shoes for the hike through the canyon river — which was cold! But I was used to that and hardened from my water encounters in New Zealand. 😁
Less convenient was my decision to wear long jeans.
They got very wet - which you probably worked out yourselves. 😁
I kept the hike short (I would have loved to explore the area longer, I’m absolutely amazed by how beautiful it is!) because I needed to make my way to Maddie before she had to go to work.
When I arrived, we had about an hour of reminiscing and talking excitedly about our lives since our time in New Zealand.
We both agreed that we dearly missed the good old days.
Since I was struggling to find a campsite for the night — the closer you get to Edinburgh, the more exorbitantly expensive they are, and I had to return my rental car there the next morning — Maddie kindly offered me to stay at her place!
Which I did.
I pitched my tent in her unit’s backyard.
When Maddie got back from work and we had chatted some more, she actually offered me to camp in one of her flatmate’s rooms, as she was out for the night.
I took her up on that, simultaneously glad for a night indoors and mourning my last chance at camping outdoors. 😁
I was really happy to catch up with Maddie again after all this time!Læs mere
Glencoe
22. juli, Skotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
In the morning, I felt the furnace-like feeling setting in and, being rather tired still, I thought, ah, crap, maybe I can last 5 more minutes.
The sun answered my snooze request by vanishing behind a curtain of clouds and let me sleep for much longer than anticipated.
I still left the campsite at around 10ish and drove to the Glencoe Orbital Walk I’ve done before and absolutely loved thanks to serene landscapes and a lake that offers mirror reflections if you could live with the odd duck swimming past your lens.
I could. Ducks are awesome. 😁
I wanted to take a leisurely stroll around the loch but accidentally went for a bit of a longer hike. Very scenic and I think it was the exact one I had taken 3 years ago, though back then, I just trustingly followed the others who probably knew where to go. 😁
I was in a bit of a self-imposed hurry because I thought paying for 1 hour of parking was enough.
It was, in a way, just a little rushed. 😁
I went to see the Three Sisters mountain range next, only a few minutes away from the loch. But all the parking spaces were occupied (I hate peak holiday season) and that made me move on rather fast. It’s a shame, I like the area, but the crowds are ridiculous.
I just kept driving to my next campsite until I reached a traffic jam. It must have just happened. I was waiting for 45 minutes or so and decided to turn around, as my priority had become finding a bathroom asap.
As I had just driven past my first campsite, I knew where to find one.
Ah, what a relief.
I consulted Google Maps and saw that I could actually drive around Loch Lomond on the other side to circumnavigate the traffic jam. It would take an extra hour, but I went for it.
And then my navigation said: warning, traffic jam ahead. 😁
I swore a bit and found a way to drive around that as well and pulled into my new campsite for the night - which looked like an unkempt dump…
Sweet dreams. 😁Læs mere
Isle of Staffa and other Islands
21. juli, Skotland ⋅ 🌬 14 °C
Long day!
An early start to go to three islands west of Oban.
Not with my rental car, because a) the Isle of Staffa can’t be driven on and b) the car rental company wanted an extra 60 pounds for going to any island, like the Isle of Mull (which was my first island today), Isle of Skye and all the others. Usuries.
I therefore had to book a tour and while I only wanted to go to Staffa, it included 2 other islands.
You had to go to Mull anyway. It’s beautiful and nothing short of scenic! Unfortunately, I only saw it from the bus.
1.25h to go from the ferry terminal to the other end of Mull to hop into another ferry headed to Staffa.
Wow!
Why did I wanna go to Staffa in particular? The reason is twofold.
1) The rock formation of columnar basalt, consisting of perfectly geometric, mostly hexagonal pillars of cooled volcanic rock, is simply amazing. Fingal’s Cave is another highlight for the same reason. I was surprised by the clear blue water in there!
(Fun Fact: Felix Mendelssohn visited Staffa in 1829 and was so inspired by Fingal’s Cave that he later composed The Hebrides Overture, also known as Fingal’s Cave.)
2) The island is a habitat and breeding ground for puffins! If the word for the bird doesn’t already delight you, the bird itself certainly will! Puffins, also called sea parrots, are home in the very north of the northern hemisphere and are small seabirds with a dual propulsion system that allows them to “fly” underwater to hunt fish. They can reach depths up to 60m! Puffins spend up to 8 months at sea, never touching land. They sleep while bobbing on ocean waves and only return to land in spring to breed. Another cool fact is that puffins practise strict monogamy, returning to the exact same partner year after year. They can live up to 20 years, celebrating each reunion with a courtship ritual called “billing”, where they lovingly tap their beaks together. Aren’t they simply awesome?
Needless to say, I had a blast encountering the puffins, watching them and taking their pictures.
They seemed unfazed by humans, who had to keep their distance as indicated by a blue rope and were being watched over by a nature conservationist.
As far as I could see, while people were oblivious to staying out of the way of my camera lens, they at least respected the puffins.
Unfortunately, we only had an hour to explore both the cave and admire the puffins.
Then we had to go back to the ferry and were brought to Iona. A 2h stop.
Worth it? I could have done without! It wasn’t bad, but the most interesting part was an old abbey with waaaay too many Christian-themed souvenirs in surrounding shops.
The beach was nice to look at and would probably look even better in good weather. It was overcast and quite chilly.
And then more ferry, more 1.25h bus ride over Mull, I would have liked some time to explore there, actually, back to another ferry that brought everyone back to Oban.
I had found some kimchi the previous day in a grocery store, which was my scarce dinner. 😁
After 11 hours of being coherent, alert and in explorer mode, I enjoyed falling into my sleeping bag, dreaming of puffins. 😁Læs mere
Oban
20. juli, Skotland ⋅ ☁️ 17 °C
It actually got quite cold in the night - nowhere near as cold as in Australia or the south of New Zealand, to be fair.
In the early morning, a bit after sunrise, it was comfortably warm. For a few minutes.
The moment the tent turned into a furnace: 8.45am.
From the moment I realised that until I was able to leave the tent dressed and ready to pack everything up: I was very much molten.
I then enjoyed a salt-free breakfast of avocado on a bagel with tuna.
First stop of the day: Falls of Falloch.
The cars were queuing up, waiting for the popular and scarce parking spots.
I only had to wait for about 10 minutes to snatch one. I did consider just turning around and leaving, but the cars queuing behind me forced me to just go along with my plan.
The falls were fine - nothing spectacular - but so close and very much en route, it was a no-brainer.
Oban, where I was headed, was only about 1 hour away and easy to reach.
It’s a lovely seaside town!
Stopping at a shop to equip myself with a pillow that wouldn’t cost me another 3 pounds, I explored the area - being particularly fond of the view in the distance where you could make out the Isle of Mull on the horizon.
I hiked uphill for a stellar view over the town, which also had something like a colosseum on the hilltop. Very picturesque!
The only disappointment of the day: the chocolate-pistachio cookie that didn’t live up to my expectations.
But since I’m a tough cookie, I dealt with it like a pro. By getting other cookies, healthy oaty ones, ya know.
I also finally got pepper and salt.
Which I promptly put on the boiled eggs I bought.
Only to find out that I got pepper and… pepper. Black pepper and white pepper, to be exact.
Well, I felt very smart and glad I can read. 😁
I drove to a campsite then, which I was told online was fully booked and thought I’d try some good old begging. Which worked. Ha!
