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  • Ben Smeele

Japan

My first real trip to Japan Les mer
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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Dotonburi

    16. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    This place felt really out of this world to walk around at night. The restaurants had lines out the door and the signage was just over the top but also needed to be to be seen amongst the rest.
    I saw a massive line for an Ominomiyaki bar so walked in there and was directed to the second floor. I got a beer and pork Ominomiyaki which cost ¥2200, a bit expensive but it was a popular place.
    Really happy I waited for the third photo, was cool to have myself up on the screen.
    There was a fish restaurant I walked past which had tanks you could catch your own fish in.
    I was considering staying later but was feeling very drained still.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Melbourne breakfast

    17. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    I was really craving a normal breakfast so I looked up online and found a Melbourne cafe. On the way there I noticed one cafe which sold princess brioche had a line around the door and out with everyone waiting patiently in the rain. They all seemed pretty content and I don't think that cafe even opened for another hour.
    The Melbourne cafe was quite busy so I had to wait outside but while waiting I talked to two others in line Gary and Jane. They had English accents but live in Sydney and they own a place in Seminyak Bali. They have rented their house out and now are just permanently traveling the world as their kids have all left the nest. They got caught in England for Covid but only slowly making their way back now.
    I ended up sharing a table with them for breakfast which was really nice to do.
    I got the full rugby meal but tbh it wasn't as good as I was expecting (e.g. ham instead of bacon) but the coffee was really good.
    Gary had suggested walking up the road as they walked past some capybaras so I did that afterwards. I tried to go inside but apparently it was a school for kids only and I was not allowed to enter.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    America-mura

    17. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    I went for a walk through American town and liked some of the graffiti and building designs but I became obsessed with the lampposts. They had one every couple of metres so I walked all the streets trying to find as many as I could. I think I found 24 of them but I'm sure there were many more hidden around the place.
    The shops themselves just had American fashion brands and styles. I'm sure some would have found them really interesting but I wasn't in a shopping mood.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Den den town

    17. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ 🌧 7 °C

    Den den stands for electric in Japanese and used to be where all the electric devices were sold. It has become more of a geek culture hub now with figurines, hobbies, trains, Airsoft guns, card trading and gaming machines.
    I was very tempted to get some old game consoles or models to assemble when I got home but was worried about luggage back and around Japan atm. I might get something in akihabara when I'm back in Tokyo so I don't have to carry it around too far with me.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Last night in Osaka

    17. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ 🌧 5 °C

    I went to a small temple with a massive oni statue - Namba Yasaka Jinja. It was still raining so it was not very busy. Pretty cool statue though.
    I headed back to the hostel for a quick stop and grabbed my towel to head off to an onsen. The onsen was $5 and was pretty basic, at first I was the only person there but I'm glad they are least had a cold plunge pool. I did a couple of laps and then headed out for some dinner.
    Across the alley from the onsen was a standing izakaya so I stopped for a drink and some Kobe beef. He got me to try some of the toungue stuffed with green onions which I ate but was a bit tough for me.
    The Kobe beef on the other hand was amazing, melt apart in your mouth with heaps of flavour.
    I then felt like a desert so I found a busy pastery place and got some night treats.
    I hung around and was social in the common area for a little but it was about 8 when I called it a night. I went back to my bunk, wrote up my penguins which were outstanding and watched some YouTube. Spent half the night awake trying to figure out what I'll be doing over the next couple of days.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Off to Hiroshima

    18. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    I originally had the plan to go to the lantern festival tonight in Osaka but missed going to that last night because of the rain. I then had the idea of going back to Tokyo for jump fest but missed out as I would have needed to get tickets a month ago.
    So the thoughts this morning were
    1. Stay in Osaka and then Mt Fuji like the original plan
    2. Go to Naya for deer then Nagoya then Kanazawa as people I have run into have suggested that.
    3. Go south while I am down this way.

