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  • TravelerFunemployment - Japan
    Day 10

    Epilogue

    March 25, 2018 in the United States ⋅ ⛅ 21 °C

    I had two prior false endings to my Funemployment travels because I extended my travels twice while working out details my future employer. I received my job offer not long after returning on this trip and I returned to the working world soon after with a renewed attitude and a vow to never again allow a job to negatively impact my wellbeing.Read more

  • TravelerFunemployment - Japan
    Day 10

    Tokyo Haneda to Los Angeles

    March 25, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☁️ 16 °C

    American Airlines AA26 | HND/LAX
    Business Class
    Boeing 787-9 | N834AA
    ATD/1633 | ATA/0956
    Lounge: Sakura Lounge

    After arriving at LAX, I met my friend Joel for lunch in Culver City before returning to LAX for my flight back to HNL.Read more

  • TravelerFunemployment - Japan
    Day 10

    Hibiya

    March 25, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 17 °C

    During our week in Japan, Jeff and I both lamented the lack of cherry blossoms. We did see the occasional tree in bloom, but we were too early to really see the famed sakura in their full glory. I had heard that the trees had started blossoming in Tokyo, so I decided to spend the rest of my layover at a park. I knew that the Hibiya Line went to Tsukiji, so I hopped onto a metro train for the short ride to Hibiya. This turned out to be a great option as many trees were in bloom. There was also a special Pokemon Go event going on at that time so there were several hundred players around, and all the lures were lit.

    In addition to the Pokemon Go players and park visitors enjoying the sakura, something very different was going on in a corner of the park, centered around a fenced off area. As I walked past, I saw many police, some flags, and a crowd of people standing at the entrance of the fenced off area. They were all dressed in blue jackets and they all had notebooks in hand. I surmised that they were reporters. I walked around the corner to the edge of the park and saw news vans. I also saw that the road there was cordoned off. At that point, several dozen policemen ran past me. From what I could see, they were running after a red haired woman who seemed to be trying to get into the cordoned off area. In the U.S., I would have immediately walked away from this scene, but something told me this wasn't going to escalate into a hazardous situation. I struck up a conversation with a caucasian man who looked like he lived there, and he told me that there was a political event going on and that the red haired woman was trying to get in. At that juncture, a convoy of vehicles with flags drove past with loudspeakers blaring.

    I walked back to the main entrance to the rally site. By now, I could hear what seemed like haranguing coming from that area. Things took a surreal turn when a Lugia appeared at the Pokegym there, and at least a hundred players got mixed up with the reporters, police, and political activisis.

    After a pleasant couple of hours in Hibiya Park, I decided to head back to Haneda. But, I had one more sight to see. Between the park and the station was a Godzilla statue. I visited this statue back in 2014, and I took a selfie that became my profile picture for a while. Arriving there, I realized the statue had changed. This new statue was larger and elevated in such a way that I could not emulate the same selfie despite my best efforts.

    After snapping a few shots of the Godzilla statue, I made my way back to Haneda via the Tokyo Metro to catch my flight home.

    https://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/blo…    Read more

  • TravelerFunemployment - Japan
    Day 10

    Tsukiji

    March 25, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 13 °C

    My first order of the day was to get some breakfast. Tsukiji Fish Market is an easy monorail and subway ride from Haneda. As this was Sunday, the inner market was closed, but the outer market was very much alive and kicking, with the exception of the two most famous sushi restaurants which are closed on Sundays.

    I wandered around, settled on a semi-busy sushi restaurant, and ordered an assortment of nigiri sushi. I was hungry and I devoured the delicious sushi. After that, I wandered around, purchased from a streetside stall a blowtorched combination of scallop, uni (sea urchin), and crab claw served on a large scallop shell, and then had some miso soup made from crab stock. Both these snacks were truly amazing. I then topped off my brunch with some strawberry ice cream. I couldn't get myself to order the whitebait ice cream on offer.

    https://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/blo…    Read more

  • TravelerFunemployment - Japan
    Day 10

    Nagoya to Tokyo Haneda

    March 25, 2018 in Japan ⋅ 9 °C

    Japan Airlines JL200 | NGO/HND
    Business Class (Domestic)
    Boeing 737-800 | JA339J
    ATD/0749 | ATA/0837
    Lounge: Sakura Lounge

    ==============================================================

    I chose to fly from Nagoya because I wanted to see Mt. Fuji from the air. The ticket was about the same price as a reserved shinkansen seat. Japan Airlines only offers two flights each day on that route, so I had to take their 7.45am flight. I left the hotel at around 5.45am, and I got to the airport within one hour. During the flight, I enjoyed some great views of Mt. Fuji.