I wanted to stay for two nights but was charged a price so low, it could only have been for one. I checked with the clerk that it was indeed for two nights and he paused as realisation hit. Then he smiled and said, yeah, two nights is fine.
Wow, that saved me 20 pounds! I was elated!
Even more so when I saw they sold salt at the little campsite shop! 😁Læs mere
Sassenach at Lallybroch
19. juli, Skotland ⋅ ☁️ 19 °C
In the past few days, I’ve been taking it easy.
Andrew and I went to a pub once, which happened to have a Scrabble game.
While I lost Scrabble to Andrew a few days ago again, we have a history - I still remember that wretched letter V that was my demise in New Zealand - I finally won!
Another night, I was able to join Andrew and his friends at a bowling alley - let’s not talk about my score… - and ultimately at a pub where the food was served after 1.5 to 2 hours. That was outrageous and led to a few of the group to scavenge a local grocery store and a pizzeria.
Anyway.
After having stayed in Edinburgh for a week, I frankly enjoyed some downtime and Andrew’s hospitality, I picked up my rental car today and set off to enjoy some Scottish landscapes!
First stop: Midhope Castle, just outside of Edinburgh. To the Outlander-aficionados among you, you’ll recognise it as Lallybroch.
Having paid the exorbitant entry fee of around 10 pounds, I was able to set foot on the grounds. A few photos here and there and having a look at the interior, featuring one room, I finally located a restroom. 😁
The castle was nice to look at, not more. It was also interesting to see the difference between the castle on screen and in real life.
There most certainly were digital edits involved, but I did read that a crew took about 3 days to prep the castle grounds when it was used for filming.
It was not worth the entrance fee and it’s preposterous they’re allowed to do this.
Normally, I wouldn’t have paid for this. But I had driven for 35 min to get there, it was en route, admittedly, the entrance fee amount wasn’t visible, and I was kinda counting on a toilet.
At least that worked out.
And on I drove to Loch Lomond.
The area where I parked wasn’t the most convenient on a Sunday night. Shops were all closed and the beginning of a scenic hike I vaguely recall from my last time there must have been somewhere else.
Also: Too many people on holiday around there!
I left rather quickly and drove on to my campsite for the night, which was a delight, actually. Surrounded by mountainous terrain, lush green and decent facilities including a little shop and a restaurant, I put up my tent as tautly as I could and waited for darkness to fall upon the land.
Which didn’t happen for a while. Only around 10.40 pm was it somewhat dark, but it still felt like true darkness never came.
Sleep didn’t come easily and I woke up more times than I could count.
Which is why I don’t quite understand that my watch suddenly told me I had a sleep score of 71 after not getting much more than 50 ever since K’Gari Island…
Oh, I almost forgot! I was told midge season was upon us in Scotland - but I had no idea that this meant tiny, fly-sized nasty blighters that swarm you so fervently that not inhaling them becomes a matter of pure chance.
They are mean! I saw a bunch of people walk around with a fancy net around their faces and arrogantly thought, well, that’s a little over the top. No. Very apt. Net away!Læs mere
Arthur‘s Seat
15. juli, Skotland ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C
One of my favourite memories from my last time in Scotland is climbing Arthur’s Seat - the extinct volcano in Edinburgh.
Today was a great day to rehash that memory with the little difference that it was actually sunny and mildly warm! 😁
My gear and I couldn’t quite decide what to make of this. 😁
Turned out, a T-shirt was fine. 😁
It’s an easy enough hike with the right amount of breaks. 😁
I think I needed 3 to 4 quick ones on the way up.
The last bit is very rocky and incredibly slippery - and today it was dry. I recall I struggled quite a bit in the rain last time.
Needless to say, that with the weather being great, lots of people went for the summit.
On my way back down, I hugged the left side as much as I could - I couldn’t have gone further left.
I mention this because of the lovely lady with two larger backpacks side by side coming straight toward me.
I was a little nonplussed that she didn’t see the need to move out of the way, so I prepared for impact with her dangling backpack.
Impact came - just a bump, nothing major - and instead of noticing the error of her ways, Karen started shouting after me to apologize.
It was quite the spectacle and I giggled my way downhill, not looking back.
In order to blend in better with the Scots folk, I was determined to secure myself a wee bit o’ tartan in the shape of a cape/poncho. Wrapped in lambswool secured by a shiny brooch, I look rather dashing, if I may say so. 😁Læs mere
Royal Botanic Garden
14. juli, Skotland ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C
Another familiar stop: The Botanical Gardens.
While still an impressive garden, it had seemed much more magnificent in my imagination the last time I was there. 😁
One of the conifers, the largest one in the garden, fell in a storm in 2025, actually.
Because I definitely remember a huge tree standing there that I was keen on seeing again.
I kept getting lost in the gardens and was annoyed by that to the extent that I then just left, headed for my Asian Grocery Store. 😁Læs mere
Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle
13. juli, Skotland ⋅ ☀️ 18 °C
Today was dedicated to exploring the Royal Mile and Edinburgh Castle in depth, as there are countless souvenir shops and I felt it would have been rude not to walk into every one of them! So far, I’ve mainly scouted the area to be able to swoop in with efficiency and precision next time.
While “just looking” took me the better part of 7 hours, nothing else really happened today.
I did meet up with Andrew, who brought his unicycle, at a park and I also went on the hunt for an Asian grocery store because Western food doesn’t really cater to my tastes.
I’m also still quite set on eating with chopsticks. I just like them so much more than normal cutlery. They feel better to hold for whatever reason. 😁
Though sadly, no Asian stuff for me today. 😁Læs mere
Edinburgh and Reunion
12. juli, Skotland ⋅ ⛅ 18 °C
Yesterday, I wanted to go to the Farmer’s Dog, a pub founded and run by Jeremy Clarkson, however, it would have taken 3.25 hours to get there from where I was in London via public transport. That was decidedly too long, even though I would have loved to check it out.
Instead, I took the day off to relax and edit photos.
And today, I finally left my uber-expensive hostel in London and was set for King’s Cross (very large queue in front of platform 9¾).
4.5h later, and the chilly winds of Edinburgh greeted me.
Also, Andrew greeted me. If y’all forgot who that is, I met him while Maddie and I were travelling through New Zealand, and we travelled together for a while.
Andrew kindly invited me to stay with him for the next few days. :)
Today, he showed me around the area where he lives.
It’s beautiful, actually! There’s a river nearby with plenty of fish, birds, and otters - not that I saw them today.
I’ve definitely missed Edinburgh. The Scottish charm of the buildings, the long-standing brick and stone houses with an air of a rich past about them…
Also, it’s not nearly as hot as any other place I’ve been to in about a year. 😁Læs mere
Abba Voyage
10. juli, England ⋅ ⛅ 26 °C
The main reason why I came to London in the first place was actually going to ABBA Voyage, which I did in the evening today after having slept for 14.5 hours.
Now, the concert itself: It was a positive experience. Unique in its own way, the holograms of the four band members were endearing and - well - sometimes looked absolutely realistic, but they were too perfect and a little stiff in their movements.
So, you were constantly aware of it being an illusion. That was a little sad.
At the end, however, they projected the four members as they look today - that looked like they were actually present and was, perhaps, the highlight of the concert for me.