    So I talked to Tate and he helped me choose option 3. I got myself a jr pass and jumped on the next Shinkansen south and headed to Hiroshima. I also booked a night train back to Tokyo from Izumoshi in a few days so I have to find a way to get there and a hotel to stay in tonight.

    It's pretty cold today (high of 5° and low of 2°) so I added another layer but somehow lost my gloves and on my last thick socks which are not quite keeping my toes warm. Might need to do a little shopping.

    Let's see how it goes.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Peace park

    18. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 1 °C

    Since I'm in Hiroshima I needed to visit peace park. Even as I was looking for a hotel a Japanese lady saw I was looking at maps and asked if I was looking for peace park but I explained I will go there later.
    It was a bit somber walking around and reading the signs about what happened but I then sat down for a second and a cat came up and sat on my lap. I thought at first he just wanted some warmth but then 10 mins later a lady showed up with some food for them. They seemed healthy enough cats and very friendly.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Candeo hotel

    18. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 0 °C

    I booked myself randomly into a hotel that was close to the city and had an onsen.
    It had gotten really cold so I wandered around and found some basic gloves from h&m which fit well enough. I then had redrock for dinner which the meat was as raw as the photo makes it look... The desert was a custard fish.
    I then headed back to the hotel for laundry and onsen, Yos had asked me to take photos but I explained as everyone is naked they don't allow camera or phones in them. I took a photo of the outside sign and the entrance ways. The onsen was nice enough with an open roof spa on the 14th floor, sauna and cold plunge.
    I ended up staying up till 12:30 doing washing as I was 10 mins late to pick it up and they had taken my washing out for someone else to use it and mine still needed drying so I needed to wait for theirs to finish.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    First snow!!!

    19. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    I woke up late as I had slept in and my phone said it was snowing outside so I opened the curtains and amazingly it was, I got up and ready as quickly as i could to get out there in it.
    I had no plan for the day but figured I needed some sort of breakfast so I grabbed a sandwich and coffee from doutor.
    One of the girls I was talking to suggested I go to Miyajima and have a look. I did a quick google and saw it was an island I could pay a ferry to get to or train south for a free jrpass route so I did that.
    It was still snowing on the train ride down and at some points was heavy enough to see it built up on cars.
    It got me really excited to see snowfall, I was hoping it would get real heavy but I'm still happy with the little bit I did see.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende
    1

    Miyajima

    19. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    I caught the train further south and then a ferry across. It was looking to be a beautiful day in the sun, I had not expected to be walking along a beach and definitely was not expecting free roaming friendly deer. They were everywhere and seemed unphased by people.
    Wandered around through the temples and kept patting or feeding deer when I could along the way. I had an Ominomiyaki on a stick and a Okinomiyaki which had noodles and scallops on it.
    I figured j should head back but could have easily kept wandering through that area.
    When I caught the train back to the city it had started to snow a little again.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Shukkeien and Hiroshima Castle

    19. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 3 °C

    The Shukkeien gardens were very peaceful and nice to wander through, there were a few people but quiet enough to enjoy wandering slowly through. I found some massive quince which I wish I could have brought back for Varne to put in a cider, they were the size of your fist.
    When I got to the castle I started to feel sombre again as alot of the buildings had been destroyed and the castle was quite a bit smaller than the others I had seen, I wonder if it was rebuild more recently as it sorta looked like it.
    You get this strange feeling in this town that it's broken from the past a little but also somehow at peace with that. I don't know how to explain it but it's almost a broken spirit feeling. The people are still nice and happy but it's just a feeling.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende
    1