    I landed at Haneda airport around 8.45am. After disembarking, I made my way to the International Terminal where I deposited my larger backpack in a coin locker. You have to love Japan for making things so convenient. I then made my way to the monorail station.

    https://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/blo…    Read more

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  • TravelerFunemployment - Japan
    Day 9

    Nagoya

    March 24, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 15 °C

    After departing Koyasan, we made our way to Nagoya by a combination of bus, rapid train, subway and then shinkansen. We got in to Nagoya in the late afternoon. Jeff was scheduled to fly home from Nagoya the next evening, and I was scheduled to fly home from Tokyo Haneda a few hours before him. My plan was to fly from Nagoya to Haneda, spend a few hours in Tokyo, and then depart from Haneda.

    Jeff and I didn't do much in Nagoya that day. We walked to the International Design Center, enjoyed the cool architecture there, had dinner, walked around the Sakae area a little, and then called it a night. On his own the next day, Jeff explored Nagoya Castle, the aquarium, and the Museum of the Antarctic.

    https://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Tokyo/blo…    Read more

  • TravelerFunemployment - Japan
    Day 9

    Okunoin Cemetary

    March 24, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 3 °C

    After breakfast, we checked out and left our bags at reception and walked to Okunoin, a cemetery on the eastern end of town. The cemetery was beautiful, green, and peaceful. We strolled around, checked out the shrines, tombstones, and statues. One of the more interesting things we saw were structures (I'm not sure if they were actual graves) with corporate logos on them, including Panasonic and Nissan. Do they bury their retirees here? I even heard Japanese visitors sniggering as they walked past these structures.

    After Okunoin, we walked out to the main road, hailed a bus back to the center of town, ate some lunch, collected our bags, and then made our way back to Osaka and onward to Nagoya.

    I really enjoyed Koyasan. It is a beautiful and atmospheric place, and it seemed to attract mostly younger, independent travelers seeking to immerse themselves in this spiritual place. We didn't see any large groups of tourists. I suspect this place isn't on the main tourist trail because it takes some effort to get there, and also because there aren't large hotels or restaurants that can handle large tour groups.

    https://www.atlasobscura.com/places/okunoin-cem…

    https://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/…    Read more

  • TravelerFunemployment - Japan
    Day 8

    Temple Stay at Jokiin

    March 23, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 8 °C

    After Danjo Garan, we headed back to Jokiin. Arriving back at Jokiin, we saw two monks chanting on a balcony next to the reception area. This was oddly reminiscent of my stay at a convent in Ruteng, Indonesia where I returned after a day of sightseeing to the sound of singing nuns.

    Shokubo lodging includes dinner. At Jokiin, all meals are shojin ryori (Buddhist vegan, no onions and garlic), supposedly prepared by the monks. When reserving the room, I was given a choice of a one-, two-, or three-tray meal. I chose the two-tray meal and hoped it would be enough.

    Our meal was served to us in our room by a guy I suspected wasn't actually a monk, as his head wasn't shaved (he wore a head covering, though) and he wasn't present at the prayer ceremony the next morning. I was pleased when he didn't offer us alcohol; I'd read about guests at other lodgings being offered alcohol with their meals, and I thought that was odd for a Buddhist vegan meal. The meal was beautifully presented, delicious, and very filling. I suspect many meat eaters would willingly give up meat if they could eat like this every day. We sat on cushions on the tatami mat floor to eat our meal.

    After dinner, a monk came and set up our mattresses on the floor. We chilled a little, then went to the on site onsen. Public bathing is the only option at many of the lodgings. Jokiin did have one shower room, but it was only available for use in the morning.