Overall, I sadly didn’t quite get a chance to enjoy it.
The ladies sitting behind me had a 100-minute-long coffee klatsch which I easily heard in spite of my earplugs and the loud music coming from the stage.
That was annoying enough, but the lady sitting to my left took it upon herself to imitate a stampede to the best of her ability. She was a natural. Unfortunately.
She kept edging closer and closer, invading my space with her flopping arms and circulating hips - if I were prone to epilepsy, I would have joined her dance moves.
That was way too close for comfort.
The people in front of me got up at one point which made me see exactly nothing. I was also in the second to last row which had veeery low visibility.
Luckily, the guy, whom I asked to perhaps sit down after a bit, obliged.
At the end of the concert, it was announced through speakers that the closest train stop wasn’t going to be served due to an incident.
I went to a bus stop which was so crowded and the bus very full already, there was no chance to get on.
I just started walking for a bit, trying to intercept another bus which had everybody disembark because it had an issue and wouldn’t continue.
I kept walking for 1 hour.
At one point, however, it felt too unsafe and culturally unfamiliar for me to walk back in the dark - far too many men were out and about in the area.
I was finally able to catch a bus for the last bit.
Close to midnight, I fell into bed back at the hostel.Læs mere
London
9. juli, England ⋅ ☀️ 22 °C
Why did I wanna go to London?
I’m going through what I can only describe as a full-blown culture shock.
My first impression: too European. Too familiar. Too touristy, forgot it was holiday season, too - urgh - everything. 😁 Loud, noisy, unorganised, inefficient, chaotic.
I keep thinking how this just wouldn’t fly in Japan. Being loud in public. Smoking everywhere. In Japan, smokers were confined to a little square or rectangle on the road that I gratefully didn’t see all that often.
I miss their toilets! The clean, non-polluted roads! The efficiency, the kindness, the affordable meals, 7-Eleven, the healthy food options! I miss that most of all. Well, almost. Japan just felt infinitely better for people with a hypersensitive setup.
But going into any shop here is just highly processed junk and sugary crap.
I’m not singling out the UK here. Australia has a similar cuisine.
Ah, well. Yes, I’m having trouble adjusting, as you might have gathered. 😁
But, in all fairness, what I do think GB does better: They actually have a few trash cans around. Japan didn’t really have them, you just took your trash home.
That’s it, pretty much.
I spent the day - having arrived at 6 am after no proper sleep for at least 52 hours - going to the main spots: Tower Bridge being very close to my hostel, the London Eye, Buckingham Palace and Westminster Abbey.
It was very crowded everywhere and bloody hot!
I managed to stay awake until half past 8. That’s when I stopped being coherent and passed out in my bed, which I had to make myself even though I paid a price for three nights that would have gotten me towel figures, 5 boxes of chocolates and a private villa for a week in Vietnam.Læs mere
TeamLab Planets and Saying Goodbye
8. juli, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 24 °C
Early start for a spontaneously booked excursion to teamLab Planets!
I got a Reddit notification last night with surprisingly not overrated things to do in Tokyo, and teamLab popped up.
I had wanted to go anyway, but decided against it to save money, but then I thought YOLO and booked one of the last slots for the next day.
I went to teamLab Planets. There’s another one too: teamLab Borderless.
teamLab features different rooms of interactive art displays that offer you a unique, otherworldly visual experience. In two instances, you even walked through water as part of the art.
My highlights were the first big room filled with LEDs everywhere, hanging from the ceiling, playing a light show which you, with an app, could take part in as well.
The floors in most rooms are mirror surfaces. You’re actually warned about that and informed to cover yourselves appropriately beforehand. 😁
The mirrors certainly have a mesmerising effect of infinity.
My other highlight was a room called the Floating Flower Garden, in which you find hundreds and hundreds of real flowers hanging from the ceiling, moving up and down depending on you getting close to them, so you could create your own path. Not that I figured that out, I just kept crawling through wherever possible. 😁
The smell was amazing. Not too much, just flowery goodness.
Now, on the whole, the entire experience was enjoyable, and I had fun there.
There was even an Athletics Forest where you could walk through artsy areas with different terrains and adjoining optical components, different colours, seemingly moving floors and scenery, and sound effects that made this way more challenging than it should have been.
There is a but incoming. You can probably guess with high accuracy what I’m gonna criticise.
Yep, other people. 😁 I probably don’t have to say more, I’ll just leave you with a keyword here: Inconsiderateness. Left, right and centre. 🙈
So, I was also rather happy to leave the place because my threshold of tolerance had been exceeded 3 minutes after the whole thing started. 😁
I got a quick breakfast, more eggs, I love them so, and then had a lunch scheduled with Mayu, a girl from the staff of the sushi class I had taken.
Since we hit it off and could talk about my hometown, still don’t like it, just saying, we were happy to meet again.
I enjoyed the time a lot and hope to stay in touch with Mayu.
She even got me some Japanese snacks, walked me to the train station and covered a portion of my fare when I had run out of cash!
I very much appreciated that! 🙂
Once on the train with my heavy, heavy luggage, I reminisced. Even though I was technically still in Japan, I already missed it dearly.
Then at the airport, while on time, I suddenly had to rush.
While I got there very much on time, A) I had to apply for an ETA, an electronic travel authorisation - like an entrance permit for Great Britain. This was news to me and I think it’s absolutely ridiculous. That thing cost 20 pounds! 15 min later, at least that was done, downloading an app, going through the application, then getting an email stating that it can take up to three days for a positive response, going into panic mode, and then getting the confirmation email.
B) The gate, 98, was as far away as possible. I had to walk through the entire airport of the largest city in the world. 😁
C) Boarding time was exactly one hour before take-off. Also never had that.
I was incredibly rushed when arriving at the gate and had no time to browse souvenirs, sadly.
I boarded the plane, missing Japan dearly.
11 or so hours later, and I had a pit stop in Doha - the airspace gratefully not having closed spontaneously as the booking platforms had warned.
I didn’t like Doha. Interactions felt classist and snobbish. I was glad to board the next plane after 2h of waiting and a feeble and pricey attempt at a matcha.
And another 7 hours of flying.
While I was surprised that I was doing well on the flight, I was very confused adjusting to the different time zones. Even a few days after the flight I keep googling the current time in Japan because that was the last time zone that made sense. 😁Læs mere
Earthquake Simulation
7. juli, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 23 °C
The weather is quite bothersome. Grey skies all the time and it’s hot. 😁
But nothing to it. Best to go for some indoor activities.
Like the Earthquake Simulation Centre!
The name pretty much says it all. It’s a disaster centre that simulates a devastating earthquake in an elevator and walks you through the next theoretical 72 hours after the quake.
That’s how long it would take until someone might come and rescue you because of possible aftershocks.
We walked through the simulation with tablets and were asked questions. I found all of that a little confusing, because sometimes you had to scan QR codes, sometimes questions just appeared, and some were skipped on my device. Also, most of the instructions were in Japanese. 😁
But the tablet was in English, at least.
The questions were both obvious sometimes and surprising at other times.
One was: If you are in an elevator at the time of an earthquake, what do you do?
A) Remain as calm as possible and wait.
B) Push all the buttons.