    Last night in Hiroshima

    19. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 2 °C

    I jumped on a tram as I wanted to see where it took me and I ended up going west, the trams didn't go very fast but it was good to look around while riding it. I walked around a little after that to find a spot for dinner and saw this little place with smoke billowing out so I decided to pop in and give it a go.
    Got the classic draft beer and ordered a popular set menu which I had no idea what was on it but it all looked like some sort of meat on a stick.
    I got some sausage thing, chicken negi, some beef kabab, bacon wrapped Quail eggs (I think), gyoza on a stick (maybe), Sand sand (I think chicken hearts), lastly a chicken wing.
    He always did this clap move after salting the meat, he was quite a character.
    As they had no or spoke no English this was more a test of my Japanese and by the end they were laughing and smiling at my Japanese ability, they seemed impressed that I was trying and could write notes down of what to say in Japanese.
    It was a really fun place with great atmosphere, the bar was full the whole time I was there.
    I thought I got on the same tram to head home but somehow it went the opposite direction half way, I jumped off and walked back. I had another onsen, made sure my room was packed ready to go early in the morning.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende
    11

    Little backtrack

    20. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 4 °C

    I got up and had a smorgasbord breakfast at the hotel before finding a way to Izumo. If I had planned better I probably could have caught the other line to the southern stop for the sunrise express but meh. There was only a bus to get directly to Izumo which cost over $100. I found if I caught a Shinkansen back to Okayama then a train to Izumo it was 30 mins longer but free so I planned that out instead.
    So the summary of the next 24 hours I caught a tram to a bullet train to then get a normal train to make it to the overnight sleeper train and then lastly a Tokyo subway... It's a train day.
    I got myself a Bento Box in Okayama for the 3 hour trip to Izumo. I don't know what half of it was but I ate it all and it wasn't half bad.
    I like how they put the pickled plum in the centre of the rice to represent the Japanese flag.
    I started to watch a Japanese Ghibli movie but soon got distracted by seeing actual build up snow outside. The longer I watched the more and more there was. The photos I took give it no justice as to see the snow on the trees was just magical. I had been wondering what I was doing wasting a day just catching trains around Japan but this made it worth it.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Izumo

    20. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 6 °C

    I arrived in Izumo as this is where my night train would be leaving from, to get back to Tokyo. I had 4 hours or so, so I put my gear in a locker and jumped on the first bus I saw without knowing where it would take me.
    I had a thought last night about planning vs impulse due to heading to that island and not expecting deer. Where it got me to was, when I plan I get my hopes up and often get more excited for something than it deserves thus inevitably letting me down. When I just do something random it may not be the best but it's always a surprise and that's the best bit.
    It dropped me off in a temple so I headed that way and called mum and dad on the way. It was a nice park to walk through and the air was cool and crisp, as I had not walked much today I decided to walk down to the beach.
    As the sun was setting it was a very nice and calm place, it seemed quite a small town with very few tourists or cars.
    I only had a few hours so I grabbed some Starbucks sandwich for the train and headed back to the train station. When I got back I could not find anywhere with power or wifi to spend the hour I had remaining so I went to mos burger and got dinner for later.
    Back at the station again and there were some missionaries playing Christmas carols on the piano. They were from America and 18-21. They were here for a couple of months just spreading the word so it seems, it was nice to hear them play though.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Night Train

    21. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ 🌙 6 °C

    I jumped on the night train a little anxious as I had just read they don't give you a pillow or bedding or towel, you sleep on carpet without curtains and there was no luggage storage in the 190cm long beds. They are called Nobi nobi seats.
    I got on, set up my area as best I could and did a quick walk around through the different areas. I turned my jacket into a pillow and had a blanket left over from business class.
    Even though it was a non smoking train they have smoking rooms somewhere and the smell still comes through to the cabins. Most of the night I could still smell smoke.
    There was no power or internet but the laptop held out well and I had my battery pack which I ended up only using to charge my phone.
    The carpet floor was heated somehow which was nice that it kept you warm.
    I had started off with no neighbours but by the time I woke up in the middle of the night in Nagoya all the "beds" were full.
    I was considering a shower as I found my towel but all the shower tokens had been purchased already.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Imperial palace

