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Robert ArnoldRobert Arnold
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Joined Jan 23, 2023 Read more
  • TravelerJapan
    Day 19

    Tokyo (again)

    October 7, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    My final day was spent making my way back to Tokyo. After dropping off my luggage I headed over to Shibuya for some last minute souvenir shopping, and grabbed a huge chocolate and strawberry waffle from the 109 building for lunch!

    In the afternoon I met up with my friend Oscar, who moved to Tokyo a week ago to study Japanese. We went over to Akihabara to look in some tech shops before touring some arcades, where we were generally terrible at rhythm games.

    For dinner we went over to a standing sushi bar, with the highlight being grilled Conger Eel. Finally we ended the night in a darts and games bar. Of course the dart boards were digital and would automatically track your scores as you played (including being able to detect when I repeatedly completely missed the board). We then somehow got caught up in a Japanese pub quiz - somehow we did averagely despite barely understanding any of the questions!

    And that's a wrap for Japan! Writing this now from the airplane home. This really has been an unforgettable experience and I hope I will get the opportunity to return again soon    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 18

    Kamikõchi

    October 6, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    After a traditional Japanese breakfast of fried chicken and cake I caught a bus from Matsumoto deeper into the Japanese Alps.

    Kamikochi is a valley between some of the largest mountains and volcanoes in Japan. As the bus snaked its way through the hills I caught glimpses of snow monkeys, as well as many natural hot springs.

    The valley floor itself is 1500 meters above sea level, making it significantly colder than the previous destinations - while Tokyo was often above 30 degrees, it was around 7 degrees here. Shortly after arriving there was a light drizzle, making it feel like authentic British hiking weather.

    The trail was mostly flat and easy going, it was only after I'd set off I realized I was missing the one piece of hiking equipment all of the Japanese hikers had - a bell to scare away bears! (Un)fortunately I didn't spot any on my travels though.

    The entire area was ridiculously beautiful, with a river of perfectly clear blue water running through dense forests surrounded by huge mountains. As the day progressed there were breaks in the clouds allowing for some stunning views of the mountain peaks.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    1
    Day 17

    Matsumoto

    October 5, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 19 °C

    After a stop over in Niigata to watch a second Zutomayo concert I made my way to Matsumoto.

    The main draw of this city is its castle, one of the oldest surviving Japanese castles. Exploring the interior of the castle had many museum pieces, mainly focusing on the period where guns were first introduced into Japanese warfare. The steps into each floor got progressively more steep, I wouldn't want to be a samurai having to climb this castle.

    Painted black it looks very striking, even more so at night!

    My dinner for the night was more ramen, with a side of gyoza. Maybe some of the best ramen I've had so far!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 15

    Mt Inari & Nara

    October 3, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    Another early start, this time I headed to Fushimi Inari, where thousands of Torii gates weave their way up the hillside. Hoping to beat the crowds I arrived at around 8am, but the main shrine was already getting fairly crowded. Setting off down the trail was also busy, the trail starts with a short flat circular route but then splits to lead back to the main shrine or off up Mt Inari.

    The climb to the top took around an hour, although it was a hot day you were always in the shade of the endless Torii gates. As I climbed higher the trail quietened allowing for some incredible moments where I could appreciate the trail with barely anyone around.

    Every few minutes of climbing it seemed like there would be another rest stop, and another collection of small shrines, some of these places must have had over a hundred shrines alone. Other rest stops offered amazing views over Kyoto.

    After completing the trail and returning to the main shrine I found all of the tourists buses arrived, so I retreated to my second destination.

    A short train ride away from Kyoto is Nara, a huge park filled with some magnificent shrines, however it is famed for its wildlife. The park is filled with amazingly docile deer that are not bothered by people at all, some even letting you pet them!

    You can purchase deer food - which seemed to be some kind of biscuit, at which point the deer will become much more interested in you. Many of the deer have learnt to bow if you do, before receiving their food... often this results in deer running up to you whilst rapidly nodding their heads!

    However my favourite deer was the one that had learnt to stand within one of the shrines, bowing as people queued up to feed her. I also enjoyed watching the American tourists get chased by hoards of deer after teasing them with their food.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 14

    Kyoto Day 2

    October 2, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 24 °C

    Setting off early, my first destination was the Arashiyama Bamboo Grove, a spectacular bamboo forest where you could hear the branches of bamboo creak and rattle in the wind. From there I climbed a hill to a great view of the rest of Arashiyama Park.

    The second stop was a short walk away... followed by a large slog up a bigger mountainside! The reward at the top was worth it however, as I arrived at the Iwatayama Monkey Park.

    Not only did this park boast a fantastic view of all of Kyoto, there was also a huge number of wild Snow Monkeys. As a twist, guests are allowed to feed the monkeys, but they can only do so from within a building - the monkeys on the outside reaching in. It was an amazing experience to have them take food right from your hand! Outside the monkeys were very relaxed around humans, wandering very close to you, even with their babies.