The answer was B. This way, the elevator might stop at the closest floor possible and let you out. I thought remaining calm was the way to go. But apparently, panicking is fine, as long as all the buttons are pushed. 😁
I expected a little more out of the experience, actually. Like a proper earthquake simulation to know what it actually feels like. Although, for full disclosure, there are minor earthquakes all the time, as Tokyo is on an active tectonic plate boundary; and sitting on the 6th floor of the hostel, I did very much feel them. Not so much as a rumble, but I felt seasick because something was definitely moving.
Also, it would have been interesting to have a more engaging simulation, where you actually have to react and do something, like making your way out of the rubble, finding shelter, helping others, etc.
But, considering it was free, it was still a fine experience, all in all, and I did learn something here and there.
After the earthquake experience, I explored the shopping mall in the SkyTree.
Lots of cool shops everywhere, it took some time to explore!
I had some takoyaki and some yummy soft serve with high-quality milk from Hokkaido. Really good!
Before turning in for the night and organising lots more, I wanted one last try of my beloved white corn. And I got it. :)
Actually, I’m only just remembering that I really wanted to go to the Planetarium in the Tokyo SkyTree and forgot all about it. Ahhhh, what a shame!!
Oh, also: The SkyTree offers spectacular views of the city, but since it was cloudy, I didn’t even bother to spend any kind of money to see if the claims are true. 😁Læs mere
Welcome to Hogwarts
6. juli, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
Did you know that Tokyo has the largest Harry Potter Warner Bros. Studio Tour in the world?
That’s what I found out yesterday. And then I got a ticket to go there today. 😁
While taking public transport in Tokyo is a smart and almost decently priced decision, you also spend significant time in the subterranean part of Tokyo. I’m thinking it should be considered making that a separate prefecture altogether.
And if you’ve got that little extra of commitment, you spend even more time down there than strictly necessary. I’m one of those people. But let’s get to the reason why: I keep getting lost. 😁
There are so many exits and levels and ticket machines for different trams and trains, it easily gets a little overwhelming.
Thankfully, there’s usually staff on standby to assist the navigationally challenged.
However, getting out at the correct station is entirely up to you.
The HP Studio Tour is in the Nerima District. I therefore thought Nerima was the station to disembark at, and even though Google Maps, my constant, often unreliable, but not this time companion, said to disembark at the station after Nerima.
Yeah, so I got off and soon noticed, oops.
So I went through another aMAZEing train station to take the return train.
Which wasn’t the correct platform, so I went in the opposite direction. 😁
When you’re under pressure to get somewhere on time, this is not too much fun.
Normally, while exploring, I’d just laugh at myself in those situations.
I laugh a lot. 😁
I figured it would just be faster to walk from where I was than to fix my mistake and go on another train to the correct exit.
It all worked out, I got there in time.
Once close enough, the films` music gently guides you into the world of Harry Potter.
A few statues here and there and in you go.
It is huge. As advertised.
Before you start your tour, it was recommended to arrive extra early to have enough time to explore the ultra spacious gift and souvenir shop.
Younger me would have been absolutely over the moon in there. Current me was impressed, but not too tempted to indulge. Also because of the prices. And sugar contents…
The souvenir shop alone had so many rooms, sorted by overall purpose: stationery, plushies, apparel, sweets etc.
And the decoration everywhere is so detailed!
Then the tour started.
The beginning was actually rather annoying. Lots of waiting and being guided into rooms and being instructed and being told the absolute basics that might be interesting for anyone entirely unfamiliar with the franchise.
But since you don’t go in there for free, yes, people already know the name of the movies or the four houses.
The first 20 minutes were basically used to kill time to ensure that not too many people are in there at once, is my guess.
After that you finally explore by yourself. In a crowd of dozens, hundreds of people.
You surely know by now that I detest those situations and that they always take away from the experience, especially with erratic kids involved. To be fair, I find adults way worse sometimes. A kid that isn’t circumspect - no surprise there, it’s age-appropriate.
Adults being self-entitled pricks thinking the universe revolves around them - different story.
But I digress.
You walk through huge sets at times. A particularly large one was the Forbidden Forest. Or the Hogwarts Express and Diagon Alley.
From what I gather, most of the exhibits are indeed originals. Like the aforementioned Hogwarts Express or countless costumes.
Sometimes screens and displays are interactive, and there’s a chance to insert yourself into scenes, like for example in the Hogwarts staircases, featuring hundreds of moving portraits. Or in a Quidditch scene taken from the second movie - Gryffindor vs. Slytherin - where you’re part of the crowd.
You could even download your scenes! While my acting was stellar, looking like a grade-A tourist with my camera and huge backpack just didn’t make me too picturesque. Not to mention an urgent need to get acquainted with a skilled hairdresser to fix me up now that the Aussie sun is through with me. Or my eye rings that famously made it onto that weird, disfiguring stamp in Hanoi. 😁 But I digress yet again…
Halfway through the set, there was a café and restaurant, and a bar serving butterbeer. Looking at the queuein front of the café, I made a sharp turn in the opposite direction to the bar. This one, I was going to try.
They sold seasonal frozen butterbeers, which I went for, served in a keepsake plastic cup, which I graciously donated to my hostel.
It was actually quite nice, but also very sweet. That’s also why I went for the frozen version. Somehow it feels less sweet then. 😁
After many more sets, the last section of the tour was dedicated to sound effects and the film score.
The very last room featured an impressive “miniature” version of Hogwarts and the surrounding countryside. That was particularly memorable to me.
That concluded the tour.
You can reenter the gift shop - ok, full disclosure, I did, but only to get a small pin as a memento, hardly worth mentioning 😁 - or you can go to another expensive café.
Or you can just leave. Which I then did. 😁
In conclusion: It was a fun, impressive experience, but the crowds, egotistical in nature, took away from the fun quite massively.
It would have been WAY better to walk through the set in silence and let the music hit you just right to feel immersed in the magical world of HP.
It’s just honestly a shame that so many experiences suffer most from the people they’re made for.
I’m advocating for a space for people who are happy shutting up and just enjoying something as part of their rich inner worlds. 😁
After the HP experience, which took around 3h, I wanted to see the city from above and went to the Metropolitan Government Building where you can do so for free.
It was fine. Ish. Way too overcast for it to be much of a view. More evidence for Tokyo just being very city-like - not much green around.
Rumour has it, you can make out Mt. Fuji in the distance on clear days.
And those clear days? They have a high likelihood of appearance in November through March.
Great timing!
So, that concluded the day, pretty much. 😁Læs mere
Not Worth a Post, But Here We Are
5. juli, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
What a waste of a day. I wanted to go to an interactive digital art museum until I looked at the price and decided to go to the Tokyo National Museum instead.
Now, here’s a reminder that I generally do not like museums.
The only reason why I went to the National Museum was the alluring souvenir shop - at least on the pictures.
While decent in person - it just didn’t sweep me off my feet. Instead of going for whimsical souvenirs, they went for the artsy, sophisticated and distinguished sort. Meh.
And the museum itself… Colour me not intrigued.
They displayed boxes. A whole room for old boxes. Another one for bowls and plates.
Rocks and jewellery and swords too. That sums up the museum.
Also, it was rather crowded!
At least I got a toilet stop out of this.
I wanted to explore another part of the city after the museum excursion.
But whatever part I ended up in looked not too fun. Mainly grey - I think they went for a very modern vibe - it was a shopping alley - not for souvenirs but clothes mainly.