    21. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ☁️ 6 °C

    I dumped my luggage at the hotel and started walking left, I had no plan on where to go but found myself upon the imperial palace grounds and by the time I got there I was perfectly on time for the morning tour group.
    It was quite boring where they did a basic walking tour around some buildings. You got to see about 10% of the grounds and I understand as the emperor lives there but the buildings you saw and the history of the place just felt fake and boring. I guess I compared it a lot to the other castles as I went and this place didn't have that heritage feeling to it.
    I probably would not suggest anyone does it unless they really care about government or the Emperor.
    Ran into a guy from Portugal who had promised his sons he would do this tour but found it just as boring. Spent most of the time hanging back and just talking to him.
    Helped him a little afterwards by getting a ticket to Kyoto on the bullet train for tomorrow. He was worried about how to book it and I explained it's better to book in advance so you have the seat reserved.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Studio Ghibli Museum

    21. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 9 °C

    When I first arrived in Japan I booked a ticket for the Ghibli museum as you can't book overseas and it is often booked a month in advance. I was able to get a ticket for today at 2pm
    I got myself a ramen lunch and then walked through the park next to the Ghibli museum as I had a bit of time still. It was really nice and calm to walk through.
    I got back to the museum on time but was really upset they don't allow you to take photos. The same happened in the manga museum and I guess its a copyright thing but I took a few secretively anyway.
    I was still quite tired from the night train but this place made you act like a little kid by looking in little areas or turning cranks to make film slides flow. They walked through how slit animation worked and then was adapted to film animation. How slides on-top of drawings can make the image move or grow/shrink as needed.
    There was a short movie which I was worried about at first but it had no language similar to a Pixar one and was nice to watch through.
    I took the spiral staircase to the roof and took a photo with the laputian robot.
    I got myself a little souvenir broach of noface and was tempted to get more as the prices were not that bad but was happy with something small.
    I think I was most happy with the drain face guy, he just made me laugh as I didn't expect to see him there.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende
    11

    Roppongi wander

    22. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ⛅ 10 °C

    I headed out to stretch my legs and get some food, I didn't really have any plan so started with just getting some Wendy's. Got myself a burger with maple fries and latte coffee cold drink. It was a bit random but didn't taste too bad.
    I then saw in my lonely planet map that there were some places to check a little south so I headed that way.
    I found a tall building and when I got close saw this blue garden down below so went to check that out, looks like it was some advertising for avatar but also in Christmas lights. Was quite nice to walk around.
    I then wandered abck and found a street with all the trees lined with lights. It must have been the glamorous side of town as all the Louis Vuitton and Rolex type shops were lined up along this street.
    I then decided to try head the opposite direction which led me to Tokyo midtown. I found another arrangement of Christmas lights which let me to an ice skating rink. I figured stuff it, I'll give it a go and fell almost instantly. I was not expecting the skates to rock back and forward on a point, apparently that's figure skating style.
    I did a couple of hours and by the end of it I could do some laps with a little speed but was still not confident to use edges or cross overs or anything like that.
    There were a guy and girl dresses as Santa and Mrs Claus who must have been professional as were doing full spins in the air before landing.
    I then headed back to the hotel for some dinner and a drink and to watch a movie. It was a pretty lazy day but glad I got out and saw a bit of Roppongi.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Ninja and Samurai course.

    23. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 6 °C

    We started with a walk down through the Imperial Palace and onto the Tokyo station. It was nice walking around with the twins, they kept holding my hand or hugging, probably just trying to steal warmth but it was nice 😁.
    We tried to get the tickets at Tokyo but the line was massively long and would have been waiting there for hours. We jumped on a train to koto and found the course they had booked and then grabbed a quick lunch. The place wasn't the easiest to find by a local pointed us in the right direction.
    I then sat and watched their course for a while as there were no places for me to join in sadly.
    We then trained back to Tokyo, sorted Nathan's passes out and walked through the city a little.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Hibiya Christmas Market

    23. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ 🌙 4 °C

    We went along to the Christmas market but didn't realise it was German themed. All the food stalls and markets were Oktoberfest or around there themed.
    Got a nice mug as a souvenir but it would have been better to have a Japanese themed market.
    After that we trained to roppongi for a little wander and some dinner. We ended up going to a rib place next to the hard rock cafe. The ribs themselves fell apart and I got myself a long island and pina colada.
    I was considering heading out after that for a later night but didn't have the energy so just went back to the hotel and watched a movie.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Neko(Cat) temple