    My final destination of the day was Kinkaku-ji, an absolutely astonishing temple decorated with gold leaf.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 13

    Kyoto Day 1

    October 1, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 25 °C

    After a slight delay caused by me missing the Shinkansen I arrived in Kyoto. The difference between this city and Tokyo is like night and day. The endless skyscrapers replaced with views of mountains in all directions, and noticeably less busy.

    I spent the afternoon exploring the Imperial Palace grounds, a vast garden filled with shrines and foliage. It would have been a place of great tranquility, if not for the noise from the birds, which from Googling I believe to be the Brown-eared Bulbul. Which has a call similar to a squealing pig.

    In the evening I headed into the market and had my first conveyor sushi! The best by far was Snow Crab, which of course meant it was the most expensive dish on the menu!    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 12

    LiSA

    September 30, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ⛅ 27 °C

    On to the second concert of the trip, LiSA has written music for some of the most popular anime - including Sword Art Online and Demon Slayer, as well as the Japanese version of the new Spiderman film. Her musical style is punk-rock with a j-pop twist.

    The performance was very high energy, with the crowd constantly chanting (sometimes even in English so I would understand what was happening). The light pens that the audience use add a unique element compared to western concerts.

    LiSA herself was very laid back, constantly joking with the crowd and the rest of the band. For one of the final songs she walked into the crowd while singing, amazingly everyone remained stood next to their allocated seat, unimaginable in a western performance. She also managed to perform countless lightning fast costume changes between songs.

    (I can find myself in the group photo, on the first floor balcony to the right)    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 11

    teamLab Planets

    September 29, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 28 °C

    In the morning I headed over to teamLabs, an interactive modern art museum, famed for its giant full room art pieces.

    The guidance when visiting the museum was to wear shorts - the reason for this became clear immediately as you have to climb a slope through running water to get to the first exhibit.

    Most of the displays are in large mirrored rooms, making the area feel infinitely large - the most effective area for this was the LED light forest. Seemingly endless strings of lights constantly changing in different patterns.

    My favourite exhibit was the digital koi pond, where you waded throught knee deep water, with fish that would react to movement - if one swam into you it would burst into flowers, leaving a trail wherever people walked through.

    On the way back I also took a detour to see the Tokyo Tower, very similar to the one in France, but this one was also next to a Buddhist temple.    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 10

    Zutomayo

    September 28, 2023 in Japan ⋅ 🌙 30 °C

    In the evening I headed over to Kawaguchi to see the band Zutomayo (Midnight Forever). This was one of the main reasons for travelling all the way to Japan in the first place, so my expectations were high. However I was hesitant as the tour was titled the "primitive" 5 year anniversary tour, so I was worried that it may be a little bit simpler than some of the performances I'd seen online.

    I was very fortunate to have won the premium seating in the ticket lottery, so my seat was only a few rows from the front. And as the show started my fears of a simple show evaporated as the curtain fell to reveal the set was an entire vintage cafe, with the stage hands dressed as waiters to maintain the illusion, suddenly I understood the mistranslation!

    The band set off into a two and a half hour set of their experimental funk-rock-jpop fusion, the entire performance was a sensory overload of sound and colour, as with each new song the stage would be illuminated in a different style.

    The lead singer ACAね゙ (pronounced a-ka-ni) performed brilliantly, whilst the lighting was set up perfectly so that her face was almost always in sillouete, allowing her to remain anonymous even whilst dancing around the stage wielding a giant glowing sword!

    The highlights of the performance included the Open Real Ensemble, a duo which used a magnetic tape machine attached to a fishing rod to synthesise some very unique sounds, and the lead singer playing a solo on the "Electric Fan Harpsichord" - essentially using an electric pickup to play a desk fan like a guitar.

    The crowd was also unlike any I had seen before in a concert, waiting patiently for the band to tell them when they should sit, and when they can stand and dance. Between songs after the applause had finished the crowd would go silent in anticipation of the next song.

    (Photography during the performance was forbidden so I've included some images from their official photobook to illustrate what an Electric Fan Harpsichord looks like)    Read more

  • TravelerJapan
    Day 10

    Akihabara

    September 28, 2023 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 29 °C

    In the morning I headed over to Akihabara "Electric Town", an area famous for its various games and retro tech stores. The place was packed with various shops selling merchandise for every game you could think of, new or old.

    I also spent some time exploring the arcades, which consisted of multiple stories, with various crane and "gatcha" prize games, retro arcade cabinets, and modern games. I tried my hand at the original Ridge Racer, as well as a classic "bullet hell" shooting game... I wasn't particularly great at either!

    On the way back I had a change of pace and stopped off at the grounds of the Imperial Palace, unfortunately it's very difficult to see the palace itself, but the various gate houses surrounding it, and the ruins of an old Edo castle were still impressive.    Read more

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