So, that was my day.
Very much on the boring side. Which was also due to my terrible sleep I’ve been getting.
The recent hostels just weren’t fun to stay at. The current one has a 16-bed dorm. First, I stayed in a mixed dorm because there was no vacancy in the women’s dorm.
While it said “mixed,” I’ve only seen lots of men in there and was uncomfortable by design.
Furthermore, not to cater to any clichés… But it’s exactly what I’m gonna do now:
Their bathroom routine was incredibly noisy and vulgar-sounding.
At night - while I acknowledge women can snore too - but boy, oh boy. This was hardcore snoring, directly in the bed adjacent to mine.
I had to wear foam earplugs plus noise-cancelling headphones to try to sleep, and even then… It’s not exactly comfortable.
In the morning, it was like a relay. The first alarm rang. When that person was done and had left, they passed the torch to the second person whose alarm then rang and so on and so forth.
I’m so done with hostels! And with restful sleep, it would seem…Læs mere
Tokyo
4. juli, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
On July 3, I departed Kyoto and took the Shinkansen to Tokyo. Apart from aching shoulders from carrying all my luggage, nothing special occurred.
The next day, I had a chat with a staff member from the hostel and noted down some recommendations.
Ever since I had tried that white corn in the Cameron Highlands in Malaysia, I was on the lookout for more of that good stuff. Research showed me that Japan would be a safe bet (South East Asia isn’t designed for growing white corn unless you have a high altitude and a little colder weather).
So, the corn games had begun.
This white corn, also known as Hokkaido Corn, can mainly be found in the north of Japan. In, drumroll, Hokkaido.
Luckily, there was a shop here dedicated to Hokkaido-based goods.
Unfortunately, white corn wasn’t part of the dedication…
But I didn’t give up! I found a boutique store just atop the train station in Asakusa, the area where I’m staying.
Again, I got lost. And then some.
Until I found the fancy grocery store.
And corn. But not mine.
I thought, surely, that can’t be all!
I turned a corner, and lo and behold, WHITE CORN! Needless to say, perhaps, I was very happy with my find, which I saved for dinner. (Little reminder of what makes white corn special: It can be eaten raw and is so sweet and juicy, it just makes you happy. Officially called “Pure White” corn, it has sugar content of 17-20° Brix and is nicknamed the “King of Raw Sweet Corn.”)
After my corn extravaganza, I headed for my 2pm appointment: A sushi-making class.
Where we made… Sushi, duh!
Maki and Nigiri, to be precise. We also learnt that while sushi is now enjoyed internationally and nationwide in Japan, it used to be an Edo invention (Edo being the old name for Tokyo) and only spread throughout Japan after the Great Kanto Earthquake of 1923, which damaged Edo severely, forcing sushi-makers and others to spread all over Japan to rebuild their businesses there.
The staff often chatted with us, making small talk, asking where we’re from etc.
I reciprocated with small talk and found out that one of the ladies from the staff, Mayu, had recently been to Germany for 4 months. I inquired where, and what were the odds!
She lived in my hometown! Needless to say, we hit it off. She showed me her pictures from her time there, and we kept chatting on.
While I kinda despise my hometown with a passion, it was nice to hear that she liked it.
I’m hoping to stay in touch with her. :)
I did more wandering around in the Asakusa area and discovered that they have shopping malls very similar to the ones in Kyoto.
And in one shopping street, I saw it: a poster advertising a café with dozens of cute doggies!
I rushed downstairs into the café, approaching 299,792.458 km/s.
A few explanations of the rules later (basically to respect the dogs and treat them well), I sat down with the little furry friends.
I was delighted! But I will also say that the dogs have so many humans in there as a source of entertainment, that once their attention is captured, it’s hard to interest them in boring old you who hasn’t got an active audience of doggies yet to spread the word. 😁
While a few dogs said hi, even fewer wanted a pet. Heartbreaking, right? For me. Not for them.
The main issue was that I cheaped out on the treats. Five tiny ones were included in the price, but you could get countless more for some extra money.
That’s exactly what most people there did, so I’m not surprised the doggies’ attention was not truly with me for long.
One blonde dachshund, however, did enjoy a good pet while nibbling away on her toy. 😁
I had only paid for 30 min in there and soon had to leave again. Shame! I enjoyed that!
I kept strolling through the many streets, looking at all the souvenirs I’d LOVE to have, but alas, lack of space… 😬
Walking through those takes a decent amount of time, so suddenly it was nightfall.
I gathered more of my favourite eggs for dinner and slowly turned in, being delayed by taking numerous pictures alongside quite a few more serious photographers I kept seeing in Tokyo.Læs mere
Tea Ceremony
2. juli, Japan ⋅ 🌧 25 °C
Think back to the last time you made yourself a cup of tea. How long did that take you? 2 minutes?
Try doing it for 45 minutes. With dressing and hairstyling.
And that’s how the tea ceremony started.
I wasn’t sure how I felt about putting on the kimono. I mean, apart from the fact that it was so tight, breathing became a privilege, not a certainty.
The kimono patterns are largely highly decorative, with excessive floral patterns and vibrant, traditionally feminine colours. That’s not quite my style. I prefer simple but elegant. Strong words coming from someone who’s dressed in plain shirts for the past 1.5 years and blue sneakers only intended for working out originally, but they’re the best for walking a lot…
I picked out the simplest kimono I could find after having been dressed in the proper undergarments, a skirt that you pull up to your arms and a collar with a bit of fabric flopping around to cover your torso.
The kimono was put on me, as well as a collection of ribbons and belts which must have had a purpose, but I’m not sure which one.
The last belt was obvious; that was decorative.
My hair was also made to look classically Japanese and tea-ceremony appropriate, as much as possible with slightly wet hair since it was pouring outside and I can’t seem to figure out how to remain dry…
And, last but not least, the shoes. Fancy flip-flops. Oh, and a small dangly bag with our essentials because the rest had to remain in the dressing room.
We were escorted across the street into a typically Japanese building with tatami floors and traditional sliding doors.
Our dress shoes had to be taken off for us to enter the building.
From then on, the tea ceremony commenced.
We knelt down or sat cross-legged onto our private pillows, though some older man kindly received a chair.
Our tea master introduced us to a few Japanese phrases and explained a few noteworthy facts about Japanese buildings. Did you know that once, the tatami floors were used by ninjas as hiding places? They used the black frames in the floor to stab unknowing people with their knives from below.
Then we watched him perform the ceremony step by step.
First, he blessed every single item: the matcha, the bamboo whisk (chasen), the water etc., with a piece of cloth (fukusa).
He proceeded to clean the matcha bowl (chawan) as part of the blessing by putting some water into it and then using the cloth to wipe it with precision clockwise, twice.
This went on for a while. Every movement was calculated, precise and elaborate.
Once he was done, we were allowed to enjoy 2 treats together.
One was a very popular rice cake with bean paste, like a flat, triangularly folded mochi. That was Yatsuhashi.
The second one was like a small sweet (wagashi), coming in different shapes and consisting of 99% sugar. It’s, needless to say, very sweet and melts on your tongue.
Our tea master informed us that this is intentional to prepare the palate for the bitter contrast of the matcha that allegedly helps you to appreciate the tea more.