    24. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    I was finding something to do this morning so I headed west to the goodluck cat temple shrine. I only had a quick look around but the sheer number of cats was really cool. I got myself a couple while there and tried a hot vending coffee which wasn't too bad.
    I then needed to catch a train to akihabara to catch-up with the Pilkingtons. I grabbed myself a quick bite from a place by the train station which was pretty good.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Tokyo tower and Zojo-ji

    24. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ 🌙 8 °C

    I thought I had booked the same tower as the Pilkingtons but turns out there is the Tokyo tower and the skytree. So I had to run the other direction to make it in time for my tour.
    It was really nice at the very top, I had a little tour phone that explained what was in each direction and gave some helpful tips on what to check out in the coming days.
    I took way too many photos but stayed up there till it was dark and I could get some night shots. Got a really good shot of the sun setting with my Fuji in the background.
    I decided to take the stairs down and did a long exposure of the 600 steps.
    I saw a lit up pumpkin while I was up there so figured I would go and check it out.
    It took me through a temple which was pitch black and very calming with the noises they were making. Turns out the Zojo-ji temple is where they filmed the movie The Wolverine, I might have to go back during the day as it was quite dark.
    I found the pumpkin eventually and found out it was a Louis Vuitton thing, they had also sponsored the tower hence why it had LV on the side.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende
    4

    Christmas eve in Roppongi

    24. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ 🌙 7 °C

    We went and had Havana Mexican for dinner as Nath had remembered coming here when he was younger. The food seemed decent but we had to rush to try and make it to skating. Sadly by the time we got there they had sold out of tickets and were closing up for the night, we tried to get in but to no avail.
    We went for a little walk through the main streets, found some Santa's on bikes and found a spiky teddy bear.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende

    Animal cafe

    25. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 10 °C

    We went into an animal cafe to have a look at some of the animals. Sienna was really looking forward to seeing a capybara but unfortunately theirs had passed away recently. The other animals were quite cute though, the hedgehog being spikey but the fox was by far the softest there.
    We got to hold and pat them all, not sure I would have any of these animals as pets though. Maybe the fox but it was sleeping all the time.    Les mer

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  • Ben SmeeleJapanReisende
    11

    Harajuku and Yoyogi Park

    25. desember 2022, Japan ⋅ ☀️ 11 °C

    I headed to Harajuku to meet up with the Pilkingtons for a Christmas wander.
    We started walking up a crowded street which had the animal cafe on it, saw some people with rainbow fairy floss so Sienna had to give one a go, I personally liked the grape purple layer.
    We stopped for a crepe, mine had strawberry, ice-cream and cream in it. Was pretty good and only $6 or so.
    We then walked into a novelty store and I remembered my Bowser hat and figured I would wear it for a while as it was Harajuku and seemed the place for it.
    We started to walk over to Yoyogi park and someone came up and asked if they could interview me for their tv show. I didn't know at the time what it was but gave it my best to answer their questions. The show was called "Why did you come to Japan?" So they asked me lots of questions regarding that while I was still wearing the Bowser hat. Apparently they do this often and they even offered to help me find my original host family but I explained I didn't know enough to be able to track them down and it was okay. I'll have to keep an eye out if I end up on tv somewhere.
    We then walked through Yoyogi and saw the Elvis guys doing some dancing, a group of girls doing a photo shoot and a drum circle having some fun. Stopped for a bit to watch a juggler who had some decent comedy.
    The kids wanted to find a Pokemon centre so we headed to the closest one which was towards Shibuya. I found some more teddy bears on the way, not sure why they are such a popular thing but I found them very interesting. We got to the Pokemon centre but it was packed and even trying to look around took ages to get anywhere. We then walked past Shibuya crossing and in the train station downstairs got some cream filled pastries which I have become slightly addicted to.    Les mer

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