    After a comfortable sleep, we woke up early and got ready for the 6am morning prayer ceremony. It was cold and there was frost on the vegetation. We went into a beautiful, lantern-lined room and sat in silence as the head priest and four monks chanted for about 30 minutes. Halfway while the chanting was going on, one monk distributed information sheets inviting guests to come up to the altar and offer incense. The sheets also gave instructions on how to do it.

    After the chanting was done, the priest, who introduced himself as Kato, gave us a short history in English of Koyasan and Jokiin, told us about Shingon Buddhism, and explained the features of the altar. He then guided us on a walk around the altar. I only had my iPhone with me; I took a few pictures, but I wanted better quality shots, so I went back to my room to grab my camera only to find the prayer room door shut when I returned.

    Our next activity was breakfast in a communal room. There were about 20 guests in all. While we were eating, our bedding was cleared from our rooms. The message was unspoken but clear - they didn't want us hanging around before check in time and after breakfast. Part of me couldn't help but wonder if the temples opened themselves to travelers out of economic necessity. I also wondered whether, with only five monks (that I was aware of) on site, they had enough resources to prepare the meals themselves, or if the meals were catered. I also wondered how having to cater to guests impacted their daily routines and religious activities, and what their routines would be if they didn’t operate a lodging.

    https://www.travelblog.org/Asia/Japan/Wakayama/…    Read more

  • TravelerFunemployment - Japan
    Day 8

    Koyasan

    March 23, 2018 in Japan ⋅ ☀️ 5 °C

    Before embarking on this trip, I suspected (correctly, as it turned out), that Kyoto would be overrun with tourists. I knew I wanted to experience a culturally significant site without too many tourists, and I also wanted to experience shokubo (temple lodging). Scanning through travelblog.org, I found that pretty much everyone who had blogged about Mt. Koya had a positive experience there. I decided to investigate further.

    From my initial research, I learned that Koyasan is the spiritual center for Shingon Esoteric Buddhism, and that it has over 120 temples, with a significant number of them offering lodging. The cheaper lodgings seemed to already be fully booked. After some research, I settled on Jokiin, which appeared to be centrally located and had very good reviews. The price was a little steep at USD257 including dinner and breakfast, but it still wasn’t among the priciest ones by far. I took a deep breath and booked a room.

    We left Kyoto at 8.30am on the rapid express train to Osaka. It only took about 30 minutes to get to Osaka Station. There, we transferred to a subway line to get to Namba station, where Nankai, a private railway company, operates from. We each bought a two day pass which included return train journeys and unlimited bus rides within Koya, all operated by Nankai. We calculated that our cost saving with this pass would only be minimal.

    Prior to October 2017, getting to Koyasan used to be faster and more straightforward. A typhoon damaged part of the railway line, so the train now terminates at Hashimoto, and passengers bound for Koyasan are transferred to a bus. The hourlong bus journey took us up winding mountain roads before depositing us at a station. There, we transferred to a local bus to get to Jokiin. We arrived a little past noon. The journey from Kyoto took over three hours in all.

    At Jokiin, we looked for a reception area but found none. We asked a passing worker for help, at which time he opened a sliding door and a friendly woman came out, took our bags, and told us to return at 3pm. As we had a few hours to kill, we walked into town, ate some lunch, looked at some of the temples, and then found a nice hiking trail through pine forests. The short trail ended at Nyonindo. Up until the middle of the Edo period, women were not allowed into the sacred part of Koyasan; they could not go beyond certain points on the outskirts of town. Nyonindo was one of the places where women could stay.

    After looking at Nyonindo, we walked downhill back towards the center of town, explored a few more temples, and checked in for our stay at Jokiin. When we got there, the reception door was open, and a different woman checked us in, showed us around, and explained the schedule of events.

    After checking in, we walked to the nearby Danjo Garan complex, a big, imposing complex with several stupas, halls, and other structures. As Koyasan is at high altitude, it was cold.

    https://www.travelblog.org/Admin/Blog/edit-entr…    Read more

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