After the sweets, we were instructed in how to whip the matcha. Being a bit of a self-taught savant, I whipped away, producing a perfect foamy matcha that got praised by the master.
Admittedly, it’s not too hard. Others managed too. 😁
You whip the matcha in an M- or W-shape, the whisk not touching the bowl as it is made of bamboo and can easily break.
Then, once you produce big bubbles, you shift upwards to scratch the surface to create smaller, fine bubbles.
Eventually, you move the whisk through the bowl in a clockwise circle, shift it to the middle and remove it slowly.
It’s a bit of a science, eh?
Then you hold the matcha bowl (chawan) in your left hand and shift the bowl first clockwise, then counterclockwise.
And then you proceed to drink your matcha, save for the last sip.
The last sip is to be taken audibly, by slurping it up. That’s part of the ceremony, though we were told not to do that at a restaurant or café. 😁
More tales and information about sayings in Japanese followed.
One of them, a calligraphy scroll in the room, said: ichi-go ichi-e.
Ichi-go ichi-e (一期一会) means “one time, one meeting” or, more naturally, “once in a lifetime encounter.” It’s supposed to signify that you meet a lot of people only once in your life, never again, and to be aware of that in the moment and therefore never forget them.
There was also another scroll in the room featuring 4 words/concepts.
That would be wa, kei, sei, jaku (和敬清寂), meaning harmony, respect, purity and tranquility - the four core principles of the traditional Japanese tea ceremony (chanoyu).
The phrase translates to harmony, respect, purity, and tranquility. These principles guide not just the preparation and serving of tea, but also offer a mindful philosophy for daily life.
- Wa (Harmony): Signifies unity and balance between the host, the guests, the utensils,
and the surrounding environment or nature.
- Kei (Respect): Represents the appreciation of everyone and everything. It demands
humility, equality among all participants, and gratitude for the moment.
- Sei (Purity): Refers to both physical cleanliness (purifying the tea utensils and the
tearoom) and spiritual cleanliness (clearing the mind of clutter and ego).
- Jaku (Tranquility): The ultimate outcome of the experience. Once harmony, respect, and
purity are achieved, practitioners reach a state of inner stillness, selflessness, and
peacefulness.
And that concluded the ceremony, a 45-minute process.
It was fun and educational, though I’ve long forgotten the intricate movements and rules.
After the tea ceremony, I headed to Nishiki Market upon receiving some valuable input from a fun American lady, Jackie, with whom I chatted throughout the ceremony.
Nishiki Market is a haven for Japanese food, sweets, goodies, souvenirs, daifuku/mochi, basically everything that makes me happy. Decidedly not my purse, though!
I spent quite some time there, also because it’s rather large.
In the later afternoon, I decided it was time to go to a sushi restaurant. Do you wanna guess what I ate? 😁
I think congratulations are in order. Yes, sushi. 😁
It was yummy and I was conveniently seated to watch the chefs prepare it and chat with them via Google Translate. 😁
A bit more strolling and I headed back to my hostel via the subway.
I shall mention that I managed it once in 4 full days in Kyoto to exit the train station in the right place and locate my hostel within 5 minutes.
All the other days, I accidentally took a wrong exit and got lost, but more so today.
I was lost for 30 minutes exactly and discovered places at the train station I didn’t know existed.
Though I didn’t fully appreciate them because I just wanted to go “home”. 😁
Which I did, eventually. 😁Læs mere
Monkeys and a Bamboo Forest
1. juli, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 26 °C
After two days of sunshine, the weather wasn’t in the mood anymore.
In those situations, I sometimes wish I could just get cozy, relax and read.
But accommodation is a little too expensive to just do that with a clean conscience. 😁
And there was one spot I definitely wanted to explore: Arashiyama - known for its bamboo forest.
I followed the path Google Maps instructed me to take and stumbled upon a monkey forest. Ok, so that’s where I went.
Uphill. Lots of it. 😁
The rainy weather came in somewhat handy here because it wasn’t quite as hot as the previous few days, but still humid…
After a few minutes of hiking, there were dozens of monkeys, Japanese monkeys, to be exact. Many of them had rather red faces. They must have walked uphill for too long, too.
The red faces (and butts) are typical of Japanese macaques, which naturally have bare skin on their faces rather than fur there. That makes the redness stand out much more, especially when they’re wet or active.
Of course, the monkey forest is a tourist attraction. Unfortunately, consideration seems to sink in proportion to the number of tourists.
While the monkeys were largely left alone, people were quite unfamiliar with left-hand traffic and promptly bumped into you, which was frequently exacerbated by them walking with their phone in hand.
Then the sudden stopping in the middle of the path and having a chat with each other, not at all caring that they’re causing a jam…
To mention only a few. Ok. One more. Lots of them also got idiotically close to the monkeys… Which is not necessarily problematic for the monkeys, but for them. 😁
Though, to be fair, the monkeys sometimes swept by you too close for comfort.
But credit where credit is due: They were so much more well-behaved than the monkeys I’ve seen in Bali/Malaysia etc. and didn’t seem to be too reliant on people.
I headed back down and wanted to go to the bamboo forest now. I kept walking and walking and was wondering why there were fewer and fewer people until I was alone.
Then I came upon a sheet of paper. See the pics for reference.
Ok. Great. That was a 2km detour. 😁
I kept taking a few wrong turns. I could have had it really easy and just followed the grand tourist pilgrimage in the first place. 😁
I did finally find the bamboo forest. It was indeed beautiful. But also… Unless you want to go to all the temples in the vicinity, there’s not much more to look at. Apart from a really cool train track! Ah, that was fun, actually! What was fun about it? Well, just looking at it. 😁 And taking pics, of course.
Because of the rain and because I was rather wet already, I took the train back and turned in a little earlier for the night.
I’ve also made a change, at least for tonight: Not drinking 600ml of green tea for dinner. Because, for whatever reason, I kept being wide awake until well past midnight. 😁
Only for the love of green tea. 😁Læs mere
More Gion
30. juni, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 31 °C
I took my sweet time getting ready in the morning. And by morning, I mean noon. 😁
Personal accomplishment of the day: I finally did some laundry. I had somehow managed to ignore the urgency of that in the past few days. 😁
While I had planned on exploring the other side of the city, I kinda ended up not doing that.
The reason? I found a stationery store and spent more than 2h in there! Well!
I wish I could say I left it empty-handed…
But trust me when I say, I found the best-ever blue glitter pen! So I had to get two, naturally.
It would take too long to go through the rest, so I’ll spare ya… Also, to save me the memory of indulgence… 😁
And after this “short” interlude, I kinda ended up in Gion again. Apparently, all roads lead to Gion. 😁
But I did find a previously unseen part and I’m very glad I did. The area is incredibly picturesque!! Without all the people, that is. 😁
In the evening, I finally headed back to the hostel via subway, which had me enter the huge labyrinth of a train station again.
Did you know this thing has dozens of exits leading anywhere in the city??
If you’ve ever played Exit 8 (it’s a fun game, check it out) - that’s how I felt, in a way. 😁
With the slight difference that I kept finding exits that turned out to be entirely wrong for my purposes.
So, I practically hiked another 2.5 km I didn’t mean to add to the previous 9 km. 😁
I got myself some udon from my beloved 7-Eleven and sadly forgot a dessert.
That means I get two tomorrow, right? Right?Læs mere
Gion and Central Kyoto
29. juni, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 31 °C
Outside the hustle of the busy main street with plenty of bustling shops and traffic, Gion is a picturesque Japanese village, offering a little sanctuary away from the chaos.
Unfortunately, it was very popular with plenty of tourists as well. 😁
But yeah… 😁
I also spotted a huge (!) shopping centre in the vicinity. There’s so much to see! It’s impossible to take it all in! Shops of all sorts, restaurants, cafes - and every time you think, ok, that’s it, there’s another side road with hundreds more shops.
Again, the labyrinth metaphor holds.
My personal highlight of the day: acquiring my proper Japanese ceremonial-grade matcha. So happy!Læs mere
Samurai Class and a Park
29. juni, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 27 °C
First order of business today - after a very late breakfast (more eggs): The Samurai Experience.
Now, that was fun!
I was in a group of 8 and first told about the history of the Samurai.
As a little aside: The samurai were Japan’s feudal warrior class, prominent from the 12th century onwards. They lived by bushido, a strict code of honour centred on loyalty, discipline and martial skill. The class was officially abolished in 1876 during the Meiji Restoration.
There were 2 actual Japanese people there, but their activity was limited to the practical side of samurai instructions and demonstrations.
There was a bunch of other assistants around - from America - who did the talking parts and who translated.
While it was nice to understand something, I will say that I didn’t enjoy the American style of talking - at least the way the ladies present did it.
Their sense of humour wasn’t on point and they seemed so routined in what they were doing, it came off as incredibly bored and machine-like, with easy-entertainment jokes that didn’t quite land. Plus that bored/“cool” growl their voices featured - I found that quite annoying at times, to be honest.
Nonetheless, the active part was enjoyable.
At first, after the history lesson, the samurai gave us a demonstration of what the sword can actually cut. He was incredibly focused before he made the precise cut. Zen, as he told us.
Then, we were all instructed with a dull wooden sword on how to wield it correctly, performing 3 separate cuts.
We were instructed in groups of 4 in a little courtyard, so we’d have enough space.
After the dry practice, we were equipped with actual sharp swords.
Another practice round with them - this time 2 people per attempt, to avoid anyone being injured - before we had our target: a wet foam pillar.
The last cut, the stomach cut - if particularly successful, the part above the cut would remain standing on top of the rest, in accordance with inertia.
I did manage that once, but the second time it fell off. Still, at least once!
One guy actually managed it 4 times. Chapeau!
After the sword practice, we went inside and tried some zen meditation.
We were told it’s important not to close your eyes completely, but almost, so you’re still alert enough and won’t drift off into lots of thoughts the way you would with your eyes closed.
That was hard! I’m not sure I succeeded. 😁
The main objective of zen meditation is to try to think of nothing, to clear your mind for improved focus.
That’s not all that easy, so there are plenty of methods to help with that.
In our case, we used singing bowls.
One of the instructors struck them, with our backs turned to them.
We had to fully focus on the sounds and vibrations in our bodies.
I will say, it was quite soothing!
The last part was called “sword appreciation.”
For this, we were given an original samurai sword in pairs of two. One of them was 450, the other 650 years old!
We were instructed to put on a glove for protection on our left hand - where the blade would be.
We were warned to avoid movement with our wrists to keep the blade from tilting - or else - even though the glove felt massive - the blade could have sliced through it. 😁
All was well, though. But it was very heavy and took quite some focus.
Additionally, we also had to put a folded bit of absorbent paper into our mouths.
The purpose of this? To keep us from speaking while holding the sword, because the moist air released while speaking would cause the blade to rust with time.
Fascinating!
So, all in all: I had a LOT of fun learning to fight with the sword - rudimentarily - and I actually can’t wait to learn more!
After this fun - albeit very expensive - activity 🙈, I headed for an area called Gion, which came recommended as a must-see.
First point of interest in Gion was this little gem of a park.
Two geisha were in the middle of a photo shoot, and I guess at least one of them was only slightly confused when my camera suddenly appeared from around a corner. 😁
Same goes for the guy on the bridge… 😁Læs mere
Arriving in Kyoto
28. juni, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 27 °C
I was looking forward to finally taking the Shinkansen today!
Less so after I saw how much it would cost. But I reckon that’s part of the experience…
After not being too happy with the city of Hiroshima, I was excited to explore Kyoto, as I was told there’s lots to do and it came highly recommended.
But first, the train. Finding the correct platform was a science. Train stations in Japan seem to have been blueprinted as labyrinths. But, they do have a few signs around trying to make it easier. They could be a wee bit more regular and explanatory, but you do manage after a while. 😁
What was difficult, though, was trying to find the correct gate. I just couldn’t find that information on my ticket. I’m still confused about that.
After walking to Gate 13, not seeing the train on the board, I went downstairs again, then upstairs the other way to 12, confused, because again my train wasn’t on the board.
Then I asked someone at the tourist information downstairs (again).
Turns out, I was correct the first time. 😁
I hate carrying all my luggage in any case, but taking it on a leisurely stroll is the last thing I need! (Please no “I told you sos”)
After arriving at Kyoto Station 1h and 40 min later, I could actually simply walk to my hostel from the train station.
And so I set off - however, the alleged 350m on Google Maps failed to take into account just how huge the train station actually is, so the actual distance walked was closer to around 650m.
Normally that’s not an issue. It is, however, when the luggage is really heavy. 😁
Also maybe not ideal to carry the 80l backpack in front and the smaller one on the back, though for shorter distances, I prefer that since it’s quicker to be on the move.
However, this way makes my shoulders hurt fast!
After crossing a few streets and constantly stopping, dropping the backpack to reference Google Maps, and grabbing all my stuff all over again, I finally spotted the hostel in the distance.
Ha, I thought. Let’s be clever and cross the parking lot here, it’s a fantastic shortcut, surely!
Then I thought, crap, there’s a fence!
Luckily, there was a gate close by, so that obstacle was averted.
Though… There was another fence. I was practically at the building already! It felt so close, yet so out of reach… 😁
I decided to climb the fence, dumping my huge backpack on the other side first, then following suit.
Once that fence was climbed: yet another obstacle! The hostel is surrounded by needle trees as a substitute fence! Stupid!
At this point - also, it was hot - I was too exhausted to keep walking on with all the luggage.
I made the decision to forcefully push my huge backpack through a wee opening in the trees.
Taken care of.
Then I had my arms free to reference Maps again and thought it wiser not to take any shortcuts this time around.
I followed the path and… Ok, this was somewhat embarrassing. 😁
Just before I had climbed the fence… Had I just walked 2m to my left, I would have been able to directly enter the main hostel entrance.
I did indeed facepalm. (I had assumed that was the back of the building and hadn’t thought to check - the street really did resemble a back alley!)
So I checked in and just when the guy at the reception wanted to show me upstairs to my room, I said, hang on, I have to grab my luggage from outside.
He looked at me questioningly, while I pointed at the huge backpack surrounded by needle shrubbery in the yard.
I explained what went down, laughing at myself.
And he said that in all his time at the hostel, he’s never seen anyone do this.
I assured him that this would likely also be the last time. 😁
I took it easy in the afternoon and hardly explored, my main objective being to spot the closest 7-Eleven and procure some dinner.
My favourite thing to eat so far: Japanese pickled eggs. They’re brownish and full of umami flavour!
Japanese pickled eggs (shoyu tamago) are hard-boiled eggs marinated in soy sauce, mirin and sake - sometimes overnight. The whites absorb the marinade and turn a deep brownish colour, packed with savoury umami flavour.
And yes, they’re absolutely worth it.Læs mere
Deer Diary,
27. juni, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C
It wasn’t raining today!!
What joy to behold.
A 1h tram ride and a 10-minute ferry ride brought me to: Miyajima Island.
I loved it there!
Think camphor trees, shrines, lots of plants (even moss!! Exciting, right?), little rivers, and, best of all: deer. Free-roaming deer!
Oh deer, am I right?
They were surprisingly calm around people and seemed unfazed by them.
And, from what I could see, people largely left them alone. Good!
Well, there was a guy who fed a deer paper… I’m sure that’s not part of their diet, though they are notorious for eating paper - so keep your maps and tickets away from them. 😁
Soon after finding the deer, I encountered an Aussie girl, with whom I decided to walk around the bay.
We took a few pictures of the area - I honestly loved it! Together with the camphor trees, the moss and the pagoda-design of Japanese buildings - damn, it looked awesome! Very tranquil, just the way I like it.
Since it was low tide when we were there, we saw hundreds of crabs in the sand. Funny enough, they seemed to be having a little flash mob dance-off going on. 😁
See for yourself. 😁
We walked back to the ferry terminal through a touristy bit with cute shops and found, wouldn’t you know, matcha soft serve! Yes, you can probably guess what I did. Mea culpa.
I can also report I spotted a deer that seemed to be as matcha-obsessed as I am. 😁
It followed me with great determination. It made contact with me by biting me not once, but twice (just a nibble, but I felt it to be sure. 😁).
I refused to cooperate, running away, shielding and licking my matcha soft serve fervently. 😁
Deery me!
Not much more happened. We went back to the mainland and went our separate ways.
The Aussie girl and I, that is. Not the deer.
But, I must confess, I found these adorable animals nothing short of endeering.
I hope you found my puns as entertaining as I have - I am, in fact, still giggling. 😁Læs mere
Visiting Atomic Bomb Memorials
26. juni, Japan ⋅ 🌧 21 °C
In spite of what my hostel advised: “Please make sure you don’t sleep in. There’s so much to do and see!”, I didn’t care for the patronisation and slept in.
I was running on very little sleep over the past few nights and was somewhat sleep-deprived.
I did, however, feel guilty for sleeping in. Because deep down, I agree with the advice not to miss out on things.
There is an argument to be made for needing to be in a healthy physical state, though. 😁
Getting out of the hostel at 1 pm, I headed to the Peace Memorial Park - Hiroshima. Still in ongoing downpour.
A sight that can’t be missed is the Atomic Bomb Dome.
A rusty building in ruins - 160 m away from where the bomb struck on August 6, 1945.
I usually don’t much care for museums or exhibitions or monuments.
But the atmosphere was sombre. It felt heavy to look at the ruins, to just be present in the area.
This was exacerbated by the sound of an ominous bell that was rung in irregular intervals, sending dark, resonant waves towards you, wafting through the air like a dense fog.
As I kept walking, I discovered that the bell in question is the Bell of Peace - an anti-nuclear symbol, which is to be rung by anyone who wishes to live in a world without war. In peace.
I walked to the end of the park, past the Flame of Peace, the Pond of Peace and the Victims Memorial Cenotaph.
The sheer amount of monuments and symbols in the area that both call for peace and remind you of the atrocities committed evoked a sense of desperation within me. The imploring, the begging for peace, while you’re constantly being reminded of what actually happened on August 6th, minute by minute, how many people died, the aftermath…
And then you take a look into current affairs in the world…
I also went to the A-Bomb Ruins Exhibition Hall, which displays an original 1945 ground foundation. This, together with the National Peace Memorial Hall for the Atomic Bomb Victims, featuring memoirs, belongings and even a database with information and pictures of every one of the 29,622 people who died within the year of 1945 due to the nuclear bomb, just plain angered me. Considering the aftermath, the harm caused to an entire population by an invention developed by those who knew its effects, is mind-boggling.
At the next stop, the Peace Memorial Park Rest House, I took a stroll through a souvenir shop and was honestly a bit put out to see the Atomic Bomb Dome featured on countless souvenirs, like bookmarks, T-shirts, postcards, etc.
Call me weird, but I found that a little… off? Macabre?
Speaking of which, I went into a chemist’s shop in the immediate vicinity and saw a facial mask, titled “bomb face mask”. Come on, people! 😁
I was out for about 3 hours and couldn’t wait to get back to the dry hostel.
I had on my trainers - soaked.
My rain jacket - soaked.
My backpack - dry - because I’ve got a cover for it.
But! The cover on my backpack makes the raindrops cascade down in a way that turns my butt into a collecting pond.
I absolutely looked like I’d peed my pants!
Thinking this look was somewhat inappropriate as museum attire, I tied my jacket around that area.
That worked for a few minutes, when the rain just kept rolling off my jacket instead, right into my knees.
From there, it went both up and down my trousers.
So, that was highly inconvenient! I was rather uncomfortable and went to get myself a fancier plastic poncho. A little (seriously, nothing more) upgrade from the ones I had in SEA.
Considering I was already soaked, I accepted walking back without breaking in my new poncho.Læs mere
Arriving in Hiroshima
25. juni, Japan ⋅ 🌧 22 °C
After this short night - I’m not inclined to call whatever state I was in “sleep” - I headed to the airport in the dark of night with a pre-ordered Grab, which arrived late and got me a 20,000 dong voucher, which is around 60 cents, and which I won’t be able to use because I’ve left Grab-territory. 😁
At the airport, every shop was closed, though shortly before my departure, two places opened. I went to get a matcha, which was a sweet, syrupy mess that was slightly matcha-coloured. Not good.
4.5 hours later, I landed in Hiroshima.
At the airport, going through customs etc. - I'd never been asked that many questions! Maybe in New Zealand. But they wanted to know a lot about my journey. Filling in forms here, scanning stuff there... It was extensive!
Luckily, I'm diligent and had all the documents at the ready to impress my Japanese friends. 😁
I took a normal bus from the airport into the city and, boy howdy, that was a lovely bus. So clean. Southeast Asia should go to Japan for a few internships.
At the end of the bus route, I still needed to go around 2 km and took an Uber. That was the first time it hit me: the prices here are unfortunately considerably higher than in Vietnam. Darn.
I settled into my Scandinavian-inspired hostel and set out to explore a wee bit.
I followed the hostel’s suggestion to get some okonomiyaki, which is a sort of omelette with seafood and cabbage with a Worcestershire-like sauce. It’s quite good, though the cabbage was a little bland and boring.
I don’t really know where the time went today, but suddenly it was late afternoon and I still wanted to explore a bit.
Since, however, it was raining a lot, it wasn’t really encouraging me to go out and see things.
I therefore kept walking around a small area, just trying to take a few photos, but from first impression: it’s not actually very pretty around here, even ignoring the rain.
It’s mostly grey and beige, concrete and asphalt, with very little greenery. Nah, I find that depressing, tbh.
So I decided to turn in for the day.Læs mere